My Bowl Picks

Instead of picking bowl games by choosing a winner against the spread, as I have done all season, I decided to try something else. All the Fantasy websites seem to prefer this method and even ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit is doing it this year. There are 34 bowl games to be played. You pick a winner straight up for each and you rank each from 1-34 points by the confidence you have in your pick. It sounds fun. Of course, you know my Florida Gators will have my pick to win for 34 points. But assigning games in which I'm less confident fewer points will be a challenge. Here goes!

34 pts -- Florida over Oklahoma (CORRECT)
33 pts -- Texas over Ohio State (CORRECT)
32 pts -- Georgia over Michigan State (CORRECT)
31 pts -- Alabama over Utah (WRONG)
30 pts -- Boston College over Vanderbilt (WRONG)
29 pts -- Fresno State over Colorado State (WRONG)
28 pts -- Florida State over Wisconsin (CORRECT)
27 pts -- South Florida over Memphis (CORRECT)
26 pts -- Air Force over Houston (WRONG)
25 pts -- Nebraska over Clemson (CORRECT)
24 pts -- Connecticut over Buffalo (CORRECT)
23 pts -- BYU over Arizona (WRONG)
22 pts -- USC over Penn State (CORRECT)
21 pts -- Navy over Wake Forest (WRONG)
20 pts -- Ole Miss over Texas Tech (CORRECT)
19 pts -- Northwestern over Mizzou (WRONG)
18 pts -- Florida Atlantic over Central Mich (CORRECT)
17 pts -- La Tech over No Illinois (CORRECT)
16 pts -- So Miss over Troy (CORRECT)
15 pts -- East Carolina over Kentucky (WRONG)
14 pts -- TCU over Boise State (CORRECT)
13 pts -- North Carolina over West Virginia (WRONG)
12 pts -- NC State over Rutgers (WRONG)
11 pts -- Rice over West Mich (CORRECT)
10 pts -- Okla St over Oregon (WRONG)
9 pts -- Cal over Miami (FL) (CORRECT)
8 pts -- Tulsa over Ball State (CORRECT)
7 pts -- Georgia Tech over LSU (WRONG)
6 pts -- Kansas over Minnesota (CORRECT)
5 pts -- Pitt over Oregon State (WRONG)
4 pts -- Cincinnati over Va Tech (WRONG)
3 pts -- Nevada over Maryland (WRONG)
2 pts -- Iowa over South Carolina (CORRECT)
1 pts -- Notre Dame over Hawaii (CORRECT)

UPDATE: I went 19-15 and earned 346 of the potential 591 points. And most importantly, I was correct with my 34 point pick and the Gators and National Champs....chomp chomp!!

My Regular Season Picks

Over the past 15 weeks, I picked 5 games each week against the spread. I got off to a hot start, but certainly slumped as the season wore on. Thankfully I finished the regular season with a few decent weeks to end in positive territory. It certainly wouldn't have been enough to cover the juice on these potential bets, but it could have been worse. The coin flips I used in these 75 same games produced an even worse success record as George Washington finished 8 games below .500.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 38-36-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 33-41-1

Let's see if I can redeem myself in the forthcoming bowl games!

Week #15

1 game above .500 as we enter the last week of the regular season.

Alabama (+10) vs Florida -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: ALABAMA;

Arizona State (+11) at Arizona -- MY PICK: ARIZONA STATE, GEORGE'S: ARIZONA STATE;

USC (-32.5) at UCLA -- MY PICK: UCLA, GEORGE'S: UCLA;

Army (+10.5) vs Navy-- MY PICK: ARMY, GEORGE'S: ARMY;

Pittsburgh (+2.5) at Connecticut -- MY PICK: PITT, GEORGE'S: PITT;

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 35-34-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 31-38-1

Week #14

My yearly record is officially at .500. For every 1 pick I have gotten right, I've gotten another one wrong. And that won't make money for anyone but the sportsbooks.

This is my favorite week of the college football season. Not only is the Thanksgiving weekend packed with rivalry games, but you get a full slate of televised games both on Friday and Saturday. Perfect to go with a side of leftovers!

This week I'm sticking with the SEC and its rivalry games. I need a big one!

