Squids Ready to Wrap up Flybirds

One of the most interesting match-ups that Bookmaker has missed this week is the match-up between the Navy Midshipmen and the Air Force Falcons. The Book with their geniuses that talk about setting the line set it wrong this week. Maybe I am getting a little bit cocky but after the past two weeks I think I have good reason hitting 8/8 games. I am not betting a whole lot but I am certainly seeing the mistakes the book is making this year and I would love to share this knowledge to help all out there just crush these sports books.

The Air Force Falcons with the nations top ranked rushing attack will take on their brother's in the armed services the boys from the Naval Academy. Usually these games don't interest me but this week it stands out. Air Force has been impressive this season so far while Navy has been lacking. The Falcons crushed departing Mountain West opponents BYU three weeks ago but not sure if that really meant a whole lot. The Cougars were barely able to defeat Washington at home while they were manhandled last week by a down Florida State team. The most impressive of all the Falcon games this year was actually a loss in Norman, Oklahoma to the highly ranked undefeated Oklahoma Sooners. Normally this would be a huge win but so far this season Oklahoma has been less than stellar with close wins over Utah State, the Falcons and the University of Cincinnati a team that is down after losing their head coach, starting QB, and top receiver from a year ago. Still the Sooners were barely able to hold off the Bearcats a team that was beaten handily in Fresno, California by the Fresno State Bulldogs. This past week the Falcons barely got by Wyoming. Now Wyoming is not a bad team but they are certainly not a great team that should lead an odds maker from making the Falcons 10.5 point favorites.

Meanwhile Navy has not looked too stellar this year. As a road favorite against the Maryland Terrapins in their opener the Midshipmen turned the ball over 4 times including late in the game while at the Maryland 1 yard line which could have delivered victory from the eventual jaws of defeat. In week 2 Navy could barely beat Football Bowl Subdivision squad Georgia Southern 13-6. I am assuming the odds makers are only looking at FBS rather than a historically strong FBS team with many championships in the past two decades. This past week the Midshipmen were sluggish in the first half of their game against Louisiana Tech trailing the Bulldogs by 7 at the break before dominating the 2nd half with a vaunted rushing attack. So right now the only difference between this game being a 3-4 point spread with top 20 ranked undefeated Navy team was one great play by Maryland in the 4th quarter to force a turnover one yard away from the unblemished record.

Well that one play is not enough for me to take the 10.5 points Bookmaker is so generously giving out. It's plenty of points for me to take considering this is an armed forced rivalry. It's also enough points considering the Air Force triple option wishbone attack is not going to surprise Naval defenders as it's an offense they face in practice every day. There will also be no slanting defenses by undersized lineman to surprise either squad as both teams are undersized on their lines and play slanted blocking schemes. This game should actually be one heck of a battle as a lot of pride is going to be on the line along with early bragging rights and the inside track to the Commander and Chief Trophy presented to the best armed forces school and the inside track to an automatic bowl berth in the Texas Bowl in Houston. In summary, there is a lot riding on this game.

In a tight game big impact players and home field can be the difference makers. The crowd will be pro-Air Force and the elevation in Colorado Springs will favor the Falcons but the conditioning of the Navy players should be able to offset some of the home field advantage. The difference between winning and losing might very well come down on one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at the Naval Academy since Roger Staubach. And for you young whipper snappers out there that are short on history Staubach won the Heisman Trophy for the Naval Academy back in the 60's before a short stint in the Navy followed up by two Super Bowl rings for the Dallas Cowboys and an induction into the Hall of Fame. Navy's QB Ricky Dobbs is not Roger the Dodger but he can make big plays and big time players make big plays in big games. Dobbs failed against Maryland but this game is his redemption. It's his chance to get his name thrown back into the Heisman talk. It's his chance to lead his team to the Commander and Chief Trophy as a Senior. It's not about covering or putting on a good show in Colorado Springs for Dobbs, it's about winning and when a team is geeked up to win a game and the oddsmakers are giving them ten points it means only one thing. The public doesn't believe enough in the underdog to bet on them unless they are getting a lot of points. In this case bet on the Midshipmen. Bet the Farm because not only will you keep the farm but you can get yourself a couple of nice new angus cows after Dobbs proves he is the best armed services leader in the collegiate ranks today.

