Category: College Football (Page 88 of 296)

      2010 College Football Week 3 Picks & Predictions

      September 17, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 04: Head coach Mack Brown of the Texas Longhorns looks over the team during warm ups before playing the Rice Owls at Reliant Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Houston, Texas. Texas beat Rice 34-17. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      I have yet to make any college football predictions for the new year, so what better time to start than now? Here are a couple of picks to fade come Saturday. (It’s not that I’m not confident. I’m just confident that I don’t have a clue what I’m doing – big difference.)

      Ohio at No. 2 Ohio State, 12:00PM ET
      The Buckeyes appear to be a pony that you can back all season. They have a top 5 defense, Terrelle Pryor isn’t turning the ball over like Jake Delhomme on a NFL Sunday and any one of their top three runners (Pryor, Dan Herron, Brandon Saine) could take one to the house at any time. Ohio, meanwhile, beat Wofford and then lost to Toledo 20-13 at home last week. They lack offensive firepower and while their defense can compete against MAC opponents, OSU shouldn’t have any problems lighting up the scoreboard on Saturday. I always fear the backdoor cover in a game like this, but hopefully the Buckeyes score about 80 and it won’t matter.
      THE PICK: OHIO STATE –29.5

      No. 1 Alabama at Duke, 3:30PM ET
      Same thing here as the game above – I fear the backdoor cover (especially with ‘Bama playing on the road), but I’m willing to lay the points in what should be a rout. Duke gave up 27 to Elon (who?) in Week 1 and 54 to Wake Forest last week. Considering Mark Ingram is coming back this Saturday and the Tide will be at full strength offensively, anything less than 50 out of Alabama will be a disappointment. On the other side of the ball, ‘Bama has only allowed six points this season. Penn State needed three and a half quarters just to get on the scoreboard with a field goal last week and by that point, the game was already in the books.
      THE PICK: ALABAMA –23.5

      Arizona State +12.5 at. Wisconsin, 3:30PM ET
      Wisconsin has won 25 straight home games against unranked opponents, but they’re 0-2 against the spread this year, which includes a lackluster 27-14 win over a brutal San Jose State team last weekend. Michigan transfer Steven Threet is now the Sun Devils’ starter and he holds a 1-0 record against the Badgers in his short collegiate career. I don’t see ASU winning this game outright (especially considering they’ve lost six straight to FBS schools), but I’ll take the 12.5 points with thunderstorms expected to hit in Madison by game time.
      THE PICK: ARIZONA STATE +12.5

      No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech +3, 8:00PM ET
      There’s something about Lubbock that doesn’t sit well with Mack Brown. The Longhorns are only 3-3 under Brown at Texas Tech and the last time these two teams met here, Michael Crabtree shocked a then-ranked No. 1 Texas team with a last-second touchdown. The Longhorns didn’t look particularly sharp in their first two games of the season, although both were victories. Tech, meanwhile, staved off a late comeback by SMU in Week 1 and then waxed New Mexico 52-17 last Saturday. There’s just something about Lubbock that gives the Raiders a significant edge in this matchup, which is why I like Tech to win outright (but go ahead and give me the points anyway…you know, so they don’t go to waste).
      THE PICK: TEXAS TECH +3

      College Football, External Sports

      Desmond Howard calls out USC AD over Reggie Bush profits

      September 16, 2010 /
      Aug 4, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans athletic director Pat Haden at football practice at Howard Jones Field. Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom

      Now that Reggie Bush has decided to forfeit his 2005 Heisman Trophy award, Desmond Howard wants to know whether or not USC AD Pat Haden will return the profits that the Trojans were able to generate thanks to Bush’s success at the program.

      From Larry Brown Sports:

      “Pat Haden, the new athletic director, earlier in the month he said ‘If I were Reggie Bush with Pat Haden’s soul, yes I would give back the Heisman.’ OK, the Heisman’s given back. But Pat Haden, what are you going to now as far as correcting these transgressions? They played with an ineligible player, they went to BCS Bowl Games with an ineligible player, you don’t have the wins no more but you still have the money. What is your soul telling you to do with that money now that you got with an illegal player? That’s the big question that I want to hear answered now.”

      Good point. If all is equal, then USC should have to forfeit everything they received during Bush’s tenure – and not just wins. As Howard points out, the Trojans used an ineligible player to not only win, but also receive a payout at the end of the year for the multiple bowls they appeared in.

      As the guys at Larry Brown Sports said: It’s your move, Pat.

