NFL Score Predictions | Free NCAA Football Picks » Free College Football Picks http://stevejanus.com Sports Picks Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:48:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Cincinnati-Oklahoma Odds, Predictions, and Free Pick http://stevejanus.com/cincinnati-oklahoma-odds-free-pick-and-prediction/ http://stevejanus.com/cincinnati-oklahoma-odds-free-pick-and-prediction/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:50:35 +0000 Steve Janus http://stevejanus.com/?p=55 Saturday’s game between Oklahoma and Cincinnati is one of the better match ups on the board, though you might not know it with top sportsbooks setting the spread for the game at Oklahoma -21.  Both teams dominated in their season opener against weaker teams, of course, but confidence will be riding high for the Sooners as well as the Bearcats.

 

Cincinnati’s starting QB, Dustin Grutza got off to a blazing start in week one, scoring 4 touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) and racking up 296 yards passing, good enough for Big East Player of the Week honors.  Grutza and the rest of the Bearcat offense will have their hands full this week against a very good Oklahoma defense, but if the QB can stay consistent and the offensive line can give him time to throw, they can put up a fight in Oklahoma Saturday.  Don’t expect 550+ yards of total offense from this squad again this week, but with the talent they put on the field you shouldn’t expect them to be totally absent either.

 

The Bearcat defense also impressed against Eastern Kentucky in week one.  They only allowed one touchdown in a 40-7 rout of the Colonels.  Playing from behind all game allowed Eastern Kentucky to rack up over 100 yards through the air (still not a very impressive feat), but the Cincy rush defense allowed just 48 yards on the ground, a solid number against any level of competition.

 

The Oklahoma Sooners were predictably dominant in the season opener against Chattanooga last week.  OU dominated the first half of the game, going up 50-0 by halftime, before mercifully easing up in the second half, eventually winning 57-2.  The running and passing games were both hitting on all cylinders against an out-matched defense which allowed Oklahoma to rack up 487 yards by the final whistle.

 

50% Bonus on Your First Deposit with BetUS!

 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Sooners were even more impressive than Cincinnati was against Eastern Kentucky.  This unit allowed a total of 16 rushing yards and 20 passing yards, allowing a total of only 36 yards of total offense.  The defensive line is one of the best in the nation and will certainly be causing fits in the backfield for the Cincinnati offense all game long.

 

The 21 point spread for this game is a little bit surprising considering that this is a big jump in competition for the Sooners, at least at first glance.  But, looking up and down the field at these teams you start to realize just how much better of a team that Oklahoma is.  The Sooners are one of the elite teams in college football.  Do not be surprised to see them in the BCS Championship this season.  On both sides of the ball they are head-and-shoulders above the Bearcats.  Three touchdowns might seem like a lot, but don’t think for a minute that Bob Stoops’s crew is going to let up against a more nationally-known opponent.

 

Prediction:  Oklahoma 44, Cincinnati 16

 

Free Pick:  Bet on the Oklahoma Sooners -21

 

 

Related Posts

]]> http://stevejanus.com/cincinnati-oklahoma-odds-free-pick-and-prediction/feed/ 0 Colorado-Colorado State Odds and Prediction http://stevejanus.com/colorado-colorado-state-free-pick-spread-and-prediction/ http://stevejanus.com/colorado-colorado-state-free-pick-spread-and-prediction/#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:44:30 +0000 Steve Janus http://stevejanus.com/?p=51 Sunday in-state rivals collide with the Colorado State Rams hosting the Colorado Buffaloes.  The Buffs own the all-time series record by a 58-19 record, including four of the last five meetings, but in recent years these games have been closer and closer.  CSU won a disappointing 3 games last year, while Colorado mustered six wins and a trip to the Independence Bowl where they would eventually lose to Alabama 24-30.  Colorado head coach, Dan Hawkins, is optimistic about the season and he has good reason to be with the success he enjoyed last year.  Colorado State should be happy with any improvement they are able to make.  The master lines-makers over at ThePig.com have the point spread for this bitter rivalry set at Colorado -11.

 

Hawkins managed just two wins in his first year as Colorado’s head coach in 2006, but improved to six wins last year and a bowl bid.  The big question for the Buffaloes will be if they can continue to improve.  That could be difficult for Colorado, who will be starting a lot of young players on offense.  There is a solid core of offensive starters returning with 6, but at key skill positions like wide receiver and running back, Colorado is admittedly inexperienced.  If there’s one thing that could be learned from the 2007 season from the Buffaloes offense it is that Hawkin’s offensive game plan can be effective if executed correctly.  Last season one of  the keys to COlorado’s success was avoiding turning the ball over, which will again be a major factor in how they end up in 2008.  This team is probably a year or two away from making any real noise in the Big 12.  They have a brutal conference schedule to start their season, so their opening two, non-conference games are going to be crucial to this team’s confidence.

