by CollegeSportsView.com

It was a tough October for our friend, Gil Lock, of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers.  After removing his wife, Jill, from the weekly rotation of experts, Gil found things quite frosty in the bedroom.  At first, the couch seemed to agree with Gil as he turned in a perfect week.  Things looked even brighter after Jill’s replacement, Johnny Duduguanda, was 2-1 over the same period. “Things were pretty good for a week”, said Gil. “But, when we failed to fire in week two and turned in an 0-6 debacle, it was either Jill or the torpedo. Duduguanda had to go.”

We’ll see how wedded bliss affects the picks this week.

Locks of the Week- Season (42-28-4)

Gil Lock (14-9-1)
California – 14 1/2 over Washington State-  Cal has run up the score on every weak opponent they’ve faced and Wazzou is among the weakest.

TCU -4 1/2 over Utah- The biggest game on the schedule this week, even if the BCS computers won’t say so.  THe Frogs D will extinguish the Utes’ title hopes.

Northwestern +6 over Penn State- The Wildcats walk into Happy Valley and ruin JoePa’s 135th birthday.

Jill Lock (10-8)
Boise State-Hawaii over 65 1/2- After three weeks off, I’ll rely on my cutie-pies to get me back on the winning track. First up, Boise’s Coach Pete.  If only I’d met him before Gil.

Nevada -11 over Idaho- Cutie-pie number two, Colin Kapernick, runs all over the Vandals to give me a big win.

UNLV +18 over BYU- The Cougars have been miserable this year; can’t see them beating anyone by this much.

Pad Lock (16-7-3)

Florida -14 over Vanderbilt- Urban Meyer’s crew is no powerhouse, but they’re no slouch either. They should have no problem with a Vandy team that would struggle with the Elmwood Park Pee-Wee Bombers. Lay the points.

Oregon -35  over Washington -Washington ends its four game stretch vs the four nationally ranked Pac 10 powerhouses (Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford, and now Oregon). Hope the flight home shows a good movie, because that’s all Washington will enjoy on Saturday. Look for Oregon to flex it muscles on defense, and show off on offense. A deadly combo.

Arizona- Stanford Over 56-On the theory that good offenses score on good defenses.

by Eddie Mayrose

As soon as the dust settled on the South Carolina Gamecocks’ upset victory over previously unbeaten Alabama, the BCS spin doctors kicked into high gear while trying to protect what they perceive to be the integrity of the controversial system used to determine college football’s national championship.

Strength of schedule is the most common, and tired, argument offered as the reason schools from conferences that don’t automatically qualify for the BCS should not be part of the equation.  As if a one-loss team from the SEC merits more consideration than Boise State, a team that’s lost but once in three seasons while winning  both of its BCS Bowl games. Or a TCU squad that was two seconds away from playing for last year’s title.  Had Nebraska held on in the Big XII title game, the Horned Frogs would’ve squared off with Alabama instead of the overmatched Longhorns.  Then there’s Utah, sporting a 9-2 record against BCS opponents since 2007 and, before Saturday,  the last team to beat Alabama.

Until a playoff system is established, (don’t hold your breath), the championship of college football will always be tainted.  Worse, the current system is little more than a conspiracy among the BCS conferences to keep the television dollars in their own pockets while college football fans are cheated of the games they’d really like to see.  As for Boise, TCU, Utah and Nevada, they’ll have to keep smacking the overrated BCS schools around and hope that someone notices.

CollegeSportsView.com Top 25

1  Boise State  (5-0)
2  Oregon  (6-0)
3  TCU  (6-0)
4  Nebraska  (5-0)
5  Ohio State  (6-0)
6  Oklahoma  (5-0)
7  Utah  (5-0)
8  South Carolina  (4-1)
9  Alabama  (5-1)
10 Auburn  (6-0)
11 LSU  (6-0)
12 Stanford (5-1)
13 Nevada  (6-0)
14 Oklahoma State  (5-0)
15 Michigan State   (6-0)
16 Missouri  (5-0)
17 Arizona  (4-1)
18 Florida State  (5-1)
19 Arkansas  (4-1)
20 Wisconsin (5-1)
21 Iowa  (4-1)
22 NC State  (5-1)
23 Air Force  (5-1)
24 Kansas State  (4-1)
25 Oregon State  (3-2)

Five to Watch

Michigan  (5-1)
Florida  (4-2)
Northwestern  (5-1)
Texas  (3-2)
Miami (Fla)  (3-2)

by CollegeSportsView.com

Had a riotous conversation the other day with our good friend, Gil Lock, of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers. Turns out that, not only did Gil turn in a perfect 3-0 for CollegeSportsview.com last weekend, but he liked five other games, as well, each of which was also a winner.  However, Gil’s perfect Saturday wasn’t enough to help a hapless old friend who just won’t listen.  I’ll let Gil take it from here.

