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On Saturday’s football card there are 15 games on National TV and we are going to pass on 11 of them.  That doesn’t mean I can’t give you a little help though.

Illinois (-12.5) at Syracuse :  Syracuse has only scored 12 points in two games this season and they have allowed 77!  Illinois has split their two games this season but they are -4 on turnovers.  Be careful.

C.Michigan at Purdue (-20.5) : Central Michigan got pasted in the first game of the season 52-7 on the road by the Kansas Jayhawks.  C.Michigan is also allowing 510 yards per game this season while the Purdue Boilermakers are averaging 510.5 yards and 52 points per game.

Iowa (-17.5) at Iowa State :  On paper this looks like a huge mismatch.  Iowa is 2-0 and they have outscored their opponents 51-3 this season.  Iowa State is 0-2 and they have lost at home against both Kent State and Northern Iowa.  The scary part about this game is that Iowa State always gets up for the Hawkeyes as they are 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings between these two rivals.

Tennessee at Florida (-8) :  This will be an interesting football game.  The Gators won 21-20 last season in Tennessee and that was likely a much better Gator team than this season.  The Gators had to replace 9 starters on defense and they allowed 31 points last week to Troy State.  The Volunteers are 1-1 this season and they have averaged 35 points per game and they have allowed 32 per game.

Notre Dame at Michigan (-7.5)  This game opened at 9.5 so the Irish fans are liking their team.  Still, it’s hard to take a team that is 0-2 and has been outscored 64-13 by Georgia Tech and Penn State.  Notre Dame is averaging -4 yards rushing per game and 133 total yards.  They have not even scored a TD on offense this season!  QB Chad Henne won’t play against the Irish but it likely won’t matter.  The Wolverines average 195.0 yards rushing per game and the Irish have allowed 214.5 yards rushing per game.  Notre Dame has covered 4 of their last 5 meetings at the Big House.  This game will be dubbed the “Toilet Bowl”.

Ohio State (-4) at Washington : It will be interesting to see if Coach Tressel was holding back some things against Akron and Youngstown State.  The Buckeyes offense has not looked great against the inferior competition but the defense has been outstanding as they have only allowed 4.0 points per game and 122.5 total yards per contest.  The Buckeyes are a surprising -5 on turnovers this season.  The Huskies surprised everyone by kicking Boise State in the butt last week but the Buckeyes are a much bigger fish to fry.  Still, Washington is 2-0 and they have averaged 33 points per game while allowing only 11. 

Texas (-19) at Central Florida :  It will be interesting to see if the Longhorns are focused for this game.  They have been coasting this season so far as they are 2-0, outscoring their opponents 55-26.  Central Florida is 1-0 having beaten North Carolina State on the road.  But the Knights rushed for 206 yards in that game and the Longhorns will have none of that as they only allow 84 yards rushing per game.

Louisville (-6.5) at Kentucky :  I can’t pick a side in this contest but I would be interested in betting the over.  The over/under number for this football game is an amazing 77.5!  Louisville is averaging 701.0 yards and 65.5 points per game this season!  Kentucky is also an offensive monster averaging 53.0 points and 526.0 yards per game.

USC (-10) at Nebraska :  Everyone thought that Nebraska was ready for USC last season and they got spanked 28-10.  USC just cruised 38-10 in the first game of the season against Idaho but they’ve had two weeks to get ready for Nebraska.  The Cornhuskers are a solid 2-0.  They have been a balanced offense rushing for 264 yards per game and throwing for 235.

Florida State (-4.5) at Colorado : Florida State has not been impressive this season as they got beat by Clemson and had a rough time with UAB.  Colorado beat Colorado State in OT and got pasted last week by Arizona State. 

Florida International at Miami (Fla) (-33) :  The only reason this football game could possibly be on TV is to see if the bad blood still exists from last seasons game.  Florida International has been outscored 85-10 in their two losses this season to Penn State and Maryland.  The Hurricanes beat Florida International 35-0 last season and it might be worse this year because the Canes are going to be fighting mad after Oklahoma crushed them 51-13 last weekend.  Florida International is -6 on turnovers this season while the Hurricanes are +4.

Here are NFL games we are passing on in week one, along with some info that may help you choose between the teams if you decide to play these games.  Good luck!

The Carolina Panthers (+1) against the Rams.  The Panthers have covered the last 4 games against the Rams including a 15-0 shutout against them in 2006, but the Rams are at home and they have improved their team in the off-season. We chose to pass.

The Chicago Bears (+6.5) against the Chargers. The Bears have covered the last four times they have met the Chargers, but Rex Grossman likes to throw the ball to the other team which has us passing on this game.

Denver Broncos (-3) at Buffalo.  This line appears to be right on the nose.

Lions (+2) at Oakland. I have an issue giving points with a team that was 2-14 last season. But, I also don’t trust Jon Kitna or the Lions defense.

Kansas City Chiefs (+3) at Houston. I almost took the Chiefs in this game because they are flat out the better football team here. The public is blinded by pre-season stats which we all know mean absolutely nothing.

Tennessee Titans (+6.5) at Jacksonville. I think the Jaguars can stuff and one dimensional team like the Titans. I also like the Jags running game and homefield advantage. But, this game is dangerous due to a possible backdoor cover by the Titans.

Miami Dolphins (+3) at Washington Redskins. This will be a defensive battle as neither team has much of an offense. These teams are evenly matched.

Tampa Bay Bucs (+6) at Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have defensive problems but the Bucs don’t have the
weapons to make them pay. I just have a feeling that the Seahawks are a tad overrated.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) at Cleveland Browns. The Steelers have covered their last 7 games against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have been outscored 102-36 in the last four meetings in Cleveland, but the Browns had an outstanding draft and they did well in free agency. Also, the Steelers don’t have Bill Cowher around anymore.

New England Patriots (-6.5) at New York Jets. The Patriots are 7-1 SU and 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games in Giants Stadium against the Jets. They have outscored the Jets 209-132 in those games. Still, the Jets did beat the Patriots once in New England and RB Thomas Jones gives the Jets a new weapon on offense.