The Four To Score: Week 9

We've joined Charlie Weis in Ramsay Bolton's Dungeon

I had a winning record before last week's games kicked off. Then the 0-for happened. Yup, much like Charlie Weis and Chad West, CPA, I've been relegated to the lowest of lows. It was all going so swimmingly a few weeks ago. Now I can't even make fun of Chad's picks…just kidding, I'll still mock Chad's picks religiously. To make things a bit more interesting this week, we're making our picks Twitter Style. Aided by some of the finest Texas craft brew out there, we're going to do our best to break down our selections in 140 characters or less, hashtags and all. It certainly can't be any worse than the last few weeks. Here goes nothing…

First Down: Texas +10 at Kansas State, 12:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Wizard opts for "Don't Lose Football", as is tradition. Keeps things simple. Texas shows up in all 3 phases. #SwoopesThereItIs


Memphis -23.5 at SMU 12:00 PM EST (Chad)

Can you imagine how bad SMU is gonna be in 16 years when an 80 year old Mack Brown is finally forced out? #10years60million.

Second Down: Ole Miss -3.5 at LSU, 7:15 PM EST (Garrett)

Surely a guy who looks like this can't screw up a night game in Death Valley….

Ole Miss D will stack box, force Tigers to throw. Dr. Bo, @BamaAvenger15's Heisman pick, keeps rolling. Les smells the corn dogs. #PhyllisKnows

South Carolina + 19.5 at Auburn 7:30 PM EST (Chad)

Head Ball Coach is finally done trying to make Georgia look bad and it's green aerating season. #MayAsWellCoachSomeBall.

Third Down: Wisconsin -10.5 vs. Maryland, 12:00 PM EST (Garrett)

Homecoming in Madison with Badgers coming off a bye. Terps were run over at home by Buckeyes, Gordon will do the same. #JumpAround

Michigan State -17 vs. Michigan 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

Michigan is so bad that they may be considering another run at Rich Rod… I mean Jim Harbaugh. #LesMiles4Michigan.

Fourth Down: Oklahoma State -1 vs. West Virginia, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

These were the good ol' days….

Gundy is a man, he's 40, and 29-14-1 ATS as home fav. WVU 8-14 ATS in Big 12 games. Holgo gets #DeepBall from Garman all night #NotFireball.

Oregon State +13.5  at Stanford 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

Beavers eat trees, especially trees that are overrated. #NERDS.

Extra Point: TCU vs. Texas Tech OVER 72, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Fort Worth Shootout, much like 2012 game. Tech can score, but can't stop anything. Boykin and Frogs score #AllThePoints so #GaryDoesntSweat.

Oregon State vs. Stanford OVER 43, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

Stanford decides that if you can't stop 'em every time, and they stop you enough times, you may as well score some points. #Its2014PlaySomeOffense.

Garrett's Record: 17-20-3

Chad's Record: 11-24-1

Overall Record: 28-44-4

The Four To Score: Week Eight

Lets Forget About "Bloody Saturday"

Bloody Saturday. Black Saturday, if you're into historical stock market references. Whatever you want to call it, last week was not pretty here at Rushing The Field. Chad West, CPA and I took a severe beating. Some would say our wallets caught Ebola, given the hemorrhaging that occurred. Others might say it was as bad as SMU's football team at the beginning of the season. No matter how you slice it or dice it, last week was BAD. Now, the only positive to take from this is that the only place to go from here is up. We're like Washington, before Sarkisian arrived. If we fall any further, we'll be in Dante's Ninth Level of Hell, being forced to watch every play of every noon kickoff game in the Big Ten. No one wants to go there. I'm pretty sure Big Ten fans don't even want to go there. We do want to head back to the glorious Winner's Circle, and hopefully these picks do just that.

Oh, and if you know where Chad West, CPA, is, that information would be greatly appreciated. I can only presume he's face down in a ditch somewhere.

