Week 3 Previews - B1G, Big East, MAC, Sun Belt - Will Wisconsin continue to roll? Is UM looking past EMU? Are you ready for Central/Western?

Welcome Nitty Griddy Nation to Week 3!

What a great weekend in College Football as we get closer to conference play. How about that UM/ND game? What an amazing finish. Northern Illinois almost got the W in Lawrence and Wisconsin continued to roll. While FIU went to Louisville and ripped the hearts of the Cardinal faithful.

Time to take a trip around the Big Ten, Big East, MAC and Sun Belt to get ready for Week 3...

B1G-

Michigan -28.5 vs. Eastern Michigan
Penn St -9.5 @ Temple
Iowa -3 vs. Pitt
Purdue OFF vs. SE Missouri St
Michigan State +5 @ Notre Dame
Indiana OFF vs. South Carolina St
Minnesota -3 vs. Miami (OH)
Nebraska -17.5 vs. Washington
Northwestern OFF @ Army
Wisconsin -16.5 @ Northern Illinois
Illinois +1.5 vs. Arizona St
Ohio St OFF @ Miami (FL)

BIG EAST-

Connecticut -4.5 vs. Iowa St
West Virginia +1 @ Maryland
Cincinnati -31 vs. Akron
South Florida OFF vs. Florida A&M
Louisville +7 @ Kentucky
Syracuse +14.5 @ USC

MAC-

Toledo +17 vs. Boise St
Western Michigan -6.5 vs. Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan +28.5 @ Michigan
Bowling Green -8 vs. Wyoming
Ohio -2 vs. Marshall
Ball St -4.5 vs. Buffalo
Kent St +14 @ Kansas St


SUN BELT-

LA-Monroe +27.5 @ TCU
Arkansas St +26.5 @ Va Tech
FIU +4 vs. UCF
Western Kentucky OFF vs. Indiana St
LA-Lafayette OFF vs. Nicholls St
Troy +24.5 @ Arkansas
North Texas +45.5 @ Alabama

Marcus says...

Michigan -28.5 vs. Eastern Michigan
The Wolverines are 2-0 and there is Hoke-fever in Ann Arbor.  Michigan rallied to score 28 points in the 4th quarter and took a chance throwing a fade route into the endzone with :08 on the clock to beat Notre Dame.  Denard Robinson has been electric at times this season, but will need to continue to improve as a passer and limit the interceptions for the Wolverines to compete for the Big Ten title.  The Eagles of Eastern Michigan also come in to the game 2-0, led by RBs Javonti Greene and Dominique Sherrer.  QB Alex Gillett has also gotten it done on the ground, as EMU has rushed for a total of 662 yards on the ground this year.  Unfortunately for the Eagles they’ll be facing a Big Ten defense this week.  Michigan comes into the game focused and covers here.

Wisconsin -16.5 vs. Northern Illinois
This game will be played along the Chicago lakefront at Soldier Field.  The Badgers offense put up 35 against Oregon State last week behind another good day from Russell Wilson.  The defense played even better as the shut out the Beavers.  This neutral site game should be a test for Wisconsin as they leave the comforts of Madison.  Northern Illinois was a road favorite last week at Kansas, but came up short and lost by a FG.  QB Chandler Harnish has now thrown for 7 TDs and rushed for 4 more.  I expect Wisconsin to win this game, but the Huskies won’t go down without a fight.  Early feeling is Northern Illinois and the points.

West Virginia +1 @ Maryland
The Mountaineers come in to the game 2-0 and QB Geno Smith has thrown for 620 yards and 6 TDs through the first two games.  The West Virginia defense has allowed 12.5 points per game, but against fairly weak opponents.  The Terrapins come in 1-0 as they didn’t have a game Week 2.  Maryland was impressive against the U as Danny O’Brien and Kevin Dorsey led the offense while the defense turned the Hurricanes over 4 times and scored twice.  Vegas has the line close here and I expect a good game with Maryland winning by a FG.


Western Michigan -6.5 vs. Central Michigan
The annual rivalry comes to Kalamazoo and Bill Cubit has to feel the pressure.  Coach Cubit has a 5 game losing streak against the Chippewas including a couple heart breaking losses in Kalamazoo over the last few years.  The Broncos looked good in the 1st quarter against Michigan, but didn’t have the depth to sustain.  Last week WMU pounded inferior Nicholls State, but still made a number of mistakes that would have cost them against better competition.  QB Alex Carder has shown flashes of his ability but hasn’t put together a complete game.  Central Michigan comes in to the game 1-1 after dropping a game at Kentucky last week.  The Chippewa offense has struggled early on to points on the board.  QB Radcliff has thrown 4 interceptions and will need to limit the turnovers against the Broncos.  Both teams need this W to compete in the MAC West.  Early feeling is Broncos by 7.  