 

Defensively, Colorado needs to make vast improvements.  Last season saw a Buffaloes team that gave up more than 29 points per game and nearly 390 years of total offense per game, both numbers higher than what their offense was able to put out.  On paper, 2008 does not look like it will be any improvement on 2007′s numbers with some of their best, veteran players gone for various reasons.  Their secondary has some depth and talent, so it should be a source of stregth for the D.  Overall 8 of the 11 starters are back from last year.  They are still a young team, but hopefully they can take some of their early experience and turn the defense into a strength for this team rather than it’s biggest weekness.

 

Colorado State brings back 7 offensive starters for the 2008 season.  They will be trying to improve on what was an average offensive season, at best, in 2007.  The Rams managed 25 points per game on 380 yard of total offense, which would be considered pretty good in most conferences, but in the offense-heavy Mountain West Conference, those offensive numbers were not enough to keep this team comeptitive.

 

20% Cash Bonus for New Accounts at JustBet.com!

 

A big source of weakness for the Rams last season was the defense.  This is a squad that gave up over 414 yards of total offense and 30 points per game last season.  It’s quite obvious that if these numbers don’t improve dramatically, Colorado State is not going to be competitive yet again this year.  Only 5 starters from last year’s defense return, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, especially after what last year’s team was able to accomplish, but 6 new starters will need to gel with the rest of the team quickly for 2008 to be any better than 2007.

 

Make no mistake, neither of these teams will be mistaken for a BCS contender.  Honestly, neither will probably be any threat in their respective conferences.  Colorado is the better team on paper here, but not by a huge margin.  Rivalry games seem to bring out the best in players.  We are recommending the Colorado State Rams +11 to defend their home turf and win or keep this game very close.

 

Prediction:  Colorado State 31, Colorado 28

 

 

Related Posts

]]> http://stevejanus.com/colorado-colorado-state-free-pick-spread-and-prediction/feed/ 0 Clemson-Alabama Prediction, Odds, and Free Pick http://stevejanus.com/clemson-alabama-prediction-spread-and-winner/ http://stevejanus.com/clemson-alabama-prediction-spread-and-winner/#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:30:40 +0000 Steve Janus http://stevejanus.com/?p=49 One of the most anticipated games in the opening week of College Football, the Clemson Tigers host the Alabama Crimson Tide in an early statement game for both squads.  Clemson has a reputation for failing to meet expectations, a label that Tommy Bowden and his Tigers surely want to shake.  Alabama has faced some up and down seasons in recent years.  The Tide and their faithful are ready to bring Bama back to their glory-days as one of the most feared teams in football.  They’ve started to put some of the pieces together, but I don’t think they are ready to make an drastic improvements just yet.

 

The Clemson offense will be one to watch this year, they posted an impressive 403 yards per game of total offense last year and they have all of the major pieces back in place to have another impressive statistical season.  Starting QB and ACC preseason player of the year, Cullen Harper is back for his senior year and looking to improve upon a 2007 season in which he threw for nearly 3,000 yeards and 27 TDs.  The Tigers have very talented receivers and two running backs that could both be starters for almost any team in the nation.  It will be fun to watch how Bowden utilizes all of his tools throughout this game and the season overall.

 

Seven starters return to a defense that, while overshadowed by a phenomenal offense, was rock-solid last year. The only real weakness on the defense could be the D-line, which has been hit with a few key injuries.  The secondary, however, will compete to be one of the best in the entire nation with four excellent returning starters.  Taking Clemson -4.5 is looking good already!

 

Alabama never really found a groove on offense last season, one of the big reasons why they managed just a 7-6 record.  There aren’t a lot of stars on this Alabama offense.  Wide receiver Julio Jones has been touted as a future impact player, but he’s still a year or two away from reaching that potential.  Senior QB, John Parker Wilson is serviceable, but is very inconsistent.  He did throw for over 2,800 yards last year, but those numbers were inflated by the number of attempts he had to throw to reach that mark, shown by his unimpressive 55 percent completion rate in 2007.

 

The Tide’s defense looks to improve on last season’s performance, but may find it difficult with injuries to some of their better players.  They do return 6 players on this side of the ball, which indicates that they could see some slight improvement over last year’s numbers, but don’t expect them to be significantly better this season.

 

There just isn’t a match up in this game that works in Alabama’s favor.  Clemson has a great secondary, so the Tide will have trouble throwing the ball, but Clemson’s offense is so much better than Alabama’s defense that Alabama is going to be forced to throw the ball more than they might want to.  It’s a vicious circle and it’s exactly what Clemson will be counting on all season long in their quest for a BCS birth.

 

Prediction:  Clemson 47, Alabama 24

 

Game Odds:
Clemson -4.5
Alabama +4.5

 

Steve Janus has THREE heavy hitting premium picks this Saturday!  Join a former NCAA Football Champion Handicapper for a great season in 2008!

