The 2010 college football season comes to a close tonight for the pros at FiveStarPick.com and I have to say that it’s a very sad day for all of us.  We have been working overtime for our members today to analyze tonight’s BCS Championship Game between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide and we look forward to another spread winner in tonight’s finale.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  Alabama as 4-point favorites with a total of 45. Early action on Alabama pushed the line to as high as 5.5, but the betting public has since moved the line back down to 4 as more money has come in on the Longhorns.

Alabama (13-0 SU, 8-5 Against The Spread) is coming off an emotional win in the SEC Championship game against Florida.  It was the Tide’s best performance of the season as they crushed the Gators, 32-13, at the Georgia Dome. The Tide took the cash as a 5.5-point ‘dog and money-line backers hit a winner with a plus-170 return (risk $100 to get $170).

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was the star of the show rushing for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He also had two catches totalling 76 yards, one of those a 69-yard screen pass in the second quarter.  Junior quarterback Greg McElroy came into his own as well completing 12-of-18 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. 

McElroy will need to take care of the football tonight if he expects to win a National Title tonight for the Tide.  McElroy has a 17/4 TD-INT ratio and has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,450 yards on the season. Ingram rushed 249 times for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry on his season. Through the air, Julio Jones is McElroy’s top target and has 42 catches for 573 yards and four touchdowns against SEC secondaries.

Texas (13-0 straight up, 5-7-1 against the spread) had its hands full against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Longhorns managed a 13-12 win thanks to a 46-yard field goal as time expired. The win didn’t come without drama as Colt McCoy threw an incomplete pass with the clock at double zero.  The Cornhuskers began to rush the field to celebrate the upset, when all of a sudden, a second mysteriously reappeared on the clock. That was all the Longhorns needed. Regardless, Nebraska backers easily cashed as 14 point dogs.

Texas QB Colt McCoy was not on his game that night. He connected on 20-of-36 throws for 186 yards, but threw three interceptions. On the flip side, the Longhorn defense was incredible, limiting Nebraska to 106 yards of total offense.

But we expect McCoy to be back on form tonight.  Barring the Big 12 Championship Game, McCoy has connected on 70.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards with a 27/12 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.  He also has senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley as his #1 target.  Shipley has 106 receptions for 1,363 yards and 11 touchdowns. It won’t be easy for Shipley tonight as he will have to face Alabama’s Javier Arenas, who is one of the SEC premier cover corners.

Now let’s talk trends…During Mac Brown’s tenure in Austin, Texas has been an underdog 16 times and have gone 11-5 against the spread. As for Alabama, it has a 7-1 Against The Spread record in its last eight games as a single-digit favorite. The Tide has seen the ‘under’ go 5-2-1 in its last eight games, while Texas has seen the ‘over’ go 3-1 in the Longhorns’ last four.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the BCS Championship, try FiveStarPick.com and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

After another bowl win last night with Boise State +7, the 2010 Bowl Season continues tonight for the pros at FiveStarPick.com.  We have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s FedEx Orange Bowl between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and we look forward to another spread winner tonight.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  Georgia Tech as 5-point favorites with a total of 50. Georgia Tech opened in most books as a 3-point favorite back in December, but the betting public has moved the line up to 5.

Georgia Tech (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) boasts the second-best rushing attack in the country behind running back Jonathan Dwyer (1,346 yards, 14 TDs) and quarterback Josh Nesbitt (991 yards, 18 TDs). But the Iowa defense is only giving up 122 rushing yards per game and has a very solid secondary.

Iowa (10-2 straight up, 7-3 against the spread) will be rallying behind their quarterback Ricky Stanzi (2,186 yards, 15 TDs, 14 INTs).  Stanzi is back under center after a being out for the last half of the season due to an ankle injury and he will be facing a Georgia Tech defense (24.8 ppg) that was very suspect this year, especially against the pass.  Many Iowa fans believe that if Stanzi didn’t go down with the injury that Iowa may have been Rose Bowl bound.

What bettors want to know is whether or not the Jackets will be overlooking another “lack-luster” team from the Big Ten or will the Tech read-option offensive attack hold up? The Big Ten has gone 4-2 Against The Spread in this year’s bowls and the three losses came by 1, 3 and 10 points. The ACC has gone 3-3 Against The Spread in its six bowl appearances this season.

