Army vs. Navy week

One of the coolest game to watch every year occurs this weekend on CBS. They do a good job treating this game with the respect it deserves. The Army vs. Navy game may not have the fastest runners or best athletes but these guys will all be defending our freedoms someday allowing us all to do what we do. I send out a salute to ALL of our MEN and WOMEN in the armed forces, thanks for all you do and all the sacrifices you and your families make for the rest of us Americans!

After a stinker 1-3 week last week my record stands at 39-38, not a money maker.

Army +12.5 has really struggled this year on the football field and I expect that to continue against Navy. Navy is 7-4 and 3 of their 4 losses have been what I would call respectable. Duke is the only team that blew them out. I look for a close game in the first half but once the emotion is gone and it comes down to grinding I think Navy pulls away by a couple of scores. Now this will be a fast game since most of it will occur on the ground but I think Navy wins this 34 - 17.

Championship weekend college football

Well I started 0-1 for the weekend and the MAC has to feel like they started 0- 15million! I would guess zero people in league office wanted Northern Illinois to lose but that is a chance you take with a championship game.

As long as Baylor and Okie St take care of business today (which I think they will)the Big 12 should get two into the BCS.

For the third game I will take Baylor -16 vs. Texas. Baylor is going to have to depend on the running game today which is alright. I think they'll be able to lull Texas to the LOS and take advantage of that later on in the game. I expect the Bears to force some turnovers in the second half to seal this up. Baylor will be in the Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl while Okie St ends up at the Fiesta Bowl.


Duke is +28.5 in the ACC championship game. I do not think Duke wins but they are going to keep it closer than 4 TD's. Cutcliff has done an outstanding job at Duke and they will be rewarded with a nice bowl game. I expect FSU to win this one 45-24.

Northern Illinois -3, Oklahoma St -9.5, Baylor -16 and Duke +28.5

College football week 15

A 3-3 week brings my record to 38-35, ugh.
My goodness it is championship week and there are good games all over, even in the Big 12 that does not have a conference championship. (Although it needs one and it needs to get to 12 teams ASAP but that is for another post outside of this season).

Game 1
I am going to start with some MACtion! Northern Illinois (-3) wants to make it back to back seasons in a BCS bowl game, all they have to do is beat Bowling Green in the MAC championship. Jordan Lynch is going to go out on a high note and I think not only does NIU win and cover but they will be facing Oklahoma St in the Fiesta Bowl. Big 12 gets screwed with a bad matchup and probably only get one team in the BCS. Sadly this stuff is not based on merit. Northern Illinois wins this one 41-34.


Game 2
BEDLAM! Oklahoma St (-9.5) hosts Oklahoma and Okie St has a chance to win another Big 12 title. Over the last 4 seasons I think OSU has the best record in the conference so that is really saying something. Trevor Knight has looked a little better of late but I do not think it matters in this case. OSU is the better team and they are home. The defense for OSU is really good and I like the way they play the game. They are aggressive on D and have started to develop their offense of late. I think this game turns out to be really one sided. Oklahoma St is going to win this one by double digits with the final being 45 - 20.



Review for the first two games, Northern Illinois -3 and Oklahoma St -9.5

Week 14 College Football part 2

I hope everyone had a safe, happy and filling Thanksgiving! I enjoyed my time with family we have not seen in awhile and of course watching some NFL. Whew, how bad is Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers.

Here are some more selections for the week.

Alabama (-10.5) visits Auburn in what could be the best Iron Bowl we've seen in a few years. I think Auburn is going to be able to move the ball and score some points. As much as I want Auburn to win, I do not think they do it, although they put quite a scare into Alabama. Auburn does not win, but they do cover with the final Alabama 34 Auburn 28.

Game 5
The Sunflower State Showdown. K-State visits an absolutely terrible Kansas team that has mailed it in for the season. Yes this is a rivalry game but like Hayden Fry started and is now continued with Kirk Ferentz, Snyder wants to dominate his state. Snyder will have some new plays drawn up and execute them as only a Snyder coach team can. I know the spread is -17.5 but I think the Wildcats have th0is covered by halftime and ends in a route. KSU 49 KU 10

game 6
North Texas -4.5 visits a real bad Tulsa team. North Texas has a bowl game wrapped up already but I think they want to finish on a high note to keep momentum going towards their bowl game. Did I mention that Tulsa is bad? North Texas wins this one 30 - 21.

Quick recap:
Take the Huskers -2.5, Fresno St -7.5, Ohio St -15, Auburn +10.5, K-State -10.5 and North Texas -4.5.

college football week 14

I had a good week last week going 3-1 bringing my record to 35 and 32.
The season is dwindling on us so enjoy the next 6 weeks of college football, we will be wishing, wanting and waiting for more soon...

For the most part I only send this out on twitter, occasionally i will post a link via facebook. Any good ideas on getting this out to others? Would anyone be interested in a podcast? The podcast would probably start out short but i could see gradually working up to 20 - 30 minutes of talk including spreads on games (obviously), Iowa and Iowa State, Big 10 and Big 12 football as well as some talk on the state of college football. If you want to leave a comment that would be great or I can be reached on Twitter @twojman

Let's get started with some games for this week.

Game #1
I guess I am becoming a Big 10 fan or something. Iowa is +2.5 and visiting Nebraska. As of right now this has not turned into a rivalry and I do not think that starts think year. Pelini looks like a rat but he is getting his guys to play a little bit. I think Nebraska will be able to run on Iowa and have a legit passing threat now that Martinez is not taking the snaps. Nebraska wins this one 27-20


Game #2
Fresno St is -7.5 at San Jose St this week. FSU could potentially move into a BCS game, a long shot but it is possible. I think Fresno does their best to put a big hurt on San Jose in this game and runs it up some. The final score is Fresno St 45 San Jose St 17.

Game #3
Here is another game I think the gets run up some. Ohio St is -15 on the road in a pretty big rivalry game at Michigan. Ohio St needs some style points and taking Michigan behind the woodshed is a good way to start even though Michigan is not very good this year. Ohio St gets it going in the run and passing game and Michigan gets to the point where they are tripping over themselves. OSU lays the wood in the second half and comes out a big winner with a final around 48 - 16.

Quick recap:
Take the bugeaters -2.5, Fresno St -7.5 and Ohio St -15

College football week 13 part 2

I am still trying to come down from the high last night of Iowa State's big win on the road at BYU in Provo, UT. As bad as the football season is for Iowa State, the basketball season has been a pleasant surprise. I am pretty excited about basketball, thanks Mayor Hoiberg!

I suppose I should get back on topic and stop the stalling...more big 10 action with game #3.