FIU +4 vs. UCF
FIU’s confidence is soaring coming off a win at Louisville last week.  QB Wesley Carroll and WR T.Y. Hilton have been tough to stop.  A interception returned for a TD by the Panther defense last week really set the tone and was ultimately the difference in the game.  UCF embarrassed Boston College in Orlando last week and has given up 3 points all season.  The Golden Knights are led by their rushing attack, which currently ranks 12th in the country.  FIU is an underdog in their own house, but expect them to step up and play well.  FIU covers in a UCF win.  

Week 2 - Who do you love?

Week 2 is here and here's who we love this week...

Kyle's picks-

Missouri @ Arizona St. -8
ASU welcomes a poor Mizzou offense into the desert rudely. Look for Tigers QB James Franklin to struggle against one of the Pac 12's best defenses. Sun Devils cover.

Notre Dame -3 @ Michigan
I hemmed and hawed over this game. ND did some fantastic things on offense last week - unfortunately that included an extreme proficiency in turning the ball over. UM's defense hasn't shown it can contain a big time offense, though. Close your eyes and bet on the Irish.


S. Carolina -3 @ Georgia
The Gamecocks are a mess, but trotting Marcus Lattimore out at RB qualifies them as a hot mess. Georgia again struggles at home and SC covers.

Utah -@ USC -8.5
Neither team looked convincing in victories last week, but there is still something troublesome about USC's inability to get off the ball on the run. Utah keeps it close in LA and beats the spread.

Marcus' Picks-

Penn St vs. Alabama -10
Both teams come into the game unsettled at the QB position.  The money is coming in on Alabama as the point spread has moved to -10.  I still see a grind it out ground game, take Penn State and the points.

South Florida -20 vs. Ball State
There’s a buzz around the MAC about Ball State as they knocked off a Big Ten opponent last week.  Don’t expect the same result this week, South Florida covers.

FIU @ Louisville -3.5
The line has moved to -3.5 as money is coming in on FIU.  The Golden Panthers will put up a fight against Louisville, but the Cardinals win by a TD at least and covers.

Stanford -20.5 @ Duke
Andrew Luck will have a field day in Durham on Saturday.  The Cardinal cover in a game filled with players that actually go to class.

After Week 1, Kyle has a 1 game lead in the season standings. Although, weather played a factor in West Virginia not covering the 23 point spread (they were up 21 when the game was called).

Season Standings

Kyle - 3-1

Marcus - 2-2

Have a Great Weekend!

Thirsty Thursday reads

It's Thursday, and we're feeling linky, because college kids everywhere are feeling drinky, and it's weird to show up at (YOUR COLLEGE BAR HERE) as a 26 year old with a fake ID...

Duke heads into this weekend’s game against Stanford, coming off a loss to an FCS team... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/07/sports/s130707D09.DTL

It’s the Va Tech defense against the East Carolina passing attack...http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Pirates-look-to-Lewis-Hardy-in-passing-game-2159380.php

OSU RB Agnew doubtful to play Saturday in Madison...http://democratherald.com/sports/article_b00ea1bb-5782-57a4-856a-ac9f867349ae.html

Quarterback competition ongoing in Tuscaloosa...http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/09/08/1726034/alabama-football-notes-crimson.html

Concerns about Big Ten newcomer Nebraska’s out of conference schedule...http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/ncaa-football/big-ten/will-weak-non-conference-schedule-hurt-nebraska

Tar Heel QB Renner is a ‘baby Brett Favre’? Rutgers coach Schiano seems to think so...http://www.dailytargum.com/sports/unc-qb-earns-ru-s-attention-1.2622038

The Jayhawks are not taking Northern Illinois lightly...http://www.kansan.com/news/2011/sep/06/northern-illinois-football-numbers-deceptive/

Steve Spurrier, Stephen Garcia don't always see eye to eye... http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6939374/south-carolina-gamecocks-quarterback-stephen-garcia-unique-challenge-steve-spurrier

A week after squeaking out a season opening win, Auburn fans told NOT to panic... http://www.trackemtigers.com/2011/9/8/2411433/the-sky-is-not-really-falling

