1. Miami – ‘Canes always put it to the ‘Noles somehow. Now who’s going to stop Miami in the ACC?
2. Georgia– Dawgs never play well in Columbia – Marshall might not be easy either. Richt’s bunch seem to be waiting around for LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida
3. Auburn– Tigers’ running game is solid – sleeper SEC championship contender?
4. LSU – Tigers could win up with a couple of losses in the next few weeks
5. Florida – Gators no longer own Vols – game of the week in the country
6. Tennessee – Vols can win the East in a matter of weeks with wins over Georgia and Florida
7. Florida State – Chris Rix won’t ever win a big game for the ‘Noles
8. Virginia – sleeper ACC championship contender? (Cavs have not played anyone, yet)
9. Maryland – this week’s game against West Virginia is a true test of the Turtles
10. Virginia Tech – Hokies roll against Blue Devils
11. Alabama – Ole Miss game was easy, soon the difficult part of the season starts
12. Georgia Tech – Stolen win; Calvin Johnson looks for real
13. Arkansas – last season the Hogs beat Texas, this year they just hung close. It could be that sort of season, but Arkansas is certainly dangerous
14. Clemson– yes the Tigers should be 1-1, but with a loss to Wake and a win over Tech
15. North Carolina State – Ohio State should win
16. South Carolina – a winnable game lost at home – when will Holtz get away from being overly conservative?
17. Wake Forest– Wake probably won’t be this low in the rankings too long
18. Mississippi State – Bulldogs are not yet ready for primetime
19. Ole Miss – 0-3 to start the season? It’s possible
20. Vanderbilt – Vandy needs this game
21. Kentucky – just the Cats’ luck; suddenly Indiana is pretty good – a UK win would be an upset
22. North Carolina – at least the Heels scored against Virginia
23. Duke – is a comment really needed?
This week’s games:
Vanderbilt (+6.5) at Ole Miss
Winner straight up – Ole Miss
Winner with points – Vanderbilt
Comment – This game is always very close
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Marshall (+19) at Georgia
Winner straight up – Georgia
Winner with points – Marshall
Comment – Dawgs never seem to cover against non-conference at Sanford
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LSU (-1.5) at Auburn
Winner straight up – Auburn
Winner with points – Auburn
Comment – Neither team has a quarterback ready for this game – Auburn’s running game and defense is better
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W. Carolina at Alabama
Winner straight up – Alabama
Winner with points – no line
Comment – Alabama should be fine
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Louisiana-Monroe (+31) at Arkansas
Winner straight up – Arkansas
Winner with points – Arkansas
Comment – Hogs should cover huge spread
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Maine at Mississippi State
Winner straight up – Mississippi State
Winner with points – no line
Comment – This could be one of State’s last wins of the season
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South Florida (+13.5) at South Carolina
Winner straight up – South Carolina
Winner with points – South Carolina
Comment – I might be stupid for taking the Cocks to cover more than a 7 point spread.
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Indiana (+1.5) at Kentucky
Winner straight up – Indiana
Winner with points – Indiana
Comment – How is Kentucky favored?
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Florida (-3.0) at Tennessee
Winner straight up – Tennessee
Winner with points – Tennessee
Comment – This game is so early in the season – you rarely know anything about either team before this game
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Duke (+25) at Virginia Tech
Winner straight up – Virginia Tech
Winner with points – Virginia Tech
Comment – This game can’t be the reason Tech came to the ACC
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Maryland (+7.0) at West Virginia
Winner straight up – West Virginia
Winner with points – West Virginia
Comment – Turtle power won’t be able to keep up with Mountaineers
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Louisiana Tech (+30.5) at Miami
Winner straight up – Miami
Winner with points – Miami
Comment – Canes roll
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Akron (+31.5) at Virginia
Winner straight up – Virginia
Winner with points – Virginia
Comment – Virginia can score a lot of points it seems
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Ohio State (-2.5) at NC State
Winner straight up – Ohio State
Winner with points – Ohio State
Comment – Ohio State should win this game
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Alabama-Birmingham (+24.5) at Florida State
Winner straight up – Florida State
Winner with points – Alabama-Birmingham
Comment – UAB is not that bad
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North Carolina A&T at Wake Forest
Winner straight up – Wake Forest
Winner with points – no line
Comment – This game will likely put fans to sleep – who schedules these games?
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Clemson (-1.5) at Texas A&M
Winner straight up – Clemson
Winner with points – Clemson
Comment – A road favorite after a loss at home? Still… I manage to take the Tigers
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LOCK OF THE WEEK
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Ohio State (-2.5) at NC State
Winner straight up – Ohio State
Winner with points – Ohio State
Comment – Too many factors point to a Buckeye win
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Year – Lock of the week: 1 of 2 or 50%
Year – Straight up: 28 out of 31 or 90%
Year – Points: 12 of 26 or 46%