While Georgia and their freshman QB, "upset" (was it really a upset?) Notre Dame, I say Notre Dame will not win 5 games this season.The Notre Dame coach seems to be a weird dude (just watch his press conferences). Notre Dame fans were furious as to why their best running back did not play? Last year his excuse was, I don't have time to raise money." "I'm a Head Football Coach."
Don't get to high on USC yet, as Stanford who was very disappointing defensively, certainly scored too many for me against a USC team that thinks they belong in the Final Four.
Don't think Tulane is not vastly improved, as they very well could have beat Navy straight up. Losing only by two, the Green Wave certainly has improved, even if Navy is no world beater. Tulane as a dog, has yet to impress lines makers and could be a dark horse when it comes to being a moneymaker, particularly when they are "dogs".
While most are trying to figure out is Oklahoma that good or is Ohio St. that bad? Both might be true or false. I think Urban misses the SEC but will never admit it.
BYU might be the worst of the worst. Losing to a unproven L.S.U. team, not by many, they looked worse the next week at home vs. Utah. Fading BYU is no longer a well kept secret.
Finally Auburn is very disappointing. They have about as much of a chance of beating Alabama, as L.S.U. does.
UPDATE: Every "square" and his sister are loving U.C.L.A., but the odds makers did not have to go that low and open the Bruins at -3, as Memphis will give Mr. Rosen all that he wants, as the wise guys grabbed that + 3 and took Memphis. Be careful!
Interestingly, I find it strange that Notre Dame opened up a 15 1/2 point favorites vs. Boston College, and after the "smarts" bought the Eagles all the way down to 13, all the Irish "squares" will probably not even realize the game opened 15 1/2, and will gobble the Notre Dame - 13 up. Be careful Irish fans. Moving that line below a key number like 14, is certainly not done often.
UPDATE, 9/16…..Don't worry if you can't figure out why Kansas St. is ranked No. 16 and is a 4 point favorite over Vanderbilt…you will understand when Vanderbilt (+ 4) beats Kansas St. straight up!
Don't get too excited if you can't figure out why SOUTH CAROLINA is a 6 point favorite over Kentucky; maybe I can help you. Kentucky was in a life and death struggle with Southern Mississippi. 6 points is peanuts when it comes to South Carolina covering this 6 point spread. It will all look crystal clear to you when Kentucky finally gets exposed once and for all after South Carollna blows Kentucky away, by many more than 6 points!
Don't get too excited when L.S.U.'s QB runs for his life all day vs. a much improved, well coached Mississippi St. defense. Don't get too excited when L.S.U.'s QB has tremendous difficulty accumulating passing yardage vs. the Bulldogs. The Tigers will be able to run the ball, as they sure won't be able to throw it for any substantial yardage!
Don't get confused when Oklahoma does not blow Tulane out by the spread! 98% of the OKLAHOMA players never heard of Tulane. Don't be too quick to lay all those points against the Green Wave! Did you know Tulane once played in The Rose Bowl?
Don't be in shock when I tell you MICHIGAN will NOT cover today, 9/16.
Don't be too enthused with Louisville! This is not Pitino's Cardinals! Louisville has not yet proved they are as well rounded as most think they have. Offensively they are not a proven commodity yet. They also seem to have somewhat of a "leaky' defense. Beat somebody like this team you face today; then you can chirp!
Remember, BOSTON COLLEGE IS NO WORLD BEATER, but Notre Dame is starting to rely on "reputation" rather than tough fundamental football. Be careful chalk eaters. If Notre Dame loses this game, they are in serious trouble. But they don'y have to cover. Too many fundamental mistakes, penalties etc. Notre Dame is phony. Covering and winning are two different things.
Final update for 9/16…..Don't let UCLA and the wealthy spoiled surgeon's son, who was born with no humility, and a silver spoon in his mouth, make you believe they can win their conference. Those "homies" from Memphis ain't taken no jive today!
PITTS tongue's will be dragging when this one is over! OKIE ST. a serious football machine!
9/16 updates are over until further notice.
