Sunday, October 07, 2007--Andis Kaulins [10/07/2007 12:05:00 PM] - Home - About - My Book
College Football Game Predictions AND RESULTS for Week 6 of the 2007 Season
Update: Talk about Storybook endings and beginnings....
Did we ESP this win when we wrote earlier in the week: "Stanford's starting quarterback T.C. Ostrander is injured and will likely be replaced by the nearly unknown Tavita Pritchard, who has a chance to throw his way to fame...."
Hail to the Stanford Cardinal and their new head football coach Jim Harbaugh as the Stanford football team, 41-point underdogs, pulled off the impossible upset of top-ranked (by USA Today and Harris) and heretofore undefeated USC 24-23. As the Stanford Daily Online points out at Stanford Shocks the World, no college football team has ever been an underdog by so many points and still emerged as the ultimate winner of the game, none. It is a historical victory for the magnificent Stanford athletic program, which has led all US colleges the last thirteen years in succession, but which had become a subject of derision due to the decline of their football fortunes. At the Stanford Daily, Daniel Novinson writes:
"With the win, Stanford football’s back on the national consciousness in a big way. “Cardinal Rule” proclaimed ESPN.com’s frontpage headline, “Absolutely Stunning” read SI.com’s. That the game went final at 11 p.m. Eastern made it the perfect lead story for that night’s TV shows and the next morning’s newspaper’s. Even the New York Times got in on the act, with the nation’s preeminent newspaper giving Stanford’s shocker top online billing, over stories on Medicare billing scams, and ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Congo."
So, indeed, Cinderalla is alive and well in college football .... Here are the results of our predictions, previously made for week six..... (thus far, due to the many upsets and the true unpredictability of results, we are not doing as well as in years past)....
Tuesday
Marshall at Memphis
Memphis is favored by 2.5 over Marshall. We call it Memphis 40 Marshall 35.
Update: Memphis won 24-21. Our prediction of winners: 1-0, against the spread 1-0
Wednesday
Rice at Southern Miss
Southern Miss is favored by 21 over Rice. We call it 48-24 for Southern Miss.
Update: Rice won 31-29, intercepting 4 passes and recovering 3 fumbles, even though Southern Miss had 422 total net yards to the Owls 236. Our prediction of winners: 1-1, against the spread 1-1
Thursday
Kentucky v. South Carolina
South Carolina is favored by 3.5 over Kentucky, as the Gamecocks have the home field advantage. South Carolina has scored only 16 TDs this year and have allowed only 9 TDs to the opposition whereas the Wildcats have scored 30 TDs and allowed only 11 TDs. This makes both defenses about equally good but gives a substantial edge to the Kentucky offense. We thus call it for Kentucky 24-17.
Update: Ouch. The Gamecocks prevailed 38-23 on the basis of 3 fumble recoveries (2 returned for TDs) and 1 interception as the Wildcats were at their 9-yard line. Kentucky punted less, had more first downs, more total offense and generally dominated the game, except on the scoreboard. Apparently, Kentucky had the "hives". Our prediction of winners: 1-2, against the spread 1-2
Friday
Utah at Louisville
Louisville, in our view one of the most disappointing teams in this college football season, perhaps because of failings of its new coach Steve Kragthorpe, is favored by 14.5 points over Utah, which has a poor record on the road. However, the Utah defense has allowed only 10 TDs this year, just as many as have been made by its almost non-existent offense. We call it 28-17 for Louisville.
Update: Louisville under Kragthorpe and a non-existent defense is slowly fading into oblivion as the Cardinals lost their 3rd game of the season 44-35. Our prediction of winners: 1-3, against the spread 2-2
Saturday
Florida at LSU
LSU is favored by 9 over Florida, i.e. by more than the home field advantage, which we regard to be foolhardy. This game will be the true test for LSU this year, plotting the defending national champs against one of the main challengers to that crown. We remain Urban Meyer fans and call it 24-17 for the Gators.
Update: Hard to believe, but one of our favorite head coaches, Urban Meyer, was simply outcoached by LSU coach Les Miles in this game, blowing a ten-point lead twice, with a 4th-quarter interception by LSU deep in Florida territory the turning point in the game. Our prediction of winners: 1-4, against the spread 3-2
Oklahoma at Texas
Both teams are reeling from stunning losses, with the Sooners being upset by Colorado and the Horns being upset by Kansas State. Texas is an 11-point underdog to Oklahoma. We call it 28-24 for the Sooners.
Update: Oklahoma won 28-21 as freshman Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 3 TDs.. Our prediction of winners: 2-4, against the spread 4-2
Nebraska at Missouri
Missouri is favored by 7 over Nebraska. With Callahan as Husker head coach, we are not optimistic about the rest of this season for the Cornhuskers. Both Missouri and Nebraska have weak defenses while Missouri sports the more potent offense. We call it 38-28 for the Tigers.
Update: As a Nebraska alum, it is difficult to call games like this for the other team, but it is time Husker fans face the reality of their coaching mediocrity as Mizzou destroyed the Cornhuskers 41-6, holding Nebraska without a touchdown. So much for Callahan's outdated and ineffectual West Coast offense and Cosgrove's antiquated and wormed 3-3-5 nickel "high school" defense.
Our prediction of winners: 3-4, against the spread 5-2
Kansas at Kansas State
Football fans from Kansas will particularly enjoy this game as their teams are very strong this year in the Big 12. Kansas State, which upset Texas 41-21 last week, is favored by 3 over undefeated Kansas. We call it 38-31 for the Jayhawks, who have a new and potent offense.
