Coming off a huge +20 Unit week, we felt confident the success was going to continue into Week 11 of the college football season, but it was not meant to be. We have had rough weeks before at  Doc’s Sports Service with our football selections, and unfortunately we have to add last week to the list. The highlight of the week was the correct call on a 5-unit play on Nebraska’s come-from-behind victory over Penn State as a seven-point home favorite. It took a very late field goal by the Cornhuskers to cover the spread, so we even had to sweat that one out.

This win puts Nebraska in the driver seat in the Big Ten Legends Division and one step closer to the Rose Bowl since it will be favored in every game it plays between now and conference championship on Dec. 1.  You have to give credit to the Nittany Lions for continuing to show up every week and play their hearts out for the fans in Happy Valley. I am sure that many of them feel that this game was taken away from the Lions by the officials, but I tend to disagree. I believe that the replay booth made the correct call to not overturn the fumble that went into the end zone. There was no clear evidence from the camera angles on the field that disputed the original call. The ruling on the field stood, and boy did we need it!

Taking a break from football for a moment, I just wanted briefly mention that my favorite weekend of the year is coming up with the opening of Wisconsin’s rifle season for deer. I have been an avid hunter my entire life and enjoy the peacefulness that this sport provides as you get a chance to be alone with your thoughts in the beauty of the woods. It is also a great time for family members to return home, and the time I get to spend with my family is irreplaceable. Not to worry, I still carry my handy pager into the woods to keep an eye on Saturday’s early college football games.

The featured game in the Big Ten this week pits undefeated Ohio State on the road against Wisconsin. The fact that the Buckeyes are not in the BCS rankings due to a current postseason ban has taken some of the luster away from this game that would normally had garnered top billing nationally, but it still has our full attention here at Doc’s. Wisconsin sealed the Leaders Division title by putting up an impressive 62 points in a romp over Indiana last Saturday. Quarterback Curt Phillips took over for the injured Joel Stave, but all he had to do was hand the ball off as the Badgers gained an incredible 564 yards on the ground. This prevents me from making a true judgment on his ability until I see him in action against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off a bye and clearly remain the best team in the conference, so it will be quite the test for the youngster. Wisconsin enters this game as a slight favorite, but it is just too close to call. The total might pique my interest as I will be debating on which way to go based on Wednesday’s updated line. The rest of this Saturday’s Big Ten schedule is pretty weak with Penn State and Michigan heavy favorites at home and Purdue facing off against Illinois.

The college football scene and BCS rankings were shaken to the core this past Saturday night with Alabama’s stunning loss to Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide’s inexperience finally caught up with them after a close call against LSU last week. The Aggies took full advantage by jumping out to a 20-0 lead against Alabama and held on for the improbable 29-24 victory. The Tide had their chances to take the lead in the second half, but this inexperience was never more evident than in a few costly turnovers inside the red zone. This is not to take anything away from Texas A&M, which went out and proved in belongs among the elite teams in the SEC. Freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel lived up to all the hype on Saturday night and continues to beat teams with both his arm and his legs. He has already established himself as the best quarterback in the SEC and is well on his way to making the fans in College Station forget all about Ryan Tannehill. 

Alabama’s stunning loss looks like it will mark the end of the SEC’s six-year streak of producing the National Champion unless something crazy happens with the three undefeated teams in front of it in the BCS poll. It still is possible that the Tide could work their way back into the top two spots, but I do not see it happening unless USC can play the role of spoiler against both Notre Dame and possibly Oregon.

The Ducks play two of their three remaining games in Eugene. Another bonus for Oregon is that the Pac-12 Championship Game is played at the home stadium of the division winner with the best conference record. The Ducks face a stiff test next weekend in their annual Civil War rivalry against Oregon State in Corvallis, but the Beavers’ offense will struggle to keep pace with one of the highest-powered offensives in the nation. Oregon State will have to play its best game of the season, especially on defense, to have any shot at pulling off the upset.

Kansas State is currently No. 1 in the BCS and with two winnable games on the slate to close out the season. It should remain atop the standings. The Wildcats still have to play Texas, which many people point to as a potential trap game, but the Longhorns have one of the worst defenses in the country. Baylor should give K-State a tougher run for its money this Saturday since the game will be played in Waco. Notre Dame remains on the outside looking in and has to hope that one of these teams does trip up to open the door for its shot at playing in the BCS Championship Game.

Before wrapping up this week’s article, I wanted to take the time to let all you college basketball fans out there know that Doc’s Sports college basketball season is set to tip off this Saturday, Nov.17. Our full-time staff handicapper is back for another season after posting a record-breaking performance last year. Doc’s Sports was up an amazing +173 units; meaning that our $100 bettors walked away with an overall profit of +$12,940. This incredible winning streak made us the No. 1 handicapper on numerous watchdog sites last year such as Sports Capping and Las Vegas’ Top Dogs. This year’s package gives you every selection that we make through the Final Four next April for the low price of just $950. To take a closer look at our complete record from the 2011-2012 season, just click here! Saturday is just a few days away, so be sure to give Doc’s a call at 1-800-356-9182 to avoid missing any of the college basketball action!

We expect to rebound in a big way on Saturday, and we want to take you along for the ride. So be sure to give us a call for all the information about everything we have to offer.

That is it for this week