Classes taking shape for Big Ten teams

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As several Big Ten teams await late decisions from recruits, some others have finalized their 2009 recruiting classes.

Northwestern sent out a news release announcing its 18 signees for the 2009 class. Much like Iowa and some other Big Ten programs, Northwestern signed a small but solid class, featuring offensive lineman Patrick Ward and quarterback Evan Watkins, a contender to start in 2010.

Check out Northwestern's full list of signees. Here are some notes about the Wildcats' class:

• The breakdown on NU's signees, by position: linebackers (4), defensive line (3), offensive line (3), running backs (2), safeties (2), quarterback (1), superback (1), wide receiver (1) and place-kicker (1).
• Northwestern added four more student-athletes from Ohio, giving the Wildcats a total of 13 players from the Buckeye state on their current roster, which ranks second behind the 34 from Illinois.
• The Wildcats signed three more offensive linemen, after bringing in five linemen a year ago. With the loss of just one starter (Keegan Kennedy) from the 2008 offensive line, there should be tremendous competition for spots on next year's two-deep.
• One of this year's 18 signees is linebacker Damien Proby, who hails from North Las Vegas, Nev. He is the first NU football player from Nevada since defensive end Kurt Lundergreen (Zephyr Cove, Nev.) was on the NU roster from 1986-88.
• Six of the 18 signees attended one of Northwestern's summer football camps.

Minnesota's class also is all but finalized, according to the live signing day blog on gophersports.com. Here's the official list of Gophers signees, highlighted by the late commitment of cornerback Michael Carter, wide receiver Hayo Carpenter and running back Hasan Lipscomb.

Wisconsin's class also is likely complete, with the official list of signees here. 

Illinois' signing list could add another name or two, but the group as it stands right now can be found here. 

I'll keep posting updates from the schools when they send out their official lists of signees this afternoon.
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Big Ten recruiting nuggets

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As national signing day approaches, I'll try to post Big Ten-related information from Tom Luginbill, the national recruiting director for ESPN's Scouts Inc. 

Here's the latest from Luginbill on both 2009 and 2010 recruits. 

Corner Mike Wallace headed to Penn State

Name: Mike Wallace, CB
Wheaton, Md.
Good Counsel H.S.
Scouts Grade: 73
Position Rank: 84

After making an official visit to Penn State over the weekend, defensive back Mike Wallace committed to the Nittany Lions Wednesday night, NittanyNetwork.com's Bill Kurelic reports.

Wallace had scholarship offers from Penn State, New Mexico, Stanford, Army, Maine, New Hampshire and Towson University. However, after landing a scholarship offer from Penn State over the weekend it did not take Wallace long to accept.

"The recruiting process is pretty hard," Wallace said. "But I just felt comfortable at Penn State. God just told me it's the right decision."

Wallace' cousin Terry Killens played linebacker for Penn State in the 1990's.

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Offensive tackle Nolan MacMillan names finalists

Name: Nolan MacMilan, OT
Princeton, N.J.
The Hun School Of Princeton (N.J.)
Scouts Grade: 77

Nolan MacMillan will decide between Boston College, Georgia Tech, Iowa and Virginia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He said, "I wouldn't say I have a frontrunner, but things are starting to work themselves out in my mind."

The 6-foot-6 prospect is slated to make his final official visit this weekend to Boston College.

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Sooners right behind Fighting Illini for Hawthorne

Name: Terry Hawthorne, WR
East St. Louis, Ill.
East Saint Louis Sr. H.S.
Scouts Grade: 82
ESPNU150 Rank: 88
Position Rank: 10

Under Armour All-American wide receiver Terry Hawthorne spoke with ESPN affiliate Web site OUInsider.com about the latest regarding his recruitment.

He said, "(Oklahoma is) second right now behind Illinois." Hawthorne added that he's still committed to the Fighting Illini but when asked if he's an Illinois lock, the East St. Louis product responded, "I am not sure. I want to wait and see when I visit there and see how it is."

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Northwestern gains Nevada linebacker

Name: Damien Proby, OLB
Las Vegas, Nev.
Cheyenne H.S.
Scouts Grade: 73
Position Rank: 127

Damien Proby of Cheyenne (Las Vegas, Nev.) is headed to the Wildcats.

