We enter the final week of the contest, with a handful of college bowl games remaining. Here are the current standings through the end of the NFL season and the New Year's Day bowl games. Post your picks here for the final week of college games. NFL Playoff games do not count in the contest. The winner will be announced next week after the Ohio State-Florida game. A minimum of 50 picks is required to claim the prize.

................................Last Week....................Season............................%
Not in the Biz................0-0.............................8-3...............................73
Nas...............................6-5.............................40-25...........................62
Hawkeye Vince.............5-4............................45-32............................58
Woodridge Ryan..........12-8...........................21-17............................55
the gooch.....................3-4.............................30-25-1.........................55
Chus............................14-16-1......................114-96-6.......................54
donspiracy...................9-11...........................75-64-2.........................54
Coast...........................6-8-1..........................87-76-5.........................53
Doug............................0-0.............................8-7-2.............................53
Mitch Cumstein............5-1............................38-34.............................53
Mr. Belvidere...............4-6.............................18-17-1.........................51.
Matt Murton's Beard....0-0.............................22-21-1.........................51
Good dolphin...............12-13..........................65-64-1........................50
Bud Dude....................14-12..........................75-74-5........................50
Rocks and Blows.........0-0.............................29-30-3........................49
reents..........................11-7............................99-108-5......................48
BD................................5-0.............................8-10.............................44
sabu.............................4-12...........................38-51-2........................43
Coach Crapowski.........0-0..............................0-1...............................0


Picks Already Entered For Games Still to be played
Chus
Ohio State -7.5
LSU -8.5
Louisville -10
Lou-Wake over 52.5

The Gooch
LSU -9

Donspiracy
Wake Forest +10.5
LSU -10
Florida +7.5

Reents
Wake +10

Mr. Belvidere
Wake Forest +10.5 over Louisville
Notre Dame +9.5 over LSU
Ohio St -8 over Florida

Put a ring around Nas. It would take a perfect 8-0 over the last 4 bowl games for me to tie.

Wake +10
One thing i know for sure from the last few days is that the dogs who are in a big bowl game for the first time or are in a bowl they supposedly aren't supposed to be in will play their asses off.

Vince, By my count, 7-0 would give you 61.9%. Nas is at 61.54%.

If you want to crown him, then CROWN HIS ASS !

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I'm not ready to crown him yet, myself. Vince is a Hawkeye. Hawkeyes are never out of it. And I'd suggest Nas not count on his Allen Brothers gift certificate until the last hook and ladder and Statue of Liberty are run. You have to give it to Nas though for playing it out. He could have sat on his lead but didn't. No four corners offense for Nas.

After some re-thinking, I am gonna rebuy my Louisville pick, and double up on:
Wake Forest +10
After Boise last night, I am not counting anyone out. Wake will definitely be ready, and 10 is too much.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Louisville -10 against Wake Forest

You know I have been on the WF bandwagon all year. I am telling you that now is the time to get off. Don't compare wake to other unfamilar dogs like Boise. Boise, while being a "small" program was heavily battle tested in bowl games. Further, they play a unique style that is tough to defense even with weeks of practice. Wake lines up and lulls you with a traditional run on 1-2 downs and pass on third...and they are not particularly good at either running or passing. A good offense would have been able to stay with Louisville, as its defense is suspect (but much better against the run than the pass). However, even for it's low rank, I like Louisville's D. They were given big leads and played soft, which contributed to their problems on paper but they are not bad.

Louisville is just reaching it's potential on O. Remember this team played without two skill position players that might have been top 10 picks in the draft for much of the season. They will score more points than any team Wake has seen in a watered down ACC. In a big year for the Big East, Louisville should have swept the conference (it's one loss was at Rutgers in a game they had wrapped up). Louisville has put up points on better Ds. I think they will score in the high 30s. I don't think there is any way Wake scores in the high 20s.

LSU -8 against ND
UNDER 56

Remember Ohio St-ND last year. Now think of a better defense with a home game in a dome situation. I think the 8 is way out of line but at the same time LSU should cover it. ND has been a soft "good" team all year. They could have lost several more games early on and its D has never been impressive.

