Week 12: The picks are in! The picks are in!

Whew.... filing these just in time for kickoff today. Our jaws dropped when Iowa State beat Oklahoma State last night. Just goes to show you, there's no such thing as a truly "safe" bet. Onto the picks...

Michigan State -28 vs. Indiana
Indiana is playing better and there could be an argument here that MSU will look past them. I don’t see D’Anotonio letting that happen and the Spartans have superior talent on both sides of the ball. 28 is a big number however and the only teams Sparty has beaten by that margin are Central Michigan and Florida Atlantic. Take Indiana and the points, but expect MSU to win the game.

Michigan -3.5 vs. Nebraska
The game is big for either team to have a shot at the Big Ten title game. Michigan defense continues to be the story and expect them to keep the Husker running game in check. Michigan wins by 7 and covers.

Ohio State -7 vs. Penn State
OSU is 5-1 at home compared to 1-3 on the road. Braxton Miller has the talent to be the next big Buckeye QB but has been awfully inconsistent. Expect Penn State to be emotionally drained after last week. The Horseshoe will be kind to the Buckeyes and I expect them to pull it out by a FG. Take PSU and the points.

NC State +8 vs. Clemson
Clemson barely got by Wake Forest last week and I imagine Coach Swinney put them through a tough week of practice. QB Tajh Boyd will protect the ball as Clemson seeks to keep pace in the ACC. Clemson covers here.


Kyle says...

Oklahoma -16 @ Baylor

OU brings their high-flying offense into Waco to face Baylor's offensive attack—led by RGIII. I look for Baylor to beat the spread in a loss and I don't expect we'll see a hell of a lot of the punter today. Also, take the over.

USC @ Oregon -15

Oregon's title chances rocketed up when the Cowboys dropped last night at Iowa State. You'd better believe Chip Kelly is going to want to pad his margin of victory as he lobbies for a rematch with LSU, and nobody is going to call you a dick for doing it against Lane Kiffin's crew. Look for Oregon to cover big in Eugene tonight.

Kansas State @ Texas -7.5

This line tightened by two points over the course of the week as people are losing faith in Texas' ability to win, especially within the rather quiet confines of Royal Stadium. Still, I think the shift benefits the horns, who, if nothing else, have a running game that will gash the Wildcats. UT covers.

Cal @ Stanford -18

After dropping a heartbreaking loss to Oregon, ruining the Cardinal's title hopes, Cal comes to the South Bay today. That's unfortunate for the Bears, who are struggling on offense this season and won't be able to keep up with the Stanford attack. Cardinal cover.

Season Standings:

Kyle - 22-20-2
Marcus - 21-22-1

Week 12: A look at the B1G and ACC Pressure Cooker

Hope you have been enjoying your weeknight MAC games again this week TNG nation! This week we watch the B1G and ACC division races wind down with only 1 week to go after this. Sparty needs to avoid a let down and there's a big game in Ann Arbor. Let's get to it...

B1G-
Michigan State -28 vs. Indiana
Northwestern -15.5 vs. Minnesota
Michigan -3.5 vs. Nebraska
Illinois +14.5 vs. Wisconsin
Purdue +3 vs. Iowa
Ohio State -7 vs. Penn State

ACC-
Virginia Tech -11 vs. North Carolina
Duke +11 vs. Georgia Tech
Wake Forest -10.5 vs. Maryland
South Florida +1 vs. Miami (FL)
NC State +8 vs. Clemson
Florida State -17.5 vs. Virginia

BIG EAST-
UConn -1 vs. Louisville
Rutgers +3 vs. Cincinnati

MAC-
Miami (OH) +1.5 vs. Western Michigan
Bowling Green +7 vs. Ohio
Central Michigan +14 vs. Toledo
Buffalo -11.5 vs. Akron
Temple -14 vs. Army
Kent State -3 vs. Eastern Michigan

SUN BELT-
MTSU OFF vs. Arkansas State
Troy OFF vs. FAU
LA-Monroe OFF vs. FIU
North Texas OFF vs. Western Kentucky


Marcus says...

