Cover The Number » NCAA Football

NCAAF: Maryland and Navy in Monday Shootout

Glenn Andrew — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:19 +0000

The Maryland Terrapins football program has fallen to an all time low. They finished the 2009 season with a 2-10 record that included losses to Duke, Middle Tennessee St and an over-time win against James Madison. Ralph Friedgen has a tall task ahead of him this year as the Terps face a difficult schedule that starts Monday against the Navy Midshipmen.

Navy plays a predictable style of offense that is very unpredictable for opposing defenses. They run the option almost 80 percent of the time, but they run it so well that it’s very difficult to stop. Ricky Dobbs leads this attack from the quarterback position. Now that he’s in his senior year, he will be looking to lead this team to a upper-tiered Bowl game. Dobbs rushed for more yards than he passed for in 2009 as he racked up 1192 yards on the ground and 1031 through the air.

Either method of moving the ball should work against a Terrapins defense that ranked towards the bottom of the entire NCAA last year. Maryland allowed almost 400 yards and over 31 points per game in 2009, and won’t be much better this year. They have lost several starters on defense, and haven’t been able to recruit they way they did years ago because of the appeal of many of the non-BCS conference schools.

Most Vegas sportsbooks have made the Midshipmen 6-6.5 point favorites in this match-up. I think the reason for this line being so low in my opinion is due to Navy’s weak defense. Although Maryland lost 10 of 12 games last year, they did have moments when they were able to put points on the board. Navy’s defense was statistically good, but they generally shorten the amount of time that their opponents have the ball due to their offensive scheme. They don’t play nearly as difficult of a schedule as Maryland, but did allow points to the handful of BCS conference teams that they played.

Most college football handicappers will be leaning towards the side in this match-up, but I feel the total may be the better play. Tune in Monday as these teams show a lack of defense, and 2 totally different styles of offense that are equally as effective.

Virginia Tech has hands full vs. Boise St Monday

Glenn Andrew — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:00:30 +0000

The most intriguing game of the weekend will be played on Monday in Landover, Maryland. The Boise St. Broncos finally have their chance!. They have had several undefeated seasons that culminated in BCS bowl games, but never the BCS Championship. They will have the opportunity to change that in 2010 as they start the year ranked #3 in the pre-season polls. This virtually leaves their destiny in their hands for once. If they can navigate the difficult schedule that head coach Chris Petersen has pieced together then they are all but guaranteed a chance at the BCS title.

It all begins Monday as the Broncos take on a tremendously talented Virginia Tech Hokies squad that is eager to get back to the form that they had a few years ago. V-Tech is known for their defense, but that may all change this season as they now have a quarterback that is capable of leading this offense attack. Tyrod Taylor finally got the opportunity to show what he is capable of in his junior year. He increased his QB rating by 46 points, and threw 13 touchdown passes to just 5 interceptions. Now that he has a full year of starting at QB under his belt, he will be expected to carry this Hokies team on his back.

Taylor completed 16 of 17 passes for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last scrimmage against the starting defense last Thursday. Much of his success in the passing department has to do with his work ethic, and the fact that he has several sure-handed receivers in which to throw to. Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts all return at receiver to round out what should be a well-balanced attack. As important as Tyrod Taylor is to making this offense go, it may be Ryan Williams who is the most important piece. Williams has a phenomenal year in 2009 as he rushed for 1655 yards and 21 touchdowns. Rushing the ball has always been the philosophy of this team since Frank Beamer took over as head coach back in 1987. Hard nosed defense and a solid running game have always been thought of as the 2 most important elements of a successful football team. Beamer has shown that to be true.

The Virgina Tech defense will not have a tougher test this season then they will in their first game on Monday. The Broncos have been an offensive juggernaut for almost a decade. They once again led the country last year in points per game behind an accurate passer and a great rushing game. The Broncos start off this year ranked #3 because they have almost all of their starting offense back from a year ago.

Quarterback Kellen Moore is one of the most efficient passers in college football. He has thrown for over 7000 yards in just 2 seasons, and more impressively has a completion percentage close to 67 %! While throwing for 64 TD’s in 2 years in rather impressive, having just 13 interceptions is even more incredible. Having a quarterback of this caliber would normally be more than enough to take most teams with this good of a defense a long way. However, the running game is almost equally as impressive. Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin combined for over 1900 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2009. As scary as that is for most defenses, it will be worse this season as the Broncos return the majority of their starting offensive line.

Boise St has been declared the favorite in this game due to its neutral location. While many average betters put far too much emphasis on a teams ranking, the oddsmakers set lines based on where they see the betting public putting their money. With that being said, as an college football handicapper I feel that the Hokies have as good of a shot to win this game as the Broncos do. Making NCAA football picks requires a tremendous amount of knowledge that comes from experience. While anything can happen in any game, more often than not the games outcome can be determined prior to the opening kickoff. I have what I feel is the easy winner for this game. Join me as I show you why I have been rated one of the top NCAA and NFL handicappers in the business for 6 years running!