Western Michigan +7 against Cincinnatti
UNDER 42

I have picked it up lately to run my bowl record to 16-12 here. This will be possibly the least watched bowl of the year. Two average teams playing in Toronto post new years day. This is going to be a defensive game. Both teams have top 30 defenses in the country. Neither is overly impressive at any position on the offensive side of the ball. Cincinnatti has gone from a head coach, to and interim coach to a new coach in the matter of a month. However, the new coach is familar to Western Michigan as he is a MAC coach. I think the play is the UNDER, however, at 42 there is not a wide margin for error. Given the defensive battle I like to take the points. Western has experienced leadership at QB and a 1,000 yard rusher. Further, I think the new Bearcat coach will try to run some of his own offense, but has not had sufficient time to implement it, I think they will be able to stay close and would not be suprised if they won.

Chiefs +7 at Colts

The number that has to be on everyone's mind in this game is the ranking of the Colt rushing D. Average to below average rushing Os have ripped through the Colts. So what is going to happen when possibly the best pure rusher in football right now comes into town? I cannot make a case for the Colts stopping Larry Johnson...which means 150 yards, at least one TD and equality in time of possession. Furthermore, the running game is not as affected by being on the road in a dome as a passing game. I was shocked when this one came out at 7 points as it seems like a near perfect opponent for the Chiefs. I don't think the Colts will be able to seperate themselves from the Chiefs. This one will be a difficult one for the Colts to win straight up. I LOVE the Chiefs.

Seahawks -2.5 against Cowboys
OVER 47

There are a lot of reasons to like the over on this game. Seattle has not been playing particularly well and a home vulnerability has been displayed lately. Further they are down up to 4 CB in this game versus a Dallas passing offense that includes current or former pro bowlers at 2 WR, TE and QB positions. The Cowboys D has not been the same since the loss of Ware. It does not stop the run, nor does it pressure the QB very well, which has made strenght in the DB a liability. That is not a good thing when you are facing Jackson, Branch, Burleson and star on the rise Baskett.

As far as the Hawks in this game, I just do not think the Cowboys will have the ability to go on the road and beat a team in the playoffs. Each team has been playing poorly. Also Seattle has done the unthinkable and lost 2 in a row at home agianst bad teams. But the playoffs are a different story.

Southern Miss -6 against Ohio

Ohio is a one dimensional run offense playing against a superior Golden Eagle D. Southern Miss will eat them alive.

Giants +7 against the Eagles

A few weeks ago the Eagles were -7 in NY. I loved the Eagles with that many points. I love the Giants for the same reason. There is no way there has been a 14 point swing in this rivalry in a few weeks. I think people are jumping on the hot eagles and forgetting the kind of talent the Giants have on O. But for some very stupid personal fouls, the Giants could have beaten the Eagles. I would not be shocked if the G men came out of this one with an upset.

Ohio State +7.5 against Florida
UNDER 46.5

I have changed my view on these picks.

The last picks of the season in college. I should be above 50% but not at that magical 55% needed to be a moneymaker.

I cannot think of a championship game I am less interested in. The teams are not terribly compelling and the NCAA stole the sould from its own championship by making it a week after new years. I am not a huge fan of the Florida offense as I find it very streaky. I also find the OSU defense to be terribly overrated. In fact, I do not love any side in this game, which leads me to the under.

Say what you will about Big Ten success, they showed well against the vaunted SEC in bowls this year. Both PSU and WI upset favored SEC teams on new years day. I was thinking more about Chris Leak and Florida's O and they always seem to underwhelm. I see OSU getting up early and making Leak throw a lot...with bad results.

