Some Good Underdogs to Look at

[Eagles2005SB]

Buffalo +19 at UCONN ... Lets see how UCONN will play w/o Orlovsky

Eastern Michigan +12.5 at Cinncinati ... Cincinatti is not going to be nearly the team they were last year and Eastern Michigan might be on eof the surprises out of the MAC

Houston +10 vs Oregon ... Houston is a good team and should be able to keep it close with the DUcks, but ORegon is looking good

Arizona +9 at Utah ... No Smith, No Urban, No Mardy, and NO Savoy .... Bob Stoops starting to come into his own with Arizona, showed great strides for future with win over ASU last year

Bowling Green +5 at Wisconsin ... BG has the QB to beat Wisconsin

East Carolina +1.5 vs Duke

A&M +1 at Clemson ... A&M might be the team to beat in the Big 12 against a middle pack ACC team

NC State +6 vs VA tech ....sleeper in ACC

tell me what you guys think of some these ... just looking and researching before the season starts and these stood out to me

[DWD14]

like the aggies and i like bowling green. wisconsin will have a down year and will be vulnerable to a few defeats against teams like bowling green who have athleticism at qb. the aggies have a great qb in mcneal and should be favored in this game. the aggies were a surprise team last year, look for them to repeat this year. also clemson is not that solid and will be beaten up on by the rest of the acc. look for clemson to finish towards the bottom of the acc, they only return 4 starters on defense and that was a problem for this team last year. the new d coordinator could make the defense better over the course of the year, but early on there will be struggles. whitehurst has talent but threw too many picks last year in crucial situations. really like a@m in this game. their line returns all but 1 on offense and mcneal can make something happen with his feet when something breaks down.

[dead garcia]

Many of us had our betting eye on Houston last year and they bit us in the ass early and thereafter I couldnt give two shits about them....their schedule was friggin brutal.....this game should be a shootout and I love double digit dogs on a Thursday night game......Kolb should....should i say....rebound from a rough year and with 16 returning starters and the offensive schemes they run they will pose a problem for defenses that lack experience.....the ducks dont necessarily lack experience returning 7 on D but they gave up a shitload of points last year....I like over the total more than the side on this game....you will probably be able to count the number of punts in the game on 1 hand.....

I hate to lay on the Bulls but as another double digit dog on Thursday.....at home to boot....I guess you can consider Houston a home dog as well but that game is being played at Reliant.....I like Buffalo....Connecticut not only lost Orlovsky they lost 10 other starters on both sides of the ball and what they have left basically is Cornell Brockington....he may rush for 300 yards in this game if the Huskies decide to give him the ball 35 times as they should.....he is a stud.....but that ball control should keep the score down to where getting 3 td's might just be enough to cover.....little revenge as well for the Bulls as Ct thrashed them
29-0 last year at home....

gl on the picks this year.....friggin Eaglets fan.....

[Eagles2005SB]

yea Dead in one of the college football preview magazines I have they were saying something about Buffalo being a stronger team this year and I am looking at 19 points with a UCONN that lost ALOT from last year, I dont think they are going to blow them out .... BTW Dead I am betting the Steelers when they play the Eagles in the preseason on Monday since I am going to be in Vegas, gl to your steelers and gl this football season.....


DWD, I am really liking this BGSU team, primarily on the fact that JAcobs is a stud and probably the 2nd best pro prospect behind Leinart, I think they turn some heads with an opening win vs Wisconsin

[WildBillPicks7]

GL Eagles...Good solid points on each potential pick...

