The Four To Score: Week Four

A Tale of Two Bloggers 

"This is how I kick some Richt……"

We're roughly a fifth of the way through the season, and already the cream is rising to the top. Last week proved to be very rough for Chad West, CPA, as he dug himself a hole that he may not be able to get out of. Granted, that's what he deserves for taking Mark Richt against our beloved Steve Spurrier. Once again, the Head Ball Coach proved he completely owns Richt's poor soul, and has buried it somewhere so deep in SEC land that Captain Jack Sparrow wouldn't be able to find it. Thankfully there  is another blogger on this site, who has able to carry Chad's dead weight up a hill in two feet of snow. Hackenberg and Co. could have made it a 5-0 week for the site's blogger above .500, but something tells me he'll settle for a 4-0-1 mark any day of the week. Beyond the triumphs and tragedies of last week, we can't tell you how excited we are that Week Four has finally arrived. Conference races are set to begin, bringing smaller lines and better matchups into play. That also means SEC teams will begin playing each other on a weekly basis, meaning Paul Finebaum's callers will only get more animated and make his show can't-miss radio/television. Before Chad kicks the stool out from beneath his feet, lets get into this week's picks. 

First Down: Florida +14.5 @ Alabama, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

"I'm telling you Nick, college football NEEDS us."

Florida can't hide from its record ATS in recent years…It's been horrible. Since Muschamp arrived in Gainesville, the Gators are a very underwhelming 15-22-1 against the number. That being said, I think there's a lot to like about Florida in this spot. Many will look at least week's game and see it as an embarrassing close win over Kentucky, but I think the Wildcats are a lot better than people give them credit for, and surviving that close of a battle should help a team who struggled to win games last season. Matchup wise, you have to like this Florida defense that returns 7 starters against Alabama's duo of unproven QBs. Coker and Sims have yet to play a real defense, and you can bank on Muschamp getting his defensive unit in the best positions possible. Muschamp probably won't be able to pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa, but this game should be a low-scoring, ugly affair leading to a Florida cover. Give me Coach Boom, two touchdowns, and the hook.

Nebraska - 7.5 vs. Miami, 8:00 PM EST (Chad)
From any point from the mid 80's to when these teams met for the 2001 National Championship, the public would be drooling over this matchup. Boy, awful coaches sure can wreck a program (Hi Bill Callahan! And you too, Al Golden). Nebraska looked BAD against McNeese State a few weeks ago, and if not for some late game heroics from Ameer Abdullah they would've suffered a humiliating loss. But, they survived to beat the doors off of Fresno State last week, the same Fresno State team USC beat less soundly to somehow become a playoff front runner (Bahahaha). Arkansas State ran the ball on Miami last week, after Louisville did the same in Week 1. Bo Pelini won't over think this one. He'll let Miami true freshman QB Brad Kaaya make mistakes, and absolutely pound Ameer Abdullah and Imani Cross all day. Only an awful choke job by Nebraska could screw this one up. No way that happens with this man at the helm, right?

Pictured provided without commentary.

Second Down: Mississippi State +9.5 @ LSU, 7:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Dak The Destroyer

As tough as it is to play a night game in Death Valley, I'm not sold on the LSU Tigers this year. They struggled mightily against Wisconsin, as the Badgers were able to pound the rock against the Tigers (39 attempts for 268 yards, 6.9 ypc). Much like Alabama, I'm also not sold on LSU at the QB position, as Anthony Jennings has been unimpressive (9-21 against Wisconsin, only a 52% completion rate on the season). Conversely, I'm a big fan of Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott, and think that Dan Mullen's offense should be able to put up some points against the Tigers. The Bulldogs defense did look shaky against UAB, but if they can get some stops here and there, Mullen will have a shot at a signature upset win. Expect the Bulldogs to stack the box and force Jennings to beat them with his arm, which should lead to a very close game. (Wait as long as you can if you're playing this game, and hopefully some +10's will show up on the board).

Ask Texas about facing Taysom--the bionic knee'd Alpha Mormon.

BYU -14 vs. Virginia, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

Despite what the scoreboard said two weeks ago, UVA's win against Richmond left something to be desired. The Spiders gained nearly 100 more yards than the Cavaliers, and if not for 3 costly Richmond turnovers it would have been a very different game (obviously). All told, Virginia has been abysmal on offense all season, barely eclipsing 300 yards a game. BYU got into a dog fight with a pretty bad Houston squad last Friday, but pulled off a win thanks to a 16 point first quarter lead and Taysom Hill's ability to move the chains. Honestly, the Cougars got bored and a last second Houston Hail Mary to end the half made for a deceivingly close margin at half time. BYU's defense has been stout all year. Though the Cougars haven't played anything that resembles a competent offense, the hapless Cavialers are more akin to UConn than they are Oregon, and won't be able to move the ball in any meaningful way. UVA settles for a couple field goals and maybe a score, while BYU and Mormon Tebow move the chains all day in a comfortable win.