Michigan St -7 is on the road at Northwestern. NW has gone down the crapper here the last few weeks and I think the slide continues. Nebraska moved the ball on MSU last week and I think coach Dantonio challenged his defense to step up this game. I think they do. MSU does not score a lot but they will score enough to cover this spread. The final in this one is MSU 27 NW 13.

Game #4
Mizzou is a 2.5 point favorite on the road at Ole Miss. Mizzou is on a roll and they can get much closer to clinching the SEC East with a win. I think Mizzou wins this one and more then cover the spread. Ole Miss has some dynamic young players but I think they are a year or two away from being legit, as long as they have a qb in the ranks. Mizzou wins 37-24.


I have Nebraska +1.5, Illinois -6.5, Michigan St -7 and Mizzou -2.5.

college football week 13

I was 2-4 last week (barf!) so my total record for the season has dropped to 32-31. My tailspin continues!

Our precious few Saturday's are dwindling and sadly my favorite team, the Iowa State Cyclones, have been playing for nothing all season. Once you lose an opener to a 1-AA school, good things will not happen the rest of the year. Hey at least Iowa State took down Michigan in basketball! The seasons have changed for the better I think. Sweet 16 for ISU this year? I am calling my shot right now!

Some Big 10 games have some interesting lines and I am going to take a look at a few of them here.


Game 1
Nebraska is +1.5 at Penn St. I do not know what it is about Nebraska, Pelini and company just won't die. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot against Michigan St and put up the most yards that any team has against MSU this season. I think Nebraska comes into Happy Valley a bit angry and win this one outright. Nebraska 34 Penn St 23.

Game 2
Illinois is -6.5 @ Purdue. Illinois is improving, they are still not good though. Purdue is one of the worst teams in division 1 football this season. I do not know what else to say, Purdue is just that bad. Illinois wins this one 31 - 13.

So far I have Nebraska +1.5 and Illinois -6.5

College Football week 12 part 2

Man, a month from now and the only college football we will be talking about are bowl games. :( This makes me sad, especially when my Iowa State Cyclones have been so bad this year. Well I guess we are getting ramped up in the college basketball season! Hoiball should be going well in Hilton Coliseum this year so that should take some of the sting out of this football season.

Onto a few more picks!

Game 3
Oregon -27 hosts Utah. Utah has only had one conference victory and crazy enough it was against Stanford that really took care of Oregon. I see Oregon licking their wounds a little bit but they need to put up a woodshed type beating on the rest of their opponents if they hope to try and claw their way back into the national championship talk. Oh yeah, they will need some help too....I think Oregon blows the doors off this Utah team with a final score of 48 - 17.

Game 4
Stanford -3 visits USC and something seems weird about this line. Why is Stanford only favored by 3? I know USC is much better off without Kiffen but I just think Stanford pulls out the road graters and knocks down the USC defenders. This is not necessarily a high scoring game but Stanford makes this look fairly easy. Final score Stanford 30 USC 13.

Game 5
Auburn -3 hosts Georgia and Georgia has had kind of a rough year. Are they calling for the head of Mark Richt again? I assume so, I think the Rasputin of college football will be back in Georgia next year. Auburn though will put Georgia down in this one in what could be an entertaining game. I think there will be some points scored with Auburn coming out on top 35-27.

Game 6
Kansas State -10 hosts a hopeless TCU team with TCU needing to win out to make a bowl game. I think K-State puts an end to the TCU bowl hopes. K-State has got things rolling right now and TCU is hapless on offense. Never bet against Bill Snyder (like I did last week!) I have a feeling K-State wins this one 27-13.


Quick recap West Virginia -6, Oklahoma St -3, Oregon -27, Stanford -3, Auburn -3 and K-State -10. Lots of favorites!

College Football week 12

I went 4-2 last week bringing my season record to 30-27, more improvement is needed!

I've got a couple of Big 12 games I am starting with. When I saw this line I took a double take and triple take to look at the spread.

Game 1
West Virginia -6 @ Kansas. I was shocked the spread was so low. KU can run the ball, I know that. West Virginia is not good, I know that. I suspect WVU puts the hammer down on KU. Charlie Weis can cry some more about getting whipped by WVU, this sets up the big showdown in Ames Nov 23 where the teams will combine for 3 wins at kickoff. :(
West Virginia 38 Kansas 17.

Game 2
Oklahoma St (-3) visits the Longhorns of Texas. Texas has really improved throughout the season while Oklahoma St has a legit defense they can take with them on the road. Texas suffered a couple of key injuries, Whatley at DT and Grey, a stud RB. Josh Stewart may be out for OSU which would be big. I think the run game for the Cowboys from the running backs and the QB position win this game. The game stays pretty close throughout and is exciting. Okie St wins this 27-20.

Quick recap West Virginia -6 and Oklahoma St -3.

College Football week 11 part 2

I started off 1-0 this week after properly picking Baylor over OU. OU has no offense this year and the D has sustained some injuries, like stealing candy from a baby in that game.

Game #3
Mizzou -14 visits Kentucky and I am kind of shocked the spread is this low. I think Mizzou lays the wood to Kentucky to come one step closer to getting to the SEC championship game. I love to see a mediocre Big 12 team have pretty good success in the SEC. Mizzou wins this game 38-17.

Game #4
Eastern Michigan +3 fired their coach and oh wow he deserved it! Another terrible team comes to visit, Western Michigan is awful. Teams usually get a bump after their coach is fired and with a bad opponent in town, i think Eastern Michigan actually wins this one outright by a score of 31-21.

Game #5
UCLA +1 visits Arizona and I am wondering why UCLA is a dog. I think the wrong team is favored and UCLA wins this one 42-34.

Game 6
Texas Tech -3 hosts Kansas St. KSU has done a great job the last couple of weeks of course getting some guys back from injury really helps out things. I think Tech is going to be too good on defense and Skeletor, I mean bill Snyder will not be able to stop the Tech offense. Tech wins this one by pulling away late, final score 38-24.



Quick recap, take Baylor -15, TCU -7.5, Mizzou -14, Eastern Michigan +3, UCLA +1 and Texas Tech -3.

College football week 11

I have not fared well the last few weeks. I was 2-3 to dropping my overall record to 26-25.
Have to be short tonight so here are a couple of games.

OU at Baylor
This is probably the biggest game Baylor -15 has ever hosted and I think they get the big win. OU comes to play and slow down the Baylor offense, at least in the first half. Baylor pulls away in teh second half and wins 49 - 31.

Game #2

TCU -7,5 visits Iowa State for homecoming. I am going with what I think is a train wreck for teh rest of the season. Iowa State is not a good team this year along with injuries and inexperience are taking some big licks and I think it continues. Both TCU and ISU are riddled with injuries but TCU is a wounded dog and still looking to ge bowl eligible. I think TCU takes another step forward and Pachall has a pretty good game. TCU wins this one 34 - 13.

