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College 4 Hooks Louisville -22 @ Kentucky Louisville loses Shelton and Le Flors but the back ups, if you want to call them back ups are just as good if not better. This team will be explosive under Brohm and return 4 offensive linemen. The only weakness is the defensive line but the Cardinals on the defensive front will not have to worry about Kentucky because they are not that good upfront. The Cardinals will be bigger, stronger and faster than the Wildcats. Look for them to jump start the season with a bang. Kentucky is short players of players because of probation and only return 13 starters compared to the 11 starters for Louisville; you would think this would be equal. Don't think that. The Wildcats will struggle this week and by half be looking forward to the winnable game against Idaho next Saturday. Lay the 21 points and watch the first half before switching the channels. It should be 35 - 7 by halftime.
Louisville 31 - Kentucky 24 Louisville dominates the second quarter and leads 28-7. They should have made the field goal; I would have gone for the touchdown, right before half to go up even more. This game was over for the Cardinals but someone forgot to tell Kentucky to roll over and they really should have tied this game in the 4th quarter. At half I thought for sure this was another 55-17 game, boy that wasn't the case. Not only that but I had the over for a free pick. So much for a perfect weekend. Last year the Cardinals would go periods of being bored but always turned it back on. Sunday they could not turn on the juice in the second half and it almost cost them while it did cost us. Brohm will be a great quarterback but he struggled when the game became a one possession game. He overthrew a couple of receivers that could have kept some drives going in the 4th quarter. He is young and will only get better.
College 4 Hooks TCU @ Oklahoma OVER 56.5 TCU travels to Oklahoma to take on a Sooners team that is looking to rebound from the 54-19 thrashing at the hands of USC in the National Championship game last year. They lost Jason White but Peterson is back from his sensational freshman looking to do even more damage as a sophomore. TCU is coming off a miserable 2004 year where they finished below .500. They switched conferences and are looking for a new start playing in the MWC. They need to start off the season strong and put up a good showing against the Sooners. Points! Points! Points! That should be the theme for Oklahoma and TCU when it comes to playing football in September. Look for points to fly in this game. Some people believe that TCU won't be able to score against the Sooners. Oklahoma's defense isn't as strong as it used to be and does give up points. TCU should be able to score at least twice against the Sooners. OU should be able to run up and down on TCU and the OVER will be covered easily. Trends: Oklahoma: 6-0 OVER in Sept home games since 92 TCU: 11-0 OVER in Sept games since 92 Can you just smell an easy over?
TCU 17 - Oklahoma 10 TCU pulled off the biggest upset of the year in the first week of the season. Ranked 7th in the nation, Oklahoma who hadn’t lost a home game since 2001 and hadn’t lost in September under Bob Stoops couldn’t get anything going. Their passing game was horrible and they couldn’t get Peterson going. Too many turnovers by both teams especially near the end zone hurt any chances of this going OVER. You can throw out all the trends in the world if the teams want to turn the ball over all the time. We needed overtimes galore for this to even come close to covering the OVER, and that wasn’t going to happen.
College 4 Hooks Wyoming @ Florida -23 Florida is now entering the Urban Meyer era. This team should thrive in his air attack offense. Chris Leak should love playing for Meyer and should be considered in the Heisman talks at least early anyway. The fans down in Florida will love watching this team put up points galore this year. Wyoming surprised a lot of people last year. They surprised even more people by beating UCLA in the Vegas Bowl even as double digit dogs. Unfortunately, they start the year off against Florida which is hungry for double digit wins. Florida has a chance to be SEC champs this year and can't afford any set back. No set backs in the home opener and should destroy Wyoming real easily. People think Wyoming will give them a bit of a challenge but maybe in the first quarter. Trends: Florida: 4-0 straight up and ATS in last 4 home openers winning by an average 46ppg Wyoming: 3-8 ATS in 1st road game of the year since 94. Look for the Gators to start off the Meyer era with a big win covering the spread easily.
