Week 1 College Picks

What the hell happened to the kickoff classic? I remember a time when college football started slowly so gamblers like myself could get adjusted to the new season instead of having a sensory overload. But not this year. Oh no. We have a full slate of college football games this week and I may pass out. Yup, it’s hard to believe that football season is here again. It seems like just yesterday that the Stool was kicking the snot out bookmakers everywhere. I’d venture to say that nobody had a better winning percentage than your friends at the Stool last year Therefore, if you like money, I strongly urge you to follow our selections like we stole them from the Back To The Future book. And don’t worry, we’re not resting on our laurels. I’ve done my homework to guarantee you the best picks this side of the Mississippi. So without further ado, here are the Stool’s week 1 predictions.

Season Record – 0-0
Mortal Lock Record – 0-0
Last Week 0-0

UCF at SC -21

The Old Ball Coach is back in the college ranks where he belongs. And he is at the perfect school to cause mayhem. South Carolina might as well be called the criminals instead of the Gamecocks. This is the type of school where nobody will say a peep if Spurrier hags 100 points on somebody. And it’s almost as if Steve Spurrier decided to go to SC based on the fact they get to play UCF in the opener. That’s right the same Golden Knights who have the Nation’s longest losing streak at 15 games. South Carolina would have covered this spread with or without Spurrier at the helm because they have way more talent than the Golden Knights. But throw in the fact Spurrier is going to want to run this thing up and send a message and you have our first mortal lock of the season.

Mortal Lock – SC

Temple at Arizona State -31

I thought Temple got kicked out of playing Division 1 teams? Apparently the AD of ASU didn’t get this memo and managed to schedule the Owls for the opener. Lucky him. Arizona State is loaded this year and should contend for the Pac 10 Crown. Stan Keller will fill in for Andrew Walters without missing a beat and will be eager to prove that the ASU offense will be just as explosive as last year. Temple meanwhile is going to be demoted to High School within the next 3 years. ASU will be covering this line by half time.

The Pick - ASU

Minnesota -16 at Tulsa

The Golden Gophers do the same thing every single year. They come flying out of the gates destroying people until they have to play a real Big 10 team and then they lose. It’s as predictable as the changing of the seasons. Last year Minnesota opened up 5-0 including a 40 point blowout against Toledo in the opener. On the other side of the fence things don’t look so good for Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane’s allowed 210 yard per game on the ground last year which ranked them almost dead last in college football. This doesn’t bold well considering Minnesota has arguably the best rushing attack in the Nation. Minnesota may be the first team since the advent of the forward pass that runs the ball on every single play from scrimmage and still scores 60 points.

The Pick – Minnesota

Bowling Green at Wisconsin -2.5

Well if this line isn’t a slap in the face to the Wisconsin Badgers I don’t know what is. Don’t get me wrong I think Bowling Green is a good football team. But the odds are that if Wisconsin wins this game they are going to cover the spread. So the bookmaker is saying that they think this is a pick em game. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I bet on a MAC team to go into Camp Randall and win. This game will be close throughout but Wisconsin will find a way to win and cover. And I don’t care what Kirk Herbstreit says about Wisconsin fans, I want them to be loud, drunk and abusive.

Rutgers at Illinois -1.5

Sticking with the same philosophy I had in the Bowling Green vs. Wisconsin game, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I bet on the State College of New Jersey to go into Big 10 Country and win. I don’t care whether Illinois sucks or not. Rutgers is Rutgers. Marco Battaglia isn’t walking through that door folks and if he did he’d be old and grey. I’m not betting on Illinois in this one, but against Rutgers. Yes, I know Rutgers is on the verge of turning the corner. They have been for the past decade.

The Pick – Illinois

Boise State at Georgia -7

Ok, what am I missing here? Nobody and I mean nobody loves the Blue Turf more than I do. I’m made a living betting on Boise State the past 5 years. But last year was the worst Boise State team in recent memory. It was no longer automatic that they’d beat teams by 70. As much as I love the Broncos, I still think I’d take Georgia even if this game was on the Blue Turf. But the fact that this is at Georgia has me wondering if there is something I don’t know about this game. And what is up with Boise State anyway? Did somebody slip a roofie to the AD or something? The reason Boise State is always undefeated is because they don’t schedule any tough out of conference games. But this year they open at Georgia and at Oregon State. Can you say 0-2? I’m actually very excited about this because I’m guessing once the Broncos return home the line won’t be as inflated and I can bet huge on them again.

The Pick – Georgia.

Miami at FSU -3

I don’t have a strong opinion on this one but it would be Un-American not to give a pick. I think both of these traditional powers have the potential to have off years this year. Especially FSU. FSU’s offense sucked last year and should suck again with Wyett Sexton who is suffering from Lyme Disease (AKA Drug Problem) The defense was the reason FSU was able to win 9 games last year but they lost 6 starters to graduation and the NFL. I’m not in love with Miami either, but I think they should be in better shape than FSU. It’s always tough to bet on Freshman QB’s especially when their first game is at FSU, but I’m going to do it here. But to be honest it’s a flip of the coin.

The Pick - Miami