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Ed Bagley asked:


ght © 2009 Ed Bagley

Only 13 teams remain undefeated after 5 weeks of play, and it is time to seriously think about elevating some of them into my Top 25 picks, even if they have played mostly weak competitors. Some such teams are already there—like Boise State. So here are Week 5′s Top 25 picks:

1) Florida – Was idle this week and stays on top of the heap. Let’s see what happens when the No. 1 Gators travel to No. 4 LSU this week and tangle with the Tigers. LSU is 4th in the AP Poll this week and 13th in my poll this week.

2) Alabama – Beat Kentucky on-the-road. I kicked Mississippi out of my poll after they lost to South Carolina, and put the Gamecocks into the Top 25. I’m still good with that. Alabama travels to Mississippi this week. If the Rebels upset the Crimson Tide, they get back in my poll. If Mississippi loses, they stay out. Should Alabama get upset—no excuses–they lose position in my poll.

3) Texas – Was idle this week but I am moving them up from 4 to 3 because Iowa was so lame in its 24-21 win over 125th-ranked Arkansas State.

4) Virginia Tech – Beat Duke (no big deal) but is still 5-0 and no one else is really doing diddly-squat.

5) Boise State – Still undefeated and still has a signature win over Oregon in season opener. Travels to 4-1 Tulsa this week. If they do not win, they drop like a brick off of a 10-story building.

6) Oregon – Led a hapless Washington State team 42-0 at the half and won 52-6. Now travels to UCLA and faces Slick Rick and his troops.

7) Ohio State – **** to upgrade the Buckeyes because I **** Ohio State; it’s an inbred thing because I am a Michigan State University graduate. Buckeyes host Wisconsin this week, the toughest opponent they have seen since losing to Southern Cal.

Iowa – Hawkeyes host Michigan this week. They need to win against the Wolverines—Michigan State did.

9) Cincinnati – Now 5-0 after beating a winless Miami of Ohio team. If teams like Cincinnati played in the SEC, the Bearcats would lose 4 or 5 games a year.

10) South Carolina – People may crab about the Gamecocks, after all, their last win was over 1-AA South Carolina State. I don’t care, South Carolina is 4-1, they beat Mississippi, and even the AP Poll finally brought them into the fold at No. 25. Hosts Kentucky next.

11) Auburn – Not sure they deserve it but still undefeated at 5-0 and beat Tennessee. Go to Arkansas next.

12) Wisconsin – Still 5-0 and got by Minnesota on-the-road. Teams that win away games in league play impress.

13) LSU – Managed to beat Georgia 20-13, and is 5-0. Hosts No. 1 Florida next. AP has them at No. 4; I remain unconvinced.

14) Kansas – Still 4-0, hosts Iowa State this week. Have no idea how good the Jayhawks are, but they are 1 of 13 teams that are still undefeated.

15) TCU – Beat up SMU to go 4-0. Travels to Air Force next, not exactly a big challenge.

16) USC – Southern Cal is now 4-1. The Trojans went to California and killed the Bears 30-3.

17) South Florida ‘Now 5-0 after beating Syracuse.

18) Missouri – Now 4-0, one of 13 undefeated teams left. Hosts Nebraska this week, that should tell us a lot about Missouri and Nebraska.

19) Georgia Tech – Now 4-1 after beating Mississippi State. Travels to Florida State this week; not sure which Seminole team will be defending their home turf.

20) Miami (FL) – Now 4-1 after upsetting No. 8 Oklahoma 21-20. I kicked Oklahoma out of my poll last week. Now you know why.

21) Nebraska – Now 3-1, did lose to Virginia Tech 16-15 on-the-road. Travels to Missouri next; bring it on.

22) Stanford – Now 4-1 after beating UCLA. Also beat Washington. Probably is the second best team in the Pac 10 behind USC.

23) Pittsburgh – Now 4-1 after dusting Louisville.

24) Notre Dame – Now 4-1. Had to go to overtime to beat Washington. Has won last 3 games in the last 60 seconds of each game. Has given up an average of 30 points a game in its last 4 games.

25) Central Michigan – Now 4-1 after beating Buffalo on-the-road.