Texas Tech gets Fresh Start with Tommy Tuberville

Tony Bravo — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:04:26 +0000

A new era will begin at Texas Tech on Sunday when Tommy Tuberville takes over as the Red Raiders Head Coach. After all the drama last year with the firing of Mike Leach Tech is now looking ahead with their new head coach. The university has been waiting for the 1^st game so the focus will finally return to the playing field.

Even before the Adam James incident the school had grow tired of Mike Leach’s odd behavior. They knew they had a loose cannon on their hands but they had no choice but to give him a contract extension when he had Tech ranked #1 in the nation in 2008. Leach had been at Texas Tech for over a decade so the university knew what they signed up for.

NCAA football experts need to adjust to the new sheriff in town. Leach’s run and run high scoring offense is gone. Now we will see Tuberville’s conservative approach which will lead to more wins in the long run. Leach flat out ignored his defense and his offense had no balance. Give Tuberville two tears and he will have the red raiders back in the mix for a BCS title.

Texas Christian begins BCS Title Quest against Oregon St

Glenn Andrew — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:00:22 +0000

The Mountain West conference has proven to be a football powerhouse over the last few seasons. The Brigham Young Cougars have always produced tons of talent on the offensive side of ball, but could never compete with the “Big Boys” due to a lack of defense. Gary Patterson came to the TCU Horned Frogs 10 years ago with the idea of building an offense like BYU’s, but with a hard nosed defense to go along with it. Patterson has taken this struggling program, and turned it into a perennial powerhouse. They were one of 2 teams in the NCAA last year to be ranked in the top-10 on both offense and defense with the other team being the Florida Gators.

TCU returns starting quarterback Andy Dalton for his senior year. Dalton has been the leader of the Frogs offense, and has improved his passer rating in each of his first 3 seasons. He will a huge part of how well the Horned Frogs do this season. Last years leading rusher Joseph Turner may be gone, but TCU has two very capable tailbacks to fill his shoes. Mathew Tucker and Ed Wesley both split time with Turner last year, and showed that they have more than enough to carry the load for the 2010 season. Tucker and Wesley combined for over 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging well over 6 yards per rush.

The defensive side of the ball is where the Frogs win games. They allowed the fewest yards per game last season in the entire FBS division at 233. They are equally as good against the run as they are against the pass, and are returning the majority of the starting group from last season. They will be tested right out of the gate this season as they take on the 24th ranked Oregon St Beavers in Arlington, Texas on Saturday.

The Beavers have come along way over the last few seasons, and are eyeing a PAC-10 title for 2010. Head coach Mike Riley has put together an incredibly tough schedule this season, and will need to have his team hitting on all cylinders right from the jump. After this difficult battle with TCU, the Beavers will host the Louisville Cardinals and then head out to the “Blue Carpet” where they will face #3 Boise St. If Riley and company can somehow navigate this brutal schedule undefeated, then they will almost certainly have the opportunity to fight for a BCS title.

The Vegas oddsmakers and most NCAA football handicappers are picking the Frogs to roll in this game, The “neutral site” isn’t really that neutral as the Horned Frogs will have a short bus ride to Arlington, and will have the majority of the fan support. This should be a great game. Both coaches are tremendous, but it will be interesting to see which coach has his team more prepared to start the season. This is clearly the best game of the weekend and may have serious BCS implications when it’s over. Tune in Saturday as the Oregon St Beavers and TCU Horned Frogs battle in the first ranked vs. ranked game of the year!

Wildcats take on Rockets: NCAA Friday Football

Glenn Andrew — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:27 +0000

The Toledo Rockets start their season off with a true test. They may have finished 19th in passing yards a year ago, but they will have a hard time matching their 278 yards per game average against an Arizona Wildcat defense that had improved dramatically over the last few seasons.

The Wildcats allowed just 23 points per game last season which is 2 touchdowns less then the Rockets gave up. Toledo may be considered an offensive juggernaut in the Mid-American Conference, but they are far from being able to contend with a legitimate BCS Conference team like Arizona.

The Wildcats have a solid all around attack offensively. Nick Foles passed for almost 2500 yards last season with 19 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. He is the prototypical type QB with a 6’5” frame and a strong arm. He will have plenty of weapons to use this season as Nick Grigsby and Keola Antonin both return at the running back position. They may not of wowed anyone last season individually, but combined they rushed for over 1200 yards, and had an average of well over 6 yards per carry. This is more than enough to sustain the offensive balance that head coach Mike Stoops needs to make a run at the PAC-!0 title in 2010.