Michigan State -28 vs. Indiana
Sparty avenged their 2010 demons and then some on Saturday in Iowa City, dominating the Hawkeyes for a convincing win.  MSU still controls their own destiny in the Big Ten Legends Division.  With a win over the Hoosiers and a Wolverine win over Nebraska, Michigan State will secure the division.  A Husker win along with a Spartan win, will require MSU to win at Northwestern to finish the season.  Kirk Cousins was on top of his game with 260 yds/3 TDs and Le’Veon Bell went for over 100 yards rushing and a score.  The defense turned the Hawkeyes over 3 times and his currently ranked 8th in the country, only giving up 16.5 points per contest.  Freshmen QB Tre Roberson has taken over for IU, who is 0-6 in Big Ten play.  Expect a Sparty win, but consider taking the Hoosiers at the points.

Michigan -3.5 vs. Nebraska
Nebraska won in State College last week, in what had to be one of the weirdest scenes in college football history.  Martinez and Burkhead got loose on the ground and pulled the win 17-14.  UM knocked off Illinois as RB Fitzgerald Toussaint broke out with 192 yards and a TD.  Wolverine Nation got to see sophomore Devin Gardner take some meaningful snaps when Denard Robinson went down with a mild injury.  The sophomore played well and I’d expect to see him get on the field against Nebraska considering Robinson’s inability to consistently pass the ball.  Coach Brady Hoke has to be happy with his top 5 defense and I expect them to control the Husker offense.  Nebraska is a different team on the road and Michigan is better than Penn State.  UM covers.

Ohio State -7 vs. Penn State
The first road trip in the post-Paterno era is bound for Columbus and the Horseshoe.  The Nittany Lions largely handled the emotions of last week well, but came up short in the end dropping their first Big Ten game.  Things don’t get easier with a date with the Buckeyes followed by a trip to Wisconsin to finish out the season.  PSU is still in control of the Big Ten Leaders division, but the sentiment is that the Badgers will be in the title game.  Ohio State has been difficult to figure out as they lost in OT in West Lafayette last week.  The Buckeye offense’s inability to score has led to their inconsistent season.  The good news for OSU is that Penn State can relate to inconsistent offense.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see a OSU win here, but I like PSU and the points.

NC State +8 vs. Clemson
The 7th ranked Tigers bounced back from their only loss of the season, with a narrow win over Wake Forest.  The win locked up the ACC Atlantic Division for the Tigers who still have their sights set on a BCS payday.  QB Tajh Boyd threw for 343 yds/2 TDs, but kept the Deacons in the game with his 2 INTs.  NC State lost to lowly Boston College last week and has been a tough team to figure out.  In this one though, it won’t matter which Wolfpack team shows up as Clemson will roll.

Week 12: Pressure cooker

Welcome to week 12, where we're just coming to terms with the fact that the season is winding down. That doesn't mean the action is, though, on the field or at the book. Sure, the SEC is playing the poor sisters of the blind this week, but there are some hot matchups in the Big 12 and out west. A handful of teams—Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Oregon— are going to be pressing for big win margins to impress the voters and BCS computers as we come down to the wire in the national championship hunt. We'll see who can handle the pressure, and who struggles with it this week. Onto the picks...

Kyle says...

BIG 12

OSU -27 @ Iowa St.

K-State @ Texas -9.5

Kansas @ Texas A&M -31

Texas Tech @ Mizzou -18

Oklahoma -15 @ Baylor

PAC 12

Washington -3 @ OSU

Utah @ Wash. St. -3.5

Colorado @ UCLA -11

USC @ Oregon -15

Arizona @ ASU -10.5

Cal @ Stanford -18.5

SEC

Citadel @ South Carolina OFF

Kentucky @ Georgia -30.5

Samford @ Auburn OFF

Furman @ Florida OFF

Georgia Southern @ Alabama OFF

Mississippi State @ Arkansas -13.5

LSU -29.5 @ Ole Miss

Vanderbilt -1.5 @ Tennessee

MWAC

New Mexico @ Wyoming -24

Colorado State @ TCU -33

UNLV @ Air Force -23.5

Boise State -18 @ SDSU

WAC

Navy -4.5 @ SJSU

LT @ Nevada -7.5

Utah St. -10 @ Idaho

NMSU @ BYU -23

Fresno State @ Hawaii -5.5

Kansas State @ Texas -9.5

KSU comes to Austin as both programs struggle to figure out where they go from here. The Wildcats can score at will and came strong in the second half last week against the Aggies, but the defense is low-grade dog shit, giving up 30 ppg and more to competent offenses. Texas, though, is far from a consistently competent offense, putting up a meager 5 points against Mizzou after averaging more than 45 in its two previous games. The Horns have great ability on defense and a strong running game, however, they don't have the passing prowess to really put it on KSU. The Wildcats cover in a Texas victory.