“I have a good friend; much older than I am, who I met way back when I was a teenager.  I was a counselor in training (CIT) at North Star summer camp somewhere in northern New England.  Tripper was one of the counselors there; the kind of guy all the kids liked.  I can’t remember what he did in the winter; I think he drove a beer truck.” 

“Anyway, Tripper is the worst gambler I’ve ever met. The guy can’t pick his nose.  Horses, baseball, football; you name it, he’s lost money on it.  Tragically, though, no matter how much I try to help him, he goes the other way and ends up making the long walk to the bunkhouse.  But Saturday was the topper. It would have been bad enough if he’d just ignored the eight winners I gave him.  But this meatball decided to go the other way on three and then pick three of his own, all of whom failed to fire.  Poor Tripper. Can’t get out of his own way.”

Jill Lock had a little bit of the Tripper flu, herself, last week as she lost all three games.  Pad Lock was 1-1-1 and is still shaking his head over Oklahoma State’s terrible fourth quarter while Uncle Gil, to Tripper’s dismay, crushed the schedule.  Here’s how the Locks see week 6.

Locks of the Week: (28-13-4)

Gil Lock (10-4-1)

Navy -3 1/2 over Wake Forest- The Middies’ loss to Air Force essentially cost them the Commander in Chief trophy and they’ll take that frustration out on the Demon Deacons.  

California -7 1/2 over UCLA-  The Golden Bears take advantage of a UCLA letdown in Berkeley.  The Bruins looked very sloppy last week vs. Wazzou.

Stanford – 7 over USC- After getting kicked around by Oregon, the Cardinal will be plenty ticked on Saturday; bad news for lil’ Lane Kiffin and his Trojans.

Jill Lock (10-5

UNLV + 27 1/2 over West Virginia- I met Gil in Vegas and have a soft spot in my heart for them.  Besides, West Virginia is a gloomy state.

Notre Dame – 8 over Pittsburgh- Has anyone seen Notre Dame’s new coach?  He’s so neatly dressed on the sideline.  As for Pittsburgh, see above note on West Virginia.

Fresno State – 11 1/2 over Hawaii-  Gil’s a native Hawaiian so he gets mad when I pick against them so… that’s why I pick against them.

Pad Lock (8-4-3)

Oklahoma State – 24 over Louisiana-Lafayette-  I’m still mad at the Cowboys for blowing a two TD lead last week but I’ll get over it. Uncle Gil worries about letdown games but I don’t.  Okie St. averaging 52 PPG.

Boise State – 39 over Toledo-  I’d lay 60 in this one. Boise scored 59 last week and dropped a spot in the polls. They’ll have to roll everyone to get to the BCS title game.

New Mexico-New Mexico State Over 51- Two most dreadful teams in College Football. Someone’s gotta win this game, and it’ll be whom ever has a less horrific defense. They both stink.

by CollegeSportsView.com

Don’t know that anything beside the Buffalo Wings at Pipin’s Pub are hotter than our favorite College Football handicappers, the Lock family.  Patriarch Gil Lock, his wife, Jill and nephew Pad, continued their winning ways last week with a 5-3-1 week that raised the season record to 20-5-2 against the spread.  That tie was on Pad’s ledger, as USC coach Lane Kiffin inexplicably attempted a two point conversion that would have put the Trojans up 34-14 with 6:00 left vs. Minnesota.  “I couldn’t believe it”, wailed Pad. “As soon as it happened, I knew Minnesota would score a garbage TD and cost me the win.  Now I’m behind Uncle Gil, something he’s not going to let me forget.”

Tough luck for Pad but, if a little family competition keeps the Locks on their game, so much the better for the rest of us.  Here’s how they see Week 4.

Locks of the Week

Gil Lock (Season: 7-2)

Oklahoma -14 over Cincinnati- This is absolutely more of a pick against Cincy than for the Sooners.  This one might be -24 if the game was in Norman.  I’ve seen Cincinnati twice and have been unimpressed both times while Bob Stoops’ boys are rolling.  Could be looking at a shutout here.

