2010 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com

There are highs and lows in every major conference. In the Mountain West Conference they range from 70 feet to 7,200 feet in altitude.

They also range from 2009’s National Coach of the Year (TCU’s Gary Patterson) to one-win New Mexico.

For a league an unsung as the MWC, they find themselves atop the pecking order in a handful of meaningful categories in the FBS. Among them: TCU QB Andy Dalton leads all returning signal callers in career victories (29), while Utah has more consecutive bowl wins (9) than any team in the nation.

In addition, the Utes and the Horned Frogs will ride 17 and 14 game home win streaks, respectively, into the 2010 season.

With 26 all-conference players returning in 2010, it would be no surprise to find this league to improve on its 25-16 bowl mark since 1996. After all, they’re riding a mighty nice high in the MWC these days.

Note: Team writeups excerpted from the 2010 PLAYBOOK Football Preview magazine. Numbers following team name represent the amount of returning starters on offense and defense, with an asterisk (*) designating a returning quarterback. Designated ‘Play On’ and ‘Play Against’ Best Bets follow each team’s preview.

AIR FORCE – *5 / 5
TEAM THEME: WHERE’S THE BEEF?
While the Falcons welcome back just five starters on offense, including QB Tim Jefferson, the quintet accounted for 100% of the team’s passing yards, rushing yards and total scoring. The concern for HC Troy Calhoun is rebuilding an offensive line that loses all five starters to graduation. Despite losing nearly 1,500 pounds of beef, the Force will again feature a ground attack that has led the MWC in rushing 26 of 28 years, including each of the last 12. There are a few issues on the defensive side, as well. The last time we saw the Falcons’ stop unit in action was in the Armed Forces Bowl where they shut down high-powered Houston, 47-20, picking off Case Keenum SIX times. However, only five starters return from that opportunistic unit which ranked No. 11 nationally while leading the country in turnover margin, including zero on the offensive line. Yes, there are some holes to fill this season in Colorado Springs but in ‘Calhoun We Trust.’
PLAY ON: vs. Navy (10/2)

BYU – 6 / 6
TEAM THEME: CREATURES OF HABIT
Who needs a calendar when you have a Bronco? By the end of November, you can pretty much count on double-digit wins from BYU and by the third week in December you can always find the Mormons in Sin City. For the fourth time in five years, Bronco Mendenhall’s Cougars won 10-plus games, while a fifth straight season was capped off with a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. In truth, last year’s 11-win season was probably a bit disappointing. After surprising Oklahoma to start the season, the Cougars were upset at home by Florida State and lost for the second year in a row to conference rival TCU. They’ll get a chance to make amends this year with trips to Tallahassee and Fort Worth. With just six starters returning on each side of the ball, we need to see more before assessing those chances. One thing we know for sure: we’ll be rolling the dice with Bronco’s boys come December.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Utah (11/27)

COLORADO STATE – 4 / 10
TEAM THEME: HONEY, PLEASE COME BACK
After leading the Rams to their first winning season since 2003 and delivering their first bowl victory in seven years, the Ft. Collins courtship was on for HC Steve Fairchild. A 3-0 start to 2009 pressed the engagement but, like a jilted lover, things got ugly. Real ugly. A season-ending nine-game losing skein was even more befuddling considering the fact that the Rams were favored in four of those contests. For Fairchild to get back in the sack, he’ll need the offense to revert to their productive 2008 form. Easier said than done with only four starters back in the mix, including a new signal-caller for the third straight season. The defense, as a whole, took baby steps in 2009 but the D-line, in particular, showed vast improvement. With 10 starters back on that side the ball, and a recruiting class that Rivals.com called CSU’s best in ten years, maybe Steve can get his groove back.
PLAY ON: vs. UNLV (10/16)