Oklahoma -15 @ Baylor

In the two games between last week's bye and the loss to Texas Tech, Oklahoma came out like Wisconsin circa 2010, blowing out KSU and A&M by a combined score of 99-42. The Sooners are out for blood, and they know their chances at a title shot only get better if they annihilate the opposition. Landry Jones is leading the nation's third-ranked passing attack against a defense that gives up 36 points per game, looking only slightly better at home than on the road. I don't doubt RGIII's ability to keep up with anyone, though, and I'm not sure OU's defense has seen someone quite like him yet. I think Baylor covers in a shootout loss at home. Look for fireworks.

USC @ Oregon -15

USC's got no problem scoring points, but the thing keeping them from balling with the PAC 12's big boys isn't Matt Barkley and the offense, though. The Trojan defense breaks (hahaha!) against quarterbacks who are A) big and ballsy enough to be able to look far downfield and B) good. Darron Thomas is both of these things, and is aided by the most talented running game not found in Tuscaloosa. While he may not always make the best decisions, Thomas gets plenty

of pass protection and can elude the rush, and big game QBs can work wonders when given time in the pocket. Oregon's very solid defense will corral the USC offensive attack and the offense will blow right past them as the Ducks cover in Eugene.

Vanderbilt -1.5 vs. Tennessee

In a game of brain vs. brawn, I'm leaning toward the brains of Vanderbilt. Playing for bowl eligibility, Vandy has a tough, top-30 defense and a scrappy offense. The D should be more than enough to contain Tennessee, who can't seem to muster a rushing attack no matter who is at QB. Phenom Tyler Bray is set to return this weekend, though he's expected to split time and he's not the kind of guy who can tote it for 100 yards in addition to chucking it around. I look for a tight one in Knoxville, with Vandy's hard-nosed, smart brand of football winning out and the Commodores covering.

Week 11: The picks are in! The Picks are in!

Week 11 Saturday is upon us and we're feeling good at TNG. Palo Alto is the place to be and a certain member of our two white crew will be in the area to catch the excitement that will be Stanford-Oregon. The country will also be paying attention to State College, where one of the more tragic off the field stories continues to unfold. Let's get to the picks...

Marcus says...

Iowa +3 vs. Michigan State
The line hasn’t moved and the game is being overshadowed in the Big Ten by the mess in not-so Happy Valley, but this is clearly the biggest football game in the Big Ten this weekend.  As we mentioned earlier this week, Sparty is seeking revenge after being embarrassed last year in Iowa City.  The Hawkeyes are tough to beat at home, but I see a good D’Antonio gameplan executed and a cover for MSU.  

Penn State +3 vs. Nebraska
The Nittany Lions are underdogs are home, but expect a spirited crowd on Saturday.  Former players, the community, and the student body are all rallying around the beloved coach Joe Paterno, who was dismissed earlier this week for his poor judgement in the handling of the disgusting Jerry Sandusky situation.  On the field, Nebraska has the better talent but I see a spirited Penn State team taking the field.  I’m taking PSU and the points.    

Cincinnati -3.5 vs. West Virginia
West Virginia heads to the ‘Nati Saturday as it’s the Bearcats that are now the lone ranked Big East team eyeing the BCS bid.  Cincinnati has comeback to win their last 3 league games, including a tough win on the road at Pitt last week.  West Virginia’s defense has let their prolific offense down in their two league losses and face another tough test against Collaros and Cincy offense.  I expect the Bearcats to come in a little overconfident and to come up short against Geno Smith and the Mountaineers.  Take WVU and the points.

Clemson -17 vs. Wake Forest
Clemson welcomes the Demon Deacons into Memorial Stadium Saturday coming off their first loss of the season at Georgia Tech.  Wake has lost two straight, including a tough loss against Notre Dame last week.  Expect the Tiger offense to get back on track and protect the football unlike last week where they turned it over 4 times.  Wake is giving up 28 points a game on average and expect Clemson to hang 45 and cover the spread.