Air Force -13 1/2 over Wyoming- Pity the poor Cowboys as they come off a spanking fron Boise State only to run into the equally hot Falcons. Ask BYU how tough Air Force is.

Houston -19 over Tulane- Tough won last week for the Cougars, they got their heads handed to them by UCLA.  The classic bully, Houston goes back to picking on the little kids with a home rout over Tulane.

Jill Lock (Season: 8-1)

Nevada -4 over BYU- Anyone that follows me knows that I love the cutie-pie players and Nevada’s Colin Kapernik is one of my favorites.  He can run, throw and he’s tall and handsome.

LSU -10 over West Virginia- Love the purple and gold uniforms of LSU and I hate that stupid John Denver song they sing at West Virginia.

Idaho – Colorado State over 50 1/2- I noticed that neither of these teams seem to have any of those big guys that make the tackles.

Pad Lock (Season: 5-2-2)

Kansas State -7 UCF- Central Florida has beaten Buffalo and South Dakota; two powderpuffs. K-State is anything but; clipping along at 3-0 despite their omission from the NCAA Top 25. Look for that slight to motivate the Wildcats on their home turf, as they roll to 4-0.

Stanford -4 1/2 over ND- Stanford has become a late night favorite for me. Being younger than uncle Gil and Aunt Jill,(much younger, actually) I’m up late on Saturday nights long after they’ve had their cocoa and gone to bed. One of the hidden gems of late night NCAA Football is the pass-happy Stanford offense led by Andrew Luck. Only the night owls that watch this team every week can truly appreciate how great they are. Expect people to follow their hearts with ND, and laugh you’re way to the bank as The Cardinal cruises to a bigger win in South Bend.

Ohio – Marshall Over 44 1/2…. Ohio’s 1-2 with a win over “powerhouse” Wofford.  Marshall is 0-3 and, aside from nearly upsetting a bad West Virginia team, isn’t a defensive juggernaut. Both bands will get to play their fight song all day.

By Eddie Mayrose

After years of controversy regarding the BCS exclusion of Mid-Major conferences from consideration for the BCS Championship game, Boise State, the poster child for successful, smaller programs with title aspirations, looks to have its fate in its own hands.  Ranked as high as #2 in major College Football polls as well as #1 by CollegeSportsView.com, the Broncos seem to be in a position to have a perfect season rewarded.

Led by legitimate Heisman hopeful Kellen Moore, Boise brings as much talent and depth to the table as any of the elite programs.  Head Coach Chris Petersen is as innovative as any coach in the country, they play an up-tempo style on both sides of the ball and their blue field, (Smurf Turf) is just plain cool.  Everything is in place for the Broncos to stake their claim to the College Football throne, if they can just get past Week One.

In the kind of matchup from which Boise never shies away, they’ll head to Virginia Tech to open the season against Frank Beamer’s highly rated Hokies; themselves featuring a Heisman front runner in Ryan Williams.  It’s always a little risky to have your top rated team play their opener against a top opponent, as they may be knocked off their perch before the uniforms have been washed.  However, we here at CollegeSportsView.com say, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”  Boise is the pick to win it all.

CollegeSportsView.com Top 25

1 Boise State
2 Ohio State
3 Alabama
4 Oklahoma
5 TCU
6 Texas
7 Virginia Tech
8 Florida
9 Oregon
10 Arkansas
11 Nebraska
12 USC
13 13 Miami (Fl)
14 Iowa
15 Georgia Tech
16 Pittsburgh
17 Utah
18 North Carolina
19 Wisconsin
20 LSU
21 Florida State
22 Notre Dame
23 Georgia
24 Oregon State
25 Stanford

Five to Watch

Navy
South Carolina
BYU
Connecticut
Nichols

CollegeSportsView.com

They’re back.  The Lock family, Gil, his wife Jill and nephew Pad, have agreed to return to CollegeSportsView.com for another stellar season of College Football prognostications.

When we last left the locks, Gil, of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers, had spent most of the season sullying the family name.  It was for this reason that his wife, Jill, started to submit her own weekly selections, as Gil’s picks had become a source of embarrassment.  Good thing, too, as Jill was a winner two-thirds of the time.  Then, nephew Pad Lock got into the act, helping to bump up the record even further.  Perhaps inspired by their performance, even Gil started to come around by Bowl Season.

 So, here they are again, fresh off a 2009 campaign that returned an exceptional 55-45-1 record.  The season kicks off tonight and, true to form, the Locks are all over the Thursday night action. Good luck!!

