Tulsa Football

Seriously, we are almost halfway finished with this season.  That would normally be depressing, but this season seems to have taken a while to get warmed up.  There have been a handful of injuries that have shaped the early action as much as anything.

The Top 10 is largely in place, while the major upset (BYU over Oklahoma) was as much the result of shell-shocked Sooner squad as anything the Cougars did.  

With two huge SEC games plus a Big Ten balancer in Iowa City, I think the season is about to turn the corner.  The best part of that scenario is that this weekend’s schedule is far more balanced than before.

THURSDAY, OCT. 8

Nebraska v. Missouri
ESPN, 9:00pm
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Erin Andrews

Am I the only one who thinks the Big 12 has been a disappointment since Texas’ national championship?  I feel like the entire conference is soft now, which is probably from all of the spread offenses.  

It seems like any physical team takes it to a Big 12 team these, although Nebraska seems to show early signs of becoming physically imposing. 

Oklahoma has been horrible out of conference but dominate in conference.  Texas recruits as well as anybody but seem to lack playmakers on offense. 

Texas Tech reminds me of Houston and their run-and-shoot in the 1980s; they destroy terrible teams and get exposed against good ones. 

Baylor is hysterical, even with that QB, and Texas A&M is irrelevant.  I am excited for tonight's game as I think Missouri pulls off a close one at home.

I am not sold on Nebraska’s secondary, which got exposed against Tyrod Taylor, the worst passing QB in the country.  Nebraska’s front seven is downright scary.  They can really shut down a running attack.

SATURDAY, OCT. 10

(17)Auburn v. Arkansas
ESPN, 12:00pm
Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman

This is go-to game for the noon slot.  No questions asked.  

Sure, Fayetteville is the site of horrifically poor offensive battles in 2007 (9-7) and 2003 (10-3), but there is no way that happens this time around.   

Meanwhile, the Tigers are 3-1 in Fayetteville since 2000.  Gussy Gus returns to the scene of his first college “success.”

While recognized as a top-flight coordinator in his lone year in Fayetteville, Malzahn left within days of the end of the season.

Now, he has native son and Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett slinging it around. Arkansas’ pass defense is awful, and Auburn has been clicking in every way early on.  Depending on your view of the SEC, this game may make you a believer in Auburn.

Georgia v. Tennessee
SEC Network, 12:00pm
Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano

It is not often that you get one decent SEC game at noon, much less a pair of totally watchable ones.  

If you are more of a traditionalist, you may tend towards this game as a mainstay instead of a flip.  Of course, you may not get the SEC Network, in which case you will be relegated to flipping to …

Boston College v. (5)Virginia Tech
Gameplan, 12:00pm
Tim Brant, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood

If you would asked me before the season, I would have told you that BC would win three games total.  But after an emotional weekend with FSU in town, you have to wonder have much the Eagles have left.

This is the fifth meeting between these teams in just more than 24 months, which has to be some kind of record.  

The series is 2-2, and the last time these two met in Lane Stadium, the Eagles walked out with a miracle 14-10 victory behind Matty Ice (followed by one of those most awkward coaching celebrations).

You do not need to worry about the coverage maps this weekend, but here they are anyway.

Wisconsin v. (9) Ohio State
ABC/ESPN, 3:30pm
Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Holly Rowe

This is an example of great time slot distribution.  You will be watching the Buckeyes, of course, but you cannot get much better on the flip spot.  

You cannot miss any plays from this game and you will not feel like you are missing the other game of the day as CBS mercifully placed the Florida v. LSU game on at night. The Bama game is nice but …

(3)Alabama v. (20)Mississippi
CBS, 3:30pm
Craig Bolerjack, Steve Beurelein

… the way these teams have played so far, there is little reason to believe that the Tide will not punish the Rebels as badly as they have everyone else.  

That fact makes the Ohio State game that much more enjoyable.  And, SEC games on CBS typically run a little long so you should have some extra football watch after the Buckeyes get done with Wisky.

(1)Florida v. (4)LSU
CBS, 8:00pm
Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson

Do we have another earthquake game on our hands?  I am not sure if there are any seismographs on campus, but if the Tigers are able to pull this off, you can sure the ripples will be felt across the college football landscape.

Along with the USC/Ohio State game, this has to be considered the other great game of the season.

This game is rife with storylines and good football players, so you have no excuse to miss it. Your conference biases may lead to watch more of the Big Ten night cap, but there is no way I can recommend turning away from this one until it is decided.

Michigan v. (12) Iowa
ABC, 8:00pm
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters

Unlike last week, your preferred flip game is actually available in HD on regular television.  I am stunned that Iowa is a 8-point favorite.  Am I the only one who thinks the Hawkeyes are ripe for a loss?

Barely squeaking by Northern Iowa in week one is an aberration, putzing around with Arkansas State is cause for alarm.  Even against a suspect Michigan defense, don’t look for the Hawkeyes to light up the scoreboard.  First team to 20 wins.

