WEEK 4 - SEP 22-25
Welcome to Week 4 TNG Nation! We're looking at the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and Pac 12 among others. MSU will try to bounce back from a beat down at the hands of ND and speaking of the Irish, they hit the road to take on the Pitt Panthers. Can WMU knock off Illinois in Champaign? How about the Aggies chances against Oklahoma State? Let's get to the picks...
B1G-
Michigan State -24 vs. Central Michigan
Michigan -10 vs. San Diego State
Penn State -28 vs. Eastern Michigan
Iowa -17 vs. LA-Monroe
Ohio State -14.5 vs. Colorado
Wisconsin OFF vs. South Dakota
Minnesota OFF vs. North Dakota State
Indiana -6.5 @ North Texas
Nebraska -23.5 @ Wyoming
BIG EAST-
Cincinnati -8 vs. NC State
Syracuse -2 vs. Toledo
Rutgers -4 vs. Ohio
UConn -9.5 @ Buffalo
South Florida -29.5 vs. UTEP
MAC-
Western Michigan +13.5 @ Illinois
Miami (OH) -6 vs. Bowling Green
Akron OFF vs. VMI
Ball St +4 vs. Army
Kent St OFF vs. South Alabama
Northern Illinois OFF vs. Cal Poly
SUN BELT-
Troy -12 vs. Middle Tennessee St
FIU -17 vs. LA-Lafayette
Arkansas St OFF vs. Central Arkansas
Marcus says...
Michigan State -24 vs. Central Michigan
Sparty was dominated by Notre Dame last week. ND showed they were far better than their 0-2 record and stifled MSU’s ground game holding them to 29 total rushing yards. QB Kirk Cousins had decent passing statistics, but this was largely a product of the Spartans playing from behind the majority of the game. The good news for the Spartans is that they are playing a Chippewa team that is having a down year in the MAC. The Chips were blown out by Western Michigan and won’t fair any better against Michigan State. Early feeling is that MSU covers here.
Michigan -10 vs. San Diego State
The Wolverines are 3-0 and back in the Top 25. UM struggled early with Eastern Michigan before pulling away in the 2nd half and winning 31-3. QB Denard ‘Shoelace’ Robinson continued to dazzle on the ground with 198 rushing yards, but left much to be desired in the passing game. Although gaining 376 yards on the ground will win a lot of ballgames. San Diego State comes into the game at 3-0 and poises a threat to the Wolverines. The Aztecs knocked off Washington State last week, scoring 28 unanswered points to close the game. SDSU is balanced on offense led by QB Ryan Lindley and RB Ronnie Hillman. The Wolverines last hosted San Diego State in 2004, where they narrowly won by a FG. I expect a Michigan win here, but am still contemplating the play against the spread. Gut says Robinson will have a big day and the Wolverines cover.
South Florida -29.5 vs. UTEP
USF continued to roll against Florida A&M last week and improved to 3-0. QB B.J. Daniels and the offense has been tough to stop and the defense has stepped up. This game is the last one before conference play begins and the Bulls are tested. UTEP is 2-1 and is coming off a win at New Mexico State, but the Miners have been shaky to start the year. They needed OT to get by Stony Brook and then lost to SMU. UTEP will look to RBs Joe Banyard and Leilyon Myers to grind it out on the ground and control the clock. Keeping the scoring low and containing Daniels will be their only shot. USF wins, but I’m leaning towards UTEP and the 29.5 points.
Western Michigan +13.5 @ Illinois
Coach Bill Cubit and his Broncos dominated their bitter rival Central Michigan last week in what was a must-win for the WMU coach. QB Alex Carder and WR Jordan White produced at a high level once again and the defense frustrated Central Michigan and their normally prolific running game. Now the Broncos travel to Champaign-Urbana to take on an Illinois team that suffered a loss to WMU at Ford Field in 2008. Illinois comes into the game at 3-0 and has allowed an average of 10.7 points per game. Sophomore QB Nathan Scheelchase has been efficient through the air and been a threat on the ground. The key will be WMU’s ability to score on the Illini defense. Gut feeling is the Broncos and the 13.5 points.
FIU -17 vs. LA-Lafayette
Florida International is 3-0 after knocking off UCF in a battle for relevance in the state of Florida. FIU won the game by protecting the football while forcing 2 turnovers, returning 1 fumble for a TD. The Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette are 2-1 and are coming off a win against FCS Nicholls State. Lafayette is scoring 30.7 points per game and hopes to put up some points against the Panthers. FIU has a strong conference opener here and covers against Lafayette.
BIG 12 -
Ok. St. @ Texas A&M -4
Kansas St. @ Miami -13
Rice @ Baylor -21
Nevada @ Texas Tech -20
Missouri @ Oklahoma -22
PAC 12 -
UCLA @ Oregon St. -4.5
Cal @ Washington -1.5
USC -3 @ Arizona St.
