FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER ANY MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is NOT RESPONSIBLE for ANY POTENTIAL INCURRED LOSSES.
Last week’s NCAAF record: 3-2
Season NCAAF record: 17-10
Last week, my 'lock of the year' came through (LSU/Bama over - as expected) but overall I didn't have that great of a day in college. On the surface, this week seems to look a lot easier with more favorable match-ups and spreads and totals that look like they make sense on paper. See, that's the thing with Vegas, they've made billions of dollars and built tons of casinos & sportsbooks by people thinking exactly like this. So that's why I had to curb my enthusiasm and concentrate on the research as opposed to what just looks good at first glance. Anyways, let's get into this week's winners.
Penn State/Indiana - over 55
When people look at this game, they'll figure Penn State should roll over Indiana. At a closer glance, you'll notice that the Hooisers have one of the best offenses in the B10, averaging almost 32 points per game (31.75 to be exact). Penn State's defense has been pretty stingy but they haven't really played anybody with a good offense, so their numbers and stats can be a bit misleading. I would argue that Indiana might be the best offense they'll see all year up to this point. On the flip side, Indiana's defense won't be able to stop Penn State from doing whatever it is they want to do so 8 TDs or 56 points shouldn't be a problem to get to.
Florida State/Alabama State - over 53
For as much as people talk about FSU 'falling off', it is not because of their offense. They consistently put up anywhere between 25-40 points per game against quality opponents. While Alabama State does have a pretty good defense by FCS standards and pushed UAB to the limit in week one, they will be no match for James Blackmon, Cam Aykers and the Seminole offense. For at least one week, Florida State will look like an elite program again. The bottom line is, Florida State needs this win to become bowl eligible because they won't win next week against Florida. They really need to win this game in dominating fashion to impress some of the bowl organizations to pick them to play in their game in December, so they'll come into this game focused and ready to rock. FSU might put up 50 by themselves.
Troy (-7) @ Texas State
I've been watching Troy for a few weeks now and one thing is for certain, they can put up a lot of points. I don't know if I can say the same for Texas State, who has only scored over 20 points twice this season, and against 2 of the worst teams in college football. Troy's defense is vulnerable and is liable to give up points in bunches, but I don't see the Wildcats being much of a threat to keep this game within a touchdown as the Trojans will score at will.
Texas A&M (-11) vs. South Carolina
The Aggies get a home game after a bye against a South Carolina team that is flat out not good and being decimated by injuries. The Gamecocks are pulling all their freshmen and the veterans who have played less than 4 games to preserve their redshirts (in anticipation for next season and beyond). Furthermore, they are starting 2 walk-ons at wide receiver. Ouch. TAMU will roll @ home. I feel comfortable laying the point. Kellen Mond & co. will roll @ home.
Host Quentin Bienemy aka “Itchy” is joined by close personal friend & Alabama football fan (🙄) Malli Benjamin to preview the 2019 game between the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. You don't want to miss this entertaining yet informative podcast. You won't get a preview like this ANYWHERE ELSE. Be sure to tune in and share with a friend. Available for listen on Soundcloud and on the Apple iTunes podcast section.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER ANY MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any potential incurred losses.
Ok, I'm back for another fun (and pocket filling) weekend of college football. This week, there aren't a ton of exciting games to choose from and the lines reflect the mostly ugly matchups. Again, this forces people to think longer and harder before putting their money down, which can sometimes lead to second guessing and losse. Hopefully that won’t be the case with me, so with that being said, lets get into these picks.
Buffalo/Eastern Michigan; over 50
Buffalo has one of the nation's best running games, averaging 221 yards per game on the ground. They've scored a little bit over 26 points per contest while EMU's defense gives up 32 points per game. On the flip side, Eastern Michigan has the 24th ranked passing game in the country and average nearly 28 points per game, while Buffalo's defense gives up 23.4 points. Neither team's defense is particularly good and both offenses rank inside the top 25 in at least one aspect of offense. I don't see why the scoreboard won't be lit up for this one. It should easily go over.
Liberty (-24) vs. UMass
Typically, I wouldn't bet a game like this at such a huge number, especially considering that Liberty DIDN'T get the job done last week against a bad Rutgers team (disclaimer: Rutgers IS bad but they're still in a Power 5 conference). Well this week, Liberty has a chance to redeem themselves and show that they're on the right track. They face an even worse UMass team that has only won one game and all of their defeats have come from average to (other) bad teams. On top of that, they've lost each game by an average of 32 points. Liberty is ARGUABLY the most talented team they'll see all year up to this point. This might get ugly. Lay the points.
