Week 3 College Football
Let's take a quick look on 4 contests for this weekend that are worth watching(and betting)
.Saturday - California at Minnesota (ESPN, 12:00 p.m.)
Tip: California -14
Is California (2-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) a title contender? Better yet, would you consider the Pac 10 soft if you took off USC? No, yes. Those are my answers and until someone proves me incorrect, I'm not sold on anyone in the conference until they take the crown from Pete Carroll and Troy. The Golden Bears do mantain some talent, especially RB Jahvid Best. However, we'll learn out how good he is real soon considering the schedule Cal faces. Later this game, the Golden Bears square off versus Oregon, USC and UCLA. Head coach Jeff Tedford has had triumph in his tenure versus the Big 10, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS, which includes a 42-17 win over Minnesota in 2006. The Big 10 had two chances last week to gain some respect versus the Pac 10 but both Purdue and Ohio State came up little. Can Minnesota (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) step up this weekend? They'll need to pick up the rush defense, which gave up 261 yards in last week's 20-13 victory versus Air Force. The spanking stadium was rocking for the Gophers last week and could help in this spot, especially as a live 'dog. Who will be Golden this week, the Bears or Gophers?
Saturday - Utah at Oregon (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)
Tip:Take Utah +4
What happens when an unranked team is favored over a ranked team? If you've betting on college sports, then you should know the answer.Oregon (1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS) hasn't looked great by any means this year but is No. 18 Utah (2-0 SU, 0-2 ATS) the real deal? Last year's Sugar Bowl win over Alabama and the Utes' unbeaten 13-0 season has helped their reputation heading into 2009. Sloppy wins over Utah State (35-17) and San Jose State (24-14) to start the year have been unimpressive and could make the faithful in Salt Lake City worry. Back-to-back road trips are tough for any team and even though the Utes have fared well against the Pac 10 at home, they've been humbled in their last two road games against Pac 10 foes. This game is a possible look-ahead for Oregon, who has a conference home opener against California (see above) next Saturday. If Utah escapes Eugene with a win, the next six games appear to be very winnable with exception to a road battle versus UNLV.
Saturday - Tulsa at Oklahoma (FSN, 3:30 p.m.)
Tip: Take Oklahoma -15
Is Landry Jones the answer in Norman? The freshman quarterback tossed for 286 yards and three scores in Oklahoma's (2-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) 64-0 victory on Idaho State last Saturday. Still, most aren't forgetting the loss of QB Sam Bradford or the 14-13 upset to BYU but the win did give the team much needed confidence. The Sooners' defense only gave up 44 yards, which is what they could give up on one play this Saturday when Tulsa (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) comes to town. The Golden Hurricane offense has posted 44 and 37 in their first two games and both labors were on the road too. Three straight road games are tough for any school, and that's what Tulsa faces this weekend. Oklahoma has won four straight (3-1 ATS) in this series but the point-spread (15.5) on this week's matchup is the lowest number in the last five. That certainly says something almost Tulsa, or perhaps it tells us how the oddsmakers feel about Bob Stoops' banged-up crew.
Saturday - Florida State at Brigham Young (Versus, 7:00 p.m.)
Tip: Take BYU -5.5
The road to the BCS for Brigham Young (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) continues this weekend at home when Florida State (1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS) visits Provo. The Cougars will be playing their first game at home after defeating Oklahoma (14-13) in Dallas and Tulane (54-3) in the Big Easy. QB Max Hall (638 yards, 71.4%) is having a great year and the Cougars' scheme could have the overzealous FSU defense. The Seminoles only gave up nine points last week, but unfortunately the offense didn't show up in a 19-9 win over Jacksonville State. Bobby Bowden's team had a serious chance to lose this game and if the ball bounces the other way, the Seminoles could simply be 0-2. Gamblers should be aware that this will be FSU's third football game played in the last 12 days, which is tough to ask anybody to do. It seems like an impractible trip for the Seminoles on Saturday, especially when you factor in the travel, altitude and visiting crowd. Then you look at the opponent in BYU, who has gone 18-0 SU and 12-6 ATS in the last three years at home. The line opened at seven but I expect it to jump and jump high. The only thing that may irk some on this matchup is that DirecTV users won't be able to watch it since its being played on Versus, which could be a skilled thing for FSU backers.
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