Miss State (+18) at Ole Miss -- MY PICK: OLE MISS, GEORGE'S: OLE MISS; I have been riding Ole Miss all year and it's only fitting that they are the only team to beat my Gators. I think QB Jevon Snead is going to be a big time star and I think coach Houston Nutt might be the best in all of college football. The Egg Bowl won't even be close.

Georgia Tech (+8) at Georgia -- MY PICK: GEORGIA, GEORGE'S: GEORGIA TECH; I think this game will be close but 8 points isn't enough. Tech is getting closer and I'm sure their offensive scheme will rattle the Bulldogs a little. But Georgia has never lost this game under coach Mark Richt and they won't do so this year.

Florida (-16.5) at Florida State -- MY PICK: FLORIDA, GEORGE'S: FLORIDA STATE; There is part of me that fears the Seminoles playing up for this game. And I remember how the Gators struggled to win 2 years ago in Tallahassee even as they marched towards the National Championship. But this offense is simply too hot. I'll lay the points.

Auburn (+14.5) at Alabama -- MY PICK: AUBURN, GEORGE'S: AUBURN; I need Alabama to win this one. I want Florida to face an undefeated Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship next week. But I think it will be closer than expected. Auburn will play up for a game they have dominated of late.

Kentucky (+3.5) at Tennessee-- MY PICK: TENNESSEE, GEORGE'S: KENTUCKY; I hate to go with the Vols since they have burned me a lot this year. But how can I not like the boys from Rocky Top to win one last game for 17 year coach Philip Fullmer is his final game?

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 32-32-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 29-35-1

Week #13

I'm coming off another horrid 1-4 week. I'm just 1 game above .500 after flirting with .750 earlier in the year. This week, I'll follow the lead of my Gators and take a week off from the SEC. But The Citdeal? That might be pushing it Jeremy Foley! Regardless, there's not too many exciting ones in the SEC anyway. And I'm going to avoid the Texas Tech-Oklahoma matchup because my brain and heart are at odds. I don't want to spoil the enjoyment of watching it. So here are my 5 games from week #13.

Illinois (-3) at Northwestern -- MY PICK: NORTHWESTERN, GEORGE'S: NORTHWESTERN; The Illini have been one of my biggest disappointments this year. Give me a much better Northwestern team at home and the points.

BYU (+6.5) at Utah -- MY PICK: BYU, GEORGE'S: UTAH; Rarely do I root for a team full of Mormons. But in this one, there's really no choice either way. Give me BYU and the points to clear up the BCS confusion.

Oregon State (+2) at Arizona -- MY PICK: ARIZONA, GEORGE'S: OREGON STATE; I would love to see Oregon State get the Rose Bowl berth instead of USC. They deserve it too. But I just don't see it happening. This is a tough road game and 2 points ain't enough for me.

Michigan (+19) at Ohio State -- MY PICK: OHIO STATE, GEORGE'S: MICHIGAN; I vowed not to touch Michigan again. But this one looks so easy. How can you not like Ohio State at home in a blowout against a horrible team. We shall see as I tempt fate yet again!

Boise State (-7) at Nevada -- MY PICK: NEVADA, GEORGE'S: NEVADA; Though I'm fond of Boise from their 2006 heroics, I'd like to see them fall here so a 2nd SEC team is assured a BCS spot. 7 points is a lot to lay on the road against a decent Nevada squad.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 30-29-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 26-33-1

Week #12

I finally turned it around last week with a 3-2 performance. That's good, not great, but it kicked George Washington's butt at least. Lesson learned is I'm much better when I stick with the SEC. So I'll take 3 SEC games today, going all with favorites I like. The line scares me away from LSU and Alabama, though both should win.

Georgia (-9) at Auburn -- MY PICK: GEORGIA, GEORGE'S: GEORGIA; Auburn is simply awful on the offensive side of the ball this year. No way Georgia loses this one and I don't see it being close. It wouldn't be fair, but Coach Tubberville may be in trouble in Tiger land.

Vandy (+3.5) at Kentucky -- MY PICK: KENTUCKY, GEORGE'S: KENTUCKY; It's a shame but Vandy is in their annual free fall. They started 5-0 and needed only 1 more win for a possible bowl berth. It still hasn't happened. The offense is stagnant no matter which QB they lose and I don't seem them winning at Kentucky.

