IDAHO AT FRESNO ST.

Idaho has one thing going for it, and that's the QB Enderle. Everything else about the Vandals has been horrible this year: they can't run the ball; they can't stop the run; they can't stop the pass; and, despite the fact they have a decent QB, the passing offense has been sub-par this year as well.
Fresno St., and their coach, Pat Hill, has been no bargain at home as conference favorites(3-10 in last 5 years), but, they have been much better offensively and defensively than Idaho, and, they have defeated similar teams to Idaho pretty decisively( average winning margin of 15 points). I'm counting on RB Rouse returning to the form he showed prior to Boise, when he ran for 100 yards 4 games in a row, including over 200 yards the two games prior to Boise St.

ONE STAR PLAY ON FRESNO ST.

OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA ST.

Oklahoma St. has the slightly better offense. Oklahoma has the better defense. I like taking the better defenses when I'm presented with that option. Include in the mix the fact that the Sooners are very rarely road, conference underdogs, and, when they are, coach Bob Stoops is 3-0 in that role in the last five years.
I believe it will be a high scoring, close game, but, I think the 68+ points for the total is too high.

ONE STAR PLAY ON OKLAHOMA OVER OKIE ST. IF SPREAD IS 2.5 POINTS, I WOULD BUY THE 1/2 POINT, AND MAKE IT +3 OKLAHOMA. I DO THINK IT WILL BE A CLOSE GAME

NO PLAYS AT 7:00P.M.: COME BACK AT 7:20P.M.

I'M NOT ONE TO COMPLAIN, BUT.............

I gave out the over in the MSU-PSU contest. The Nits scored a TD, and were setting up for the extra point. The holder botched the hold, and the extra point. Totals were 50.5. Final score totaled 50 points.

I gave out the over in the UCONN-Cincy contest. Totals were 55.5. Final score totaled 55 points!

Are you kidding me? I missed going 4-0 by 1 stinking point total. OH, WELL.

3:30P.M. PLAYS

TWO STAR RECOMMENDATION ON FLORIDA ST.

ONE STAR PLAYS ON:

MARYLAND
THE UNDER IN THE N.C.ST - MARYLAND GAME
BYU OVER UTAH

12:00P.M. RECOMMENDATIONS - PLUS - MY TWITTER USERNAME IS EDGYSAM!

THESE ARE ALL ONE STAR PLAYS:

MICHIGAN ST. OVER PSU
MSU-PSU OVER THE TOTALS
OHIO ST. OVER MICHIGAN
CINCY-UCONN CONTEST TO GO OVER THE TOTALS

RETURN AT 12:17P.M. FOR SOME POTENTIAL 12:21 STARTS

ARIZONA AT OREGON

Oregon had two low-scoring games in a row vs. Wash., and Cal. I think they return to their high scoring ways against Arizona. I've thought from the beginning of the year that Arizona's defense would have trouble this year. They gave up 42 points(Stanford) to the other high powered offense they've faced this year. Oregon will be high octane tonight.
ONE STAR PLAYS ON OREGON AND THE OVER IN THE SAME GAME.

REMINDER: MY TWITTER USERNAME IS EDGYSAM

ARIZONA AT OREGON: 6:55-6:58P.M.

UCLA AT ASU: REMINDER: EDGYSAM MY TWITTER USERNAME

ASU is in a good spot in this game. They are still bowl eligible; they are home; coach Erickson is good as a home, conference favorite( 5-3), and ASU is a stellar 9-2 vs. the spread this year; UCLA has injuries-galore, including potential starting QB Breuhart; in games where these teams have played the same PAC-10 opponents, ASU is +91 points in score differential over UCLA in the six games in which they've played the same opponents; finally, ASU romped over the two teams they were clearly better than this year. I think the SunDevils are clearly the better team.

ASU IN A ONE STAR PLAY OVER UCLA

AUBURN AT ALABAMA

Auburn's defense is not overpowering in any sense of the word. The trouble is, Bama's defense is not overpowering either. They gave up 159 and 225 on the ground to Tenn., and LSU. What will Auburn do to that defense? Remember, the Tigers ran for 400+yards against LSU! That's a stat worth looking at.
If Alabama went by any other name, Auburn would be the favorite. Auburn should be the favorite in this game. OC Gus Malzahn will move this offense too fast for the very young Bama defense.

TWO STAR PLAY ON AUBURN

ONE STAR PLAY ON THE OVER.

WESTERN MICHIGAN AT BOWLING GREEN

I like that Western Michigan did not throw in the towel in their last two games, winning by scores of 45-30, and 38-3 vs. E.M. and Kent St., respectively. This has now put them in position to become bowl-eligible with a win. So, incentive to win exists.
In the game itself, Bowling Green has shown no ability to run or pass. This will be my major reason to go with W.M. They do have a pretty prolific offense, particularly against MAC competition. I just don't see how the Green can keep up. It doesn't hurt that their defense has played pretty horribly as well.
B.G. is home, and that's a little scary, but, I'm going with the more talented and more incentivised squad.

ONE STAR PLAY ON WESTERN MICHIGAN

REMINDER: MY TWITTER USERNAME IS "EDGYSAM"

POTENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS AT 1:55P.M.

