There is no doubt that the last couple of weeks have been disappointing for the College Football picks, but there have been plenty of bad breaks to complain about. There was nothing worse than watching Michigan blow not one, not two but FOUR chances to win the game against Penn State last week and that has almost certainly ended the Wolverines chances of making it to the National Championship Game.
Hopefully the luck will change around and I will now see some positive bounces in favour of the picks, even in undeserved situations as the last two weeks have had some games end in losing picks which should have covered comfortably.
Georgia Bulldogs @ Vanderbilt Commodores Pick: Injuries have hurt the Georgia Bulldogs and pretty much ended their chances of playing for the National Championship, but they can still make waves in the SEC East if they can run the table.
Todd Gurley is expected back in the line up for the Bulldogs and his presence from the Running Back position should make life more comfortable for the whole Offense to move the chains for Georgia. Aaron Murray is one of the better Quarter Backs in the nation and should find easier passing lanes if Gurley is back and establishing the run against the Commodores Defense that has allowed 4.6 yards per carry.
Vanderbilt should also have their success passing the ball as that is an area Georgia have really struggled this season, but the Bulldogs may get enough pressure up front to at least slow down some drives and that could be the difference between the teams.
It will also be harder for Vanderbilt to run the ball against Georgia and a one-dimensional Offense may not do enough to cover the spread.
Texas Tech Red Raiders @ West Virginia Mountaineers Pick: The two Head Coaches will know each other very well as former colleagues and this should be a fun Big 12 Conference game.
Both Offenses will be throwing the ball with success in this one, although the Red Raiders will feel they can get more pressure up front on the Quarter Back, while the West Virginia Secondary may feel they will have more opportunities to turn the ball over with Interceptions.
The difference may be that Texas Tech should have a little more success establishing a ground attack of the two teams and having that extra crease to their Offense should help the Red Raiders roll and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Texas Tech do have Oklahoma on deck, but they should be focused against a dangerous opponent on the road and I like them to cover.
Ohio Bobcats @ Eastern Michigan Eagles Pick: The Ohio Bobcats will be kicking themselves for the mistakes that blighted them last week in the loss against Central Michigan, but the MAC East is not out of their reach just yet.
It will be if they fail to win their next two games against two of the weaker teams in the Conference, especially as Ohio have to visit both Buffalo and Bowling Green in consecutive weeks.
For now, Tyler Tettleton should have things working for him in this game against an Eastern Michigan Eagles Defense that has given up plenty of points so far. As long as the Quarter Back and his team avoid the mistakes that plagued them last week, they should be able to continue putting up big points that they had been if you take out the Louisville game.
I also think Eastern Michigan could struggle to sustain drives and there is every chance that Ohio will force mistakes to give them the extra possessions to win this game and cover the spread.
If the Ohio Bobcats Defense can continue getting after the Quarter Back, it will be tough for the Eagles to move the chains and I'll back the Bobcats in this one.
UCLA Bruins @ Stanford Cardinal Pick: This is a big Pac-12 game for both schools and it will be interesting to see how Stanford recover from a really disappointing loss last week in Utah.
While the Cardinal have been effective when they have the ball, there has to be a real concern with the way the pass Defense has played, especially now they come up against Brett Hundley who has shown what he is capable of through the first 5 games for UCLA.
The Bruins should have success moving the ball through the air and the importance of looking after the ball cannot be lost on them. It will also be very important for UCLA to try and limit the Stanford run game to a point where they are forcing Kevin Hogan to make the big plays to keep the chains moving.
UCLA do have a couple of mental demons to exorcise against Stanford following their two losses last season against them. However, they will feel better about this season and the Cardinal are coming off a devastating loss to Utah.
Add the fact that they haven't been a strong home favourite since Andrew Luck was Drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and I will take the points in this one.
Indiana Hoosiers @ Michigan Wolverines Pick: I have been disappointed by a couple of the Michigan Wolverines performances this season, but last week was a travesty that they didn't win that game against Penn State after holding a big lead in the fourth quarter and then missing a ridiculous four chances to win the game either at the end of regulation or in overtime.
It will be hard for them to get back up for this game against Indiana, but Michigan might have been feeling the pressure of potentially getting involved in the National Championship discussion. With that almost completely wiped out, the Wolverines still have the opportunity to win the Big Ten title and that should get them going.
Playing in front of a huge crowd at home will help as will playing an opponent that is coming off a physical loss at Michigan State. Brady Hoke's Wolverines have also won 22 straight home games and have been a strong favourite at home since this Head Coach took over.