Florida 32 - Wyoming 14 What happened to the good old days of running up the score? In fact, punching the ball in the end zone with 40 seconds left with your backups shouldn’t even be considered running up the score. It’s more like giving your backups some game experience and a shot at scoring a touchdown. It actually shouldn’t even have gotten to this point if Florida wouldn’t have fallen for the fake punt and given up the last touchdown. All in all, Florida played a good game and the Meyer era is now under way. Unfortunately, they should have punched the ball in the end zone at the end and got the back door cover.
College 4 Hooks Virginia Tech -3.5 @ NC State Virginia Tech starts off another Vick era. This time with Michael's brother Marcus at the helm. He was suspended last year and needs to prove he is past all of last year. No mistakes off the field for Vick will keep him focused on taking the Hokies to a big bowl game. They need to start strong as well as finish strong and Vick will be a major factor. NC State went into Lane Stadium last year and went home with an upset victory. This year they are looking to do the same but this time they want to win in front of their home fans. The Hokies finished the year strong after that loss and won 8 in a row before losing to Auburn but got the back door cover. The Hokies will go into Carolina and put up a big win over the Wolfpack. It will be a good game but in the end the Hokies are looking at least a touchdown cover. Trends: Va Tech: 10-2 ATS in 1st road games Va Tech: 13-2 ATS as road favorite of less than 7 points. This time Virginia Tech will be traveling home with an easy victory.
Virginia Tech 20 - N.C. St. 16 V.T. was able to revenge their only ACC loss last year by beating NCST on the road. Marcus Vick proved that he is a playmaker like his brother, leading VT to a come from behind victory. NCST controlled the tempo in the first half holding V.T. to 99 total yards. With the game tied at 13 in the fourth quarter, Vick threw his first TD pass as a starter which ended up being the game winner. V.T. was able to hold on to get the victory and to cover the spread....barely.
College 4 Hooks Boise State @ Georgia -7 Boise St. travels to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs. There are a lot of people backing the Broncos in this game. I originally had this as a pass game but upon further review, you would have to be nuts not to lay the 6.5 points and watch Georgia win by two touchdowns. Georgia has all 5 offensive linemen back (Average Size is just over 6'5 and 315 lbs, and they are all upper classmen which means that they have played together for a while) plus all their back-ups. These guys are big and will open some huge holes for the talented backfield of the Bulldogs. I know Greene is gone but Shockley can play and he will bring the running dimension to the offense. The defense loses the star players but they do return 8 starters. Boise State is a veteran team and will likely win the WAC again but they open with road games at Georgia and Oregon State. Oregon State will be ready to throttle this team after being pummeled last year in Boise. Notice I said in Boise. The Broncos will be ready to play next week in Corvallis and they better because the Beavers and their crowd will be ready but Boise will fall in Athens. The will be no Blue Turf mystery in this game just some old fashioned man handling by a bigger and stronger team. This line is out of wack, it should be 11 or 12 points. The Broncos are getting too much respect. When was the last time the Broncos went on the road to get a big victory outside the WAC? The only time I can think of is Arkansas in 2002 and this Georgia team will be 5 times better than that Arkansas team was.
Georgia 48 - Boise State 13 The Bulldogs led 38-0 before Boise State finally scored. That statement should say it all but let me add a few more facts and opinions. The truth is Boise State will be okay, they could have been down by 45 at half but the defense kept it close. Jared Zabransky will shake this off and the offense will get it going. Georgia can breathe now that someone other than Greene lead them to victory. Shockley looked good but I worry that this offensive line did not dominate like I thought they would. Either way, I want to say that I have taken a beating going against Boise. Boise will spread them out and run circles around them, Boise will confuse Shockley, Boise.., Boise.., Boise...,. Boise STILL has never done anything outside the WAC on the road, PERIOD!
