Last week we released our 7-Unit Nonconference College Game of the Year, and it found the winner’s circle with Maryland’s 32-21 victory over Connecticut as a six-point favorite on the road. The Terrapins made us work for this win with three turnovers and two stalled drives on fourth down. However, in the end a win is a win.

This game was only available on ESPN3, which means I had to watch it on a little computer screen, which made things even more nerve-racking at times, but when the final sack of the game sealed the win, it all seemed worth it. Maryland completely dominated this game with 500 yards of total offense but continually shot itself in the foot with numerous bonehead plays.

Hats off to a Terrapins’ defense that won this game for us, It shut down Connecticut for most of the game except for a fourth-quarter 75-yard touchdown pass that made things a bit too close for comfort. In the end they got the job done to preserve the 11-point win. This was our third ‘top play in college football, and all three picks won the game by double-digits. We will have another top play on this Saturday’s college football slate, and be sure to keep an eye out for our 7-Unit College Game of the Year in two weeks.

Some of the customer feedback on the Maryland game centered around the line shifting from 6.5 to four right before the start of the game. Some thought this was a bad sign, but in effect it turned out to be a better line for our pick. Lines tend to move a lot between -3.5 to -6.5 because three and seven are key numbers. We would always alert you if something came up in the game, but that was obviously not the case this time around. You should always try and get the best possible line you can find when it keeps moving in your favor, but most times a strong pick will hold up in light of some late movement no matter what direction it changes in.

The other question some customers had about this game was whether or not to load up on the play since we were so excited on the pick. Anyone here at Doc’s Sports would always tell you the same thing; follow our Unit Betting System to the tee with your usual unit bet. There are just too many variables in a game that can change its course at any given time, especially in college football. A perfect example of this was last Saturday’s Alabama game. The Tide had a comfortable lead and were dominating the game in the second half, but a couple of breaks here and a big play there whittled the final score down to just seven points.

When Doc’s Sports releases any of our Game of the Year selections, we have a confidence level of 70 to 75 percent, so that means we still have a 25-30 percent chance of being wrong. Smart bettors always bet with their head and avoid the temptation to go full tilt on a game that looks like a sure thing.

The rest of our selections for last week were rather forgettable. We continued to struggle in the NFL, and Alabama and Notre Dame dragged us down with picks on the “under”. After lighting up the NFL with our preseason picks, we have quickly gone in the opposite direction once the games started counting for real. For the next couple of weeks, we will be lowering the unit value in the NFL while keeping the unit values the same for college football. The reason behind this move is that we have a better feel for collegiate ranks right now, and money is money regardless of the sport that you bet on!

One of the most controversial games this past Saturday involved my hometown team, Wisconsin, on the road in Tempe against Arizona State, which is the school that I graduated from. It was truly a “Seinfeld” moment when my two worlds collided, although all along I was still rooting for the Badgers. They found themselves inside the Sun Devils 20-yard line and went to take a knee to set up a potential game-winning field goal. The ASU players effectively kept the clock moving by sitting on the ball while the referees all looked clueless as to what to do. Time ran out before Wisconsin could get its field goal unit on the field and lost the game by two points. The end result was a devastating loss for the new Badger Coach Gary Andersen and a landmark win for Todd Graham at ASU.

So what could Wisconsin have done differently down the stetch? It could have either kicked the field goal with 18 seconds left or made sure to get the ball back into the official’s hands. This will hopefully be a valuable learning experience for the Pac-12 refs who have already been reprimanded and will most likely be facing some kind of suspension. If you did not happen to catch the tweet that was sent out by former Badgers’ coach Bret Bielema’s wife, be sure to check it out!

Just three weeks into the new college football season and two high-profile programs’ head coaches are already on the hot seat; Mack Brown at Texas and Bo Pelini at Nebraska. Both are coming off pounding at home against fringe Top 20 teams, which just does not sit right with the fans and the alumni. Pelini has not been able to win big games at Nebraska with Taylor Martinez at quarterback, and last week’s loss to UCLA may be the last straw. The Cornhuskers have a favorable schedule from here on but probably can’t afford even one more loss.

As for Mack Brown, it is hard to blame the Longhorns’ poor start is all on him as this team has really been decimated by injuries, including starting quarterback David Ash and wide Receiver Daje Johnson. Once they get these guys back in the lineup, I believe Texas has a chance to salvage the season. Look for us to possibly use them from here on in since the numbers will be short from now until the end of the season.

If you do want to get on Brown for something legitimate, then it would probably be Texas’s recruiting efforts over the past few years. This program has missed out numerous high school blue chippers from Texas, including Johnny Manziel. Some of this could have to do with the Longhorn Network’s weekly commitments as everyone in the state knows everything about Texas football now, including both injury and scouting reports.

Speaking of injuries, Doc always believed that this is one of the most overrated factors in handicapping unless it pertains to a team’s starting quarterback. Most major programs have around 75 scholarship players, so the backups are oftentimes as talented as the starters. The exception to that rule is at the quarterback position as an injury to a starter can change the entire complexion of the game. Go back to Maryland’s dire situation last year after it lost its top three signal callers. Things got so bad there that the Terps had to resort to a linebacker taking snaps under center.

A team that might fit that bill this season would be Nevada. Its current injury report has two quarterbacks listed as well as its starting running back and numerous other players. If Cody Fajardo does not play, we will be using Hawaii as the pick for this Saturday’s game.

The highlight of this week’s college card is Arizona State on the road in Palo Alto to take on Stanford. The Sun Devils come in hot after last week’s win, but Stanford is an extremely talented and balanced team. It would not surprise me if ASU gets down big early but continues to throw the football to make a late run to get the final spread close to the closing line. This is a game I will be watching but not betting on.
 
Despite last week’s downturn, we are still up $2,300 on the season and confident that we are headed back to the winner’s circle with this week’s picks. I would love to have you along for the ride, so now is the time to jump on board! Best of Luck this week, and together let’s get it done

Sincerely,

Max Powers