Introducing the Chicago Sports Fan Message Board Football Picks contest. Got a winner? Tell us about it. The contest will run from now through the end of the NFL regular season and the college bowls. A nice prize will be given at the end of the contest (at least $100 in value). You must pick at least 50 games during the season to qualify for the prize. You don't have to make a pick every week and new people can come in and join the contest anytime. You can pick any number of games you like each week from the college or NFL card, using the lines posted here every Tuesday. Best record (% against the spread) wins. Weekly tallies will be given to show the current standings. One requirement: You must provide at least one sentence of analysis (or one sentence fragment will suffice if you are from the Jurko school of grammar) to support each pick. You must post your picks before your games kick off. You can post them all at once or in separate posts, but they must be posted in the current week's contest thread.

Good Luck. Let's all pick some winners and learn from each other's thoughts (or thought fragments).

Labor Day Weekend Lines

Thursday, August 31
Boston College -11
Central Michigan 42

Eastern Michigan 51-1/2
Ball State -5

Temple 43-1/2
Buffalo -6

Northwestern -4
Miami Ohio 56

Minnesota -15 49½
334 Kent State 49-1/2

Toledo 56-1/2
Iowa State -8½

South Carolina -6½
Mississippi State 40

Texas El Paso 50-1/2
San Diego State -1½

Florida International 46
Middle Tenn State -10

Friday, September 1
Nevada 56-1/2
Fresno State -12

Saturday, September 2

Vanderbilt 47-1/2
Michigan -25½

Northern Illinois 50-1/2
Ohio State -16½

Akron 44-1/2
Penn State -17

Idaho 58
Michigan State -29

Wisconsin -10½
Bowling Green 51

Marshall 47-1/2
West Virginia -22

Stanford 55
Oregon -12

Rutgers 45
North Carolina -5

Louisiana Tech 48
Nebraska -22

San Jose State 50-1/2
Washington -20

Hawaii 53
Alabama -16

Utah State 46
Wyoming -12½

California 43-1/2
Tennessee -1

East Carolina 51-1/2
Navy -11½

Western Michigan 52
Indiana -6½

Utah 54
UCLA -3½

Southern Mississippi 47
Florida -19½

Syracuse 42-1/2
Wake Forest -14½

SMU 53-1/2
Texas Tech -26½

Alabama Birmingham 41-1/2
Oklahoma -22

Virginia 45-1/2
Pittsburgh -4

Washington State 50-1/2
398 Auburn -14½

Notre Dame -7
Georgia Tech 50-1/2

Southern Cal -7½
Arkansas 51-1/2

Houston -14
Rice 53

BYU 50-1/2
Arizona -6½ 50½

Florida Atlantic 44-1/2
Clemson -34

Army -4
Arkansas State 44

North Texas 54-1/2
Texas -41

UL Lafayette 47-1/2
LSU -30½

Sunday, September 3

Memphis 39-1/2
Mississippi -3

TCU -6½
Baylor 48

Kentucky 60-1/2
Louisville -22

Monday, September 4

Florida State 40-1/2
Miami Florida -3½

I will play along, but won't be eligible for the prize.

My Picks:

Akron +17
Defending Mac champion has 18 returning starters with experience on both sides of the ball, facing a somewhat rebuilding Penn State team breaking in a new qb.

Nebraska -22
La Tech might be the most inexperienced defense in America. Not good when going to Lincoln and taking on a veteran O. Blackshirts D also looks like it might be one of the best in the Big 12 and should dominate a somewhat green La Tech O.

Notre Dame -7
.....i see this game getting ugly quickly. ND will be primed and ready to live up to the pre-season hype.

NIU vs OSU 50 1/2
I'll take the over here.....both teams can score, but OSU will have 35 points by the 3rd quarter..

_________________
@audioidkid

One game that looks like a gimme which means it might go the other way is
Auburn - 14.5 vs Wazzou.

Auburn is predicted to be among the contenders for the SEC, at home and facing a WSU team that is predicted to be in the basement of the Pac 10.

But Northern will be trying to play a ball control game and with Garrett Wolfe, I think they will be successfull in that attempt.

All I need is two touchdowns from NIU.
NIU can control the ball all they want, they'll be down 21-0 before they know it.

_________________
@audioidkid

I'll make 2 picks.

California +1 over Tennesee.
Tennsesee is coming off a bad season and didn't have much of an offense last season and Cal's is a top 10 defense coming into the season. Don't forget about Marshawn Lynch.