WEST VIRGINIA AT PITT: REMINDER: MY TWITTER USERNAME IS EDGYSAM

Pitt has been very good to me this year, and, I see no reason to change today. The two defenses today are both solid. I give a lean to Pitt QB Sunseri over W.Va.'s Smith, but, only slightly. The key difference is the two-headed running game of Lewis and Graham of Pitt, vs. the oft-injured, one -man show of the Mountaineers Noel Devine. And, Devine is hurting today, too.

PITT IN A ONE STAR RECOMMENDATION

THE UNDER IN THE SAME GAME IN A ONE STAR RECOMMENDATION.

COME BACK AT 1/2 HOUR BEFORE NEXT SCHEDULED GAME.

EDGY SAM IS MY TWITTER USERNAME

My nephew taught me how to twitter, so, I hope to tweet all day today. My username is edgy sam(edgysam?), so please tell everyone you know to check "Edgy Sam" out. Thanks.

LOUISVILLE VS. RUTGERS

ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER: lOUISVILLE HAS A HURTING QB, AND A HURT, BUT DECENT RUSH "O"... RUTGERS HAS NO OFFENSE.

LOUISVILLE VS. RUTG: 10:55-10:58 RELEASE

TEXAS VS. TEXAS A&M: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

If there were no outside intangibles involved in this game, Texas A&M would be my pick because they are hot, they are home, and they are simply the better team over their rivals, Texas. But, a factor in this game I cannot ignore is the simple fact one of the premier programs in the country, that of the Texas Longhorns, has to win this game to avoid a losing season. That is enough to offset the advantages A&M brings to the game, and in my opinion, is enough to keep me from making a recommendation on a side in this 8:00p.m. ESPN contest.

What I do like in the game is the under play. Texas has a slightly above average running game, and they've just lost the leading RB from last year, Tre Newton. That running game will not be helped at all by an ATROCIOUS Longhorn passing attack. It's hard to believe a Texas QB(Brantley) can be this bad. A&M has an underrated defense that should give Texas trouble.Conversely, A&M also has a slightly above average running game, and, they too have just lost their leading rusher from last year. QB Tanneyhill has done a good job for the Aggies, but, his experience level is still low, and I believe the Longhorns can restrict him, to a degree.
Finally, I believe Texas will come to play , for the reasons written above, and, If they do, they will have to lead with their defense. This bodes well for a lower scoring game. Therefore,

ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER IN THE A&M-TEXAS RIVALRY GAME

JOIN US EARLY TOMORROW. REMINDER: TWO GAMES START AT 11:00A.M.!!!!!!!!

SAM'S COLLEGE EDGE...EDGES: HANDICAPPING, AND GAMBLING HIGHLIGHTS(LOWLIGHTS) FROM LAST WEEK'S ACTION

Sharp Edges: My first, and, last recommendations on the week were probably the most obvious ones as well, at least that's what my handicapping uncovered. Washington was in its last home game of the year. Not that big a deal, but, it became a big deal with the realization it would be Jake Locker's, an NFL QB Prospect, last home game. It didn't hurt that the Huskie offense was far superior coming into the game than the Bruins offense.
At the other end of the weekend, I decided to make a recommendation almost totally in my belief that Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is a very good coach. If he was a good coach, Kelly would use the Navy loss as a learning tool in playing the option. It has always been my opinion that many teams have trouble with the service academy option because those squads simply do not see that type of offense that often. Kelly saw the option against Navy, and I was very confident he'd get his superior athletes to defense it well. Kelly did, and I proceeded to win my biggest recommendation of the weekend...

I'm not a big believer in "the line's telling me something," but, in the Rutgers-Cincy game, the line was telling me something. Cincinnati was playing horribly coming into the Rutgers game, and, Rutgers was playing everyone close, even in losses. So, how could Cincy be favored by 12.5 points? The line seemed so messed up, I decided to stay away from the game. Final Score: Cincy 69, Rutgers 38...Another pretty easy handicap was deciding Michigan would not be able to stop Wisconsin. They couldn't...Believe it,or not, in the Pitt-USF game, I had more confidence in Pitt's freshman QB Sunseri, than I had in the more experienced Daniels of USF. Pitt's loss to Uconn notwithstanding, I just thought the Panthers were the better team. Just looking at the Gold Sheet from last week, and noticed they liked both Army and USF. C'mon, Gold Sheet, you should have consulted with the Edge!

I have to pick up my daughter so will return with the second half of "EDGES," featuring the Dull Edges of the week!

TEMPLE OWLS VS. MIAMI,OHIO REDHAWKS

Before my recommendation on the Temple-Miami contest, please come back at halftime of the Owl-Redhawk game for a possible halftime recommendation. Also, check out my highlights, and lowlights, from last week's handicapping, and gambling experiences.

Temple's best offensive weapon, Bernard Pierce is out. Their second best weapon, Matt Brown is hurting. Miami's best offensive weapon, QB Zac Dysart, is out. A freshman is starting in his place. For those reasons, I like the under in this game in a ONE STAR PLAY.