I know, you are saying where is Penn State, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Utah, Mississippi, Brigham Young, Michigan, Houston, Georgia and Florida State. Well, they need to stop talking and start performing against really good teams. It’s bad enough that I have Boise State in my Top 25; one of these at a time is enough.

Sports Betting asked:


The 13th week of the 2009 College Football Season is littered with interesting games all week starting on Wednesday.

One of the great in-state rivalries in football takes place this week when Florida hosts Florida State at 3:30PM ET on Saturday. Florida is a 23-point favorite according to oddsmakers from online sportsbook . The Gators have won five straight in this series and this is the regular season finale for both teams. A win for Florida means it will enter the SEC Championship game against Alabama unbeaten.

Speaking of the Crimson Tide, they will travel to Auburn for a 2:30PM ET kickoff on Friday. Alabama is a 12-point favorite heading into the game. Alabama ended a six-game losing streak to Auburn in last year’s 36-0 drubbing of the Tigers. Auburn has won the last three meetings at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Big East has an intriguing matchup Friday at 7PM ET when Pittsburgh faces West Virginia at Mountaineer Field. The Panthers are 2-point favorites over West Virginia heading into Friday’s game. Pittsburgh has won the last two meetings in this series, including the 13-9 win at West Virginia in 2007 that kept the Mountaineers from playing for the BCS National Championship.

For complete odds on all of College Football’s week 13 games,

see below.