Kyle says...

Oregon @ Stanford -3.5
Gameday is going to be in Palo Alto for the first time ever, and the scene is guaranteed to be electric in the South Bay. The Ducks are coming on strong and LaMichael James is getting back into Heisman finalist shape. The Cardinal are banged up on both sides of the ball, and I’m afraid home field advantage isn’t going to overcome the talent disparity in healthy players. Oregon wins and beats the spread.

Oklahoma State -18.5 @ Texas Tech
This line has grown legs over the week, jumping up from 17 to 18.5, and the book at the Lake Tahoe Hyatt thinks it may grow a little further by gametime. Look, there’s nothing more that needs to be said about OSU. The Cowboys are a force. But an 18.5 pt force? They are averaging a victory margin of 19.6 ppg in the conference, and with the defense in Lubbock still trying to find the field, I’d say your money’s safe with the Cowboys covering.

Auburn @ Georgia -12
This might be the least entertaining ranked-on-ranked battle this week. Auburn can’t find its passing game (bottom 30 in the nation), and while Georgia has a shutdown defense, its offense rarely does it pretty. Auburn is good enough in the running game (top 30 in the nation) and on the defensive side of the ball that they cover in a loss in an ugly showdown in Athens.

TCU @ Boise St. -15.5
This isn’t the TCU defense that shut Kellen Moore out of the end zone in the past. Ranked 34th in points for, they aren’t bad, but you have to do a lot better than that to slow the Broncos’ 7th ranked offense on the Smurf Turf. TCU doesn’t have the passing game they did last year with Andy Dalton, and subsequently just will not be able to keep up with an offense scoring 44 points per game. Boise covers.

Season Standings:

Kyle - 20-18-2
Marcus - 19-21-0

Week 11: Ok, ok we'll preview a Big East game, MSU has new life and the MAC is playing all week.

The 'eliminator' that is Week 11 is upon us and the MAC takes their act to prime time. Well on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night that is. I have fond memories of a "Tuesday Night Tussle" on ESPN8 at Waldo Stadium a few years ago. Too bad the rest of the country couldn't care less about MAC football. Clearly the MAC games are not what we're focusing on as MSU nows has new life in the B1G Legends division and all eyes are on Penn State for all the wrong reasons as their first place football team takes on the Huskers. We even preview a Big East game this week. Let's get to it...

B1G-
Iowa +3 vs. Michigan State
Northwestern -17 vs. Rice
Penn State +3.5 vs. Nebraska
Purdue +7.5 vs. Ohio State
Minnesota +27.5 vs. Wisconsin
Illinois +1 vs. Michigan

ACC-
Georgia Tech -1 vs. Virginia Tech
Clemson -17 vs. Wake Forest
Boston College +3 vs. NC State
Virginia -10 vs. Duke
Florida State -9 vs. Miami (FL)

BIG EAST-
Syracuse +3.5 vs. South Florida
Louisville -3 vs. Pitt
Cincinnati -3.5 vs. West Virginia

MAC-
Toledo -12.5 vs. Western Michigan
Bowling Green +6 vs. Northern Illinois
Temple -13 vs. Miami (OH)
Central Michigan +7 vs. Ohio
Eastern Michigan -3 vs. Buffalo
Akron +6 vs. Kent State

SUN BELT-
Troy OFF vs. North Texas
Arkansas St OFF vs. LA-Lafayette
LA-Monroe OFF vs. Middle Tennessee State
FIU OFF vs. FAU


Marcus says...

Iowa +3 vs. Michigan State
Christmas came early for Sparty last week as Iowa knocked off Michigan while Northwestern shocked the Huskers leaving MSU alone in 1st place in the B1G Legends division.  The Spartans control their own destiny for a spot in the inaugural B1G title game and the home stretch starts with the Hawkeyes.  Sophomore RB Marcus Coker leads the Iowa offense and has been terrorizing defenses with 8 TDs in his last 4 games.  Junior QB James Vandenberg has been a tremendous game manager, even showing signs of play making ability at times.  As for MSU, the defense will come to play it just depends on which offense shows up.  If the offense that showed up in Iowa City in 2010 comes to play, expect the worst.  MSU came in undefeated and lost 37-6.  Early feeling is that D’Antonio won’t let that happen 2 years in a row and Sparty gets it done.