The 210-pound linebacker was also offered by Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV, Washington State, Wyoming and Utah State.

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Junior Blake Lueders already holding nine offers

Name: Blake Lueders, DE
Zionsville, Ind.
Zionsville Community H.S.

Class of 2010 ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive lineman Blake Lueders has been offered by nine programs, according to his father Dan Lueders.

Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are already after the Zionsville, Ind., prospect.

Lueders registered 128 total tackles and three sacks as a junior, earning Class 4A All-State recognition.

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Northwestern’s loss bucks trend of clutch play

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Northwestern had to like its chances with a 3-point lead entering the fourth quarter of the Valero Alamo Bowl against Missouri. And when the game went into overtime, the Wildcats’ upset hopes surged.

Winning close games has been Northwestern’s forte since the 2000 season. The Wildcats entered the Alamodome with a 17-4 record in their last 21 games decided by seven points or fewer. They also had an 8-1 mark in overtime, capturing their last five games that warranted an extra session. Senior quarterback C.J. Bacher owned an 8-3 record in games decided by eight points or fewer.

So why didn’t the Wildcats come through in Tuesday’s 30-23 overtime loss to Missouri?

Tigers stars Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman played key roles, but there are two primary reasons.

1. Special teams gaffes — It’s no coincidence that special teams played a role in Northwestern’s only other overtime loss, a 48-45 double-overtime setback against TCU in 2004. In that game, the Wildcats missed five — five! — field goal attempts, including two in overtime. The kicking game also doomed Northwestern in its most recent postseason appearance, the 2005 Sun Bowl, as the Wildcats botched two extra-point attempts and had two onside kicks returned for touchdowns against UCLA. Monday night, Northwestern gave away 11 points on special teams, including a missed extra-point attempt that would have forced Missouri to score a touchdown in the clutch. Pat Fitzgerald has the program on track, but these special-teams errors are totally inexcusable.

2. Conservative play calling – Northwestern built its record in close games through bold play calling, in part because its defense was so poor. Bacher has led game-winning drives before, particularly last season against Michigan State, Nevada and Indiana. But the Wildcats went conservative Monday after taking possession with the game tied at 23-23 and 2:49 left in regulation. Instead of attacking Missouri’s woeful secondary with a hurry-up passing game, Northwestern played not to lose and tried to force overtime. A more assertive strategy could have set up a game-winning score in the closing seconds.

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College Postseason: The Miseducation Of Lisa Horne

Lisa Horne wrote an article expressing that the dominant conferences were weaker than the Big XII Conference. Then people wanted to know what she was basing this off of. Was it because they didn’t have enough BCS NC possible teams in the show? Was it in regards to the Heisman? Or is it because there wasn’t as much controversy in those conferences as there is in the Big XII Conference?

After watching her try to defend her defense of the Big XII Conference, I wanted to let the B/R Nation decide. But I did some quick research on this season’s bowl games and found something interesting.

ACC: 10 Postseason Representatives

• Wake Forest (Eagle Bank Bowl vs. Navy)
• North Carolina (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. West Virginia)
• Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Wisconsin)
• Miami (Emerald Bowl vs. Cal)
• NC State (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Rutgers)
• Maryland (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Nevada)
• Boston College (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt)
• Georgia Tech (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. LSU)
• Clemson (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska)
• Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati)

SEC: 8 Postseason Representatives

• Vanderbilt (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Boston College)
• LSU (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Georgia Tech)
• South Carolina (Outback Bowl vs. Iowa)
• Georgia (Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State)
• Ole Miss (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech)
• Kentucky (AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina)
• Alabama (Sugar Bowl vs. Utah)
• Florida (BCS National Championship vs. Oklahoma)

Big XII: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Missouri (Valero Alamo vs. Northwestern)
• Oklahoma State (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon)
• Kansas (Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota)
• Nebraska (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Clemson)
• Texas Tech (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Ole Miss)
• Texas (Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State)
• Oklahoma (BCS National Championship vs. Florida)

Big Ten: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Wisconsin (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Florida State)
• Northwestern (Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri)
• Minnesota (Insight Bowl vs. Kansas)
• Iowa (Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina)
• Michigan State (Capitol One Bowl vs. Georgia)
• Penn State (Rose Bowl vs. USC)
• Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas)