Troy (-1) @ Coastal Carolina
Troy has one of the best passing games in the entire country. QB Kaleb Barker averages 309 yards per game (good for 35th in the nation). The Trojans have lost 2 of the last 3 and got gashed for 300 yards on the ground last week, but that was an anomaly against a good Georgia Southern running team. On offense, Coastal Carolina can run the ball but I think Troy will be motivated to show they can stop or at least slow down the run after last week’s embarrassing performance. On the other side of the ball, Coastal can’t stop the run or the pass and they have given up a little bit under 40 points per game over the past month. Look for Troy to win and cover this small spread.
Florida (+6.5) vs Georgia
This is a big rivalry game with HUGE SEC East implications. The winner of this game will most likely represent the Eastern division in the SEC Championship Game in December. Florida's offense, led by Kyle Trask (who has thrown 14 TDs since taking over for injured Felipe Franks) is hitting their stride at the right time. The Gators’ defense will also get back 2 defensive studs - Jabari Zuniga and Johnathan Greenard - that should bolster an already stout defensive unit and I don’t think Georgia has the firepower to pull away from any decent team. I think Florida is better than Georgia this year and they have a very good chance to win this game outright, but to play it 'safe' just take the points.
‘Bargin bin’ picks:
So since this week’s games don’t look appealing, I decided to have a little fun with the schedule. So you know when you go to Walmart and in the entertainment section you see a bin full of old DVDs that are super cheap, well this is kind of a similar concept, except I’ll just have picks instead of DVDs lol. I won’t give any analysis as to why, it’s just basically me eyeballing spreads and totals and picking a winner on the spot. Of course, this won’t count for or against my record. You’re basically just rummaging through a pile to see what you can find
Texas A&M (-38.5) vs. UTSA
Texas A&M/UTSA: over 53 Akron (+6) vs Bowling Green Notre Dame (-17.5) vs. Virginia Tech Miami (+3) vs. Florida State
Tulane/Tulsa: over 62.5
Washington/Utah: under 47.5 (this goes against everything I believe in, but hey 🤷🏾♂️)
SMU/Memphis: over 70
Fresno/Hawaii: over 69.5
Today marks the beginning of one of the most anticipated NBA seasons in recent memory. For the first time in 12 years there is no clear cut front runner, at least in the general public's perception, to win the NBA title. This new era of teams creating 2 man tandems has generated a level of excitement and suspense the league hasn't seen since LeBron James' rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. For all the excitement about the league's parity and the upcoming war for basketball supremacy, there will be a huge hole in the middle of the puzzle that leaves it incomplete -- Kevin Durant's absence.
Unless you've been living under a rock since last June, you know that Durant will miss the upcoming season while he recovers from a ruptured Achilles. 'KD' sustained the injury in game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. In the aftermath many people, including former teammate Andre Iguodala, questioned whether the Golden State Warriors pressured him to come back from a calf injury he sustained earlier in the playoffs too soon. At the time of his return, the Warriors were down 3 games to 1 to the Toronto Raptors and needed some sort of spark to help ignite a comeback. They would win the contest but eventually, lose the series.
Before this injury, Durant was widely regarded as one of the most disliked players in the NBA by fans. This was somewhat hard to understand because he is also considered the best or second best player in the league depending on who you ask. When his career is done, he will likely go down as one of the top 10 players in NBA history.
For those who may not know, Durant is a highly skilled at what he does. You could say he’s like a basketball assassin with an unlimited skillset at his disposal. Standing at a legit 6'9, he can create his shot from anywhere on the floor, moves and dribbles like a point guard and is a elite level defender, a combination the NBA hadn't seen prior to his arrival. With all the physical tools and athletic talent he has, it was destined for him to rack up all the accomplishments he's achieved thus far: 2x time NBA Champion, 2x time Finals MVP, 10x NBA All-Star, 4x NBA scoring champion, made the All-NBA team 9 times (1st team 6 times), 2 time All-Star game MVP, 2008 Rookie of the Year, consensus National College Player of the Year (the first person to win the award as a freshman and the only player to win the award in consensus fashion) and last but certainly not least, a NBA MVP award, in which his acceptance speech would go down in history as one of the best ever and capturing the hearts of many around the world.
One may ask why a player so talented and accomplished was so disliked...