Penn State +3.5 vs. Nebraska
It’s difficult to avoid the reprehensible stories of abuse, perjury, and inhumane actions coming out of State College, PA these days.  The Nittany Lion football team certainly didn’t have anything to do with how the grown men in the administration acted but they will ulitmately have to overcome the colossal distraction.  They are facing a Husker that was shocked at home against Northwestern last week.  QB Taylor Martinez had one of his best games of the year through the air, but was contained on the ground along with RB Rex Burkhead.  QBs Dan Persa and Kain Colter were able to take apart the Nebraska defense en route to the win.  I expect to see a distracted Penn State team run into an angry Nebraska team looking to rebound.   

Georgia Tech -1 vs. Virginia Tech
The Georgia Tech team that was once seen as a contender showed up last week to bring Clemson back down to reality.  QB Tevin Washington got it done on the ground rushing for 176 yards and 1 score with RB Orwin Smith getting into the end zone twice for the ‘Jackets.  The Georgia Tech defense forced Clemson QB Boyd into 2 INTs and really kept the Tiger offense in check.  Virginia Tech is 1 game ahead of Georgia Tech in ACC Coastal standing and would like that cushion to be 2 games.  The Hokies won a defensive battle against Duke last week.  In what Vegas sees as a Pick ‘Em game in the ATL Thursday night I see the Yellow Jackets utilizing the home field advantage and getting it done.

Cincinnati -3.5 vs. West Virginia
The ‘Nati has taken over the distinct honor of the only ranked team out of the Big Least after winning back to back road games over teams we used to write about: South Florida and Pittsburgh.  Senior QB Zach Collaros has 22 total TDs this season and is bonafied dual threat.  The defense has been uncharacteristically stout giving up only 19.5 points per game, good for 18th in the country.  West Virginia had BCS in their sights until dropping a game against Louisville last week giving them 2 losses in their last 3 games.  QB Geno Smith is the real deal, but the Mountaineers may have dug too big of a hole for themselves to get into the BCS.  Despite that, West Virginia is the better team and gut feeling is they get the Bearcats on the road.

Week 11: Who does No. 2 work for?

Welcome to college football's 11th week, which we'll nickname "the eliminator."
Oklahoma State took its place at No. 2 in the nation after Alabama fell to LSU Saturday. But, the Tide dropped to just third, meaning they'll be standing ready to cut back into the title picture. What will the pressure mean for OSU? Don't forget the best coast, which will host a HUGE matchup Saturday in the South Bay when Oregon visits undefeated Stanford. Let's get to the picks...

BIG 12
Texas -1 @ Missouri
Oklahoma State -17 @ Texas Tech
Baylor -20 @ Kansas
Texas A&M -4.5 @ Kansas State

PAC 12
Arizona -11 @ Colorado
Washington @ USC -12.5

Oregon State @ Cal -9.5
UCLA @ Utah -7
Oregon @ Stanford -4
Arizona State -13 @ Washington State

WAC
San Jose State @ Utah State OFF
Louisiana Tech -2.5 @ Ole Miss
Fresno State @ New Mexico State OFF
Idaho @ BYU -21
Hawaii @ Nevada -13

MWAC
Wyoming @ Air Force -14
TCU @ Boise State -15
SDSU -13.5 @ Colorado State
UNLV @ New Mexico

TCU @ Boise State -15

TCU may be riding high after four straight victories, but the Horned Frogs had better check their egos at the door when they head to the smurf turf. Against the two good QBs they've seen this year— SMU's Kyle Padron and Baylor's RGIII— the Horned Frogs gave up an average of 45 points. Even for a team that scores 41.6 points per game, that's not sustainable. Boise's Kellen Moore is easily the class of that group and will look downfield early and often against TCU. With a solid defense giving up just more than 12 points per game, look for Boise to force a lot of turnovers or incomplete passes from TCU as it will benefit from solid field position and plenty of time to rest as the Broncos' well balanced offense plays keep away. The Broncos cover and continue to piss in the BCS's oatmeal.

