Most Important Games Of Week 3

     I started to write this piece again last week, but it was a fairly down week in college football. This week is a little better with some big match ups that I'm sure many of you will be watching or at least keeping your eye on the score. So if your team is blowing out it's opponent and you need something else to watch/root for, or if you just crave more football in general, then I am going to give you a list of games with importance to the SEC as a conference.

     Again this list is meant to have more of a big picture feel to it early in the season. This is intended to give fans a rooting interest in games that don't always involve SEC teams, but can indirectly impact the SEC's strength of schedule reputation and therefore impact playoff seeding. We are rooting for the SEC to get multiple teams in the playoff with as high a seed as possible. Having said that, let's start the list. Here are the Top 8 games for week 3.


#8. All SEC vs Non-Conference Opponents
     These games are pretty obvious why they are important; the more times SEC teams beat non-conference opponents the better the SEC looks as a conference. UCF @ Mizzou, UMass @ Vandy, Arkansas @ Texas Tech*, UL-Lafayette @ Ole Miss, Miss St @ South Alabama**, Southern Miss @ Alabama, UL Monroe @ LSU, Tennessee @ Oklahoma*, Rice @ aTm. These are 9 games throughout Saturday that are important to the SEC's reputation. Some more so than others.

*These are the biggest of games in this group. I'll mention them again later.
**I don't care who you are, it says something to go on the road and beat a team on their field.

#7. Ohio @ Marshall
     Marshall is a team that was talked about pre-season as potentially going undefeated this year. They probably will. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this. But the less the media (ESPN) talks about giving the little guy that happened to go undefeated a chance at the playoff, the more they can talk about giving multiple spots to the SEC. So Go Bobcats! Kickoff is 12:00 pm ET on CBS Sports Network.

#6. Boise St. @ UConn
     Ole Miss beat Boise St. the first weekend of the season. Therefore, the better Boise St. looks, the better Ole Miss looks. At least on paper. Kickoff is 12:00 pm ET on ABC/ESPN2.

#5. Wake Forest @ Utah St.
     Tennessee beat Utah St. the first weekend of the season, so see #6 for one reason this game is important. Add on top of that, a MWC team beating an ACC team can only help to drag down the ACC as a conference helping to give some room between the SEC and ACC. Kickoff is 7:00 pm ET on CBS Sports Network.

#4. ECU @ Virginia Tech
     South Carolina beat ECU last weekend. Also, Virginia Tech beat Ohio State last weekend. I think you can start to see the picture I'm trying to paint with this game. SEC<C-USA<ACC<B1G. I know this isn't how it really works, but no harm in rooting for it. Additionally, multiple SEC teams play multiple C-USA teams so the better the C-USA looks, the better the SEC looks. Kickoff is 12:00 pm ET on ESPN/WatchESPN.

     Yes, I do realize that in #7 I am rooting for a MAC team to beat a C-USA team which contradicts what I just said in the previous paragraph. However, any C-USA team beating a Power 5 conference team can greatly help the SEC's strength of schedule. Hence why this game is far more important that the other game.

#3. UTSA @ Oklahoma St.
     This is somewhat of a unique game for this list. Neither of these teams play and SEC team. However, UTSA is a new member of the C-USA and quite frankly I think they are a dark horse candidate to win their conference. Again, anytime a C-USA team can beat a Power 5 conference team that can only help the SEC. UTSA is actually a decent team and Oklahoma St. doesn't play defense. If UTSA can keep it close they just might be able to pull off the upset, but keeping it close is a small victory in itself. Kickoff is 7:00 pm ET.

#2. Arkansas @ Texas Tech
     I don't think I really need to explain why this game is important. I actually think Arkansas has a great chance of beating Texas Tech. Arkansas is getting better on offense and Tech doesn't even pretend to play defense. Like, at all. They have given up a combined 61 points to Central Arkansas and UTEP. Yes, you read that correctly. So look for lots of points to be scored in this game and hopefully Arkansas can have the ball last with a chance to win. This game is being played in Dallas and kickoff is set for 3:30 pm ET on ABC.