College 3 Hooks Colorado State +7 @ Colorado Colorado State and Colorado have had some barn burners the past few years. I bet this game as soon as it came out. Therefore I got the Rams +8 points. The dog has been the play the past 3 years and is 8-1 the past 9 years. Colorado State is 24-9-1 ATS as an away dog. I consider Colorado State as one of the teams to beat in the Mountain West. Holland is the real deal and should be able to bounce back from his season ending injury from last year. Remember he was averaging 270 yards before his injury. Sonny Lubick is one of the better coaches outside the BCS conferences and will have his team ready to rebound from last year. They return 4 starters on the offensive line and 17 total starters. This team will be a bowl team. Colorado is the favorite in the weak Big 12 North. They also return 17 starters but only 3 on the offensive line. The Buffaloes are the better team but the better team does not always get the win or the cover. There is a lot of pressure on this team to perform well and sometimes that is a hindrance early in the year, especially against and in state rivalry
Colorado State 28 - Colorado 31 The dog again gets us the cover but you have to feel for the Rams of Colorado State. This is two years in a row that they should have won this in state rivalry. Justin Holland needs to make sure that he throws the pigskin to his own team, especially to the guy named Anderson, and then this offense will be special. Colorado needs to pass block better before they get too excited about the rest of the season.
College 3 Hooks UCLA -7.5 @ San Diego St. UCLA takes a short trip to start off their season against San Diego St. This has been an annual meeting for the past few years. Both teams had somewhat disappointing seasons last year. Even with a 6-6 record last year, UCLA made it to a bowl where Wyoming handed them a big loss. This is a new year for the Bruins and have been predicted to challenge for number 2 in the PAC-10. No one really expects anyone to beat USC but even a second place finish would get you to a top notch bowl. The Bruins need no slip ups before they hit PAC-10 play. Look for the Bruins to continue their domination of the Aztecs with an easy double digit win. Trends: UCLA: 10-2-1 ATS vs. San Diego St SDST: good in home openers but in the last 4 years they are 1-3 ATS. Bruins should go back to LA with an easy cover against SDST.
UCLA 44 - San Diego St. 21 UCLA’s first play from scrimmage set the tone for the whole game. Drew ran 64 yards for the TD and UCLA never looked back. Drew accounted for 3 touchdowns (1 punt return for TD) and his back up chipped in with 2 of his own. UCLA continues to dominate this series now winning 20 out of 21. The other game resulted in a tie. Domination for the Bruins.
College 3 Hooks Eastern Michigan @ Cincinnati -10 Cincinnati is looking to start off the new season with a win at home against Eastern Michigan. Cinci moved to the Big East and really needs to step up their game because the competition only gets tougher in the Big East. Cinci was a big disappointment last year and needs to turn things around or another disappointment is in line. People believe with not many returners Cinci is to big of favorites in this game. Some even believe it could even be a Pick'Em. The Bearcats realize that this is a game they need to come out and just try and destroy Eastern Michigan. The 10 point spread should be an easy cover for Cinci. Look for Cinci to win by at least two touchdowns. Trends: Cinci: 5-1 ATS in last 6 home openers E. Mich: 1-8 ATS in first two weeks of the season since 92 E. Mich: 0-6 ATS vs. Big East. Look for the Bearcats to start off their Big East year with a big victory
Cincinnati 28 - Eastern Michigan 26 The public was right on this game. The line for this game opened at 12.5 and by kickoff it was down at 8.5 to 9. Cinci lost almost their entire team from last year but I still believed they had enough to cover the spread. In the end up by 2, Cinci was able to control the ball and not allow E. Mich a chance to get the ball back. Cinci had enough to win the game but not cover the spread. Sometime the public is right.
College 3 Hooks Boston College -3.5 @ BYU BC starts the 2005 campaign by traveling to Provo to take on BYU. BC moves to the ACC this year and wants to prove to everyone they belong. This is a strong team that just seems to get stronger and stronger each year. On paper, this should be a good match up hence the low spread. These two teams haven't met since the 85 season when BYU was a powerhouse. BYU has struggled the last 3 years where BC has been extremely successful and consistent. This consistency will help lead BC to victory. Some trends to consider: Boston College: 11-5 ATS in the last 16 road games Boston College: 10-4 ATS on grass last 14 games. Look for the trends and the consistency of BC to cover this spread.
Boston College 20 - BYU 3 B.C. looked sharp in their first game of the year both offensively and defensively. Game stayed close for a while but in the second half, B.C. proved to be the stronger team eventually pulling away from BYU. B.C. quarterback Porter threw for 2 touchdowns to Chris Miller which ended up making the difference. BYU lost for the 11th straight time against a ranked opponent.
