The Four To Score: Week 3

It's Finally Here... Darth Saban vs. Johnny Moneyball 

Everyone's "Game Of The Year" has finally arrived, and with a few other great matchups out there, The Four To Score should get back on track easily after a brutal Week 2.  There is no need to shy away from what happened last week.  When you're in the business of predicting football games, you're bound to get you're tail kicked every once in awhile, that is just the harsh reality of the business.  Thanks to the talents of Devin Gardner, and the complete disregard for ball security from West Virginia and Oklahoma, The Four To Score ended up an underwhelming 2-3 for the week, which at least isn't as bad as Jeff Driskel in the red-zone, or the Texas defense against a simple option play.  Fear not though, as this week's games have me more confident than Nick Saban in a revenge game.  

First Down: Alabama -7.5 vs. Texas A&M

This is the absolute lock of the week.  As mentioned above, Nick Saban has every reason to be confident heading into a revenge game, as he has never lost one.  For those of you with hazy memories, all you have to look back to is the 2011 BCS National Championship, where Saban and Alabama drew an actual "red line" at half field, and refused to let LSU cross it.  While Johnny Manziel is a gamer, he will bet outmatched this year due the departure of some of Texas A&M's key offensive players from last year (Luke Joekcel and Ryan Swope to name a few), and the fact that Saban had an entire offseason to prepare for the Texas A&M spread offense.  Additionally, Texas A&M's defense gave up over 500 yards to Rice, and 390 to Sam Houston State.  If that doesn't tell you what's going to happen when they go up against two-time BCS National Champion A.J. McCarron and Co., who are 7-2 over the past two years as a road favorite, you're blinder than USC and Texas fans who still support Lane Kiffin or Mack Brown.  The hype behind this game leads people to believe it's the "Game Of The Year", but really it will just be a comfortable, double-digit win for Alabama.  All hail Darth Saban.

Second Down: Colorado +8.5 vs. Fresno State

You can now pick your jaw up off the ground after seeing Colorado as my Second Down pick.  This Colorado team is vastly improved from last year's squad, and will be looking for redemption after getting stomped by Fresno State last year.  Speaking of the Bulldogs, they've been very underwhelming this year, as they nearly lost their home opener against Rutgers after being projected by some to be a BCS-buster this year.  After a string of terrible seasons, bettors are going to be very hesitant on Colorado solely because of how bad they were ATS under previous coaches.  But Coach Mike MacIntyre was phenomenal ATS in his last two years at San Jose State, going 19-6 against the number.    Take the points and the team out for revenge. 

Third Down: Arizona State -5.5 vs. Wisconsin

Coming into this game, neither team has allowed its opponents to get on the scoreboard.  That will all change late Saturday night once this Pac-12 vs. Big Ten matchup gets under way.  After seeing USC soil its pants last weekend (to my demise), there is now no doubt that the Sun Devils are the best team in the Pac 12 South.  Under Todd Graham last year, Arizona State went 8-5 ATS, but more importantly they went 4-1 as a home favorite, the scenario in play here.  Led by junior QB Taylor Kelly, this offense should be able to put up points on every opponent they play this year.  On the other side, you can always expect Wisconsin to be solid in the fundamentals of the game.  Yet this team is too one-dimensional for my liking in this big game, as it relies far too heavily on its ground game.  Lay the points here, as the Sun Devils should get their first win over a ranked opponent under Todd Graham.   

Fourth Down: Auburn -5.5 vs. Mississippi State

Mississippi State makes its second appearance in The Four To Score, and once again, they are on the wrong side of the action.  The Bulldogs looked terrible in their opener against Oklahoma State, mustering up next to nothing on the offensive end.  Contrast that to Auburn, a team who is now on the upswing now that Guz Malzahn is holding the reins.  The former OC under Chizik has come back to Auburn after a single season at Arkansas State, where he went 9-4 ATS.  The Tigers are nowhere near the 2010 team in terms of skill, but they are improving under Malzahn (especially on the offensive side of the ball), and should be able to get the cover at home against a very bad Mississippi State team.  

Extra Point:  Nebraska vs. UCLA OVER 69

Last year's version of this game saw 66 points put up on the board, and I expect this year's edition to easily get into the 70s or 80s.  Brett Hundley and Taylor Martinez are both back to lead their high-powered offenses, but both teams struggle mightily on defense.  The Huskers gave up 34 points to Wyoming in their season opener, and the Bruins gave up loads of points last year when they went on the road.  This might be the most fun game to watch all week, as both teams could easily get into the 40s in what should be a very close game. 

The Four To Score: 4-4

Extra Points: 1-0

Overall: 5-4