Update: The no-huddle vertical passing offense of new first-year offensive coordinator Ed Warinner continues to reap benefits as Kansas overcame scoring deficits to win 30-24 against the Wildcats, who they had not beaten in Manhattan, Kansas, since 1989. This win should finally put Kansas into the top 25, replacing Nebraska. Our prediction of winners: 4-4, against the spread 6-2
West Virginia at Syracuse
The Orangemen have a dismal offense combined with a porous defense. Their 38-35 upset of Louisville was accounted for only by the presence of a total lack of defense on the part of the Cardinals. The Mountaineers on the other hand have a good defense and we call it 41-14 for West Virginia.
Update: Although there originally was no line, Syracuse later emerged as a 27-point underdog to West Virginia - the same point spread that we ourselves also originally selected. The Mountaineers won 55-14. Our prediction of winners: 5-4, against the spread 6-2-1
Northwestern at Michigan State
The Spartans barely lost to ranked Wisconsin 37-34 on the road and are favored by 14.5 points against Northwestern. They will probably pummel the Wildcats. We call it 48-20 for the Spartans.
Update: Northwestern beat Michigan State 48-41 in overtime as the Wildcats shredded the Spartan passing defense for 520 yards. Our prediction of winners: 5-5, against the spread 6-3-1
Miami of Florida at North Carolina
The Hurricanes have won four games, losing only to Oklahoma, while North Carolina has lost four, beating only outclassed James Madison. Both teams have been improving in last weeks and North Carolina is an 8.5 point underdog. We call it for the Hurricanes 34-20.
Update: It is in our view truly incredible that North Carolina won this game, holding on to an improbable 27-0 halftime lead and winning 33-27. No fewer than FOUR Tar Heel interceptions of Miami passes were the difference in the game. Our prediction of winners: 5-6, against the spread 6-4-1
UNLV at Air Force
Air Force is favored by 5.5 points over UNLV. We call it 35-21 for the Falcons.
Air Force won 31-14. Our prediction of winners: 6-6, against the spread 7-4-1
Houston at Alabama
Alabama is favored by 11 points over Houston. We call it 38-17 for the Crimson Tide.
Update: The Crimson Tide piled up a 30-10 lead and then stumbled royally in the 4th quarter, nearly losing the game in the last minute, saved only by an interception on the last play of the game, to win 30-24. That kind of a comeback almost always points to poor coaching on the part of the team that is surrendering a big lead unnecessarily. Has Saban lost his the coaching touch? Our prediction of winners: 7-6, against the spread 7-5-1
Tulane at Army
Army is favored by 7 over Tulane. We call it 21-10 for the Green Wave.
Update: Tulane blew a 17-7 lead going into the 4th quarter and lost in overtime 20-17. This loss is directly attributable to stupid coaching by Tulane. With 4th and 4 on the Army 36-yard line and 36 seconds left to play, Tulane elected to punt rather than to run the ball to eat up the clock and maybe even make 1st down. Army took over at the 20 with 29 seconds left and completed two long passes, spiked the ball to stop the clock, and the last pass as time ran out was deflected by two defenders into the hands of the receiver for the TD, putting the game into overtime. Coaches should study this game to see how to lose a game which should not be lost. Our prediction of winners: 7-7, against the spread 7-6-1
Vanderbilt at Auburn
Auburn is favored by 7.5 over Vanderbilt. We call it 34-17 for Auburn.
Update: Auburn wins 35-7. Our prediction of winners: 8-7, against the spread 8-6-1
Central Michigan at Ball State
Ball State is favored by 13 over Central Michigan. We call it 35-34 for Ball State.
Update: Central Michigan wins 58-38. Our prediction of winners: 8-8, against the spread 9-6-1
Colorado at Baylor
Baylor is an 8.5-point underdog to Colorado at home. We call it 37-14 for the Buffaloes, whose win over Oklahoma sends a warning message to the rest of the Big 12 - Dan Hawkins has finally arrived in a form that made him a great head coach at Boise State. Update: The Buffs beat the Bears 43-23 in spite of almost equal total offense production. The margin of victory is a sign of better coaching. Our prediction of winners: 9-8, against the spread 10-6-1
Bowling Green at Boston College
Boston College is favored by 20 over Bowling Green . We call it 45-21 for Boston College.
Update: The Eagles rolled 55-24. Our prediction of winners: 10-8, against the spread 11-6-1
Ohio at Buffalo
Buffalo is an 4-point underdog to Ohio in a match-up of Big 12 alumni Frank Solich and Turner Gill as head coaches. We see a close game and call it for Buffalo 24-21.
Update: Buffalo continues its steady improvement under head coach Gill and wins impressively 31-10. Our prediction of winners: 11-8, against the spread 12-6-1
Virginia Tech at Clemson
The Hokies are weaker this year and Clemson is favored by 5 over Virginia Tech. We see a low scoring game and call it for the Tigers 21-14.
Update: This was a very strange game in which Clemson held Virginia Tech to only 9 first downs and nearly doubled the Hokies total offense yards, but Virginia Tech won the game 41-23 on the strength of a 32-yard interception return, an 81-yard punt return and a 100-yard kickoff-return, all for TDs. Our prediction of winners: 11-9, against the spread 12-7-1
San Diego State at Colorado State
Colorado State is favored by 13 over San Diego State. We call it 37-21 for Colorado State.