Toledo has never been known for their defense. They thrive in a MAC conference that doesn’t have much defense to speak of. They will do well in-conference, but their out-of-conference schedule is grueling as they play Arizona, Purdue and Boise St. Austin Dantin may be starting his first game at this level, but he has tons of talent on the offensive side of the ball to help him get acclimated quickly. Running back DaJuane Collins may be gone but Morgan Williams is expected to pick up his slack. At wide receivers Eric Page and Stephen Williams may be the best duo in the country. They combined for over 2200 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Expect more of the same this year as they do all they can to help their new quarterback along.

Arizona opened up as a 14.5 point road favorite, but most of the betting public knows that they are in a different class from Toledo. Many college football handicappers will make the Wildcats the play in this contest, but I feel that Toledo has a legitimate chance to stay in the game as long as their new QB doesn’t make too many mistakes. This will be a great game to watch for the die hard football fan as Arizona defense battles the Toledo offense in what should be a great match-up.

NCAA Football Preview: Ohio St. vs. Marshall

Glenn Andrew — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:54 +0000

Terrelle Pryor and the #2 Ohio St. Buckeyes begin their season Thursday when they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd. Pryor is considered one of the odds on favorites by most NCAA football experts to win the Heisman trophy this year due to his combination of arm strength, accuracy and speed at the quarterback position. Going against a Marshall defense that allowed just under 25 points per game last year to their opponents in Conference USA, should be the perfect stage for Pryor to display his skill set and athletic ability.

The Buckeyes have an extremely soft schedule in terms of the strength of their opponents, but because of the overall depth of the Big-10 will have no trouble staying atop the polls as long as they continue to win. Ohio St. football is based around one thing……defense! They finished the 2009 season with the 5th best overall defense in all of college football allowing just 12.5 points per game. Combining a top ranked defense, a solid rushing attack and an elusive and athletic quarterback will spell disaster for all of their opponents this season.

As of now, the Buckeyes are scheduled to play 4 ranked teams with 3 of them coming in conference. The only out-of-conference match-up against a reputable team will come next weekend as the Buckeyes take on the 13th ranked Miami Hurricanes. Most coaches would think it’s a bad idea to schedule such a dangerous team so early in the season, but the fact that Ohio St has many returning starters on both sides of the ball gives Jim Tressel plenty of confidence in his team’s ability.

Alabama is the pre-season number 1, but the loss of Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram for at least the first game due to injury may give the Buckeyes the opportunity to claim the top spot much sooner than expected. Football analysts and college football handicappers feel that this may be the year for Ohio St. They have the majority of their defense back, and what many believe to be the most dynamic player in the game leading their offense. Pryor led the team in rushing last year with 779 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is believed to be a cross between Vince Young and Michael Vick. As we all know, Young and Vick were outstanding college football players that made eluding tacklers look easy. Pryor has that ability as well.

The Vegas oddsmakers must feel as strong about Ohio St. as the experts do, because they have made them a 29 point favorite in Thursday’s game against Marshall. Unlike the NFL, covering big point spreads is much easier to do at the college level due to the disparity in talent. While laying 29 points may put a knot in most bettors stomachs, I recommend taking the Buckeyes. It’s games like these against much weaker opponents that get people buzzing about how good a team looks, and how amazing a player is. Ohio St and Terrelle Pryor will get the buzzing started Thursday as they annihilate the Thundering Herd!

College Football Begins- Pittsburgh vs. Utah Thursday

Glenn Andrew — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:00:15 +0000

The 2010 College Football season kicks off Thursday as 4 top-25 teams take the field. While Ohio St, Miami and USC are facing squads that are virtual “Cup-cakes”, the Pittsburgh Panthers have decided to begin their 2010 campaign against a Utah Utes team that is coming off of a 10-3 season that culminated with a Poinsettia Bowl win against the California Bears.

Despite being slated to play just 2 teams that are ranked in the pre-season top-25, the Panthers will have a very difficult time navigating their schedule without a loss. Notre Dame is expected to be improved over last season. Louisville always has the potential to put up a ton of offense with their aerial attack. South Florida has proven to be an up and coming team in the college football ranks, and Cincinnati may have lost a ton of starters, but they are still more than capable of taking down any team on any day.

Dave Wannstedt has taken the Pittsburgh program to new heights. Their 10-3 record last year was the best this team has finished in almost 20 years. His NFL coaching experience has really helped in giving these student athletes the work ethic that is needed to be successful on any level. Wannstedt will have to deal with having a new starting quarterback, and several first time starters on both sides of the ball this year, but he feels extremely confident in their ability to make the transition smooth.