Brian Kelly: Against UM, I won't call my QB a "F---ing idiot"... http://www.indystar.com/article/20110908/SPORTS0604/109080382/Notre-Dame-s-Kelly-says-he-ll-watch-his-mouth?odyssey=tab|mostpopular|text|SPORTS

Air Force QB Jefferson suits up for a big MWAC showdown with TCU... http://www.gazette.com/sports/jefferson-124541-freeman-tim.html

Oregon's LaMichael James says he's learning from past mistakes... http://www.rgj.com/article/20110908/SPORTS06/109080325/Nevada-football-James-puts-focus-finding-right-path?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

Cal and Colorado, both PAC 12 teams, play in a non-Pac 12 game Saturday. And other things that make perfect sense... http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/15547035/week-2-picks-it-doesnt-get-any-weirder-than-this

Like all of its students, Arizona State's football team will get blacked out for their matchup with Mizzou... http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/2011/09/07/20110907asu-football-black-out-against-missouri.html

As Texas prepares for BYU, the guys at BON give the Aggies a less-than-flattering farewell salute... http://www.burntorangenation.com/2011/9/7/2404570/bevos-roundup-we-are-going-west-probably

Week 2 ACC, SEC previews: You can throw out the SAT scores when Stanford and Duke get together; and a pillow fight or the SEC's top matchup?

Today we're picking our favorites in the big ACC and SEC matchups this weekend. Just so you know, at The Nitty Griddy, we'll evenutally split more amicably than the Big 12 once one of us gets a T.V. network.

ACC-

Marcus says...

Stanford -21 @ Duke
Virginia Tech -20 @ East Carolina
Wake Forest vs. NC State -2
Florida State vs. Charleston Southern OFF
Boston College @ UCF -7

Stanford -21 @ Duke
Andrew Luck looked every bit the Heisman front-runner, carving up the inferior San Jose State defense. Luck threw for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns, completing 65% of his passes. RB Stepfan Taylor scored twice in Week 2 and should continue to benefit from defenses focusing on stopping the Cardinal air attack. Duke dropped their home opener to Richmond, who is led by former USC Trojan Aaron Corp, last week in a close game. It won’t get any easier for the Blue Devils as they will be facing superior talent on both sides of the ball. Expect Stanford to cover here.

Virginia Tech -20 @ East Carolina
The Hokies destroyed Appalachian State in Week 1 and was able to get their starters out of the game in the third quarter. Junior RB David Wilson ran for 162 yards and 3 scores as there was no lack of offense for Va Tech. The Hokie defense looked fast, really fast and much improved from a year ago. East Carolina led South Carolina in Week 1, until the Gamecocks rallied to win a high scoring game. The Pirates Senior QB Dominique Davis threw for 4 scores and ran for another. East Carolina will put up more of a fight than App State, but expect Va Tech’s defense to slow down Davis and cover.

SEC-

Kyle says...

CMU @ Kentucky -13
Mississippi St. -7 @ Auburn
Alabama -10 @ Penn St.
Cincinnati @ Tennessee -6
S. Carolina -3 @ Georgia
So. Ill @ Ole Miss OFF
UNM @ Arkansas -36
UAB @ Florida OFF
UConn @ Vanderbilt -2
NW St. @ LSU OFF

Mississippi St. -7 @ Auburn
We live in a world where the Bulldogs are the road favorites against the reigning NCAA champs. I’ll let you recover from that coronary and ponder this: Miss. St. beat the spread the last time it played at UGA (in 2006) and is actually better on the road in the SEC under the direction of Dan Mullen than it is at home: http://tinyurl.com/4y4os95. The bulldogs and Qb Chris Relf weren’t slowed down by the offseason and amped their offense back up last Saturday in their first game since a beatdown of Michigan in the Gator Bowl to wallop Memphis 59-14. Auburn looked anything but reliable in a squeaker of a week 1 victory against Utah St., when its young defensive line was manhandled. ‘Dogs cover.

S. Carolina -3 @ Georgia
This is the SEC’s in-conference game of the week almost in spite of itself. Only in the weak SEC East could such a marquee be hung on a game featuring a tinkerer like Carolina’s Steve Spurrier (switching between QBs Connor Shaw and Stephen Garcia throughout Saturday’s shaky 56-37 win over East Carolina) and Georgia’s Mark Richt (who hasn’t won a big game since the Bailey boys played for the Bulldogs.) Richt is, by all accounts, coaching for his job after disgracing the south in a loss last week IN ATLANTA against the hillbilly kryptonite that is Boise St. Spurrier brings in a high-flying offensive attack and a defense that appears to have regressed despite its fabulously talented line. The ‘Cocks cover by default.