 Locks of the Week

Gil Lock

(2009: 13-19-1)

South Carolina -14 over Southern Mississippi-  Always love a home team from a BCS conference in a non-conference tilt, especially when the spread is a reasonable one.  Go with the Gamecocks.

Georgia -28 over Louisiana-Lafayette- See above.  Dawgs in a rout.

Oregon State +12 ½ over TCU- My Pac Ten bias is showing here.  While TCU is a Top Ten team, I think it’s a little early to expect a blowout over a big program.  They’ll win, but won’t cover. 

Jill Lock

(2009: 26-13)

Oregon-New Mexico over 59 ½- Thought about laying the 35 with the Ducks but feel safer with the over.  New Mexico is likely to score a few times in the second half against Oregon’s sixth and seventh stringers.

Notre Dame – 10 1/2 over Purdue- Wake up the echoes.  Looking for new Irish head man, Brian Kelly, to make a statement in his first game.

Texas Tech-SMU over 60-  Don’t expect a lot of defensive stars in this shootout.

Pad Lock

(2009: 12-9)

Pitt +3 over Utah- Panthers are a Top 15 team that can win Big East yet a dog in opener. I like ‘em even if nobody else does.

USC-Hawaii over  51- The Trojans are going to be ticked coming into their non-bowl season and will take it out on the Rainbow defense.  However, Hawaii can score, too, and USC has a lot of new defenders.

Fresno pick ‘em over Cincinnati- No Brian Kelly, no Tony Pike and a Fresno team used to big competition.  Ride the “Green V” to Victory.

USC Football Program Left Holding The Bag

As has become tradition in college sports whenever the NCAA investigators show up, Pete Carroll, Head Coach of the USC Trojans, beat it out of town a step ahead of the sheriff.  Laughably, Carroll denied that the  investigation into his USC Football program had any bearing on his decision, citing opportunity as the only reason for his departure to the Seattle Seahawks.  The fact remains, however, that the three year probe into alleged infractions involving payments made by boosters to USC stars Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight has been concluded, with the NCAA Committee on Infractions scheduled to announce its findings in late February.

Carroll is merely the latest coach to turn tail once improprieties have been exposed.  These snake oil salesmen jump at the first job offer made to them once it all hits the fan, leaving their former players and employers holding the bag.  Now, the universities are just as culpable as the coach due to their responsibility for their own compliance with NCAA regulations.  But what of the players that committed, not only to the university, but the coach himself?  A coach that sat in their living rooms and promised their parents that he’d take care of their sons.  What becomes of them?

Right now, they have but two options: stay or transfer.  Stay; and take the chance that the new coach, one that did not recruit them, owes them no loyalty and may espouse a system not suited for their talents or transfer to another school and sit out an entire season.  Some choice.

When will the NCAA, charged with protecting the best interests of these student athletes, realize the gross inequity that currently exists?  There is no way to prevent a coach from moving to another school; nor should there be, as many more of these changes are legitimate upward moves than not.  However, the NCAA can easily establish two rules that give the player some security.

First, make the coach carry the sanction with him to his new job.  USC gets two years probation?  Carroll’s new employer goes on probation for the same amount of time should he ever return to the college ranks. Think that’ll promote compliance?  How hard would the University of Kentucky have pursued John Calipari if the sanctions against the Memphis basketball program would be theirs, as well?  Second, and most importantly, allow the player to transfer without sitting a year whenever the coach leaves; no matter the reason.  Why punish them for infractions committed before they even arrived on campus?

Unfortunately, there is collateral damage with each of these moves. After just one season as Tennessee Football coach, Lane Kiffin takes over for Carroll, leaving behind an entire class of kids that came to Knoxville after being promised by Kiffin that he would be their coach.  Worse, there are nine high school recruits committed to Tennessee that graduated early in order to enroll in January and participate in spring practice.  What happens to them should they decide to transfer; especially now that many schools have committed to other players?  Don’t ask Pete Carroll or Kiffin because neither one of them care.  Nor, apparently, do the stuffed shirts at the NCAA.

With five unbeaten teams headed into the Bowl Season, anti-BCS sentiment was running at an all time high and figured to ramp up to an intolerable level if as many as four were left standing after their Bowl Games. A likely scenario, as contracts between the Bowls and certain conferences should have had Cincinnati facing Georgia Tech in the Orange, TCU against Florida in the Sugar, Boise matched up with Iowa in the Fiesta with Texas and Alabama deciding the Championship.  While the loser of the BCS title game would have dropped from the ranks of the undefeated, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if all of the other perfect teams finished that way.  How then, would the powers-that-be quell the demand for a playoff?