First Down: Oklahoma -7 vs. Kansas State, 12:00 PM EST

This line opened up around -9.5, but has since plummeted down to a touchdown, likely based on Oklahoma's performances the past two weeks. I don't think those two weeks are indicative of where this Oklahoma team is, and especially the type of team it is at home. First, the loss at TCU spoke more about where TCU is as a team, as the Horned Frogs look like a serious contender for the Big 12 Championship after back-to-back phenomenal performances against OU and Baylor. With how bad Trevor Knight's stat line was that game, if he makes a few more completions instead of interceptions, Oklahoma probably gets the W there. Secondly, anyone who knows about the Texas-OU rivalry knew Stoops was going to play that game very close to the chest, a la 2004. Oklahoma knew that if it didn't beat itself, it would win that game, and though their plan was nearly blown up by an incredible performance by Tyrone Swoopes, the Sooners were able to leave the Cotton Bowl with the Golden Hat. You can bet Oklahoma will be looking forward to return to its friendly confines after two very tough contests, and though K-State is a very well-coached ball club, there is still a big talent disparity between these two clubs. Oklahoma has been phenomenal at home under Stoops, and with an HFA around 4-5, there is no way the Sooners are only 2 -3 points better than Kansas State on a neutral field. Big Game Bob gets a statement win at home, as the Sooners win by double digits and look to get back in the playoff race.

Second Down: Washington +21 at Oregon, 8:00 PM EST

I'm going back to the well this week, after the Huskies won outright for me at Cal last weekend. Oregon certainly surprised me with their performance in the Rose Bowl last weekend, and even though King Mariota is the best player in the country, this is just too many points to pass up for a very good defensive team coached by Chris Petersen. All-Galaxy LB Shaq Thompson, who has scored four defensive TDs on the year, and the DL's in front of him will provide a very stiff test for Mariota and the Oregon offensive line. Excluding the debacle against Eastern Washington, Petersen's defensive unit hasn't given up more than twenty points in a game. I don't think Cyler Miles will be able to put up enough points for the Huskies to pull off the upset outright, but this should be a pretty close contest heading into the fourth quarter. 

Third Down: Colorado State -5.5 vs. Utah State, 7:00 PM EST

Utah State has bounced back after a bad loss against Arkansas State, but the winning streak will end in Fort Collins this week. As I stated earlier this year, I love what Nick Saban disciple Jim McElwain has been doing for the Rams. They have only lost one game ATS this year, when they had to travel up to the land of the wacky blue turf up in Idaho. Outside of that, they've done just about everything you could ask for. They won outright as a dog on the road at Boston College, something USC couldn't do. They've covered big numbers at home. They also beat their in-state rival on a neutral field to start the season. While Utah State does have a win over BYU, that win's significance is diminished by the fact that Taysom Hill's season ended in the first half. Outside of that win in Provo, the Aggies don't have a good win to their name. Give me the proven cover machine here, as Colorado State wins by at least a touchdown. 

Fourth Down: Georgia Tech -1 vs. North Carolina, 7:00 PM EST

Yes, Paul Johnson's crew failed to get the job done for me against Duke last week, but there are a lot of good things to take away from that game's box score. If it weren't for three turnovers, the Yellow Jackets probably would still be undefeated, as they out gained the Blue Devils by more than 100 yards. Additionally, even with a bye week to prepare for GT's rushing attack, Duke still gave up 6.1 yards per rush. North Carolina's sup-optimal defense doesn't have that privilege, and they have given up points to everyone this year: 58 to Notre Dame, 50 to Clemson, and 70 to East Carolina. The Tar Heels are ranked 90th in Rush Defense and 113th in Total Defense, which should bode very wall for Georgia Tech. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets have absolutely DOMINATED North Carolina in recent memory. as they have won eight of the last nine in this series. Again, Georgia Tech should run up, down, and all over North Carolina. If the defense can get a few stops against the Tar Heels offense, GT should win this one comfortably. 