NEW MEXICO – 5 / 6
TEAM THEME: BABY STEPS
When you are winless without a TD in your last four season openers, a new team motto is needed. “Take the Next Step” is the phrase Mike Locksley has opted for in 2010. These young Lobos managed only one win for Locksley in his rookie season, but they showed marked improvement over the season’s final five games, losing the stat battle by an average of 59 YPG as compared to a negative 161 YPG in the first five games of the year. “The last five games we improved about 50 to 60 percent in almost every vital statistical category, and the last five games included the best teams in the conference. We got better, we stepped forward,” confirmed Locksley. Blue-chip DT recruit Calvin Smith and a defensive line that returns three starters assures these Lobos are taking steps in the right direction… slow but sure.
PLAY ON: vs. San Diego St (10/23)

SAN DIEGO STATE – *9 / 8
TEAM THEME: ABOVE ALL HOKE
If you listen to HC Brady Hoke, it’s time for his Aztecs to get physical. His first year at the helm saw San Diego State double its win total from the previous season, thanks to a defense that improved dramatically against the run. Yet opponents still more than doubled their rushing output per game (165 to 78). The continued development of both the offensive and defensive lines is critical if the Aztecs are to produce their first winning season since the MWC formed in 1999. Skill wise, Brady’s bunch is in good shape with the return of WR’s Vincent Brown (778 yards, 6 TD’s in six games before a season-ending thumb injury) and DeMarco Sampson, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility.
A relatively soft non-conference schedule may give Hoke the push he’s looking for early, but can this group hold their ground after visiting BYU, Wyoming and TCU? Time will tell.
PLAY ON: vs. UNLV (11/27)

TCU – *9 / 7
TEAM THEME: A TAD(POLE ) OLDER
The Frogs just seem to keep on multiplying. TCU had more freshmen (17) on the depth chart last season than seniors (13) and the 27 seniors on this year’s roster more than double last year’s number. Despite a disappointing bowl loss to Boise in which they held the Broncos to 25 points below their season average, the Horned ones completed a perfect regular season for the first time in school history. As always, it was about the ‘D’. Since 2005, the Frogs have allowed a meager 79.5 rushing yards per game – tops in the nation. In fact, over that span, Gary Patterson’s stop unit has held 45 opponents to under 333 total yards of offense, producing a 42-3 record in those contests. The offense is also in good hands as QB Andy Dalton, the MWC player of the year in 2009, returns. With only one tough conference roadie (Utah), it looks like the Fort Worth Frogs will, once again, be jumping.
PLAY ON: vs. Oregon St (9/4)

UNLV – *8 / 8
TEAM THEME: MR. CLEAN
Mike Sanford is out and Bobby Hauck is in as six straight non-winning seasons was all the UNLV brass could stomach. They’ll gamble that the winningest coach in the FCS over the last seven years can change the Rebels’ fortunes. Hauck compiled a stellar 80-17 mark at Montana while leading the Grizzlies to three national championship games. SR QB Omar Clayton returns along with four starting offensive linemen and 1,291 of the team’s 1,522 rushing yards. However, Hauck plans on cleaning house if necessary as he contends that, “No job is safe now or ever, really. You may see a lot of spread principles in our offense because that’s what the strength of our personnel is.” With nine bowl teams on this year’s form, including four non-conference bowlers, it may take some time before Hauck cleans up this mess.
PLAY ON: vs. Wyoming (11/13)

UTAH – *8 / 4
TEAM THEME: SAND BAGGERS
Playing in the MWC, Utah is America’s best-kept secret. However, every year when we publish our Bowl Stat Report, Kyle Whittingham’s Utes come front and center. That’s because Utah owns the winningest bowl percentage (12-3, 80%) in Division 1 history of teams with at least 15 appearances. They also own the nation’s longest current bowl win streak at 9 – and Whittingham has been a part of all of them. QB Jordan Wynn, the MVP of last season’s Poinsettia Bowl, is back. So too is RB Eddie Ware, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 10 games last season. Ware is joined in the backfield by Matt Asiata, who led the conference in rushing through the first four games before a knee injury ended his season. Checking the scoresheet we find twelve starters in all, including six all-MWC perfomers, returning to Salt Lake City as Whittingham looks to make it 10 strikes in a row.
PLAY ON: vs. Iowa St (10/9) – *KEY as dog