P.S.: You have to give the schedulers at ABC a lot of credit for selecting this game for prime time.  I am not sure how many fans outside of Ann Arbor and Iowa City believed this would be a serious elimination game in the Big Ten.

While on slippery turf

Let me address the conditions of the field as it seems that most people think that this is only a current problem that we are having.  In reality, it has always been a problem and I was angered by it the two seasons that I played so let me tell you why.

As I recall in the spring of 2006, the birds were chirping, the bells were ringing and the grass was crisp.  Your cleats would dig in to the turf and as you planted there would hardly ever be any grass uprooted, only shards and bits of the blades.  You could be an athlete and make cuts no problem.

Spring of  2007…. Same thing, granted I was still rehabbing my toe so I didn’t get to participate in Spring ball, but I still trotted out there and felt the firm luscious grass and noted that there was no turf really uprooted.

Now backtrack to 2006 season and the Tulsa game.  Grass was in good condition with no slippage until the rainstorm hit.

Utah St:  Turf is still good.

San Diegot St and UNLV:  the turf started losing it’s firmness.  It seemed like they were over watering the grass on the day before the game.   There was minor slippage but it was still ok.

Then all the sudden Wyoming rolls in and the turf start slipping out from under my feet.  I’m in a full speed back peddle and when I explode my back leg into the turf to come forward (with every cleat imbedded in the grass) I still slip.  The whole game is a slip and slide fest.  Everyone falls on their face a few times. If you watch the wide angle film we really look like a bunch of un-athletic  goobers.

New Mexico: still quite slippery but luckily somewhat playable.

2007

Arizona: It was decent.

Air force: Holy Canole! Slippage galore, no one can keep their feet.

Eastern Washington: Same thing, granted we had some rain around Air Force and E. Washington, but when we soak the field before we are supposed to get rain?,….sheesh…. We are living in the 21^st century for the love of Pete. The weather channel is an amazing invention.  I wish the grounds keeper had used it.

Colorado St: I fell on my face after an int.  I watch it over and over and I get more angry at our field the more I watch it =).  Pitta was also on his way for a touchdown and he slipped and fell on his face as he reached the 3 yard line.

TCU: Gary Patterson actually called us out for over watering the field stating that it put his “more athletic” team at a disadvantage.  This game was pretty bad, go back and watch how slippery it was.

After the TCU game a few other players and I made a point to go up and talk to our AD about our field.  We were very adamant about letting the field “dry out!”

Utah:  Field was good

The facts are these.  I think the field is pretty dang horrible.  I think we are over watering it.  Will it ever truly dry out and take root?  I doubt it because we were uprooting our old grass in 06, 07 with those same guys running out onto the field patching up our aesthetically pleasing grass.  Who here has put in grass and it didn’t dry out and take some root in 6-8 months after planting it…?  I know I know it’s a hybrid “special” turf.  But our field has always been over watered… at least in the 06 07 seasons because I was slipping all over the field and cursing after the game with my teammates about how slippery it was.  Maybe it’s a tactic that our program uses because we are less athletic?  Maybe that’s why we won so many home games?

I think that’s a bunch of hogwash, but everyone has their right to an opinion.  I personally played worse by having a slippery field.  I couldn’t make my plants and cuts.  I always played better on turf because I was able to react quicker without any slippage whatsoever.

At any rate… discuss and tell me what you all think.

What an interesting College Football season so far.  It is getting harder and harder to get a pulse on how good teams actually are.  This was not a very good week for the MWC as teams went 4-4 against Non-Conference opponents, none of whom were from powerhouse conferences.  This was a week where the MWC should easily have been 8-0 or 7-1 at worst (because Navy really is a good team).  Let’s break it down…

Air Force 13 (3-2, 2-0) – Navy 16 – OT

I don’t know if anyone else got to watch this game but man was it a good one as far as excitement.  It is always fun to watch the two option teams battle it out to see who can be the most disciplined for the longest.  After two early TDs (one for each team) the game turned into a FG shootout as both defenses stiffened.  What is so crazy about this game is that these teams both came into the day averaging over 300 rush yards/game.  Yesterday neither team had more than 250 yards of TOTAL OFFENSE.

OK, now for the bad news.  AFA kicker Soderberg missed a 31 yard FG in OT to lose the game.  To put that in perspective an extra point is a 20 yard FG.  This was a chip shot that should never be missed.

#20 BYU 35 (4-1, 1-0) – Utah State 17

This was a good win over a much improved Utah State team.  This was not  supposed to be a 42-0 blowout and it played out pretty close to what I would have expected.  I hope nobody is worried that the score was not more lopsided.  Bad news, we are turning the ball over WAY TOO MUCH!! Good news, our Defense got back to playing more physical.  I love having Andrew Rich and Scott Johnson back there together.