Update: San Diego State won 24-20. Our prediction of winners: 11-10, against the spread 12-8-1
Wake Forest at Duke
Duke is a 7-point underdog to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons lost on the road to Boston College by 10 and at home to Nebraska by 3 which makes them about 7 points worse than those two teams, all things equal. Earlier in the year, Duke broke the nation's longest losing streak by beating Northwestern 20-14, but they may not win another game this year, unless they pounce on Notre Dame. We call it 28-20 for Wake Forest.
Update: Wake Forest won 41-36. Our prediction of winners: 12-10, against the spread 12-9-1
Central Florida at East Carolina
East Carolina is an 3.5-point underdog to Central Florida. The only blot on the UCF record this year is a 3-point loss to Texas. We call it 35-21 for UCF.
Update: East Carolina just gets better and better, winning 52-38. Our prediction of winners: 12-11, against the spread 12-10-1
South Florida at Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic is a 15.5-point underdog to South Florida. Wins over highly ranked Auburn and West Virginia show that the Bulls are for real. We call it 38-7 for South Florida.
Update: The Bulls struggle mightily and win 35-23. Our prediction of winners: 13-11, against the spread 12-11-1
Troy at Florida International
Florida International is an 18.5-point underdog to Troy State. We call it 41-21 for Troy.
Update: Great spread. Troy won 34-16. Our prediction of winners: 14-11, against the spread 12-12-1
North Carolina State at Florida State
Florida State is favored by 18 over North Carolina State. On average this year, North Carolina State is about 20 points worse than good teams. We call it 37-17 for the Seminoles.
Update: Great spread. Florida State won 27-10. Our prediction of winners: 15-11, against the spread 12-13-1
Utah State at Hawaii
Hawaii is favored by 40 points over winless Utah State. We call it 62-7 for the Warriors as Colt Brennan tries to erase memories of his 5 interceptions last week. What stands in the way of an unbeaten season for Hawaii? Not much.
Update: Colt Brennan is still not 100% healthy as the Warriors used Tyler Graunke at the QB slot after Brennan limped off the field. Utah State put up a good battle but lost 52-37 as their head coach Brent Guy stated in a quotable quote: "You got to score touchdowns to play with Hawaii, you can't kick field goals.... They had about eight big plays that killed us."" (Most coaches complain about one or two plays that turn the game. Did he say EIGHT?) Our prediction of winners: 16-11, against the spread 12-14-1
Wisconsin at Illinois
Vastly improved and unranked Illinois, whose only loss was to Missouri to start out the season, is favored by 2.5-points over 5th-ranked Wisconsin, reflecting its home field advantage, its 27-20 win over Penn State last week, and its spread offense, an offense which Wisconsin has already had a tough time defending this year. Wisconsin has not been very impressive in 2007, but we think they have a superb head coach, as the Badgers have the current longest winning streak among Division I-A (FBS) college football teams. We do not think that this win streak will fall against Illinois and call it 38-35 for Wisconsin.
Update: A suprise for us but not for many oddsmakers as the Illini under head coach, Ron Zook, formerly of Florida, polished off Wisconsin 31-26. Our prediction of winners: 16-12, against the spread 12-15-1
Minnesota at Indiana
Indiana is favored by 13 over Minnesota. The Gophers have stumbled out of the starting blocks so dismally this season that it is surely embarassing for the State of Minnesota generally, losing to Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic and getting a lucky win against Miami of Ohio in overtime. We call it 24-14 for Indiana, who are coming off a strong win 38-20 over Iowa.
Update: Indiana won 40-20. Our prediction of winners: 17-12, against the spread 12-16-1
Miami of Ohio at Kent State
Kent State is favored by 9.5 over Miami (Ohio). We call it 16-13 for the Redhawks. The two Redhawks losses to Cincinnati and Colorado must be seen as coming against top teams. Kent State surely has the better offense, so the defense will decide this game.
Update: The Redhawks won 20-13. Our prediction of winners: 18-12, against the spread 13-16-1
North Texas at Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Lafayette is favored by 8 over North Texas. In this battle of two winless teams, we call it 31-13 for Louisiana-Lafayette, which has done better against strong opposition in previous games, whereas North Texas has been annihilated.
Update: Great spread. Louisiana-Lafayette won 38-29. Our prediction of winners: 19-12, against the spread 14-16-1
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
The winless Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe are 2.5-point underdogs to Arkansas State which has wins over SMU and Memphis. We call it 30-27 for the Indians.
Update: The Warhawks won 30-13. Our prediction of winners: 19-13, against the spread 14-17-1
Georgia Tech at Maryland
Maryland is a 2.5-point underdog to Georgia Tech. The Terrapins are coming off of an impressive 10-point win over then 10th-ranked Rutgers, while Georgia Tech vanquished then 13th-ranked Clemson, also by 10 points. We call it 17-14 for the Yellow Jackets who should be able to shut down the Terrapins running game.
Update: Maryland was limited to 88 yards rushing, but the Yellow Jackets allowed 255 yards through the air as the Terrapins won 28-26, in spite of being out-first-downed 24-12. Missed field goals and a penalty on a field goal late in the game were the difference in a game that Georgie Tech should clearly have won. This points to coaching inadequacies. Our prediction of winners: 19-14, against the spread 14-18-1
Eastern Michigan at Michigan
Michigan is favored by 31.5 points over Eastern Michigan which is astounding, as the Wolverines have a terrible offense this year. The Eagles have lost by an average of about 23 points to good teams. We call it 30-7 for the Wolverines.