WYOMING – *7 / 7
TEAM THEME: JUST DO IT… AGAIN
Chase Daniel, former Missouri quarterback, was right on the money when he proclaimed that his former OC Dave Christensen was “going to take that program to levels it’s never seen.” In short order, Christensen took the Cowboys bowling for the first time since 2004 and then proceeded to upset Fresno State as a double-digit dog in the New Mexico Bowl. Some may say it was the new Nike uniforms they wore for the first time in 2009. Others argue the five 4th-quarter comebacks orchestrated by MWC Freshman of the Year QB Austyn Carta-Samuels had more to do with it. “We didn’t utilize all of our offense last year… I think we can start moving toward what we originally envisioned for the spread when we came here… I believe we’ve improved our team athletically,” said Christensen. It’s hard to argue with success.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Colorado State (11/20)

2010 MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com

Entering its 64th year of gridiron competition, the MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE will once again play a balanced schedule, meaning each team will play eight conference games in 2010. Let’s hope the results are more balanced that last year when only two teams in the MAC West Division managed to finish the season with a winning record. This on the heels of the 2008 campaign when only Buffalo was on the plus side of the ledger inside the East Division.

This is definitely a league that is wide open and one that likes to mix things up. Seven different teams have appeared in the last five MAC Championship games while 11 different MAC schools have appeared in a bowl game in the last five seasons.

Finally, keep this note handy once the bowl games roll around: since the 2008 calendar year, MAC bowlers are 1-11 SU and 0-10-2 ATS!

Note: Team writeups excerpted from the 2010 PLAYBOOK Football Preview magazine. Numbers following team name represent the amount of returning starters on offense and defense, with an asterisk (*) designating a returning quarterback. Designated ‘Play On’ and ‘Play Against’ Best Bets follow each team’s preview.

East Division

AKRON – *6 / 9
TEAM THEME: GOOD YEAR
After suffering his fourth straight losing season, J.D. Brookhart was quickly bounced from town. Last year’s three-win season was the Zips’ lowest since 1997 and inevitably meant some rubber was going to meet the road. New HC Ron Ianello leaves his South Bend receivers coach gig and inherits the third youngest team in the nation: twenty-nine players from last season’s two-deep squad were either freshman or sophomores. Ianello does welcome back nine starters from a defense that has improved each of the last two seasons and he may be able to zip through the majority of his non-conference matchups. However, he’ll need to rely on all of his offensive prowess to repair an attack that regressed 96 YPG and averaged less than 20 points per contest if Akron hopes to rebound from last year’s fiasco. Look for the ball to bounce Ianello’s way in 2010.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Kentucky (9/18)

BOWLING GREEN – 3 / 4
TEAM THEME: TOO GREEN TO BOWL
The Falcons were picked to finish 5th in the MAC East Division a year ago. After a 1-4 start the pundits appeared on target, but a 6-1 finish lifted the Falcons and rookie HC Dave Clawson to a winning campaign and a trip to the alleys. Another slow start might be in the offing as Clawson must replace 15 starters and 18 seniors from last year’s squad – including QB Tyler Sheehan, who accounted for 97% of the team’s passing yards since 2007 and star WR Freddie Barnes, who set an NCAA record with 155 receptions last year. This depleted roster must also deal with a schedule that finds them on the road for five of their first seven contests. With only five games taking place in Doyt Perry Stadium, a strong case for a reversal of fortune could be made this season. No Bowling for these Green Falcons in 2010.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Troy (9/4)

BUFFALO – 6 / 8
TEAM THEME: WINGING IT
After resisting tempting offers the previous year, a five-win season had Turner (Gill) putting on the burners and heading for Kansas. Jeff Quinn, a long-time assistant to Brian Kelly, takes over the reins. The veteran OC will be looking to install a new spread offense in upstate New York. Quinn, however, will need to find replacements at QB and the top two WR spots from an offense that averaged over 400 YPG. On the bright side, four offensive linemen are back and eight starters return from a defense that allowed a respectable 24 points and 343 yards per game. With four of their first six games in other pastures, the Bulls’ defense will need to lead the stampede and give Quinn’s offensive system time to gel. We’ll need to see more before we run and gun with these new-look Bulls.
PASS