OSU 28 Florida 17.

greek

Wake +10 over Louisville

I think this line is wrong. I guess the Louisville offense is the reason its 10. Wake has played good ball all year and I have a feeling they play with Louisville all nite.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons +10.5

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are pretty much new to this stuff. I don't think many players on this team were there for the 2002 Seattle Bowl where Wake Forest demolished Oregon as +7 point underdogs when nobody thought they had a chance. Head Coach Jim Grobe is one of the most underrated coaches in the NCAA right now and understimating these kinds of coaches has proven to be a huge mistake all Bowl Season. Don't argue with me guys...you, me and the oddsmakers have all been guilty of understimating the Deacons at some point this season. How about against Florida State when they were a +10 and won 30-0 in Tallahassee? Or how about the 38-24 win over Maryland in College Park in a must win situation as a +1.5 underdog? Or how about the 9-6 win over Georgia Tech to win the ACC Championship as +2 underdogs. Get my drift? Every single time anyone has said that Wake Forest can't possibly do it, they have done it and I don't see any reason why it would stop now. I know the Deacons don't have much offense to go along with their great defense but in games like this, good defense brings good offense and we saw that with Florida State and we saw that with Auburn (although ineffective most of the game, they won). Wake Forest is averaging only 22.2 points per game this season but they have done it by averaging 301.2 total yards and 5.1 yards per game. Louisville's defense has been decent all season but they have allowed 16.6 points per game on 315.3 total yards and 5.2 yards per play. On the ground, the key to time of possession is running the ball. RB's Kenneth Moore, Kevin Harris and De'Angelo Bryant are all going to get the ball in this game and together they average 4.5 yards per carry. The Cardinals are allowing 104.3 rushing yards per game on 3.6 yards per carry this season. Hopefully Jim Grobe sticks to the run because Cincinnati rushed 52 times against the Cardinals and kept the game within 7 points. In the air, QB Riley Skinner was actually recruited by Louisville at one point. He is completing 66.1% of his passes for 7.8 yards per pass attempt, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Louisville's defense is allowing 49.1.0% of passes to be completed against them for 6.6 yards per pass attempt. The key for Wake Forest will be to run well enough to slow down Louisville's pass rush. As I mentioned before, Wake Forest loves to run the ball and teams that run effectively and for small yardage at a time, have a great chance of frustrating and beating the Cardinals. The only reason West Virginia couldn't do it is because the Mountaineers run a lot but their runs are for 80 yard touchdowns giving the ball right back to Louisville who can in return, go for another score. That won't happen here.


The Louisville Cardinals are in my opinion, the third best team in the Country after Ohio State and USC but that doesn't mean they'll be motivated to beat Wake Forest. It's silly to say a team doesn't care about playing in the Orange Bowl but to draw Wake Forest must have Louisville players wondering if this is really the BCS or if this is a fluke incident where a team like this made the BCS. I suggest the Cardinals players talk to the Clemson players. Clemson was perfect on the year when they ran into Wake Forest at home back on October 7. The Tigers clearly understimated Wake Forest as the Deacons led the game 17-3 heading into the 4th quarter before completely falling apart and losing by 10 points to screw their perfect season. Regardless, big name programs like Louisville just can't help understimating a team that had not won more than four games the last 2-3 years. It's just a psychological thing. A lot of people are talking about Bobby Petrino and this being an audition for him to coach elsewhere but why would he want to? Petrino was a -10 favorite in the 2004 Liberty Bowl against Boise State and almost lost. The Cardinals are averaging a whopping 38.9 points per game this season on 476.8 total yards of offense and 7.2 yards per play. Wake Forest is allowing only 14.7 points per game on 312.2 total yards per game and 4.8 yards per play this season. On the ground, RBs Kolby Smith and George Stripling have to have a good game for the Cardinals to have a chance of covering the 10 points. That won't be easy though because Wake Forest is allowing only 104.3 rushing yards per game on only 3.1 yards per carry. That will force Louisville to throw the ball. QB Brian Brohm is a stud that will one day play on Sundays but he missed part of the season with an injury and more time off could have him a little bit off. Brohm is completing 62.7% of his passes this year for 9.8 yards per pass attempt, 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Another key for Wake Forest will be to make sure they don't lose track of WR Mario Urrutia who is 6'6. CB Riley Swanson and Safety Josh Gattis have combined for 9 interceptions this year and the only one who can stop Urrutia is Gattis with his size. Both guys have to play him tough while Alphonso Smith and Patrick Ghee (6 combined interceptions) play tough on Harry Douglas. The Wake Forest safeties are both big time hitters (210+ pounds each) and like I said, they need to be physical all night with Urrutia and Douglas the way they were rough with Calvin Johnson in the ACC Title Game. As long as Wake Forest can limit the running game, control the clock and on occasion shutdown Urrutia and Douglas, they will have a good shot at winning this game straight up. The Deacons have 22 interceptions and 23 forced fumbles. It's time show the world what this D is all about.


