Spreadology 2011

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh +6.5. Sure I'm a Irish homer but the bottom line is cut the 13 turnovers by half and the Irish are 4-0 on the year. Last week Notre Dame dismantled Michigan State who is much better than the Pitt squad the Irish will be facing this week. If recent history is any indication this will be a tightly contested game likely decided in the fourth quarter. I've decided to buck the recent history and take the talent advantage of the Irish to pull away in the second half on the road against the Panthers.


Arkansas vs. Alabama -12. From a talent standpoint Alabama is easily a two touchdown favorite if not more. On defense alone the Tide likely have more NFLers than the entire Razorbacks roster. Though their defense is the countries best I still have concerns with the offense. McCarron seems to have won the full time gig under center and up to this point has been asked to hand the ball off and manage the game. He has excelled with the task up to this point however can he make a play when needed in a close ball game? Though Mallett departed for the NFL, Arkansas offense is still among the best in the SEC and though the loss of RB- Knile Davis Jr. certainly hurts they should have enough offense to move the ball against this Tide defense. Bama wins but I like the value the Hogs give me in this two score affair.


Texans vs. Saints -4. The Texans come into this contest with a 2-0 mark and a scoring differential of +37 which is tied for second best in the NFL heading into the week. One could easily look at that start and summarize that the Texans could very well be morphing into the playoff caliber team most thought they would be three seasons ago. I tend to subscribe to the fact the Texans have played the Colts, who could be among the leagues worst, as well as the Dolphins who don't exactly make a W respectable. In the meantime the Saints have split against two playoff teams from 2010 and at least offensively have not been stopped as of yet. Look for the Saints to continue the offensive fireworks scoring enough in the first 3 quarters to fight off a late surge from the Texans.


Other games for your considerations: Tulsa +28, LSU -5.5, Raiders +3.5, Falcons +1.5, Packers -3.5


YTD- 5-3-1
Last Week 1-1-1