No recommendation on a side in the game. GO OWLS!

TEMPLE AT MIAMI,OH

PLEASE RETURN AT 6:55P.M. FOR A POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION ON THE OWLS VS. REDHAWKS GAME.

TWO EVENING PLAYS

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I believe coach Brian Kelly of Notre Dame is a very good coach. His athletes are at least twice the athletes of Army. The big equalizer for Army is the dang option, which I love to watch. Coach Kelly has seen the option this year in their loss to Navy. I believe Coach Kelly learned A LOT from that loss, and will teach his superior athletes what to do this time. Also, Army has already clinched a bowl bid. Kelly, who has made a bowl bid a top priority for this team, needs one more win to become bowl eligible. They play USC next week, so, I believe they pounce all over the Army tonight.

NOTRE DAME IN A TWO STAR PLAY OVER ARMY

Syracuse and UConn have gotten really rotten play from the quarterback position. Syracuse doesn't run the ball particularly either. UConn does run the ball well with RB Todman, but, Syracuse plays good pass defense. This should be a low scoring game.

THE UNDER IN THIS GAME IN A ONE STAR PLAY.

CALL AT 9:30P.M. FOR A POSSIBLE PLAY ON THE UTAH-SDSU GAME, WHICH STARTS AT 10:00P.M.

3:30p.m. PLAYS

ONE STAR PLAYS ON THE FOLLOWING:

VIRGINIA TECH OVER MIAMI

THE UNDER IN THE ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN

THE UNDER IN THE STANFORD/CAL GAME

PLEASE RETURN AT 3:32P.M. FOR OSU/IOWA( IN EVENT I HAVE A RECOMMENDATION)

MORE ON FRESNO ST.-BOISE ST. AND, MORE ON HOT STREAKS!

LaTech scored 20 points at Boise St. They did it with a nice running game that night, and, a mediocre passing game. Okay, they did lose 49-20, but, they played the Broncos fairly tough. Fresno St.'s defense is at least equal to LaTech's defense, but, the Bulldog running game, and QB play is superior to LaTech's. Factor in coach Pat Hill's teams playing well in road-dog situations(20-14 in that role coming into this year), and a recommendation on Fresno St. is justified.
I gave out an over the totals recommendation, because I believe Boise St. will score on Fresno St., and as I mentioned earlier, if LaTech can score 20 points with less offensive weapons than Fresno St. has( RB Rouse of Fresno has gained 100 yards four games in a row, including over 200 yards his last two games), I believe Fresno can put up at least 24 points, and, that should be enough to get us the over. I know Boise St. will put points on the board.

Other hot streak stories: I was having a particularly good year some years back, prior to the start of the College Edge, and as I was prone to do, I'd give my picks out to those who'd ask me for them. Well, it turned out one of guys I was giving my picks to, was in turn, giving my picks out to a bunch of his friends. One day, one of the neighborhood bookies called me to his "place of business" and calmly asked me to sit down. Now, I didn't owe the guy any money, and, I didn't think I had anything to fear. During the course of our "friendly" conversation, it was brought to my attention that the local neighborhood bookie was getting killed by that guy I was giving my picks to,and,unbeknownst to me, he was also getting trounced by a bunch of this guy's friends. I was asked in a " friendly manner, " if I could stop giving my picks out to the neighborhood guys. His urging would probably have been enough for me to stop giving out my picks, but, it didn't hurt when I was also offered a fee for each of my college picks for the rest of the year. Let's just say I didn't give my picks out to the neighborhood guys the rest of that year.

TOMORROW: Call 267-752-3343 at 11:50p.m. for my 12:00p.m. recommendations.

FRESNO ST. AT BOISE ST.- PLUS - WHEN YOU ARE HOT, WRITE ABOUT IT

FRESNO ST. AT BOISE ST. at the end of this article, but, first, the little hot roll we're on brings back memories of hot streaks past:
The best streak I can remember having was one from about five years ago when I hit 14 bowl games in a row. The great part about it was it came pretty much at the of the year, and I never had a chance to give any of those winnings back. It made me a nice chunk of change for the year, and it's pretty much cash that stayed in my pocket, because, as some of you may know, college football is the only sport I do serious wagering on...
One year I got off to a fantastic start, and decided I wanted to expand my horizons. I contacted the Gold Sheet people( I have Gold Sheets going all the way back to 1980) because I have always respected the information they offer, and the honest way they seem to present it. I offered to send them my picks for the balance of the year, bragging to them how great a year I was having(I'm sure they believed every word I told them), and hoping they'd see my talent, and offer me a position as a handicapper. Well, I proceeded to have probably the worst five week stretch I've ever had in my life. I never heard from them again. By the way, I don't use the Gold Sheet for their picks. The publication is just a tremendous source of information...
I'm out of time,but, more stories on hot streaks to come.

FRESNO ST. AT BOISE ST. : REASONINGS TO IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE, so please come back for more stories on hot streaks past, and my reasons for the folllowing recommendations:

ONE STAR PLAYS ON FRESNO ST. AND THE OVER IN THE SAME GAME

FRESNO ST. AT BOISE ST.

