THE BODOGS ARE BARKIN: WEEK #2

As a Notre Dame fan, I know all about brutal starts. And damn, was last week a brutal start for The Bodogs...

Chuck is the only one who survived the weekend in the black. The quartet of degenerates tries to dig out of a hole and answer the bell in round two.

Week 1 Results

1. Chuck: $17…Winner of the tallest midget award this week.
2. Mattare: -$92…Two epic collapses by ND and UVA submarine a potentially good week.
3. Hinkle: -$114…Rough start for the Mouth of the South(west).
4. Mikey: -$142...The logic behind his picks was so sound...how did this happen?

Week 2 Pick Summary

Hinkle: Boise > Tol, Iowa > Pitt, Akron > Cin, OU-FSU (Over)
Mattare: Army > NW, GT > Kans, Az > Stan, OU > FSU
Chuck: Mia > OSU, Az > Stan, Navy > SC, FSU > OU
Mikey: WV > Mary, ND > MSU, Stan > Az, FSU > OU

ON TO THE PICKS!

Chuck

I won't lie to you. I'm too hungover to come up with detailed analysis. Don't I get a free pass after last week's gem? So glad I had such a huge start last week to stake this big lead.

Game #1: Miami (-2.5) over Ohio State...$33 to win $30

If there's any justice in the world of NCAA, these two schools should be known as Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the time the infractions committee gets through with them.

Game #2: Arizona (+10) over Stanford...$22 to win $20

Nick Foles. So hot right now. Nick Foles.

Game #3: Navy (+16.5) over South Carolina...$22 to win $20

A vote for America and a vote against the terrorists at the same time. Sounds like a plan to me.

Game of the Week: Florida State (+3.5) over Oklahoma...$22 to win $20

Because Corso has picked the correct headgear in week three on College Gameday 13 years in a row. Guess who he's picking today.

Mattare

Woof. Brutal week on every level. Special thanks to the 7,000 Michigan fans who stopped by this week to tell me burn in hell among other things. There were some winner comments that made me laugh out loud...though the funniest comments were the ones that inferred Denard is a good passer. You're all loooooccccoooooo.

Tryin' to get that BACON money this week.

Game #1: Army (+9.5) over Northwestern...$44 to win $40

I'm a big believer in Army's head coach Rich Ellerson. The Black Knights lost a heartbreaker last weekend at San Diego State and the general thinking seems to be that Northwestern has this game in the bag (to the point where people are speculating as to whether they should rest their starting quarterback Dan Persa). Don't sleep on Army. They may not win this game outright, but they'll keep it tight in the home opener on the Hudson.

Game #2: Georgia Tech (-14) over Kansas...$55 to win $50

The Yellow Jackets are going to absolutely shred Turner Gill's Jayhawks. Kansas gave up over five yards per carry last week against Northern Illinois. Paul Johnson's triple option attack is already clicking on all cylinders which means bad, bad things for the visiting team.

Game #3: Arizona (+10) over Stanford...$33 to win $30

Give me the home-dog points. It's just a matter of time before Stanford slips up without Jim Harbaugh.

Game of the Week: Oklahoma (-3.5) over Florida State...$33 to win $30

There's still a pretty big gap between these two teams. Florida State appears to be on its way back...but it's not there yet.

Hinkle

Well that was an interesting start to the year. I think I went less than .500 once last year and it was not until late. Alabama turned out nice. Point went flying on the board Stillwater on Thursday then trickled. Hard to spot Auburn 14 points in 2 minutes at home and then try to cover, although it was close with an opportunity at the end. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NOTRE DAME! At worst should have been 2-2, maybe 3-1 but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades so time to put the pieces of the puzzle back together and get in the black. Here we go:

Game #1: Boise State -20 @ Toldeo...$55 win $50

I know what you are thinking...shocker he is taking Boise. "Not so fast my friend"!!!! I rarely take them because I think their spreads and totals are usually outrageous and I hate betting on my own team, but I really do like them in this spot.

Toledo gave one heck of an effort last week at Ohio State, almost coming away with a monster victory but they fell short at the end. Many of their opportunites came off of Buckeye mistakes due to sloppy play. Fundamental mistakes that the Broncos will not make.