Update: Michigan won 33-22, proving once again that the team this year has serious problems. Our prediction of winners: 20-14, against the spread 15-18-1
Virginia at Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee is a 10-point underdog to Virginia, whose 4-1 record is astounding given its very weak offense, which faces a very weak Blue Raider defense We call it 38-27 for Virginia.
Update: Virginia won 23-21. Our prediction of winners: 21-14, against the spread 15-19-1
Mississippi at Louisiana Tech
Mississippi is favored by 13 over Louisiana Tech. Mississippi has a weak defense facing a weak Bullodogs offense. We call it 31-27 for the Rebels.
Update: Ole Miss won 24-0. Our prediction of winners: 22-14, against the spread 15-20-1
UAB at Mississippi State
Mississippi State is favored by 18 over UAB which we think is too much, given the Blazers 10-point loss to Florida State and 8-point loss to Tulsa. We call it 27-24 for Mississippi State.
Update: Mississippi State won 30-13 over UAB. Our prediction of winners: 23-14, against the spread 16-20-1
Fresno State at Nevada
Nevada is favored by 3.5 over Fresno State. We call it 35-31 for Fresno State.
Update: Fresno State won 49-41. Our prediction of winners: 24-14, against the spread 17-20-1
Arizona at Oregon State
Oregon State is favored by 4 over Arizona. We call it 34-31 for Arizona.
Update: Oregon State won 31-16. Our prediction of winners: 24-15, against the spread 17-21-1
Iowa at Penn State
Penn State is favored by 8 over Iowa, which is in a tailspin. We call it 27-17 for the Nittany Lions.
Update: Penn State won 27-7. Our prediction of winners: 25-15, against the spread 18-21-1
Ohio State at Purdue
Purdue is a 7-point underdog to Ohio State. We see Ohio State as 9 points better than the Boilermakers without the home field advantage, worth ca. 3 points. We call it 34-28 for the Buckeyes.
Update: Ohio State won 23-7. Our prediction of winners: 26-15, against the spread 18-22-1
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Rutgers is favored by 3 points over Cincinnati. The Scarlet Knights have made 21 TDs and allowed 7. The Bearcats, one of the Cinderalla teams in college football in 2007, have made 27 TDs and allowed 5. We call it 42-31 for Cincinnati.
Update: Cincinnati won 28-23. Our prediction of winners: 27-15, against the spread 19-22-1
Idaho at San Jose State
San Jose State is favored by 7 over Idaho. We call it 28-27 for Idaho, who seemed to have fared better against tougher competition in terms of comparative scores.
Update: San Jose State won 28-20. Our prediction of winners: 27-16, against the spread 19-23-1
Northern Illinois at Temple
Winless Temple is a 4-point underdog to Northern Illinois. We call it 28-27 for Temple.
Update: Temple won 16-15. Our prediction of winners: 28-16, against the spread 20-23-1
Georgia at Tennessee
Unranked Tennessee is favored by 2 over 12th-ranked Georgia. We call it 31-24 for the Bulldogs who will profit from Tennessee's defensive weaknesses.
Update: This game really surprised us as the Volunteers won 35-14. Our prediction of winners: 28-17, against the spread 20-24-1
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Texas A&M is favored by 6.5 over Oklahoma State. We call it 41-28 for the Aggies.
Update: Texas A&M won 24-23 after trailing by 17-0. Our prediction of winners: 29-17, against the spread 20-25-1
Iowa State at Texas Tech
Texas Tech is favored by 25 over Iowa State. We call it 47-27 for Texas Tech.
Update: Texas Tech won 42-17, equalling the spread.
Our prediction of winners: 30-17, against the spread 20-25-2
Notre Dame at UCLA
UCLA is favored by 20.5 points over Notre Dame. If the Irish lose this game, it will match their longest streak ever, 8 straight losses. We call it 31-17 for the Bruins.
Update: The Irish finally enter the win column, beating UCLA 20-6. Our prediction of winners: 30-18, against the spread 21-25-2
Stanford at USC
USC is favored by 38.5 over Stanford. Stanford's starting quarterback T.C. Ostrander is injured and will likely be replaced by the nearly unknown Tavita Pritchard, who has a chance to throw his way to fame, though a Stanford win seems unlikely. We call it 44-17 for the Trojans.
Update: Incredibly, Stanford won 24-23. Our prediction of winners: 30-19, against the spread 22-25-2
Tulsa at UTEP
UTEP is a 3-point underdog to Tulsa. This could be a high-scoring game. We call it 48-35 for the Golden Hurricane.
Update: The woeful Tulsa defense did them in here again, as the Golden Hurricane lost 48-47, missing a last-second field goal. Our prediction of winners: 30-20, against the spread 22-26-2
Arizona State at Washington State
Washington State is an 8.5-point underdog to Arizona State. We call it 48-24 for Arizona State.
Update: Arizona State won 23-20. Our prediction of winners: 31-20, against the spread 22-27-2
Akron at Western Michigan
Western Michigan is favored by 8.5 over Akron. We call it 31-30 for Akron.
Update: Akron won 39-38. Our prediction of winners: 32-20, against the spread 23-27-2
TCU at Wyoming
Wyoming is favored by 3 over TCU. We call it 31-28 for TCU.
Update: Wyoming won 24-21. Our prediction of winners: 32-21, against the spread 23-28-2
New Mexico State at Boise State
Boise State is favored by 23 over New Mexico State.For one half, the Aggies gave Auburn quite a battle, so that it should be closer than that. We call it 21-20 for Boise State.
