November 20th picks Part 1

Top Picks


Wisconsin -4
Northwestern+7.5 and over 49
Cal/Stanford over 50
Wyoming -2.5

Leans

Cal +6.5
Colorado +2.5

Writeups

Wisconsin- This team has been flying pretty far under the radar, everyone has them ranked pretty high but they get almost no BCS consideration. A win here probably does not change the perception but it will probably continue to help their computer rankings. The reality is that Michigan has not stopped anyone and Wisconsin’s defense line will wreak havoc with Michigan’s timing on offense and Michigan will not win with their defense so look for a pretty easy Wisconsin win and cover.

Northwestern- Sure, we all know the novelty and ridiculous way the game is being played at Wrigley and that attention will be very beneficial for the red shirt freshman playing in place of Persa. I do look for NU to focus more on the run game and for them to throw more deep passes. This will end up being an unknown for the Illini defense who really won’t know what to prepare for. Illinois’ offense will be effective as well and will be able to score on NU. It will come down to the last possession but the final tally for either winner will be less than 7.

Cal/Stanford over- I was seemingly one of the few on the Oregon/Cal under last week and I think there are a lot of people looking for a repeat of that type of game this week. I expect the opposite. Stanford seems to be winding down on defense each week and have dodged quite a few bullets in their wins. Cal’s defense is hit or miss and likely will be a miss this week after laying it all out on the field last week. Cal’s offense will be confident coming into this game as well as they have the edge over Stanford in recent years. So I recommend not trying to outsmart yourself and get on the over.

Wyoming- This is more of a go against CSU. The rams have played a lot of young guys and the fact that this the last game for the Seniors does not matter to the freshman and sophomores nor does it appear that they are up for this rivalry game. I look for Wyoming to play with much more purpose and get a nice win to help ease the sting of a rough season.

Cal- Since I think this will be a high scoring game, their will be some volatility but Cal knows they can beat Stanford and will keep it close and a SU is not out of the question.

Colorado- As crazy as it seems, the Buffs are in still in contention for a bowl game. It was a great move to fire Hawkins early as opposed to waiting. That pressure is off the players and they don’t have to worry about what was inevitable. K-State is talented but not a team that is playing with much confidence. I think the Buffs play loose and K-State continues to make error and blows this road game.