Wednesday, November 1, 2017

College Football: The Week 10 FIVE

Last week, as advertised, I took a much-needed week off from the FIVE to visit Las Vegas and reset my compass.  Yes, I made some sports bets and no, I did not write about them. It was my annual "personal week" with the missus in Vegas and it did wonders.

We need to start this turnaround.

Sports betting is a marathon, not a sprint, and there are a ton of handicappers who will tout a "unbelievable" winning record over the short term but don't pay much attention to long-term. From the beginning I've said that I'm more concerned about the long-term than anything but I'm really going to need to start getting some stuff done if I want to hit my goal of 55% for the season.

To recap, I was 11-17-2 going into last week, which saw me go 2-3 which lowers my record to 13-20-2 for the season.  All I can say is I hope you're fading.

Previously I could point you to my "Bet the Rent" newsletter results to bolster my record but, sadly, last week the founder of that understandably decided it was no longer worth the effort he was putting into it and decided it needed to be shuttered.

Before I get into the picks I just want to thank Brian for the opportunity to write for him, albeit briefly.

Now, let's get back to the FIVE.....

1. Kansas State @ Texas Tech. (-3.5)  T: 63

My feeling has been that KSU head coach Bill Snyder has been given too much weight all year. His teams aren't near as good as they used to be and they DO, in fact, often make mistakes to beat themselves, especially on the road. I'm no fan of Kingsbury as a head coach, but he should win pretty easily here.  Pick: Texas Tech to cover -3.5

2. Maryland (-3) @ Rutgers. T: 50.5

Despite not looking horrendously awful at Michigan the fact remains that this is not a very good Rutgers team. Maryland has not been consistent this year but they do one thing well that Rutgers fails to stop.  They run the ball. They also have a good passing game. I think Rutgers struggles here. Pick: Maryland to cover -3

3. Iowa State @ West Virginia (-2)  T: 59.5

In case you haven't been watching, Iowa State is a good football team. They've shown the ability to handle spread offenses, while the Mountaineers have not looked good against better than average competition. (mild) upset here. Pick: Iowa State to win on the M/L

4. Army @ Air Force (-6.5)  T: 59.5

The Black Knights are bowl eligible. Let me repeat that, the Black Knights are bowl eligible. I also think there's a better than average chance they walk away with the Commander in Chief's trophy this year.  Air Force in Colorado will be tough though.  Pick: Army to cover +6.5

5. Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State (-2.5)  T: 76

It just feels weird having Bedlam occur this early in the season, but I think that OU is still the better team and there's something about this rivalry that brings out the worst in the Cowboys. I still think the Sooners will be a CFP team so I can't pick against them here right?  Pick: OU to win on the M/L




Bonus game:

CMU @ WMU (-4)  T: 48

I've got a weakness for Tuesday and Wednesday Night college football.  And while I will be watching the World Series tonight I'll have this game up on TV2 just for kicks.  Western Michigan is still a very, very good team, but this is a rivalry game so anything can happen.  Pick: Over the total of 48.


Enjoy the games and have a great weekend.

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