Rutgers +5 at North Carolina
I liked Rutgers offense from last season and I don't know what North Carolina has that impresses people.

Notre Dame -7 at Georgia Tech
Irish and the points hold the under 50 1/2

Florida State at U. of Miami -3 1/2
Wet conditions? Somehow 6 TD's are scored.
Canes and the over 40 1/2

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

just want to make sure I understand donspiracy....you are betting Notre Dame and you are betting the Under? You are betting Miami and you are betting the over? 4 plays in all?

Yes, I was gonna pick more games but that willl make 50 picks at the end of the college season.

4 picks x 12 weeks = 50ish picks. Play them all separate, none of that parlay or crazy stuff.

Until the week before Thanksgiving when I have to break out the seven star pick of the decade match up(s) to break even.

Notre Dame 34 Georgia Tech 13 Weis eats rambling wreck QB.

Miami 24 Florida State 17 Canes players score seven at a time.

Thanks for letting me clarify the picks. Is 30 hits and 20 misses enough to bring home the prize?

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

50 is the minimum total number for college and NFL combined; you are welcome to do more. I will guess that somebody might hit 60% in 50 picks and if you do that you will certainly be in the hunt, if not win it.

ok im game


ill take


arizona -6'

nebraska -22

West Michigan +6'

and

Alabama -16

(with apoligies to June Jones)

later

sabu


good luck to all, who will be the king of da hill

Virginia +4 at Pitt. Wanny is the coach, and isn't that all you really need to know. I made it a point to fade him early last year with much success. I'll go to that well once again. In addition I love Groh as coach of Virginia. I do not always put stock in the matchup of coaches, but I place a much higher priority on them in games in which preparation time is greater than normal. Such is the case here.

Wisconsin-10.5 v. Bowling Green. The Bowling Green D was all kinds of bad last year. They stayed in games by way of phenomenal play from their now pro QB, RB and WR. I see BGU D being just as bad this year with a huge downturn in O. On the Wisky side, new coach Bielema should have the Badgers emotionally charged for his first game. While senior QB Stocco will not be running the show, UW has always been about the run anyway. I see them grinding BGU and covering the 10 with ease.

Notre Dame -7 I take this line with ease. ND is going to be eager to get out and back up all the Hype. Weis will have Brady and the boys ready to make an impressive showing.

ND/GT
Under 50 - I take the under here I see ND scoring around 27 points but I don't see GT coming close to their end of the bargain.

North Texas +41 Texas will beat them but only by 32-25 points.

Ohio State -16 1/2 - Sorry Northern fans OSU comes out with a bang in its first game of the season. OSU wins by 20 at least and Ginn scores 3 TDs.

Coast, great idea. Good luck trying to compile the results!!!

I believe the rules are:

Hey Sabu, play by the rules or...

I'll try and put something up coast

Had Nebraska-22

Lost ND/GA over 51

And Pushed Miss

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Auburn easy winner. 40-14. Do I get a winner winner chicken dinner anywhere?

well i was a big 0-2 this week.
ND -7 (4)
OSU vs. NIU over at 50-1/2 (47)

there are no moral victories.....

_________________
@audioidkid

[quote="Matt Murton's Beard"]Notre Dame -7 Wrong

ND/GT
Under 50 - Correct

North Texas +41 Wrong

Ohio State -16 1/2 Correct


batting .500 baby

Coast I was non-existant with the board this week. Will get caught up this week. Here's to a 25-25 season

HA , You guy's missed the boat with my weekend..Let's just say ...Take a ride down to "SPAM" next Saturday .. 4 and 0 and counting ..I made one schmuck 3 dimes this weekend..

_________________
"NEED a friend...Buy a dog"..

I think this section has to be divided up week by week. Coast, or whoever is the keeper of the records, should be the first post of the week, including up to date records of players. I would not include the games of the week. Let each person take responsiblity for opening up the newspaper. After the first post, each person should log in with his picks.

By the way, 1-1 for me. Fucking Wanny.

What should be our standard source for lines? Sun-times? Lines vary from sportsbook to sportsbook, so I think this might be our best bet.

Exactly Right, Dolphin. I will post the weekly standings each week in a new weekly thread. We should have a consistent set of lines though, so we're all using the same lines. I will post a link to the source of the weekly lines, rather than posting them.