Here’s how.  Using loopholes to get around the conference agreements, the Sugar Bowl drafted Cincinnati as its BCS at-large team and the Fiesta paired Boise State with TCU; robbing both schools and college football fans of the opportunity to see how these “outsiders” would fare against the big boys.  What they did create, though, was a scenario where only one team beside the champ is unbeaten.  TCU is much better suited to handle Florida than the boys from Cincy who’d have had a much easier time with Georgia Tech in the Orange. Considering that the Bearcats will head into the Sugar Bowl without their head coach, beating Florida will be difficult.  As for the Fiesta, the loser is out of the conversation.

Every year we hear the same nonsense from NCAA officials about the logistical difficulty of staging an eight or sixteen team playoff.  Travel and academics are the two obstacles most often cited.  They’d have merit, too, if only the NCAA’s lower divisions didn’t already participate in a 32 team format.  What’s the old saying?  When they say it’s not about the money, it’s always about the money.

There’s something to be said for karma.  Just days after banishing husband and uncle, Gil Lock, from the very handicapping column founded to feature his expertise, Jill and Pad Lock suffered through their worst weekend of the season.  Jill, who had been rolling along at a two to one clip, turned in an oh for three stinker; her first of the year.  Nephew Pad didn’t fare much better; registering just a single win. Realizing they had ticked off the football gods by mistreating Gil just before the start of the all important Bowl Season, they decided to correct the situation and invite Gil back to the team.

“We never felt right about firing Gil”, said his wife, Jill.  “I mean, he’s a sports handicapper.  It’s what he does. What else is he going to do, work in a supermarket? He had a bad stretch and we overreacted.”  Pad echoed the sentiment, saying, “Uncle Gil has always been good to me. I hated to let him go but Aunt Jill wanted to protect her record.  Not much to protect now, I guess.”

Gil, while overjoyed at the news, was still feeling a little low after some personal misadventures took their toll.  “I’ve been pulled over a number of times by Jersey State Troopers because I look like the guy who punched Snookie on Jersey Shore.  They usually notice I’m not the guy after I form a few complete sentences but, the last time, I got in over my head.”  “I have a buddy who’s a guido”, said Gil, “and this cop pulls me over with him in the car.”  “He takes one look at Phil’s hair gel and general, torpedo demeanor and assumes he’s ‘The Situation’”, Gil continued.  “I tried to explain that Phil’s nickname is, actually, ‘The Altercation’ and that the officer  was mistaken; but he wasn’t buying.”  “Finally, the cop, knowing that the real ‘Situation’ has six-pack abs, asked Phil to roll up his sleeveless tee.”  “As soon as he saw that Phil’s six-pack was actually a half keg, he let us go.”  Asked if he harbored any ill will toward his wife and nephew, Gil was gracious.  “Nah.  I’m just happy to be back.”   And, with that,  here’s how the Locks see the Bowl Season:

Locks of the Week(s)

Before we get to their individual selections, we present the Locks’ consensus picks along with this insight from Gil:  “The Big Ten is as overrated a conference as I’ve ever seen, yet, they get two BCS bids and two New Year’s games.  Now try and tell me the system doesn’t need to be changed.”  “We at Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers  have no confidence in any Big Ten teams or coaches, especially Penn State and Paterno, and have decided to pick against every one of them.”

Champs Sports Bowl

(12/29-8PM-ESPN) Miami - 2 1/2 over Wisconsin

Insight Bowl

(12/31-6PM-NFL Network) Iowa State +3 over Minnesota

Outback Bowl

(1/1-11AM-ESPN) Auburn -8 over Northwestern

Capital One Bowl

(1/1-1PM-ABC) LSU +2 1/2 over Penn State

Rose Bowl

(1/1-4:30PM-ABC) Oregon – 3 1/2 over Ohio State

Alamo Bowl

(1/2-9PM-ESPN) Texas Tech - 6 1/2 over Michigan State

Orange Bowl

(1/5-8PM-FOX) Georgia Tech – 3 1/2 over Iowa
 

Jill Locks (22-12)