Quick recap, take Baylor -15 and TCU -7.5

Week 10 college football part 2

A good Saturday morning to you all! Normally I get excited about this day since it is Farmageddon day. The annual match up between Iowa State and Kansas State. The game has lost a lot of its luster since both teams stink this year. KSU kind of found themselves in the second half last week and I expect that when Skeletor is stalking the sidelines for them. I just do not have a lot of hope left for ISU this season. Coaching changes are necessary in Cyclone country, no, not Paul Rhoads. I do think the entire offensive staff should be feeling the heat though. The offensive has been terrible in the Rhoads era. Strength and conditioning should be looked at too when teams like Tulsa and UNI are pushing you around.

I thought I'd throw out a could of more picks for the week so here we go.

Indiana -7 hosts Minnesota that is coming off a huge win for the program against the Bugeaters, I mean Cornhuskers. With the lack of QB play for the Gophers I do not expect they will be able to keep pace with Indiana in this one. Indiana's defense is terrible but I think the Hoosiers win this one 48-31.

Texas -28 hosts Kansas and KU is just not good. I expect the Jayhawks to try and pound the running game since that is all they have and Texas has had some struggles defending the ground game this year. The first quarter is nip and tuck but Texas blows the doors off in the second quarter and never looks back. The Longhorns win this one 45-16.

Week 10 recap take KSU -17, Nave Notred Dame under 48.5, Syracuse -3, Indiana -7 and Texas -28.

College Football week 10

Did you read my title? Week 10 of college football! My my where has the season gone? :( I was 2-4 last week bringing my overall record against the spread to 24-22,not good at all.

Game 1
I hate to do this to my team but Iowa State is +17 heading to the Little Apple to face Kansas St. KSU is not a great team (and they have the creepiest mascot in the country) but ISU has way too many injuries along the offensive line, RB, QB, LB and DB. KSU is starting to gain their identity and I hate to say but ISU will have to wait until next year. Take KSU to win this one 38 - 16.

Game 2
Navy visits Notre Dame in a traditional rivalry game. Notre Dame is fairly solid on D and not very good on offense. The over/under is 48.5 and I am going to take the under in this game. The final score is Notre Dame 24 Navy 10.

Game 3
Syracuse -3 hosts Wake Forest which lost an emotional game against Miami last week. i think going on the road will be too much to ask for with Wake this week. Neither of these teams are great but with home field for Syracuse I think they pull this one out 28-17.


Week 10 recap take KSU -17, Nave Notred Dame under 48.5 and Syracuse -3.

College football week 9 part two against the spread

Random thoughts, how angry do you think the SEC folks are about the success of two former mediocre Big 12 teams. Mizzou and Texas A & M had a couple of decent seasons in the Big 12 but now you have Johnny Football destroying the vaunted SEC defenses and Mizzou just wins. Mizzou and Oregon are the only teams to win all their games by 15+ points. Amazing.

Iowa State had its manhood ripped away last week against Baylor. Iowa State did absolutely nothing right. Iowa State will start their 7th different offensive line combination in their 7th game this year. The starters include 1 junior, 2 sophomores and 2 freshman. Ugh...luckily the offense for Oklahoma State has not been good this year. The Cowboy defense on the other hand has been very good.

Let's get on to the rest of my picks for the week.

Game #4
Texas Tech +6 visits the Oklahoma Sooners and I was absolutely shocked at the spread in this game. OU is missing their best defensive player and were in trouble against Kansas last week in a very ugly game. I think the wrong team is favored in this game. Tech has 2 proven freshman QB's and a good defense, this is a formula for success on the road. OU has some shaky QB play and a banged up defense. I see Tech putting up a bunch of yards and points in this one. Texas Tech wins this one 38-24.

Game #5
Clemson -14 is on the road at Maryland which is just riddled with injuries. Clemson was absolutely embarrassed last week. I think they recover and get right in this one and hope they can win themselves back into championship consideration. I know that is a long shot but college football has been crazy this year.

Game #6
Baylor is a 34.5 point favorite on the road at KU. KU will try and keep the ball on the ground some with their decent running game but I think the speed on both sides of the ball will be way too much for the Jayhawks to handle. I expect 21 first quarter points for Baylor and i do not expect them to quit. Take Baylor to cover this HUGE spread on the road with a final of 56-14.

A quick recap for the week: Duke +13, Nebraska -10.5, UMASS -3, Texas Tech +6, Clemson -14 and Baylor -34.5

College Football week 9

After a 3-2 week my overall record stands at 22-18. I need a 5-0 week. How about Duke last week, down 22-0 at one point and WINNING 35-22. Amazing... Speaking of Duke, they are my game 1.

Duke +13 visits Virginia Tech. The Hokies have not been particularly impressive this year but they win and that is all that matters. Duke was a team I used to cover the spread a few times last year and I am starting to fall in love with them again. I do not think Duke wins this one but I think the game is close. Va Tech wins this one but it is a one score game, 23-17.

Game #2
Nebraska is on the road at Minnesota +10.5. I have the same feeling about this one as I did with the Cornhuskers vs. Purdue. Nebraska does not have a great defense but their offense is very good, even with a backup QB. I expect Minnesota to have some success running the ball by a straightforward attack but the Gophers do not have the firepower to hang. Nebraska wins this one 38 - 21 and easily covers the -10.5.

Game #3
UMASS -3 hosts an absolutely terrible Western Michigan team. This could be the ultimate pillow fight for the 2013 season. WMU lacks skilled athletes as well football smarts while their coach does not help that cause at all. I think UMASS gets their second conference win in this one and it is not as close as the scoreboard makes it to be. UMASS 27 WMU 13.

Week 8 recap
Duke +13, Nebraska -10.5 & UMASS -3.

College Football Week 8 part 2

I am watching Miami @ UNC as well as Seattle @ Arizona (NFL) great stuff! With about 11 minutes to go in the game, the Tar Heels lead the Hurricanes by 10. Crazy stuff, although Miami has first and goal inside the 10.

Game #4
Texas Tech (-6) goes to West Virginia and guess what, they pack a defense on the road and also have 2 capable QB's. I got burned the last time I went against West Virginia (thanks Oklahoma State!)Tech is rolling and Kliff Kingsbury is due for a stinker, I just do not think this is the week. Tech wins this one 38-24.

Game #5
Indiana +9 visits Michigan and after facing the Michigan St. defense, Michigan should feel like swiss cheese. The Hoosiers actually put up some points on the Spartans too. Does Indiana have a defense? Nope, Does Michigan? Nope. Should be a high scoring game and Michigan has to be feeling a bit down after losing at Penn St in multiple OT's last week. I have a feeling Indian might win this outright but for now I am picking them to cover. Michigan 38 Indiana 34, the Hoosiers fail to score in the final 2 minutes of this game and come up short.