For those of you who have been calling for Buckner all year, you got your wish.  Now I want to know what you think. So you better comment, good or bad.

Colorado State 29 (3-2, 0-1) - Idaho 31

Just when I was really thinking that Trey was right about CSU, they go and lose to Idaho, who improved to 2-0 against the MWC this year.  The worst thing about this game was that CSU had the lead at 20-7 and then Idaho’s QB just started picking the CSU defense apart en route to 333 pass yards on the day.  After CSU’s last TD they went for 2 to tie the game and came up short.  CSU got the ball back with a chance to win (only needing a FG) but Stucker threw a pick with about 1:00 left to seal the Rams’ fate.

New Mexico 28 (0-5, 0-1) - Texas Tech 48

Good News for the Lobos: They put up 431 yards of Total Offense.  They caused 5 turnovers.  They were only down 14-7 at half.

Bad News for the Lobos: They gave up 487 yards of Total Offense.  They gave up 2 Turnovers and they were down 48-28 at the end of the game.

Turnovers by TT kept New Mexico in the game, but the game was never really close and UNM is another step closer to going 0-12.  What is most intriguing about this new UNM program is that in only ONE SEASON they have become the worst team in the conference.  SDSU and Wyoming declined slowly…but the Lobos have just tanked all at once.

San Diego State 34 (2-3, 0-1) - New Mexico State 17

Would you take a look at that.  SDSU got their biggest win of the last two years beating a New Mexico State team that is at least respectable. I mean they have beaten Prairie View A&M and New Mexico.  Good win for the Aztecs.  Hopefully they will put a couple of those together in a row and climb out of the cellar.  What really catapulted the Aztecs this week was the 4 turnovers they caused.  We, as BYU fans, know just how devastating turnovers can be for a team.

#11 TCU 39 (4-0, 0-0) – SMU 14

TCU continues to be un-beaten and will probably move up another notch in the polls this week.  The interesting story here is that on College Game Day on ESPN they were doing a big segment on Boise being ranked #5 so early in the season and how they will not play another team this year who is ranked in the top 50 and most of their games will be against teams ranked outside the top 100.  So who then did the ESPN guys would have the best shot at a BCS game?  Nope it was not TCU…they said, if BYU runs the table it would be us.  Now that would mean TCU ends with 1 loss just like us, but which is a worse loss?  FSU or BYU?  Unfortunately I think it is far worse to lose to FSU.

UNLV 28 (2-3, 0-1) – Nevada 68

UNLV digressed for the second week in a row getting absolutely romped by their instate rivals.  That’s the obvious thing.  But let me ask you this question.  If I told to the final score was 68-28 and that Nevada had 773 yards of total offense would you believe that this game was TIED 28-28 up until the Wolfpack scored with :50 left in the 3rd quarter?

Once again, TURNOVERS kept UNLV in the game as the caused 4, but when a team puts up 773 yards on your defense, there is no good news on the day.

Utah 30 (3-1, 0-0) (Bye)

Wyoming 30 (3-2, 1-0) – Florida Atlantic 28

This was a good win for the Pokes.  FAU is now 0-4 but they have a respectable football program.  Two of their losses have come from Nebraska and South Carolina, so don’t let the record fool you.  Besides that the game was in Ft. Lauderdale, FL so you know the Mountain Men had to be distracted by the sun, sea, and string bikinis on A1A.

Wyoming had almost 200 rushing yards on the day and Carta-Samuels was all but perfect from the QB position completing 29/38 for 223 yards.

Week 4 Rankings
1. TCU
2. BYU
3. Air Force
4. Utah
5. Wyoming
6. Colorado State
7. SDSU
8. UNLV
9. New Mexico

-Markell Staffieri

Below are free college football predictions for October 3rd from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free college football picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our college football betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free Prediction: USC -4
Tough to go against Cal at home, but DEFENSE is the Key to big games and while USC does not have the flash and precision of years past on offense, I think a defense that allows 10 ppg to this point has to be the way to look in this one. Cal not without a few studs of their own, and QB Riley more than dependable with no interceptions on the year. But off a 42-3 blasting last week at above average Oregon, I simply do like Cals defense enough to shut down a decent USC attack. Taken away from the run game and forcing Cal to throw causes issues and that is where Southern Cals defense allowing just 57 yards per game on the ground comes into play and Cal RB Best will see his stiffest test to date. Courtesy of Tony George

Free Prediction: TCU -28
TCU is 36-16 ATS their last 52 games as home favorites and they are 41-17 ATS their last 58 home games. The Horned Frogs are 10-2 ATS their last 12 games as home favorites of -10.5 or higher and they are 0-4 ATS after scoring less than 20 points in their last game. SMU is 10-28-1 ATS their last 29 Conference games and they are 4-13-1 ATS after passing for more than 280 yards in their last game. The Mustangs are 1-5 ATS their last 6 games overall and they are 0-5 ATS after rushing for less than 100 yards in their last game. PLAY ON TCU. Courtesy of Tom Freese