Poinsettia Bowl

(12/23-8PM-ESPN) California -3 over Utah

Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl

(12/26-1PM-ESPN) Ohio-Marshall UNDER 50

Eagle Bank Bowl

(12/29-4:30PM-ESPN)  UCLA -4 over Temple

Humanitarian Bowl

(12/30-4:30PM-ESPN) Bowling Green-Idaho OVER 68 1/2

Sun Bowl

(12/31-2PM-CBS) Stanford +10 over Oklahoma

Pad Locks (10-6)

Meineke Bowl

-(12/26-4:30PM-ESPN) Pittsburgh -3 over North Carolina

Emerald Bowl

(12/26-8PM-ESPN) Boston College-USC OVER 45 1/2

Texas Bowl

(12/31-1PM-ESPN) Navy +9 over Missouri

Sugar Bowl

(1/1-8:30PM-FOX)  Cincinnati +10 1/2 over Florida

Alamo Bowl

(1/2-9PM-ESPN) Texas Tech-Michigan State OVER 60 1/2

Gil Locks (11-16-1)

New Mexico Bowl

(12/19-4:30PM-ESPN)  Wyoming +10 1/2 over Fresno State

Las Vegas Bowl

(12/22-8PM-ESPN) Oregon State – 1 1/2 over BYU

Armed Forces Bowl

(12/31-12PM-ESPN)  Air Force + 4 1/2 over Houston

Cotton Bowl

(1/2-2PM-FOX) Mississippi -3 over Oklahoma State

Fiesta Bowl

(1/4-8PM-FOX) TCU -8 over Boise State

Citi BCS National Championship Game

Thursday, January 7 – 8PM – ABC   
Alabama 3 1/2 Texas

Jill: Alabama: Can’t see Nick Saban losing after a month of preparation.
Pad: Texas: Big 12 Football is underrated. The Horns will catch Bama sleeping.
Gil: Texas: Nobody giving Texas a chance; which is my favorite scenario.

Season Record

43-34-1

Locks Wrap Up Season And Look To Go Bowling

This is it for the Lock family.  The final week of prognostications before their NCAA Football Bowl selections in a few weeks.  It’s been a successful season for the most part, especially since the firing of Gil Lock of Ryno Rife Sports Handicapping.  With wife Jill and nephew Pad picking up the slack, the Locks have forged an impressive record while saving the dignity of the family name.  Many were disappointed that Gil was not included in last week’s column; as they’d come to rely on him as a reverse indicator.  Jill and Pad have taken their protests under advisement and may invite Gil back for the Bowl Season.  With that decision still up in the air, here are the Locks of the Week for the final Saturday of the season.

Locks of the Week

Jill Locks (21-10)

Conference USA Football Championship

Houston -1 over East Carolina-

The Cougars, needing two straight wins for a Championhsip berth, responded by scoring 128 points while drubbing both Memphis and Rice.  They’ll face defending champ East Carolina on the Pirates’ home turf; the main reason the line is so low.  However, while the two didn’t meet in ’09, Houston did ring up over 600 yards of offense last year as the Cougars ran away with a 41-24 win at East Carolina.  Houston QB Case Keenum leads the nation in total offense and will be too much for the Pirates to handle.

ACC Football Championship

Georgia Tech -1 over Clemson

- Georgia Tech escaped with a 30-27 win when the two met back in September and Clemson will be looking for revenge. However, that game wasn’t as close as the score would indicate as the Yellow Jackets ran for over 300 yards in dominating the line of scrimmage. Clemson may have the league’s best player in C.J. Spiller but he managed just 18 rushing yards last week in a loss to South Carolina.  Don’t think Tech hasn’t watched that film a few times.

Big 12 Football Championship

Texas – 14 1/2 over Nebraska

-  This doesn’t shape up to be much of a game.  Texas has been rolling along unchallenged for most of the season and then got its wake up call last week courtesy of Texas A&M.  There’s no way they won’t be ready Saturday which is very bad news for Nebraska.

Pad Locks (8-5)

San Jose State vs. Lousiana Tech over 46 1/2-

San Jose State is one of the nation’s most generous teams while Louisiana Tech reminds no one of the Steel Curtain.  La. Tech may go over by themselves.

Boise State vs. New Mexico over 58 1/2-

This week’s “Arifemetic” lesson.  Boise is favored by 47 points so, the line is telling you you’ll probably need just a TD from New Mex.  Plus, I love the fact that Boise needs to run it up to lock up a BCS bid.

California -6 over Washington-

It’s been an up and down year for both teams but California has finally started playing consistently well and has a lot more talent than the Huskies even with Jahvid Best out of the lineup.

Season Record (40-31-1)