NFL and College Picks for November 7th and 8th

The Guru still lives up to his name in the pro game, being 17-11 for the season so far.

Still not so hot with college though. 12-16-1 in a disappointing year so far.

Click here to see Jerod’s picks from earlier this week and then follow after the jump for this week’s college and NFL picks.

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College and NFL picks for October 31st and November 1st

We are 5-1 in the Pros the last two weeks and we will keep the streak going after this week.

We also picked up some ground in the college game (thank God).

Overall on the season with the Pro Picks we are 16-9, which is a whopping 64% accuracy. There are websites out there that charge and don’t even hit that kind of mark. College…not so hot…11-14 on the year so far.

Onto this week’s picks:

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NFL and College Football Picks for October 24th and 25th

Last week was picture perfect for the NFL going 3-0, with a record of 14-8 for the year. As for college…not so hot, in fact terrible, with 9 wins and 13 losses. We are still searching for our first huge week. Sorry for the short recap on the games this week, but here they are.

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NFL picks for October 18th

11-8 so far on the year with the Pros and we are looking to add to the winning column big. This is probably the best week of football so far this year with plenty of big games.

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College Picks for October 17th

O.K so the GURU is surging with the Pro games after last week’s stellar performance. 11 wins 8 losses so far on the year.

Still struggling with the college picks though, with 7 wins and 9 losses. I firmly believe I can turn around the ship this week in the college.

Pro picks later today, college picks right now:

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NFL and College Football picks for October 10th and 11th

This is the week that the Guru gets into positive ground with the college picks in a big way. I feel really good about all of these picks.

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NFL Week 4 Picks

I guess we are going to start out with the Vikings vs. the Packers game this week, and why not?

This game will single-handedly rate higher than any TV program including the NBA finals and the MLB World Series this year.

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NFL and College Picks for September 26th-27th

I’m still looking to catch fire in college this year, and am not too excited about this week’s matchups. But, with that said, this will probably be the week we post a solid win total.

Purdue(+7) vs. Notre Dame

Purdue last week lost to Northern Illinois in a classic case of we’re looking ahead to next weeks game against Notre Dame. Well, next week is here and Notre Dame and Charlie (Grimace) Weis is in town. This series has seen plenty of entertaining high octane games, as the last five games have seen the teams combine for over 50 points scored in each.

Jimmy Clausen has still not thrown a pick this year and in my opinion is a heisman candidate. However, Clausen does lose his deep threat wide receiver in Michael Floyd who is out for the season. Notre Dame can score but they have a serious problem still trying to stop the run.

Ralph Bolden, the speed burner from Purdue, should be able to run at will against Notre Dame. Before last week’s loss to Northern Illinois, he was the nation’s leading rusher. Expect him to get back on track this week.

Notre Dame wins, but does not cover the 7 points.

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NFL Picks Week 2: Take the Giants, Colts, Seahawks, and Panthers

New York GMEN(+3) vs. Dallas Cowboys

Looking at the match ups in this game, they favor the Giants greatly. Dallas’s offensive line is suspect and the GMEN have the best defensive line in the NFL. Tony Romo, when shaken, gets stirred like a James Bond drink, and I expect him to be hit all night. Tony Romo has a history of making some very poor decisions against the Giants and I don’t expect that to change this week. I like the Giants to win, but getting 3 points is always great.

Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts(-3)

Miami took the league by storm last year with their Wildcat offense. That was then this is now. NFL defensive coordinators have had one year to see the Wildcat offense on tapes, and Miami wont be catching anyone by surprise this year. With that said Miami still does not have a quarterback that can throw the ball more than 25 yards down field which makes it easy for defenses to scheme against them. The Colts do struggle on the road and on grass, but it’s only 3 points, and I think they win by two scores.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks(+1)

I think Seattle is a completely different team with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback at the helm. Not to mention he finally has a great receiver to throw the ball to in T.J Houshmandzadeh. For the 49ers I just don’t believe in Shaun Hill and besides Frank Gore, not enough playmakers, take the point and fly with the Hawks.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers(+6.5)

Atlanta looked really good last week, Carolina looked really bad. The spread in the game started at -2 and has jumped almost 4.5 points. This is a big rivalry in the NFC South and if Carolina loses this game they might as well pack it in for the season, because their schedule is just brutal for the rest of the season. I don’t expect Jake Delhome to light it up, I expect the Panthers to run, run, and run some more, which you can do versus Atlanta. I think Atlanta wins, but they don’t cover.

Record this year:
College 3-5
NFL 2-2

NFL Locks: Spread Picks for Jets-Texas, Redskins-Giants, Bucs-Cowboys, Patriots-Bills

Results so far for the year: College – 2 wins and 3 losses

NFL LOCKS OF THE WEEK

Jets vs. Texans -3.5

This game will be an absolute blow out. Houston has way to much fire power for the Jets to handle. This game is going to be played in Houston and it is going to be brutally hot and Humid, weather.com has it at 86 degrees and the Jets will not be use to this weather, it has been an unusually cool summer in New York so expect Jet players to be sucking wind early and often. I know Mark Sanchez has looked good in the preseason, but it is the preseason. He is a rookie and will make mistakes. Expect Matt Schaub to have a monster day through the air to Andre Johnson, Andre Davis and Kevin Walters. The Jets get beat by the heat and the Texans.