Free Prediction: Clemson -12
Mack Attack Free Play for Saturday, October 3, 2009: Take Clemson -13 over Maryland. It looks like the end of the line for likeable HC Ralph Freidgen as his hapless Terps help run him outa town with (9, L2 Games) turnovers. Maryland 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS with 38-35 win over juggernaut James Madison and were boatraced by the Tigers (30-3 end 3Qs) who figure here (visitor has won L4) and have speed demons Spiller and Ford. Clemson early and often in 41-10 romp-in-the park 38-14 win. Courtesy of Dennis Macklin

Free Prediction: Tulsa -16
Jeff Allen’s Free Play for Saturday: Take Tulsa -16 over Rice. This is a case where you can throw techs right out the window. Covering big road numbers hasn’t been a Golden Hurricane forte but UT is on a 9-3 run as a DD fave covering both opportunities this year. Grabbing points with Rice at home was almost automatic (17-6 L23) but this is as bad a Rice team as we’ve had in recent memory, the Owls off a 36-17 (+7) home spanking by an injury decimated Vandy in latest. Tulsa with bye on deck so no reason to take foot off the pedal. Take Tulsa. Courtesy of Tom Freese

This is getting up late as usual. If I did not have to work for a living so I can eat, heat, and drive (to that job of all places), blogging would be a lot easier. Alas, I can assure you I wrote the game vignettes in chronological order.

THURSDAY, OCT. 1

Colorado v. West Virginia
7:30pm, ESPN
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Erin Andrews

Is there any team that needs a win more than Colorado? Getting that much-needed win will not be easy at West Virginia as a 16-point underdog. This is a slightly disappointing penultimate weekend tilt. The worst of the season, probably.

VT/ECU on 11/5 is bad, too. Anyway, Noel Devine is a top 15 running back but he seems to have lost the shine he had when he showed up as the Deion Sanders project.

Against the Colorado rush defense, he should leap back into some CFB fans consciousness.

FRIDAY, OCT. 2

Pittsburgh v. Louisville
8:00PM, ESPN2
Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

Has any team risen and fallen faster than Lousiville? From 2000-2006, the Cardinals went 70-20 and was a top 10 program in terms of winning percentage. Likewise, has a rising star gone black hole as suddenly as Steve Kragthorpe?

Of course, he was only 29-22 while coaching Tulsa and won only a single Conference USA title so maybe he should have been a lessor target.

Alas, fans everywhere have it in for him. Louisville has not defeated a D-I team yet this season and it is doubtful they will get it on Friday.

SATURDAY, OCT. 3

Can anyone tell me why College Gameday is in Boston this weekend for the Florida State vs. Boston College game? Sure, Boston is a top-5 city but BC recently gained approximately half a field in one game and FSU had a total meltdown last week. Thankfully, there is a reason and very good one too boot.

ESPN’s College GameDay has been all over the country since they took their show on the road, literally, in 1993. Until this coming weekend, though, the show had only been in Boston once, parachuting into Chestnut Hill in 2005 for Boston College’s first ACC game.

The reasoning for going to a matchup of two unranked teams in a town where college football may be the fourth or fifth passion?

Well, at least on its surface, it likely has something to do with the story of Mark Herzlich, the BC linebacker who was 2008’s ACC Defensive Player of the Year and diagnosed with cancer in March.

However, at the risk of sounding crass: Does this really require moving the entire production to Boston?

ESPN’s offices, it is impossible to forget, are in Bristol, Conn., and their crews are more than capable of driving to Chestnut Hill or Pennsylvania, where Herzlich may be with his family, and putting together a moving piece with or without GameDay in town.

Nuf said.

Michigan v. Michigan State
12:00pm, BTN
Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, Charissa Thompson

I am actually excited about this game. Why, you ask? Because it is the only reasonable game starting at noon and I do not have the fortunate task of attending a home Ohio State game.

Moreover, the Buckeyes kick off at night so I get to watch a full two games before I have to devote all of my energy to pounding the Hoosiers in submission.

What better to start with than a semi-major rivalry game where at least one team cheats every time?

Wisconsin v. Minnesota
12 noon, ESPN
Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman

These teams are 2-0 in the Big Ten and 7-1 overall. So, why don’t I respect either one? Each team had to go to overtime to defeat an overmatched opponent, and each team won their conference opener in a relatively high-scoring, defense-omitting game.

I promise that I will take the winner of this game seriously…until they revert back to their same ol’ selves.

Let’s talk about coverage maps. While they are not really important for the afternoon slot, they become very important later on, kinda. I never really articulated this before, but I want every Ohio State game to start at noon.

That way, I can watch the marquee SEC matchup or the big Big 12 battle at 3:30 p.m. This weekend, the Buckeyes get slotted in the weirdo 7 p.m. zone. That is pizza pick up time most weekends.