UPDATE: U.C.L.A. didn't let me down. They not only did not cover, but they lost outright. Thank you Rosen.
UPDATE: 9/17 Re: Stanford; what the hell is going on over there?
UDATE: 9/18 Re: TENNESSEE. Don't be fooled by the mistake of one defensive back. I can assure you he has learned his lesson. Tennessee will get better, and "Butch" will keep them motivated. I'm looking to fade Florida, every time I think I have the best of it, as they simply have no passing game. If that Tennesse running back can stay healthy, the Vols will be a moneymaker for you the rest of the way, in several spots.
Re: Stanford and U.C.L.A. 2 teams I want no part of; I never did, but every year I fool myself and think Stanford has a better than average Head Coach. All teams with great talent can make a Head Coach look awful good. This is not the case this year at Stanford. As far as Rosen goes, if you haven't learned your lesson about him, you never will. I told you Memphis was no pushover.
Re: L.S.U. Don't let anyone tell you differently; L.S.U. won't be going bowling at a first class bowling alley.
Re: SURPRISE! A gift for those who were lucky (or smart) enough to read this thread. AIR FORCE + 3 1/2 or more if you can find it over San Diego St. Looks impossible doesn't it? Watch them play Saturday! (You never know what you will find in this thread, but I will say, it can only help, not hurt.)
LAST COLLEGE UPDATE OF THE DAY, 9/18 I just heard Dave Cokin say that "U.C.L.A. lost to Memphis because of the difference in time zones". My goodness Dave! Thats not the Dave Cokin I used to watch on USA TV NETWORK every Saturday. Maybe this is Dave Cokin, Jr. (Dave's son.) If the Dave I used to watch 25 years ago is still working,, he'd be in his 90's. So Dave Jr., if you are Dave Sr.'s son, stop that. Your dad would turn over in his grave. Memphis was one of my "personal" sides I kept for myself. I didn't post it as a selection but sure hinted MEMPHIS would cover, and knocked U.C.L.A. in the UPDATE THREAD! Boy oh boy! The moral of this story is read my update threads in both pro and college football, as some of my best selections can be found in both those threads. Seriously, could someone please tell me if Dave Cokin is still with us, or is this his son on ESPN RADIO? When I was younger, I bought a lot of picks from Mr. Dave.
UPDATE: 9/19 MISSISSIPPI ST. vs. GEORGIA….There are two groups out there with very interesting opinions. Don't get excited yet about either group. First you have the Miss. St. group, who feel that they should never be dogs to Georgia because all Georgia did was go to Notre Dame and beat them straight up with a Bulldog freshman QB, Then, the Miss. St. group thinks they beat a L.S.U. program, who never gets beat that bad. But if you listen to the Georgia backers, they say L.S.U. is right where they belong, out of the Top 20, and it was no surprise (I agree here) that Miss. St. was going to cover and win straight up, over a L.S.U. team that may not get to a decent bowl. I think it was tougher to beat a weak Notre Dame team, than it was to beat another phony team L.S.U. So don't get excited as ESPN is billing this Georgia / Miss. St. game as a primetime special. This a big trap, in pne sense, as did the bookmakers make Georgia the wrong favorite, or is Mississippi St. better and should be favored and not 5 point dogs. In between the hedges in Athens is no small advantage. So all I am saying, is until I know more, I'm not falling for this trap yet. I think I know who the right side is! Do you?
UPDATE: 9/20 Tulane and Army should be a great game! I will probably use this game as a Triple Bet, using a side. Stay tuned to the CFB Forum. Don't guess.
UPDATE: 9/21 Very strange, money starting to show in unusual places, as a few "wise guys" started wagering on Tulane , in both Vegas and Sparks, NV.
UPDATE: 9/25 Don't get too excited about the Georgia Bulldogs. Tennessee has the skill and ability to get the money.
In my update of 9/21, I tried to share my TULANE info with you. If it did not help you, it certainly didn't hurt you. My friends in Sparks, NV., were very helpful to me and hopefully to you.