Philadelphia Smoke Screen

All along Kevin Kolb was a smoke screen. Kolb put up some nifty numbers in college at the University of Houston in Conference USA but C-USA is hardly The NFL. Kevin Kolb came into the league as a back-up to future Eagle Hall of Fame QB Donovan McNabb. McNabb was the leader in Philly for the most successful run in Eagle history. McNabb incurred a few injuries in the past few years which prompted upper management to look for his successor and when he came along the Eagles quietly picked up their future QB giving him substantially more than market value and naming the future of Philadelphia signal caller's to an unproven youngster out of Houston.

This week the smoke screen was cleared and early in the post McNabb era the heir to the QB position has finally been cleared. Cleared from anti-organizations who preferred to have a clean cut kid taking snaps as opposed to an ex-con. The ex-con and scourge of PETA Michael Vick the former overall #1 draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons has finally been named the starter.

For years Andy Reid loved McNabb. Wanted him so bad as his QB that he passed over fan favorite Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in the 1999 NFL draft to select McNabb. McNabb proved to be the right selection and five times McNabb led the Eagles deep into the playoffs to the championship game and once to the Super Bowl. Despite the boo birds in Philadelphia McNabb was very successful and the most decorated QB in Eagle history. Move over Randall Cunningham, move over Ron Jaworski, McNabb is the all-time Eagle signal caller.

Now for Andy Reid to send McNabb packing for an unspectacular college player, and unproven professional he would have to be out of his mind to believe in Kolb more than McNabb. Vick tho8ugh is another story. Vick has the great pedigree (no offense PETA). Vick was a top pick. Vick was the first QB to ever lead his team to victory in historical Lambeau Stadium over the Packers in the playoffs. Vick was electrifying on the field. Vick has had very raw skills and bringing him into Philadelphia was not about giving the guy a job it was about grooming him to be the successor of McNabb. If Vick was just supposed to be a bench guy the Eagles would not have ponied up $5 million a year for a bench jockey. The Eagles organization had to play the fans with Kolb. What else were they supposed to do announce, "your 2010 Philadelphia Eagles starting QB ex-convict Michael Vick." Vick is not a blue collar guy in a blue collar town. Vick is a flashy, he's not a role model, he's not even Italian which is both politically correct and would make the hometown fans ecstatic. But much like in 1999 when Reid named McNabb his QB of the future; Andy Reid can groom a quarterback. Vick's got the raw talent and the intangibles to become a great one while Kolb appears to be fitting into his true position of back up QB.

Nice smoke screen Andy Reid. You got your guy and you brought him in at the right time and fans will forget Vick is an ex-con as long as he wins. A win against Jacksonville this weekend will ease the tension in Philadelphia. Even though I absolutely loathe was Michael Vick did to numerous dogs I can say he showed great remorse by giving so charitably to dog farms to rehabilitate the lovable animals he nearly was part of killing. We know Andy Reid is all about winning and winning will cure all but should Vick not win this is Reid's job on the line.

My advice to Michael Vick every touchdown you score whether throwing or passing you donate $5000 to an animal shelter. And every win you get as a starter you donate $10,000 to an animal shelter. It's not going to hurt his pocketbook and it will soothe a lot of rightful feelings people have towards Michael Vick. He may have served his time but he certainly is a role model or a saint. Vick is still on probation in many ways.

Hurricane Crossroads

Thursday night college football is a crossroads for both the University of Pittsburgh and the U. It's a much greater crossroads for the U. After all the University of Miami has a very rich recent history of winning national championships. On the big stage two weeks ago to prove they were back the Hurricanes were led by or not led by quarterback Jacory Harris who was victimized by 4 interceptions from the Buckeye defense. Many viewers of the game would argue that his receivers failed him and in reality they might not have looked back at the right time for the ball but as the field general Harris has to make sure his players are on the right page with him in the huddle. With all the headlines comes all the criticism.

If Miami is going to be considered an elite team they must go into Heinz Field tonight and defeat the Pitt Panthers. This will be no easy task. Pitt has a strong rushing attack led by All-American Deon Lewis, a strong defense, and tough home field advantage. Plus you throw in Thursday night prime time nationally televised game the Panthers and their crowd will be so up for this game. Meanwhile the Canes are considered the better team tonight by oddsmakers who have penciled them in as early 3.5 point favorites although the line has dropped to under a field goal. This means the Canes are the glory team. The Canes have the burners on offense, the big play guys on special teams and the defenders with panther like closing speed ready to pounce on their prey. So the pressure is on Jacory Harris, Randy Shannon, and the entire Hurricane squad. It's either perform tonight come up with a big win, arguably the biggest win for Randy Shannon in his short career as head coach or fall to the depths of under .500 and out of the top 25.

