Football Odds: Kansas vs Toledo

This week’s Friday night football preview will help you if you plan on betting on the Kansas Toledo game. We have enlisted the expert of handicapper Jimmy Boyd to help guide us, but if you want to really take advantage then you will need to head on over to Locksmith Sports and pick up his college football picks package.  For a limited time you can get a $500 match bonus with a new account at BetUS!

Toledo may be 0-2, but it is still giving up five points to the Kansas Jayhawks in Friday night’s matchup. The Jayhawks are off to a 2-0 start, but they are yet to play any competition. The Rockets nearly opened up the season with a huge road win against the Iowa State Cyclones, but they fell in triple overtime. That game showed us Toledo’s strengths and weaknesses that we can expect this season. There’s no doubt that the Rockets will be able to move the football and put some points on the board as Clint Cochran is running the spread offense well. Kansas boasts a strong defense, especially against the run, but it will most likely struggle against the spread in this one.

The Jayhawks return just three defensive starters from last season’s team, but they have showed in their opening two games that they will get better and better as the season progresses. However, their inexperience could cost them in this one, especially in the secondary where they have a major lack of depth. But we must also consider that prior to this season, Cochran’s only experience in college football was some mop up duty in one game last season. Iowa State may be a Big 12 team, but they don’t have a high caliber defense and Cochran’s success against it may not be the best indicator. He will get his first major test of the season in this matchup as will Kansas’ defense.

Kansas’ defense has kept it in nearly every game in the last three seasons when it qualified for two bowl games in three years. However, the offense is much improved this season and will cause trouble for the Rockets. Quarterback Kerry Meier is a future NFL signal-caller. At 6’3’’ and 210 pounds, Meier has the athletic ability to make plays himself for the offense, much like Jay Cutler did last season for Vanderbilt. If the defense shuts one door, Meier has the ability to open another one. The Rockets will also have to deal with tailback Jon Cornish, who may be the best back in the Big 12 North. Iowa State could have had its way on the ground with Stevie Hicks and you can expect Kansas to exploit them on the ground Friday night.

Ultimately, this one comes down to which defense will be able to slow down the other’s offense. It’s apparent that Kansas has the better “D”, but the spread will likely give it some problems. On the other hand, Toledo may not have an answer for Kansas’ potent rushing attack. I have researched this matchup inside and out and I have the winning angle down to a science. I’m so confident in Friday’s matchup that I’m making this my College Football Friday Night Game of the Year. Make sure you’re on board for a big winner this Friday night.

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ACC College Football Betting Recap

Each week this notebook goes over all you need to know about ACC football betting. Entering week four of the college football season there are going to be a lot of opportunities to take advantage of the lines offered by your sportsbook and we are here to help you do just that.

Our analysis start with Miami, where the AD, head coach Larry Coker and starting quarterback Kyle Wright all got a vote of confidence. Sadly though that might not be the news fans wanted to hear.  Be sure to check out this incredible $500 match bonus from BetUS before you make another wager this season!

After embarrassing themselves to Louisville last week in a 31-7 loss, the Hurricanes’ demise became was the talk in South Florida. The fans are clamoring for a change after their 1-2 start but they are going to have to wait. Dee said Coker’s job is safe and that Miami can still reach their goals of winning the ACC and making a BCS bowl.

Dee, also, became part of the rumors, but UM president Donna Shalala told the Miami Herald that an unscheduled meeting of the school’s trustees had nothing to do with Dee’s job status. There had been speculation that Dee would be forced to retire. Dee said he expects to fulfill his final contract, which runs through 2010.

Coker, who got a three-year extension last year extending his contract through 2009, said he expects to be on the hot seat and the Hurricanes do have a $2 million buy-out option.

The endorsement hasn’t stopped the Miami faithful from speculating about a future coach. The two names that lead the way are Butch Davis, the former UM head coach, and Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, an ex-Miami assistant. Former Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez also earned some buzz as a possible replacement.

“You don’t like (the rumors) at all,” Coker said. “But you understand it, realize it. I’ve been in high-profile programs before at Oklahoma and Ohio State. I understand it and understand the frustration of our fans. We have great fans, and this is a great program, and they expect greatness out of the program. So I understand it. Believe me, nobody wants to win any more than I do and our staff does and our players do.”

Coker indicated that he’s not worried about his future at with the Hurricanes.

“I’m not concerned about job security, I’m really not,” Coker said. “I’m concerned about getting our football team back to where they need to be and winning football games. We do that, and job security will take care of itself.”

With an off week and Houston next on the schedule (Sept. 30), Coker is trying to build the confidence in his team. He started by saying that Wright is still his starting quarterback. “He’s our starter,” Coker said.

As for the rest of the team, Coker admits that a shakeup could happen.

“You always consider (making changes),” he said.