2009 College Football Week 13 Odds & Over/Under Totals

109 Texas -21 Over 62.5

110 TexasA&M +21 Under 62.5

121 Temple -3 Over 47

122 Ohio +3 Under 47

113 Rutgers -3 Over 44

114 Louisville +3 Under 44

127 Illinois +20.5 Over 56.5

128 CincinnatiU -20.5 Under 56.5

133 NIllinois +13 Over 50.5

134 CMichigan -13 Under 50.5

131 Toledo +7.5 Over 64.5

132 BowlingGreen -7.5 Under 64.5

115 EMichigan +16.5 Over 50

116 Akron -16.5 Under 50

117 BuffaloU -3 Over 48.5

118 Kent +3 Under 48.5

119 Wyoming +3 Over 50

120 ColoradoSt -3 Under 50

123 Alabama -10.5 Over 47

124 Auburn +10.5 Under 47

129 Nebraska -10 Over 38

130 Colorado +10 Under 38

125 Memphis +16.5 Over 57.5

126 Tulsa -16.5 Under 57.5

111 PittsburghU even Over 49

112 WVirginia even Under 49

135 Nevada +14 Over 71

136 BoiseSt -14 Under 71

139 Syracuse +13.5 Over 48.5

140 Connecticut -13.5 Under 48.5

141 WakeForest -4.5 Over 51.5

142 Duke +4.5 Under 51.5

143 Clemson -3 Over 44

144 SCarolina +3 Under 44

145 NorthCarolina -6 Over 50

146 NCState +6 Under 50

151 Mississippi -8 Over 47.5

152 MississippiSt +8 Under 47.5

165 OklahomaSt +9.5 Over 48.5

166 Oklahoma -9.5 Under 48.5

153 NewMexico +44.5 Over 55

154 TCU -44.5 Under 55

157 CFlorida -3 Over 52.5

158 UAB +3 Under 52.5

155 SMississippi +6 Over 54.5

156 EastCarolina -6 Under 54.5

159 Marshall +1.5 Over 55.5

160 UTEP -1.5 Under 55.5

161 Tulane +17.5 Over 55.5

162 SMU -17.5 Under 55.5

201 NorthTexas +7.5 Over 54

202 ArkansasSt -7.5 Under 54

137 VirginiaTech -16 Over 42

138 Virginia +16 Under 42

147 Missouri -3 Over 57

148 Kansas +3 Under 57

179 ArizonaU -3 Over 44

180 ArizonaSt +3 Under 44

183 MiamiFla -5.5 Over 52

184 SFlorida +5.5 Under 52

167 FloridaSt +24.5 Over 56

168 Florida -24.5 Under 56

181 BostonCollege -6 Over 46.5

182 Maryland +6 Under 46.5

197 WKentucky +14 Over 68.5

198 FloridaAtl -14 Under 68.5

199 MTennSt -3.5 Over 52.5

200 ULMonroe +3.5 Under 52.5

175 UtahSt +2.5 Over 65

176 Idaho -2.5 Under 65

171 Utah +7.5 Over 52.5

172 BYU -7.5 Under 52.5

163 Baylor +20.5 Over 57.5

164 TexasTech -20.5 Under 57.5

177 WashingtonSt +24.5 Over 58

178 WashingtonU -24.5 Under 58

203 Troy -9.5 Over 55

204 ULLafayette +9.5 Under 55

149 TennesseeU -3 Over 51

150 Kentucky +3 Under 51

185 Arkansas +3.5 Over 53.5

186 LSU -3.5 Under 53.5

173 Rice +29.5 Over 74.5

174 HoustonU -29.5 Under 74.5

187 NewMexicoSt +10.5 Over 41

188 SanJoseSt -10.5 Under 41

189 NotreDame +10 Over 64.5

190 Stanford -10 Under 64.5

169 Georgia +7.5 Over 60

170 GaTech -7.5 Under 60

191 SanDiegoSt +6.5 Over 60

192 UNLV -6.5 Under 60

193 UCLA +13 Over 47.5

194 USC -13 Under 47.5

195 Navy -9.5 Over 54.5

196 Hawaii +9.5 Under 54.5

Marcus Robbins asked:


Don’t you just love this time of year? Wait a minute… This isn’t the usual autumn Saturday in the NCAA ranks. The leftover unbeatens are now dropping from the top 5 as the 6-10 make their push in this merry-go-round with the pollers.

I believe we can determine now that it’s going to be a miracle to see anything over 1 undefeated team from major conferences. So now comes the speculation on who’s going to be there when the time comes to set the bowls, and better yet, who’s coming out on top of this poll?

Just to give you a quick glimpse of my own top 5 (I am a UGA fan, but no bias here)..

#5 USC – Back to their old defensive ways in a 28-0 rout of a major disappointment in an Arizona State team that was supposed to give the Pac-10 teams a run for their money. The 1-loss teams are now beginning to seep into the top 5 as the Trojans get back into title talks.

#4 Florida – After dismantling the LSU Tigers by 30, they are back on their feet again. Tebow and the Gators most certainly got the attention of the voters, persuading a few of them into believing that the 1 point loss to Ole Miss is a thing of the past and that they are legit in their chase for the BCS.

#3 Penn State – Has anybody gotten close to this team yet? Nobody (and I mean NOBODY) is creating a challenge as they are pushing Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oregon State aside as if they were playing a bunch of Pop Warner kids every Saturday. Not to forget that this is the same Oregon State club that downed USC a few weeks back, and the Nittany Lions take them by 31 points in week 2. If Joe Paterno is winding his career down here in the next year, you can’t find a better opportunity to send him off with a bang.

#2 Texas – Can’t quite give them a jump to #1 quite yet. It was a very poorly officiated game, but the Horns were able to finally breakthrough and keep OU at a distance. Colt McCoy’s speed threw off the Sooners, but their defense was burned pretty well by the Sam Bradford show. I need to see a little bit more from the Defensive squad before I can push them over this #1 team..

#1 Alabama – Crushing a Clemson team that was destined for an ACC crown, going into Georgia and embarrassing the Bulldogs in one of the toughest places to play, and piling up a 3-0 record in one of the roughest conferences you’ll see, the Crimson Tide deserve this top spot in next week’s polls. Their defense is absolutely monsterous. Don’t look at the 30 points against UGA.. That was a 2nd half letdown because the game was already out of reach, but outside of that, 14 points is the most they’ve allowed to anybody this season. John Parker Wilson adds a nice balance to this team along with the RB by committee with Coffee and Ingram. Until they go down, the Tide should be rolling easy in the top spot.

Only 1 team looks like a challenge on Alabama’s schedule, and that was the LSU team that just got torched against the Gators. It’s an easy road to the SEC title game, so destiny lies in their own hands. Texas can say the same thing because the Big 12 is the bigger of the Bigs with the Big 12 struggling with the OSU stomping by USC with Michigan belly up already.