Extra Point: Arkansas vs. Georgia UNDER 55.5, 4:00 PM EST

Expect to get a heavy dose of smash-mouth football in Arkansas this weekend. Bielema loves to pound the rock, and with Gurley out for Georgia, you can bank on Richt playing it close to the chest on offense. Both defensive units have also looked pretty good the past two weeks, with Arky holding Bama to fourteen points, and the Bulldogs 17th-ranked unit pitching a shutout at Mizzou. I'll take my chances on the under in what should be a close contest filled with lots of rushing attempts and punts.

Garrett's Record: 17-15-3

Chad's Record: 11-24-1

Overall Record: 28-39-4

The Four To Score: Week Seven

Another Week of Mayhem? 

While last week was one of the best College Football has seen in quite some time, the same can't be said for The Four To Score. Chad West, CPA, and I certainly had our struggles last week, going a horrendous 3-7. There's no denying we Charlie Weis'd it last week, but things wouldn't have been so bad if Stanford hadn't blown coverage on fourth down late in the game. Alas, things like that happen when you're picking games, and you have to balance out the good times with the bad beats. Before this gets as depressing as listening to some of the callers on the Finebaum show, lets delve into this week's card, which presents a slew of fantastic games much like last week. 

First Down: Texas A&M -2 vs. Ole Miss, 9:00 PM EST (Garrett)

One team is looking to bounce back following an embarrassing loss in Starkville, and the other is primed for a letdown after the biggest win in the history of its university….You get where I'm going with this one. It took everything Ole Miss had in the tank to beat Alabama this week, and it's hard to envision getting that type of performance from a team in back-to-back weeks, especially now that is has to go into the hostile environment created by the cult in College Station. While Dr. Bo showed up and played the game of his life last week, Kenny Trill struggled in Starkville. I'm not certain Dr. Bo can go two weeks in a row with a clean sheet in the interception category, but there is no way Kenny Trill and his skill players have a worse performance than they did last week. Sumlin will get his athletes in space to negate the tremendous skill the Rebel defense has up front in players like Nkemdiche, and the Aggies will notch their first big home SEC Win. Sadly, that means you'll have to hear incessant whooping Saturday night.

Baylor -8 vs. TCU, 3:30 PM  EST (Chad)
When this line started at -11, a was a TCU lean. In our season preview column, I picked the Frogs to as my team most likely to improve, and after last week's upset win over Oklahoma it's clear TCU is improved. However, Baylor is a monster at home, and at -8 I can't pass this line up. TCU had to pull out all the stops to beat OU, and Baylor will no doubt be studying the film on that speed option that gave the sooners fits in the first half. I don't see another ace up TCU's sleeve to jump out to an early two score lead. Additionally, Baylor showed last week they are comfortable grinding out a substantial win. Baylor pulls away by double digits in the second half.

Second Down: UCLA +2.5 vs. Oregon, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Both of these teams suffered upsets at home last week, but there is a lot more reason for concern with the Oregon Ducks right now. The past two weeks have highlighted just how big the problems are with Oregon's makeshift offensive line, as the Ducks gave up ten sacks to Wazzu and Arizona. Neither of those teams are known for the things they do on the defensive side of the ball. Conversely, UCLA's strength is its' front seven, and they will be breathing down Mariota's neck all night long in the Rose Bowl. The wrong team is favored in the Rose Bowl this week, as the Bruins will give the Ducks their second consecutive loss, knocking Oregon out of the playoff and making Mark Helfrich's seat very hot.

Auburn -3 @ Mississippi State, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)
I just can't get on board the Clanga Train. My co-blogger's crush on Dak Prescott is well noted, and well deserved. However, I think the Auburn Defense duels him to a relative draw. Auburn does the Auburn thing, and wears the Bulldogs out up front with their running attack. Duke Williams and Sammie Coates get free an awful lot in the Bulldog secondary of play action during the second half, and Auburn comes away with a comfortable win. 