Week 2 Previews- Is Wisconsin for real? Does anyone care about ND-UM?

WEEK 2 - SEP 8-10

Welcome to Week 2 TNG Nation!  Let’s dive right into the early lines for this week.  The games in bold are ones we are paying attention to and provide a short preview if you keep scrolling.  

B1G-

MSU -32.5 vs. Florida Atlantic
Iowa -6.5 @ Iowa State
Ohio State -19 vs. Toledo
Wisconsin -21 vs. Oregon State
Illinois vs. South Dakota State OFF
Northwestern vs. Eastern Illinois OFF
Minnesota -20 vs. New Mexico State
Penn St vs. Alabama -9.5
Purdue @ Rice OFF
Indiana vs. Virginia -6.5
Nebraska -28 vs. Fresno State

BIG EAST-

Rutgers @ North Carolina -10.5
Pitt vs. Maine OFF
West Virginia Off vs. Norfolk State
Syracuse vs. Rhode Island OFF
South Florida -20 vs. Ball State
Vanderbilt -1 vs. UCONN

MAC-

WMU vs. Nicholls State OFF
CMU @ Kentucky -13
EMU vs. Alabama St OFF
Akron vs. Temple -14.5
Buffalo vs. Stony Brook OFF
Bowling Green vs. Morgan State OFF
Ohio vs. Gardner-Webb OFF
Northern Illinois -6.5 @ Kansas
Kent State -9.5 vs. LA-Lafayette

SUN BELT-

FIU @ Louisville -4
W Kentucky vs Navy -10
North Texas vs Houston -22.5
Arkansas St -14.5 vs. Memphis
Middle Tennessee St vs. Georgia Tech -11
LA-Monroe vs. Grambling State OFF

Marcus says...

Wisconsin -21 vs. Oregon State
Russell Wilson fever has already taken hold in Madison after last weeks debut in the thumping of UNLV.  Wilson was impressive throwing for 2 scores and rushing for another, but let’s remember that it was against the miserable Rebels.  Oregon State will come into Camp Randall trying to avenge their OT loss to FCS Sacramento State.  The Beaver offense has the talent to win games, but the defense will be the question mark here.  If they couldn’t stop the Hornets, how are they going to slow down the Badgers on the road?  Wisconsin covers here.

Penn St vs. Alabama -9.5
Joe Paterno vs. Nick Saban in Happy Valley in Week 2, what more could you ask for?  Alabama is a road favorite here based largely on expectations and somewhat on their Week 1 showing against Kent State.  Sophomore QB AJ McCarron will be facing a stout Nittany Lion defense that dominated lowly Indiana State.  Penn State still needs to make a decision under center between McGloin and Boldin, but I don’t expect that to be an issue in this one.  Expect a hard fought, grind it out game and don’t be surprised to see the Nittany Lions cover in a ‘Bama win.  

Nebraska -28 vs. Fresno State
Taylor Martinez ran all over Chattanooga last week as Nebraska wasn’t tested to open the 2011 campaign.  Fresno State on the other hand put up more of a fight against the Cal Bears than expected in a Week 1 loss.  The impact player here will be DE Cameron Meredith for the Huskers, who is coming off a 2 sack and 1 interception performance.  Expect him to disrupt QB Derek Carr at the Bulldog offense, keeping them off the field and allowing Martinez and the offense to put points on the board.  Early gut feeling is the Huskers cover.
 
Rutgers @ North Carolina -10.5
The Scarlet Knights visit Keenan Stadium in Chapel Hill coming off a 48-0 beat down of NC Central.  Rutgers scored two defensive touchdowns and got solid contributions from three different running backs.  The ‘Heels won their opening game as well, defeating James Madison behind a high powered offense led by QB Bryn Renner.  Expect a lower scoring game and 10.5 seems like a big number, take Rutgers and the points.

South Florida -20 vs. Ball State
Skip Holtz made his parents proud and at the same time ripped the heart out of the Irish faithful last week in a weird game in South Bend.  The Bulls struggled to put the ball in the end zone on offense against Notre Dame, but expect QB B.J. Daniels to get that turned around.  Ball State is riding high after an opening week home win against the Indiana Hoosiers.  Expect the Cardinals to come in confident and maybe even put up some points, but South Florida pulls away and covers in the end.