C'mon, you guys didn't really think I'd be ready at 9:00p.m., did you? I only had all day to work on this game.
Well, it's the only game on the schedule tonight, so, I'm sure taking MY TIME.
I'll be back at 9:20p.m.!

AIR FORCE AT UNLV

I lean to UNLV in this game. They showed they are still playing when they beat Wyoming last week. Also, in last two games at home vs. Air Force, they've covered. Still, UNLV is a bad team, and I just can't bring myself to make a recommendation on a team that lost to CSU by 33 points!

I lean to the over in the game, but, at the present posted number of 56-57, these two teams have gone under that number 9 out of 13 times. I don't want to go against that trend.

The bottom line is I don't feel comfortable making a recommendation on this game. UNLV isn't that good, but, they are home. Air Force is pretty good, but, they've already clinched a bowl and they are on the road. I'll just tune in, and, enjoy watching the Falcon option.

REMINDER: 1/2 hour before the start of Fresno St-Boise St. game, call for our recommendation (s?) on the game.

UCLA AT WASHINGTON - PLUS - SAM'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLAGE PART II

UCLA AT WASHINGTON at the end of this article, but, first:

SAM'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLAGE, PART II: put Nebraska at near the top of the list of "most over-rated" teams in the BCS standings...Credit to Alabama for not letting down to Mississippi St. last week. The Tide had every reason to let-down after being eliminated from the championship picture the week before. Another reason why Saban's such a great coach...Is the Notre Dame win over Utah an indication that Brian Kelly's team is starting to respond to the new coach's system(which I know they will, eventually), or, an indication that Utah was vastly overrated? I suspect it's more the latter...Another indication of how difficult it is for teams to defense the service academy options: Kent St. had, I believe, the best defense against the run in the NCAA(okay, I know, they are from the MAC). They play Army, they can't stop the option, and they lose. Love those service academy options!!!MORE COLLAGE TO COME......

UCLA AT WASHINGTON:
This is assignment Thursday, just like it was in the Ohio-Temple game Tuesday evening. If QB Jake Locker of Washington is starting( right now, he's listed as probable), the Huskies are a recommendation over UCLA. With Locker, I just believe Washington has too much offense, and UCLA just will not be able to keep up. UCLA's QB Breuhart will be good. He's just not there yet.
Also, check in to see if the wind will be a problem. Even if it's raining, no problem. But, if it's windy, no totals recommendation. So, our recommendations, based on my assignments:

ONE STAR PLAYS ON WASHINGTON AND THE OVER IN THE SAME GAME.( by the way, this is Locker's last game at home. Extra incentive exists).

UCLA AT WASHINGTON AT 7:50P.M.

BOWLING GREEN AT TOLEDO- PLUS - SAM'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLAGE( A MADCAP REVIEW OF LAST WEEK'S COLLEGE ACTION)

East Carolina plays crappy defense,but, they sure can score. QB Davis, the transfer from B.C., I believe started out as a wide receiver with the Eagles. He has been phenomenol at the QB spot for the Pirates. We gave out E.C. last week vs. UAB. They trailed early in the 4th qtr., 34-42. I was not worried because I knew E.C. could put points up in a hurry. Final score: E.C. 52 UAB 42. An interesting note about new Pirate coach McNeil. Even though he was a defensive coordinator at his last job, maybe the team he was on wore off on him, offensively. McNeil was the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech under offensive genius, Mike Leach...West Virginia pounced on Cincy last week.TOO LATE MOUNTAINEERS! You and the Pitt Panthers each had a chance to bring respectability to the Big East, and each of you lost to UConn. Your conference stinks, and, you all should turn down a BCS Bowl invite. In fact, accept the bid. Anything that makes the BCS playoff system look bad is FINE WITH ME...Can you imagine Syracuse in one of the Major BCS Bowls? It can happen. The Orange are having a nice comeback year, but, wouldn't that be embarrassing???

Northwestern had one of the more dynamic QBs in the Big 10, if not the NCAA in Dan Persa. The Wildcats clinched a bowl bid with their win over Iowa. The trouble is Persa had a season-ending injury, and the Wildcats must now turn to a probable freshman to finish the season. I think that's one bowl game I look forward to handicapping...I will reiterate what I wrote the other day: it was a disgrace that the linemakers posted Michigan as a 13-point favorite at Purdue. The Wolverines have one of the worst defenses in the country, and there is no way they should have been that big a favorite in a conference road game. It is funny what pisses me off...Good old Ron Zook of Illinois. Just when you thought he might be actually coaching up in a pretty decent way, he jars you back to reality. His team should have trounced a horrible Minnesota team at home. Instead, he probably had his team needlessly overconfident, and they somehow lost. Good old Ron Zook...
Part 2 of Sam's College Football Collage tomorrow.

BOWLING GREEN AT TOLEDO:

Bowling Green has had little success running, or, throwing the ball this year. Toledo starts a freshman in only his second start since Toledo's starting QB Dantin was lost for the season to injury. In a rivalry matchup, Bowling Green will probably come to play, and if they do, they'll have to lead with their defense, which is better than their offense. So, because B.Green's offense is very sub-par, and, I believe Toledo plays it close-to-the-vest with its freshman QB, my recommendation is:
ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER
I lean to Bowling Green in the rivalry matchup, but, their offense has been so putrid this year, I will stay away from a side in the game.