Redskins +6.5 vs. Giants

I think the Redskins are going to surprise a lot of people this year. Jason Campbell will finally be playing in the same offensive system for consecutive years since high school, so expect a better year from him. For the Giants I’m not convinced they have answered the question at wide receiver, and without that top level wide receiver the Giants offense last year struggled. The Giants will need to run the ball to win but the Skins defense against the run is sick especially with the addition of Albert Haynesworth. I think Washington may win the game outright, but having the 6.5 always helps.

Buccaneers vs. Dallas -5.5

When you go into the season firing your offensive coordinator a few weeks before the season starts that is a warning sign that your offense is going to be putrid. Tampa doesn’t have the playmakers on offense to keep pace with the Cowboys. This game could get ugly and ugly quick. Dish out the 5.5 as Dallas roles.

Bills vs. Patriots -11

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots score in the forty point range this week against Buffalo. Tom Brady is out to prove a point that he will not be stopped and continue off of his monster season two years ago. The addition of Joey Galloway may prove to be one of this off seasons biggest moves. He still runs like a gazelle and when both Galloway and Moss run fly patterns who will the safety cover? Even if they cover both it opens the underneath with Welker. The Bills also fired their offensive coordinator a few weeks before the season starts, but unlike the Bucs they have playmakers, just not enough to be close in this game. Take the Pats, and count your cash.

Betting Lock for Week 2: Ohio State (+7) v USC

Last week picks: 2-2

Only one game this week for college and it’s the big one about to start.

Ohio State (+7) vs. USC

Pete Carroll hands down is the best coach in the NCAA and we will see this again Saturday night when USC travels to Ohio State. He recruit’s the best players, his team is always prepared, and always wins the big games. Yes every year USC does get picked off by some underdog in the PAC 10, but I can only think of one game were USC has lost a big game(national championship vs. Texas 2005) And trust me when I say USC views this as a big game.

The Trojans who have a plethora of stud running backs will run the ball to open up the passing game, which will put freshman quarterback Matt Barkely at ease for his first big test on the road. More importantly the horses of Joe McKnight, C.J Gable, and Stafon Johnson will wear down this defense of Ohio State. If Ohio State had issues with Navy last week, what’s going to happen when the speed and athletes of USC come to town?

For Ohio State to have a chance in this game they will need Terrelle Pryor to play out of this world. I see a lot of similarities between Pryor and quarterback Vince Young(who also gave USC troubles back in 2005), but Pryor just does not have the accuracy, and at times makes poor decisions in big spots. Jim Tressel and his conservative play calling will keep Ohio State close for a majority of the game, but USC will pull away late in the forth quarter.

Take Ohio State and give the points.

College Football Week 1 Locks

If you decide to go with my picks I have a few rules, and both are equally important:

• Rule #1 Don’t bet what you don’t have. You don’t want to spend grocery money on my picks no matter how hot I get. 
• Rule #2 No matter how much you like a game, bet the same amount on the all games I give you. Freaky things happen in college football.

This is the time of the year when you make your money. Vegas is not sure how certain teams are going to perform, how new players are going to react to certain situations, and who will be the new stars emerge across the country.

And for the record, I only play the big games, the games you will see on TV (which you can find out at the MSF college football TV schedule).  Thus, I will not be giving picks on North Texas vs. some other cream puff.

We have a theme this week, so let’s begin.

Game #1 I love; actually, I love all four of the gems I’m going to give you, but I like this game the most.

Follow the link or click the image below to get great deals on college football tickets at StubHub.

Boise St vs. Oregon

• Boise State-Oregon Point Spread: Boise State -3.5
• Boise State -Oregon Over-Under: 64

The oddsmakers have Boise State favored in this game by 3.5 with the over-under at a whopping 64. I don’t believe either team will have many stops in this game and I expect the over to be in full effect. With that being said, Boise State is at home, it’s the first BIG game of the NCAA year, and oh by the way it’s on a Thursday night.

Folks, for starters, Boise State does not lose many home games, I can probably count on one hand how many losses they have had at home over the past five years. Boise State also has the experience, with 90% of their players having started a game last year. Oregon can’t match that experience, which is HUGE in the beginning of the season.

What does this game mean for Boise State? Well, if they win tomorrow night you might as well pencil them in to BCS Bowl, and maybe even a national championship. For Oregon, this game means a lot, but nowhere near what it means to the Broncos. Oregon did not have this game circled on their schedule as they had Cal, Oregon State, and USC.

Go with the Boise State and give the points.