A quick recap take Duke +2, Iowa State +32.5, Ball St. -19.5, Texas Tech -6 and Indiana +9.

College football week 8

Well a stinking debacle last week, a 1-3 mark brings my season total to 19-16. Ugh....lots of work to do to realize my dream of being a 'professional'.

My first game this week has Duke +2 at Virginia. Something is odd about this line. I thought Duke did an outstanding job last week against Navy, takes discipline to do that. Duke wins this game 27 - 20.

Game #2 Has Iowa State +32.5 at Baylor. This is going to get ugly for the Cyclones of Iowa State but I think they cover. Baylor has some swagger at home especially on homecoming. The final in this one is probably 55 - 28 Baylor.

Game #3 has Ball State -19.5 at Western Michigan. I have seen this Western Michigan team play, they are bad, slow and poorly coached. This is not a good combination. Ball State has had some good wins this year and I think they just thump Western in this one. Take Ball State as I think Western has mailed it in for the season. Final is probably around 34-10.

A quick recap take Duke +2, Iowa State +32.5 and Ball St. -19.5.

College football week 7 part 2

I'd like to get a couple of games out this morning before work, here we go!

I may be sorry with this one as Baylor has not won a Big 12 road game in quite awhile. I believe RG3 was still the QB. Baylor (-17.) goes to K-State and K-State is not good. I think Baylor not only wins this but shreds the K-State defense. Baylor wins 45 - 20.

Nebraska goes to Purdue in what is essentially a scrimmage. Even though Nebraska (-14.5) has no defense, Purdue is just that bad, even at home. I think Nebbie wipes the field with what is left of the Purdue defense. The bug eaters will put up a lot of points. Nebraska 38 Purdue 20

A quick recap for the week: OU -14, Michigan -3 Baylor -17 and Nebraska -14.5.

College football week 7

I had another 3-2 week bringing my record to 18-13, this is a decent % so far. Talk about a bad beat, how about all those folks that had Northwestern covering the spread against Ohio State. A TD for Ohio State to finish out the game and cover the 7. Amazing... I guess that is why it is called gambling. Of course I think it is safer than Wall Street but that is a whole other article for a different time.

I think Saturday is a bet the mortgage Saturday. There is one game in particular I am focusing on, the Red River Rivalry. OU is -14 in this one and I think this is stealing. Oklahoma has a championship level defense, although they have lost their top LB for the season in Cory Nelson, a huge loss. The Texas offensive and defensive coordinators are not good, that is all. there are great athletes on both teams but I am going with the Sooners and I think it will be a laugher, most likely settled by halftime. Bet the mortgage, take OU to win this one 45-17.

Game #2
Michigan (-3) travels to Happy Valley to visit Penn St. The scholarship punishments are taking their toll on the Nittany Lions, their depth is being tested now. I suspect Michigan will have their way with Penn St, probably not until the second half though. I suspect the final will be Michigan 37 Penn St 20.

A quick recap has me taking OU -14 and Michigan -3.

College Football Week 6 part 3

I am 1-0 so far this week with UCLA squeaking out a cover. ....BUT let's talk about the game in Ames, IA last night.

Iowa State was hosed in their game against the Texas Longhorns. Now before I get too far, ISU pretty much dominated the game except for the first half of the first quarter. ISU should have won this game by about 17 points even with all the bad calls going against the Cyclones. Oh well, Iowa State has improved a ton from their opening week game against Northern Iowa. The 1-3 record stinks but there is a SLIGHT chance on a bowl game. Iowa State has 8 games remaining and I have two guaranteed losses, those would be Oklahoma and Baylor. The Baylor game could get real ugly...ISU can lose one of the following, Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Okie State and West Virginia. I suppose it is possible for a sweep of those games, a bowl game would be nothing short of spectacular.

Last game of the week...
Georgia -10.5 visits Tennessee, I do not trust the Vols. Georgia has a lot of offensive weapons. I think the Bulldogs put up a lot of points even without Gurley running the ball. Take Georgia to cover this one with a score of 31-13.

For the week I have the under (38.5) for Mich St @ Iowa, Rice to beat Tulsa outright, UCLA -6, Northern Illinois -9 and Georgia -10.5.

College Football week 6 part 2

I want to get a game in for tonight, UCLA -6 at Utah. I think UCLA is legit and Utah is still adjusting to the BCS level, I like UCLA in this one big time.

I like Northern Illinois -9 on the road at Kent St. Northern Illinois is a very good team and their defense is maturing. The final in this one 42-21 Northern Illinois with the easy cover.

For the week I have the under (38.5) for Mich St @ Iowa, Rice to beat Tulsa outright, UCLA -6 and Northern Illinois -9.

NCAA college football week 6

Another 3-2 mark for the week, my total record for this season is now at 15-11. Not too bad so far, I need to boost that % up some. The 1-4 in week 2 is killing me right now!
Iowa State is hosting Texas on Thursday night and as Coach Rhoads from Iowa State calls it the "...college version of Monday Night Football." The game COULD be interesting with rain/storms a possibility. I do not know who that favors, possibly ISU since Texas has problems tackling. I would not touch this game, I could see either team winning by double digits. The line has moved up to Texas -9.

Game #1 takes us to Iowa City for the Iowa Hawkeyes host the Michigan St Spartans. No way am I going to pick a winner in this one, but I am fairly certain there will not be many points scored. Michigan St does not have a competent offense and Iowa will be up against the toughest D they have faced all season. The total is at 38.5 right now and that is probably too many, I like this game to go under that total.

Game #2
Tulsa -3, hosts Rice. Tulsa is coming off a beat down at the hands of Iowa State which showed a lot of cracks in the Tulsa offense. Rice has a TON of guys back from last year and I believe the wrong team is favored in this game. Rice is full of upperclassmen and will be able to handle games on the road. Rice probably wins this one by double digits.

For the early look, take the under (38.5) for Mich St @ Iowa and Rice to beat Tulsa outright.

Final pick ATS college football week 5

With Iowa State putting the hurt on Tulsa 38-21 I started out 1-0 this week. The score was not as close as that indicates. ISU really put the hammer down in this game and played the best defense of the season so far. David Irving is going to be a monster in the middle of the defensive line for Iowa State.

I thought I would pump out one more pick for the week. I am going with the total when Ole Miss visits Alabama. The Alabama defense is not what it is cracked up to be while their offense is a bit better overall then in years past. Ole Miss will score with a senior QB and some stud freshman WR's can score too. The total is 55.5, I think we go well over this total. Alabama wins a fun game 38 - 27 in a game that Alabama never feels comfortable in.