MIAMI,OH AT AKRON: NO PLAY

I tried to find out if Miami QB Dysart was playing tonight. He was listed as questionable. Without knowing for sure if he is playing, I can't make a sound recommendation tonight.

BOWLING GREEN AT TOLEDO: RECOMMENDATIONS AT 7:30P.M.

MIAMI,OH AT AKRON AT 5:50P.M.: THIS GAME STARTS AT 6:00P.M.

With last night's two winning recommendations, WE ARE NOW ON A 14-3 ROLL SINCE LAST TUESDAY, NOV. 9th!!!!!!!
Take the time to read my Ohio-Temple synopsis. It was right on.

OHIO AT TEMPLE

You will need to do some work tonight. If QB Boo Jackson is playing tonight(Ohio), then I have two recommendations. If he is not, and his status is questionable, then there is no recommendation on either the total or side. If Jackson is playing:

ONE STAR RECOMMENDATIONS ON:

OHIO
THE OVER IN THE OHIO-TEMPLE GAME

Ohio's coach Solich has a good team this year and tonight's game, which I will attend, will be a good one, whether Jackson plays or not. With a good team, his very good record as a road, conference underdog comes into play. That record is a stellar 10-3 the last 4 years. AGAIN, MAKE SURE JACKSON IS PLAYING BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

SAM'S COLLEGE EDGE...EDGES: HANDICAPPING AND GAMBLING HIGHLIGHTS(LOWLIGHTS?) FROM LAST WEEK

The College Edge recommendation on tonight's Skins-Eagles game at the end of this article, but, for the first time ever, our new feature, Sam's College Edge...Edges:

Sharp Edges: My best recommendation last week didn't win me one dime. What it did, was keep me from losing one dime. In the 3:30p.m. recommendations, I gave out Rutgers. I commented that if the spread was +2.5 points, I would recommend buying the .5 point, making the spread Rutgers +3 against Syracuse. I got a very nice push. Why? Final Score: Syracuse 13, Rutgers 10...I did the same with the South Carolina Gamecocks, buying a half point and making my pick, South Carolina, a +7 recommendation instead of a +6.5 pick. Didn't need the extra point. We won easily...I said on my phone line that I thought Indiana was due to get romped. They had played pretty horribly in their prior two games, but, somehow, kept those games close, and were due to get killed. But, 83-20? Just a note on that game, or, more to the point, on coaches like Bret Bielma of Wisconsin. My non-handicapping side says Bielma was a rotten dude throwing the ball for a TD with a 59-point lead. My handicapping side tells me Bielma will normally not let up when he has a big lead. I might now be more willing to lay big points with Wisconsin, and Bielma, knowing he will be less likely to allow an opponent a chance for a back-door cover. Nice guy, coach Chris Petersen of Boise St., almost cost us an easy win Friday night. He took starting QB Moore out at the end of the third quarter. The new QB almost immediately fumbled a ball into the end zone for a TD, and then, after his continued futility, Idaho almost scored again from inside the 15, with less than a minute in the game, causing heart palpitations from yours truly, and my trusty followers. Where do you fall in the discussion? Do you want your coaches to be ruthless(ala Steve Spurrier when he was at Florida), or gentlemanly(like JoePa has been at Penn St.???

We won both the totals and side recommendations on that clash of the Titans Wednesday night, Miami of Ohio vs. Bowling Green. That game went almost exactly as predicted. The next day, one of my friends who follows me, said I was lucky. If the game wasn't played in the fog, he said, it would've gone way over the total. WHAT A JOKE! Do you have any idea( I'm sure you do), how many games I've lost because of a goofy bounce, or, a goofy call, or, a goofy injury? Win, or lose, I give a completed game a couple of minutes of thought, I consider what I might learn from the results, and I move on. If I was lucky, and I don't agree I was in that game, so what. It just makes up for the times I was unlucky, and lost...I was actually pissed at the audacity of the linemakers posting Michigan as a 13-point favorite in a conference road game at Purdue. And, I'm just as baffled the supposed wise guys didn't drive that line down. On principle, I will recommend against a team that has one of the worst defenses, not only in the Big 10, but in the whole darn NCAA. Okay, the Wolverines did win by 11, making the pick dangerously close to going down, but, I assure you, if I had to do again, I WOULD. Michigan's defense is absolutely atrocious!!!

I left my house early Saturday afternoon thinking I had gone 3-2 in my 12:00p.m. games. Later that night, I was talking to another friend who follows my games. He congratulated me on my 12:00 picks. I thanked him, and said 3-2 in the early games was nice after going 5-1 on my weekday games. My friend corrected me, and said I had gone 4-1. Here's what happened: I left my house with the score in the KSU-Missouri at 14-38 in the 4th quarter. I was so sure it was a loser, I never even checked the final. At about 10:00p.m. Saturday night, I found out from my buddy, that what was once a loser, was, in fact an ego-inflating, comeback win. My favorite coach, Bill Snyder, and his team, the Kansas St. Wildcats, scored 14 late points and gave me, and my followers, a 12-3 record on the week, instead of 11-4. I love Bill Snyder! Final score KSU 28, Missouri 38( yeah, I wish KSU would've won outright, but..........)

