This is the week you have all been waiting for! This is the week that I have patiently waited for to pull the trigger on our Big Ten Game of the Year. This is the selection that won 19 years in a row in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. For complete details you can contact me direct @ (800) 356-9182 through our main sports office. That being said, I will not mention anything about the Big Ten in this week's column.

One of the many handicapping thoughts and theories is how a team will respond coming off a bye week. Does it really help a team that much? I personally feel that it probably only helps 50 percent of the time, certainly not an edge to boast your own winning percentage. I do believe it helps a team that has a rash of injuries. It also helps a young team by allowing the coaches to settle them down and focus on the upcoming games. Two teams that are playing this week coming off byes are North Carolina and Georgia. Both are underdogs, but I would not be surprised in both of these team win straight-up.

The Tar Heels are a very young team under first-year Coach Butch Davis. He took over a program that had its cupboard emptied under former Coach John Bunting. Yes, I realize their record is only 2-5. However, take a look at their last three games. They beat Miami and lost to Virginia Tech and South Carolina by less then a touchdown. They out gained both of those opponents despite suffering the setback. This week they face Wake Forest, who is coming off a big victory over Navy, a game in which we picked up 4-units. UNC played the ACC Champions well last year losing, 24-17 and did out gain them by 100 yards. I expect this to happen again, as the dog gets the call.

The other team that I mentioned coming off a bye is the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dogs already have a big road win in Tuscaloosa against Alabama and in Nashville against Vanderbilt. Now they are set to battle Florida in Jacksonville in the, "Worlds Largest Cocktail Party." The Bulldogs have had no success in this matchup, losing 15 of the last 17 meetings, but the last five have been decided by seven points or less.

As I look at Florida, this is a team that should come in flat after playing Auburn, LSU, and Kentucky their last three games, two of which they lost. Check out the injuries for the Gators, as they will enter this game banged up. I see great value in using Georgia as a selection, especially with a point spread near double-digits.

One has to wonder just how long Florida State will continue to be happy with Coach Bobby Bowden at the helm. The Seminoles spent a fortune during the off-season to revamp their coaching staff, but it does not appear to have paid any dividends. They still have a respectable defense under Mickey Andrews, but their offense is still horrible and is nothing like is was during the 1990s. This week they face Duke, the perennial bottom feeder in the ACC Conference. This has always been a game to get healthy; however, if Duke does not let the FSU defense score points, getting 17 points may be worth a serious look.

This Wisconsin/Indiana game will feature numerous events in Madison, Wisconsin. It is homecoming and will also feature the retirement of No. 33, Ron Dayne. Dayne was unbelievable during his four years at Wisconsin and I had a chance to watch most of his games in person. He left as the all-time leader in rushing yards and was a first round draft choice of the New York Giants. He never was a No. 1 running back in the pros but did have his moments. He always lacked an initial burst to get to the hole quick enough and was non-existent catching the ball out of the backfield. He will receive a warm reception this Saturday, as he is still beloved by Badger fans.

The NFL is now seven weeks old and it appears to be a two-team race between New England and Indianapolis. Everything feels that New England is by far the best team in the league, but I am not sold on there defense. They have given up lots of points this season to bad teams. We used Miami as a selection last week and they scored 28 points despite having no quarterback. In the opinion of this writer, Indy is still the team to beat and I expect them to knock off the Patriots when they meet in two weeks. New England is getting all the hype and that is just the way the Colts like it. Expect the number to be low in that game, but I like the Colts and will probably use them as a selection. Bob Sanders makes a world of difference for the Indy defense.

You may have noticed on our Web site that our basketball packages are now posted for the upcoming season. The NBA Picks are done out our Las Vegas office and we have hired a full time handicapper who follows that sport religiously and had was No. 1 last year on this site. The season starts next week and I would encourage you to invest some your football winnings on our NBA Picks Service. The Early Bird Special is only $549 and service starts on Oct. 30.

The college game is still what I follow and the selections for that sport our done out of our main office in Wisconsin. We had an outstanding year in 2006-2007, finishing No. 1 overall, picking up +127 units and going 7-0 with our Conference Game of the Year selections. Most of this damage was done during the regular season, as we lost a few units in the tournament, but did select Florida to win it all for a second straight year. The official start day is Saturday, Nov. 24, but we will have some small plays on games up until that point. Early Bird packages are now posted and we are offering it for the same price as football, allowing you to have access to every selection that we make through the final four in April for only $725. Expect another big year and we would love to have you aboard for what will surely another outstanding season.

This is my favorite week of the season, as our Big Ten Game of the Week will be released this week. To purchase it sign-up for one of our many football packages, all of which come with a guarantee.

Best of Luck,
Doc