Miami is expected to get big left tackle Reggie Youngblood back in the starting lineup. Youngblood, who missed the Louisville game because of ankle injury, returned to practice this week.

Coker isn’t the only one on the hotseat as Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden is getting accustomed to criticism. So why should his habits or the fans’ outrage change because the Seminoles’ offense is 105th in the nation?

The Seminoles message boards have called Bowden’s firing for sometime. When asked if he’s still avoiding the newspapers and message boards, Bowden answered, “Why?”

“Just asking,” said the reporter.

Bowden laughed and then said, “Why, you don’t have to ask me that question.”

Despite the obvious answers, Bowden admitted that a quarterback controversy might be brewing. With starter Drew Weatherford not exactly setting the world on fire, the coach said that there was a plan to give backup QB Xavier Lee a look.

“We had a plan (to get Xavier in the game) last week and a plan the week before. I sure would like to see that plan happen,” Bowden said.

The lack of offense hasn’t prevented WagerWeb from making No. 18 FSU a 30-point favorite over Rice on Saturday.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: Georgia Tech will feature an old look Thursday night against Virginia in the nationally televised game. The Yellow Jackets will wear throwback uniforms from the 1970s. With white helmets, gold jerseys, white pants and black cleats, head coach Chan Gailey doesn’t get too hyped about the threads.

“It’s a uniform,” Gailey said. “We’ve got a job to do, and a game to play. It’s fun for the fans and for the marketing people, I guess, but fun is not the word I would use. We’ve got make sure it’s not a distraction.”

We are going to have to take the Yellow Jackets this week with our free college football picks. Georgia Tech (2-1) is a WagerWeb 16.5-point favorite over Virginia (1-2).

SPECIAL SEASON: With its second double-overtime victory, Boston College is looking as if it might have one of those storybook seasons. The miracle wins are shades of 1984 and Doug Flutie. And QB Matt Ryan is starting to remind people of Flutie. At his current pace of 297 yards passing per game, Ryan would smash the school’s 22-year-old record. Flutie threw for 3,454 yards in 1984.

Boston College moved up three spots, from 23 to 20, in the AP poll with the win over BYU. The Eagles are a 7-point road favorite on WagerWeb against North Carolina State on Saturday.

DYING FOR RESPECT: At Clemson, head coach Tommy Bowden commemorates big road wins against Top 25 opponents by putting a tombstone on the practice facility. But as of Wednesday, the tombstone denoting the 27-20 win over No. 9 Florida State had not been delivered.

Bowden joked about the absence of the marker.

“Most people die, and they get it in three days,” Bowden said.

North Carolina is a 16-point underdog at WagerWeb this weekend at home against Clemson and is probably not looking forward to being the No. 19 Tigers’ next victim.

You can get free college football picks from our many handicappers right here at the site!  When you are ready to really start working over the college football odds, be sure to pick a premium NCAA football picks from top rated experts in the business.

Big 12 College Football Betting Recap

If you were betting on the Big 12 football teams last weekend then more than likely you came away disappointed. The conference did horribly and lost their backers quite a big of cash.

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It wasn’t the Big 12′s finest moment.

The conference had a shot to make a big splash in the national scene on Saturday, and instead it reaffirmed what many experts believed: that the conference is weak. The Big 12 went 0-5 against teams in the Top 25 and held a 5-7 mark overall.

To make matters worse, Texas A&M needed a late defensive stand to hold off Army 28-24 on national television.

Heartbreaking Loss: Oklahoma allowed 14 points in 22 seconds to fall to No. 18 Oregon in Eugene. Two calls went against Bob Stoops’ club. An onside kick and a pass-interference call both showed on televised replays that they should have been reversed Oklahoma’s way. Stoops told USA Today: “Even though (the officials) acted like they did, at least the whole country and everybody…sees what really happened.”

The Fab Four? There are four undefeated teams. All four of them aren’t conference favorites. Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Missouri are undefeated – but who did they play? The four teams’ opponents combined record is 9-24. Yes, that includes four Division I-AA opponents also.

Battle-Tested? Oklahoma State is in the same situation it was a year ago. Mike Gundy’s squad started 3-0 last year before losing seven of its final eight. This year could be different because never in Oklahoma State history has a Cowboys team opened up by winning its first three games by at least 28 points. OSU’s toughest test so far is this week with Houston, which sits at 3-0 and is averaging 39.33 points per game. “All we can ask them to do is to stop people, and they have until this point,” Gundy told SportingNews.com.

A Strenuous Stretch: Iowa State knew after its first two games that the tough stretch was upcoming. On Saturday, the Cyclones lost to No. 16 Iowa, next week they travel to No. 7 Texas, and then Northern Iowa, which was Division I-AA runner-up in 2005. After UNI, it’s Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. “It’s a season of opportunity, and that’s the way we’re looking at it and we’re not going to duck and hide,” coach Dan McCarney told the Daily Kansan. Don’t think that we are going to be taking the Cyclones to have any upsets in the coming weeks with our college football predictions.