#1. Tennessee @ Oklahoma
     And now we have reached the most important game of week 3. This game is huge. This is the type of game that can shape and define conference perceptions. Oklahoma is currently ranked #4 in a bunch of polls that don't matter any more. Tennessee is still rebuilding, but this game will certainly test the foundation. A Volunteer victory here would all but punch a second ticket for the SEC into the playoff. No better comparison of how much better the SEC is than everyone else when a supposed lower to middle of the pack SEC team beats your conference's best team. We should all be Tennessee fans this weekend. Yes, even you Bama fans. Beating a team that beat the #4 ranked team looks pretty good on a resume. So let's all begrudgingly learn the words to Rocky Top and cheer our a** off this weekend. Kickoff is 8:00 pm ET on ABC.

Recap Of Most Important Games Week 1

     Looks like the SEC did pretty well over the weekend. The conference finished with an 8-1 mark in non-conference games. Unfortunately, Vandy is Vandy again. It was a good run 'Dores. I guess James Franklin really is that good of a coach. Of the 8 most important games last week, 7 were winners for the SEC. That's the sort of performance by a conference that can get you two spots in the playoffs.

     Looking back, the lone loss was a close one with UCF being edged out by Penn St 26-24. UCF is off this weekend to prepare for their trip to Missouri on September 13th. UCF should still get plenty of wins this year but it would have been nice for Mizzou and the SEC to have them 1-0 heading into that game.

Most Important Games For The SEC Week 1

     Instead of doing a traditional Top 25 list, I figured I would rank the Top 8 games in order of importance to the SEC for week 1. This will be a list of games that will focus more on non-conference games and some games not involving any SEC teams at all. The reason for this list is to point out potential games that may later in the season have an impact on an SEC team making the College Football Playoff. Now this list will have more of a "big picture" feel to it early in the season, and become a little more focused throughout the year. Also, I decided to create this list because I have a feeling that most fans of SEC teams already know their respective teams schedule by heart but may need a rooting interest for times that their team isn't on the field. So without further ado, let's begin.


#8. Penn State @ UCF
     A win by UCF will help the non-conference schedule of Missouri while simultaneously bringing down the perception of the B1G. That sounds like a win-win situation to me. Add on top of that, this game is being played in Dublin, Ireland while a volcano erupts in nearby Iceland; this game has plenty of drama building already. But you'll have to wake up early to watch this game on Saturday with a 8:30  AM ET kickoff time. Game airs on ESPN2. UCF and Missouri face off Sept. 13th.

#7. Southern @ UL-Lafayette
     The Ragin' Cajuns of UL-Lafayette need to start the season off with a win. They go on the road to face both Ole Miss and Boise State in consecutive weeks starting Sept. 13th with Ole Miss. Southern @ UL-L kicks off at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN3.

#6. Wake Forest @ UL-Monroe
     If you're a fan of an SEC team, in particular LSU, Texas A&M, or Kentucky, you really want the Warhawks of UL-Monroe to win this game. Direct opponents strength of schedule implications here. This team has a real good chance of going to a bowl game at the end of this season, especially with a win against Wake Forest. Kick off is Thursday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPNU.

#5. Southern Miss @ Miss State
     Southern Miss is not a very good football team and Mississippi State should prove that Saturday 7:30 PM ET on the SEC Network. The fewer the blemishes on the SEC non-conference schedule the better.

#4. Utah State @ Tennessee
     Utah State has the potential to be a decent team this year. Chuckie Keeton could prove to be a good QB for Utah State, especially going up against some question marks on defense for Tennessee. This game might be a close one. Kickoff is Sunday 7:00 PM ET on the SEC Network.

#3. Boise State @ Ole Miss
     This is an important game for the obvious reasons. This game is on Thursday night, in prime time, on ESPN. Ole Miss really needs to win this game for the sake of the SEC's reputation.

#2. Clemson @ UGA
     This is a huge game for obvious reasons. Both these teams are ranked in every top 25 poll and deservedly so. A win here for UGA would be great for the Bulldogs as well as the SEC reputation. Kick off scheduled for Saturday 5:30 PM ET on ESPN.