Update: Oh my goodness. The Broncos blew the Aggies out of the stadium 58-0. Our prediction of winners: 33-21, against the spread 23-29-2 (our worst week ever)
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 10/07/2007 12:05:00 PM
College Football Game Predictions AND RESULTS for Week 6 of the 2007 Season
Update: Talk about Storybook endings and beginnings....
Did we ESP this win when we wrote earlier in the week: "Stanford's starting quarterback T.C. Ostrander is injured and will likely be replaced by the nearly unknown Tavita Pritchard, who has a chance to throw his way to fame...."
Hail to the Stanford Cardinal and their new head football coach Jim Harbaugh as the Stanford football team, 41-point underdogs, pulled off the impossible upset of top-ranked (by USA Today and Harris) and heretofore undefeated USC 24-23. As the Stanford Daily Online points out at Stanford Shocks the World, no college football team has ever been an underdog by so many points and still emerged as the ultimate winner of the game, none. It is a historical victory for the magnificent Stanford athletic program, which has led all US colleges the last thirteen years in succession, but which had become a subject of derision due to the decline of their football fortunes. At the Stanford Daily, Daniel Novinson writes:
"With the win, Stanford football’s back on the national consciousness in a big way. “Cardinal Rule” proclaimed ESPN.com’s frontpage headline, “Absolutely Stunning” read SI.com’s. That the game went final at 11 p.m. Eastern made it the perfect lead story for that night’s TV shows and the next morning’s newspaper’s. Even the New York Times got in on the act, with the nation’s preeminent newspaper giving Stanford’s shocker top online billing, over stories on Medicare billing scams, and ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Congo."
So, indeed, Cinderalla is alive and well in college football .... Here are the results of our predictions, previously made for week six..... (thus far, due to the many upsets and the true unpredictability of results, we are not doing as well as in years past)....
Tuesday
Marshall at Memphis
Memphis is favored by 2.5 over Marshall. We call it Memphis 40 Marshall 35.
Update: Memphis won 24-21. Our prediction of winners: 1-0, against the spread 1-0
Wednesday
Rice at Southern Miss
Southern Miss is favored by 21 over Rice. We call it 48-24 for Southern Miss.
Update: Rice won 31-29, intercepting 4 passes and recovering 3 fumbles, even though Southern Miss had 422 total net yards to the Owls 236. Our prediction of winners: 1-1, against the spread 1-1
Thursday
Kentucky v. South Carolina
South Carolina is favored by 3.5 over Kentucky, as the Gamecocks have the home field advantage. South Carolina has scored only 16 TDs this year and have allowed only 9 TDs to the opposition whereas the Wildcats have scored 30 TDs and allowed only 11 TDs. This makes both defenses about equally good but gives a substantial edge to the Kentucky offense. We thus call it for Kentucky 24-17.
Update: Ouch. The Gamecocks prevailed 38-23 on the basis of 3 fumble recoveries (2 returned for TDs) and 1 interception as the Wildcats were at their 9-yard line. Kentucky punted less, had more first downs, more total offense and generally dominated the game, except on the scoreboard. Apparently, Kentucky had the "hives". Our prediction of winners: 1-2, against the spread 1-2
Friday
Utah at Louisville
Louisville, in our view one of the most disappointing teams in this college football season, perhaps because of failings of its new coach Steve Kragthorpe, is favored by 14.5 points over Utah, which has a poor record on the road. However, the Utah defense has allowed only 10 TDs this year, just as many as have been made by its almost non-existent offense. We call it 28-17 for Louisville.
Update: Louisville under Kragthorpe and a non-existent defense is slowly fading into oblivion as the Cardinals lost their 3rd game of the season 44-35. Our prediction of winners: 1-3, against the spread 2-2
Saturday
Florida at LSU
LSU is favored by 9 over Florida, i.e. by more than the home field advantage, which we regard to be foolhardy. This game will be the true test for LSU this year, plotting the defending national champs against one of the main challengers to that crown. We remain Urban Meyer fans and call it 24-17 for the Gators.
Update: Hard to believe, but one of our favorite head coaches, Urban Meyer, was simply outcoached by LSU coach Les Miles in this game, blowing a ten-point lead twice, with a 4th-quarter interception by LSU deep in Florida territory the turning point in the game. Our prediction of winners: 1-4, against the spread 3-2
Oklahoma at Texas
Both teams are reeling from stunning losses, with the Sooners being upset by Colorado and the Horns being upset by Kansas State. Texas is an 11-point underdog to Oklahoma. We call it 28-24 for the Sooners.
Update: Oklahoma won 28-21 as freshman Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 3 TDs.. Our prediction of winners: 2-4, against the spread 4-2
Nebraska at Missouri
Missouri is favored by 7 over Nebraska. With Callahan as Husker head coach, we are not optimistic about the rest of this season for the Cornhuskers. Both Missouri and Nebraska have weak defenses while Missouri sports the more potent offense. We call it 38-28 for the Tigers.
Update: As a Nebraska alum, it is difficult to call games like this for the other team, but it is time Husker fans face the reality of their coaching mediocrity as Mizzou destroyed the Cornhuskers 41-6, holding Nebraska without a touchdown. So much for Callahan's outdated and ineffectual West Coast offense and Cosgrove's antiquated and wormed 3-3-5 nickel "high school" defense.
Our prediction of winners: 3-4, against the spread 5-2
Kansas at Kansas State
Football fans from Kansas will particularly enjoy this game as their teams are very strong this year in the Big 12. Kansas State, which upset Texas 41-21 last week, is favored by 3 over undefeated Kansas. We call it 38-31 for the Jayhawks, who have a new and potent offense.