With that said, I do hope Penn State goes unbeaten (with a schedule including that OSU team) with the others. That could only pile more controversy onto the BCS. Would it be enough to finally break the system and force it to a playoff format? I would hope so, since this is like the only collegiate arena that does not hold a postseason system. Just like Auburn was jobbed a few years back, one of these 3 teams has a fan base that will make enough noise to rattle up a controversy.

Playoff or not, we’re in for a crazy finish to the NCAA Football season, and we’re not even half-way through it yet!

Ed Bagley asked:


ght © 2009 Ed Bagley

It was a good week to be Florida, Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, Boise State, Iowa and TCU—all won, and all are the only unbeaten major teams left in the nation. Every one of them are beatable, the only monster thing about any of them are the college publicity departments that promote them. Here’s my Top 25 for the 7th week:

1) Alabama (7-0) – Hosted and beat a really game 5-1 South Carolina team 20-6, and is on track for a head-on collision with Florida for the SEC championship and a shot at the national title. Guess who has the best total defense in the nation? Answer: Alabama.

2) Florida (6-0) – Needed a 27-yard field goal at home with 9 seconds left to beat a 3-2 Arkansas team, 23-20, and keep the Razorbacks from pulling off the biggest upset of the year. Florida can be beat. Gators are still the defending national champions. Alabama beat Arkansas 35-7 at home. Guess who has the second best total defense in the nation? Answer: Florida.

3) Oregon (5-1) – Caught napping and lost its season opener on-the-road to Boise State 19-8, but has since ripped off 5 straight wins and made it clear that the Ducks (such a weak nickname for a football team) will be dealt with. Travels to hated rival Washington next. The Huskies have last-second upset victories over USC (16-13) and Arizona (36-33). It seems obvious, but who is tougher, Huskies or Ducks? This is why we will watch the game.

4) Cincinnati (6-0) – Tough to know who is better, Cincinnati or Southern California. What I do know is that Cincy is unbeaten and could achieve a perfect 12-0 record if they really are a No. 4 team since West Virginia (5-1) and Pittsburgh (6-1) are their only big challenges in the last 6 games.

5) Southern California (5-1) – Will not soon forget the 16-13 loss on-the-road to Washington, but has won at least 11 games a year for the last 7 years. Having said that, USC is beatable and has victories that were too close over Ohio State (18-15) and Notre Dame (34-27), both came on the road. USC has a daunting schedule left with road trips to Oregon and Arizona State, and home game against Stanford, UCLA, Arizona and Oregon State (the Trojans only loss last year was 27-21 on-the-road to the Beavers).

6) Texas (6-0) – I have a lot of misgivings about the Longhorns. Yes, they managed to beat a 3-3 Oklahoma team 16-13 at home, but needed a last-minute field goal to do it. Texas knocked out Sooner QB Sam Bradford in the 1st quarter, yet the Oklahoma defense dominated the 1st half and the Sooners led 6-3 at halftime. Keep in mind that Oklahoma lost to Brigham Young and Miami (FL) before facing Texas, and Texas ran up a 5-0 mark playing no one worth mentioning before Oklahoma. Now the Longhorns get Central Florida, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M in their last 4 games; this does not sound to me like Texas should play in the national championship game even if the Longhorns end up at 12-0, which is likely.

7) Texas Christian (6-0) – TCU has feasted on such powerhouses as Virginia, 1-AA Texas State, Clemson, Southern Methodist, Air Force and Colorado State (note the sarcasm). Is TCU suspect? You better believe it. Kansas looked good while playing cupcakes too. Let’s see if BYU or Utah slows TCU down. If not, then perhaps I shall think a little better of the Horned Frogs.

Iowa (7-0) – Hawkeyes have won three games by 3 points or less, but have put Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin behind their taillights. Only Michigan State and Ohio State stand in their way of running up the best Hawkeye record probably ever.