Well in the summer of 2016 Kevin made the decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that drafted him and he spent his first nine seasons with, to join the Warriors. Many criticized the move because they felt the Warriors were already stacked and adding a player of Durant's caliber would unfairly tilt the competitive balance in Golden State's favor. The same critics also felt Durant was taking the 'easy' way out by joining the team that just prevented him to going to the Finals as opposed to wanting to dethrone them after being so 'close' to doing so.
To further complicate the situation, many felt as though he left one of his perceived best friends and former teammate Russell Westbrook lying high and dry. Durant and Westbrook played together for 8 seasons, developing a on court chemistry between 2 elite players on the same team that the league hadn't seen since Karl Malone and John Stockton played together with the Utah Jazz. Off the court, while they weren't best friends, they formed a friendship that clearly extended past the playing court. Many people will never forget how Durant called outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban "an idiot" after he paid Durant a compliment but slighted Westbrook at the same time.
Durant's decision to leave a championship ready OKC team definitely left a sting with many, including Westbrook. Shortly after the decision, Westbrook posted a picture of cupcakes on his Instagram account. While on the surface it was an ode to Independence Day, it was later revealed that this was a diss to the former by the latter. They have also had on court spats and traded jabs in the media, but have since reconciled. They may not be as close as they once were, but they are on speaking/friendly terms again and are presumably working to rebuild their friendship.
Many people felt as though while Durant was extremely talented, his inability to win a championship is what held him below 'King James' as the league's best player. Durant put that argument to bed when he won his first championship, capped off with a Finals MVP and one of the most iconic moments of his illustrious career thus far and signified a 'changing of the guard' in the NBA's pecking order for the league's best player -- a game clinching 3-pointer that swam through the net like a shark in the ocean over the outreached hand of LeBron James.
Durant is a somewhat misunderstood person. He wants to give off the impression that he doesn't care what people think of him, but at the same time he spends time on social media defending what he does and says. No one can forget the infamous "burner account" saga. He also wants people to not care about the whole ordeal about the fashion in which he left OKC but in all honesty, as one of the biggest Kevin Durant fans, even I had a hard time trying to justify let alone defend that decision. It was almost as if he were leaving a bullied friend to join the bullies beating them both up.
His decision may have seemed that way, but the truth is, Durant was a free agent and THE WARRIORS PURSUED HIS SERVICES, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Just as much as people say he needed the Warriors to win (more) championships, they needed him just as much if not more. Does anyone remember the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history that the Cleveland Cavs pulled off in 2016? That Warriors team did beat the Cavs the year before, but Cleveland were missing their 2nd and 3rd best players that year. In the rematch the next year, Cleveland won. Golden State knew they couldn't beat that Cavs team with their current roster and needed to do something to get the upper edge. And they did.Any team in the league was free to sign him. The Warriors just made the best pitch and presented the best opportunity for him. And he accepted it.
What person wouldn't want to have the best chance at winning a championship while also rubbing networking and building relationships with some of the most brilliant and intelligent people in Silicon Valley (San Francisco/Oakland/Bay Area) who shaping the future of our world and putting himself in position for investment opportunities that would potentially make him more money than he would make during his playing career? Simply put, that’s just too good of an opportunity to pass up in exchange to remain ‘loyal’ to a sports franchise that can decide to release or trade you at any given moment for any reason.
Furthermore, as much as people like Russell Westbrook (myself included), people have to come to the realization that his style of play is NOT conducive to winning a championship. Kevin Durant just realized that before everyone else did. In the years since he and Westbrook have split, Durant has won 2 titles. Westbrook has won a league MVP and cemented his place amongst the current batch of elite in the league, but has also not been out of the 1st round of the playoffs.
Fast forward to the summer of 2019, after the Achilles injury in the Finals. Durant had a decision to make: Does he stay with the team that some feel he 'rode their wave' to championships and continue to be teammates with Draymond Green (whom he had a very nasty on court exchange with earlier in the season that some speculate made Durant feel alienated -- which Durant later confirmed) and also potentially threatened his career by rushing him back from a injury? Or does he go somewhere else to prove that the championships with the Warriors wasn't a 'fluke'? We now know that KD chose the second option, teaming with two of his better friends among NBA players Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn to play for the Nets.
