Fourth Down and Inches--11/09/06
By Doc of Doc's Sports Picks
Our selection service turned in another outstanding weekend in football, picking up +14 units and going 7-1 in college. Unfortunately we lost our top selection, Duke, 38-13, to Navy. The college season is winding down. However, the next two weeks look very attractive and one can expect the success to continue through the month of November. Take it to the bank.
On Sept 22, we went with our "College Game of the Year" selecting Michigan as a two-touchdown favorite over Wisconsin. As we all know, this game ended in a push with Michigan winning, 27-13. As the weeks have passed, I felt that if we could find another exceptionally strong game, we would come back with another, "College Game of the Year" to get a win/loss verdict on the game instead of a push. This coming Saturday, a perfect situation has developed and the GOY is a go.
One certainly has to think there is doom and gloom in the state of Iowa. The state is without a pro team and takes great pride in the amateurs. But both Iowa and Iowa State have fallen on hard times. The Cyclones have had a suspect defense all along, but I felt the offense could carry them to a few victories. They've lost five straight. I knew Coach Dan McCarney when he was here at Wisconsin and what a class guy he is and you would certainly want your son to play for him. I really feel for Coach Mac; however, this is a part of football and his Cyclones are on the road against Colorado. The Buffaloes are having problems of their own, yet I expect them to beat State handily.
Then there is the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team that some predicted could win the Big Ten this year. Iowa has not played well the past few weeks and much of this can be contributed in the injuries of QB Tate. I'm still kicking myself for not going against Iowa as a 20-point favorite. The Hawks have too many problems to lay that kind of wood to any conference opponent, but I just could not trust Northwestern and their lack of offensive production. Iowa is at home again when they welcome in the Badgers. I would be going against them for sure if QB Stocco was healthy, but now I'm hesitant. The game is off the board because of his injury and if he does not play I would expect it to open as a 'pick'. I look for a low scoring game, as the 'under' may be the best chance for success.
One game in the Big Ten that will catch my eyes this week is Purdue traveling to Champaign. I have been waiting a couple of weeks for this game, patiently licking my chops, and wondering how many points the home team will be getting. Then I found that the Illini would be laying a field goal. It is amazing to realize how sharp the oddsmakers are. Illinois has lost five straight and recorded just two victories on the season, yet are expected to beat a six-win Purdue team. What? It is a trap and do not bite. I like this game and will have a selection on either the side or the total.
What a great game last Thursday's match-up between Louisville and West Virginia turned out to be. The Cardinals whooped West Virginia and now go to New Jersey to take on an undefeated Rutgers team. Louisville beat Rutgers 56-5 last year but this is a different Knights team and they will be playing off a bye week. Louisville has played a much more difficult schedule, but this game may go down to the wire as well.
Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema found a loophole in the new timing rules. He had his team twice intentionally go offsides on kickoffs in the last 23 seconds of the first half last week, minimizing Penn State's chances of scoring. Remember the clock starts once the ball is kicked. I personally thought Wisconsin made the wrong choice when naming him the head man instead of OC Paul Chryst, but I must admit that the new coach has done an outstanding job and looks to be well on his way to success. He is not yet a household name, but did get mention across the country for his tactic. His team deserves to go to a BCS Bowl Game. However, a new rule was implemented that only two teams per conference could receive bids and as we all know those two spots are already taken.
The NFL was a struggle for us last week as we went just 1-3. The Monday night game was hard to watch, as Oakland could not muster any offense whatsoever. I am amazed to think that this team has won two games. For 55 minutes of that game I thought we had a chance to cover, but the offense let us down in a big way. The schedule looks much more promising this weekend and we may release a total as our top play selection.
I mentioned it last week and will follow it up again this week regarding our "College Basketball Selection Service." Doc's Sports season will officially begin Dec. 2. With the success of the football season, why not give basketball a try as it features the same old handicapper? We will have our prices up on our site early next week and will feature an Early Bird Special of only $879. That is a savings of more than $200 off the regular season price and gives you four full months of action. Be sure to sign-up before Dec. 1, as the early bird special ends with the turn of the calendar. If you enjoy the gridiron, the cagers are the next profitable step and you will certainly enjoy our service.
Don't forget that our, "College Game of the Year" goes this Saturday. It will grab the money keeping a remarkable string of winners intact.
That's it for this week, Doc
Another team that some might think is fallen into the, "Pack it in" mold is Temple. I really would disagree with this assumption even though they've been beaten by over 50 points several times. Am I on the weed? Certainly not. I simply have a gut feeling this team will give it all this week against a Bowling Green club that has numerous problems of their own. These two teams met in 2005 and the Falcons won, 70-7. Temple will remember this game and be ready to pay them back for that beating. Both teams have played a common opponent in Buffalo. The Bulls beat Temple at UB-Stadium, 9-3. The following week, Buffalo went to Bowling Green and lost, 48-40. Few would give a hoot about this game, but as a 20-point underdog, it might be worth a look.
It should be a great game in the ACC this weekend when Miami heads to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. One of my scouts indicated to me that the Hurricanes will have all of their suspended players back and have had an excellent week of practice. This is a big game for the 'U' as a loss here and their BCS hopes may be over. The Canes have the defense in place, as they have not allowed an opponent to rush for over 100 yards against them. The problem in South Beach has been the offense and they will face a tough defense in Tech. Assuming no critical turnovers occur deep in their own territory the 'under' looks to be the best bet.
The Big Boys were also outstanding this week as we went 4-1, including going 4-0 on Sunday. Two of the games featured straight-up underdog wins and the Atlanta/Pittsburgh game was the most entertaining showcase of the week. Unfortunately, Dallas did not come through on Monday and clearly this team has problems. QB Drew Bledsoe continues to be given opportunities to perform and yet just cannot seem to get out of his own mess. I felt QB Tony Romo should have started the season for the Boys, as his mobility gives this team the best chance for success. Dallas now has three consecutive road games and I feel they have just dug themselves too big of hole to get out off.
With the baseball season winding down, and the college basketball season over a month away, I would encourage you to give our hockey service a try for the month of November. Our handicapper Max had an outstanding season in 2005-2006 and I expect him to start cranking out the profits once the tendencies of teams with new acquisitions becomes evident.
This is the time of the year I absolutely love being a resident of Wisconsin. The fall season is unbelievable time for fishing and hunting. Nothing is more relaxing then unwinding in the woods with pheasants or ducks. I cannot tell you how many times in the course of a year I have made a top game decision while sitting in a duck blind! Something's are just extra special to me and this is one of my guilty pleasures.
This week we will be going with our, "Big Three" and all the games will feature college selections. As of this writing, our top games will be in the Big Ten. If you need more information about this special package call our sports office direct at (800) 356-9182.
That's it for this week,Doc