Oregon -16 @ Arizona
WAC-
NMSU @ San Jose State -9
Fresno -3.5 @ Idaho
La. Tech @ Mississippi St. -20.5
Colorado St. @ Utah St. -9.5
UC Davis @ Hawaii OFF
MWAC-
Portland St. @ TCU OFF
Tenn. St. @ Air Force OFF
Sam Houston @ New Mexico OFF
Tulsa @ Boise -32
S. Utah @ UNLV OFF
Independent-
Notre Dame -7 @ Pitt.
UCF @ BYU -3
Kyle says...
UCF @ BYU -3
Many facets of this game do not bode well for UCF, or their ability to cover. A) They are coming off a home loss at Florida International. B) They scored 10 points in that game, and C) BYU runs a ball-control offense. Knights QB Jeff Godfrey and his line looked terrible in the loss, as neither of them could buy time for a running game that could be OK, except opposing defenses know what’s coming. The Y similiarly looked terrible as Utah annihilated them in last week’s Holy War, but they need to keep in mind that they are a better class of football team and will be home in Provo, where they haven’t lost back-to-back home games since ‘03. Look for a balanced, conservative attack led by QB Jake Heaps to win the time of possession battle and cover.
Notre Dame -7 @ Pitt
Fresh off their resounding victory over MSU, the Irish hit the road reinvigorated, especially their defensive backfield, which finally seemed to figure things out behind a stifiling run defense last week. Pitt’s been stout at home though, and has had no problem putting up points this season, even in last week’s 31-27 loss to Iowa. The D breaks more than it bends, though, and the Irish and RB Cierre Wood cover.
Colorado State @ Utah State -9.5
The Aggies come into this week’s game after a bye week and a heartening, close defeat at the hands of Auburn in week 1 and a resounding victory over Weber St. in week 2. Look for Utah State’s offense, behind an experienced line, to be fine-tuned. Colorado State’s offense looks anemic this season and won’t be able to keep up. Aggies cover.
Cal @ Washington -1.5
Two young quarterbacks are going to do battle in Seattle Saturday when the Bears take on the Dogs. Cal QB Zach Maynard looked stellar in a defeat of Presbyterian College, to which we say we'd hope so. The Huskies looked terrible against the pass in all three of their games so far, including a beatdown at the hands of Nebraska last week. But, they've been hanging points like nobody's business. Coach Sark finds a way to win a shootout this weekend, and the Huskies cover.
Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M -4
Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon take their overpowering offense in to a battle with a top-10 defense at Kyle Field (what a nice name) this weekend in what's sure to be a marquee showdown. Oklahoma State, though, has the No. 1 offense in the nation and has tested it against real competition. A&M has sailed smoothly to this point and is in for a rude awakening when the Boys from Stillwater come to town. OSU beats the spread.
Welcome to Week 4 TNG Nation! We're looking at the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and Pac 12 among others. MSU will try to bounce back from a beat down at the hands of ND and speaking of the Irish, they hit the road to take on the Pitt Panthers. Can WMU knock off Illinois in Champaign? How about the Aggies chances against Oklahoma State? Let's get to the picks...
B1G-
Michigan State -24 vs. Central Michigan
Michigan -10 vs. San Diego State
Penn State -28 vs. Eastern Michigan
Iowa -17 vs. LA-Monroe
Ohio State -14.5 vs. Colorado
Wisconsin OFF vs. South Dakota
Minnesota OFF vs. North Dakota State
Indiana -6.5 @ North Texas
Nebraska -23.5 @ Wyoming
BIG EAST-
Cincinnati -8 vs. NC State
Syracuse -2 vs. Toledo
Rutgers -4 vs. Ohio
UConn -9.5 @ Buffalo
South Florida -29.5 vs. UTEP
MAC-
Western Michigan +13.5 @ Illinois
Miami (OH) -6 vs. Bowling Green
Akron OFF vs. VMI
Ball St +4 vs. Army
Kent St OFF vs. South Alabama
Northern Illinois OFF vs. Cal Poly
SUN BELT-
Troy -12 vs. Middle Tennessee St
FIU -17 vs. LA-Lafayette
Arkansas St OFF vs. Central Arkansas
Marcus says...
Michigan State -24 vs. Central Michigan
Sparty was dominated by Notre Dame last week. ND showed they were far better than their 0-2 record and stifled MSU’s ground game holding them to 29 total rushing yards. QB Kirk Cousins had decent passing statistics, but this was largely a product of the Spartans playing from behind the majority of the game. The good news for the Spartans is that they are playing a Chippewa team that is having a down year in the MAC. The Chips were blown out by Western Michigan and won’t fair any better against Michigan State. Early feeling is that MSU covers here.
Michigan -10 vs. San Diego State
The Wolverines are 3-0 and back in the Top 25. UM struggled early with Eastern Michigan before pulling away in the 2nd half and winning 31-3. QB Denard ‘Shoelace’ Robinson continued to dazzle on the ground with 198 rushing yards, but left much to be desired in the passing game. Although gaining 376 yards on the ground will win a lot of ballgames. San Diego State comes into the game at 3-0 and poises a threat to the Wolverines. The Aztecs knocked off Washington State last week, scoring 28 unanswered points to close the game. SDSU is balanced on offense led by QB Ryan Lindley and RB Ronnie Hillman. The Wolverines last hosted San Diego State in 2004, where they narrowly won by a FG. I expect a Michigan win here, but am still contemplating the play against the spread. Gut says Robinson will have a big day and the Wolverines cover.