Looking Ahead: A couple of tough tests await Big 12 teams. It doesn’t get easier for Colorado, which sits at 0-3. The Buffaloes head to Athens to play Georgia. Kansas State will finally be tested when it hosts Louisville. The Wildcats have a shot at an upset now that the Cardinals will be without both Brian Brohm and Michael Bush.

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Big East College Football Recap

It was an impressive week for Big East football last week when Louisville put a beat down on Miami. There is also good news with two teams being ranked in the top 10, and this is a conference that has gotten little to no respect by most of the nation.

For Bobby Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals, it was the good and the bad last week.

Now it’s going to get ugly.

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Louisville trounced the then-17th-ranked Miami Hurricanes, spotting them seven points and then taking the Canes to the woodshed by scoring 31 in a row. However, it came at a cost. Senior QB Brian Brohm dislocated his thumb in the third quarter and will be out 3-6 weeks. The great one-two punch of Brohm and Michael Bush is currently extinct.

Filling in will be Hunter Cantwell, a walk-on who threw for over 7,000 yards in high school, as well as a guy who put the dagger in Miami by throwing a 45-yard bomb to Henry Douglass to set up the game-clinching touchdown.

The Cardinals head to Manhattan, Kan., for a hungry Kansas State team, which would like to get its first big-time win for new coach Ron Prince. We’ll find out this week if Louisville’s success has been because of great players or because of great coaching. The Cards are favored by 14 at WagerWeb against KSU and with our free college football predictions we are going to take Louisville.

Recap: Overall, the Big East went 5-3 last week. The conference could have asked for better performances from Pittsburgh and UConn, which both lost at home in winnable games. Syracuse matched its win total from a year ago with a 31-21 victory over Illinois.

In Good Company: The Big East has two teams ranked in the AP Top 10: Louisville and West Virginia. Only two other conferences in college football can claim at least that many: Big Ten (2) and SEC (4). The Big East always wants respect, now it is are getting some. It doesn’t hurt to go 17-7 as a conference through three weeks to warrant that respect.

Good On The Road: So far, West Virginia is 3-0 ATS. And so far the Mountaineers have played all their games at Milan Puskar Stadium. Rich Rodriquez brings his circus on the road this week as WVU faces East Carolina (WagerWeb line: WVU -21). The Mountaineers were moneymakers on the road last year, going 5-0 ATS. But beware: the Pirates gave West Virginia a scare last year by only falling 20-15 in Morgantown.

The New Rutgers: After opening up the season by defeating their first ACC opponent in 21 tries (North Carolina), the Scarlet Knights have cruised to a 3-0 record. Part of the reason for Rutgers’ success is running back Ray Rice, who is turning into a household name. After rushing for more than 1,100 yards and 5 touchdowns last year, Rice already surpassed his touchdown total with his sixth score in Saturday’s game, and he is averaging 166 yards per game. He was a workhorse last week, carrying the ball 29 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-7 win against Ohio.

A Look Ahead: Cincinnati’s treacherous schedule moves on. After facing off against No. 1 Ohio State, the Bearcats get Frank Beamer’s Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg this week (WagerWeb line: Va. Tech -26.5). Could Syracuse pass its win total from all of last year? The Orange host an 0-3 Miami of Ohio team that has looked atrocious (WagerWeb line: SU -6.5). South Florida and Louisville have the ability to knock out both Kansas schools this week as those teams head to Kansas and Kansas State, respectively.

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College Football Coaching Changes in 2006

We want to keep you posted on the 2006 college football coaching changes. This is one of the keys to being a successful handicapper this fall and you must constantly keep appraised of what is happening week in and week out.  If you are ready to try your hand at beating the college football odds, get signed up for a new account with BetUS and take advantage of a $500 match bonus on your first deposit of $500 or more.

Their were a total of 23 schools which entered the 2005 season with new head coaches last year (see Wednesday’s Notes in the archives on how they fared). There were only 10 new hires this year but then with the tragic death of Northwestern’s Randy Walker over the summer, this year’s “coaching carousel” grew to 11. In a special weekend edition of Ness Notes, I’ll preview all 11 schools and coaches.

The 23 coaching changes of last year broke down like this. There were 10 schools bringing in coaches with previous experience and 13 schools which were giving their ‘guys’ their first head coaching job at the Division I-A level. Among this year’s group of 11 changes, just two schools have hired guys with previous head coaching experience.

The short list includes Dan Hawkins, who left Boise State to take the Colorado job and Dennis Erickson, who’s had numerous college and NFL jobs (most recently as the 49ers head coach) and this year makes a return visit to Idaho (coached there from 1982-85). What follows is this year coaching changes, listed alphabetically by school.