Tino Sunseri will take over the starting job at quarterback as he has clearly shown that his is the best choice for the job. He will have the luxury of handing the ball of to one of the best running backs in the Big East. Dion Lewis has a phenomenal 2009 season as he rushed for 1799 yards and 17 touchdowns. His 5.5 yards per rush average can make life easy for any quarterback, and he will be leaned on heavily throughout the first few weeks as Sunseri gets acclimated to the offense. Wideout Jon Baldwin will the transistion easier for Sunseri as well. He led the Pittsburgh receivers with 1111 yards and 8 touchdowns last year, and is expected to increase those numbers in 2010.

Taking on the Utes in game 1 may have seemed like a good idea when the planners set the schedule several years ago, but now that Pitt has a top-15 ranking and hopes of a BCS game it may end up throwing a wrench in their plans. Like the Panthers, the Utes have one of the best defenses in the country. They may be able to take advantage of the young QB for Pittsburgh and escape with an upset win if everything goes to right.

Utah has several key starters back for them on offense, and has a very solid defensive scheme. Wide receiver David Reed is the only member of the trio that anchored Utah’s offense not returning this season. Quarterback Terrance Cain is of the new mold of college quarterbacks. He may not be the most gifted passer, but his ability to elude tacklers and make yardage with his legs is why Utah got to the Poinsettia Bowl last year. He will have one of the best running backs in the conference to hand the ball off to as Eddie Wide tries to improve on his 1000+ yard performance last season. This is a tough team that may play the role of spoiler more than once this season.

Although most college football experts don’t have the Utah Utes winning the Mountain West or cracking the top-25, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they did……especially if they steal one from Pittsburgh Thursday night!

Michigan’s Rodriguez on the Hot Seat

Tony Bravo — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:57:22 +0000

Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez better produce an 8 win season or he will not be back in Ann Arbor next season. Coach Rod has had two disastrous seasons at the Big House. Scrapping the traditional power football that Michigan has run for generations for the spread that Rodriguez made famous at West Virginia has not produced the results many expected.

Football experts are picking the Wolverines near the bottom of the Big 10. Michigan has not been this bad for decades. Even during down years with Bo Schembeckler ans Gary Moeller the Wolverines still produced 7 or 8 wins and a bowl berth. Coach Rod has already had two losing seasons that are putting the administration on alert.

Coach Rodriguez has been his own worst enemy. Violating NCAA rules for extended practice time has infuriated the administration. Michigan has always done things the right way. The school has never been handed down penalties for breaking even the smallest rule. The Wolverines open the season Saturday at home against Connecticut. Every loss will push Coach Rod a little closer to the ledge.

Despite Dirty Bush USC Still Smells Like a Rose Bowl

Tony Bravo — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:09:13 +0000

Many football handicappers are way off thinking USC is going to drop from the nation’s elite programs. The Trojans were hit hard by the NCAA for the Reggie Bush violations five years ago. College football’s best program the past decade will not skip a beat with all the drama that has surrounded the program this off season.

Pete Carroll has left for the Seattle Seahawks but Lane Kifffen was groomed by Carroll to take over the program when he departed. Many football picks sites are calling for a mediocre season in the solid Pac 10. The Trojans actually return the most starters in the Pac 10. Stud QB Matt Barkley did not even consider transferring from SC. The three of four guys that left the program were not key players that USC needed.

College football odds makers are going to under value the Trojans this season. Take advantage of this mistake and pick the Trojans early in the season. Savvy sports handicappers know that USC is still a Top 10 program despite all the problems at the Coliseum. Don’t make the mistake of betting against the Trojans. USC is still armed and dangerous.

No Tebow No Problem at Florida

Tony Bravo — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:16:53 +0000

Now that Tim Tebow is throwing passes for the Denver Broncos don’t expect a huge drop off from Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators. Yes Tebow was a Heisman Trophy winning Quarterback who holds the SEC record for touchdowns. I’m well aware that the Gators won a pair of National Championships during his 4 year stay in Gainesville. Lets take a closer look at why the Gators won and why they will continue winning with Timmy Title.

Everyone talks offense in Gainesville but the defense makes Urban Meyer’s program flow. A lot of those Gator wins in the swamp were defensive wins. The last 4 NFL drafts have produced a handful of 1^st Round Draft picks. This past draft had 3 Florida defensive players going in the first two rounds. Offense has received all the print in the paper but Charlie Strong’s defense has put the Gators BCS Title game.

Urban Meyer is back for another title run and breaking in a new QB has been smooth sailing. Meyer had former # 1 pick Alex Smith at Utah. When he won his 1^st title in Gainesville it was with All American QB Chris Leak. Now Tim Tebow will be replaced by strong armed QB John Brantley. Meyer knows how to replace a QB better than anyone in the country. He will lean on his defense and strong running game the first few games until Brantley gets his feet wet then he will take off the training wheels. Meyer has built his program so strong that transition is not a dirty word in Gainesville. You will not hear the word rebuilding near the Swamp anytime soon.