Big East: 6 Postseason Representatives

• South Florida (St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Memphis)
• West Virginia (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. North Carolina)
• Rutgers (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. N.C. State)
• Pitt (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State)
• UConn (International Bowl vs. Buffalo)
• Cincinnati (Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech)

Pac 10: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Arizona (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. BYU)
• Cal (Emerald Bowl vs. Miami (FL))
• Oregon (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oklahoma State)
• Oregon State (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Pitt)
• USC (Rose Bowl vs. Penn State)

And this is just the main conferences. How do you think the smaller conferences did this seaason?

Mountain West: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Colorado State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State)
• BYU (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona)
• TCU (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. Boise State)
• Air Force (Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston) 
• Utah (Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama)

WAC: 5 Postseason Representatives 

• Fresno State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State) 
• Hawaii (Sheraton Hawaii Bowl vs. Notre Dame)
• Louisiana Tech (Independence Bowl vs. Northern Illinois)
• Nevada (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Maryland)
• Boise State (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. TCU)

So when you do the simple mathematics of who is in the bowl games, the Big XII is not as dominating as Lisa wants them to be. She gave so much credit to Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell (who royally got the shaft in the Heisman) but none to Mack Brown, Mike Leach or Bob Stoops. It’s always good to be the quarterback, but you can’t be a great QB without a great coach to teach you the fundamental basics.

But it was a team effort that got a majority of these teams into their respective bowl games. But to just single out one player or position as the reason of their success is downright dumb. In regards to the SEC being dominant, I’m surprised no one threw former Tennessee Quarterback Peyton Manning’s name in the mix if you’re going to do name dropping.

Regardless, the Big XII is in as much trouble this bowl season as everyone else. And even though no one has flat out said that Oklahoma will slaughter Florida or vice versa, you have to know that someone wants to start the fireworks.

It’s good that you know stats and everything, Lisa, but the facts do not support your main argument. You called the SEC weak this season, but really didn’t give a reason to their weakness. You just went on about how great the quarterbacks of the Big XII look in their uniforms. But the numbers aren’t the only thing that people look at. They look at who has proven themselves to be a leader.

In all honesty, all four quarterbacks involved in the Heisman Chase have proven themselves to be leaders. But after tonight, only one will hold up the Heisman…and Tebow would much rather have a National Championship. And we all know about the Heisman Curse.

So here’s a better poll question: Who has been the stronger conference and who has been the weaker conference this year?

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Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Champion? B/R Bowl Games Pick’em Contest

Think you have what it takes to pick ALL the winners from all 34 bowl games this season?

Here’s your chance to compete with anyone and everyone on Bleacher Report!

 

The rules are as follows:

1. One set of picks per person

2. ALL bowl games must be picked and submitted (posted in the comments section below) no later than 10:59AM, December 20th prior to kickoff of the EagleBank Bowl

3a. In the event of a tie in the standings, I will use your predictions on total combined points in the 5 BCS Bowls.

3b. When you submit your picks, you will want to post the total points you think will be scored per game…for example, if you think USC is going to beat Penn State 45-10, you would put Rose Bowl – 55 points

(If you have questions, post a note on my page.)

4. The games are broken down into five levels with each level worth from one to five points.

 

Here are the games and point values per game.

1-point games:

Independence Bowl, Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6), Dec. 28

Motor City Bowl, Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida Atlantic (6-6), Dec. 26

New Mexico Bowl, Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5), Dec. 20

St. Petersburg Bowl, Memphis (6-6) vs. USF (7-5), Dec. 20

New Orleans Bowl, Southern Miss (6-6) vs. Troy (7-5), Dec. 21

Liberty Bowl, East Carolina (9-4) vs. Kentucky (6-6), Jan. 2

Music City, Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), Dec. 31

Hawaii Bowl, Notre Dame (6-6) at Hawaii (7-6), Dec. 24

Papajohns.com Bowl, N.C. State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5), Dec. 29

2-point games:

EagleBank Bowl, Navy (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (7-5), Dec. 20

Emerald Bowl, California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5), Dec. 27