Arizona will be improved, young, but improved. Ducks are Ducks, they always seem to play when they want to and not how they are expected to. BGSU is a sleeper ala, Boise of last year...NC State? They have two QB's still duking it out and Va Tech will miss some people and were beaten in Hokie land by a smidgen, thanks to a missed FG. NC State radio dj's are already having this game hyped up bigtime locally...Houston? Be careful with that club. Their QB Kolb is a good talent, but last year every team had their playbook (scouting tapes) from the previous season, thus he suffered through the sophomore jinx year. This year his club should put up tons of points again, but his defense sucks. ECU has a new coach, Skip Holtz and they have a QB back from academic suspension, and he's stupider than hell...Duke will be under-valued all year and they have a transfer QB that might surprise in the ACC, however they are still years away from winning more than 3 games. Lastly, A&M with McNeal and Franchione, they could be the sleeper of the Big 12 this year, if, plenty of "ifs" they stay healthy, especially McNeal. The other two, Buffalo and Eastern Mich, both look good as well, U Conn lost the big "O" but they have two topnotch RB's who'll be in the NFL in 2006 and lastly, Eastern Michigan needs their defense to learn how to knock down passes and tackle runners, other than that they could do better in the MAC..

Best underdog play I've scoped for while now is Boise State vs Georgia...

GL

WB:prtytme:

[dead garcia]

it wouldnt be hard for Buffalo to be a stronger team than last year and previous years for that matter....

as far as the steelers/eagles preseason game gl my friend.....I think y'all that lay on these preseason nfl games would be better off heading to a casino and throwing a grand down on black and one spin of the roulette wheel.....

and you are right about Jacobs.....4000 yards....41 td's and 4 int's.....pair him up with a bevy of experience in the receiver department and if the O line gives him time he will duplicate last years stellar blue season.....I am leaning toward BG against Wisky.....could be a straight up dog win....

[bigbag12]

i see aTm going anywhere from the lowest 7-4 to 10-1.

i think the clincher is the clemson. if they lose( and they are just better, they shouldnt) i think could start a tailspin. but a win and i could see them 8-0 heading TTU , t.u. and OU.

brutal road schedule tho, colorado, kansas st, OU, t.u., and TTu on the road. but overall + 1 seems like a steal!!!

[dead garcia]

I am on the same page with you regarding how A&M's season will play out could be how they perform in Death Valley 9/3 but right now I like Clemson to play extremely tough at home in the opener.....Whitehurst played like a lost puppy last year after an incredible soph year.....the Tigers brought in Rob Spence this year as their new Off. Coord.....if his name doesnt sound familiar he was the brainchild behind the development of the Toledo offense the past 4 years....he made Bruce Gradkowski the stud he is.....he will have Whitehurst airing it out this year with an experienced receiving corp....my only question is will he have time to find these guys as they lost the meat of their O line....Spence's offenses at Toledo were centered around short drops for 7-10 yard quickies and dinks to rb's and te's and you know it was effective....gl this year....

[UteFan]

Watch out for the Utes yet again. I don't think they will skip much of a beat-BCS might be a reach but I don't see too many losses this year. A lot of continuity and Johnson is a very, very solid QB. No Urban but we move forward.:thumbs:

[dead garcia]

I agree with you....even though they lost much if this Johnson kid gets time you still have a bunch of senior receivers and a cake schedule.....I really dont see a loss on the schedule right now.....Whittingham has been there a decade so I see nothing lost with Meyer gone and bringing in Andy Ludwig from Oregon....he also was the Off Coord. at Fresno when Carr was there....was a great move.....look out for the Thursday night game at TCU.....that may be your only stumbling block early in the season....gl this year....

[bigbag12]

ya dead, i rank clemson in top 5 places to play..in difficulty that is.

kyle field is number 1 hehe...i just think aTm atm has better athletes, and in addition to the new O coord, i think there D coord is new as well. i just think with the talent aTm has as well as learning a new O and poosibly new D scheme i expect them to be a little off in the 1st game. just my opinion, dont bank that tho LOL

[UteFan]

Great points dead-you've been doing your homework! The defense will be super solid and we have a lightning rod WR/RB freshman named Casteel who is making defenders look silly. He's a playmaker. I think TCU will be tough and I'm not going out on a limb and calling out an undeafeated season again (althought it is possible). I just think we get a loss somewhere. Arizona, NC road or BYU road. We will see. I can't wait!

[DZbettin]

I agree with a couple of your picks Eagles, but i see the Va tech game going the other way. Im going to buy a couple of points and get it down to a field goal and bet the house on it. I still believe the Hokies will be the most talented team in the ACC if Vick returns in good form.

I like Bowling Green to win outright as well.