Update: The no-huddle vertical passing offense of new first-year offensive coordinator Ed Warinner continues to reap benefits as Kansas overcame scoring deficits to win 30-24 against the Wildcats, who they had not beaten in Manhattan, Kansas, since 1989. This win should finally put Kansas into the top 25, replacing Nebraska. Our prediction of winners: 4-4, against the spread 6-2
West Virginia at Syracuse
The Orangemen have a dismal offense combined with a porous defense. Their 38-35 upset of Louisville was accounted for only by the presence of a total lack of defense on the part of the Cardinals. The Mountaineers on the other hand have a good defense and we call it 41-14 for West Virginia.
Update: Although there originally was no line, Syracuse later emerged as a 27-point underdog to West Virginia - the same point spread that we ourselves also originally selected. The Mountaineers won 55-14. Our prediction of winners: 5-4, against the spread 6-2-1
Northwestern at Michigan State
The Spartans barely lost to ranked Wisconsin 37-34 on the road and are favored by 14.5 points against Northwestern. They will probably pummel the Wildcats. We call it 48-20 for the Spartans.
Update: Northwestern beat Michigan State 48-41 in overtime as the Wildcats shredded the Spartan passing defense for 520 yards. Our prediction of winners: 5-5, against the spread 6-3-1
Miami of Florida at North Carolina
The Hurricanes have won four games, losing only to Oklahoma, while North Carolina has lost four, beating only outclassed James Madison. Both teams have been improving in last weeks and North Carolina is an 8.5 point underdog. We call it for the Hurricanes 34-20.
Update: It is in our view truly incredible that North Carolina won this game, holding on to an improbable 27-0 halftime lead and winning 33-27. No fewer than FOUR Tar Heel interceptions of Miami passes were the difference in the game. Our prediction of winners: 5-6, against the spread 6-4-1
UNLV at Air Force
Air Force is favored by 5.5 points over UNLV. We call it 35-21 for the Falcons.
Air Force won 31-14. Our prediction of winners: 6-6, against the spread 7-4-1
Houston at Alabama
Alabama is favored by 11 points over Houston. We call it 38-17 for the Crimson Tide.
Update: The Crimson Tide piled up a 30-10 lead and then stumbled royally in the 4th quarter, nearly losing the game in the last minute, saved only by an interception on the last play of the game, to win 30-24. That kind of a comeback almost always points to poor coaching on the part of the team that is surrendering a big lead unnecessarily. Has Saban lost his the coaching touch? Our prediction of winners: 7-6, against the spread 7-5-1
Tulane at Army
Army is favored by 7 over Tulane. We call it 21-10 for the Green Wave.
Update: Tulane blew a 17-7 lead going into the 4th quarter and lost in overtime 20-17. This loss is directly attributable to stupid coaching by Tulane. With 4th and 4 on the Army 36-yard line and 36 seconds left to play, Tulane elected to punt rather than to run the ball to eat up the clock and maybe even make 1st down. Army took over at the 20 with 29 seconds left and completed two long passes, spiked the ball to stop the clock, and the last pass as time ran out was deflected by two defenders into the hands of the receiver for the TD, putting the game into overtime. Coaches should study this game to see how to lose a game which should not be lost. Our prediction of winners: 7-7, against the spread 7-6-1
Vanderbilt at Auburn
Auburn is favored by 7.5 over Vanderbilt. We call it 34-17 for Auburn.
Update: Auburn wins 35-7. Our prediction of winners: 8-7, against the spread 8-6-1
Central Michigan at Ball State
Ball State is favored by 13 over Central Michigan. We call it 35-34 for Ball State.
Update: Central Michigan wins 58-38. Our prediction of winners: 8-8, against the spread 9-6-1
Colorado at Baylor
Baylor is an 8.5-point underdog to Colorado at home. We call it 37-14 for the Buffaloes, whose win over Oklahoma sends a warning message to the rest of the Big 12 - Dan Hawkins has finally arrived in a form that made him a great head coach at Boise State. Update: The Buffs beat the Bears 43-23 in spite of almost equal total offense production. The margin of victory is a sign of better coaching. Our prediction of winners: 9-8, against the spread 10-6-1
Bowling Green at Boston College
Boston College is favored by 20 over Bowling Green . We call it 45-21 for Boston College.
Update: The Eagles rolled 55-24. Our prediction of winners: 10-8, against the spread 11-6-1
Ohio at Buffalo
Buffalo is an 4-point underdog to Ohio in a match-up of Big 12 alumni Frank Solich and Turner Gill as head coaches. We see a close game and call it for Buffalo 24-21.
Update: Buffalo continues its steady improvement under head coach Gill and wins impressively 31-10. Our prediction of winners: 11-8, against the spread 12-6-1
Virginia Tech at Clemson
The Hokies are weaker this year and Clemson is favored by 5 over Virginia Tech. We see a low scoring game and call it for the Tigers 21-14.
Update: This was a very strange game in which Clemson held Virginia Tech to only 9 first downs and nearly doubled the Hokies total offense yards, but Virginia Tech won the game 41-23 on the strength of a 32-yard interception return, an 81-yard punt return and a 100-yard kickoff-return, all for TDs. Our prediction of winners: 11-9, against the spread 12-7-1
San Diego State at Colorado State
Colorado State is favored by 13 over San Diego State. We call it 37-21 for Colorado State.
