Week 0 Best Bets Recap

From a handicapping perspective, we can learn a lot by reviewing the box score of a college football contest we were not able to watch or pay close attention to. This exercise is helpful in determining if a team had a bad day…or is just UGLY. In the case of New Mexico State, they may be the ugliest team out there, this early season. But we knew that.

Without further ado, let’s hit some highlights and the inevitable lowlights…lowlights first.

Week Zero I picked four games to bet, three sides, one total, and a Moneyline Parlay, for a total of five units risked. Simple math is we won three, lost two for a winning week. I made some in-game bets along the way, which is not possible to report here in the blog in a timely fashion. If anyone notices this, I can try to get them out via the Twitter.

Let’s go top to bottom, starting with the UGLY. We needed almost ALL of those 13.5 points we had with the Aggies, who lost by a margin of 11 points, 23-12. I didn’t watch the game but went back and looked at the box score. Long story short, both teams are UGLY. Wolfpack managed all of 78 yards through the air, coughed up a safety to the Aggies, but benefitted from five Aggie turnovers! Peewee football is played with better skill and acumen than this disaster. We did lose our MLB with this mess.

However, and this is the important takeaway from this stinker, our handicapping told us both teams would suck, so getting all those points made this a winning wager. Nevada hosts Texas State in Week 1 and we bet the Bobcats weeks age +7.5. Aggies travel to receive an ass beating by the Gophers. They will earn that huge paycheck they are gonna get for their troubles. No lean on this contest, but if you can find a fun way to fade the Aggies, do it! I just can’t lay those 38 points.

Next up, the ugly 49ers / Owls matchup. I might have let my general opinion of Owls Head Coach Willie Taggart get the better of me in this one. Been fading that guy since his awful stint at Florida State. Dude then went up to Oregon Ducks to set that program back a decade or so. However, I will grudgingly admit he probably is up to the challenge in Boca Raton.

Final score Owls 43 / 49ers 13. We had +7.0. It was not going to be enough, no matter how many garbage time TDs the 9ers could score, which turned out to be zero. Reviewing the box score, FAU was able to move the ball on the ground, out-gaining 49ers 218 to 62, with one Owls rushing TD. Owls passing game was better, too, gaining 264 to 217 yards. I note Willie Taggart Jr (head coaches’ kid) got in the game, during garbage time.

So, I just got this one wrong, and will put that in the Ugly category. If you are doing the math, so far, we are 1 win, 2 losses.

Now comes the Good…

Next up, we had the Under 55.0 in the North Texas / UTEP conflagration. Final score NT 31 UTEP 13. The ESBN supercomputer tells me that adds up to 44.0. I thought UTEP would win this thing, so I’m glad we had Under the Total here. North Texas won in the turnover category 2-0 and that may well have been the difference here.

As for the Game of The Century of The Week…we had Florida A&M Rattlers +34.5, traveling to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. I bet this game on Thursday. Friday afternoon, it was announced that at least 20 rostered Rattler players would NOT be making the trip to Chapel Hill. At the time, no reason was given why. My phone exploded with angry friends and relatives who took my advice and took the +34.5 points, wondering how God and I could both forsake them in such an egregious manner. The line quickly moved to about 45 points

I told everyone not to worry, this crap happens all the time. Rattlers are still a decent squad and Tar Heels were still breaking in some new guys, especially the QB, with their eye on Week 1 when they travel up to Boone NC. In fact, after the first Tar Heels TD, I in-gamed Rattlers +45.5, as I have the courage of a lion (female lion because they do all the work for The Pride) and would not be intimidated. Final score Tar Heels 56 Rattlers 24. Rattlers easily covering our pregame and in-game wagers. For reporting purposes, I am only counting the pregame wager. So, win 3 lose 2 on Week 0 reported action.

Couple other things, I did not report it but bet Northwestern +13.0, who won straight up against Scott Frost. You have all heard that Frost is the most snake-bitten HC in college football, with a record of 5-21 in one score games. Yeah…no…Frost sucks. He’s not snakebit, he just is not up to the task. Losing all these close games is on HIM and his coaching abilities. I wonder what this week of practice is going to be like as CORN gets ready to host North Dakota? Look for a sweet moneyline play on North Dakota if the number is any good.

Finally…more UGLY

I bet my beloved Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors +9.5 AND (adding insult to injury) made the Rainbows the Week 0 Wipeout Game. Final score Commodores 63 Rainbows 10. I mentioned to some degenerate gambling friends I should probably be required to have that score tramp-stamped on my ass. For record reporting purposes, we are not reporting this one either.

On to Week 1…