KENT STATE – *9 / 7
TEAM THEME: FLASH FORWARD
An 0-3 finish denied the Flashes a winning season for the first time since 2001. An offense that dropped 73 YPG and 7 PPG was the main culprit but it should turn into a strength for HC Doug Martin as nine starters return, including QB Spencer Keith who tossed for over 2,100 yards and 14 TD’s as a freshman in 2009. Keith will, once again, be hooking up with WR Tyshon Goode, who excelled in his freshman season while hauling in a team-leading 53 passes and 5 TD’s. The backfield is deep as four RB’s who have combined to rush for over 5,200 yards in their collegiate careers are back in the mix. If Kent can weather a storm that finds them on the road early and often, look for the Flashes to come up Golden in 2010. A year of experience and a season-ending schedule that finds them home for four of their final five games ensures no late-season collapse this year.
PLAY AGAINST: as favorite vs. Ohio U (11/26) – *KEY off loss

MIAMI, OHIO – *8 / 9
TEAM THEME: ROCK THE CRADLE
Miami’s ‘Cradle of Coaches’ (Paul Brown, Carm Cozza, Paul Dietzel, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, John Pont and Bo Schembechler) likely turned over in their graves after witnessing the Redhawks cough up a nation-high 32 giveaways to opponents last season. Injuries forced first-year HC Michael Haywood to turn to a bevy of freshmen and sophomores, resulting in a turnover-plagued, 1-11 season. Included in the Pampers’ parade was QB Zac Dysert, who passed for over 2,600 yards as a redshirt freshman. Haywood better have this group of toddlers ‘turnover trained’ as they leave their Oxford crib for seven games this season, including stops at Gainesville, Missouri and Cincinnati.
The feeling here is Haywood might throw a temper tantrum of his own before this season is said and done.
PLAY ON: vs. Kent St (10/2) – *KEY as dog

OHIO U – *7 / 7
TEAM THEME: BOBBING AND WEAVING
We were as wrong as the day is long on our assessment of the Bobcats last year. Or at least on the SU and ATS scoreboards – and that’s what ultimately counts! It was our contention that OU would not improve on a 4-8 mark from 2008 without better defensive play and fewer mistakes. The defense did not improve at all while the offense regressed 50 YPG – yet the Bobbies won nine games and hit the alleys. We’ll press our bet in 2010, as teams that enjoyed great success without improving their numbers are normally a sure-fire disappointments the following season. In our defense, we turn to our highly popular Midweek Alert newsletter, which points out that the Bobcats were just 4-10 ‘In The Stats’ despite the 9-5 SU and 8-5 ATS marks in 2009. Outside of a trip to Columbus, the schedule doesn’t appear too daunting. However, after all, you can only ‘Bob’ and weave for so long.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Bowling Green (10/9)

TEMPLE – *9 / 7
TEAM THEME: THE ‘EYES’ HAVE IT
MAC Coach of the Year, Al Golden, took the Owls to new heights last year as Temple enjoyed their first winning season since 1990, their first league title since 1967 and their first bowl appearance in 30 years. The news gets even better as 16 starters return to Philly, including conference defensive Player of the Year and league leader in sacks, DE Adrian Robinson. Nine of those starters, led by SR QB Vaughn Charlton and RB Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 1,361 yards and 16 TD’s as a true freshman, return to an offense that tallied 30 PPG last season. There’s plenty to like about this group and its coach. With a tough non-conference schedule, there may not be a lot of hooting early but it would be wise to keep both eyes on these Owls. The way we see it, the later in the season, the better for this nocturnal bunch.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Miami Oh (11/23)