A quick recap Iowa State +3, Oklahoma -3.5, Northern Illinois -3.5, Okie St -19 and over the 55.5 Alabama vs. Ole Miss.

College Football Week 5 part 2

I was glancing through some of these lines again and one struck me, the Northern Illinois at Purdue line. Purdue is 1-3 while NIU is 3-0. Neither team has looked particularly impressive this season but NIU has a very nice QB and that is something you need if you are going to win on the road. This will be Game #3 for the week, NIU is -3.5 at Purdue and already owns a road win vs. a better Big 10 team then Purdue. There will be a lot of points scored in this one but I think NIU takes control in the 4th quarter and grinds out a long scoring drive to put the nail in the coffin of Purdue. Purdue is pretty much eliminated from bowl contention with a 1-4 start to the season. Final score is NIU 34 - Purdue 20.

Game #4
Watch out Morgantown, you are about to get thumped. Oklahoma St (-19) heads to West Virginia for its first trip since WVU joined the Big 12. WVU was taken behind the woodshed by Maryland, you read that right Maryland, last week. Dana Holgerson may be on the hot seat as this season goes on. Hey Dana, come to Iowa State, we could use a new offensive coordinator! Back to the game, Okie St actually has a decent defense this year to go along with their potent offense. I know this is a conference game and 19 points is a big spread but I think Okie St has this covered by half and does not look back. Final score Okie St 45 West Virginia 13 with the Cowboys easily covering the spread.

Here is my recap so far:
Iowa State +3, Oklahoma -3.5, Northern Illinois -3.5 and Okie St -19.

I will get one or two more games out before Saturday.

College football week 5

I went 3-2 last week with my picks bringing my season total to 12-9. Last week was not full of great match ups but let's be honest, any week of college football is a great week. We've got some games on Thursday again, one of those being Iowa State at Tulsa. This is a HUGE game for Iowa State in every sense of the word. A loss and Iowa State will lose all momentum the program has built up over the Paul Rhoads era. A win allows ISU the chance to salvage the season. 4-8 is much better than 1-11. My first game will be the Cyclones at Tulsa

Game #1
ISU (+3) faces Tulsa for the third time in the last 391 days. This is the rubber match, ISU won the season opener last year while Tulsa owned ISU in the Liberty Bowl. Both teams lost a lot from last season, I think Coach Rhoads pulls ISU together and wins this game 27 - 17. Yes, I am calling for a double digit victory on the road for Iowa State.

Game #2
This is a big one, one last chance for the Big 12 to kind of redeem themselves. Oklahoma (-3.5) heads to South Bend to face the Golden Domers of Notre Dame. Notre Dame embarrassed OU last season in Norman and I think OU will regain a piece of their manhood in this game. OU's D is legit this season, much better than last year and I think OU will have a very good running game. If Blake Bell can be even an average passer, OU COULD emerge as a dark horse national championship contender. I think OU goes on the road and wins this one. There will be some good defense played in this one with the final score OU 24 Notre Dame 13.

A quick recap has me taking Iowa State +3 and Oklahoma -3.5

College Football Week 4 part 2

So my week has been a little off, we lost power for over 24 hours and it occurred on my birthday no less! At least I will always remember this one. I also just found out my Clemson pick was off, well poop.

Here are my last two picks for the week.

Game #4
Baylor (-30.5) hosts Louisiana Monroe. ULM has kind of disappointed me this year. Their big win was against Wake Forest, nothing to be proud off. I think Baylor runs up and down the field on the Warhawk's and the Bears may even play a little defense. The final in this one, Baylor 59 ULM 20.

Game #5
Colorado St (+39) visits Alabama. The devil just gave up 42 points and he may be angry, I do not think it will matter. Alabama will win and probably win big, but 39 points is too many. Alabama wins this 42-10.

Week 4 recap:
Take Clemson -14, K-State +4.5, Boise +3, Baylor -30 and Colo St +39

College football week 4 against the spread

I had a darn good week last week as far as my picks go. I went 4-1 bringing my season total to 9-7, I need to get better! The one game I missed hurt though...Iowa State lost at home in underwhelming fashion again. This is going to be a long year for Iowa State, they are going to have to scratch and claw to get to 4, maybe 5 wins. Right now the offense is not helping at Iowa State. Courtney Messingham, Iowa State's offensive coordinator, had two weeks to prepare for Iowa. What did he do on the opening two plays? Runs up the middle with backs in the middle of his offensive line! Terrible play calling from the get go. Time to start picking games, I cannot believe he is still employed in Ames as part of the football program.

I'll give you three games tonight and a couple more over the next couple of nights.

Game #1
Clemson (-14) is at NC State tomorrow night. Clemson is loaded and has had 12 days to prep for this one. With Boyd and Sammy Watkins on the offense and plenty of speed on the defense, I do not see the Wolf Pack able to keep up in this one. Clemson wins this one and covers easy 37-13.

Game #2
Texas is favored over K-State +4 in Austin. Texas is in a tailspin and K-State has OWNED Texas over the last decade. Say that with me, K-State has OWNED Texas in the last decade. Even Ron 'Grimace' Prince was 2-0 against Texas. K-State is getting things figured out and they can run, Texas has injuries and cannot stop the run. The line is BEGGING you to take the Longhorns in this one. I think spiral continues and this is the swan song for Mack Brown. Let's hope their struggles continue and they are not able to right the ship before coming to Ames and the Iowa State Cyclones 12 days later. K-State wins this one and racks up close to 300 yards on the ground compliments of Daniel Sams and the RB crew. Final score is K-State 34 - Texas 24.

Game #3
I have a hunch on Boise St. +3 at Fresno St. I looked at the spread last night and though this was wrong. I follow @cfbmatrix on twitter he confirmed what I thought about this game, not only does Boise cover but they win outright. I liked how Boise looked against Air Force last week. There is a potential for a decent offense again in Boise and there is some D to go with it. I think Boise wins this 37 - 30 at Fresno St. Let's see if the matrix formula 1.0 and I are crazy or right on!

A quick recap
Take Clemson -14, K-State +4.5 and Boise +3.

I have one more game for the week, the second most important game this week which is Alabama (-8) visiting College Station and Texas A & M. Last season was a great match up between these two teams and America was introduced to Johnny Football on his way to the Heisman. Nick Saban had his team thinking about A & M all off season and had an off week to boot to get ready for this week. I do not think it is enough. Alabama was not impressive against an underwhelming Va Tech team in week one. I think Manziel leads A & M to the victory and really ticks of the devil, I mean Saban.

A recap, I have ISU +2.5, UCLA +4, Georgia St +38.5 and Oregon -27.5 and A&M +8.


