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 10

The Games May Suck, But These Picks Don't

Let's face it...this week's games are horrible.  In fact, some might even say they are worse than the jerseys Oregon State sported against USC this week, which really is saying something based on the level of "suck" the Beavers achieved Friday night.  Given the amount of crap that was put up on the board this week, it was tough finding some good numbers out there, kind of like finding an NFL game that doesn't involve a torn ACL.  Seriously, the amount of torn ACLs has gotten utterly ridiculous.  Before I get further off topic, here are this week's picks. 

First Down: Virginia Tech -4 at Boston College  12:00 PM EST

Beamer's boys are coming off a surprising loss to Duke, where the offense sputtered and only managed to put up 10 points.  Luckily for the Hokies, BC has given up points to everyone, surrendering at least 20 points in each of their last five contests.  Additionally, Logan Thomas and Beamer love playing the Golden Eagles, as they've beaten them each of the past five years.  You know the VT defense will always come to play, and they've been a very impressive unit so far this season, having only given up more than 20 points twice.   I'm banking that Logan Thomas and his offensive teammates can't play any worse than they did last week, so I'll lay the points with the staunch defense while the number posted on the board is the lowest it's been all week.

Second Down: Nebraska -5.5 vs. Northwestern  3:30 PM EST

Nebraska will be out to lay the wood this week after being upset last week in Minnesota, and there isn't a better team to do it against than Northwestern.  Northwestern has completely melted down since losing to Ohio State, as they've lost every game since that heartbreaker.  The Cornhuskers were rolling before losing to the Gophers, as they had won three straight, covering the spread every time.  Though the last two games between these two squads have been close ones, I expect the Huskers to get back on track this week.  Take the points and Big Red at a much better line than the opener of -7.

Third Down: Arkansas +8.5 vs. Auburn  6:00 PM EST

Raise your hand if you had Auburn as Alabama's biggest threat in the SEC West this season...Yeah, that's right, no one did.  People have been heaping praise on the Tigers after their upset win in College Station, but plenty of teams are capable of beating the Aggies and their non-existent defense this season.  Look, I'm not saying Auburn is a bad team, or that it got lucky against Johnny Football.  What I am saying is that there is no way they should be favored by more than a touchdown on the road against an Arkansas team that is coming off a bye week.  The off week was exactly Bielema and his boys needed after getting throttled in three consecutive contests, and they should come out fired up to pull the upset against the newly crowned Top 10 team.  Arkansas may win this one outright, but if they lose, it will be by a narrow margin.

Fourth Down: Miami +22 at Florida State  8:00 PM EST 

All week long people have been slamming the Hurricanes, describing them as the new Texas Tech, aka the most overrated team in the Top 10.  After all, they nearly lost their last two games against the lowly squads of Wake Forest and North Carolina.  If you looked at only those two games, and combined them with how well Famous Jameis is playing, of course this game looks like a blowout.  However, the Hurricanes are still an undefeated ball club, and you have to think that they've been looking ahead to this contest for the past two weeks.  Things can get pretty weird in rivalry games, and this is a gigantic number to post for a rivalry game featuring two undefeated ball clubs.  I don't think Miami can win this one outright, but I certainly think they can keep it within three touchdowns.  Give me the massive amount of points an "Da U." 

Extra Point: Arizona OVER 41.5 Points  3:30 PM EST 

California can't stop the run, as they are rated 90th in the country in Rushing Defense.  Arizona loves to run, as they have the 10th best Rushing Offense in the country, thanks in part to the best back in the country, Ka'deem Carey.  If you look at California's box scores this season, it's blatantly obvious that this defense can't stop anyone.  They've given up over 30 points in every contest, and have conceded over 41 in six of them.  On the other side, the Wildcats have gotten hot lately, as they have scored over 31 points in each of their last three games.  Arizona will pound the ball at will, and they should score just about every time in what should be a high-scoring matchup. 

The Four To Score: 16-16-1

Extra Points: 3-4-1

Overall: 19-20-1

The Four To Score: Week 9

The Band Journey Once Said: "Don't Stop Winning" 

Another week, another set of picks from The Four To Score going 3-2.  It seems darn near automatic now, given that we've gone 12-6-2 in the last four weeks.  But, you must never settle for complacency, and this week provides us yet another opportunity at getting an elusive undefeated weekend ATS.  Without further hesitation, here are this week's picks.   

First Down: Texas +2.5 vs. TCU; 7:30 PM EST

I'm not going to lie, I was very puzzled when this line opened TCU -3.  The Horned Frogs have been very unimpressive this season, and looked downright awful last week at Oklahoma State.  Texas is coming off its most impressive win of the season against Oklahoma, and had an extra week off to prepare for Gary Patterson's boys.  The Longhorns, which were once dead in the water, now have something to play for, and are a very different team than the one that lost to BYU and Ole Miss.  It should be a close one, but expect Mack Brown and Case McCoy to get the revenge win in Fort Worth. 

Second Down: UCLA +23.5 vs. Oregon; 7:00 PM EST

Another Oregon game, another decision based solely on principle.  This line opened up around Oregon -17, and has been bought up all the way to -23.5.  At that -17 number, Oregon probably has to be the play if there is one to be made there, but a 6.5 point difference makes this a completely different story.  UCLA will have some extra motivation on their side this weekend after struggling at Stanford last week, and their defense will be the best the Ducks have seen all season.  Oregon may be the best team in the country, but remember last week's play against them with Washington State to quell your worries. The Ducks should get the win, but the Bruins will get the cover thanks to the inflated margin.  

Third Down: Oregon State +5 vs. Stanford; 10:30 PM EST

The Beavers have gotten hot, and Sean Mannion is the best quarterback you know nothing about.  Since losing their season opener to Eastern Washington,  Oregon State has reeled off six straight wins, with four of them coming by double digits.  Individually, Mannion has been unreal, throwing for just under 3,000 yards and 29 TDs.  On the flip side, Stanford is in the tail end of its most difficult stretch of the season, having played three very tough opponents in Washington, Utah, and UCLA in the past three weeks.  Last year's game went down to the wire in Palo Alto, with the Cardinal edging out the Beavers after trailing by nine late in the third quarter.  You can expect this game to be very close once again, so take the points with the home team in Corvallis.   

Fourth Down: Oklahoma -6.5 vs. Texas Tech; 3:30 PM EST

Texas Tech comes into this game as one of the last unbeaten teams in college football, after running off seven consecutive wins to start the season.  However, the Red Raiders haven't played a solid team yet this season, and the last thing you went to take into Norman is team that isn't battle-tested.  Historically the home team has dominated this series, as the only road team to get a win since 2004 was Tech in 2011.  When the games have been played in Norman, the Sooners have had their way, usually winning by double digits.  Oklahoma is the more proven commodity, and they are under the key number, making this a no-brainer.  

Extra Point: UCLA OVER 24.5 PTS

The trend is all too common when it comes to Oregon.  They often get out to a big lead, the starters come out, and their opponent scores some garbage time points.  In their last two games, the Ducks have given up 24 or more, and even gave up 38 to Wazzu last weekent.  Although UCLA only scored 10 points last weekend, their offense has shown the capability to put up points this year (averaging 39.8 ppg), and I expect them to get some on the board before Oregon's second and third-stringers come in toward the end of the game.  

The Four To Score: 14-14-2

Extra Points: 3-3-1

Overall: 17-17-3