If Miami is going to win this game they must stop Deon Lewis. If the Cane defense can stymie Lewis. No easy task as he will be the best runner the Canes have faced all season including the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes who always have a rushing attack but without the talent of a Deon Lewis. The Canes also need to establish their own rushing attack. In their last game running back Damien Berry looked strong at times against Ohio State rushing for 94 yards on only 16 attempts at nearly 6 yards a clip. Berry will be needed to control the game as depending on Harris and the passing game is not wise considering 4 interceptions and numerous dropped passes from his very talented receivers. Miami cannot afford more turnovers on the road if they are going to win this big game.

If the Hurricanes are going to make amends for their performance at Ohio State it starts tonight. The Hurricanes will be nothing more than an afterthought with a loss tonight at Heinz Field and guys like Jacory Harris who appeared so promising last year with big games only to be throttled on the big stage will not be part of a rich and illustrious legacy in South Florida for which is coach Randy Shannon is a frustrated but highly decorated member in Cane history with two national titles. This game is about what Miami can do. If they cannot it could be Pitt that is the team on the rise.

Slowing down the Quack Attack

After shellacking the University of New Mexico last week 72-0 the Oregon Ducks should feel good abut themselves. They did what they had to do against a 1-11 team. They dominated every phase of the game and celebrated well into the evening after Autzen stadium had shut down and tailgaters drank by the campfires next to Alton Baker Park littering the grounds with chicken wings to be cleaned up and feasted upon by good dog owners who allowed their canine buddies to run free in the mass of green and wooded area.

This week there will be no friendly tailgaters for the Ducks and there still isn't an experienced QB under center. The Ducks will be invading hostile territory as people from country music central in Knoxville, Tennessee will be ready to serenade the Pac 10 defending champs with numerous rounds of Rocky Top and the most courteous of drunken insults from those neighborly southern slurs. If that isn't too cozy for the Ducks the athletes will not be wearing the red and silver with Lobos sewn on their chests. No, these guys will be wearing ice cream orange and will have bad nasty attitudes behind their colorful uniforms. These are after all the Tennessee Volunteers with great history from Peyton Manning to Albert Haynesworth and Jarrod Mayo. These are speedsters like Willie Gault and Peerless Price. This is what Vegas is calling a 13 point underdog

Oregon is a well oiled machine and there is no deer in the headlight syndrome for Chip Kelly in his second year as head coach. These Ducks are out for blood but one thing that slows down the Quack Attack is a big physical and fast defense. This is a defense that was schooled a year ago by Monte Kiffin, this is a team full of top recruits that was one of the best in the nation under one and done head coach Lane Kiffin. These Vols can flat out play football. This is a team that came up a blocked field goal attempt from eliminating the championship dreams of defending national champion Alabama's dreams in "09. So what makes odds makers believe this Duck team is going to go into Knoxville and stomp the Vols?

Perception, the Ducks were so malicious last week in their beat down of New Mexico as they ran out to a 59-0 half time lead there was nothing you saw of the Ducks that was remotely week. After all very few people if any bothered to watch the second half outside the drunken crowd in Autzen.

Fact remains this week there are no Lobos on the field to kick around and there is nothing Autzen like in Knoxville at 110,000 seat Neyland Stadium. It's natural grass and how did the Ducks fair on the grass last year. About as well as former Duck Jeremiah Masoli. The Ducks barely beat UCLA on the good stuff, they lost to Stanford, and were beaten by Ohio State. This will be the first time QB Darron Thomas will be under center in a hostile environment. How will he read a fast and speedy defense capable of making up ground unlike the 1-11 Lobos last week?

This will not be an easy game for the Quack Attack. It might very well be the most difficult on the schedule for the Ducks. This could be the highlight of the year also for both Tennessee and the SEC. Having a premiere team come into the back yard of an SEC East cellar candidate and facing off against the favorite of the Pac 10. I got faith in Chip Kelly. He proved last year he was ready for the big time. Now he has to prove his team is ready for the big time road game. As for the 13 points. I am putting money on the Vols. For all the unpopular things Lane Kiffin has done in his young career and despite not being in Knoxville for this game he will have an impact on this game as he did a whale of a job if only for one year of bringing in top talent and talent can slow down the Ducks and the home crowd can take away some of the Ducks fire just enough to keep this one close.

Final Score prediction 24-20. The Ducks will not score as much and points will be tough to come by.