Update: San Diego State won 24-20. Our prediction of winners: 11-10, against the spread 12-8-1
Wake Forest at Duke
Duke is a 7-point underdog to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons lost on the road to Boston College by 10 and at home to Nebraska by 3 which makes them about 7 points worse than those two teams, all things equal. Earlier in the year, Duke broke the nation's longest losing streak by beating Northwestern 20-14, but they may not win another game this year, unless they pounce on Notre Dame. We call it 28-20 for Wake Forest.
Update: Wake Forest won 41-36. Our prediction of winners: 12-10, against the spread 12-9-1
Central Florida at East Carolina
East Carolina is an 3.5-point underdog to Central Florida. The only blot on the UCF record this year is a 3-point loss to Texas. We call it 35-21 for UCF.
Update: East Carolina just gets better and better, winning 52-38. Our prediction of winners: 12-11, against the spread 12-10-1
South Florida at Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic is a 15.5-point underdog to South Florida. Wins over highly ranked Auburn and West Virginia show that the Bulls are for real. We call it 38-7 for South Florida.
Update: The Bulls struggle mightily and win 35-23. Our prediction of winners: 13-11, against the spread 12-11-1
Troy at Florida International
Florida International is an 18.5-point underdog to Troy State. We call it 41-21 for Troy.
Update: Great spread. Troy won 34-16. Our prediction of winners: 14-11, against the spread 12-12-1
North Carolina State at Florida State
Florida State is favored by 18 over North Carolina State. On average this year, North Carolina State is about 20 points worse than good teams. We call it 37-17 for the Seminoles.
Update: Great spread. Florida State won 27-10. Our prediction of winners: 15-11, against the spread 12-13-1
Utah State at Hawaii
Hawaii is favored by 40 points over winless Utah State. We call it 62-7 for the Warriors as Colt Brennan tries to erase memories of his 5 interceptions last week. What stands in the way of an unbeaten season for Hawaii? Not much.
Update: Colt Brennan is still not 100% healthy as the Warriors used Tyler Graunke at the QB slot after Brennan limped off the field. Utah State put up a good battle but lost 52-37 as their head coach Brent Guy stated in a quotable quote: "You got to score touchdowns to play with Hawaii, you can't kick field goals.... They had about eight big plays that killed us."" (Most coaches complain about one or two plays that turn the game. Did he say EIGHT?) Our prediction of winners: 16-11, against the spread 12-14-1
Wisconsin at Illinois
Vastly improved and unranked Illinois, whose only loss was to Missouri to start out the season, is favored by 2.5-points over 5th-ranked Wisconsin, reflecting its home field advantage, its 27-20 win over Penn State last week, and its spread offense, an offense which Wisconsin has already had a tough time defending this year. Wisconsin has not been very impressive in 2007, but we think they have a superb head coach, as the Badgers have the current longest winning streak among Division I-A (FBS) college football teams. We do not think that this win streak will fall against Illinois and call it 38-35 for Wisconsin.
Update: A suprise for us but not for many oddsmakers as the Illini under head coach, Ron Zook, formerly of Florida, polished off Wisconsin 31-26. Our prediction of winners: 16-12, against the spread 12-15-1
Minnesota at Indiana
Indiana is favored by 13 over Minnesota. The Gophers have stumbled out of the starting blocks so dismally this season that it is surely embarassing for the State of Minnesota generally, losing to Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic and getting a lucky win against Miami of Ohio in overtime. We call it 24-14 for Indiana, who are coming off a strong win 38-20 over Iowa.
Update: Indiana won 40-20. Our prediction of winners: 17-12, against the spread 12-16-1
Miami of Ohio at Kent State
Kent State is favored by 9.5 over Miami (Ohio). We call it 16-13 for the Redhawks. The two Redhawks losses to Cincinnati and Colorado must be seen as coming against top teams. Kent State surely has the better offense, so the defense will decide this game.
Update: The Redhawks won 20-13. Our prediction of winners: 18-12, against the spread 13-16-1
North Texas at Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Lafayette is favored by 8 over North Texas. In this battle of two winless teams, we call it 31-13 for Louisiana-Lafayette, which has done better against strong opposition in previous games, whereas North Texas has been annihilated.
Update: Great spread. Louisiana-Lafayette won 38-29. Our prediction of winners: 19-12, against the spread 14-16-1
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
The winless Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe are 2.5-point underdogs to Arkansas State which has wins over SMU and Memphis. We call it 30-27 for the Indians.
Update: The Warhawks won 30-13. Our prediction of winners: 19-13, against the spread 14-17-1
Georgia Tech at Maryland
Maryland is a 2.5-point underdog to Georgia Tech. The Terrapins are coming off of an impressive 10-point win over then 10th-ranked Rutgers, while Georgia Tech vanquished then 13th-ranked Clemson, also by 10 points. We call it 17-14 for the Yellow Jackets who should be able to shut down the Terrapins running game.
Update: Maryland was limited to 88 yards rushing, but the Yellow Jackets allowed 255 yards through the air as the Terrapins won 28-26, in spite of being out-first-downed 24-12. Missed field goals and a penalty on a field goal late in the game were the difference in a game that Georgie Tech should clearly have won. This points to coaching inadequacies. Our prediction of winners: 19-14, against the spread 14-18-1
Eastern Michigan at Michigan
Michigan is favored by 31.5 points over Eastern Michigan which is astounding, as the Wolverines have a terrible offense this year. The Eagles have lost by an average of about 23 points to good teams. We call it 30-7 for the Wolverines.
Update: Michigan won 33-22, proving once again that the team this year has serious problems. Our prediction of winners: 20-14, against the spread 15-18-1
Virginia at Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee is a 10-point underdog to Virginia, whose 4-1 record is astounding given its very weak offense, which faces a very weak Blue Raider defense We call it 38-27 for Virginia.