Next, Boise was put on probation this week for silly violations in tennis and giving kids a floor to sleep on and not enough money to put 5 gallons of gas in their car. BCS Busters need to pay for that! Auburn, OSU, and THE U should be given about 100 years probation for all of their crap but were not. You think the underdog will have an even bigger chip on their shoulder this week? I do.

Game #2: Iowa (-3) vs Pitt...$77 win $70

Pitt struggled for most of the game versus Maine last week and did not look great against Buffalo the week before. Iowa on the other hand has played "real" games like the one last week where they were in a battle against in state rival ISU. They have proven they can put up points and yards. Pitt is giving up almost 23 points a game to teams you cannot even name 1 player on their roster. I think both institutions will score points, but Pitt will give up much more than the Hawkeyes. Iowa 38 Pitt 24.

Game #3: Akron (+35) @ Cincy...$33 win $30

Cincy blew out Austin Peay and then got rolled at Tennessee. Akron lost at Ohio State 42-0 and then only scored 3 vs. Temple last week. At some point they have to score points (right?). Having the ability to see two weeks of game film on an opponent has to give them the benefit of exposing some sort of weakness. Something worked for UT to put up all those points. Do I think they will win? No! Do I think they will put up one heck of a fight against another in state opponnent and try to get their offense rolling? Yes. I see this one being competitive early on with Cincy pulling away late.

Game of the Week: FSU vs Oklahoma (OVER 55)...$11 win $10

Game of the Week should be a great one. Two solid teams early on. I would much rather be a "fan" than a "handicapper" for this one because to be quite honest I see this game going 1 million different ways. With that being said, let's hope for an ole fashioned shootout. FSU 67 OK 66 5 OT!

Mikey

Off to a beautiful start at 1-3 (and should've been 0-4) but it's early in the season and there's still plenty to learn about every team in D-1. Let's continue the education:

Game #1: West Virginia (+1) vs Maryland...$55 to win $50

Not even knowing West Virginia's roster this season I guarantee they have an incredibly fast running back and a mobile QB, or maybe they've switched to the West Coast offense. The Mountaineers are a rock solid program and will be looking for a marquee out of conference win before they begin play in the Big East. Maryland beat a depleted Miami team in a game that I actually watched a few weeks ago and wasn't that impressive. I think a full WVa squad can go on the road and stomp the terrapins before conference season begins.

Game #2: Notre Dame (-5.5) vs Michigan St...$33 to win $30

Yes I'm a big hypocrite for going with ND this week, but you've got to be in the land of college football. Situations change so drastically week to week that it's possible for a terrible team to go on the road and take down a giant given the right circumstances (see USC/Stanford 2007). The Irish have showed great flashes of talent this season and it's really been turnovers that have led them to an 0-2 hole. Michigan St. is a solid team but going on the road in a mini rivalry game will be an extremely tough test for Sparty. ND has got to bounce back in a big way from those 2 crushing defeats and I think they make a statement this week by protecting the football and stuffing Mich St.'s O all afternoon.

Game #3: Stanford (-10) vs Arizona...$22 to win $20

Stanford may have been the best team in the country last year (needless to say I got screwed after picking Andrew Luck to win the Heisman preseason in 2010 and it going to that fraud from Auburn) and may be again this year. I was at the game where they squashed Notre Dame into oblivion and made my wallet a little lighter for betting on the Irish. No more. I'm riding the Cardinal starting this week and into the future as they have a real chance to go undefeated and play for the national title.

Game o the week: Flo-rida St. (+3.5) vs Oklahoma...$33 to win $30

I just can't see any way that this game doesn't go down to the wire. Florida St. is an incredible defensive team and will be fired up playing at home in their biggest game in recent memory. The Sooners haven't been tested yet so they've had to be looking forward to this one for a while.Couple that with Bob Stoops being as good in big games as the Buffalo Bills and the only way this is a blowout is if OU is the one getting trounced. Either way I'll be at Oktoberfest in downtown Cincinnati and trying to find a bar around 8 PM to tune into this one, I suggest everyone else do the same.