Indiana shouldn't be under-estimated as they can score a lot of points, but they might be made one-dimensional this week and it is tough to avoid the pressure that Michigan will send at Nate Sudfield. I'll still trust Michigan to recover and cover the spread with a double digit win.
Arkansas Razorbacks @ Alabama Crimson Tide Pick: A team like Arkansas which is rebuilding has to take a few shots in the mouth in a Conference like the SEC and that has been the case for the team the last couple of weeks. Now they face the Alabama Crimson Tide who look to continue setting the standard for every other team in the nation.
It will be tough for Arkansas to rally from the loss to South Carolina last week and I can see Alabama using TJ Yeldon to pound them into submission before AJ McCarron uses the deep pass to finish them off.
That will make it tough for Brandon Allen to keep up if he has to start throwing the ball more against this Crimson Tide Defense and it may end up being a long day in the office for Arkansas on both sides of the ball.
Alabama haven't been the most trust-worthy home favourite over the last couple of years as the layers generally put more points on them with the public looking to back the Crimson Tide. However, they may be facing an exhausted team and the Crimson Tide should have enough motivation to record another easy victory in the SEC, although they have some bigger tests still to come this season.
Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers Pick: There is absolutely no surprise at all that this was the game that was picked as the live game for the nation to enjoy as there is so much reward for the winner with the ACC Championship in their control as well as potentially getting into the mix for the National Championship Game.
Both teams should be plenty confident heading into the game as both have played very well this season- I am not investing too much into Clemson's struggles against Boston College last weekend as they were clearly caught looking ahead to this one.
Tajh Boyd and Jameis Winston will both have success throwing the ball and I do think the Defenses are going to have their hands full with these Quarter Backs. The key to the game could come on whether Clemson can generate the pass rush they have in earlier games and try to rattle Winstone while also slowing down the Florida State rush attack.
The added experience of the home Quarter Back as well as Clemson's experiences of playing the big games they have over the last twelve months and that may give the Tigers the edge. Clemson will feel disrespected in being set as the home underdog and this is actually a position where Florida State haven't excelled over the last two seasons.
Clemson have also been winning their home games against Florida State in recent years and I like the Tigers with the points.
Oregon State Beavers @ California Golden Bears Pick: The Oregon State Beavers are not usually a good road to back, but I do think they can compound the problems for the California Golden Bears in this Pac-12 Conference game.
Sonny Dykes will need some time at California to get his message across to the his new team, but this should still be a fun game to watch for the fans as both teams are at their best when they air the ball out.
The difference will come from the fact that Oregon State have managed to get to the Quarter Back and that has also led to the Secondary being able to pick of Interceptions and the likely extra possessions should give the Beavers a chance to cover despite this being over the 10 point spread mark.
The California pass Defense has also been more susceptible to the big play and I think the Beavers will find a way to cover, possibly with a late Interception sealing the deal.
MY PICKS: Georgia Bulldogs - 6.5 Points @ 1.92 Coral (1 Unit)
Texas Tech Red Raiders - 5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Ohio Bobcats - 16.5 Points @ 1.92 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
UCLA Bruins + 4.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Michigan Wolverines - 9.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Alabama Crimson Tide - 29 Points @ 1.92 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Clemson Tigers + 3.5 Points @ 1.92 Coral (1 Unit)
Oregon State Beavers - 10.5 Points @ 1.92 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Week 7: 3-6, - 3.26 Units (9 Units Staked, - 36.22% Yield)
Week 6: 3-5, - 2.08 Units (8 Units Staked, - 26% Yield)
Week 5; 6-2, + 3.66 Units (8 Units Staked, + 45.75% Yield)
Week 4: 2-6, - 4.08 Units (8 Units Staked, - 51% Yield)
Week 3: 5-2-1, + 2.77 Units (8 Units Staked, + 34.63% Yield)
Week 2: 6-2, + 3.55 Units (8 Units Staked, + 44.38% Yield)
Week 1: 4-3, + 0.74 Units (7 Units Staked, + 10.57% Yield)
Season 2013: 29-26-1, + 1.30 Units (56 Units Staked, + 2.32% Yield)
Season 2012: 54-59-1 - 7.11 Units (114 Units Staked, - 6.24% Yield)
Season 2011: 63-36, + 23.25 Units (99 Units Staked, + 23.5% Yield)
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