Let's talk about the Iowa vs. Iowa St. game. ISU needs to go over the top of this Hawkeye defense. The DB's have not been good for Iowa, along with that Iowa's front 4 cannot get a pass rush without blitzing. If Iowa blitzes a ton, ISU generally has problems with this and will lose. I think ISU picks apart the Iowa D. The Iowa offense will move the ball on Iowa St. but will stall around the ISU 20 yard line. I think ISU allows 5 scores, 3 of them are FG's. Should be an exciting game, at least for those of us in the state of Iowa.

College football week 3 part

Game time is approaching, I hope everyone is hopped up for Saturday. (or Thursday or Friday whatever your pleasure)As I said before I do not like the spreads on some of these games, the matchups yes, the spreads no. Can't complain though, we wait 9 months for kickoffs so enjoy it with a passion.

Game #3
West Virginia (-38.5) hosts Georgia St. Georgia St recently made the jump to FBS and things have not been pretty. Fortunately I know West Virginia cannot score 40 points on a team. I think GSU covers this spread but West Virginia wins fairly easy, final score 38-13.

Game #4
Oregon (-27.5) hosts Tennessee. Things do not look good for the Vols in this one, not only do they travel West but there are some allegations of some cheatin' with their program. Of course it is the SEC and if you ain't cheatin' you ain't trying. I expect Oregon to run all over Tenn, they will get better eventually but not in this game. Oregon wins big and covers this spread 55-20.

A recap, I have ISU +2.5, UCLA +4, Georgia St +38.5 and Oregon -27.5.

College Football Week 3

Forget about it, that's all I can do. Forget about week 2. A stinking 1-4. A back door cover by UTSA, Texas laying a giant turd and Florida, WTF! 4 To's in the redzone? Really? Oh well, my overall record is now at 5-6, DOH!

How great are things in Austin for the Longhorns right now? They were shredded finer than most cheeses I have seen. BYU racked up over 500 yards rushing and Diaz has been fired as D coordinator to be replaced by Greg Robinson. Hey Mack, ask Michigan or Syracuse what they think of this guy. Somehow, your defense just go worse!

Time to gear up for week 3 which is what I consider to be traditionally the best week of the college football season. Although the matchups are not quite as strong as years past, I still like some of these matchups.

Game #1
Pillow fight in Ames, IA on Saturday. Iowa broke their 7 game losing streak in not so impressive fashion against a bad FCS school. Iowa State is still smarting from their loss at home against FCS opponent Northern Iowa. Iowa State is 2-7 in their last night and have not looked particularly impressive in most of those games. To be real honest, a move needs to be made with the ISU offensive coordinator. All that being said, ISU is +2.5 at home and have won the last two against Iowa. I am sticking with my preseason pick and taking Iowa State to win outright 27-23. Iowa gets 4 field goals...

Game #2
Nebraska (-4) hosts UCLA. This was a pretty exciting game last year and UCLA is coming off the death of one of their players. I think they respond well and beat Nebraska outright. Final score in this one is UCLA 37 Bugeaters 31. Rat boy Pelini is on the hot seat!

Quick review for my first couple of games, take ISU +2.5 and UCLA +4, a couple of dogs for me.

College Football week 2 part 2

I am slacking, I should have finished this last night but I fell asleep. Sounds like I missed the best part of the Ravens and Broncos. In case you do not know this yet, Manning is good.

I have 3 more games for the week.

Game #3
Okie St -24.5 visits UTSA, that's right, Okie St is on the road. The competition for the Cowboys is much lighter then last week, I do not think there will be a let down. Okie St powers over UTSA and Larry Coker. I think the final will be something like 45-13.

Game #4
Florida (-3) visits Thug U, I mean Miami. I do not think Al Golden has this program ready for the big time yet. The biggest thing the Gators need to worry about is whether or not the 'Canes will try and start a brawl. Florida wins this one comfortably in what is probably a better game on paper then in real life. Florida wins 33-17.

Game #5
Texas is -7 at BYU, I guess I will keep the theme going, the road favorites. Can I be right with this many? I think so. Texas got off to a slow start in week 1 but they will come around and I believe thump BYU in this one. Texas quietly has a decent non conference schedule. Their game against Ole Miss should be a good one. Texas beats BYU 38 - 21.

So as a recap I have Cincy -7.5, Oregon -22, Okie St -24.5, Florida -3 and Texas -7

College Football Week 2

Well I went 4-2 on the opening week. I was hoping for a late field goal from UMASS for a backdoor cover but that is life...

Debacle, dumpster fire, horrible and any other adjective you can think of describes Iowa State against Northern Iowa. A bowl game seems pretty tough to get to now. I know the team is young but you should never lose to an FCS school, never. This goes for you too K-State Mildcats. #emaw....

There are not a whole lot of great games this week but it is still better than no college football! I will be going with the MGM lines from vegasinsider.com.

Game #1
Cincinnati is trying to go 2-0 against the Big 10 this week. They travel to Illinois (+7.5) which barely survived an instate FCS foe. I think Tuberville keeps things rolling with the Cincy program, at least for this week. Take Cincy to cover on the road. This may get pretty ugly for the Illini.

Game #2
Oregon goes on the road to Virginia (+22). Oregon can score, with or without Chip Kelly. I know it was an FCS opponent Oregon destroyed last week but it was impressive none the less. I think Oregon keeps it rolling this week and wins something like 55-17 or 52-20.

A quick recap, take Cincy -7.5 and Oregon -22, a couple of road favorites!

College Football week 1 part 3

Well with the temperature as hot as Kate Upton here in the Des Moinese metro area, I will be camped out watching football tonight. I am 1-0 so far in my picks with UNC & USC keeping the total WAY under.

Game #5
I am going with a blast from the past, at least if you are an Iowa State Cyclone fan. Dan McCarney will lead North Texas against Idaho. Right now NT is -16.5, I have to admit I know nothing about these teams but North Texas had a few good games last year. I think coach Mac lights up Idaho in this one 37-10.

Game #6
LSU and TCU square in at Jerry world in Dallas. While most of the world hates the Dallas Cowboys they can at least give us a great venue for a sold out football game. TCU returns a TON of defensive players and playmakers, while Devonte Fields will not be playing, I still expect the TCU defense to be pretty stout. LSU traditionally has had a problem with offense, we will see if that trend continues. I like that TCU is +4.5 as I think they can win the game outright. I feel good taking TCU plus the points.

For a review, I am 1-0 with the under with South Carolina, I have Northern Illinois +3, UMASS +44, Okie St -12, North Texas -16.5 and TCU +4.5

NCAA College Football week 1 part 2

Here are some additional picks for week 1 of college football. I am typing this as I watch South Carolina against North Carolina, from what I have seen this is pretty entertaining! DId I mention I love college footbal!?!?!?!?!!