(4)Louisiana State v. (18)Georgia
3:30 p.m., CBS
Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson

This will be an entertaining game (read: main game). No questions asked. They may be 3-1 but they have played the most compelling schedule to date. Even their loss to Oklahoma State was fun.

When you combine that with LSU’s lack of assertive play, you get a classic SEC battle in the teens.

(15)Penn State v. Illinois
3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2
Mike Patrick, Craig James, Heather Cox

It is difficult to make an argument for watching this game and I actually picked Illinois and Penn State to finish second and third, respectively in the Big Ten. Why I ever bet on Ronnie is beyond me.

Illinois is 0-1 in the league but there are virtually no signs of life as the Illini appear incapable of getting the ball to Arrelious Benn. They say he is a first-round pick but you would never know it.

Washington v. Notre Dame
3:30pm, NBC
Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan

I simply cannot recommend this as the No. 1 flip game because I hate ND and I need to see them lose.

They have won two straight games because Big Ten teams (and coaches) have totally blown it. I don’t want to talk about it. Just know that the Huskies will win.

(9) Ohio State v. Indiana
7:00 p.m., BTN
Craig Coshun, Glen Mason, Rebecca Haarlow

Ohio State football is a blessing at any time of day but I would prefer this game be the nooner. There are three good games on opposite this one but you will not see a down of them if you are like me.

You will watch every brutal head shot delivered by the Ohio State defense and curse Bollman’s name every time the Buckeyes go 3-and-out. Indiana put up a fight last weekend but for all of their improvements, Michigan’s defense is still sorry.

Auburn v. Tennessee
7:45 p.m., ESPN
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Erin Andrews

This is a worthy flip game and not just for the 15 minutes before the nightcaps start Auburn did something incredibly novel, they hired an offensive coordinator in an effort to gain more yards and score more points.

How has that worked out for them? They are averaging 525 yards/game and 45 points/game.

During a commercial after Thoma has punted one out of the stadium, flip over and watch what a little coaching can do.

(7)USC v. (24)California
8:00 p.m., ABC
Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham

Boy, the shine really came off this one. This was a Top 10 matchup until California was pantsed by Oregon.

So, in true Pac 10 fashion the Bears will win and totally muddy the waters. Is that good for Ohio State? Is it wrong that I want to play USC in the Rose Bowl this season?

(8)Oklahoma v. (17)Miami
8:00pm, ABC
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters

Another mega matchup botched by a rising team who potentially looked ahead. Still, I am almost 100 percent certain Miami is going to win.

Not because they are better, not because they are at home, and not because Bradford is out. Just because.

The Pittsburgh Panthers and Louisville Cardinals meet on the field this friday evening for a highly anticipated matchup. The Panthers have been victorious three of their first four games and are looking for their fifth 4-1 start in 10 years. As for Louisville, they have lost their last two games after starting this season with a 30-10 victory over Indiana State. The Cardinals lead the series with Pittsburgh by a 7-5 record and they haven’t lost a home game to Pitt since 1983. The Panthers beat the Cardinals by a score of 41-7, last season to end a 7 game losing streak in the series.

Pittsburgh is currently set as a 6.5 point favorites against Louisville with the games over/under odds posted at 53.5 total points. Need the winning pick for this game? Visit Touthouse.com

Pittsburgh vs. Louisville Betting Trends:
Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Panthers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games on grass.
Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in October.
Cardinals are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
Cardinals are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Cardinals are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a home underdog of 3.5-10.0.

Visit Touthouse.com for more expert football picks and current football betting odds

It’s Sunday night, and you now what that means. 

It’s time for next week’s college football TV schedule.

This past week we saw, among many things, Tim Tebow take a nasty hit and have to go to the hospital, we saw Miami’s ride back to powerhouse status deflated a bit, we saw Indiana almost pull off their first win over Michigan since 1987, and we saw Iowa prove that they just have Penn State’s number.

Oh yeah, and we found out that Cal isn’t quite as good as they were cracked up to be and that the demise of Oregon had been vastly overrated.

We also found out that Notre Dame is capable of winning games on the road when the opposing coach calls an ill-advised timeout to give the Irish an extra play that they never should have had…and then subsequently used for a final second, game-winning touchdown.

What will see this weekend? Who knows, but if the first four weeks of the 2009 college football season are any indication we will probably see a top-5 team go down.