UPDATE 9/25 (con't) I try to listen to every SEC Radio broadcast over a shortwave radio that I can. Its amazing how a tremendous majority of Tennessee officials, fans and media, all seem to agree that Tennessee Head Coach Butch Davis, is simply not as rational as he should be. If it were not for a significant buyout re: Davis' contract, he would have been bought out by now. Many think if Tennessee does not beat Georgia, he will be gone, (bought out) by seasons end. I feel that Tennessee was looking ahead to Georgia last week when they played that "rinky dink" school, whoever they were. Its no secret that Tennessee was looking ahead to Georgia and here is where the Georgia freshman QB must keep improving. With the running backs Georgia has, he really doesn't need to pass, but in the SEC, anything can happen…even if you have a eccentric coach like Butch Davis. I still favor taking points with Tennessee vs Georgia. Does not mean I will. If it goes to 10 I will. Probably won't see 10
UPDATE 9/26 Wow! Vols +7 1/2. Here come the "Dawgs - 7 1/2 over Vols. Don't get sucked in and lay that ridiculously high number in Knoxville. They will sing "ROCKY TOP" as "'Dawgs "bounce" like a tired race horse.
See 4 other teams that are favored and should NOT be. More to come…….
**One of our winners Saturday past, Tulane, held ARMY to ZERO yards passing for the entire game. I knew Tulane was improved, but no matter who you are or who you are playing, that is a very difficult stat to have on your resume. I'm sure it has happened before, but I sure don't know who the last team before Tulane did it to Army, who else accomplished that feat.
10/21 UPDATE: LEANS ONLY today! Ole Miss +7…..USC +4 1/2…..ALABAMA -36…..AUBURN -15 1/2…..Southern Mississippi -1…..PENN ST. -7 1/2…..ARIZONA -3
10/22 UPDATE: Reflecting briefly on yesterdays 'leans"…….remember, every year, CFB fans start talking about who is going to be in the final four earlier and earlier. Relax! We have a long way to go. Here goes, yesterday's leans: OLE MISS + 7, did not cover, and I was wrong about L.S.U. having a "letdown" after beating Auburn; Rebels, burned up hard earned money, as Rebels simply not deep enough defensively, and Coach O is getting smarter specifically using his assistants, specifically offensively (finally letting his off. coordinator call the plays since the Auburn win). I think he realizes its best to let his offensive coordinator call the plays. I never doubted L.S.U.'s talent, just their coaches.………..USC +4 1/2, did not come close to covering, and this was USC's last chance to prove to me they were contenders not pretenders. Final grade, "F",….. USC has the most over rated QB, along with U.C.L.A.; guess I will give Rosen the nod, but not high on him either in respect to him carrying any team to any championship.……..ALABAMA -36, barely covered; the Tide's performances speak for themselves. Alabama is miles ahead of any team in the country. Its not often Coach Nick takes out a 100 % improved starting QB, for a youngster who has proven nothing, in only the early 3rd quarter leading 28-0. That speaks volumes about this being perhaps the most awesome (deepest at every position), ever in Tide history. This is not me talking, this comes from people like the ex Georgia Head Coach who won the National Championship years ago, Coach Jim D. who said on Paul Finebaum's show Thursday, "this is the deepest, most all around talented ALABAMA team I have ever seen". "As far as anyone in the SEC beating ALABAMA, don't hold your breath". I agree!……Tide still overwhelming favorite, IMO, to win it ALL, as Nick continues to creep closer to sitting at the right of Paul Bryant forever. If I learned anything about betting on Alabama at those huge numbers, its this, its a tad dangerous, as I learned Nick will yank the starters sooner than ever before, as he has more confidence in this teams' backups than any other he has ever coached. Very uncharacteristic of Nick to trust his backups that soon in any game like he did yesterday (even if it was vs. a pitiful Tennessee team). Thats something key to remember when laying the big numbers with Alabama. As the season gets tougher, every chance Nick gets to give his top guns a rest, covering the spread by the Tide is compromised, however, BAMA still has best backups in the country at every position, hands down, to compliment this BAMA team being a big favorite to win it all (a solid favorite)……..AUBURN -15 covered; who didn't figure that? Auburn bounced back vs. rather weak team, but they are good enough to beat anybody in the SEC, including Georgia, but the "Iron Bowl", forget about it. It will be ALABAMA again! Auburn has played too many bad second halfs for me to have any real respect for them from here on…….Southern Mississippi -1, covered, and keeps slowly improving, for a school who will never win convincingly too often; but a team that can win and make you a buck in the right spots like yesterday……PENN ST. -7 1/2 covered and keeps winning with a couple of great players on its well coached team; one a "H" Trophy candidate IMO. Nothing they accomplish would surprise me, except beating Alabama. Ain't gonna happen………ARIZONA -3, did NOT cover; however, they did win by 1 point and Arizona is one of a very few teams I have any respect for in the West.