Armed Forces Bowl, Air Force (8-4) vs. Houston (7-5), Dec. 31

International Bowl, Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5), Jan. 3

Humanitarian Bowl, Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5), Dec. 30

Insight Bowl, Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5), Dec. 31

Gator Bowl, Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4), Jan. 1

3-point games:

Champs Sports Bowl, Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), Dec. 27

Alamo Bowl, Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3), Dec. 29

Outback Bowl, Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5), Jan. 1

Texas Bowl, Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3), Dec. 30

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5), Dec. 31

Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2), Dec. 20

Meineke Car Care Bowl, North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4), Dec. 27

GMAC Bowl, Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3), Jan. 6

Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (11-1), Jan. 2

Sun Bowl, Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3), Dec. 28

Capital One Bowl, Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3), Jan. 1

Holiday Bowl, Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3), Dec. 30

Poinsettia Bowl, Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2), Dec. 23

4-point BCS games

Sugar Bowl, Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0), Jan. 1

Orange Bowl, Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4), Jan. 1

Rose Bowl, Penn State (11-1) vs. USC (11-1), Jan. 1

Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1), Jan. 5

5-point BCS NC game:

BCS National Championship Game, Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1), Jan. 8

 

 

As the games are played, I’ll add the standings to the article as often as I can.

GOOD LUCK! 

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Updated Lines and Point Spreads For the 2008/ 2009 College Bowl Games 12/12/08

I get a lot of questions from readers and viewers about knowing when you are getting the best odds and point spreads, it isn’t a question that has a definitive answer.

While I address this question in my free ebook, Betting on College Football Made Simple, which I give away at The College Football Place, it seems that it’s an art that no one has mastered. In any event the lines have been out for nearly a week and while they have moved and are starting to settle in, there is no saying this is where they end up.

I’ll be sending out the picks for the free bowl picking contest within the next day and I apologize for mot getting them out sooner. Those who are already signed up for the regular season picking contest, you will automatically get the registration for the free bowl contest, for those of you who aren’t, you till have time.

In the mean time, here are the most current odds and point spreads and any movement they have had since they opened.

Saturday September 20, 2008

Navy +3 Vs. Wake Forest (was +3 1/2)

Fresno State -3 Vs. Colorado State (was -4)

Memphis +12 1/2 Vs. South Florida (was +14)

BYU +3 Vs. Arizona (no movement)

Sunday September 21, 2008

Southern Miss +4 1/2 Vs. Troy  (was +3)

Tuesday December 23, 2008

TCU – 2 1/2 Vs. Boise State (was pick)

Wednesday December 24, 2008

Notre Dame + 1 Vs. Hawaii (was + 2 1/2)

Friday December 26, 2008

Florida Atlantic +7 Vs. Central Michigan (was + 5 1/2)

Saturday December 27, 2008

West Virginia +1 Vs. North Carolina (was pick)

Wisconsin +4 1/2 Vs. Florida State (was +5 1/2)

Miami +7 Vs. Cal (was + 7 1/2)

Sunday December 28, 2008

Northern Illinois – 1 1/2 Vs. Louisiana Tech (was -3)

Monday December 29, 2008

NC State +7 Vs. Rutgers (no move)

Northwestern +13 Vs. Missouri (was 14 1/2)

Tuesday December 30, 2008

Nevada +1 1/2 Vs. Maryland (was +1)

Western Michigan +3 Vs. Rice (was +2)

Oregon +3 Vs. Oklahoma State (no movement)

Wednesday December 31, 2008

Air Force + 2 1/2 Vs. Houston (was +2)

Pittsburgh +3 Vs. Oregon State (no movement)

Boston College – 3 1/2 Vs. Vandy (was -4)

Minnesota +11 Vs. Kansas (was +8 1/2)

LSU + 5 Vs. Georgia Tech ( was +2 1/2)

Thursday January 1, 2009

Iowa is -3 1 /2 Vs. South Carolina (was -3)

See the rest of the current lines and point spreads for the 2008/2009 bowls

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Opening Lines and Point Spreads For All 2008 and 2009 Bowl Games

The lines are out for the college bowl games for this season.

While the lines on the BCS games were released almost immediately, it apparently took some time to get it together for the remaining games. I’m not going to go into my usual banter here but rather delve right into the opening lines though I expect some major fluctuation in the next few days which of course we’ll keep our eye on.