Here are some of the key matchups on the college football tv schedule for Week 5, Saturday, October 3rd:

#22 Michigan at Michigan State

• Michigan-Michigan State Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
• Michigan-Michigan State Time: 12:00 ET
• Michigan-Michigan State TV: Big Ten Network
• Michigan-Michigan State Spread:

#4 LSU at #18 Georgia

• LSU-Georgia Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
• LSU-Georgia Kickoff Time: 3:30 ET
• LSU-Georgia TV: CBS
• LSU-Georgia Spread:

#7 USC at #24 California

• USC-California Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
• USC-California Kickoff Time: 8:00 ET
• USC-California TV: ABC (regional)
• USC-California Spread:

#8 Oklahoma at #17 Miami (FL)

• LSU-Georgia Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
• LSU-Georgia Kickoff Time: 8:300 ET
• LSU-Georgia TV: ABC (regional)
• LSU-Georgia Spread:

Below are the college football games of the week, as well as our usual college football TV schedule and odds table. Big hat tip to this site, which had the TV listings for a lot of the more obscure games.

The spreads and odds listed below are from Monday, so things could change between when I post them and Saturday. Here are your links to our friends at DocSports for the most up-to-date spread and handicapping information:

• college football odds
• college football picks

Note: As of posting this Sunday night, the college football point spreads for Week 5 had not yet been posted. I’ll get them added to the table as soon as they are live.

College Football TV Schedule and Point Spreads - Week of Saturday, October 3rd (Week 5)

Date	Game	Time	TV	Point Spread	Tickets
Wed. 9/30	Hawaii at Louisiana Tech	8:00	ESPN2		Get Tickets
Thu. 10/1	Colorado at West Virginia	7:30	ESPN		Get Tickets
Thu. 10/1	Southern Miss at UAB	8:00	CBSC		Get Tickets
Thu. 10/1	Alcorn State at Ark. Pine-Bluff	7:30	ESPNU		Get Tickets
Fri. 10/2	Pittsburgh at Louisville	8:00	ESPN2		Get Tickets
Fri. 10/2	Utah State at #20 BYU	9:00	MTN		Get Tickets
					Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#6 Virginia Tech at Duke	12:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#22 Michigan at Michigan State	12:00	Big Ten Network		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Clemson at Maryland	12:00	ESPNU		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Wisconsin at Minnesota	12:00	ESPN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Virginia at North Carolina	12:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	South Florida at Syracuse	12:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	East Carolina at Marshall	12:00	CBSC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Tulane at Army	12:00	CBSC (tape delay at 10:30)		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Toledo at Ball State	12:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Penn at Dartmouth	12:00	VERSUS		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Northwestern at Purdue	12:00	Big Ten Network		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Arkansas State at #13 Iowa	12:05	ESPN2		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#3 Alabama at Kentucky	12:21	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#10 Cincinnati at Miami (OH)	1:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Temple at Eastern Michigan	1:00			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Kansas State at Iowa State	3:00	FCS		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#4 LSU at #18 Georgia	3:30	CBS		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#15 Penn State at Illinois	3:30	ABC*		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Florida State at Boston College	3:30	ESPN GP		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	UCLA at Stanford	3:30	ABC*		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Washington at Stanford	3:30	NBC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	William & Mary at Villanova	3:30	VERSUS		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	NC State at Wake Forest	3:30	ESPNU		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Central Michigan at Buffalo	3:30			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Memphis at UCF	3:30	BHSN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Air Force at Navy	3:30	CBSC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Western Michigan at Northern Illinois	3:30	CSNC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	New Mexico at Texas Tech	3:30	FSN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	FIU at Louisiana Monroe	3:37	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Ohio at Bowling Green	4:00			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Wyoming at Florida Atlantic	4:00			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	UNLV at Nevada	4:05			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#9 Ohio State at Indiana	7:00	Big Ten Network		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#21 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt	7:00	ESPNU		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Oregon State at Arizona State	7:00	BCSN / Versus		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Kent State at Baylor	7:00			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	South Carolina State at South Carolina	7:00	ESPNC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#25 Georgia Tech at Mississippi State	7:30	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Texas A&M vs Arkansas	7:30	ESPN2		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Tulsa at Rice	7:30	CBSC		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Auburn at Tennessee	7:45	ESPN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	UC Davis at #5 Boise State	8:00	ESPN360		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#7 USC at #24 California	8:00	ABC*		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#8 Oklahoma at #17 Miami (FL)	8:00	ABC*		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	SMU at #11 TCU	8:00	MTN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	New Mexico State at San Diego State	8:00			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	#12 Houston at UTEP	9:05			Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Washington State at #16 Oregon	9:15	OSN		Get Tickets
Sat. 10/3	Colorado State at Idaho	10:30	ESPNU		Get Tickets

Last weekend, the 3:30pm time slot was totally epic.  Each of the featured games was decided by 10 points or less. Three of those games came down to the final minute. In the words of Ferris Bueller, “so choice.” It is okay to exhale at this point.