#1. LSU vs Wisconsin
     See #2. This game edges out Clemson @ UGA only for the slightly higher average ranking of the teams. But these games are arguably interchangeable for #1 and #2. Kick off is scheduled for Saturday 9:00 PM ET on ESPN.


     There you have it. My top 8 games for week 1. If you think I missed any or you want to add to this list, let me know in the comments.

Post-Miller Injury Skies Are Clearing Up

According to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), Ohio State is still the team to beat in the #BigTen. pic.twitter.com/aTgLAdMlUd

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 21, 2014

Playing Devil's Advocate

     So Ohio St recently lost its starting QB, Braxton Miller, for the season with a shoulder injury. Many have said that this is/was a devastating injury to tOSU national title hopes. Initially, I was inclined to agree with everyone. I still do. But I want to play devil's advocate for a second. Why are tOSU's hopes dashed but Alabama is still in the running? Both teams are replacing a lot of talent, in particular breaking in rookie QB's. The real difference is that tOSU has an immensely easier schedule than Alabama. Ohio State plays one team ranked in the pre-season top 25, Alabama plays the other 24 teams. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but you get my point. Alabama gets to play Florida, Texas A&M, LSU, and Auburn. Ohio State gets to play Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Michigan State, and Michigan.

     Ohio State plays Virginia Tech September 6th. Virginia Tech very well might beat them that game, but should tOSU win then they could easily be 8-0 heading in to the Michigan State game. Undefeated in November certainly sounds like a playoff contender to me. Add on top of all that, tOSU's backup QB was a 4* recruit coming out of high school, and maybe all hope isn't lost in Columbus. 

     I think you could apply this argument to many teams throughout not only the SEC, but the entire nation. There are a lot of fresh faces at QB this year. That makes having a veteran QB all the more important to a title run. So losing an experienced QB weeks before the season starts does appear devastating, but is merely just placing you at par for the course. You're now like many other teams with a fresh face at QB. Just another obstacle to overcome.

NCAA D1-A Autonomy And What It Means To The Average Fan

     It means things are going to change, and I mean potentially big changes. Don't worry, the same 10-15 big name schools will still be the ones winning the championships, however there will most likely be a new championship being played. This new championship will allow the mid-majors an opportunity to compete for a trophy and potentially added revenue. Granted this added revenue won't be of the former BCS level, but it will be a slight boost. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me back up and tell you how I got to this conclusion.

     First off, autonomy will be a step in the right direction for a small minority of student-athletes. To start, this will affect most athletes at the major universities, i.e. increased scholarship limits in sports such as baseball, softball, and other minor sports. This will really impact college football. This will allow universities to provide stipends to support full cost of attendance, medical coverage, and many more benefits. This will effectively toe the line of amateur athletics. After a few years of this passes and everyone realizes that attendance/viewership doesn't drop, more steps will be taken to push the student-athletes of the power 5 conferences toward semi-professionals. This will further separate the power 5 from the mid-majors and the rest of the NCAA. Once there is a full separation of the power 5 from the NCAA, these schools will be able to treat athletes as a sort of employee. Paid partly in education and partly in on field performance. This, of course, is something that happens roughly 10-15 years down the road.

     The benefit to the mid-major schools is a chance to compete for their own championship and potentially added revenue from increased bowl games. This doesn't mean there will be more bowl games overall, just more access to bowl games for the mid-major schools. The power 5 will eventually turn their respective conference championship games into a sort of bowl game/playoff game while eventually expanding the playoffs themselves. With an entirely new subdivision of NCAA football, there will be even less incentive to play the lower subdivisions within the NCAA. Thereby shortening the regular season while expanding the playoffs. Playoff expansion could extend into the conferences themselves, meaning a four team playoff for the conference championship. Explaining the feasibility of this idea is another article unto itself.

     All of these ideas/predictions could just be the day dreaming of a crazed lunatic, or maybe some of it comes true. Either way, feedback is always welcomed. Let the debates begin!

It's been awhile...

It sure has been a long time since I posted here. Time to update and refresh the site.

LesMiles.Net Trailer - Alabama Game

Football Pick'em Week 8

Ol coach had a tough week last Saturday with covering the spread. Vegas has really tightened up on us. We finished 6 - 9 for the first losing week in a while and our current year to date totals are 56 - 49.