South Carolina (+21) at Florida -- MY PICK: FLORIDA, GEORGE'S: FLORIDA; With memories of the 1 point thriller two years ago, I'm hesitant to pick Florida in a blowout over Steve Spurrier. And the Gamecocks are playing good ball too. But Florida is hungry and they know their SEC and BCS fate is in their own hands now. Too much Tebow.

Nebraska (-6) at Kansas State -- MY PICK: KANSAS STATE, GEORGE'S: KANSAS STATE; This one could be ugly. Both teams have underperformed this year. And while Nebraska Coach Bo Pellini has just started rebuilding, K State Coach Ron Prince has already been fired. Doesn't seem fair as expectations were too high in the wake of legendary Coach Bill Snider. I look for K State to win one at home for the departing coach.

Ohio State (-9) at Illinois -- MY PICK: ILLINOIS, GEORGE'S: OHIO STATE; Remember this one last year? Illinois shocked an undefeated Ohio State on the road and seeminly prevented them from ruining the BCS title game. It didn't play out that way, but Illini Coach Ron Zook will rally his underachieving troops for a big home win here. It's my upset special of the week.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 29-25-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 24-30-1

Week #11

A 3rd straight pathetic week and I'm barely above .500. George Washington is literally nipping at my heels. Time to circle the wagons by looking only at the 5 SEC games today. In week 11 I like all the favorites. Yes, that does scare me!

Georgia (-13.5) at Kentucky -- MY PICK: GEORGIA, GEORGE'S: GEORGIA; Look for Georgia to bounce back strongly after an embarrassing blowout last week by the Gators. If they can avoid turnovers and special teams mistakes, they should be able to win big even on the road.

Wyoming (+27) at Tennessee -- MY PICK: TENNESSEE, GEORGE'S: WYOMING; I'm not impressed by the Volunteers by any means, but I expect them to be fired up against a cupcake on the Saturday following longtime coach Phil Fullmer's resignation.

Alabama (-3.5) at LSU -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: LSU; I wish this game was a pick 'em. I think Alabama finds a way to escape with a win in Death Valley but I can see it being very close. Crimson Tide QB John Parker Wilson and RB Glen Coffee must manage field position in this one.

Florida (-24) at Vanderbilt -- MY PICK: FLORIDA, GEORGE'S: VANDY; I just don't see a letdown game here after Florida suffered one earlier this year against Ole Miss. Vandy could make it a 3 way tie in the SEC East with an upset win. But they are coming off 4 losses in a row and not impressing anyone of late. The Gators roll here.

Arkansas (+12.5) at South Carolina -- MY PICK: SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGE'S: ARKANSAS; Again I'm somewhat afraid of the spread here, but I think South Carolina finds a way to get it done at home. With a senior QB and good running game, Arkansas has some weapons on offense but I don't trust their defense at all. Look for new Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia to continue his progress under the Ol' Ball Coach.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 26-23-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 23-26-1

Week #9

Another sub-par week last week at 2-3. George Washington is steadily catching up as I continue to slide. I think as we get into the meat of the season, I'm making the class amateur mistake by picking with my heart. So with that lesson in mind, here goes as I look to get back in the win column with 5 games from week 9.

Illinois (-2.5) at Wisconsin -- MY PICK: ILLINOIS, GEORGE'S: ILLINOIS; The Badgers season is sinking fast after losses to Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. I expect it to continue, even at home. Look for a big game from Illini QB Juice Williams.

Ole Miss(-6.5) at Arkansas -- MY PICK: OLE MISS, GEORGE'S: ARKANSAS; I wish the line wasn't so high here. Though I have every reason to go with the Rebels, it is a road game afterall. Ole Miss is coming off a close loss to Alabama. Coach Houston Nutt will make sure his boys win this one.

Alabama (-5) at Tennessee -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: TENNESSEE; The oddsmakers are giving too much respect to the home field edge at famed Neyland Stadium. Coach Phil Fulmer may be fighting to keep his job. But Alabama is just too good. This one could be a blowout.

Texas Tech (+1) at Kansas -- MY PICK: KANSAS, GEORGE'S: TEXAS TECH; Looks like I've taken an attachment to this Kansas team. They are very flawed, especially on defense. But I am impressed by the way they can put up points. So too can Texas Tech. This will be a shootout. I'll take the home team.