Third Down: Washington +3.5 vs. California, 6:00 PM EST (Garrett)

I realize the Huskies struggled mightily on offense against Stanford. It also can't be ignored that Keith Price, Bishop Sankey, and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins are no longer on campus. That being said, there is just no way I can explain the line shift from last year's game to this year's. Last year, the Huskies were favored by a whopping 28 points in Seattle. Now, if you're excluding Home Field Advantage, you're telling me Cal has closed a 25 point gap? When Washington returned 16 starters to start the season?!? Cal's offense may be lighting up the scoreboard, but they haven't played a competent defense other than Northwestern, and they beat PAC 12 basement dwellers Colorado and Wazzu by a combined four points!!! Though this play is purely based on principle, the Huskies defense will be the best defense Cal has seen this year, and the offense should have sorted some of its issues out over the bye week. It also doesn't hurt that Washington has dominated this series recently, winning six of the last seven.

OU-14.5 vs. Texas (at the Cotton Bowl), 12:00 PM EST (Chad)
It saddens me that for the first time in a reallllly long time, I will not be in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. If you're at the fair Saturday, please drink a plastic-infused beer for me. Now, I hate picking this game, but after talking with Garrett I'm fairly secure in my pick. Last year, Texas took advantage of the absence of OU's best interior defensive lineman (the massive Jordan Phillips) and gouged the Sooners up front for a ton of yards. Case McCoy made the 4 best throw of his career, and UT upset the Sooners. This year, Jordan Phillips is healthy, and the Sooners have proven fairly stingy up front. I don't see many ways for the Longhorns to make yards, much less score, with the inept Shawn Watson calling plays. The rumors out of Norman are Stoops has been in position meetings all week (something he hasn't done since he essentially retired after the 2000 National Championship). The Sooners are going in to Dallas ready, and if they lose it will be because Texas actually beats them. The continued absence of Keith Ford hurts the Sooners some, but they score enough, and keep Texas to few enough, to cover.

Fourth Down: Georgia Tech -3 vs. Duke, 12:00 PM EST (Garrett)

When you look at how Duke has faired against Georgia Tech in previous years, the box scores depict a crime scene. Last year, the Yellow Jackets rushed for 344 yards. The year before that, they rushed for 330. Three years ago, they gained 364 on the ground. Simply put, Georgia Tech has run the option up and down Duke's throat year in and year out. So far this season, Duke has only played one competent team, the Miami Hurricanes. Duke lost to them, giving up over 200 yards on the ground, while the Yellow Jackets took care of Al Golden and Co. last week in Atlanta. Though they have had an extra week to prepare for the option attack, things still probably won't bode well for a unit ranked 79th in the country in Rush Defense, when they've played teams like Kansas, Tulane, and almighty Elon. Georgia Tech will run left, right, up, down, and all over Duke this week. Hell, they should probably run all over everyone after the pep talks they get every week from their team chaplain….

Michigan State -20.5 at Purdue, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)
At this point, Michigan State may be the most underrated team in the country. If not for a baffling half in Eugene a month ago, we would be talking about this team as a borderline playoff shoe-in. Purdue, on the other hand well, sucks. Pat Narduzzi's defense keeps Purdue out of the endzone, and the Spartans methodically pound away at the score board all afternoon. This one smells like a rout, and unfortunately, Michigan State continues to inches their way back into the playoff picture. 

Extra Point: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina UNDER 65 Points (Garrett)

This game definitely reeks of a look ahead situation for Notre Dame, with a trip to Florida State on deck next weekend. That being said, the Notre Dame defense does rank 3rd in the country in points allowed per game, and considering it hasn't given up more than 17 points all season, it should be able to dictate the terms of the affair at home this weekend. It won't be as ugly the game last week against Stanford, but this one has the looks of a game that goes under the total, with Notre Dame not winning as convincingly as it probably should.

Florida vs. LSU UNDER 47 Points (Chad)
These two may not score a single point. Florida is sticking with much maligned starter Jeff Driskel again, almost entirely because of a lack of reasonable alternatives. LSU will put a true freshman under center again, which oh boy, that's gonna be fun. You couldn't pay me to watch this game. Florida wins 2-0.

Garrett's Record: 16-11-3

Chad's Record: 11-19-1

Overall Record: 27-30-4

The Four To Score: Week Six

Win or Lose, This is a Drool-Worthy Saturday

Oh yeah, Charlie….It's THAT good. 