South Florida -29.5 vs. UTEP
USF continued to roll against Florida A&M last week and improved to 3-0. QB B.J. Daniels and the offense has been tough to stop and the defense has stepped up. This game is the last one before conference play begins and the Bulls are tested. UTEP is 2-1 and is coming off a win at New Mexico State, but the Miners have been shaky to start the year. They needed OT to get by Stony Brook and then lost to SMU. UTEP will look to RBs Joe Banyard and Leilyon Myers to grind it out on the ground and control the clock. Keeping the scoring low and containing Daniels will be their only shot. USF wins, but I’m leaning towards UTEP and the 29.5 points.
Western Michigan +13.5 @ Illinois
Coach Bill Cubit and his Broncos dominated their bitter rival Central Michigan last week in what was a must-win for the WMU coach. QB Alex Carder and WR Jordan White produced at a high level once again and the defense frustrated Central Michigan and their normally prolific running game. Now the Broncos travel to Champaign-Urbana to take on an Illinois team that suffered a loss to WMU at Ford Field in 2008. Illinois comes into the game at 3-0 and has allowed an average of 10.7 points per game. Sophomore QB Nathan Scheelchase has been efficient through the air and been a threat on the ground. The key will be WMU’s ability to score on the Illini defense. Gut feeling is the Broncos and the 13.5 points.
FIU -17 vs. LA-Lafayette
Florida International is 3-0 after knocking off UCF in a battle for relevance in the state of Florida. FIU won the game by protecting the football while forcing 2 turnovers, returning 1 fumble for a TD. The Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette are 2-1 and are coming off a win against FCS Nicholls State. Lafayette is scoring 30.7 points per game and hopes to put up some points against the Panthers. FIU has a strong conference opener here and covers against Lafayette.
BIG 12 -
Ok. St. @ Texas A&M -4
Kansas St. @ Miami -13
Rice @ Baylor -21
Nevada @ Texas Tech -20
Missouri @ Oklahoma -22
PAC 12 -
UCLA @ Oregon St. -4.5
Cal @ Washington -1.5
USC -3 @ Arizona St.
Oregon -16 @ Arizona
WAC-
NMSU @ San Jose State -9
Fresno -3.5 @ Idaho
La. Tech @ Mississippi St. -20.5
Colorado St. @ Utah St. -9.5
UC Davis @ Hawaii OFF
MWAC-
Portland St. @ TCU OFF
Tenn. St. @ Air Force OFF
Sam Houston @ New Mexico OFF
Tulsa @ Boise -32
S. Utah @ UNLV OFF
Independent-
Notre Dame -7 @ Pitt.
UCF @ BYU -3
Kyle says...
UCF @ BYU -3
Many facets of this game do not bode well for UCF, or their ability to cover. A) They are coming off a home loss at Florida International. B) They scored 10 points in that game, and C) BYU runs a ball-control offense. Knights QB Jeff Godfrey and his line looked terrible in the loss, as neither of them could buy time for a running game that could be OK, except opposing defenses know what’s coming. The Y similiarly looked terrible as Utah annihilated them in last week’s Holy War, but they need to keep in mind that they are a better class of football team and will be home in Provo, where they haven’t lost back-to-back home games since ‘03. Look for a balanced, conservative attack led by QB Jake Heaps to win the time of possession battle and cover.
Notre Dame -7 @ Pitt
Fresh off their resounding victory over MSU, the Irish hit the road reinvigorated, especially their defensive backfield, which finally seemed to figure things out behind a stifiling run defense last week. Pitt’s been stout at home though, and has had no problem putting up points this season, even in last week’s 31-27 loss to Iowa. The D breaks more than it bends, though, and the Irish and RB Cierre Wood cover.
Colorado State @ Utah State -9.5
The Aggies come into this week’s game after a bye week and a heartening, close defeat at the hands of Auburn in week 1 and a resounding victory over Weber St. in week 2. Look for Utah State’s offense, behind an experienced line, to be fine-tuned. Colorado State’s offense looks anemic this season and won’t be able to keep up. Aggies cover.
Cal @ Washington -1.5
Two young quarterbacks are going to do battle in Seattle Saturday when the Bears take on the Dogs. Cal QB Zach Maynard looked stellar in a defeat of Presbyterian College, to which we say we'd hope so. The Huskies looked terrible against the pass in all three of their games so far, including a beatdown at the hands of Nebraska last week. But, they've been hanging points like nobody's business. Coach Sark finds a way to win a shootout this weekend, and the Huskies cover.
Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M -4
Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon take their overpowering offense in to a battle with a top-10 defense at Kyle Field (what a nice name) this weekend in what's sure to be a marquee showdown. Oklahoma State, though, has the No. 1 offense in the nation and has tested it against real competition. A&M has sailed smoothly to this point and is in for a rude awakening when the Boys from Stillwater come to town. OSU beats the spread.
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