The line for this game is right on the money in terms of getting action on Louisville. Had they thrown on the hook of 10.5, Wake Forest would be getting too much action. This reminds me of the solid -7 line on Oklahoma last night. Had it been up at 7.5, almost everyone would have been on Boise State. I'm not saying this is a huge sucker bet because I do see quite a few people on Wake Forest but taking Louisville just because Wake Forest has not seen an offense like this all season, would be just ridiculous. My reasoning? Louisville played a lot of solid teams this year but the one that resembles Wake Forest the most was Cincinnati. The Cardinals only beat Cincinnati 23-17. Cincinnati is #38 in total yards allowes, Wake Forest is #46. Cincinnati is #78 in passing yards allowed, Wake Forest is #98. Cincinnati is #33 in rushing yards allowed, Wake Forest is #27 in rush yards allowed. Cincinnati is #36 in points allowed, Wake Forest is #13 in points allowed. They key to keeping the game close for Cincinnati was holding Louisville to only 105 rushing yards and winning the time of possession battle 36:43 to 23:17, not allowing the Cardinals to pull away. Cincinnati rushed 52 times in that game and Wake could do the same. Jim Grobe and the Deacons know all about time of possession (3rd in the ACC) and I think they can keep this game close.


Trend of the Game: Wake Forest is 8-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog.

Wake Forest +10 The ACC has played pretty well throughout the bowl season and I think that Wake will keep this one close and win the game to close this magical season. Wake was an underdog all year and they have proven people wrong.

Wake Forest vs. Louisville over 53- Both teams can put up points and the louisville defense will let Wake score and the Louisville offense is very explosive.

LSU vs. Notre Dame over 56- ND's defense is terrible and LSU should score big time while ND's offense can also score points in the 4th quarter when the game is basically over.

_________________
"Do work, son" -Big Black

Louisville -10: This team got its wake up call one Thursday in New Jersey. Since then they have crushed foes. Petrino will have them focused.

Orange Bowl OVER 52.5: I just don't see a shootout here. Louisville will win, cover, but this number is tough since I don't see Wake putting up more than 21-24 in this game.

Well I need all plays possible here.

Louisville -10 - I've seen Wake Forest play and quite honestly Ihaven't been all that impressed. I think Brohm and company light them up for 30 plus tonight.

Orange Bowl under 52.5 - While I like Louisville to light it up, I can't say the same for Wake.

Hawkeye, you reasoning for your pick makes it sound like you wanted the under...you got the pick you want?

Damn is there anyway I can get enough plays? Any other ways I can bet on this? I'm gonig to be two plays short the way I see it.

Yeah, I was torn but need the picks - I am thinking 34-21

UNDER 54 - WF needs to control the clock tonight if they're going to hang around, and cash in on those opportunites, gotta keep the Cardinals off the field.

Congrats Nas - as long as this WF game goes under I think you are golden for the win.

Notre Dame +8 vs LSU- I know this is basically a home game for LSU, but the Notre Dame fans will travel and they have all the talk against them, so I look for a sprited effort from the Irish.

Sugar:
LSU -8
Over 56

Int'l Bowl
Cinci -7
Under 42

GMAC
Ohio +6
Under 42

NC
OSU -7
Over 46

Don't look now, but I sit at 57.5%. Is there anyway to get more than two plays off of one game? Coast help me out here.

