Betting has been around for eons. Gambling has ranged from simple casting of the lots in ancient time, to wagers of the gods, to modern-times where you find yourself pulling the damn one-armed bandit in hopes that Lady Luck will find you.
Ah Lady Luck, she can seduce and rob you, she can be a cruel b**** and yet, certain times, she can give you great fortune...exactly once. Sports betting is different though; Lady Luck is not the only factor. There's the Oddsmaker, who chooses to calculate every formula to make a decision tough and there's the Bystander who knows the emotion and the potential ability of each team playing. When making your bets, you can only choose to trust one of these mythical personas, for trusting all of them creates conflicts within yourself. I can honestly say for me, it's situational...
Last Week: 2-6
Overall: 9-9
Lines after the Jump:
Editor's note: all spreads are coming from Odds Shark . Please also note that the the favored team will have the spread points. All times are in Pacific Standard Time.
9/14/12, 6:00 PM - Washington State (opening -11) at UNLV, O/U-54 -- Oh lord, welcome to this week's "Who The Hell Has Less Team Personality Disorder" matchup. The Cougars got whooped on by BYU before squeaking out a win against EWU, while UNLV looked surprisingly good against Minnesota, losing in triple overtime before crapping the bed agianst NAU. Coug Center summed it up best when they said that Jeff Tuel's knee was the most important "person" of the week. I firmly believe if UNLV plays to their full potential, they can beat a Tuel-less Wazoo.
College football Week 3 picks
My Pick- sigh...UNLV to cover, maybe win - This is my stupid upset pick. There's no going around it, I'm 0-2 on stupid upset picks, but that's why they're called STUPID UPSET PICKS. All I need is one and I'll look like a genius, just like how Bobby Hauck will look like a genius if he actually pulls the upset against the Dread Pirate Leach. Bet a penny, at maximum.
9/15/12, 1:00 PM - Miami (OH) at Boise State (-19), O/U-54 -- The question is can Boise State score? I'll give you a hint, the easy answer is yes. Southwick settled in at the end of the MSU game, and though there wasn't an offensive touchdown scored, the Redhawks defense is not SPARTYFENSE (term courtesy of EDSBS). The line is now up to 21 points, but the game is still in Boise.
My Pick-Boise State covers easily - This match will be a sizzling romantic game, where the bandwaggoners will fall in love again with the Broncos. This game will be affectionately called "How BSU got their Offense Back." Bet a 12-pack of Coors Light, because I don't think the beer comes in any smaller of a package. If you lose, it's Coors Light...
9/15/12, 3:00 PM - Cal Poly at Wyoming, bets are off -- Wyoming is most likely missing Brett Smith. This is all you need to know.
My Pick-Wyoming - Wyoming wins this, but don't be surprised if Cal Poly tries to keep the Big Sky win record going. Do you really want to bet this game? Fine: bet insta-coffee because you're getting greedy, so the quality of prize drops.
9/15/12, 4:00 PM - New Mexico at Texas Tech (-32), O/U-63.5-- I hate you New Mexico. You played with my heart. You dominated Southern, and kept it close for a half against Texas. But then you had to go and do a very New Mexico thing, by getting utterly destroyed the second half against the Longhorns. I don't know if I can ever trust you to beat a spread, ever.
My Pick-Texas Tech covers - Tommy Tuberville continues to attempt to eradicate the humiliating win of the 3-2 game by dismantling New Mexico's offense. Gautsche will continue to mature as a future quarterback, but not quick enough. Do you have some scratch paper lying around, because you might want to bet that.
9/15/12, 4:05 PM - Northwestern State at Nevada, bets are off -- NEVADA, HOW DID YOU EFF UP THAT WIN LAST WEEK? I SAW USF PLAY TONIGHT, THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. B.J. DANIELS IS OVERRATED AS A QUARTERBACK. WHAT DID YOUR DEFENSE POSSIBLY DO TO GIVE UP TWO 50+ YARD TOUCHDOWN PLAYS? Time to hashtag: #firewhoeverthehellNevada'sDCis
My Pick-Nevada - #firewhoeverthehellNevada'sDCis. That is all.
9/15/12, 5:00 PM - Colorado at Fresno State (-14), O/U-55 -- Do you see what you've done, Colorado? You now have the spread against you, by two touchdowns. TO FRESNO. STATE. If you win this game, you will not get Kudos, you will only get the response of "you shoud've done that to CSU and Sac St." I don't care how much Colorado will fight, Fresno State will be out for blood. Did I mention this game is in Fresno? Inter-murals are over Buffs, Robbie Rouse will introduce you to real football.
My Pick- Fresno to cover- The better bet is which quarter will Rouse break the FSU all-time rushing yards record? I'm saying the second quarter. Bet a Digiorno's Pizza, because it kinda sounds like DeRuyter (not really).
9/15/12, 5:00 PM - North Dakota at San Diego State, bets are off -- After last weeks dominance over Army, I expect nothing less than a 50-point victory over the Fighting Sioux (or is it something else now).
My Pick-San Diego State- During the game, UND will be annexed to Canada, where the team name will be changed promptly to the Fighting Saskatchewans. The people of Saskatoon will be offended and protest that the team be called the Skating Saskatoonians. The NCAA obliges because it's the most ridiculously sounding nickname EVER.
9/15/12, 5:00 PM - Colorado State at San Jose State (-12.5), O/U-49-- When was the last time the Spartans were favored 12-plus points in anything? The future meets the present in this battle of soon-to-be Mountain West Foes. Expect some weird trophy out of this possible rivalry, like The Research State University Golden Calculator.
My Pick- San Jose State- I'm keeping with the favorites here. I've actually seen both of these teams play this season, and one definitely looks much better than the other. Bet a chocolate calculator for sweet delicious competition.
9/15/12, 8:59 PM - Lamar at Hawaii, bets are off -- There's not much to say about this game. Expect a big Hawaii win.
My Pick - Hawaii - The more interesting bet will be how many times I can say naturally humuhumunukunukuapua'ua on our next Google Plus hangout. I'm placing the O/U on one.
Are there picks you disagree on? Do you think I should bet more? Give suggestions in the comments below!