Dull Edges:I picked Pitt over UConn Thursday evening, figuring one of these goofy Big East teams would step to the front, and pridefully try to represent their floundering conference. NOT! I should just realize the conference stinks, and no one has the ability to step up. I again went against coach Randy Edsall for the second time in three weeks, in situations where Edsall had very good records against the spread( prior to the Pitt game, Edsall was 8-3 as a conference, home-dog). I chose to overlook Edsall's spread success, and paid the price...I would probably pick the South Carolina-Florida again to go over( the totals spread was 51.5; the final score was 36-14) again. I'd probably stubbornly believe that QB Brantley of Florida had to play better than he did in the game. It's hard to get through this thick skull that this isn't the Florida squad we've been used to seeing. I have to admit, it is fun watching perennial powers Florida and Texas struggling like we've never seen!

Rich's NFL Recommendation Tonight:
REDSKINS

SOUTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA

ONE STAR PLAYS:

SOUTH CAROLINA

OVER IN THE SAME GAME

HAVING A GOOD DAY SO FAR. HOPE YOU ARE A PART OF IT!

3:30p.m. Plays:

ONE STAR PLAYS:

RUTGERS
THE UNDER IN THE RUTGERS-SYRACUSE GAME
THE OVER IN THE AUBURN-GEORGIA GAME


N.B. Syracuse has been a favorite one time on the road in the last five years!

CHECK IN AT 3:20P.M. FOR 3:30P.M. GAMES

Last night's Boise St. win puts us at 5-1 going into today's games for the week. Let's hope we can keep it going. See you at 3:20p.m.

BOISE ST. VS. IDAHO

Idaho has shown no propensity to run the ball, AT ALL. They also have a sub-par passing attack. Without at least a threat to be able to run the ball, I just don't see how Idaho will have any consistency in their attack, and that will be disastrous against a very good defense in Boise St., and a defense that will probably play the entire game in search of valuable style points. Idaho's defense has also been poor , at best, and that's another bad omen for the Vandals, as they are playing one of the best offenses in the country.
Add all these to the fact Boise St. is still in search of style points in their quest for a national championship bid, and we like the Broncos tonight.

ONE STAR PLAY ON THE BOISE ST. BRONCOS

BOISE ST. VS. IDAHO AT 8:50P.M.

EAST CAROLINA AT UAB - PLUS - SAM'S MUSINGS ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

East Carolina at UAB to come, but, first, some thoughts: No, I would not vote for Newton for Heisman right now...Kellen Moore gets my vote right now... I want TCU or Boise in BCS championship, so I hope Auburn is distracted by all the hulabaloo...Just keep in mind Iowa plays good defense, but, their pass defense has let them down at times this year. They play a good passing offense in Northwestern...How about another high totals recommendation on Baylor/A&M? That game may go into the 80s... Did I write here that one mistake coach Hawkins made at Colorado was establishing his own son as the starting QB three years ago. BIG MISTAKE!!!My buddy, Ant, told me at the beginning of the year to bet against Memphis every week. Not sure how bad they've been, but this week they play Marshall. See how my buddy does...Cal has played horribly on the road, but, great at home. This week they play Oregon at home. They can't beat Or ahhhh, no way....How about a bubble-burst for PSU this week...CUSA 100 point total alert: Tulsa vs. Houston.

East Carolina at UAB:

East Carolina has the much better offense, and though the Pirate defense stinks, UAB's defense isn't much better, and the UAB offense simply can not score with the EC productive offense. E.C. was embarrased last week, and I think their offense responds.

EAST CAROLINA IN A TWO STAR PLAY OVER UAB

PITT AT UCONN

Dangerous going against UCONN when they are playing home, but, I just think Pitt is the better team, and the team on a potential roll(they've won and covered their last 3 games, they've covered their last 5 games). Pitt is very good against the run; that's the only thing UConn does fairly well on offense. On offense, Pitt has a two-headed monster at RB, and UConn has played sub-par defense against the run. QB Sunseri of Pitt is also playing better at his position than his counterpart at QB at UConn.
TWO STAR PLAY ON PITT

EAST CAROLINA AT UAB COMING AT 7:45P.M.

PITT - UCONN AT 7:25P.M.

MIAMI,OH VS. BOWLING GREEN - PLUS - SAM'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLAGE

The Miami-Bowling Green game will be discussed later in this article,but, first, what you've been waiting for: Sam's College Football Collage( a madcap review of last week's college football week).

We should have known college football would be in for an unusually high-scoring, goofy week when Air Force outscored Army in a normally low-scoring series, 42-22. Oh yeah, I did give out that game as an under play...Isn't it nice having the over in one of the highest scoring games of all time. Final score: Michigan 67, Illinois 65. Geez!!! I will again make the point that one of the handicapping factors you look for at this time of year is which teams are on a roll, and which teams are on a negative roll. Teams in the former category may be: Pitt, UCF, PSU, OkSt.(yeah, I know, I picked the 'Boys as one of my worst teams of the year. It's not my fault the other Cowboys decided to take that lead), BYU, TEMPLE, and V.T.
Teams on a possible negative roll may be: Wake Forest, Minny, COLORADO. Yo, things could change this week. The challenge is trying to figure which will or won't.

