Week 11 CFB Picks Against the Spread

Here we are in week 11, the season started off with a bang, but then I hit a small rough patch, but believe I righted the ship last week with another positive, although not stellar performance. Now time to get back into a nice grove. Let's get to it....

Texas -1 @ Missouri. It is tough, I'm an MU fan and think Pinkel is going a great job, but I just think the Tigers have gotten too much love in Vegas this year and I've routinely been on the other side; and that trend continues. I know MIZ had a 'big' win over A&M two weeks ago, but then came out and lost to Baylor. Franklin will be good, but he is now inconsistent and their D is not good enough to overcome. Texas was lacking QB play early in the year, but their young QB has separated himself from the pack and is playing MUCH better recently. Texas has always been able to run the ball, but now they are a little more balanced. Their overall talent will be too much for the Tigers, even in Columbia. 2.5 units. Loss.

VaTech -1 @ Georgia Tech. Typically I will often back the Hokies as I really like Beamer and Foster, but this is my first go with them this year. They are sneaking under the radar and I'm not convinced they are great, but they are, as always, a solid football team. The Wreck is also a good team, but I just think the Hokies are too balanced for them. Also, as with the UT game above, even though I have to side with the road team, I like the chances to bet on good teams to just win the game. 2.5 units. Win.

Boise State -15 vs. TCU. It is also always fun to take the Smurfs at home. The Broncos may still be a little down about their BCS fate, but all they can do is what they can control and that includes blasting everyone in their path. TCU is a decent team, but just has too many holes in order to keep up with the Smurfs on the blue field. Boise should dominate this game and although 15 is a lot of points, Boise will come our ready as TCU will scare them enough to keep them focused and put a whooping on the Frogs. 2 units. Loss - if you are going to be wrong.....wow.

Nebraska -3.5 @ Penn St. I feel bad for Joe Pa and more so all of the victims; but we have to take advantage of opportunities. How can the Lions really be focused on playing football this week with the circus that is going on? More so, how can the coaches prepare? I realize they are professionals and have a job to do, but these are still tough circumstances. And let's now forget, in my opinion, Penn St. has been doing it with mirrors all season long so I don't think they can win on talent alone. The Huskers, also not a powerhouse, will be ready to play and I think they have enough offense to run away from Penn St (which doesn't take much). 3 units. Loss - tough one after dominating game; oh well, gambling.....

Oregon +3.5 @ Stanford. I know everyone loves Andrew Luck, and for good reason, but he is missing some key weapons this week, Further, the Cardinal D is just not athletic enough to keep up with all of the play-makers that the Ducks have on offense. We say a similar problem in a slightly different way when Stanford couldn't stop USC - the Ducks are more explosive; especially now that they are back to full strength. I expect a shoot out as Luck does his best to keep up but his D will not help him out enough. I think Oregon wins outright on the road (but I'll take my FG plus) - remember, they were very highly touted this year and then fell off the radar after losing to LSU, but we now know how good LSU is. 4.5 units. Win.

Bonus pick....the OVER in the Oregon / Stanford game...both offenses are really good and both defenses are average; should equal a lot of points. I was fortunate to lock in at 65.5 though. Almost too easy, should have loaded up (but didn't - hope you did).

Besk of luck to all.
CK