      College Football, External Sports

      South Carolina’s Weslye Saunders dismissed from team

      September 15, 2010 /
      COLUMBIA, SC - NOVEMBER 14: The Florida Gators try to stop a touchdown catch by Weslye Saunders #88 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 14, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      According to Game Cocks Online, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders has been dismissed from the team

      “Weslye Saunders is no longer part of our football program,” said Hyman. “Beyond that I will have no further comment.”

      Saunders, a 6-5, 270-pounder from Durham, N.C., had been suspended indefinitely since August 23 following a violation of team rules.

      The NCAA is currently investigating whether or not a sports agent had been paying for a hotel room that Saunders had been living in recently. In reference to Saunders’ playing status for South Carolina’s opener, head coach Steve Spurrier said, “He’s not on the team. He won’t play Thursday.”

      It appears now that Saunders’ South Carolina career is over and while it’s premature to predict his future in the NFL, his draft stock has surely plummeted over the last couple of weeks.

      College Football, External Sports

      Reggie Bush to forfeit Heisman, as he should

      September 15, 2010 /
      USC Trojans Reggie Bush is seen with coach Todd McNair during the 92nd Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, California, in this January 4, 2006 file photo. Bush said on Tuesday he will forfeit the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 while representing the University of Southern California (USC). USC was slapped with severe penalties by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in June after reports that Bush had accepted money and other benefits from marketing agents while playing for the school. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Reggie Bush is giving back his 2005 Heisman Trophy award.

      Good – he should.

      Not to sound preachy, but when you mess up in life, there are usually consequences that you eventually have to face. Granted, those consequences may come later down the road, but eventually karma catches up with people.

      Bush did something wrong at USC. An argument that often gets brought up in relation to this topic is whether or not you or another athlete would have done the same thing (i.e. accept gifts from an agent, booster or what have you). But that’s irrelevant. The point is that he screwed up and until now, he didn’t have to pay for his actions.

      But USC certainly did, now didn’t they? They had to forfeit all of their wins during Bush’s tenure with the program and also had to cough up scholarships for future recruiting. Considering Bush broke rules under their watch, they should have been punished and they were. It’s not fair to the current players that they were punished because of what Bush did, but unfortunately they’re the only true victims here.

      Some are going to claim that Bush shouldn’t have to give back the award because it was earned for what he did on the field. I buy that and I certainly don’t disagree. But he can’ t keep his Heisman, his Super Bowl ring and his millions of dollars from the NFL while USC is stuck footing the bill for mistakes that he made.

      Life doesn’t work like that – what goes around comes around, which is a notion that Bush was just reminded of.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

      2010 College Football Week 3 Odds

      September 15, 2010 /
      LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 08: A general view of the opening kickoff during play between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 8, 2008 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      We’ve still got a couple of days before another Saturday in college football kicks off, but here are some point spreads that jumped out at me for this weekend’s slate of action.

      East Carolina +19 at. Virginia Tech, 1:30PM ET
      The Hokies are reeling after dropping their opener against Boise State and then being shocked by James Madison at home last Saturday. While they’re still very much alive in the ACC, I’m not sure what kind of mental condition Frank Beamer’s squad is in right now. So getting almost three touchdowns with an underrated, undefeated East Carolina team is a gift. This smells a little bit like a trap, but still…19 points? I like the Pirates.

      USC vs. Minnesota +12, 3:30PM ET
      Virginia Tech’s defeat to James Madison overshadowed the Gophers’ embarrassing 41-38 home loss to FCS South Dakota. But USC is 0-2 ATS to start the year and barely squeaked by Virginia at home last weekend. I generally like taking home teams getting points and considering this is unfamiliar territory for USC, I like Minnesota. (Although I’d like them a lot more if they were getting two touchdowns instead of 12 points.)

      Texas vs. Texas Tech +3, 8:00PM ET
      This is a statement game for the Red Raiders, who would love to earn a victory and catapult into the top 25. The Longhorns are only 3-3 in Lubbock under Mack Brown and we all remember what happened the last time Texas traveled to Tech. The Raiders won’t have Michael Crabtree for this game, but I see an outright victory.

      Utah -22 at. New Mexico, 8:00PM ET
      Twenty-two points is a ton to give up when taking a road team, but the Lobos have allowed 124 points this season, which is the most of any FBS team. Utah has won three straight over New Mexico and leads the all-time series 32-17-2. Yes, I think the Lobos are as bad as they played in the first two weeks of the season, which includes a 72-0 loss at Oregon and a 52-17 loss to Texas Tech at home last week.

      Read on for the rest of this weekend’s point spreads.

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      College Football, External Sports

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