Boise State (Chris Peterson): Peterson has been Boise’s OC the last five years and he’s been an integral part of a team that’s averaged 41.3 PPG during that span, including an impressive 48.9 PPG in 2004. While the school’s best-known as a passing team, it should be noted that the Broncos have ranked in the top-25 nationally in rushing yards for three of the last four years. Boise saw two 31-game winning streaks end in last year’s 9-4 (6-5-1) season.

It’s 31-game WAC winning streak ended on November 12 at Fresno State (27-7) and the school’s 31-game home winning streak ended in the MPC Bowl, when Boston College held on the beat the Broncos on their famed “Blue Turf”, 27-21. Since 1999, the Broncos are 45-2 SU at home and 30-11 ATS. Looking ahead to this year’s schedule, Boise opens at home on a Thursday night with Oregon State (note: Boise is 1-10 SU and 2-6-1 ATS all-time vs Pac-10 schools).

Other tough spots will be at Utah on 9/30, a home rematch with Fresno State on November 1 (prior to LY’s loss, Boise was 4-0 SU and ATS vs Fresno since 2001, outscoring them 166-84)and at Nevada on November 21 (Wolf Pack tied with Boise for last year’s WAC title at 7-1 and have gone 10-2 SU at home in 2004 and 2005). There’s little reason to believe that the Broncos will miss a beat with Peterson in charge.

Buffalo (Turner Gill): Gill spent 17 years at Nebraska as its QB (three years) and then in various roles as an assistant. The Cornhuskers record during that time was 176-38. So Buffalo will certainly be a “shock to the system.” The Bulls joined Division I-A in 1999 and have won a total of just 10 games, never winning more than two MAC games in any year. After an 0-11 1999 season, the team won twice in 2000 and three time in 2002 before going a combined 5-41 (18-25-1) these last four seasons.

Last year’s 1-10 team (6-5 ATS) averaged a meager 10 PPG while allowing 29.7 PPG. However that total was down from the three previous seasons, in which the defense allowed 31.9, 37.1 and 34.7 PPG. Turner will be installing new schemes on both sides of the ball this year and has the second-fewest returning starters of any MAC team, so don’t expect too much more from Buffalo this year.

Two games of note are the team’s opener on August 31 at home vs Temple and an October 21 visit to Ohio U. In Temple, the Bison face a team which went 0-11 last year and will bring a 12-game losing streak into the game and Ohio is coached by Frank Solich. Solich is a former Nebraska player and long-time assistant plus was the team’s head coach from 1998 through 2003 and Gill worked as one of his assistants during that time.

Colorado (Dan Hawkins): Hawkins spent the last five years at Boise State compiling an impressive 53-10 mark. His .841 winning percentage is No. 1 among active coaches and his 53 wins are fourth-most ever by a coach in his first five seasons at a major school. He dominated the WAC while at Boise, going 37-3 and winning four league titles.

He takes over a Colorado team which has won three Big-12 North titles in the last four seasons but one which has nowhere near the talent of Big-12 South powers Texas and Oklahoma. Hawkins is a great hire but he has just five returning starters on offense and anywhere from six to eight on defense. The Buffs open with Montana State but then face Colorado State on September 9.

The favorite in this game is just 1-9 ATS the last 10 years and it’s back at a neutral site (Invesco Field) after two consecutive years of playing in Boulder (Colorado won both games by three points in non-covers). Colorado visits Georgia on September 23 (Hawkins took Boise there last year and lost 48-13!) plus plays in Norman on October 21 and Lincoln on November 24.

Idaho (Dennis Erickson): Erickson is just 40-56 in six seasons as an NFL head coach (four years with the Seahawks and two with the 49ers). However, he’s 145-56-1 in the college ranks with stops in Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami and Oregon State. He won two national titles in Miami and led Oregon State to an 11-1 season and BCS Bowl (41-9 Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame) in 2000.

In his second tour of duty at Idaho, he takes over a team that’s gone 11-47 these last five years and 23-29-2 ATS. Erickson has wanted to get back in the college ranks since being fired by the 49ers in 2004 but many schools shied away because of his past problems with the NCAA. However, this was a “no-brainer” for Idaho, which brings in a “big-name” coach. Erickson will take his Vandals to Pullman on September 9 to face Washington State (he coached there from 1987-88) and to Corvallis on September 23 to play Oregon State (1999-2002).

Middle Tennessee State (Rick Stockstill): Stockstill has been a 17-year assistant at the Division I-A level, 14 years at Clemson (under Danny Ford, Ken Hatfield, Tommy West and Tommy Bowden). He’s spent the last two years at South Carolina, under Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier. He takes over a team that many felt was as talented as any team in the SBC last year but the Blue Raiders went just 4-7. In fact, the team is just 17-29 (21-23) the last four years.

