2005 College Football Changes
There have been a lot of changes with college football
in 2005 and
we want to make sure that you are staying on top of the game. You have to keep in touch with the happenings of
the new year and what things work and which one do not.
We are here to help.
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At the end of Penn State’s 17-10 victory over Ohio State Saturday,
someone asked Coach Joe Paterno if Penn State “was back.” Paterno
replied, “Well, we’ve never really been away.” This isn’t the case,
as the Nittany Lions have been down for several years. But what has
happened at Penn State this season is the infusion of some young
talent, particularly freshman WR Jordan Norwood, Derrick Williams,
Deion Butler and Justin King. Butler and Williams are a dynamic duo
leading the Lions in receiving.
That’s common in college football for kids to come in and jumpstart
a program in a season. Of course, normally it’s just one facet of a
team that improves, such as the defensive line, or the passing game,
or the ground attack. But in Penn State’s case, it seems everything
about this team has improved, as is evidenced by that 6-0 mark. This
offense was awful last season, but is averaging 33 points this fall.
It’s important for handicappers to carefully examine incoming
freshmen and JC transfers to see how they might improve a program,
then to look again as the season gets going who is contributing and
how.
This weekend’s game at Michigan will be another big test for the
Lions. One thing to note about Penn State is that they’ve played 5 home
games and only one road contest. They did win that one road game, 34-29
at Northwestern, but failed to cover as a 9-point favorite. That’s
common with young athletes, too, playing great at home, but it’s not
always the case in a hostile environment.
We saw freshman RB Adrian Peterson electrify the Oklahoma running game
last season. They were primarily a passing team under Bob Stoops the
last few years, even when they won the national championship. As a
result, Sooner QBs were able to put up some mind-boggling numbers. But
last season, QB Jason White didn’t have to do it all, and while his
stats were down a bit, Oklahoma was a better team with the addition of
the talented freshman running back.
The Baylor Bears are another surprise team, beating Texas A&M last
season, nearly shocking the Aggies again two weeks ago, before an upset
win at Iowa State Saturday. In the Bears’ case, it’s the steady guidance
of coach Guy Morris, who has the team organized, confident and playing
hard each week. Oddsmakers haven’t caught up, either, with Baylor 4-0
against the spread this season and 10-2-1 ATS the last 13 games!
This is an excellent time of year to assess and reassess teams and to
take a close look at how new players and coaches have influenced their
teams, both straight up and against the number. You can really
make some extra cash by factoring this stuff into your
college football
picks.
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