Notre Dame (-10) at Washington -- MY PICK: WASHINGTON, GEORGE'S: WASHINGTON; I could see the Fighting Irish finding a way to win this one. Washington is very young and not that good. They haven't even won a game yet. But it's a home game and a long road trip for Notre Dame. If there is justice, Coach Ty Willingham gets revenge for his unjust firing. I think that's reason enough to think this one will be close.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 24-15-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 17-22-1

Week #5

If only I could begin this week's look at the games by claiming to have called the mighty USC Trojans falling on Thursday night to unranked Oregon State. However, nobody saw that one coming, including your little blogger with the 75% winning percentage. But I'm sure glad to see them lose! Yet, just as I said about Ohio State, don't write Southern California off yet. Both teams are capable of recovering by running the table against their weak conferences. Regardless, the loss clearly does help the superior SEC and Big 12 powers who are seeking a spot in the BCS champtionship themselves.

Here's a look at 5 games from week 5.

North Carolina(+7.5) at Miami -- MY PICK: NORTH CAROLINA, GEORGE'S: NORTH CAROLINA; Butch Davis is slowly building a real program at North Carolina. The Tar Heels come into this game at 2-1, with a solid beating of Rutgers and a near upset of Virginia Tech. In fact, I couldn't understand why they are a TD underdog to struggling Miami. Then I saw that UNC lost QB T.J. Yates for a month to injury. Makes more sense now. However, I still don't like the Hurricanes and expect Coach Davis to rally his squad for the outright upset of his former team.

Alabama(+6.5) at Georgia -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: GEORGIA; What a game! As if last year's overtime thriller between these schools wasn't good enough, this one could be even better. Both teams are top 10 ranked and the winner of this game is primed to march towards an SEC championship. Alabama's QB John Parker Wilson and Georgia's QB Matthew Stafford are both juniors and in their 3rd year as starting quarterbacks. You can't ask for better in college football! This one will be close. So I'll take the Tide and the points.

Colorado(+5.5) at Florida State -- MY PICK: COLORADO, GEORGE'S: FLORIDA STATE; Here again I question the odds makers this week. I know Colorado is on the road. But there's no reason why FSU should be a TD favorite. FSU looked awful at home against Wake Forest last week. The luster fell quickly off new QB Christian Ponder. And though Mickey Andrews' defense was typically good, it's not enough when you only score 3 points. Colorado will score way more than that. Coach Dan Hawkins is rebuilding the Buffs and it's pretty cool that he's doing it with his son QB Cody Hawkins at the helm.

Arkansas (+27) at Texas -- MY PICK: TEXAS, GEORGE'S: TEXAS; Coming off a 40 pt loss at home to Alabama, look for new coach Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks to get destroyed at Texas. It's too bad because it's otherwise great to see this rivalry restored. I well remember then new coach Houston Nutt going into Austin with QB Matt Jones and coming out with a huge upset win earlier in the decade. Not this time. Coach Mack Brown's Texas squad has its usual offensive weapons led by QB Colt McCoy. However, Arkansas has nothing after losing their running attack and best wideout to the NFL draft. Petrino was hoping to build an offensive attack around 3rd year starting QB Casey Dick, but it just isn't working.

Wisconsin (-6) at Michigan -- MY PICK: WISONSIN, GEORGE'S: WISCONSIN; Can Michigan burn me a 3rd time? I vowed not to touch them again, but I think it's ok to go against them in this one. Wisconsin is so much better that I have to go with yet another road team. Michigan QB Stephen Threet has looked clueless (even against Notre Dame!). On the other hand, Coach Brett Bielma's Badgers have their usual solid running game in high gear. Wisconsin RB P.J. Hill keeps the tradition alive and I wouldn't be surprised to see him run for 200+ yards in this one and enter the Heisman discussion.

JTB YEARLY RECORD: 14-5-1
GW YEARLY RECORD: 7-12-1

Week #1

Although the season actually started last night, tomorrow brings the first Saturday slate of games during the 2008 season. I can't wait! As always, there are some interesting matchups of teams from different conferences. And then there are plenty of duds as the powerhouses schedule Division 2 cupcakes merely looking for a payday. However, don't tell that to Appalachian State or Michigan! And remember - though the BCS may drive us nuts sometimes - the uniquely fun part of college football is that title contenders can be eliminated from contention with a loss even here in week one.