9) Boise State (6-0) – If you think TCU might be a little lame at 6-0, try Boise State. The Broncos just beat Tulsa 28-21 on-the-road. To listen to coach Chris Petersen talk his way out of another weak victory, you would think he just played Alabama in ‘Bama and beat the Crimson Tide 28-21. So here is Boise State 6-0, and who do you think the next 6 “explosive playmakers” are that the Broncos will play? Try this awesome lineup: 112th-ranked Hawaii (2-4), 93rd-ranked San Jose State (1-5), 95th-ranked Louisiana Tech (3-3), 51st ranked Idaho (6-1), 128th-ranked Utah State (1-5), 87th-ranked Nevada (3-3) and 152nd-ranked New Mexico State (3-4). They have a combined team record of 19-25 and an average ranking of 120. Did I mention that the entire 1-A Division is made up of only 120 teams? Yup, that’s Boise State—the higher they are ranked and the tougher they are, the better the Broncos like it. No longer wonder why major conference champions get opt-ins to BCS games—at least they earn the recognition. Only Idaho has anything going for it in Boise State’s last 6 games.

10) LSU (5-1) – Took Florida to the mat before the Gators escaped 13-3. Other than Oregon and USC, could be the best 5-1 team in the country. Must now beat 5-2 Auburn at home or risk losing top 10 status. Life does not get any easier, just more interesting.

You have perhaps figured out by now that there are not 10 great football teams at work this season. I put my next 14 picks in a Halloween basket, shook it vigorously, and pulled them out one at a time to fill the next 14 slots because I do not believe there is that much difference between them. Some play much tougher opponents but none of them have much to crow about at the moment. I saved the team I personally **** the worst for the 25th spot—they do not know how lucky they are to even make my top 25.

11) Brigham Young (6-1) – Runs into TCU next.

12) West Virginia (5-1) – Has victories over 1-AA Liberty, East Carolina, Colorado, Syracuse and Marshall. No wonder they are not getting much notice. Their good fortune to be picked 2nd out of the pumpkin.

13) Ohio State (5-2) – Went to Purdue and got their Buckeye ***** handed to them by a 1-5 Boilermaker team, 26-18. I hope you appreciate why Ohio State can be so disappointing.

14) Oklahoma State (5-1) – On their best day, the Cowboys may be better than their rival Oklahoma Sooners, whom they play in their last game.

15) South Florida (5-1) – Travel to Pittsburgh and had better be ready.

16) Miami, FL (5-1) – Have beaten Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma, that’s more than Boise State, TCU and Texas can said given their first-half schedules.

17) South Carolina (5-2) – I like the Gamecocks and their coach Steve Spurrier. Coaching at South Carolina is no easy task; the Gamecocks are not very high on the pecking order when recruiting against Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU and Auburn. Hard to build a consistent winner with the leftovers.

18) Notre Dame (4-2) – A lot of history, luck, smoke and mirrors have netted them 3 victories by a total of 13 points; that is living pretty close to the edge, especially when you are giving up 29 points a game to your last 5 opponents.

19) Idaho (6-1) – Give coach Robb Akey and his Vandals some props; Idaho has been in the pits for years and is now on the rise, meaning there really is no “Achy Breaky Heart” in Moscow (Idaho, not Russia).

20) Central Michigan (6-1) – On target to win the Mid American title.

21) Georgia Tech (6-1) – A very warm summer brought out the Yellow Jackets.

22) Houston (5-1) – Ranks 3rd in the nation in scoring offense (40 ppg), and 88th in scoring defense (28 ppg). If you want to see a shootout, skip the ranch and go directly to a Houston game.

23) Pittsburgh (6-1) – The Panthers are Dave Wannstedt’s magnum opus. There will never be another Pittsburgh for Wannstedt, and he will not go to his grave until his Panthers return to the glory days of when he was blocking for future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. If Wannstedt was not on the football field, he would be deep into a coal mine.

24) Virginia Tech (5-2) – Did a number on Miami (FL) and Boston College, then lost to a 6-1 Georgia Tech team in an away game.

Gosh, putting those last 14 team names in a pumpkin and pulling them out was fun! It actually caused me to re-consider some of my future choices.

25) Penn State (6-1) – Has compiled signature wins over Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Illinois, 1-AA Eastern Iilinois and Minnesota (a combined record of 17-21), and then ran into a lousy 7-0 Iowa team and promptly lost at home 21-10.

Don’t ya just love college football? The reason the pros are less likeable is that they are exciting but too predictable.