The team hung tough at both Alabama and North Carolina State last year and went into Vanderbilt and beat the Commodores 17-15, a loss that kept Vandy from its first bowl bid since 1982. Nine offensive starters return and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blue Raiders posted their first winning record since going 8-3 in 2001. However, the Blue Raiders may have to pull off an upset in one of these games to pull that off. They are at Maryland (9/9), at Oklahoma (9/23), in Nashville to meet Louisville (10/6) and at South Carolina (11/18).

Sunday’s notes continues my preview of CFB’s 2006 coaching carousel. Listed below are six of 2006′s new head coaches and the teams they’ll lead. See yesterday’s notes for the other five.

Kansas State (Ron Prince): Prince is just 36 years old and has never been a head coach at any level (Division I-A assistant these last five years). He was the OC at Virginia most recently and he’s known as a great recruiter. He’s got big shoes to fill, as Bill Snyder stepped down last year after a remarkable career at Manhattan.

Snyder took over arguably the worst program in the nation back in 1989 and then led the Wildcats to 11 straight bowl games from 1993 through 2003, contending for the national title in four seasons. However, the Wildcats have gone 4-7 and 5-6 these last two seasons, so Prince’s timing is pretty good. He’s got 17 returning starters and a quick look at the schedule shows his team could easily open 5-1.

The Wildcats open the year with four consecutive home games and get to play Illinois State, Florida Atlantic and Marshall in Manhattan before Louisville comes to town on September 30. They then open their Big-12 schedule with a visit to Baylor and another home game with Oklahoma State. Snyder didn’t lead the Wildcats to a bowl game until his fifth season at Kansas State but it’s likely Prince will do so in his first year at Manhattan.

Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald): Randy Walker was about to enter his eighth season as head coach of the Wildcats in 2006. His career record at Northwestern was just 37-46 (41-37-2 ATS) but he had led the Wildcats to three bowls during his first seven years in Evanston, including a Sun Bowl appearance last season against UCLA. The Wildcats had taken on one of the nation’s toughest schedules last year and still went 7-5. Even with the loss of QB Brett Basanez, a workable September schedule and 13 returning starters (including super sophomore RB Tyrell Sutton) made it likely the Wildcats would be bowl-eligible again this year.

Then came the sudden death of Walker and on July 7, the naming of 31-year-old Pat Fitzgerald as the team’s new head coach. Fitzgerald was a star on the school’s two Big-10 title teams of the mid 90s and becomes the youngest coach in Division I-A this year. Who really knows how the program will react but as mentioned earlier, the Wildcats do an a chance to start fast. They open at Walker’s old school Miami-Ohio on August 31 and then play home games against New Hampshire and Eastern Michigan. If the team can settle on a QB by then, a Friday night visit to Reno to play Nevada (10-2 at home these last two years), is winnable.

The Big-10 schedule comes next, opening with road games at Penn State and Wisconsin. I’m not sure the team can match it’s 5-3 league mark of last year, so opening at least 3-1 (4-0 would be nice) is a must. It will be hard not to root for Fitzgerald and the Wildcats this year.

Rice (Todd Graham): Graham was the DC at Tulsa these last three years, working under Steve Kragthorpe. All Tulsa did in the last three years is go from seasons of 1-10 and 1-11 in 2001 and 2002 to 8-5 in ’03 (bowl appearance) plus after a 4-8 year in ’04, to 9-4 last year. Last year’s team won the C-USA title game and the Liberty Bowl, 31-24 over Fresno State. Graham takes over for Ken Hatfield, who produced just three winning seasons in 12 years.

Rice has some of the most stringent academic standards for its athletes of any Division I-A school, so it’s not surprising the school’s last bowl appearance came in 1961. Graham has brought in former Texas QB Major Applewhite as his OC and this run-oriented team will try to install a passing offense. Pass offenses with option personnel rarely work, so expect Rice to struggle this year. However, since the team went 1-10 (3-8 ATS) in 2005, things can’t get much worse.

Rice opens with cross-town rival Houston on September 2 and if the Owls lose that one (are 9-23 against the Cougars), they’ll likely open 0-4, at least. The Owls follow their season-opener with a trip to UCLA, a game with Texas at Reliant Stadium and a visit to Tallahassee to play Florida State. Rice has averaged more than 100 YPG through the air just two times since 2000, averaging 122 YPG in 2001 and a meager 103 YPG last year. This will take awhile.

San Diego State (Chuck Long): Long is best remembered for finishing a close second to Bo Jackson in the 1985 Heisman race. However, he’s spent the last 11 years as an assistant, first at Iowa (his alma mater) and recently at Oklahoma, where he was first the QB coach and then the team’s OC. He takes over for Tom Craft, who led the Aztecs to a 19-29 record these last four years (22-21-2 ATS). San Diego State last had a winning season in 1998, finishing 7-5 (including a 20-13 Las Vegas Bowl loss to North Carolina).

