NCAA

[lostinamerica]

NCAA YTD: 32-29 (-4.54*)

South Carolina(+7') over Arkansas (1.25*)
The ?more than 3 overtimes? angle has delivered for me twice in the last two years BECAUSE there were other pieces of the puzzle to go with it. This time I?d say the Thursday turnaround is hard to overlook; Holtz has looked to have a coachable and energetic team this year, and now he returns to Arkansas for a national spotlight game off last year?s clunker and last week?s furious effort; I?ve always suspected it?s the emotional rather than the physical tank that is the most drained after one of those overtime marathons, and I see Arkansas as being far more scrappy than they are overpowering, but regardless on those counts, I think the visting dog can match the Hogs tempo in this one. If that?s not enough, so be it.

Army(+26') over Air Force (1.5*)
The removal of Coach Berry has brought a breath of fresh air at West Point. There are deficiencies to overcome with a dog of this size, but a look at how the recent games have played out supplies the evidence of some real leadership taking hold that the former coach claimed was missing. Air Force faces a winless opponent off a three overtime loss, but the seniors in their final home game will come up against a feisty foe in their plans to have their way in this one.

Alabama(-10') over Mississippi State (1.5*)
Alabama has shown toughness against the toughest teams. The drama and emotion surrounding OL Wesley Britt after he broke his leg in the Tennessee game will either be just a big joke or realize some sort of dividend in this game . . . http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/NEWS/StorySports26bamanotes.htm . . . I think Alabama fits the profile of a team getting a week off at the right time. On the other side, the Bulldogs and their lame duck coach had a 42 point collapse against Kentucky to build on as they went back to work after their off week. The team in the cellar and looking for their first conference win looks likely to emerge as the happy sideline as this game winds down.

California(pk) over Oregon (1.5*)
I?ll take the team that has been taking strides all year.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/11/05/SPGMA2QEFT1.DTL

GL

 

[lostinamerica]

Buying back ? unit on the Army(+26') game; that?s a better way to go in that one.


Next, I?m trying something different:

TEASER: Iowa/Purdue(Ov34) w/ MichSt/OhSt(Un47) (1*)


Finally, the dogs could bite me this week if I?m caught strolling into a pack of late season mismatches.
Adding:

Kent(+4) over Ohio (1*)
I?m not sharp enough to know why Ohio opening at -3' in this one merited watching the line go to -4, which means Ohio probably ho-hums by 50-0 . . . I planned on making this play for 1.5* before it went OTB, although it?s back on now. If not for the damn off week, this game for Kent would qualify as a nice spot in which a team (with weapons and hopefully desperate) steps down in class after some tough competition. NOTES: NO 1: (1) Kent Coach Dean Pees (10/28/03 Press Conference): ?Somebody gave me an analogy yesterday . . . In baseball, sometimes you have a guy that goes up to bat and hits the ball hard, but just at somebody. The thing you have to do is keep swinging. That?s kind of us, we are playing well, playing hard, we are making mistakes, but the ball?s not bouncing our way . . . We?ve just got to keep doing what we?ve been doing, keep getting better at it and keep fighting. We?ve played some good teams and have been right there in the end, we just haven?t finished.? . . . ?We need to finish strong this year to take in to the offseason and into next year. The team will be hyped up since we are extremely young. I sometimes sit back and wonder how we got young.? . . .?I?m real proud of this team, the way we play and stay focused. Ball State was devastating. We outplayed them, we fumbled the game away, we were a better team than them . . . You come back with Connecticut and you just lose a heartbreaker in which you had three or four opportunities to win. Then you have Miami who has blown teams out, and we have a chance to win in the end.? . . . ?We?ve lost four in a row, then two in a row. If you have been in athletics, there is very little that comes out of losing. You actually fight to get everyone back mentally. Sometimes if you lose a close one you may feel cheated and so you may want to come back and take it out on somebody else. The same way as a coach you fight to keep guys from moping. We just need to win a game, and they just need to win a game. We need to finish this season strongly.? NOTE NO. 2: Akron Beacon Journal (11/8/03): http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/colleges/kent_state_university/7214147.htm


Tennessee(+12') over Miami (1.25*)
While drawing Miami this week is tough duty, I have no expectation that Coker can just turn on a switch this week and run roughshod over a quality foe, although Virginia Tech as a dog b**** slapped them last week in an otherwise similar situation. As I understand the SEC tiebreaker, this is practically a conference game that the Vols likely need to stay in the thick of the selection process. On the whole, Tennessee has shown a lot of poise this season, and I?m counting on a full measure of that today.


Michigan State(+7) over Ohio State (1.25*)
I think Michigan State has what it takes to hit back hard this week, and as usual, Ohio State will have their hands full if that?s the case, although I?m worried that a few turnovers may be an Achilles? heel in this one . . . FAST FACTS: In a snoozer I watched because of a winning wager, MichSt had four fumbles against Indiana and lost none, and lost a fumble that the refs incorrectly ruled was not a fumble. I was then shocked to see that Smoker?s Hail Mary Pass against Michigan was the Spartans only turnover in Big Ten play. That makes me nervous . . . MichSt has outscored its Big Ten opponents by 45-0 in the first quarter . . . OhSt is 11-1 in games decided by seven points or less in 2002 and 2003, and I hope Tressel punches that ticket again.

Kansas State(-18) looks so simple, but I?ll probably just include it in a teaser.

God Bless and God Damn.

GL

 

[lostinamerica]

NCAA YTD (Updated): 35-33 (-5.70*)
- - - Pending: Cal(pk)(1.50*)

Kansas State(-18) was as simple as it looked, and I managed to make some money with it straight/parlay/teaser with the senior gamers from Connecticut(-7), but it wasn?t an official posted play.

I feel like I?m running in sand and wanted to jump on a 3 team parlay to try and break out, but I?m sticking with boring money management and the play I had in mind to go to all day.

Adding:

Pittsburgh(+ 4') over Virginia Tech (1.25*)
Walt Harris is a keeper as a big game coach.

GL