Last year, Georgia Tech met LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl but the Tigers pounced in a 35-3 victory. The loss extended the Jackets’ losing streak 0-4 in their last 4 bowl games. The Gerogia Tech defense has given up 38, 38, 40 and 35 during this losing stretch.

Last year, Iowa put the hammer down on South Carolina, 31-10, in the Outback Bowl.  In the Hawkeyes last seven bowl appearances, they are 6-1 Against The Spread with the one loss being against USC (38-17) in the 2002 Orange Bowl.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Orange Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The 2010 Bowl Season continues on January 4th and the pros at FiveStarPick.com are working overtime to analyze the  Fiesta Bowl between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Boise State Broncos.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list  TCU as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 55.

TCU (12-0 straight up, 8-3 against the spread) believed they would have a shot at the National Title game with a Texas loss, but they fell behind the Bearcats in the final BCS standings.

Boise State (13-0 SU, 8-4 Against The Spread) is looking to pick up its second BCS victory.  The Broncos averaged 42 ppg over their last seven wins this season and covered spreads as high as 30-points twice. The Broncos have an offensive line that has given up the fewest sacks in the nation (5) and their offensive unit leads the FBS in scoring (44.2 points per game). That kind of protection has allowed QB Kellen Moore to complete 65 percent of his passes for 3,325 yards, 39 touchdowns and only three interceptions.  Moore is tops in the nation in quarterback rating (167.4).

Boise State’s O Line doesn’t just prevent sacks, they also provide the blocking for the 20th most productive ground game in the nation (194.5 Rushing YPG). Their two stud running backs help as well.  Jeremy Avery has rushed for 1,131 yards and six scores, while Doug Martin has 723 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Last year these two teams met in the Poinsettia Bowl where TCU came away with a 17-16 win as a 3.5-point favorite. The Broncos were only able to muster 250 yards of total offense in that game, so Boise State will need to watch a lot of film and learn from last year’s mistakes to come away with a win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Texas Christian has one of the elite defenses in the country.  The Horned Frogs are 3rd in the country against the run (80.5 YPG) and 4th in the country defending the pass (152.8 YPG).  Their defensive line is averaging 2.7 sacks per game and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes leads the nation with 11 ½ sacks.

TCU’s offense has playmakers too.  The Horned Frogs ranked 4th in the country in yards per game (469.1) this year. QB Andy Dalton was the Mountain West Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,484 yards, 22 touchdowns and a passer rating of 159.6.

Dalton also has a good running game behind him.  The TCU rushing unit ranks 5th in the nation (256.5 YPG) on the ground behind 4 running backs.  Joseph Turner leads that crew with 732 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…The Broncos have been dogs only 7 times in the last 5 years going 2-4-1 Against The Spread in those meetings. TCU is 34-15 Against The Spread as a favorite under Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs are 5-2 Against The Spread in the postseason since 2002. Boise State is 3-2 Against The Spread in its last five bowls appearances. TCU is 18-9 Against The Spread dating back to 1996 against the WAC, while Boise State is 4-0 Against The Spread in its 4 games as a dog against the Mountain West.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Fiesta Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The 2010 Bowl Season continues today and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s Alamo Bowl between the Michigan State Spartans and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Texas Tech as 7-point favorites with a total of 59.5.

In their season finale, Michigan State (6-6 straight up, 4-6-1 against the spread) got their but handed to them by Penn State, 42-14.  Later that night a group of Spartan players got into a brawl with some frat boys at a local nightclub. The following evening, several players decided that they were going to bring the hood to the frat house and bust a cap. So far 11 players have been disciplined for their actions including running back Glenn Winston and safety Roderick Jenrette who were ousted from the program.

The Spartans biggest losses from the incident were their top two wide receivers, B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell. This duo accounted for 1,090 yards and five scores; which could pose a big problem for QB Kirk Cousins and his #1 ranked Big Ten passing game (271.2 YPG). In addition, they Red Raider defense is second only to Pittsburgh nationally with 39.0 sacks on the season.

If the Spartans can’t pass the ball tonight, they will have to look to their defense to stop the Red Raider attack.  But over the last three games, MSU has given up 1,541 total yards in their last 3 games including 251.6 passing YPG ranking 103rd in the nation.  Not so good.

Texas Tech (8-4 SU, 7-4 Against The Spread) has had it’s own distractions recently.  Head coach Mike Leach was fired by the school for insubordination stemming from allegations of mistreating a player that was diagnosed with a concussion. The question is whether or not the team can rally behind the adversity.