HOME TEAMS

1.    Texas Tech by 6.5 over WEST VIRGINIA

2.    South Carolina by 7.5 over TENNESSEE

3.    Wisconsin by 10.5 over ILLINOIS

4.    Washington by 2.5 over ARIZONA STATE

5.    OREGON by 37.5 over Washington State

6.    Oregon State by 10.5 over CALIFORNIA

7.    ALABAMA by 28.5 over Arkansas

8.    LSU by 7.5 over OLE MISS

9.    BAYLOR by 31.5 over Iowa State

10.  OHIO STATE by 17.5 over Iowa

These are my take the points specials;

11.  VANDY getting 8.5 from Georgia

12.  UCLA getting 4.5 from STANFORD

13.  CLEMSON getting 2.5 from FSU

14.  Auburn getting 13.5 from TEXAS A&M

15.  HOUSTON getting 9.5 from BYU

There you have it, good luck and as always "MAY THE SPREAD BE WITH YOU".

Football Pick'em Week 7

I had my first losing week in two years last week going 7 - 8. This brings the year to date total to 50 - 40 through 6 weeks. The spread gets tougher to beat every year about this time. Vegas has really homed in on the games. But I am committed to giving my clients the best possible information. So here we go.

HOME TEAM

1.    Nebraska by 14.5 over PURDUE

2.    TEXAS TECH by 14.5 over Iowa State

3.    Missouri getting 8.5 from GEORGIA

4.    CLEMSON by 24.5 over Boston College

5.    Baylor by 17.5 over KANSAS STATE

6.    LSU by 7.5 over Florida

7.    Oregon by 13.5 over WASHINGTON

8.    Texas A & M by 6.5 over OLE MISS

9.    UCLA by 24.5 over California

10.  WASHINGTON STATE by 1.5 over Oregon State

For the riskier play

11.  South Carolina by 5.5 over ARKANSAS

12.  Northwestern getting 10.5 from WISCONSIN

13.  Michigan by 2.5 over PENN STATE

The upset specials this week are

14.  Indiana getting 9.5 from MICHIGAN STATE

15.  KENTUCKY getting 27.5 from Alabama

As always may the spread be with you.

Football Pick'em

We had a winning week again for week #5 going 9 - 6 ATS but only 5 - 5 on my top ten. This makes our year to date total 43 - 32 or 11 games to the good. Coach has gone back to the drawing board to refine the strategy for success. The staff of researchers came up with the following;

1. We are 11 - 1 in the SEC, 7 - 2 in the BIG 12, and 8 - 1 in the PAC 12.
2. We are better in the early games and next best in the night games.
3. We are not good in the BIG10 and ACC.

So with that said here we go for this week.

HOME TEAM

1.    Texas Tech by 14.5 over KANSAS

2.    Georgia by 10.5 over TENNESSEE

3.    Oregon by 38.5 over COLORADO

4.    LSU by 9.5 over MISSISSIPPI STATE

5.    Arizona State by 5.5 over NOTRE DAME

6.    STANFORD by 6.5 over Washington

7.    OKLAHOMA by 10.5 over TCU

8.    FLORIDA by 10.5 over Arkansas

9.    BAYLOR by 27.5 over West Virginia

10.  Louisville by 33.5 over TEMPLE

Something a little more risky;

11.  VANDY by 2.5 over Missouri

12.  AUBURN getting 2.5 from Ole Miss

13.  Washington State by 3.5 over CALIFORNIA

My upset specials this week are

14.  NORTHWESTERN getting 5.5 from Ohio State

15.  Minnesota getting 20.5 from MICHIGAN

Good luck sports fans and as always "May the Spread be With You".