Third Down: Oklahoma -7.5 @ West Virginia, 7:30 PM EST (Garrett)

I loved watching the Mountaineers get a cover (and outright win) for me last week, and it seems everyone in the country is in love with Holgo's boys now too. The line for this one opened up around -12.5, but has plummeted over the week down to Oklahoma -7.5. While West Virginia is much better than we expected them to be at the beginning of the season, I just can't see this game being decided by less than double digits. Clint Trickett has looked impressive, and crazy things can happen in Morgantown, but it appears that Good Old Bobby Stoops has his early 2000's swagger back. The Sooners defense has been as good as advertised, and Trevor Knight looked like he was playing Alabama all over again last weekend (20-33, 308 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT). You also can't overlook how WVU performed against Bama's rushing attack (288 yds), as the Sooners bring a damn good running game to the table. Oklahoma experienced a scare in Morgantown two years ago, eliminating the chance of Bobby's crew overlooking this game on the schedule. Though I will be praying for this to get down to a flat -7, the Sooners should win comfortably, as the defense finds a way to slow down Holgo Magic. (There's no slowing down Switzer drinking Sooner Magic, though.)

Here at Rushing the Field, we are completely shocked Iowa sucks...

Pitt -6 vs. Iowa 11:00 PM EST (Chad)
The public perception of these teams couldn't get further apart. Iowa is a part of the floundering B1G, and has had a massive part of the whole country souring on the conference.  Unconvincing victories against Northern Iowa and Ball State were followed up by a loss to in-state rival Iowa State. The perception is right--Iowa sucks, and Kirk Ferentz has been stealing money for the better part of a decade. Pitt is only two weeks off of beating Boston College, who downed the mighty Men of Troy last week. Pitt is running the ball at will and if James Conner stays healthy he'll probably lead the ACC in rushing. As I noted a few weeks ago, the Panthers are becoming a team that matches the personality of their coach, famed ground and pound guru Paul Chryst. Pitt continues their march towards eventually becoming overrated and covers.

Fourth Down: New Mexico -3 @ New Mexico State, 8:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Ah yes, the Rio Grande Rivalry. Much like green chile and methamphetamine, this rivalry is held dearly in the hearts of New Mexicans. The games are often closely contested, with animosity abound throughout the stadiums, as members of the state cheer on their respective storied programs. Sadly, I'm speaking about the basketball version of this rivalry. Yes, it's football season, which means we have to endure another one of these meaningless affairs, as the two programs of New Mexico wander aimlessly through the land of college football's favelas. Yes, my friends….Games like these are the reason point spreads were invented. For some reason, the Lobos of Walter White-ville are only favored by a field goal. If you remember earlier this season, UNM was favored by 8 against UTEP at home, meaning the Lobos would be roughly 4-5 points better than the Miners on a neutral field in Vegas' eyes. New Mexico State was a 10.5 point underdog in El Paso last week, making the Aggies about 5.5 to 7 points worse than the Miners on a neutral field. From a line-making perspective, this line doesn't make much sense to me, as the Lobos should be a minimum of a 9 point favorite on a neutral field based on the previous games involving the three border area teams (even with some adjustment from preseason ratings). New Mexico State hasn't beaten anyone noteworthy. They also couldn't stop the run against UTEP last week (Aggies gave up 334 yards), and that's just what the Lobos will do with their option attack. New Mexico gets the W and the cover in The City of Crosses this weekend.

Georgia Tech +8 @ Virginia Tech, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)
The triple option is an absolute pain in the ass to prepare for. If you don't have a bye week to prepare for this attack, you just might be in for a long day. Georgia Tech is infamously helmed by triple option virtuoso Paul Johnson, and his Yellow Jackets have lost 6 of the last 7 they've played against Virginia Tech. However, none of those loses have been by double digits, and four of those loses have been by 7 points or less. Some of the shine has come off of Frank Beamer's squad after an upset loss to East Carolina last week, and I think it's become clear the Hokies aren't exactly world beaters. Virginia Tech has been great against the run thus far, but this isn't just any running team. This is 60 runs right at you,with your defensive lineman and linebackers getting cut, trapped and countered for 4 quarters. It's no fun to defend, especially without a comfortable lead.  Virginia Tech isn't good enough to get out to a big lead, and will have to defend this cloud of dust all game. Virginia Tech probably wins, but it's not by more than a score. 

Extra Point: Florida vs. Alabama UNDER 51.5, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

If these guys could win games by scoring zero points, they would. 

As I stated earlier, this game should be UGLY. The Dark Lords of Defense shall square off, with the Apprentice looking to get a signature win over the Master. There will be hard hits, plenty of Verne Lundquist "OH MY GOODNESS" calls, and a pretty good chance of seeing Angry Muschamp on camera multiple times. Just be thankful you aren't playing in this game, as the players on Sunday will probably look something like Chad did last Sunday. This one should stay well under the total, with the first team to 20 winning the contest.

Washington State vs. Oregon OVER 75, 10:30 PM EST (Chad)

ALL the points. Okay, some real analysis, I guess. 75 is a ton of points, but these two teams are no stranger to pushing games over this point total. Over the past two seasons, Washington State has been involved in 7 games that went over 75 points (including last year's tilt with Oregon). Oregon has only played in two, partly because they speak a language foreign to Mike Leach--Defense. Oregon is gonna score plenty in this one, and while Wazzu may struggle, neither one of these teams are gonna pull of the gas.

Garrett's Record: 10-4-1 (71.4%)

Chad's Record: 5-9-1 (35.7%)

Overall Record: 15-13-1 (53.6%)