Gals live for Pumpkin Spiced Lattes this time of year. Men, on the other hand, dream about Saturdays like the one we have this week. There are many superlatives you could probably use to discuss this week's card, but it probably wouldn't do it justice. It's so good that the majority of college football fans will probably be in a zombie-like state for extended periods of time on Saturday, becoming cognizant only to change the channel, grab another brewsky, or ingest more artery-clogging gameday treats. Hopefully our picks will do this week justice, as we look to improve on an average Week 5. Chad West, CPA finally got the better of me by the smallest of margins (3-2 to 2-2-1). Is this merely a case of a blind raccoon eventually finding a garbage can, or is the start of a Bill Snyder-esque wizardly comeback tour? Keep reading to find out, as we provide you with our far-less-than-scintillating thoughts on this week's incredible tilts.

First Down: Mississippi State -2 vs. Texas A&M, 12:00 PM EST (Garrett)

The Fightin' Aggies were lucky to escape JerryWorld with a win last week, needing a fourth quarter comeback to force overtime. Despite the win, Sumlin's crew still gave up just under 500 yards of offense to a very simple offense, 285 of which were on the ground. Obviously, the Aggies defense fooled me, and still leaves much to be desired. Now that same defense will have to take on a very dynamic offense featuring the best dual-threat QB in the SEC, Dak Prescott. Think back to two weeks ago, when the DAK ATTACK ran wild in Baton Rouge, racking up all kinds of points and yards. Yes, that offense had its way with the Tigers in Death Valley, at night. That game was merely a sign of things to come, as Dan Mullen's boys will get their second signature win in a three week span this Saturday. Back the DAK ATTACK in Starkville. 

Texas A&M +2 @ Mississippi State, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)

We got some insight this week on where all that Aggyland swag has been coming from the past few years. Kevin Sumlin parties with Rick Ross, and makes others feel the need to get turnt? #YESSIR. After last weeks near miracle comeback against a good Arkansas team, I'm not counting out the Aggies for the rest of the year. Sure, a road test against a much improved and en vogue Mississippi State team is cause for concern. Dak Prescott can flat out play, as evidenced my Garrett's newly acquired man crush. But, let's not go overboard here. This team beat a wobbly LSU team my Louisiana buddies predicted to win 8 games. Given A&M's wins against Sakerlina and Arky, they have the better resume, and wayyyy more swag. This one is probably close, but Aggy wins outright.

Second Down: Stanford -2.5 vs. Notre Dame, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

I must admit, I have loved what I have seen from the Everett Golson Comeback Tour. That being said, Notre Dame hasn't played anyone noteworthy so far, defeating a bunch of sub-optimal opponents including the dumpster-fire started by Brady Hoke. Perhaps the most damning evidence of Notre Dame's inflated value was it's unimpressive 16 point win over Purdue, one of the absolute worst teams in the land. Contrast that with a battle-tested Stanford Cardinal, who last week went into a very tough environment in Washington and left with a conference W. The Huskies are a far better unit than anything that Notre Dame has gone up against, and if not for some red zone hijinks against USC, this Stanford team would be undefeated with arguably the two best wins in the country to date. This game should be the low-scoring slugfest Vegas expects, but the more proven commodity will leave South Bend with a win on Saturday. 

Notre Dame +2.5 @ Stanford, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

God, I hate this. I'm no fan of the Golden Domers, and I have been a huge fan of what Stanford has done the past six years or so. But, this is a different Stanford team. They struggle to run the ball at times, mostly because they don't have a front line back a la Toby Gerhart, Stephon Taylor, or Tyler Gaffney. Notre Dame, on the other hand is really catching on with Brian Kelly's system, as evidenced by Everett Golson teaching a masters class in dink and dunk last week. This is 2014, and offense is king. The defenses duel to a relative draw, but Notre Dame executes better on offense. Golson is the difference in a close game, in which the public will see Brian Kelly turn purple 3 times.