On 12/20/08, in The Eagle Bank Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Navy is + 3 1/2 Vs. Wake Forest.

Also on 12/20 is The New Mexico Bowl In Albuquerque, where Fresno State is -4 Vs. Colorado State.

The 3rd 12/20 game is The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl where Memphis is +14 Vs. South Florida.

The last game on 12/20 features BYU +3 Vs. Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium.

In The R+L Carriers Bowl on 12/21 in New Orleans, Troy is -3 Vs. Southern Mississippi.

On 12/21 in The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, Boise and TCU is a pick.

The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl is on 12/24 and Notre Dame is +1 1/2 Vs. Hawaii.

On 12/26 in The Motor City Bowl, Florida Atlantic is +5 1/2 Vs. Central Michigan.

On 12/27, in The Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, NC, West Virginia and North Carolina is a pick.

Also on 12/27, The Champs Sports Bowl has Wisconsin +5 1/2 against Florida State.

The third game on 12/27 has Cal -7 1/2 Vs. Miami(Fl) in The Emerald Bowl.

On 12/28, The Independence Bowl features Northern Illinois -3 against Louisiana Tech.

On 12/29 in The Papa Johns.com Bowl, North Carolina State is +7 against Rutgers.

Also on 12/29, The Valero Alamo Bowl has Northwestern +14 1/2 against Missouri.

On 12/30 in The Humanitarian Bowl, Nevada and Maryland is a pick.

In The Texas Bowl on 12/30, Western Michigan is +2 against Rice.

Also on 12/20, The Holiday Bowl has Oregon +3 against Oklahoma State.

On 12/31, The Armed Forces Bowl features Air Force +2 against Houston.

The second game on 12/31, The Sun Bowl, has Pittsburgh +3 against Oregon State.

See the rest of the 2008/2009 College Football opening lines and point spreads for all of the Bowl Games.

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BCS Got it Right: Oklahoma More Deserving than Texas or Texas Tech

I’m not a Texas fan or a Texas Tech fan and I don’t like Oklahoma.

I don’t like Oklahoma because they appear to get overrated in the polls each year and because I seem to remember Bob Stoops once saying, “The Big East and the Atlantic Coastal Conference should  play an elimination game for a BCS automatic bid.”

I’m hoping Oklahoma loses to Missouri this weekend and ends up playing Boise State in a bowl game.

However, I really do believe that the Sooners rightfully deserve the chance to play in the Big 12 Championship game over Texas or Texas Tech.

I know that Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 on a neutral field and I know that Texas Tech beat Texas and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech.

You can go around in circles forever about which one deserves the higher BCS ranking on the basis of these three games. That’s up to you.

Oklahoma is still the right choice!

The Sooners aren’t more deserving because they totally annihilated Texas Tech as some people suggest, but rather because they went out and beat some tough non-conference teams while Texas and Texas Tech did not.

Oklahoma beat Cincinnati, the Big East champion, and TCU, currently ranked 11th in the BCS.

Texas played and beat Arkansas, Rice, UTEP, and Florida Atlantic. Meanwhile, Texas Tech had the easiest schedule of any Divison 1A team in the country—the Red Raiders beat Umass, Eastern Washington, Nevada, and SMU.

There is a lesson here—if you want to be highly-regarded, go out and schedule some tough non-conference teams!

Alabama, No. 1 in the BCS, didn’t make an effort to play a tough non-conference schedule. I don’t consider Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky, and Arkansas State a real test. They’re No. 1 because no one else from a BCS conference is undefeated.

Florida did play some tough games out of conference. They beat Miami (FL) and Florida State. This didn’t get them ranked higher than Alabama because they have a loss, but it did help the odds makers to decide they should be a 10-point favorite over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game this weekend.

USC is another team that made an effort to play a good non-conference schedule—Virginia, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Nobody knew how bad Notre Dame was going to be, but I believe it’s the way they beat Ohio State and the great defense they play that makes USC the best team in the country.

Back to the topic: Oklahoma should be rewarded for aggressive scheduling and Texas and Texas Tech should be penalized for poor scheduling.

This makes more sense than arguing about which one of the three had better wins against each other.