Long is a good hire for this underachieving program which is the only MWC team since the conference’s inception in 1999 that’s not gone to a bowl game. Lynell Hamilton (if healthy?) is a talented RB and QB O’Connell should get better under Long’s direction. The defense should be much better this year and last year’s team was better than its 5-7 mark (outscored conference foes by 22 points). It would be no surprise if the Aztecs were to make it to 7-5 in 2006.

Temple (Al Golden): While UVa’s OC Ron Prince takes over at Kansas State, its DC Al Golden, takes over the job at Temple (I’d rather be Ron!). Temple will again play as an independent, moving to the MAC in 2007. Temple is coming off a year in which it went 0-11 and got outscored by an average of 45-10 but the Owls actually went 5-6 ATS in 2005 (now that’s trick!). Bobby Wallace went 19-71 in his eight years at Temple, so Golden doesn’t exactly have big shoes to fill.

Consider this fact, Temple has not had a winning season in 15 years and has not even topped four wins in a season since 1990. This year’s schedule will again be tough but it can’t be any worse than last year’s, as nine of the team’s 11 opponents were bowl-eligible by season’s end. Temple averaged a pathetic 9.7 PPG on offense and allowed a dreadful 45.3 PPG on defense. I guess the good news is that only two starters return on the defensive side of the ball.

Temple visits Buffalo (see Buffalo write-up in Part 1) to open the season on August 31 and if the Owls don’t win there, the next best chance at a win won’t come until a home game with Kent State (1-10 in 2005) on October 7. Wins should be few (and possibly far between) in 2006 but there may be a couple of wins for Golden in his first year.

Wisconsin (Brett Bielema): Like Prince at Kansa State (Bill Snyder), Bielema takes over at Wisconsin for the school’s most successful head coach, Barry Alaverz. If not for the sudden hiring of Fitzgerald at Northwestern, Bielema (at 36 years-old), would have the youngest Big-10 coach this season, by 15 years!

Alvarez led the Badgers to 11 bowls in his 17 years, going 8-3 in those games and 118-73-4 in his tenure. Bielema is his hand-picked successor and while he’ll have an experienced defense back, the offense loses eight starters from a squad that averaged a school-record 34.3 PPG in 2005. Brain Calhoun is the biggest loss (1636 rushing yards / 571 receiving yards / 24 TDs) but QB John Stocco is back.

Wisconsin needs to start fast, opening with Bowling Green in Cleveland on September 2 (LY’s score was 56-42 Wisconsin!) and then home to Western Michigan plus San Diego State. The Badgers open Big-10 play with a road game at Michigan but then play at Indiana plus home to Northwestern and Minnesota. It would come as no surprise if the Badgers start 5-1 this year. Wisconsin won’t win 10 games like last year but a winning record and a bowl bid is likely.

Make sure you factor in these coaching changes before making any college football picks this fall.  Check out this week’s free football picks to get a feel for who can win for you this season.

2006 NCAA Football Predictions: Sun Belt Conference

This is a real conference on the move as will be shown by our 2006 Sun Belt predictions. One again Marc Lawrence is going to take you team by team through this conference and give you the low down on what to expect, but if you want help making your picks week after week then take a look at one of his college football picks packages. You won’t want to miss a single day of winners from this long time expert on the gridiron.

The new kids on the block continue their search for identity in 2006. In just four seasons, the league has secured a bowl win (2002 New Orleans Bowl), had multiple teams reach the postseason (2004 – North Texas and Troy) and had Troy’s Demarcus Ware chosen as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Still, they’ve still got this ‘Louisiana Garbage Can image they’d like to kick.  For anyone who wants a chance at beating the NCAA football odds throughout this season, even if you already have a sportsbook account, you should open a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more.  If you do, they ll automatically add another $500 to your account!

Here is my take on the SUN BELT CONFERENCE for 2006. Coming up next: the WAC CONFERENCE. Enjoy…

ARKANSAS STATE
If more teams developed Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts’ ‘I Will’ philosophy there would likely be an over abundance of bowl- eligible teams. ‘I Will’ became ‘We Did’ in 2005 when the Indians overachieved their way to its 1st-ever bowl game. That was the same Arkansas State squad that was ranked No. 115 in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S pre-season poll in 2005. Roberts will be put to the task this season with numerous offensive holes to fill, including a new starting quarterback and a pair of replacement running backs. Then again, last year’s team featured a lot of new faces snapping on their chin straps. Don’t count him out.
PLAY ON: vs. Army (9/2)