Game #3
Wisconsin -44 hosts UMASS. UMASS will never be considered a football powerhouse but I think Wisconsin will be down some this year after losing Bielema. Look for the final to be 45-10 in this one. UMASS covers this spread.

Game #4
Oklahoma State is -12 at a neutral site game against Mississippi State. Okie St is fast, real fast. They also have two QB's that can win Big 12 football games. This is a great way to start off the college football season. I think Okie St wins this one easily. The Cowboy defense takes the steps most people think they can. Okie St 37 Miss St 17.

So far I have NIU +3, UNC vs. USC under 57, UMASS +44 and Okie St -12.

College Football Week 1 (Hell yeah!)

Well praise the Lord we are about ready to kickoff the 2013 college football season. I do not know about you but I have been waiting for what feels like an eternity!

A refresher on what I am doing, I take lines from vegasinsider.com (LVH) and pick against the spread or the game totals. I finished right around 50/50 last year so I need to improve on that. I will spit out a couple of games tonight, a couple tomorrow and one on Thursday or Friday. I love a lot of the games this opening week, however I do not like a lot of the lines!

My first game of the season, I will stick in my home state where the University of Iowa hosts BCS buster Northern Illinois. NIU returns a lot on offense but not much on defense. Iowa's QB will be taking his first career snaps in the middle of the hot afternoon on the even hotter turf at Kinnick Stadium. Last years game went down to the wire in Chicago as Iowa pulled out a 1 point win. NIU is looking for some payback. I wish I would have posted this earlier with NIU +6, it is now NIU +3. Of course that does not matter as I think NIU wins this game outright extends Iowa's losing streak to 7 games. NIU 27 Iowa 21. I carn't wait to eat some Smokey D's in Downtown Des Moines based on this outcome, thanks Greg for giving me an easy free lunch!

Game 2
The first good matchup of the season has North Carolina on the road at South Carolina. I feel like Connor Shaw has been the QB at SC for the last decade. Jadeveon Clowney, what do you all think? Is this his first game on his quest to win the Heisman? He many not rack up 20 tackles in this game but I think UNC tries to scheme around him. I do not think there are a lot of points scored in this game, South Carolina wins this one 27-10 or 27-17, take the under. The total is at 57.

So NIU wins outright over Iowa and UNC at South Carolina goes under 57.

2013 Iowa State Season Preview

Here we go again! We are getting ever closer to the 2013 football season and like all of you I am pumped! There are several interesting items regarding this season. We will bid farewell to the BCS system, we have teams in their new leagues and teams playing in their conferences for the last time. Will the SEC win their 300th title in a row? Only one way to find out, let’s get the season started.

I feel pretty clueless right now regarding the Iowa State Cyclones for 2013. There are some exciting young guys on the team but the key word is young! The depth chart released in July showed about 13 freshmen on the 2 deeps, including one true freshman in Alton Meeks at LB. There are a lot of new faces on this year’s squad. If the 2014 Cyclone squad was playing the 2013 season, I’d say ISU would end up 8-4 or 9-3. The Big 12 is going to take a step back this year with all the QB departures over the past few years. You just don’t replace that talent over night.

What gives me some confidence for Iowa State in 2013? Wally Burnham, this guy has done more with less at Iowa State for years. I think there is some talent on the defensive line right now, just unproven. Coach Shane Burnham said to Chris Williams of Cyclonefanatic.com “They are going to get better because they are playing earlier than anybody we’ve had but let me tell you, we’ve played around here and won games with a lot less talent inside. Now again, it’s just potential and it isn’t production yet.”
Coach Rhoads said this is the most talent he’s had on that side of the line, they just need the experience. Speed is something else I am confident in. In the non conference games last year Iowa State showed they were much faster than all three of their opponents and they were not blown away by Big 12 opponents, except for maybe Texas and Oklahoma St.

What scares me about Iowa St in 2013? Youth! So many young guys all over the field. They are going to be skilled and fast but they are going to over pursue and make other rookie mistakes, those need to be limited. Is Sam Richardson the guy at QB? He played outstanding against KU (who didn’t), not so great against WVU (not a good day for anyone on both teams) and was not good against Tulsa in the Bowl game where he was allegedly sick. Iowa State plays a top 10 tough schedule again this year. Will the young guys hold up through the grind? Let’s find out!

August 31, 2013
Northern Iowa – Northern Iowa returns some skill position talent from a below average team a year ago. This is a game where Northern Iowa usually plays over their head and I expect the same in this game. The score ends up more close then it should but ISU wins in the end. Your score, Iowa State 31 Northern Iowa 17.

September 14, 2013
Iowa – Iowa visits Ames for the first time since their 3 OT loss in 2011. While I don’t expect as much offense as 2011, I do expect more than we saw in the 9-6 game in Iowa City in 2012. Iowa comes into the game with a 1-1 record after a 10 pt opening week loss at home and then a 30 point win over Missouri State. Iowa’s QB will be starting his 3rd game while Sam Richardson will be playing in only his 5th game. The Iowa offensive line should be pretty good in 2013 and the ISU d line could struggle early on this season. I’d expect Iowa to try and grind the clock on the ground while ISU will attempt to tire out the Iowa defense with the jet tempo offense. Numerous times in 2012 ISU WR’s beat the Iowa defenders down the field but were overthrown by Steel Jantz. I’d expect ISU to take some more deep shots against this defense but will connect on a couple of those. I also think ISU will not have red zone turnovers this year which will help make this game a bit easier to watch from an Iowa State standpoint. This game does not get decided until the 4th quarter when Iowa’s QB throw s a pick with about 6-7 minutes to go in the game. Iowa State kicks a field goal with a couple of minutes to go. Iowa State wins this one 31-19. (4 FG’s for Iowa).

Thursday September 26th
@Tulsa
Iowa State is 2-0 coming off their second bye and meeting Tulsa for the third time in 13 months. This will be the rubber match, Tulsa beat Iowa State in the Liberty bowl by mauling both the offensive and defensive lines. Iowa State beat Tulsa in the season opener in 2012 in kind of a deceiving 2 touchdown win. Tulsa will be facing their second Big 12 team of the season after coming off a loss at Oklahoma. Cody Green will be a load to take down, I feel Tulsa will try to run on ISU all game. Tulsa has lost some guys up front, we will see if their replacements are ready to fill in. Two weeks in a row against Big 12 opponents will not help Tulsa’s cause. A healthy Sam Richardson throws much better in this appearance then he did in the bowl game. We hear Richardson to Bundrage MANY times in the game. Bundrage ends up with 11 catches for 185 and two scores and ISU pulls out a victory by the score of 38-31. Iowa State is 3-0 in the non conference for the third year in a row.

