The knee-jerk reaction would be to make a case for teams in Game Two off a season opening loss if they were a bowl team last year. Before you blow out an ACL, check this out:

• Bowlers (last year) off a loss in Game One of the season are just 100-106-2 ATS in Game Two since 1990. This week's wounded list includes the likes of - Bowling Green, Marshall, Mississippi, SMU and UCLA. Next week will find North Carolina and Oregon State dressing up as Game Two bowlers off a loss.

Following up, Game Two bowlers off a season opening defeat have an especially difficult time getting their act together when laying points, going just 56-70-1 ATS. This week's creaky chalk is Mississippi and SMU.

These teams are especially vulnerable in competitive contests when favored by less than 10 points. That's because they are:

• 28-28-1 SU and 21-34 ATS.

Beaten bowlers in Game Two find the conference waters unsettling. When squaring off against conference rivals they are 21-20 SU and 13-38 ATS. Making a conference call this week is SMU and UCLA.

A deeper look inside in these conference clashes, we find these downtrodden bowlers are at their worst against an opponent that did not lose ATS in its last game, where they are:

• 10-14 SU and 6-18 ATS.

There you have it. Now you know why Game Two bowlers off a loss often like to sing the blues!