LA LAFAYETTE
Now here’s a non-descript team that doesn’t smell up the joint. After capturing a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship last season, head coach Rickey Bustle was inked to a contract extension through 2010, and it’s easy to understand why. His teams have increased its win percentage each season since his arrival four years ago. They lose only 13 lettermen from last year’s championship squad and, behind SR QB Jerry Babb, will face only one opponent with a winning record in 2006 (LSU in their opener). To top it off they enter this new season riding the nation’s 7th longest win streak. Not bad for a Louisiana garbage can.
PLAY ON: vs. Texas A&M (9/9)

LA MONROE
Here we go again with yet another ‘politically correct’ nickname change. In yielding to pressure from the native American Indian sovereignty, they switched from the Indians to the Warhawks. Now that’s a nice new surname saturated with serenity. It’s also reassuring knowing that when they go on the warpath (as Warhawks have been known to do) they will no longer be slighting the American Indian (sic). Meanwhile, head coach Charlie Weatherbie’s warriors have been collecting scalps on a regular basis of late as they’ve come away winners in 10 of their last 18 battles. They’d better win early and often this year as the last five games of the season are away from the reservation.
PLAY ON: vs. Louisiana Lafayette (11/25)

MID TENNESSEE STATE
On the heels of their fourth consecutive sub .500 effort, former head coach Andy McCollom was dispatched in favor of Rick Stockstill, an assistant at South Carolina the last two seasons. If Stockstill were a racehorse his blood lines would be impeccable, as he’s tutored under the likes of Steve Spurrier, Lou Holtz, Danny Ford, Tommy Bowden, Ken Hatfield and Tommy West. He’ll rely heavily on SR southpaw QB Clint Marks, who has started 21 consecutive games while completing 66% of his passes. Faced with seven road games, and a 4th new defensive coordinator in as many years, let’s hope Stockstill doesn’t buck shins in his maiden season.
PLAY ON: vs. Florida International (8/31)

NORTH TEXAS
A disastrous 2005 season, one the athletic department cares to refer to as a ‘hiccup in the rear view mirror’, saw the Eagles 26-game conference win streak snapped to shreds. In truth it was more like a Heimlich maneuver gone bad when North Texas was solidly outgained in each of their 11 contests. The not-so-mean Green Machine was absolutely pummeled outside the conference, outscored 204-26 in an 0-4 effort. The return of 50 lettermen, along with16 starters, should help the healing process. RB Jamario Thomas will need to return to his 2004 form when he lead the nation in rushing. Otherwise it will be another difficult season to swallow.
PLAY ON: vs. Florida Atlantic (11/18)

TROY
Like many of the ‘big-name’ schools that suffer a losing season, Troy has a tendency to bounce back up off the carpet the following year. In his 16 season with the Trojans, head coach Larry Blakeney has suffered through only four losing years. His teams are 24-11 combined the following season. He’ll be put to the test early on in 2006 when his team opens on the road in four of their initial five games. They will also have to overcome a seven-game road itinerary. To their credit, Troy was the No.1 ranked team in total defense in the Sun Belt Conference last season. Unfortunately, they ranked dead- last in red-zone efficiency on both sides of the ball.
PLAY ON: vs. Louisiana Monroe (10/21)

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2006 WAC College Football Predictions

Here are the 2006 WAC predictions courtesy of Marc Lawrence. If you are looking for a quality handicapper this fall then try picking up one of his college football picks packages. You won’t want to miss a single day of winners from this long time winner.

I’ll bet you didn’t know in the last four years the WAC owns the 2nd best win percentage of all conferences in bowl games (8-6). In addition, the top three teams in the league own 140 victories since 2001, the 4th best mark of top-trio teams in all other conferences in the land (better than the Big 10). Things aren’t as wacky in the WAC as you might have imagined.  Don’t miss out on this limited-time $500 match bonus from BetUS.  It’s for players that want to start beating the college football lines this year.

Here is my take on the WAC CONFERENCE for 2006. Enjoy…

BOISE STATE
The biggest question surrounding this program is, ‘Was Dan the man, or is it the magical blue-smurf turf’ that has accounted for Boise State’s lofty status in Division 1-A football this decade? (Boise’s 63 wins is topped by only three other teams this decade) Gone is head coach Dan Hawkins, the new Colorado mentor. In his stead is Chris Peterson, former Broncos’ OC, and a finalist for the Frank Broyles award (recognizing the nation’s top assistant coach) in 2002 and 2004. Peterson will enjoy the luxury of having 18 returning starters at his disposal, including star QB Jared Zabransky, a senior who has started 25 straight games (20-5). Don’t buck these Broncos.
PLAY ON: vs. Fresno State (11/1)