Northern Illinois -6.5 @ Kansas
Don’t look now, but a MAC school is ranked on the road against a Big 12 opponent.  Another sign of the death of the Big 12?  This game will feature star QB Charlie Harnish, who threw for 5 TDs and ran for another score in the Huskies opening week win against Army.  Kansas used a two-headed rushing attack to top McNeese State, but won’t have an answer for Harnish.  NIU comes into Lawrence and covers.

FIU @ Louisville -4
FIU pounded North Texas in Week 1, behind their plethora of offensive weapons.  WR T.Y. Hilton had 181 total yards on offense.  While RBs, Perry and Rhodes each ran for 2 TDs.  Louisville’s offense looked impressive at times in their opening week win against Murray State.  QB Will Stein threw for 2 scores and the Cardinal defense frustrated talented Murray St QB Casey Brockman.  Expect a good game with Louisville ultimately winning by a TD.  


BIG 12 -

Arizona @Oklahoma St. -14
Mizzou @ Arizona St. -7.5
BYU @ Texas -7

PAC 12 -

Cal -6.5 @ Colo.
Stanford -21.5 @ Duke
Hawaii @ Washington -5
Nevada @ Oregon -27
UNLV @ Washington St. -14
Utah @ USC -9.5
San Jose State @ UCLA -21.5

WAC-

N. Dakota @ Idaho OFF
Central Arkansas @ La. Tech OFF
Weber St. @ Utah St. OFF

MWAC-

SDSU -10 @ Army
N. Colo. @ Colo. St. OFF
TCU -2 @ Air Force
Texas St. @ Wyoming OFF
UNM @ Arkansas -36

Independent-

ND -3.5 @ Michigan

Kyle says...

BYU @ Texas -7
This game is a tough call. BYU was tested last week by a disjointed but talented Ole Miss squad, while Texas rolled somewhat easily on an inferior Rice team. UT will need its young defensive backfield to continue to mesh in order to slow down the Cougars’ passing attack, led by sophomore Jake Heaps. He looked a little rusty against the Rebs, but will get locked in at some point, so Mack Brown had better have his game face on defensively. The key to helping out against Heaps is for the Horns d-line to put a lot of pressure on him, something they did last week after looking less-than-stellar last year.

Mizzou @ Arizona St. -7.5
The Tigers looked anything but dominating last week in a 17-6 win over Miami (OH), and ASU is still dealing with offseason injuries to the second and third levels of its defense. The Sun Devils D, nonetheless, looked stout in a week one win against UC Davis, which should provide a confidence and experience boost going into Friday’s matchup in the desert. The heat should slow down both offenses and keep this one close, but the Sun Devils should cover.

Cal -6.5 @ Colorado
Apparently Vegas doesn’t have a hell of a lot of faith in the Golden Bears and QB Zach Maynard against a Colorado team that can be described charitably as “struggling,” following a pretty embarrassing 34-17 defeat at the hands of Hawaii. The Buffs aren’t on the road, where they are 0 for the last 17, so that must count for something. Cal dropped Fresno St. like a bad habit last week, with Maynard throwing for 266 and two touchdowns in the 36-21 opener. If he can continue to count on the run game as a compliment to his passing game, the Bears could roll on a Buffs D that couldn’t stop anything last week.

Nevada @ Oregon -27
The border war resumes after an 8 year hiatus, and that couldn’t be worse for the Wolf Pack. In their first game post-Kaepernick, UNR gets to trot new QB Tyler Lantrip against what one can only assume will be a very pissed-off group of Oregon Ducks, still smarting from their throttling at the hands of LSU. CB Cliff Harris comes back for Oregon to assure Lantrip doesn’t get too loose with his experienced receiving corps, and LaMichael James will exploit the Pack’s young D-line. Look for the Ducks to cover.

TCU -2 @ Air Force
There’s some buzz around this seasoned Falcons team, and maybe that accounts for the nearly OFF line. They’re experienced and coming off a W last week against S. Dakota in Colorado Springs in which the experienced D looked stout. That’s nice, but TCU is looking for blood after last week’s 50-48 L to Baylor that seemingly everyone in the nation watched. QB Pachall looked like a four-year starter as a signal caller and would have been the talk of the country except for the electric performance put up by RGIII. The last few games at the Academy have been tight between these squads, but look for the Horned Frogs to cover, barely.

