USC @ Ohio St
There were so many great games this past weekend so where do I start? No question there was no game bigger than this one in College Football. Take away from this game. USC Freshman QB Matt Barkley is the Real Deal as that was a masterful drive at the end of the game on the road pinned deep in your own end of the field and 100,000 screaming fans to contend with.
From a Gambler's stand point becareful with Ohio St. as that kind of loss can have a lasting effect as they have done nothing but think about USC revenge for the last 9 months and came up just short.
Notre Dame @ Michigan
This may have been the most exciting game on the card this weekend as these two put on a show as both storied programs looked to be clawing their way back to the National Spotlight with the Winner getting there and the loser falling from grace again.
The Boosters are back on the Rich Rodriguez bandwagon after Saturday's Win while Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis better win every game from here to USC game or we may see Charlie Back in the NFL next season as a Assistant Coach.
From a Gambling Stand Point the Michigan players are finally getting Rich Rodriguez' system so they will score points this year. But just like it was at West Virginia his teams give up a lot of points as well. This team is on the rise.
Bowling Green @ Missouri
Ok I'm bringing this one up to pat myself on the back because I gave this pick out on our weekly Podcast click here to see the Podcast. But also to point out a lesson. Missouri came out and was as flat as a pancake coming off of their statement game the week before. You see the week before they had to prove that there was life after Chase Daniels and they drilled Illinois but then did what so many college kids do they read their own press clippings and got cocky.
Another key handicapping lesson from this game was the fact the Offensive Coordinator was on the Kansas St staff last year so he knew this team well and how to attack it. He got us the points we needed in the first half and was able to stay in the game and cover even after Missouri finally awoken from their funk in the second half.
From a Gambling Stand Point look to go against teams off of big wins and look for value in teams that may have a edge in coaching knowledge from before. Clearly Bowling Green knew more about Missouri than Missouri knew about Bowling Green. Knowledge is Power!
Chicago @ Green Bay
Ok everyone who enjoyed watching whiney little bitch Jay Cutler implode as much as I did please raise your hand. I have zero respect for Jay Cutler after the way he bitched himself into be traded because his feelings were hurt. Cutler single handed lost that game last night as Chicago had so many opportunities to win yet Cutler threw the ball to the Green Bay players almost as much as he did to his own.
The best part of the game was the last touchdown and all the Green Bay people jumping up and down and yelling because Green Bay went up 4 and with the extra point would make it 5 and cover the 4.5 point spread. I was sitting a poker table at the M Resort and immediately said don't celebrate yet they will be going for 2 and not be kicking the extra point. They looked at me like I was crazy. I said 4 and 5 are meaningless numbers they want to get to 6 so if Chicago does score they have a chance to block the extra point and still force overtime.
Well as I said Green Bay went for 2 and made it so the Green Bay backers were all happy. Just how much money do you think changed hands in Las Vegas on that 2 point conversion?
From a Gambling Stand Point I believe Cutler has a lot of pressure on him this year and it's his own fault. Fact is he forced the trade and went to a team that many felt would have been one of the best in the NFC the last few years if they only had a QB well now they do so if they fail it goes squarely on Cutler. That may be too much pressure to put on a whiney little bitch.
Minnesota @ Cleveland
Well the Brett Favre era began in Minnesota on Sunday as Minnesota got a Big Win over the hapless Browns. So before anyone starts buying their Minnesota Super Bowl tickets let's look at the facts. They beat Cleveland enough said with that.
The bigger take away I got from the game is Brett Favre never connected on any thing deep. Favre was 14 of 21 for 110 yards with the longest being a 21 yard reception. If you take the long of 21 away he averaged less than 7 yards a catch on the other 13 receptions.
From a Gambling Stand Point it's good that Minnesota won't have to rely solely on Favre's arm to win but if he can't stretch the defense a little more I see Minnesota playing a lot of tight games making taking the Dog an inviting proposition early on because Vegas will pump the lines because of Favre.
Philadelphia @ Carolina
This one was painful to watch as I had Carolina Sunday and let me tell you 2 things from this game. Philadelphia will be a Good Team this year but they are no where as good as they looked by the final score. They scored 3 TD's in a 5 minute period in the second quarter as they returned a fumble for a TD, returned a punt 85 yards for a TD and scored a TD off of a short field following a Turnover.
Take away from this game is Jake Delhomme is horrible he was 7 of 17 with 4 INT's. From a Gambling Stand Point this team is a go against team right now as they have no answer at the QB position. How did Delhomme ever lead a team to the Super Bowl?
Mc Nabb injury won't last long as he doesn't want Vick to get a chance at his job. He would rather play with pain than lose his job to Vick. From a Gambling Stand Point this Philadelphia offense is only going to get better as the season progresses and I see a lot of high scoring games in their future.
I would like to hear your thoughts and if you like to see more Monday Morning quarterbacking on my part in the form of a blog?
Best of luck to everyone this week...