West Division

BALL ST – *10 / 7
TEAM THEME: PARRISH THE THOUGHT
Could this be the year Stan Parrish (4-42 SU) finally shakes the enigma of being in over his head as an FBS head coach? The signs are there. Since 2005, the Cardinals have committed the 5th fewest turnovers (87) in the nation. The usually well-stocked Ball State offense returned only four starters last season, and it showed as the output dropped by 148 YPG. There’s no such dilemma this season, however, as the offense returns virtually intact, led by all-MAC RB MiQuale Lewis. Stan would be wise to rely on the 3rd all-time leading rusher in BSU history to carry the load if he wants to continue to man the Muncie sidelines. By season’s end, we’ll know if it’s either ‘Stan the Man’ or ‘Stan gets banned.’ One thing we know for sure – Parrish will have to learn how to beat .500 or greater opponents (1-28-1) if he doesn’t want the ‘Ball’ to drop any further.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Western Michigan (10/9)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN – 6 / 5
TEAM THEME: THE FEVOUR’S GONE
There’s no more ‘Fevour’ hanging around the Mt. Pleasant campus but new HC Dan Enos may still want to take a couple of aspirins. Not only has record-sitting QB Dan LeFevour left for the NFL, but also Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson, the two most prolific WR’s in school history. The 1st-year HC takes over a program that won its seventh MAC title last year – the most of any school since joining the league in 1975. Thanks to LeFevour, Central Michigan won eight or more games each of the last four seasons and appeared in four straight bowl games. The Chippewas have never won eight or more games in five consecutive seasons and with a new coaching staff and signal caller, we’re betting ‘never’ triumphs once again. Let the Chips fall where they may – just be sure to stand clear.
PASS

EASTERN MICHIGAN – *7 / 7
TEAM THEME: MAJORING IN ENGLISH
They weren’t speaking fluent English at EMU last season where the Eagles suffered through an 0-12 season. “There is no doubt that our players will be bigger, stronger, tougher and coached better than they were a year ago,” contends second-year HC Ron English. We certainly hope so. English thinks his Eagles will be much improved in 2010 and we tend to agree. Due to injuries and a lack of depth, 25 newcomers – including nine true freshmen – saw significant playing time last season. Our database is also keeping a close eye on this bunch, noting: winless teams who find themselves favored in any game the following season are 31-21 ATS since 1980, including 21-9 ATS when laying five or more points. That’s a lesson in Playbook 101. Now let’s see if English could get his message across.
PASS

NORTHERN ILLINOIS – *6 / 9
TEAM THEME: KILLING ‘EM SOFTLY
The Kill era is seemingly at a crossroads. While the third-year HC has guided Northern Illinois to a bowl in each of his first two seasons, both of those games ended in losses and all Kill has to show for his effort is a 13-13 record. In fact, his Huskies have yet to beat an opponent with a winning record (0-11). While the defense declined slightly in 2009, it still ranked tops in the MAC and 30th in the nation and remains the strength of the team. Nine return from that highly-rated unit but it did suffer a blow when DE Jake Coffman, the team leader in sacks, decided to skip his senior season. “We did lose some kids… some very good players,” said Kill. “But at the same time, we’ve had some in the program that are growing up. This is the best I’ve felt since I’ve been here.” We don’t want to be a killjoy but that feeling here is that the Dekalb bunch is growing restless.
PASS

TOLEDO – 6 / 6
TEAM THEME: BOY WONDERS?
Holy Toledo, Beckman. The second-year head coach saw six true freshmen start at least two games in 2009, including three defensive backs. That’s one good reason to explain their 92nd-ranked pass defense. “We have nine seniors and only three who played all four years. So we need leaders to step up from junior, sophomore and even freshmen classes,” contends Beckman. The former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator probably didn’t sleep too well after seeing his defense stepped on for 38 PPG and over 400 yards of total offense. The young Rockets, though, did manage five wins thanks to an offense that ranked 13th in the nation. However, with just six starters back on each side of the ball and a non-conference schedule that includes three bowlers, it may take some time before Toledo sees lift-off. A fifth straight losing season is likely in the offing.
PLAY ON: vs. Bowling Green (11/17) – *KEY