Syracuse gets on a possible roll. Then they face Louisville at home, with a great opportunity to stay in Big East contention. What do they do? They lose. Teams like Syracuse and Louisville simply need to get that winning culture back. In both cases, it hasn't happened yet...I didn't even get a chance to be amazed that PSU scored 35 straight points to get the win and cover vs. Northwestern, when Kansas scored 35 points in the FOURTH QUARTER to defeat Colorado 52-45. This bears repeating: Kansas trailed Colorado 17-45 with 13:30 left in that game. A Jayhawk team, that up to that point in the season showed no propensity to score, scored 35 friggin' points! IN THE FOURTH QUARTER! Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, who once did a great job at Boise St., was, SURPRISE, fired on Monday. By the way, what the heck happened to Hawkins' coaching ability???


I have no idea what the line on the Fla-South Carolina is, but, I'll guarantee you the line is out of whack. South Carolina went into the Arkansas game knowing no matter what happened, they still had to beat Florida to win the SEC East. Conversely, Florida blew out a bad Vandy team. That line is probably more in favor of Florida than it should be. It'll be fun doing the game to see if I'm right...How does a team that runs the option manage to score 76 points? Navy did it this past Saturday vs. East Carolina. The only way that could have happened is if the Pirates had absolutely no clue how to stop the service academy option attack. Believe me, they had no clue...My worst nightmare is Oregon and Auburn both losing( don't think Oregon St. can't beat the Ducks), and TCU plays Boise St in the championship game. I want TCU, or, Boise St. to play Oregon or Auburn, and I want the Frogs, or, Broncos to kick BCS BUTT...I thought Nebraska's strength this year would be their defense. You don't give up 30 points to ISU, and, 41 points to Ok.St., and still deserve the title of "good defense." They now must count on a freshman QB, and the offense he leads, to take the Huskers to its zenith this year. I don't think it will happen. By the way, my bad. I gave out Nebraska last Saturday. I did not know QB Martinez would be out. Very painful when I found out that news...

I thought A&M might have the best QB in the Big 12 in senior Jerrod Johnson. Man, was I wrong. He just couldn't help turning the ball over. They turned to a former wide receiver, Ryan Tanneyhill( didn't Ok.St do that with last year's QB Zac Robinson), and now the Aggies are on a roll. Who would've figured???Texas' kids must've just quit, just like their pro counterpart down the road. No way a team with the best recruited athletes IN THE COUNTRY should lose like they're losing. Down 0-39 to KSU? As you all know, I love coach Snyder of KSU, but even I think 0-39 is ridiculous...No gloating here, but, I did write that Alabama would not survive the loss of so many starters on defense. I was VERY HAPPY( and surprised) to see the Tide go down vs. LSU...Finally, I hope TCU doesn't take SanDiego St. lightly. Any team that has Rocky Long on its coaching staff is dangerous. Long is the former coach of New Mexico, and, presently is the defensive coordinator of the Aztecs. He is one of my favorite coaches.

MIAMI,OH. VS. BOWLING GREEN

Both teams have shown almost no ability to run the ball. In 15 games between them, in only two of those games did either team average even 3.6 y.p.c. Bowling Green has shown almost no ability to throw the ball. Miami, thank goodness, will provide some offense tonight with a marginally successfully passing attack. Both teams have played decent defense, at least in games in conference. All of this adds up to a nice recommendation on the under. By the way, in MAC games these two teams have played in this year, the totals have gone under the present posted number (51) seven out of ten times!

TWO STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER

Bowling Green is weak in almost every category of offense, and defense I look at. The one area in which they are marginally good is pass defense. Miami has the better overall defense, and the better pass offense. Combine these factors with the fact Miami is still in MAC, and Bowl contention, and Bowling Green now has no chance at a bowl( 7 losses), and I make the following recommendation:

ONE STAR PLAY ON MIAMI, OH.

TOLEDO AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Northern Illinois runs the ball well(Look out for fantastic RB Spann, and running QB Harnish); passes the ball well; plays good defense; Toledo's starting QB Dantin out, and I don't think the freshman QB will produce enough to stay with a team that beat Temple handily. And, oh yeah, N.I. Huskies are home.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS IN A ONE STAR PLAY. IT'S THAT MAC TIME OF YEAR!

TOLEDO AT N.I. AT 6:55P.M.