Update: Virginia won 23-21. Our prediction of winners: 21-14, against the spread 15-19-1
Mississippi at Louisiana Tech
Mississippi is favored by 13 over Louisiana Tech. Mississippi has a weak defense facing a weak Bullodogs offense. We call it 31-27 for the Rebels.
Update: Ole Miss won 24-0. Our prediction of winners: 22-14, against the spread 15-20-1
UAB at Mississippi State
Mississippi State is favored by 18 over UAB which we think is too much, given the Blazers 10-point loss to Florida State and 8-point loss to Tulsa. We call it 27-24 for Mississippi State.
Update: Mississippi State won 30-13 over UAB. Our prediction of winners: 23-14, against the spread 16-20-1
Fresno State at Nevada
Nevada is favored by 3.5 over Fresno State. We call it 35-31 for Fresno State.
Update: Fresno State won 49-41. Our prediction of winners: 24-14, against the spread 17-20-1
Arizona at Oregon State
Oregon State is favored by 4 over Arizona. We call it 34-31 for Arizona.
Update: Oregon State won 31-16. Our prediction of winners: 24-15, against the spread 17-21-1
Iowa at Penn State
Penn State is favored by 8 over Iowa, which is in a tailspin. We call it 27-17 for the Nittany Lions.
Update: Penn State won 27-7. Our prediction of winners: 25-15, against the spread 18-21-1
Ohio State at Purdue
Purdue is a 7-point underdog to Ohio State. We see Ohio State as 9 points better than the Boilermakers without the home field advantage, worth ca. 3 points. We call it 34-28 for the Buckeyes.
Update: Ohio State won 23-7. Our prediction of winners: 26-15, against the spread 18-22-1
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Rutgers is favored by 3 points over Cincinnati. The Scarlet Knights have made 21 TDs and allowed 7. The Bearcats, one of the Cinderalla teams in college football in 2007, have made 27 TDs and allowed 5. We call it 42-31 for Cincinnati.
Update: Cincinnati won 28-23. Our prediction of winners: 27-15, against the spread 19-22-1
Idaho at San Jose State
San Jose State is favored by 7 over Idaho. We call it 28-27 for Idaho, who seemed to have fared better against tougher competition in terms of comparative scores.
Update: San Jose State won 28-20. Our prediction of winners: 27-16, against the spread 19-23-1
Northern Illinois at Temple
Winless Temple is a 4-point underdog to Northern Illinois. We call it 28-27 for Temple.
Update: Temple won 16-15. Our prediction of winners: 28-16, against the spread 20-23-1
Georgia at Tennessee
Unranked Tennessee is favored by 2 over 12th-ranked Georgia. We call it 31-24 for the Bulldogs who will profit from Tennessee's defensive weaknesses.
Update: This game really surprised us as the Volunteers won 35-14. Our prediction of winners: 28-17, against the spread 20-24-1
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Texas A&M is favored by 6.5 over Oklahoma State. We call it 41-28 for the Aggies.
Update: Texas A&M won 24-23 after trailing by 17-0. Our prediction of winners: 29-17, against the spread 20-25-1
Iowa State at Texas Tech
Texas Tech is favored by 25 over Iowa State. We call it 47-27 for Texas Tech.
Update: Texas Tech won 42-17, equalling the spread.
Our prediction of winners: 30-17, against the spread 20-25-2
Notre Dame at UCLA
UCLA is favored by 20.5 points over Notre Dame. If the Irish lose this game, it will match their longest streak ever, 8 straight losses. We call it 31-17 for the Bruins.
Update: The Irish finally enter the win column, beating UCLA 20-6. Our prediction of winners: 30-18, against the spread 21-25-2
Stanford at USC
USC is favored by 38.5 over Stanford. Stanford's starting quarterback T.C. Ostrander is injured and will likely be replaced by the nearly unknown Tavita Pritchard, who has a chance to throw his way to fame, though a Stanford win seems unlikely. We call it 44-17 for the Trojans.
Update: Incredibly, Stanford won 24-23. Our prediction of winners: 30-19, against the spread 22-25-2
Tulsa at UTEP
UTEP is a 3-point underdog to Tulsa. This could be a high-scoring game. We call it 48-35 for the Golden Hurricane.
Update: The woeful Tulsa defense did them in here again, as the Golden Hurricane lost 48-47, missing a last-second field goal. Our prediction of winners: 30-20, against the spread 22-26-2
Arizona State at Washington State
Washington State is an 8.5-point underdog to Arizona State. We call it 48-24 for Arizona State.
Update: Arizona State won 23-20. Our prediction of winners: 31-20, against the spread 22-27-2
Akron at Western Michigan
Western Michigan is favored by 8.5 over Akron. We call it 31-30 for Akron.
Update: Akron won 39-38. Our prediction of winners: 32-20, against the spread 23-27-2
TCU at Wyoming
Wyoming is favored by 3 over TCU. We call it 31-28 for TCU.
Update: Wyoming won 24-21. Our prediction of winners: 32-21, against the spread 23-28-2
New Mexico State at Boise State
Boise State is favored by 23 over New Mexico State.For one half, the Aggies gave Auburn quite a battle, so that it should be closer than that. We call it 21-20 for Boise State.
Update: Oh my goodness. The Broncos blew the Aggies out of the stadium 58-0. Our prediction of winners: 33-21, against the spread 23-29-2 (our worst week ever)
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 10/07/2007 12:05:00 PM
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