WESTERN MICHIGAN – 7 / 7
TEAM THEME: SPIN MOVES
The love affair in Kalamazoo is on the ropes. A 1-3 conclusion to the 2009 season denied the Broncos a second straight bowl bid and to that they can thank an offense and a defense that each slid 25 YPG. If 6th-year HC Bill Cubit hopes to keep the yo-yo working (alternating winning and losing seasons each of the four years), he’ll need to win every home game possible with three of his six road games against bowl teams – along with a visit to Notre Dame wedged in between! (Note: WMU is just 2-7 SU and ATS in its last nine road games). To make matters worse, QB Tim Hiller has departed, having matched or broke every Broncos’ passing record along the way. Only four teams with winning records dot the schedule, so there’s a chance Cubit could play cupid in 2010.
PLAY ON: vs. Kent State (11/20)

College Football is Back!

Finally! After what seems like an eternity, all the talk about college football will cease and the games will be played, with salivating sports bettors ready for action. Five lined games will open the festivities and we’ll cover four of them here, including the very first one, South Carolina at N.C. State. Let the fun begin!

South Carolina at N.C. State

Folks in Columbia are still waiting for the Steve Spurrier magic to kick in. In four seasons, the ol’ ball coach is 28-22 and 26-20-1 against the spread. After losing last three games, including bowl invite by a combined score of 118-30, the never satisfied Spurrier changed out five coaches trying to find magic formula to turn South Carolina into SEC contender. With only 12 starters returning, Chris Angel would have a hard time making this illusion work. Previous quarterbacks have transferred out except for sophomore Stephen Garcia, who has worked on being better passer to match his athletic running style. The offense only rushed for 94.1 yards per game last year and new line coach Eric Wolford is preaching toughness. The defense has talent in front seven; however secondary has to be rebuilt after finishing second in the country in passing yards allowed. The Gamecocks are just 2-6 ATS in last eight road games.

North Carolina State closed the 2008 regular season with four wins to earn bowl berth, before falling 29-23 to an equally hot Rutgers club in the Papajohns.com bowl. Coach Tom O’Brien’s disciplined style started to take root and 15 starters are coming back from last year’s turnaround squad. O’Brien enters his third season in Raleigh with 11-14 record, though has bettors attention with 15-8 ATS mark. Leading the way is ACC Rookie of the Year Russell White, who tossed 17 touchdowns, with only one interception. The offensive line should be steady with three starters back, however quality depth is nonexistent beyond starting five. The linebackers are difference-makers and the defensive line has potential All-ACC performers Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young. The secondary has questions that will have to be answered for another bowl trip for a squad that is on 7-0-1 ATS run to start a new campaign.

With weeks to look at the side and total from Bookmaker.com and other wagering outlets, sports bettors have taken N.C. State from three-point favorites to five. The total has remained relatively stable moving from 45 to 46.

North Carolina State was embarrassed 34-0 at South Carolina as two touchdown underdogs last year and are looking forward to return engagement at Carter-Finley Stadium this go-round. This matchup will once again be on ESPN at 7 Eastern and coach Steve Spurrier is only 7-7 against the spread in non-conference games and has usual early date with Georgia next on September 12. South Carolina is 2-7-1 ATS facing non-conference foes before the Bulldogs. N.C. State is 4-1-1 ATS hosting the Gamecocks.

Troy at Bowling Green

This game will garner very little attention on the national scope, however is extremely important to Troy and the Sun Belt Conference. The SBC teams have for years taken paydays to be somebody’s patsy (they still will, just less frequently); however they have a goal in mind today. The Sun Belt wants to gain recognition like the MAC teams and in order to surpass them and gain bragging rights, they have to start knocking them off.

Troy is the unanimous choice to win the Sun Belt and is loaded on both sides of the ball. If the offensive line comes together, the Trojans could surpass last year’s offense that averaged more than 32 points per game. Defensively, the athletic front seven is a load for a team that is 7-3 ATS on the non-conference road.