Georgia at Oklahoma State

• Georgia-Oklahoma State Point Spread: Oklahoma State -5

Game #2 is Georgia at Oklahoma State. Will Georgia be able to stop the high powered offense of the Cowboys? Oklahoma State has some key players like Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant, who just so happens to be my projected #1 wide receiver in the country.

Georgia, on the other hand, has some players, but when the game is close who are they going to turn to? No Matthew Stafford, and no Knowshon Moreno.

Like the previous game, this game means a lot to Oklahoma State. This will be on Saturday night, on ABC, and the country will be watching. Oklahoma State has added seats for this year, so this will be the largest amount of fans to attend an Oklahoma State football game.

Georgia, well they need to worry about the SEC, so this game again means a lot but nowhere near what it means to the Cowboys. Oh and by the way, when was the last time Georgia traveled outside of their time zone?

Give the 5 and count your cash.

Missouri at Illinois

• Illinois-Missouri point spread: Illinois -7

Game #3 has Illinois giving 7 to Mizzou. I will keep this one quick, short, and to the point.

Mizzou lost everyone, Illinois has not. Gone for the Tigers are Chase Daniels, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman. Mizzou had a great run, but they don’t reload like the top teams in the country do.

Illinois, on the other hand, returns quarterback Juice Williams. He had a great year last year, but still flew under the radar. He will be throwing the rock all day to up-and-coming stud Arrelious Benn. This is a home game for the fighting Illini and they have returning starters.

Give the points as Mizzou can’t stay up with the Illini like Ron Zook can stay up on his skis.

Virginia Tech vs Alabama

• Alabama-Virginia Tech point spread: Alabama -6.5

Game #4 is Virginia Tech vs. Alabama. The line in this game is 6.5. When I first saw this I almost jumped out of my chair. My first thought was there wasn’t going to be 6.5 points scored the whole game, not that I am advocating the under over in this game, but it just seems like a lot to give Virginia Tech, team with more firepower than the Crimson Tide.

Alabama over it’s past two games has been destroyed, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Nick Saban is sweating tonight thinking about the game on Saturday. I like Tyrod Taylor, and I think he is a playmaker, something Alabama doesn’t have many of on the offensive side of the ball.

Take the Hookies and take the points.

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Keep your eye out for Rich’s next column here at MSF, and you can also follow his blog at http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com/.

* – Ron Zook skiing photo credit: Deadspin

Michael Vick’s Debut in Philadelphia Could be an Ominous Sign of Future Controversy

[Editor's Note: I am happy to announce Rich Brown as the newest writer for Midwest Sports Fans. Rich currently runs the website http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com/ and will be covering the NFL and college football for us here. His first effort is a good timely one, as you will read below.]

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What Michael Vick brings to the table for the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles is excitement, big plays, and lots of flash.  As football fans, we crave this like a bad drug habit.  This excitement and big play potential is why we watch the game, similar to how many NASCAR fans watch races for the crashes.  

Michael Vick will make the Eagles interesting, not just due to being a decoy and running the wildcat formation.  He will also make the Eagles interesting because we want to see how he is changed on and off the field. Plus, as we found out after last night’s, Vick’s presence in Philadelphia has created the potential for controversy between he, Donovan McNabb, and the Eagles fans as the season progresses.  

During his interview with James Brown on 60 minutes, Vick acknowledged that he was the last one on the field and the first one off it during his time in Atlanta.  He could get away with this to a certain extent because, as we all know, Vick is as nimble as a cheetah on the field and has a cannon for an arm. There is no denying his skills as an athlete no matter how much we may dislike the things he has done.  

With the media circus that surrounds Vick this year, will he be the first one on the field and the last one off it? What if Vick spends more time watching film and, in turn, is able to break down defenses not only with his legs but with his arm?  He will have six weeks to prepare for the grind that is the NFL before being able to play in the regular seson, and he will be fresh when defenses (and even his own teammates) are banged up.  

This is where things will become interesting.  

Eagles fans have this love-hate relationship with Donovan McNabb.  Things will very likely be rosy for the first seven games of the season for Philadelphia, as they can easily go 6-1 with their schedule.  Once Vick is back, however, the schedule becomes disastrous.  They will play consecutively starting November 1st: the Giants, Cowboys, at San Diego, at the Bears, Redskins, at Atlanta (to say that Falcon fans will not be happy to welcome Vick back is the understatement of the year) and at the New York Giants.  

Not that the Eagles will lose all of these games, but they will be in a “dog fight” for each one of them.  

If Donovan McNabb struggles and Vick shows signs of brilliance, what will happen then?  Do Eagle fans start to chant we want Vick?  [Editor's Note: They already have!]

What I do know is Vick was perfect with 4-4 passing in the first half of tonight’s preseason game while McNabb had a touchdown but also a fumble and a pick returned for a touchdown.  

Was last night a sign of things to come?  Only time will tell. 

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Keep your eye out for Rich’s next column here at MSF, and you can also follow his blog at http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com/.

* – Michael Vick photo credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum via ESPN.com