4 TWO STAR PLAYS AND 2 TWO STAR PLAYS AT 3:30P.M.

I love Navy in underdog roles when they play a team that plays bad defense, and rarely sees the option.
TWO STAR PLAY #1

Not sure how ISU can stop Nebraska's offense, particularly the Husker rushing attack. And, Nebraska in major revenge mode, after '09 loss to ISU.
TWO STAR PLAY #2 ON NEBRASKA

Northwestern 10-5 in road dog, conference role, and I have them rated higher than the favored team in this game.
TWO STAR PLAY #3 ON NORTHWESTERN

Utah's toughest opponent was Pitt to date, and, they played a Pitt team whose starting QB was a freshman starting his first game on the road. TCU is simply the better team and should be at least a 7-point favorite.
TWO STAR PLAY #4 ON TCU

ONE STAR PLAYS ON LSU..... AND THE OVER IN THE TCU-UTAH CONTEST.

UCF VS. HOUSTON

Notwithstanding last week's unusually high scoring win vs. East Carolina(49-35), I just like UCF's defense, and 63+ points in the totals is just a bargain for me considering how good UCF's defense plays. Houston's 3rd string QB has done a nice job to date, but, hasn't faced a defense like the Golden Knights. On the other side of the ball, I believe UCF will have its greatest success rushing the ball, and, I'm hoping that kills clock and keeps the score lower. Incidentally, UCF's starting QB Godfrey is also a young starter, and, I don't expect great(modest, maybe) success in the passing game vs. a pretty decent pass defense in Houston.
ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER

I love UCF, but, even coach O'Leary, one of my favorites, is only 3-4 as a road, conference favorite. I think this is a tough spot for a road favorite, so, I'll sit out a side in this game. Should be an interesting CUSA matchup.

G.T. vs.V.T.- PLUS - BREEDER'S CUP CARD

You can sign up for our Breeder's Cup Special right now! It includes Friday's Philly Park card, and Friday's and Saturday's Breeder's Cup Cards. Here is a list of Friday's, and Saturday's Breeder's Cup Races from historic CHURCHILL DOWNS:
Friday, November 5, 2010
Race 5: Breeder's Cup Marathon: Post Time 4:10p.m.
Race 6: Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Post Time 4:50p.m.
Race 7: Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Post Time 5:30p.m.
Race 8: Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies: Post Time 6:10p.m.
Race 9: Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Turf: Post Time 6:50p.m.
Race 10: Breeder's Cup Ladies' Classic: Post Time 7;30p.m.

Saturday, November 6, 2010
Race 4: Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf: Post Time 1:50p.m.
Race 5: Breeder's Cup Sprint: Post Time 2:30p.m.
Race 6: Breeder's Cup Turf Sprint: Post Time 3:15p.m.
Race 7: Breeder's Cup Juvenile: Post Time 3:55p.m.
Race 8: Breeder's Cup Mile: Post Time 4:40p.m.
Race 9: Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile: Post Time 5:20p.m.
Race 10: Breeder's Cup Turf: Post Time 6:00p.m.
Race 11: Breeder's Cup Classic: Post Time 6:45p.m.

I'm Pumped!!!!

GEORGIA TECH VS. VIRGINIA TECH:
Coach Johnson of Georgia Tech is a stellar 3-2 as a conference road-dog with G.T., and 6-2 in the road dog role at Navy. Because of that, I think his team will come to play tonight vs. V.T. The way they will have to stay with V.T. is from the offensive side of the ball. The Hokies lost another starter on defense, and they now have only 3 starters back on defense. G.T. should score on V.T.
Conversely, G.T.'s defense has been far from stellar this year, and V.T. should be able to score easily tonight as well.
ONE STAR PLAY ON THE OVER
A lean to G.T. tonight, but, not willing to make a formal recommendation on that because of G.T.'s poor defense to date.

RUTGERS- USF

Neither team runs the ball well; neither team passes the ball well, notwithstanding USF's minor passing break-out game vs. Cincy; both teams play pretty decent defense.
ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER

Coach Schiano a stellar 8-3 in last five years as road, conference, underdog. USF played one decent game this year in its win over Cincy, and suddenly, USF's a 10 point favorite over a very comparable Rutgers team. I don't buy it.

ONE STAR PLAY ON RUTGERS

BREEDER'S CUP SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE! ONLY $10.00!

PHILLY PARK: RACE 4 THRU RACE 10

BREEDER'S CUP SPECIAL COMING: STAY TUNED. MORE PICKS FROM PHILLY PARK:

Race 4: 4-1-2-5
Race 5: 6-3-5-7
Race 6: 1-3-4-5
Race 7: 8-5-6-9
Race 8: 5-6-2-1
Race 9: 9-1A-6-7
Race 10: 5-2-8-6

GOOD LUCK!

TODAY'S PICKS FROM PHILLY PARK - AND OUR BREEDER'S CUP OFFER

Enjoy today's picks from Philly Park compliments of the College Edge, and our expert, DAN!
Also, we will offer the full BREEDER'S CUP CARD( FRIDAY AND SATURDAY), PLUS FRIDAY'S PHILLY PARK CARD FOR ONLY $10.00. STAY TUNED FOR OUR OFFER POSTED RIGHT HERE BY 12:00P.M. TOMORROW. NOW, TODAY'S PICKS:
Race 1:4-3-6-7
Race 2: 3-7-2-4
Race 3: 11-1-6-5

RACE 4 THRU RACE 10 IMMEDIATELY TO COME

TODAY'S PICKS FROM PHILLY PARK WILL BE HERE AT 12:20P.M.