Football Pick'em

I knew last week was going to be a tough week picking against the spread (ATS) but 6 - 9, now that is ridiculous. I am committed to get back on my game to make you a winner so hang in there with me and my crack staff of researchers. The year to date totals are 34 - 26 which is still on the positive side and that is not all bad. Here we go with week 5;

HOME TEAM

1.     GEORGIA TECH by 7.5 over Virginia Tech

2.     PITTSBURGH by 6.5 over Virgina

3.     BALL STATE by 2.5 over Toledo

4.     Florida State by 21.5 over BOSTON COLLEGE

5.     MINNESOTA getting 0.5 from Iowa

6.     WASHINGTON by 8.5 over Arizona

7.     Texas A & M by 10.5 over ARKANSAS

8.     Wyoming by 11.5 over TEXAS STATE

9.     MISSOURI by 21.5 over Arkansas State

10.   OREGON by 36.5 over California

OH but wait there is more;

11.   GEORGIA by 2.5 over LSU

12.   Oklahoma by 3.5 over NOTRE DAME

13.   Connecticut by 2.5 over BUFFALO

And for the upsets of the week

14.  WEST VIRGINA getting 18.5 from Oklahoma State

15.   Wake Forest getting 28.5 from CLEMSON

Okay sports fans, do what you gotta do. And always, may the spread be with you.

Coach

New LSU video!

Football Pick'em

Last week was not our best. Vegas is definitely homing in on the spreads making it tough on the crack staff of prognosticators working with coach. Last week's results were a profitable 8 - 7 but we broke even on the top ten at 5 - 5. Season to date results are 28 - 17 or 62%.

Let's get to the meat for this week. Here are week 4's Coach's Locks;

HOME TEAM

1.    BAYLOR by 28.5 over UL Monroe

2.    GA TECH by 5.5 over No. Carolina

3.    Kansas St getting 4.5 from TEXAS

4.    Wyoming by 3.5 over AIR FORCE

5.    Missouri by 3.5 over INDIANA

6.    Rice getting 2.5 from HOUSTON

7.    NOTRE DAME by 6.5 over Michigan State

8.    Arkansas getting 1.5 from RUTGERS

9.    Clemson by 13.5 over NO CAROLINA STATE

10.  LSU by 17.5 over Auburn

For those with a riskier appetite, try these;

11.  VIRGINIA TECH by 9.5 over Marshall

12.  FLORIDA ATL getting 4.5 from Middle Tenn

13.  LOUISVILLE by 41.5 over Florida Intl

My upset specials this week are;

14.  Colorado St getting 39.5 from ALABAMA ( Bama still wins)

15.  Idaho getting 31.5 from WASH STATE (take the points)

Well there they are, my best research says this is gonna be a good week so play heavy and go for the gold. Good luck and my the spread be with you.

Coach

What did we learn Week 3

Johnny Football, you can love him or hate him, he is a dynamic player that will lead his team to wins. The only real problem is the offense can not keep up with the woefully inadequate defense at Texas A & M. A broadcaster on the Rice game proclaimed that TAMU was an SEC caliber defense, not even close. I will grant you that Alabama is good but do we really know. They themselves left a lot of plays on the field. Never the less, both teams will be in the hunt for the chance to represent the SEC West division in Atlanta.

Here we go with some observations;

1.   Coaches hot seat list;

          Bo Pelini was hired to resurrect the "Black Shirts" at Nebraska - failed so far.

          Dan Mullen is losing the recruiting battle to in-state rival Ole Miss. MSU will be looking soon.

          Lane Kiffen will only survive until USC can restock the shelves from probation (2yr max)

          Mack Brown - if he were a roast, you'd stick a fork in him at Texas.

2.    Nick Saban's next job, Texas! Can you imagine how he could lock up the talent rich state and build another dynasty.

3.    Senior QB's make all of the difference in an offense's production. Just look around the programs that are lighting up the scoreboard and in most of them there is a seasoned veteran.

4.    Auburn is better but there is night and day difference between Auburn and any of the top tier teams in the SEC. LSU, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A & M all have strong enough defenses and balanced offenses that do not need to scheme you to be successful.

5.    Want to talk about a fast paced offense, Arizona St ran 52 plays in the first half Saturday night. I think they finished near 100. But because of this helter-skelter approach they often times look undisciplined and random. It must have worked, they won the game over Wisconsin.

Football Pick'em

Coach got surprised on a few games last week; Cincinnati, Texas, Florida and South Carolina. Florida was a real let down losing to an ACC team but when you turn the ball over 6 times you just don't score points. Texas is a disaster and now Cincy is without their QB and probably won't show up on my radar again this year.