Notre Dame -3.5 @ Michigan
Vegas just couldn’t bring itself to not post a line in this game. It makes sense, as both fan bases are national, it’ll draw huge attention as Saturday’s prime time game under the lights in Ann Arbor, and you know the four-letter will hype it all week long. That said, neither team is deserving of favored status here. Notre Dame dominated South Florida until it counted last week, when they failed miserably in the red zone in an agonizing defeat. Michigan dominated Western Michigan but didn’t quite slam the door on the Bronco. Stay the hell away from this game, or flip a coin.

ACC and SEC previews are coming up tomorrow. Keep following along...

Week 1 - And the picks are in...

We really hope you got to catch some opening night football last night. It might be more about UNLV's ineptness, but how good did Russell Wilson and the Badgers look last night? Bielema certainly wasn't showing any mercy or maybe, just maybe he was trying to cover (hmmm). The other Top 25 team in action, Mississippi State, absolutely embarrassed Memphis. At any rate it's Friday, and every Friday we will deliver to you our picks free of charge (for now ;) ) and you don't even have to call an 800 # (Matthew McConaughey isn't on the other end anyway). So let's get down to it. Kyle and I have a friendly wager of a local 6 pack on who will have the better record against the spread at the end of the year. I plan on enjoying some 21st Amendment in December.

Drum roll please...

Kyle's picks-

TCU- 3.5 vs. Baylor. I'm picking Baylor to cover here. This line tightened up from -6 this week, when I felt significantly better about TCU QB Pachall, but on second thought, he's a guy moving into the starting role against the ever-dangerous Bears QB Robert Griffin. I'm not sure if Baylor has enough to win, but they've got enough to keep this close on a brand new QB and his squad.

Oregon -4 vs. LSU. Vegas has gotten a lot more optimistic on the Ducks, and I'm with them. To be honest, I could see this line moving as wide as a touchdown. LSU is breaking in fresh players on short notice in this matchup. Ducks cover easily.

Boise St. -3.5 @ Georgia. I still like Boise here. Georgia is dangerously young on O, and Kellen Moore will drive the Bronco offense right past them. Boise covers.

Notre Dame -11 vs. South Florida. Dayne Crist is going to struggle in his first game out, but not enough to lose. USF covers in an Irish victory.

Marcus' picks-

Michigan -13.5 vs. Western Michigan. The line has moved .5 in favor of the Wolverines this week and I tend to agree. WMU is going to be a force in the MAC this year, but Michigan covers here.

Ohio State -33.5 vs. Akron. Vegas just couldn't stay away from posting a Buckeye line this week. The Ohio State just has too much talent and will be playing their guys (well those that are eligible) for longer than usual. Ohio State covers here.

West Virginia -23 vs. Marshall. The line has moved from -21 earlier in the week as excitement builds around the Mountaineer program. They are Marshall (two McConaughey references in the same post, sorry), but their offense will struggle to put up points and WVU covers.

Maryland -3 vs. Miami. One of the biggest movers as the line was Miami -3.5 earlier in the week. I liked the Canes to cover in my Wednesday post so I'll gladly take the points as Miami wins outright.

SEASON STANDINGS

Kyle - 0-0

Marcus - 0-0

Be safe this Labor Day weekend!

Week 1: Our Heisman trophy, BCS titlist picks

Welcome to the first day of the 2011 college football season. We'll pause for your happy dance.

Now that we're back, Marcus and Kyle are unveiling our first Heisman Trophy and BCS title picks.

This will be a recurring feature every Thursday, and we want to hear your thoughts on who you think will eventually have their hardware vacated.

Onto the picks!

HE-IS-MAN

Marcus
Pick
- Andrew Luck (QB Stanford) 9/2

Worth a shot
- Kirk Cousins (QB Michigan State) 35/1
Cousins is an experienced vet with a host of offensive weapons.

Kyle
Pick
- Marcus Lattimore (RB South Carolina) 7/1

Worth a shot
- Case Keenum (QB Houston) 35/1
With loads of experience, Keenum is poised to break the all-time yards records this year against some awfully soft defensive backfields.

View a full list of the odds here: http://www.betvega.com/heisman-trophy-odds/

NATIONAL TITLE

Marcus
Alabama 11/2

Worth a shot
Texas 25/1
The ‘Horns will be better and year in and year out they field the best talent from the state of Texas.

Kyle
Oregon 12/1

Worth a shot
Nebraska 25/1
It pains me to say it, but the Huskers could rip through the B1G with an unfamiliar offense.

View a full list of the odds here: http://www.betvega.com/bcs-champion-odds/