Third Down: USC -12 vs. Arizona State, 7:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Remember earlier this season, when we said the Sun Devils were the most likely team in the country to take a big step back from last season? Last week validated that thought process, as the ASU defense showed its true colors to the country, giving up 580 yards of offense in an absolute shellacking. Keep in mind that was against a UCLA team that had been very underwhelming in its early season performances. On the other side of the ball, USC bounced back in pretty impressive fashion last Saturday, getting a 25 point win and a cover against Oregon State at home. Don't forget that this is a massive revenge spot of the Trojans, as USC was blown out last year in Tempe in a performance so bad that it saw Lane Kiffin lose his job upon hitting the runway in Los Angeles. For those worried about how USC's rush defense (Trojans were absolutely mauled on the ground in Boston) will fare against the 17th ranked rushing attack in the country, keep in mind that ASU's rushing statistics are a bit inflated after games against Weber State and New Mexico (they came back down to earth against UCLA, rushing for only 138 yards). Finally, the home team has covered the spread in four of the last five in this series, and the home team has also won outright seven of the last ten times. Sark's squad gets their vengeance in Los Angeles, as the Trojans win by more than two touchdowns. 

Those thighs, doe.

Oklahoma -5 @ TCU, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

This is a trap game, right? TCU has a new shiny offense, complete with track stars on the outside (Colby Listenbee) and former five star recruits (running back Aaron Green), Pair that up with Gary Patterson's infamously stingy defense, and the Sooners aren't gonna escape Fort Worth without suffering a loss. Right? Right? Not happening. Boykin doesn't throw a pretty enough deep ball to get it to the TCU speedsters and take advantage of the relative weakness in the OU secondary. Boykin is mobile enough to cause some teams fits, but Erik Striker and his gang of SEC-sized brutes will make things tough for the Frogs up front.  OU is fairly talented and balanced on offense, especially with the emergence of Freshman Phenom Samaje Perine. That will be enough to tame the Frogs. TCU is about to play their first game of the season, and they're gonna lose it handily. OU in a rout. 

Fourth Down: Nebraska +7 at Michigan State, 8 PM EST (Garrett)

But if you don't cover….

I can't believe it's happening, but I'm putting my faith in Bo Pelini. The man who cursed his own fans is 7-11 ATS as a road dog in his tenure at Nebraska, but I think Nebraska can do just enough to keep this one tight in East Lansing. In their one game against formidable opposition, Michigan State's stout defense yielded 4.3 yards per carry to the Oregon Ducks offense. If there is one thing you can bank on the Cornhuskers doing, it's running the ball. Nebraska has the third best rushing attack in the country, led by the country's #1 RB Ameer Abdullah. Despite losing this contest last year, Nebraska was able to move the ball with some success against the Spartans, putting up 392 yards against arguably the best defense in the country last season. In fact, if it wasn't for the five turnovers, Nebraska probably would've gotten the win. As hard as it may be….BELIEVE IN PELINI! 

East Carolina -41 vs. SMU, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)

45-0
43-6
58-6
56-0

Extra Point: Oklahoma vs. TCU UNDER 57.5, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Both games between these teams the past two years have come nowhere near going over the total, and I think that trend will continue in Fort Worth on Saturday. Though OU has looked to be one of the best teams in the country, Gary Patterson is one of the best defensive minds in the game, and he finally has some depth this year. Oklahoma also has a phenomenal defense, and you have to think they'll have the edge against TCU QB Trevone Boykin. With both squads being run-first teams, this should probably be a tight affair dominated by the defenses. 

Alabama @ Ole Miss OVER 52.5, 3:30 PM EST  (Chad)

I see this game going an awful lot like the Alabama opener against West Virginia, when the Tide won a close game 33-23. Both these teams can score, and Lord Saban has been seeing a psychologist about his relationship with points ( I would to if I had Amari Cooper). Dr. Bo will score enough for both Ole Miss and Alabama to get this one over 50 total points, plus some change.

Garrett's Record: 14-8-3

Chad's Record: 10-14-1

Overall Record: 24-22-4