UPDATE 10/22 (con't) I will not be posting leans every week. BTW, I do NOT think Georgia will finish in the top 4 teams in the country when its all said and done.
UPDATE 10/22 (con't) Is there any chance that Coach John Gruden will come "out of the booth" to become Head Coach at Tennessee? I heard Coach Rob Ryan say when he was interviewed on the Colin Cowherd Show this past week, that he and his brother Rex would be interested in the Tennessee job (Rex as Head Coach and Rob as defensive coordinator).
UPDATE: 10/24 NOTRE DAME coaches really attempting to play the "revenge card" daily, using last years' game films and last years' news clippings, pasted all over the locker room, in their upcoming game vs. N.C. St. Sounds like too many points (7 1/2) but the way Irish have been playing, particularly their QB, (what a favor QB Kiser did leaving) I would think three times before I jumped on the dog, playing in South Bend. Very tough game and appears to be a trap,to lure the public on N.C. St. The theme, "are you going to let N.C. St. win two in a row"? JMO, Miami (Fla.) Notre Dame's biggest hurdle!
RE: PENN ST. / OHIO ST. I think we know what PENN ST. is really all about; coaching etc. Ohio St. has yet to really win the respect of both fans and critics. Here is your chance Urban; very tough game to handicap but, the Buckeyes have more pressure on themselves. If Ohio St. gets beat, I just hope Urban takes it like a man and does not come up with the "I haven't been feeling well lately" theory.
UPDATE 10/26 Some very interesting spreads to take advantage of if you can answer some key questions. But be careful as these look like traps. TENNESSEE + 4, can the Vols get their 1st offensive touchdown in over a month? Kentucky is at home…..MIAMI (Fla). minus double digit points; Hurricanes have some very big fish to fry and will they be looking ahead to some very important opponents?….. MICHIGAN -23; after a real demoralizing loss to Penn St., will Michigan be in the mood to cover this monster number? Be careful!…..While Memphis St. will not be winning the National Championship, they are certainly a solid and tough football team. But so is TULANE, and is 11 points too many to give the Green Wave?…..GEORGIA -14 vs. Florida (at home) any opinions?
UPDATE: 10/27 Welcome back to the "TOP", Coach B. Kelly; all you had to do was fire most or all of your coaching staff at Notre Dame. Good luck to you and the millions of your Irish disciples, and to a team that beat you last year. N.C. State. Should be a great game! (WOW, 7 1/2 seems like it hasn't budged.)…..Did you know that Mississippi State has not beaten Texas A&M in College Station, since 1957? While the sharps say that the Bulldogs will win, they may be right as I have said that Texas A&M will fire their coach at season's end and I think he won't have a problem finding a job………last I checked the weather is far from "perfect" in Memphis for the Tulane game……,.did you ever stop and think that Oklahoma St. could be in trouble this weekend if they are looking ahead to the Oklahoma Sooners?…..did you ever realize that Ole Miss has a terrible defense? Yet many think they can win this weekend; one game I would not touch at all…….Never thought I'd ever root for (did not wager) QB ROSEN, but for personal reasons I hope Bruins cover over Washington.
UPDATE: 10/28 Good luck to all who wager on CFB today. The next time I post any CFB selections, will be no earlier than Monday, November 13, 2017. There will be no more info or opinions in this thread. BOL!