2010 College Football Week 1 Picks: One thing that really gets me excited about college football is I get the opportunity to make game picks. And my favorite way to pick games is to do it "off the cuff". I find that main stream sports media pretty much tells the public what it wants to hear. They also love to hype traditional teams. There is nothing more enjoyable for me than to buck the trends.
As I look down Thursday's betting board, the games that excite me, are Southern Miss at South Carolina and Minnesota at Middle Tennessee. The Gamecocks are 13 1/2 point favorites down from opening at -14 versus the Golden Eagles. Pundits are working hard to sell South Carolina this year and I'm not buying – yet. Lets see what happens in this game before I jump on any Gamecock band wagon. I'm picking Southern Miss +13 1/2.
Sportsbooks, both in Las Vegas and offshore, jumped on the Blue Raiders when betting opened on Monday favoring the Sun Belt school by as much as -5 1/2. When word got out that MTSU's starting quarterback will miss the game, the odds took a polar shift to favor the Golden Gophers by -2 1/2. I agree with that assessment; My pick – Minnesota by 2 1/2.
I'm a little intrigued that Southern Cal is favored by -21 at Hawai'i. Especially after the mass exodus from the Trojan program I saw since the NCAA handed down sanctions earlier this year. Either Hawaii is really bad or USC is over lined. I think the latter is true. My pick – Hawai'i +21.
On Friday Arizona travels to Toledo in a Pac-10 vs. MAC war. Something tells me that points will be scored in droves. I'm picking OVER 60.
Missouri and Illinois play their arch-rivalry game for the last time at the – not-so-neutral – indoor turf of the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis early Saturday afternoon. Sportsbook.com lists the Tigers as 11 1/2-chalk favorites in this one. I like Missouri's explosivness and Illinois has lots to prove. I'm picking Mizzou -11 1/2.
Colorado is favored by a dozen versus Colorado State in their annual trek to Denver. I'm all over the Rams +12 in this one; take the OVER (46 1/2) too.
Northwestern travels to play Vanderbilt in a clash of BIG TEN/SEC private schools. The Wildcats are favored by -5 1/2 with a 44 total. I can't recommend Northwestern enough in this one. These programs are going in opposite directions.
Purdue travels to South Bend to play the most over hyped school in the land, Notre Dame. I'm selling and going with Purdue +11.
Michigan is favored over Connecticut by a field goal (-3). The Huskies are no slouch but I really think the Wolverines will have a chip on their shoulder this year. They'd better; I like Michigan -3.
Kentucky travels up Interstate 64 to Louisville on Saturday to play this annual hate game with the Cardinals. This is also the head coaching debut of two coaches, Joker Phillips at Kentucky and Charlie Strong at Louisville. I like Kentucky in this one favored by -3.
North Carolina is ranked higher but LSU gets the nod from oddsmakers. Sportsbook lists the Tigers favorites by 4 in this one at the Georgia Dome. North Carolina will be ready; Tar Heels are the pick here +4.
Texas Tech is lined a two touchdown favorite (-14) when they host old nemesis SMU at Jones Stadium in Lubbock on Sunday. SMU is on the rise and we don't really know what going on at Tech. Take the Ponys +14.
We must wait all the way to Monday for the most anticipated game of opening day – Boise State vs. Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. The Broncos return 21 of 22 starters this year and that's bad news for the Hokies. BSU is favored by -2 with a posted total of 50. Boise State is the Pick and the score will fall UNDER 50 in what will be a defensive battle.
Get a 50% Deposit Bonus and $25 Free Bet at Sportsbook.com, simply use promo code WIN100 and start winning today!