 

 

Related Posts

]]> http://stevejanus.com/clemson-alabama-prediction-spread-and-winner/feed/ 0 Tennessee-UCLA Spread and Free Pick http://stevejanus.com/tennessee-ucla-prediction-and-odds/ http://stevejanus.com/tennessee-ucla-prediction-and-odds/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:06:52 +0000 Steve Janus http://stevejanus.com/?p=47 One of the best early match ups in college football comes on Monday night, September 1st as the UCLA Bruins host the 18th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. A key game for both schools, Tennessee will be out to prove that they deserve their preseason rank, while UCLA wants badly to put a disappointing 6-6 season behind them so they can become the power in the PAC 10 that everyone thought they would be last season.

 

Tennessee has a new starting QB for 2008. There will be a lot of eyes on junior Johnathan Crompton, who takes over for a very successful Erik Ainge, last year’s senior starter. The Vols offense has a ton of weapons, both through the air, and on the ground. Starting running back, Arian Foster went over 1,100 yeards last season and, with all 5 offensive lineman returning, is in position to take that number even higher. There aren’t many questions about the running game, but Tennessee’s success will rely on more than just the fresh legs of Foster. Crompton has some very good receivers, but he’s going to need to prove to be consistent and, most importantly, that he can be trusted to keep the ball with the offense. The kid has a great arm, but that doesn’t always translate into great completion percentage, and can sometimes lead to more frequent interceptions.

  


Lightning-fast payouts!

 

The Vols defense is nothing to get excited about, but not many defenses that play against the talent in the SEC are. Finishing 70th in total yards allowed simply isn’t going to get the job done this year, but Tennessee is hoping that the 7 starters that they return on defense can help improve that number drastically in 2008. The defensive line is the stregth on this side of the ball, but the linebacking crew and the secondary two areas where the Vols need to see dramatic improvement.

 

UCLA missed a big chance last year. They started the season ranked number 14 in the country, and started off the season well, but a muddled offense and defense that blew assignments lead to an eventual 6-6 finish. Will it be redemption for the Bruins or another disappointment? The answer to that question relies heavily on the consistency and ball control of the offensive unit. UCLA returns just 4 offensive starters, and you never know how a group of guys are going to come together, but it looks like consistency could once against be a problem for this team.

 

Defensively, the Bruins thrived in the PAC 10, finishing the year ranked 36th in total yards allowed. Unfortunately, only 5 starters from that team return to the field in 2008, so UCLA will have to bank on starters without a lot of real game experience. Their could be some growing pains for the defense, but they have enough core guys back to keep them competitive against most teams.

 

There are some major concerns on the defensive side of the ball for UCLA. The Bruins simply don’t match up well against the big, athletic wide receivers of the Volunteers. Look for Tennessee move the ball easily through the air, get up early, and finish the Bruins off with a heavy dose of their star running back.

 

Prediction: Tennessee 33, UCLA 10

 

Game Odds from JustBet.com:
Tennessee -7 (-110)
UCLA +7 (-110)

 

 

Related Posts

]]> http://stevejanus.com/tennessee-ucla-prediction-and-odds/feed/ 0 SMU-Rice Odds and Game Prediction http://stevejanus.com/smu-rice-predictions-8-29-08/ http://stevejanus.com/smu-rice-predictions-8-29-08/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:33:57 +0000 Steve Janus http://stevejanus.com/?p=46 SMU and Rice have some very close games in their recent history. Their last two meetings have been decided by a total of 5 points. Playing in the same state and in the same conference usually makes for those types of close games. So what do we have to look forward to Friday? One thing you can count on is that there will be a lot of offense in this game. It’s not that both teams field a great offense, far from it, both teams had some of the worst defenses in the entire nation last year. SMU was ranked 116th in total defense, while Rice’s defense gave up 42.9 points per game and over 500 yards of total offense per game.
 

SMU is looking to put their recent past failures behind them. They hired Hawaii’s former coach, June Jones to come in and re-tool their offense. There’s certainly going to be a learning curve in picking up a new offensive scheme for the Mustangs, but the good news is that they get a chance to test out their new strategy against a very poor Rice defense.

 

Rice is returning a couple of its star offensive players in QB Chase Clement and WR Jarret Dillard, but offense is not really the concern for this team. The Owls were able to score over 30 points per game last season, it was just that they couldn’t keep their opponents under 40 points per game. Unfortunately for the Owls, it looks like they are in for more of the same in 2008.

 

There is a definite possibility that this game could be decided by whichever team is holding the ball last. There won’t be much of a defensive struggle, so it’s going to come down to who can stop who in key situations and who can take the ball away from the other team’s offense. SMU doesn’t get a clean slate just by hiring a new head coach, but it is a step in the right direction and I think they come out in their first game of the year and make a statement about the direction they are heading.

 

Prediction: SMU 41 Rice 33

 

Free Pick:  SMU Mustangs +3

 

 

Related Posts

]]> http://stevejanus.com/smu-rice-predictions-8-29-08/feed/ 0