The totals for last week was a respectable 9 - 6 ATS. I was 8 - 2 on the top ten but only 1 - 4 on the streches and upsets. This brings my two week season total to 20 - 10. Sounds profitable to me.

HOME TEAMS IN BOLD

Now for this weeks locks.

1.   Bowling Green getting 2.5 from INDIANA

2.   UCLA getting 4.5 from NEBRASKA

3.   OKLAHOMA by 24.5 over Tulsa

4.   Louisville by 13.5 over KENTUCKY

5.   FLORIDA STATE by 31.5 over Nevada

6.   Northern Illinios by 27.5 over IDAHO

7.   PENN STATE by 4.5 over Central Florida

8.   MIDDLE TENN by 6.5 over Memphis

9.   Wisconsin getting 5.5 from ARIZONA ST

10. Ball State by 2.5 over NORTH TEXAS

A little bit riskier plays are;

11. AUBURN by 6.5 over Miss State

12. Maryland by 7.5 over CONNECTICUT

13. SOUTH FLORIDA by 12.5 over Florida Atlantic

The upset specials are not really upsets but these two games will not cover the spread.

14. Notre Dame by 20.5 over PURDUE (TAKE THE POINTS)

15. LSU by 36.5 over Kent St ( TAKE THE POINTS)

Well folks there they are. May the spread be with you.

Coach

What Did We Learn in Week 2

Sorry sports fans and coach followers, I am running a day late with some updates due to coach being a little under the weather. This is gonna be a brief one so here we go.

1.   The 4M's are really lighting up the scoreboard; Manziel, McCarron (giving the benefit of the doubt), Mettenberger, and Murray. Who says the SEC doesn't play offense and quarterback.

2.   A few weeks down the line the Ga vs LSU shootout could be really entertaining, maybe even better than this weekend's ALA vs TAMU game. Right now I give LSU a slight advantage because of John Chavis on the LSU defense.

3.   Did anyone really think Notre Dame would be real this year?

4.   Add Mack Brown to the coaches hot seat. Stick a fork in him.

5.   The talking heads gave Miami way too much credit in the win over Florida (really a loss by Fla) in proclaiming they are real and the ACC can compete.

6.   Is it just me or are there a lot of points being scored early in the season. Usually the defenses are ahead of the offenses and rule the day. Not so right now so I can only imagine what weeks 7 - 14 will look like for games.

7.   Ball State is a rock solid spread covering machine. Go with it.


See you next week on Tuesday for another edition of "What Did We Learn".

Coach

Why college polls need rules and regulations. Or better yet, do away with them completely.

This is an example of a real AP Poll ballot from @DougLesmerises: Link: http://t.co/K94YxTF53p Pic: pic.twitter.com/r0toVDWAG3
— The SEC Logo (@SEC_Logo) September 9, 2013

The above is a tweet I came across via The SEC Logo (@SEC_Logo).  Yes, that is an actual vote cast by an AP member for the ranking of college football teams.  I personally have no problem with this ranking, as long as it is viewed from the perspective of who is playing the "best" football as of right now and not a prediction of who will win the BCS title.  I can agree that Clemson has played some really good football the first two weekends.  They beat a Georgia team that looked really good against South Carolina.  Alabama did not look all that impressive against Virginia Tech.  Hell, I would suggest that Alabama be ranked behind Oregon, Georgia, and Louisville if we are basing it purely on quality of football played this season to date.  However, that is my main point. What are these polls actually based on?  In a vast majority of the votes, Alabama is ranked #1 overall.  And rightly so, given it's from the perspective of the reigning champ hasn't been beaten yet.  And therein lies the problem.  Too many people cast votes based on such a wide variety of criteria. With the millions upon millions of dollars that are up for grabs, ultimately based on these types of votes, there needs to be more rules in place to set guidelines on voting criteria.  Even with the playoffs coming to college football next season, the AP and USA Today polls can still play a major role in influencing the selection committee.  Can you imagine the backlash the selection committee would receive if they were to by pass a unanimous #4 ranked team in both AP and USA Today polls for any other team?  I don't even want to imagine what would happen if a by-passed team were ranked higher than #4.  Riots may break out across the country.