This weekend cannot possibly be as great as last weekend, right?  I am not so sure.  Last weekend was not looking so hot halfway through the afternoon games.  Then VT decided to pull a miracle comeback, Tennessee did not roll over, MSU made it interesting, and the Huskies pulled the thinkable only once per year. When you look at the last weekend in September you will see a lot of last weekend. Let’s get to it.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

(4)Ole Miss v. South Carolina
7:30pm, ESPN
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Erin Andrews

This may be the best Thursday night game of the season. (Did I say that last week?) Are Ole Miss for real? We will find out tonight. Aside from the Florida blowout last season, the Gamecocks have played virtually every ranked opponent down to the wire. The Rebels will need to stay Norwood and the rest of the defensive line away from Snead, which is no easy task considering South Carolina is currently in the Top 10.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Missouri v. Nevada
9:00pm, ESPN
Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

This may not be a big time matchup on Friday night but if you find yourself at home for any reason it is not the worst thing that could happen to you. Missouri has looked surprising good so far, while Nevada has looked awful. Kaepernick has been underwhelming to say the least as the Wolfpack has started 0-2. Think of it this way: It is a scouting mission of a team that recently dominated OSU’s opponent the following day.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Let’s take a look at the noon slot … gulp … sorry, I just threw up in mouth.  This totally sucks.  I know I lose my mind every weekend over this but how am I supposed to get out of doing anything around the house with this crap on television. Am I really supposed to respond with, “Honey, I am trying to watch UNC/GT on ESPN 360” or “The Minnesota/Northwestern game is important!” It makes me angry to look at the listings.

Michigan State v. Wisconsin
12:00pm, ESPN
Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman

The Spartans are coming off a heartbreaking loss while Wisconsin just kind of sucks. Dantonio is trying to build the Michigan State program up to a perennial contender. Wisconsin fans are hoping Bielema does not burn the program to the ground before he is fired after the season. Seriously, what are the odds that Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly is the coach in Madison next season?

Minnesota v. Northwestern
12:00pm, Big Ten Network
Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, Charissa Thompson

I am really struggling to come with a reason why you should flip to this game; because it is a Big Ten Conference game? Because the Buckeyes will play Minnesota later this season? Because you simply cannot tolerate another Home Depot commercial?

Typing that was horrific. Predictably, an overloaded mid-afternoon slot makes up for the early deficiencies … as usual.

Moving on.  Here are your 3:30pm coverage maps. This is relevant as described below.

Illinios v. (14)Ohio State
3:30pm, ABC
Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham

The obvious main game, but it is not without distraction as there are at least three other intriguing games on in this time slot. You probably will not do a lot of flipping, however, as Ohio State and Illinois have been playing some decent games in Ohio Stadium recently with Illinois winning too many. One nice part about the Buckeyes landing at 3:30pm is the assignment of Ron Franklin. His voice still reminds me of those Saturday Night games back in the day.

(9)Miami v. (11)Virginia Tech
3:30pm, ESPN
Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Holly Rowe

I will nominate this as your flip game for a couple of reasons: 1) It is the only matchup of ranked teams all day. 2) Ohio State fans would be wise to keep an eye on a rising Hurrican program that will hit the Horseshoe next fall.

There are a couple of noticeable problems with this one, however. Firstly, due to the weird mirroring procedure that ABC and ESPN engages in this game will only be available in the Midwest on ESPN standard def. Ick. Secondly, Sean McDonough and Matt Millen are annoying.

I admit, I appear to be the only college football fan that dislikes McDonough but I find him super condescending. On balance, though, this should be the best game opposite Ohio State and makes for a worthy flip. I tend to think Miami will run away with this one but VT manages to hang around and even win some of these tough games.

Arkansas v. (3)Alabama
3:30pm, CBS
Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson

This is certainly a tempting flipper and CBS games tend to start a little later than ABC game, which creates a nice offset in viewing times. Plus, as I have mentioned, Verne is gold standard and Danielson is always good for a couple of great lines.

Again, this is a pure viewer’s guide column but I think this game has the best possible chance to create an upset this weekend. Arkansas looked good against Georgia last weekend until the Dawgs owned time of possession in the fourth. And, you will get to check out the type of talent the Wolverines ran out of town when you see Ryan Mallett play, if you are into that sort of thing.

(6)California v. Oregon
3:30pm, ABC
Terry Gannon, David Norrie

Objectively speaking, this game should not be on the list. Oregon is surviving on a humongous helping of return TDs (punt, fumble, and interception) and their QB play has been atrocious. Still, the Pac-10 has a way of eating its young (see USC v. Washington).

Just as the Bears seem primed for a big breakthrough the Ducks may actually play like the team many forcasted (including moi). The line is not monstrous (Cal -6) and Eugene can be wild so if this is a close game in the second half it will be worth a cursory viewing during commercials.

Drive-bys include (15)TCU v. Clemson, where the Tigers are favored at home to upend the Horned Frogs.  The mid-majors have been dropping like flies.  Clemson made a valiant comeback against GT and then completed stopped BC last weekend (the Eagles only gained 55 yards, total).