The decision has made many come back around and regain a considerable amount of respect they previously lost. Some was already gained back the night he was injured when he decided to play in that fateful game 5 of the NBA Finals. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors were down 3 games to 1 and needed a serious spark. Durant provided that. Before going down with the Achilles injury, Durant scored 11 points in 12 minutes of playing time. Who knows what could've happened if he didn't get hurt. Maybe the Warriors win that series and Durant might still be a Warrior. But things didn't play out that way so we'll never truly know.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Steph Curry, De'Angelo Russell, Draymond Green (and potentially Klay Thompson if he heals from his injury sooner than expected). Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic. Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Kemba Walker and Jason Tatum. Those are just some of the new pairs of teammates on various teams that will all scratch & claw for the NBA championship. It should make for some very compelling basketball and storylines throughout the season. It's a shame that Kevin Durant won't have a say in the conversation. Not this year at least. He would've made this season 100 times better than it is already going to be. But don’t worry. When he does come back in the 2020-2021 season, you’ll appreciate his greatness and what he brings to the basketball world a whole lot more.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER ANY MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING SAID IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any potential incurred losses.
Last week, I didn't release any NFL picks. I really got caught up in some other things which prevented me from giving my best at making picks and I didn't want to send y'all out there head first on some dumb ish. That being said, I'm back this week with some winners! Let's get it in.
Jaguars (-4) @ Bengals
Cincinnati has the worst rushing defense in the league and that's bad new for them as Leonard Fournette (the AFC's leading rusher) and the Jags come into town. Gardner Minshew finally looked like a rookie last week against the Saints but I fully expect him to return to himself against a Bengals defense that is also banged up in the secondary and can't get a consistent pass rush to pressure Minshew. The Jags might win this one by 2 TDs or more.
Dolphins (+17) @ Bills
Everybody & their maw knows that Miami isn't good. But this is a terribly huge number to swallow, all things considered. For starters, the total score sits at 39. If you're going to have one team as a 17 point favorite, the total should be somewhere in the mid-to-upper 40s (if not somewhere in the 50s). Furthermore, the Bills' calling card ISN'T offense, as they rank 25th in scoring. Miami is also starting Ryan Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitzmagic") so that should give the Dolphins' offense a spark to keep it within 2.5 TDs. Don't buy into the "bet against Miami every week" hype. At least not this week.
Ravens (+3.5) @ Seahawks
Seattle is 5-1 and are playing at home. When you take a closer look, the only team they’ve played with a winning record, they lost to (Saints).... at home. Additionally, of all of the average to bad teams they beat, the Cardinals (who are horrible) was the only convincing win. Russell Wilson might be the best QB in the league not named Tom Brady or Drew Brees, but he doesn’t have a ton of help and it will show today. The Seahawks’ defense is ranked 25th against the run and Ravens RB Mark Ingram and QB Lamar Jackson will have a field day. The Ravens go into Seattle and win outright.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDEE TO WAGER ANY MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING SAID IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any potential incurred losses.
If I had my way, this week's picks would be sponsored by Colgate so that I could get the nasty taste of last week's picks out of my mouth. I went 2-3, which isn't the worst, but the games I got wrong, I bombed tremendously. So with that in mind, I started to research a little earlier. My goal for this week is to go at least 4-1 (if not 5-0).
South Carolina vs. Florida (-5.5).11:00 am CST Both these teams come off very emotional games last week: South Carolina pulling off what might be the upset of the year vs. Georgia (thanks in large part to 4 turnovers) and Florida pushing LSU to the limit before finally fading late. When this type of scenario occurs, I typically like to take the more talented team. Florida also wants to get the nasty taste of la As mentioned earlier, USC beat Georgia because they got 4 gift-wrapped turnovers. Without that, that game would not have been close. UF quarterback Kyle Trask also showed me a lot by going into a hostile environment last week and passing for over 300 yards. He faces a group of South Carolina DBs that aren't great. They allow 260 yards per game and have given up 11 TDs through the air. USC QB Ryan Hilinski is also doubtful to play after suffering a concussion last week. Florida rolls on the road.
Costal Carolina/Georgia Southern Total Score: Over 45.5. 2:00 CST
This is a pretty low total and both defenses have struggled this season, both giving up over 25 points per game. Georgia Southern has only scored under 20 points once this season and that was against LSU (go figure). Both teams rank in the top 25 in rushing yards, so that is cause for concern for the clock being chewed up, but Coastal Carolina has shown that they can bust games open with long touchdown runs, which I expect at least 2 of vs. a Georgia Southern defense that gives up over 200 yards per game on the ground. As long as these teams don't figure out a way to not score once they get into the red zone, this total should easily go over. Light rain is in the forecast, but both teams are run oriented so the weather should NOT play much of a factor.