All in all, I think the point I'm trying to make is that the NCAA would be wise to make some sort of official statement in the off season declaring these polls invalid and of no importance in selecting playoff teams.  And they should make that statement multiple times.  OR....   they could attempt to impose rules and/or guidelines in voting for AP and USA Today members.  But in my opinion, trying to tell the media what to do is like trying to tell a spoiled child no.  So the former of the two ideas is probably the best course of action.

In the end, transparency in selection criteria will do the selection committee wonders in the eye of the public.  If the teams and the public know what it takes to make the playoffs ahead of time, then that will greatly minimize the controversy come selection time.

Football Pick'em

Coach's Locks Week 2

 

 

After a solid week ATS going 11 - 4, not to mention picking two upsets and three of the 4 loses were because of spreads, I am ready to shine the light on 15 new winners. So without further delay here we go.

 

Home team is BOLD.

 

1.     Duke by 5.5 over MEMPHIS (my favorite)

 

2.     INDIANA by 13.5 over Navy

 

3.     NORTHWESTERN by 12.5 over Syracuse

 

4.     MICHIGAN by 3.5 over Notre Dame (almost my favorite)

 

5.     OHIO by 5.5 over North Texas

 

6.     Oregon by 21.5 over VIRGINIA

 

7.    BAYLOR by 27.5 over Buffalo

 

8.    LSU by 34.5 over UAB

 

9.    Florida by 3.5 over MIAMI

 

10.  KANSAS ST. by 9.5 over UL Lafayette

 

Three stretches against the spread are;

 

11.   Cincinnati by 7.5 over ILLINOIS

 

12.   Western Kentucky getting 13.5 from TENNESSEE (UT will win)

 

13.   Texas by 7.5 over BYU

 

The two upset specials are;

 

14.   South Alabama getting 6.5 from TULANE

 

15.   So. Carolina getting 3.5 from GEORGIA

 

There are the winners for this week. If you know someone that could use a little help with their picks, tell'em about my posts. I hit over 63% last year and I am off to a good start again this year. As always, may the spread be with you.

 

Coach

What did we learn week 1

The results are in from the first set of locks against the spread. We finished 11 - 4 missing out on spreads on the Ohio St, Nebraska, and Troy games while missing the winner of the Boise St game. Bottom line you had a profitable weekend if you followed the coach's picks.

There were a few surprises, some pleasant some not, that should out for me. First the BIG10 might be the weakest conference out there. The shining star OSU gave up 20 to Buffalo, Purdue got crushed, Illini and Iowa got upset and they did not play any real marquee games.

Here we go with the snippets;

1. Clemson and Tahj Boyd are for real. Sammy Watkins is a beast. The thing that will keep them from winning it all is the lack of a solid defense.

2. Ohio Sate is not number 2 in fact may not be in the top ten.

3. Texas A & M does not play SEC style defense regardless of how many times the talking heads say they do.

4. When was the last time Alabama had less total yards in a game than Zach Mettenberger had passing alone (251)? That was the worst offensive line performance in a decade for them. Not to worry, they will improve.

5. Boise State's run is over. They will not be part of the BCS Championship landscape again. Or the playoff system either.

6. Three coaches that will be on the hot seat, if not already, Dan Mullen at Miss St, Lane Kiffen at USC, and Bo Pelini at Neb. Those were horribly unprepared teams this weekend.

7. TCU, while a loser to LSU, will challenge for the BIG 12 title this year.

8. Johnny Football is a spoiled child.

9. Jameis Winston is going to give the defenses in the ACC fits. I sure he will have his moments where he will play like a freshman but he will also look great at times (probably more of great than not).

10. The final BCS championship may not involve a SEC team. This could be the year that there are multiple undefeated teams and sure looks like the SEC will not have one of them. This would be a travesty if the conference were not allowed to defend it's crown in the final year before the playoff starts.

Of course as always this is just one man's opinion but I always tell'em like I see'em. Be sure to check back Thursday for the week 2 locks. Until then, may the spread be with you.

Coach

Coach