Every Friday I will make 5 predictions here on games that I think will be interesting. I'll use the current betus.com point spread so hopefully this will put my forecasting skills (or lack thereof) to the test. Additionally, I will also pick these same games by flipping a quarter with Heads indicating a preference for the home (or favored for neutral site games) team and Tails marking the road team. Let's see how I fare against George Washington!

Hawaii (+34) at Florida -- MY PICK: FLORIDA, GEORGE'S: FLORIDA; June Jones and Colt Brennan are gone. Florida will break in the new running backs and the defense piches a shutout.

Alabama (+4.5) vs Clemson -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: CLEMSON; Great ACC-SEC matchup at the Georgia Dome. Look for Nick Saban and QB John Parker Wilson to make great strides this year.

Memphis (+7.5) at Ole Miss -- MY PICK: OLE MISS, GEORGE'S: MEMPHIS ; The Houston Nutt era begins with new QB Jevan Snead.

Utah (+3) at Michigan -- MY PICK: MIGHIGAN, GEORGE'S: UTAH; New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez can't implement his offense yet but he can kick some butt to avoid another embarrassment.

USC (+19) at Virginia -- MY PICK: VIRGINIA, GEORGE'S: VIRGINIA; USC appears to have QB issues. Will a banged-up Mark Sanchez be able to fill the shoes of past QB greats? Virginia keeps it close.

My Picks

I don't pretend to be the most knowledgeable, but I do love to watch the games. So I'm going to focus less on forecasting and more on commentary here. However, you can't be a real football fan unless you stake your claim every August with some predictions. Most will be wrong. I might nail a couple. And I can always hit the delete button later in the season. Here they are -- apologies for the SEC bias, but the best conference in America has earned it afterall!

SEC -- Florida Gators: Sorry Georgia fans, Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow is still better than Matthew Stafford. Look for him to emerge as an even better passer as his role in the rushing game diminishes. The Gators will have a much better defined running game this year with Lakeland, FL RB Chris Rainey, USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, returning starter Keystahn Moore, and all-around amazing athlete Percy Harvin. The offense will be scary good. Let's see if longtime coordinator Charlie Strong can improve the defense.

ACC -- Clemson : Great double-headed running attack in CJ Spiller and James Davis. Clemson always seems to choke in big spots but the lack of depth in the ACC tells me this might be their year. Virginia Tech has QB issues which will prove too much to overcome.

Big East -- West Virginia : New coach Bill Stewart seems to be the biggest question. Otherwise they don't miss a beat with returning QB Pat White and new starter RB Noel Devine. Pittsburgh is a dark horse after their surprise upset of the Mountaineers last year.

Big Ten -- Michigan : Why not? We'll get to hear all about the greatness of coach Rich Rodriguez if he can win this once great conference with Lloyd Carr's players. Michigan lost all its play makers but the new spread offense should breathe life into the struggling program. Hopefully Ohio State will be exposed this year sometime before the BCS title game!

Big 12 -- Oklahoma Bob Stoops defense is always good. But this year his offense will really shine led by sophomores QB Sam Bradford and RB DeMarco Murray . Additionally, the Big 12 just might be the best conference this year after the SEC has had a stranglehold on that title for a half-decade. I was impressed by the emergence of Kansas, Texas Tech, and Mizzou last year. Imagine if Bo Pellini can improve Nebraska in a hurry.

Pac 10 -- Arizona State: It's time to dethrone USC already. I predict they'll have QB issues and former Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain won't help any. They lost a lot of O-Line and defensive talent and perhaps it will take a year or two to reload. But for the Sun Devils, Coach Erickson already has a good passing attack led by QB Rudy Carpenter. He'll find quickie junior college players to supplement the team's needs just as he always does wherever he goes.

BCS Champion -- Oklahoma: If Oklahoma gets through that conference without a loss, they deserve a chance to play for the title.

Heisman -- Missouri QB Chase Daniel: Yes, I'm definitely a Big 12 convert for the 2008 season.