FRESNO STATE
Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere. That is Pat Hill’s philosophy when it comes to squaring off against the opposition. In his nine years with the Bulldogs Hill has take on 44 non-conference opponents, only 15 at home (he’s 26-12 ATS those games, including 7-0 ATS with revenge). He lost 4-year starting QB Paul Pinegar and all-WAC DE Garrett McIntyre to the NFL draft, meaning there are some serious holes to plug in 2006. Their 7-game bowl streak is the longest of any West Coast team. Even minus McIntyre, we especially like the fact this defense has improved each of the last three years. They’re also 46-10 SU from November out under Hill, and that’s against Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere.
PLAY ON: vs. Oregon (9/9)

HAWAII
From an empty cupboard to Overstock.com, Warriors’ head coach June Jones is happy to be logging on in 2006. Last year Hawaii featured a mere nine returning starters and, as a result, missed out on a bowl bid for the first time in four years. This season the Grass Skirts return a walloping 61 lettermen, including 15 starters from last year’s 5-7 edition. In addition, eight home games should virtually guarantee a return to the post-season. Junior QB Colt Brennan is back after establishing 11 school records while leading the nation in total offensive yards last season. It looks to be bombs away in Pearl Harbor in ’06.
PLAY ON: vs. Nevada (10/7)

IDAHO
Like the Prodigal Son, Dennis Erickson has returned home. It all began in Moscow (Idaho, that is) for Erickson back in 1982 when he took the reins of the then Division 1-AA Vandals. Twenty-four years later, Erickson brings 17 years (and a glossy 145-56-1 SU & 80-59-4 ATS record) of college football, and six years of NFL head coaching experience, to his old home. Ironically, he’ll open the 2006 season against former UI coach John L. Sullivan when his team travels to Michigan State. In addition, he’ll also take on two former employers when he visits Oregon State and Washington State in PAC 10 action. Who says you can never return home?
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Michigan State (9/2)

LOUISIANA TECH
It seems you just can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The Bulldogs were hitting on all cylinders at season’s end last year with wins in five of their final six games. Unfortunately blowout losses in their first two non-conference road games left them unappealing to bowl scouts. In seven years behind head coach Jack Bicknell, La Tech has tackled 31 bowl teams, 24 BCS opponents and 20 teams residing in the Top 15. It will be nothing different in 2006 when they open the season on the road in four of their first five games against the likes of Nebraska, Texas A&M, Clemson and Boise State. Some dogs never learn.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Clemson (9/30)

NEVADA
Back for his 3rd term at Nevada, Chris Ault (177-73-1 career) captured his 8th conference championship with the Wolf Pack last year. Not only did they lead the nation in Time of Possession (33:12), they extended the nation’s longest active scoring streak to 304 games. This is definitely a program on the rise and it shows. They return 14 starters from last year’s championship squad, plus a starter in 2004, offensive lineman (J.J. Milan), who sat out last year with an injury. If they get by their initial four games (all versus bowlers) they can literally write another bowl bid in 2006. Rest assured they’ll come out on the attack.
PLAY ON: vs. Colorado State (9/16)

NEW MEXICO STATE
Yikes. The Aggies foray into the WAC last year was a total disaster as they not only failed to win game throughout the entire season, but also went 0-8 ATS in conference play. It has Hal Mumme scratching his head wondering what went wrong. For starters, his ‘air-raid’ offense simply couldn’t overcome the nation’s worst defense. That needs to be addressed in a major way. The new signal caller will be 6’ 6” QB Chase Holbrook, a transfer from SE Louisiana, who came in with Mumme last year. Keep this thought in mind: teams that were winless the previous season are 14-3-2 ATS at home against a foe off a SU underdog win since 1982. We’ll be watching.
PASS

SAN JOSE STATE
Veteran head coach Dick Tomey did an admirable job in his first year with the Spartans last season, winning both of their final two games of the season while improving the offense and the defense. He’ll look to build on the season-ending victories behind eight returning starters on offense and the benefit of seven home games in 2006. More than that, though, is Tomey’s Marine-like approach to defense. Last year’s unit allowed 112 fewer points than the team he inherited, making San Jose one of eleven teams to yield 110 or fewer points in 2005. The defensive line was gutted, making his approach even more challenging in ’06.
PASS

UTAH STATE
When does playing seven road games in the same season prove to be an advantage? When you’re doing it for the 3rd time in four years. FYI: teams playing in their 7th road game of the year are 57-76-4 ATS, including 27-52-3 ATS without revenge. Second year head coach Brent Guy, a former defensive coordinator at Arizona State, welcomes back a compliment of offensive skill people. Better yet, Guy played 20 freshmen in 2005, 12 of whom started at least one game, He will need to find a go-to running back, however, as a player other than a RB lead the team in rushing nine of eleven games last season. Bret’s our guy.
PLAY ON: vs. Louisiana Tech (10/21)

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College Football Rule 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 you beat the college football odds this season and there’s no better way to do that than cashing in on a $500 match bonus with BetUS.

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.

Many of our experts provide free college football picks so you can find out what kind of winners they give out before you purchase a premium football picks package.

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