Texas Tech was second only to Houston in passing offense with 380.7 YPG under QB Taylor Potts.  In his last two starts, Potts completed 65 percent of his passes for 657 yards and four touchdowns to collect wins against Oklahoma and Baylor.  In addition, Junior running back Baron Batch has 784 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009 which is the most yards a running back has had at Texas Tech in many years.

Defensively, Texas Tech is giving up only 21.8 points per game as been getting great pressure on the quarterback.

Now let’s talk trends…The Red Raiders are 3-2 SU in their last five bowl games, but just 1-4 Against The Spread.  The Over has gone 4-1 in those matchups.  Michigan State hasn’t been a dominant force either boasting a 2-6 SU and 3-5 Against The Spread record in their past eight postseason tilts.  The Over is 14-8 in the last five years for the Spartans when posted as underdogs. MSU is 4-18 SU and 9-13 Against The Spread during the same stretch. Texas Tech is an impressive 33-9 SU as a favorite over the past five seasons, but just 20-22 Against The Spread.  The Red Raiders are 1-3 SU and 0-4 Against The Spread in their last four meetings against the Big Ten.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Alamo Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

Happy New Year to all our members and congratulations on another winning season.  It’s now 2010 as the Bowl Season continues and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working overtime to analyze tonight’s AllState Sugar Bowl between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Florida Gators.  Las Vegas Sportsbooks list Florida as 13-point favorites with a total of 62.

Earlier this month, Cincinnati and Florida both were unbeaten and jockying for the chance at a spot in the national championship game.  Now both clubs are in turmoil as two of the nation’s premier coaches in Brian Kelly and Urban Meyer have caused college football chatrooms and ESPN analysts to act like gossip hunters on TMZ.  First the news that Kelly was leaving Cincinnati to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame and then a breaking story that Meyer might not make it to his 46th birthday due to a heart condition.

So then the announcement that Steve Adazzio is now UF’s interim head coach, while Jeff Quinn takes over the reigns for the Bearcats tonight.  To add to the drama, Quinn was just named the new head coach at Buffalo, so he’s bailing n Cincy after the game.  Then you have the story line of new Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones who was hired just days after Kelly announced his departure for South Bend.  Jones has said he plans to retain only one assistant currently on the Bearcats’ staff.  Then you have a story about UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong being named the new head coach at Louisville and Billy Gonzalez, UF’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, announce he is leaving UF to help out Les Miles at LSU.

Oh the drama which is college football…

Florida’s national championship hopes were crushed in the Georgia Dome earlier this month when Alabama took them to the woodshed with a 32-13 victory as a 5-point dog.  Florida had not given up more than 20 points (Arkansas) all year long and tonight will face a Bearcat offense with some firepower. In addition, the Gators will be without defensive starter in LB A.J. Jones (knee), however DE Carlos “DUI” Dunlap has been reistated for tonight’s game.  The big question on everyone’s mind here inVegas is whether or not Florida will suffer from a SEC Championship hangover. Only time will tell.

Cincinnati (12-0 SU, 6-6 Against The Spread) continued their unbeaten regular season by rallying in the final seconds to beat Pitt, 45-44.  Pitt took a 44-38 lead with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, but Tony Pike threw a touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone to Armon Binns on a double move with 33 seconds remaining.

Pike finished his injury plagued season with a 26/6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has one of the country’s top wide receivers in Mardy Gilyard.  The NFL scouts will be watching Gilyard a lot tonight as he will be matched up against UF junior CB Joe Haden, another projected early first-round pick.  Gilyard has a team-high 80 receptions for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Now let’s talk trends…Obviously the Bearcats do not have the same strength of schedule the Gators have, but they beat Oregon St., 28-8, as one-point road favorites. Other notable wins included a 49-36 win over Illinois and 28-20 home win over Fresno St.

Florida was a double-digit favorite in every game they played except the Alabama game and ended the regular season with a 6-5 against the spread record.  The Bearcats were underdogs just once in 2009 beating Rutgers 47-15 as 4.5-point ‘dogs in their season opener.  Cincy was 6-6 in their over/under campaign, while the ‘under’ was 8-4 overall for the Gators.

If you are wondering who will cover the spread in the Sugar Bowl, try FiveStarPick.com tonight and eliminate the guesswork. For only $19.99 you can test us out and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com