You can beat team totals. The total in the Sugar Bowl is 56.
You can bet LSU total points over/under 32.5
You can bet ND total points over/under 23.5

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Chus, thank you. Where do I find one team totals? I didn't see it on the greek.

At pinnaclesports.com, there is an NCAA team totals category.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Ryan...Team totals are acceptable bets. They are widely available and a few guys have bet them occasionally. Go to thegreek.com For each game, there is a team total points that you can bet over or under. For example, on tonight's game, right now the over/under for Notre dame points is 23 and the over/under for LSU points is 31.

Teasers are also acceptable bets. You can add 7 points to the line of two teams or game totals (not team totals). Both sides of the teaser must win with the extra points to win your bet.

6 pt teaser:
LSU -2.5/over 49.5
I really like LSU to dominate this game. I don't think the Irish will be able to stop LSU at all, and ND should get enough late points to hit 50.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Hate to copy of you chus, but I saw this as well and I couldn't pass it up.

6 POINT TEASER:
LSU -2.5/over 49.5
Notre Dame might score a few touchdowns, but they are going to be giving up a hell of a lot of points. I also lke LSU to win big.
Final
LSU 38
Notre Dame 27

LSU vs. Notre Dame over 55-1/2
I think LSU will get into the 40's like Michigan and USC did. Late meaningless scores by the Catholics push it over.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

The game has now moved to -9. I would like to know if there is a movement that would make any of you back away from LSU.

LSU Tigers -8.5 (50 Units)


The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come into the Sugar Bowl tonight looking for a Bowl win. That's it, that's all, just a Bowl win. I am kinda starting to think that Notre Dame should just go for a 7-5 season next year so that maybe they can get invited to a smaller Bowl and not to a BCS Bowl where they have to exposed for the frauds that they are. I don't care what anyone says guys, the public perception of Charlie Weiss and the Fighting Irish is the only reason anybody would be betting on them in this game. As crazy as this sounds, Notre Dame played against only three decent Bowl bound teams and one of those games was a blowout loss to Michigan, the other a three point home win over UCLA and the last a blowout loss to USC. In those games, Notre Dame was 0-3 ATS. The Irish head into hostile environments for this game but how will this affect a bunch of guys who are apparently very well coached? The only way Notre Dame has a shot at winning this game is if they can continuously find a way to hit the short pass in motion and use their speed to beat LSU linebackers to the outside. The Irish don't have much defense to get them the ball back when needed so their only chance in this game is to shoot things out with the Tigers. Notre Dame comes into this game averaging 32.4 points per game and they have done that by averaging 398.0 total yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. LSU's defense is as stout and athletic as it gets as they are allowing 12.5 points per game this season and have done that by allowing only 238.8 total yards of offense per game and 4.1 yards per play. On the ground, RB Darius Walker is coming off a 1139 rushing yard season but he is the only RB on the team with more than 150 yards rushing making this team one dimensional in their running attack. That almost never works against LSU because the Tigers allow only 93.3 rushing yards per game on 3.0 yards per carry this season. In the air, QB Brady Quinn is most definitely going to be a TOP 5 pick in the NFL Draft in a few months but will he be #1? Quinn has completed 63.4% of his passes this season for 7.6 yards per pass attempt, 35 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. The key for LSU's defense is to be all over WR's Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight. Strong Safety Craig Steltz is the tallest and biggest guy in this secondary and he is the guy who will make Samardzija pay for it everytime he catches the ball stopping him from getting away from tackles. LSU has allowed opponents to complete only 47.7% of their passes this year for 5.3 yards per pass attempt. Brady is very quick with his release and he doesn't throw too many interceptions but he has been sacked 30 times this year which can't be good considering LSU has 38 sacks of their own on the year. LSU has also forced 22 fumbles this season while the Irish have fumbled 13 times. I have no doubt LSU is going to send pressure at Quinn all night long but the key will be to tackle both Samardzija and McKnight the second they catch the ball, stopping them short of using their breakaway abilities. In the end, LSU's defense wins this game with a few huge stops.