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Why Shonn Greene, Not Graham Harrell, Should Be a Heisman Finalist

Before I start getting hate mail from all those Red Raider fans, yes, I know he’s had a record-breaking season and all that good stuff, and I’ve seen his stats numerous times. Harrell did complete 408 passes on 568 attempts for 4,747 yards with 41 touchdowns, though he did have more yards and touchdowns last year, by the way.

He’ll probably win team MVP. Actually, I’d give that to Michael Crabtree. (Sorry, Longhorn fans! Had to bring him up.)

You are probably wondering how someone could replace one of the heads of the three-headed monster of the Big 12: Harrell, Bradford, and McCoy. Well, that would be the only running back in Division 1 football who has rushed for 100 yards in every single game this year. (His season-low was actually 103 yards.)

He is Shonn Greene of Iowa, the team who upset previously-undefeated Penn State. He also played in a conference where they decided to play defense. I cannot say the same for the Big 12.

The Big 12 had 12 quarterbacks throw for more touchdowns than interceptions—that’s every starting quarterback in the conference. No other conference can claim such a thing, with five of the 12 quarterbacks throwing for more than 28 touchdowns. That is just too much for one conference, and it must indicate that the Big 12 recruits great quarterbacks (some are) and that their defenses simply are not very good.

In addition, nine teams in the Big 12 average over 30 points a game, including 4-8 Baylor. Catch my drift? Each team was beating each other up during those high-scoring Big 12 conference games, with Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas going 1-1 against each other.

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College Football Notes and Line Moves: Week 14

Even with the season winding down and a lot of the week 14 games already played, we still have a lot of meaningful football to be played in the next few hours, and the lines are moving.

I’ll be in the chat room for a lot of the day again and, of course, all of mine and Jordan’s free picks are still available under the picks tab. You still have time to sign up for the free newsletter which has been sent out this week.

If you sign up late and want a copy of this week’s letter, just send me an email by just hitting reply to the confirmation of the sign up.

Back to today’s games; the dogs were biting yesterday, especially with the points and I don’t think it stops there. Today, we have games that transcend the actual game on the field.

We’re talking about rivalries that run generations deep. With that being said, the lines are still moving like they are every week and we’re going to take a look at them. Because we have a smaller group of games to work with, I’ll try and add some more insight and maybe touch on a few games I didn’t pick this week.

Georgia Tech is now +7 1/2 at Georgia after opening at +9 1/2 in a game they simply call “Clean, Old Fashioned Hate.” These teams and these fan bases do not like each other.

While the Dawgs have dominated the series of late, what has shown on the final scoreboard hasn’t been a very good indication of what has transpired on the field. I took the Yellow Jackets getting more than this, but I still like them getting more than a TD, a number Georgia has had a hard time covering.

Miami is -2 at NC State after opening at -1. Which Hurricanes team and which Wolfpack teams show up? I wouldn’t even venture a guess on this one but it appears people have some faith in the Hurricanes.

South Carolina is pick at Clemson after opening at +1 1/2. Clemson is trying to salvage their season while South Carolina has a legitimate shot at a New Year’s Day Bowl; it should be a heck of a battle in the Palmetto State.

Syracuse is +21 at Cincinnati after opening at +22. It’s tough to imagine that people are thinking the Orange may play some inspired football in the Queen City today, but apparently that’s where the money is going; I’m putting mine elsewhere though.

Kansas is +16 at Missouri after opening at +13. While men talk about Mizzou as flying under the radar, they appear to have gotten a lot of people’s attention in this one. Kansas has been inconsistent, but is still putting up points. The question is can they put up enough?

Nevada is -5 at Louisiana Tech after opening at -3 1/2. This is a battle of two good teams and I think we may be seeing on residual effects of playing competitively on the Wolfpack; they may not come out strong. We will find out soon enough.

Southern Mississippi is -15 1/2 at SMU after opening at -13 1/2. I’m not sure if people are thinking the Eagles are this good or if SMU is this bad, probably a lot of both.

Florida is -17 at Florida State after opening at -15. I have gone up and down this game all week long and feature it on today’s early video. I think this is way too many points for a visitor at Doak Campbell Stadium, especially a rival.

See the rest of week 14’s college football point spread and line moves

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