College 3 Hooks Duke -2 @ East Carolina The young Blue Devils travel to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to take on East Carolina and their 1st year head coach Skip Holtz. The Blue Devils should be stronger than last year and can hopefully build off their 4-1 finish last season. Duke is a very young team and is still in a rebuilding process. They started about a dozen freshmen last year. This year they are sophomores with some playing experience which helps Duke in a big way. Though they do have some experience, they are still a few years away from being a contender. But even a few years away or not, Duke should cover the spread and should win this game by a touchdown. Trends: East Carolina: 2-9 ATS in home openers. East Carolina: 5-11-1 ATS in non-conference. East Carolina is not a strong team which makes Duke the easy pick here
Eastern Carolina 24 - Duke 21 This was a good game all the way till the end. We all knew the point spread was the perfect fit. There was going to be no blowout in this game. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils ended up on the wrong side. Duke has never been a real strong favorite but this game they should have been able to win by a field goal. Eastern Carolina just wanted it a little bit more, and in the end, took home the victory.
College 3 Hooks Minnesota -16.5 @ Tulsa Minnesota is a very talented and physical team. The Gophers return 15 starters which includes 6 linemen, 3 on offense and 3 on defense. Minnesota usually beats up on the small schools and then find a way to lose to Michigan and mail in the season. Tulsa could catch Minnesota snoozing but the lack of senior leadership against a tough squad like Minnesota will cause them to fall short of the cover. Tulsa will stick around a while and then the constant pounding of the big gophers will finish the attempt of the upset.
Minnesota 41 - Tulsa 10 Minnesota beat up on Tulsa but I have to tell you that it was more about how bad Tulsa looked compared to how good Minnesota looked. Laurence Maroney is the real deal and will put up some impressive numbers but QB Bryan Cupito will need to be more consistent if the Gophers are to take the next step. I think Tulsa might be in for a long year which kind of surprised me because I thought that they would get back on track this year. Perhaps they will and maybe, just maybe, this was more about Minnesota being that much better. I don't think so, but it is something to keep an eye on. Either way this is a solid road victory for Minnesota.
College 3 Hooks Ball State @ Iowa - 39 Iowa is laying 39 points to Ball State and I think I would lay as much as 45 points. This game will be ugly because the simple truth, Ball State is a very bad football team. Ball State only brings 9 seniors out on the field which in case you do not know, is not very good. They are going to get hammered this week because they are young and not very talented while Iowa is very talented and tough at home. The trends sure do say take the Hawkeyes, Iowa is 14-2 ATS as a Double Digit favorite under Head Coach Ferentz and 8-2 vs current MAC teams since 1998. Hell, Iowa is 25-3 SU and 23-4-1 ATS the last 28 home games. Iowa brings back 7 starters on offense but only 5 on defense. Defense will not be the worry and will never be the problem with HC Ferentz around. They will play defense! The improvement will be a healthy backfield to help Drew Tate. Tate basically was the offense and now with his runningbacks healthy and 4 starters back on the line, look out. This offense could be very special. Lay whatever you have to lay and watch another game because this will be UGLY!
Iowa 56 - Ball State 0 Ouch, and the ouch could have been worse. Ball State should be thankful HC Frentz coaches to win games and not to impress voters because this could have been twice as bad. Iowa will be a force this year but this was more about how short handed Ball State is right now and clearly the difference in talent. Iowa is good but not this good, although by the end of the season they could be, and Ball State is this bad, period. Thehooks is your one stop sports service featuring: football picks, NFL football picks, college football picks, guaranteed football picks, guaranteed college football picks, guaranteed NFL football picks, great football picks, Free college football picks, Free NFL picks, NFL Playoff Picks, college bowl picks, football packages, college football predictions, football betting advice, NFL football predictions, sports betting advice, great football articles, free football picks, Football Matchups, Statistics, and more. The information contained at this site is for news, entertainment and amusement purposes only. Any use of this information in violation of any federal, state and/or local laws is prohibited.
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