First year coach Dave Clawson is right about his team’s non-conference schedule, “It’s a really challenging schedule,” Clawson said about playing Troy, Boise State, at Missouri and at Marshall. “The one thing I do know is that we will be well-prepared for our MAC schedule by the time we are through with our out-of-conference schedule.” With just 10 starters returning, the Eagles might be hard pressed to improve on 3-10 ATS home record the last three years. Troy is touchdown favorite.

North Texas at Ball State

On ESPNU at 7:30 Eastern, two other Sun Belt and MAC teams will collide. North Texas ruled the SBC in the early years of this decade, no more, having won five conference games in last four years. Coach Todd Dodge is convinced the personnel is improving and if his redshirt freshman son Riley can rev up the offense, brighter days could be ahead in Denton for a team that is 0-20 and 2-18 ATS in non-conference road games.

Ball State won’t look like the same team. A new coach, new quarterback and four new offensive linemen are where it starts in Muncie. Redshirt freshman Kelly Page takes over for prolific passer Nate Davis and hopes his line will give him time to show off his arm. The defense switches to 4-3 from 3-4, however has speed and athletes on this side of the ball seldom seen on the Ball State campus. The Cardinals are 16-point favorites and are 7-1 ATS as home chalk.

Utah at Utah State

It will be a tough encore for Utah after completing 13-0 season and ranked No.2 in the final polls after taking apart Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes lost QB Brian Johnson to graduation and coach Kyle Whittingham has decided to keep everyone in suspense about who his new signal caller will be. Blog reports from observers have seen junior college transfer Terrance Cain taking the majority of the snaps with the first team. Utah is listed as 21-point favorite over in-rival Utah State and they are 10-5-1 ATS as 20-point or more choice.

Utah players and coaches will see a familiar face on the Aggies sideline in Gary Andersen, who has been the Utes defensive coordinator the last three seasons. Anderson has brought excitement to Logan, though the talent will still have to arrive later. In “The Battle of the Brothers” Utah is 11-0 and 8-3 ATS since 1998, with the visitor 8-1 ATS. This is on the MTN at 9:00 Eastern.

Betting Thoughts and Great Hockey System

Really thought we had a winner with Charlotte Bobcats last night with our system play, rats, (OK a little too old school but I have a reputation to keep up) which gave us a 1-2 day. We have another fantastic Hockey System running tonight that is 23-2 since 1997. Today’s Top Trend is not relevant to today, but keep in your back pocket for betting college football on Saturday. Jason gave out nice upset winner in the NBA and is invited back to do so again today. Good Luck.

I have the updated figures at the monitors we belong to. As stated Monday, we are #1 at Free Sports Monitor in the NFL. We are #3 in the NFL at The Sports Eye and #6 in college football. We would be higher ranked in both sports at Cappers Watchdog, but they use the 1-5 unit measure and these plays are placed the same way we would bet on them. Many others us max five all the time, we have chosen to be consistent with our values. However, we are #6 at Cappers Watchdog in the NHL with every play two units.

Very curious about tonight’s Central Michigan and Northern Illinois game and here’s why. The average score of an NIU game is 42.9 points and 38.7 PPG at home. In conference games the average is 42.5 PPG. CMU has averaged 56.2 PPG and 61.4 on the road. In MAC action they have averaged 52.4 PPG. Because of how good NIU plays defense, I believe the conference numbers are more useful for both teams. If my thinking is correct, is the oddsmaker telling us the 49.5 total favors the underdog Chippewas being a potentially higher scoring game? Think my logic is correct? Let me know your thoughts.

Free Hockey System-1) PLAY ON home Favorites of -200 or less like the Vancouver Canucks against the money line off a home win where they shut out their opponent against opponent off a close home win by one goal. This NHL system rocks with 23-2 mark, 92 percent the last 11 seasons.

Free Football Trend -2) The Central Michigan and Northern Illinois contest both have really good trends supporting both sides. The NBA angles are fairly pedestrian, thus will turn to college football this Saturday where the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide are 11-1 UNDER in home games after five or more consecutive straight up wins.

Free Selection -3) Jason of the Left Coast Connection is playing New Orleans Hornets as his Best Bet in the NBA.

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