If you are looking for a night to take your significant other out, this is the weekend to do it. Even though the Big Ten is front and center on Saturday night, these two games are hardly marquee matchups.

Iowa v. (5)Penn State
8:00pm, ABC
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters

Perhaps I am still colored by the near-disaster against Northern Iowa, but I have a hard time seeing this as close game. Beaver Stadium will be relatively wild and Ricky Stanzi will have plenty of opportunities to mess himself in front of 107,000 or so. If Royster can get the running game going this should be a long night for Ferentz’s squad.

Texas Tech v. (17)Houston
9:15pm, ESPN2
Mike Patrick, Craig James, Heather Cox

You already know this is going to be a shootout. You know each QB will throw for a bazillion yards. You also know this game will take four hours because of all the first downs, scoring, and lack of running plays.

This could be one of those games where you show up to work on Monday and say, “Man, did you see that Houston game?” Or, more likely, you say, “I fell asleep in the third quarter.” Go ahead, chug a couple of Coke Light’s and try to stay up.  As they say, you can sleep when your dead.

Notre Dame v. Purdue
8:00pm, ESPN
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Erin Andrews

I suppose Purdue could rise up and take out Irish but it is hardly a must-see game. If you find yourself with some free time and the above games are blowouts this is your only/best alternative.

Below are free MLB predictions for September 24th from Touthouse.com handicappers. If you are looking for free MLB baseball picks on a daily basis or premium picks from our baseball betting experts visit Touthouse.com each day.

Free Prediction: San Francisco Giants -105
Chicago Cubs are now 78-73 overall this year while San Francisco comes in with an 82-70 record on the season. The Giants better step it up a notch and get some help from some other teams if they want to make the playoffs. These are definitely must win games for them now. San Francisco has played very well at home with a 48-26 record. San Francisco bullpen has been good this year with a 3.54 ERA overall and a 3.44 ERA at home. Brad Penny has been fairly solid at home with a 7-3 record. Dempster is only 1-7 overall vs San Francisco since 1997. We’ll recommend a small play on San Francisco tonight! Courtesy of Rocky Atkinson

Free Prediction: Seattle Mariners -148
On Thursday night the Power pitching play is on Seattle at 7:10 eastern. The Mariners have their ace going tonight. Felix Hernandez takes the mound tonight. Over his last 3 starts he has a 0.78 era allowing just 2 earned runs in 23 innings. In his road starts the Mariners are 12-5 and he has a solid 1.90 road era. He is 5-1 vs A.L. East opponents this year. Toronto counters with lefty Romero. In Romero home starts he has a 4.42 era nearly 3 runs higher than Hernanadez road starts. He has pitched much better in day games than at night this year. The Bluejays are 13-31 as a home dogs in this range and 18-34 vs winning teams in the second half. Look for Seattle to get game 1 of this series this tonight.Jump on the big college football Power play on Thursday nights card. We went 6-1 on Saturday and cashed 9 of the last 11 football selections. Take the Mariners tonight.RV. Courtesy of Rob Vinciletti

One of the saddest chapters of the new millennium has been performance enhancing drug scandals in some of our favorite pastimes like baseball, football, and midget juggling.

We’ve had enough of Barry Bonds’ enlarged melon, Rafael Palmiero’s finger wagging, and Marion Jones’ contrived tear ducts.

But in the last two years, we’ve seen evidence that there are other natural enhancers that do not call for syringes or ask you to seek medical treatment for an erection lasting more than four hours.

Of course I speak of the mustache, and a combination of science and sport are slowly proving the lip sweater to be the ultimate performance enhancing substance.

Just look to this past Saturday.

In Norman, Oklahoma, the young Mustached American named Landry Jones was making just his second start at quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners in place of the injured Sam Bradford, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner.###MORE###

Jones and his lip cushion completed 25 of 37 passes for 336 yards and a school-record six touchdowns as the Sooners routed Tulsa, 45-0 (note to Bradford: since you suffer from Bare Upper Lip Disorder — take your time coming back).

In St. Louis, home of the world’s largest mustache – the Gateway Arch – before this baseball season Brendan Ryan was nothing more than an also-ran utility infielder simply fighting for a few nickels to pay for his next lap dance.

But then he became the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, grew a labia sebucula (Latin for “lip sweater”), an inspired his team into first place.  And, on a hazy St. Louis Saturday, and with his team tied with the Chicago Cubs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ryan’s star climbed a little bit higher with a one-out game winning single after hitting a home run four innings before.

These enduring performances might vault each of these men into candidacy for the American Mustache Institute’s Robert Goulet Memorial Mustache American of the Year, which of course will be named at on Oct. 30 in St. Louis at ‘Stache Bash 2009, featuring the legendary John Oates.

But are these instances in any way coincidences?

Not likely.

No, what we have here is a case of two budding stars who are once again proving the theorem that there is no more powerful performance enhancing substance than a robust mustache.

Carry on.

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