The LSU Tigers have been one of the best teams in the Country all season long but because they lost to Auburn and Florida early in the season, they have kinda fallen under the SEC radar of Florida and Arkansas. Well the Tigers are much better than either one of those teams and they are just another team I can say would give Ohio State a much better fight in the Title game than Florida every will. I am not a big fan of betting on Les Miles as a coach because he has made several very marginal calls in games this season but I do like the fact that LSU was a seven point underdog in last year's Peach Bowl and they came out of that with a 40-3 win over Miami. Miles is now 2-2 as a head coach in college Bowl Games and all I am asking from him in this game is to make sure his players are calm before the game because if they come out with too much excitement in front of all their fans, they are going to make mistakes early. Make no mistake about it though...LSU is the best defense Notre Dame has seen all year and no matter how good Charlie Weiss may be with his in-game play calling, if LSU stick to their LSU football, they'll have no problems beating Notre Dame. The Tigers come into this game on a five game win streak and left pondering what could have been had they not lost to Florida back in October. LSU is averaging 33.1 points per game this season and they have done it by averaging 404.2 total yards of offense per game and 6.5 yards per play. Not only is that a much more effective offense than Notre Dame's but it has a much better defense to go along with it. Notre Dame is allowing 22.4 points per game this season on 320.5 total yards of offense and 5.2 yards per play and that was against some vanilla schmanilla offenses. There has been all this talk lately on betting forums about LSU's shitty run game and how they won't do anything on the ground. Well they have 3 RB's who average more than 4.5 yards per carry per game. Jacob Hester, Keiland Williams and Charles Scott are all good Running Backs who can get you first downs. They Tigers also have 7 players who had a rush of 25 yards or more this year. So 159.2 rushing yards per game on 4.5 yards per carry for this offense is not pedestrian and they should have a good time running on Notre Dame's defense setting up the pass game. QB Jamarcus Russell is completing 68.5% of his passes for 9.1 yards per pass attempt, 26 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Notre Dame's defense is allowing only 54.4% of passes to be completed against them but for 7.6 yards per pass attempt meaning Russell will be able to go deep on several occasions. Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis, Early Doucet, Richard Dickson and Brandon Lafell have all caught passes of 40+ yards and Notre Dame's defense is going to get torched all night. Russell doesn't make enough mistakes for Notre Dame to keep up in this game and I think both QB's are going to be great NFL players one day. LSU has too much fire power on offense and their defense is too good for Notre Dame. It's going to be lights out by the 4th quarter.


The hype for Notre Dame is incredible from a betting stand point of view. I would not be surprised if Notre Dame was the team that got the most money bet on them this year. As a matter of fact, if you go to Wagerline and check their 'PUBLIC MONEY' section you will notice that the #1 team was Notre Dame with over $10,856,000 of fake money bet on them. That would certainly explain why more than 54% of the public has decided to back one of their all-time favorite teams in College Football betting. As good of coach as Charlie Weiss may be, he got blown out in last year's Fiesta Bowl and Notre Dame has not won a Bowl game in 12 years. So you Irish backers think this is the year? I don't care about the disciplinary action taken against the LSU players because the depth chart of talent on this team is so deep that it won't make a big difference. People are going to argue that LSU's running game is pedestrian and that will be their downfall in this game but did you all know that the Tigers have 7 players who had a rush of 25+ yards this season and that 3 of their RB's average more than 4.5 yards per carry? Notre Dame relies too heavily on hitting the long bomb but LSU's defense doesn't allow big passing plays. LSU relies heavily on hitting the long bomb too but the difference here is that Notre Dame allows 7.6 yards per pass attempt (long bombs). Recapping...LSU has 7 players with rushes of 25+ yards on the year (ND has three) and 5 Receivers with catches of 40+ yards on the season (ND has three). All you need to know.


Trend of the Game: LSU is 7-0 ATS in their last seven non-conference games.

greek

Under 56.5 ND/LSU

I just dont see a shootout even with Weis being offensive minded. Something in the 27-20 range is what Im lookin for.