Oregon @ Stanford -4

The best matchup of the weekend features a conference's two best teams with national title implications on the line... stop me if you've heard this before. Unlike their counterparts in the SEC, however, Oregon's visit to Palo Alto will actually be worth watching. The boys from Silicon Valley haven't quite played the Ducks' schedule, but they've done nothing but win with a great run game taking pressure off Andrew Luck, allowing him to look downfield. He's ruthless there — his top two receivers are averaging more than 17 yards per catch — all while Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney control the line of scrimmage with more than 6 yards per carry. Oregon's rushing attack is even more impressive — the Ducks are fifth in the nation in total rushing at close to 300 yards per game. Oregon's had some problems against good pass defenses, though, and that's a strength for the Cardinal. If Stanford can corral Darron Thomas, they might be able to force Chip Kelly to overwork his running backs and tire them by the fourth quarter. On the flipside, those same backs could skew time of possession considerably in Oregon's favor, keeping the ball out of Andrew Luck's magic hands. I think Oregon beats the spread in a Stanford victory.

Washington @ USC -12.5

SC looks like a serious contender in gestation. Unfortunately, we know with oncoming scholly reductions, this pregnancy doesn't end well. That's why SC is getting its shots in now, when it can play a VERY competent role as spoiler. Washington, on the other hand, is a mystery. All the ingredients are there for a great offense, but Keith Price looked very human last week, throwing two interceptions, and the running game led by Chris Polk was nonexistent for the Huskies, who managed just 82 yards in a loss against Oregon. The defense in Seattle is rotten, and Matt Barkley should walk all over them. I like SC to cover at home.

Oklahoma State -17 @ Texas Tech

Last week in a squeaker of a victory over Kansas State, the Cowboys defense was terrible in third and fourth down situations, and gave up about 500 yards of total offense. Contrast that with the 502 passing yards 'Boys QB Brandon Weeden threw by himself, however, and the picture looks a little better. After beating Oklahoma two weeks ago, the Red Raiders have looked awful, as the 104th defense in the land continues to give up shitloads of points (46.5 per game after the win) and the once-feared offense cannot score. This is exactly what got Tommy Tuberville fired at Auburn — the man falls apart in the second half of the season. The Raiders continue to be shellshocked and OSU's defense comes back to try to prove its status as a title contender, while the offense continues as the best in college football. The Cowboys cover, and continue their march to Bedlam on Dec. 3.

Week 10: The picks are in! The picks are in!

It's Week 10, and we're sadly starting to see the end of college football's regular season in the distance. That only means the games are taking on more importance, and maybe none are more important than the tussle in Tuscaloosa tomorrow. Let's get to the picks...

Marcus says...

Michigan State -28 vs. Minnesota
Take Minnesota and the points.

Nebraska -17.5 vs. Northwestern
Take Nebraska and the points.

N.C. State +3.5 vs. North Carolina
Take UNC & the points.

West Virginia -13 vs. Louisville
Take Louisville & the points.

Kyle says...
Alabama -5 vs. LSU
Again, do yourself and favor and don't bet this game. The line is being made with all the attention paid to a Super Bowl, so Vegas isn't going to f--- this up too badly. If you have to bet it, though, take LSU & the points. Saban might win, but my gut tells me that with these two defenses it's going to be a grind-it-out affair.

Oregon -16.5 @ Washington
The Ducks bring their offensegasm into Seattle, where the minds at U-Dub have cooked up an offensive fireworks show of their own. Chris Polk is a dynamo and is buying Huskies QB Keith Price all sorts of time in the pocket. With LaMichael James back, bet on the ducks to pour on the points. Washington covers but loses in a shootout. Also, take the over.

Kansas State @ Oklahoma State -21.5
Kansas State had their asses handed to them last week by Ryan Broyles, and you know Justin Blackmon wants to do the same. OSU takes the playbook the Sooners handed them and destroys KSU this weekend. OSU covers.

South Carolina @ Arkansas -5.5
The Gamecocks take their disjointed attack into Fayetteville this week against an Arkansas squad that alternates between sleepwalking and dropkicking opposing defenses. I think Arkansas has problems against SC's front line, though. The Gamecocks beat the spread.

Season standings
Kyle- 19-15-2
Marcus- 17-19-0