Below are some of the games that we are considering betting on this week and a few reasons why we like a particular side or total. Please feel free to join in the discussion and offer your feedback, we would definitely like to hear about how you are viewing a particular side or total.

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OpeningLine

Marshall -7 @ Ohio

I know Ohio is better than what they showed vs L’Ville in week 1, and it is hard to trust Marshall’s defense on the road, but I could see Cato and Shuler carving the Bobcats up in this one similar to what Bridgewater did to them in their opener.

Iowa -1.5 @ Iowa State

Iowa is notoriously bad on the road, and ISU has had their number in the past. That is the only concern here. Plus, ISU had a bye week leading up to this. I’ve actually liked what I’ve seen from Iowa though; their QB looks comfortable and poised. I think he’s an upgrade from Vandenberg last year. I’m not reading into Iowa State’s opening loss to N. Iowa…they always lay an egg against weaker competition, then play their hearts out vs the Hawkeyes. I just don’t think they (ISU) have the talent to win this game.

Kent State +37.5 @ LSU

I had this line at LSU -28. Granted, Kent State has looked pathetic so far this year, and LSU seemingly has an offense, but 37.5 is a spread for a Division 1-AA school, not Kent State. My only concern is that opposing teams tend to wilt in Baton Rouge, leading to the snowball effect of scores. Still, this number seems inflated.

Tulsa +24 @ Oklahoma

So maybe Tulsa isn’t as good as some thought they would be this season. Still, -24 is a lot of points to lay for a one-dimensional offense with no QB.

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Jimmysingh

Virginia Tech/ECU U 51.5

A play I like and other TSE members like is Vtech/ECU Under 51.5. Watching the ECU/FAU game last week, you could see that ECU is not the same sort of offense from last year, they have regressed a little and had a tough time moving the ball vs FAU at home. You will see that ECU scored 31 points but 17 of those points came on drives of 22 yards, 12 yards and 12 yards. Not exactly a dynamic performance. Now you have a Virginia Tech team that comes in sporting a very good defense. They gave one of the best offenses in the country fits in Week 1 for parts of the game and they should be able to slow down ECU here. 2 years ago with Ruffin McNeill as HC for ECU, VTech held ECU’s offense to 10 points when that same ECU team put up 37 points on South Carolina the week before. Bud Foster’s defense has shown that it can shutdown this offense which gives me confidence. On the other side of the ball, VTech seems to be going backwards in their progression. Even vs lowly W. Carolina, Logan Thomas struggled throwing for only 200 yds with a TD and 2 INT’s. This could lead to Frank Beamer wanting to rely more on his run game and that could chew up more clock. At this moment, it is very hard to put the ball in the hands of Thomas and ask him to beat you without him making a couple of mistakes. In the end, I could see this as a grind it out affair and I see it being VTech 27-17 ECU. I also do like Vtech -7 if you do not like the under.

Georgia Tech -8

Another game I like is Georgia Tech -8. A couple of things stand out for me here. #1 I look to see what team/coaches can slow down the triple option of GT. You usually just don’t come across success when facing the triple option. you need a gameplan, time and personnel to slow them down. Looking back 3 years, GT has put up a minimum of 32 pts on Duke. This leads me to believe that Duke should not slow down GT and GT should be able use their triple option to success. On the other side of the ball, Duke has lost their starting QB Boone to a broken collarbone and this isn’t new news and the line has adjusted already to this news. However if Duke is giving up 30+ points here, they will need to be able to score on their own and I just don’t see Redshirt Jr QB Connette doing that. It’s one thing to face Memphis but he should have some trouble facing an improved GT defense IMO. GT defense has usually been their Achilles heel in the past but they have played much better and are slowly becoming a strength as well. To end the year off, GT held Florida St to 21 pts and basically shutdown USC in their bowl game. I see the triple option running to success here and Connette making some errors trying to play catchup and seeing  GT 38-21 final.

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