LSU (-18.5) @ Mississippi State. 2:30 pm CST
Usually Miss. State gets up for this game and plays LSU pretty tough and close. People may feel like this is a 'trap' game for LSU because they have Auburn and then Alabama on the horizon. That simply won't be the case. Mississippi State's defense is a shell of its former self and that's bad news with the nation's top offense coming to Starkville. MSU's offense is a hot mess, QB situation is in disarray and they simply don't have the firepower to keep up pace with LSU. Miss. State also likes to give the ball away so that will create more opportunities for LSU to put up more points. Joe Burrow and the wide receivers are going to eat like they're at a Golden Corral buffet.
Kentucky (+24) vs. Georgia. 5:00 pm CST
Everyone expects Georgia to be 'big mad' after losing to South Carolina last week and respond with a dominating win vs. what everyone perceives as a inferior Kentucky team. I'm here to tell you that won't happen. While I don't expect Kentucky to win, they're good enough to keep this game from getting out of hand. Georgia is a one dimensional team. All they can do is run the ball. Kentucky hasn't lost any game by 20 or more points all season. Saturday shouldn't be any different. All the Wildcats have to do is load the box to at least contain the run and not fall victim to the playaction pass and they should be fine for the cover.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is not responsible for any potential incurred losses .
This week’s crop of games will be fun to watch, but Vegas didn’t do any favors setting these lines. They have shown me why they are professionals and I’m an amateur. Trying to pick winning bets this week feels like I’m trying to slip past a bunch of Fortier students in front McDonald’s on Canal Street by myself wearing a John F. Kennedy school uniform without being noticed (if you went to high school in New Orleans, you’ll get that reference), I’m walking on THIN ICE 🤦🏾♂️. With that being said, let’s get into what I like this weekend.
Temple (+4) vs. Memphis
Memphis goes on the road to face one of the best defenses in the country. Memphis’ offense hasn’t looked like its usual ‘go up & down the field on opponents at will’ self as of late. They’ve even struggled at times against some of the worst teams in college football. Temple is exceptional at not allowing the one thing Memphis excels at - creating explosive, game changing plays. Those elements combined with the fact that Memphis might be looking ahead to a showdown with Tulane next week and I think the Owls pull this one off. If not, they at least cover the spread.
Toledo (-27) vs. Bowling Green
I know this is a huge number to swallow and I would generally advise against giving up this many points, but Bowling Green has not only lost every game this season vs. FBS competition, they’ve failed to cover each week as well, including being a 45 point underdog and losing by 52. Toledo shouldn’t have any problems controlling the pace of this game and scoring whenever they want to.
Duke (-17.5) vs. Georgia Tech
Duke played about as badly as a team could and constantly shot itself in the foot with turnovers last week, and still almost won their game. That shows a lot of character. Georgia Tech on the other hand isn’t very good at stopping the run, allowing over 200 yards on the ground. If you can’t stop the run, you’re pretty much asking the other team to beat the brakes off of you. Especially on the road. Look for the Blue Devils to roll.
Marshall (-15) vs. Old Dominion
The Thundering Herd rank 36th in the country in rushing with 205 yards per game. Additionally, ODU can’t generate anything on offense through the ground or the air and also have a knack for turning the ball over. QB Stone Smart has thrown 5 interceptions on the year and only one touchdown. That’s not a good stat to bring on the road to face a stout Marshall defense.
Wisconsin/Michigan State: over 40
We have a battle of two defensive heavyweights at Camp Randle. Wisconsin comes in with the nation’s number one total defense, giving up a little bit under 180 yards per game and 5.80 points per contest. Michigan State isn’t too far behind them, allowing 18 ppg and and 299 yards. This has all the makings of a low scoring game, until you do a little deeper digging. Jonathan Taylor is the only running back in the Heisman conversation at this point, rushing for 149 yards per game and 12 touchdowns through 6 games. Badgers QB Jack Coan is connecting on nearly 75% of his pass attemps and takes care of the ball as well. He has thrown for 9 TDs and only 1 INT so far this season. Add in the fact that this is Michigan State’s 3 road game in 4 weeks, and I see their defense eventually being worn down and allowing quite a few points. I think the Spartan offense is capable of scoring 14-17 points to easily push the total over 40. Shout out to Johnny for the assist on this one. I don’t know how I missed this total.