Thursday October 3rd
Texas
Iowa State plays back to back Thursday night game, this one is at home. Texas is coming off a hard fought victory against Kansas St the previous Saturday. This means a short week on the road for the Longhorns. In most circumstances I would pick Iowa State to win this game. Texas still has too many athletes and Iowa State under coach Rhoads does not seem to fare well in these types of situations. There is a possibility this game could get ugly, similar to the game against Texas in 2011. I think Iowa State keeps it close but falls in this one 38-27. Iowa State falls to 3-1 after suffering their first loss of the season.

October 12th
@Texas Tech
The last time a Paul Rhoads team went to Lubbock Iowa State took the Red Raiders to the woodshed. Tech will be coming in with new coach Kliff Kingsbury who was an outstanding passer when he played in Lubbock. Tech is coming off of a surprise loss on the road at KU and fans are questioning the Kingsbury hire. Could the season be lost with a second loss in a row to a traditional bottom rung Big 12 team? Iowa State runs for 275 and passes for 250 more in this good old fashioned shootout. The Tech offense will not go quietly. Quenton Bundrage has another huge game for Iowa State catching 13 passes for 150 yards and two more scores. Iowa State 45 Texas Tech 38. Iowa State goes to 4-1 while Texas Tech falls to 3-3.

October 19th
@Baylor
I don’t like this game for ISU. The Baylor offensive line is a force to be reckoned with. Baylor is really rolling with their offensive line. Seastrunk will pile up some good numbers in this game on his way to New York as a Heisman finalist. Baylor runs over the tired Iowa State defense putting up almost 300 yards on the ground and another 225 through the air. Iowa State manages to put a few points but not nearly enough. Baylor wins this one going away. Baylor 42 Iowa State 24.

October 26th
Oklahoma St.
The Cowboys come to town and are undefeated so far in conference. Their defense is the surprise of the league so far, shutting down everyone they have played against to date. Okie St is 6-0 and sits at #7 in the BCS standings. ISU comes out jazzed up and puts up 13 quick points and fail to convert points on an interception. This is the start of the downfall for ISU. Iowa State only manages to get into the red zone one more time in the game, while the Cyclones convert this opportunity into a touchdown, it is not enough. Oklahoma St. wins this game. The defense puts the clamps down and the Cowboy offense keeps the Cyclone defense off balance all game long. The final in this one is Okie St 38 Iowa State 20. Iowa State drops to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

November 2
@Kansas St.
Kansas St is finishing up 3 home games in a row and want their home stand to end on a positive note before heading to Lubbock. This game has been so close the last several years, ISU just has not been able to pull the game out in the end. Iowa State was a QB away from winning last year. Sam Richardson is a much better option then Barnett or Jantz which gives Iowa State a real good chance in this one. No matter what I am picking Iowa State to win this as they are ‘due’! This is a tight game in the fourth quarter, Bundrage has made a couple of great catches to keep drives alive. James White and Aaron Wimberly are moving the chains on the ground. On a 3rd and 4 from the K-State 22 yard line, Sam Richardson hits Ernst Brun at the 15 yard line. Brun breaks a couple of tackles and drags a defender into the endzone to seal the game for the Cyclones. The final is Iowa State 24 Kansas State 21. At 5-3, Iowa State is one game away from bowl eligibility.

November 9th
TCU visits Ames for the first time since the McCarney era for homecoming. TCU has an outstanding defense with eventual 2nd team All-American Devonte Fields leading the way. This is a tight game and a fun one to watch. There are great plays made by both defenses. Heading into the 4th quarter the score is tied at 13 as both teams are starting to wear down. Shontrelle Johnson misses a block and allows Fields to sack Richardson. TCU scoops up the fumble and returns it to the Iowa State 19. After converting a 4th and 1 from the 10, TCU scores the go ahead TD with just under 2 minutes to. Sam Richardson leads Iowa State down the field before throwing an interception to seal ISU’s fate. Iowa State drops to 5-4 after losing 23-16.

November 16th
@Oklahoma
Do I need to say anything about this game? Things normally do not go well when Iowa State heads to Norman. In 2011, Iowa State could have won that game, I feel, with average QB play. I feel OU is going to be down some this year but not enough to matter in this game. Blake Bell throws for 250 and rushes for another 35 while OU gets a total of 215 on the ground. OU wins this one 31-13, the game is not as close as the score would indicate.

November 23rd
Kansas
Kansas is much improved coming into this game. Some of the JUCO gambles that Charlie Weis made have paid off. Kansas thinks this is a game they could win and the first repeat opponent Richardson will have seen in conference play. KU needs to win this game and also against their instate rival KSU. Sam Richardson follows up his KU performance with another great one. Iowa State has 2 backs over 100 yards and another 2 over 35. KU puts up some points but not enough. The final score, Iowa State 38 KU 27. Iowa State is bowl eligible for the fourth time in 5 years under Rhoads. Iowa State is 6-5 now with one game to go.

November 30th
@West Virginia
West Virginia comes off a bye week and needs to win this game for bowl eligibility. The transition into the Big 12 has not gone as well as the Morgantown faithful would have liked. Last year Tavon Austin sealed the game against ISU on a play that would not have happened if Jake Knott had been playing. ISU is coming off a big win at home against KU and has some momentum on their side. The WVU offense just does not click in this game and this has been a theme throughout the season. Sam Richardson finishes the regular season strong completing almost 70% of his passes for 295 yards to go along with 200 total rushing yards for the team. ISU ends a disappointing season for WVU with a score of 27-17. WVU finishes 5-7 while Iowa State finishes 7-5. Time to go bowling!

After going 7-5 and 4-5 in conference play, Iowa State will be heading to Houston to face the Indiana Hoosiers from the Big 10 in Meineke Car Care Bowl. Indiana is hopped up to play in a bowl game which they have not done since 2007. Talented QB Tre Roberson for Indiana will be trying to sling the ball all over the place. Although the teams are not ‘sexy’ the game turns out to be one of the better ones of the bowl season. The team’s trade offensive and defensive blows, Iowa State forces a fumble in the 4th quarter with 3 and a half minutes to go. The Cyclones are able pound the ball on the ground with an offensive line that punishes the Indiana defense. With 23 seconds to go in the game, Iowa State lines up for a 39 yard field goal from Senior kicker Edwin Arceo. The kick is up and it is good! Indiana does nothing with their possession and Iowa State ends up at 8-5 on the year and Paul Rhoads gets his bowl record to 2-2. The final score is Iowa State 27 Indiana 24.

2014 has the chance to be a special season in Ames. By special I think 8-9 wins are a possibility. Iowa State will be returning an enormous amount of players and will still be considered young. Big 12 title in 2015? We will see…