Our college football Lockness Monsters have seen better days, but it’s never too late to get going.
Last week we were hampered by Michigan State unable to stop Oregon’s offense in the fourth quarter and BYU striking again on a late touchdown, to eliminate a push against Boise State.
Here’s our college football Lockness Monsters for week 3.
Last Week: 2-3 ATS
Season: 3-7 ATS
Nebraska (+3) at Miami
Oddsmakers are giving us three points in this game? Book the Huskers.
Miami isn’t that good. Even with several NFL players during the last few seasons, Miami still hasn’t been good. This year, there’s less talent, so what should bettors expect? They should expect an even worse team, which has too much youth up front to induce confidence in them covering three points.
The betting public has been on this from the beginning, with the opening line moving from 4.5 points to now 3. The Huskers are a Hail Mary away from being undefeated, and they are the better team in this game. Take the points and go with the Big 10. — Go against the chalk with Nebraska
Georgia Tech (-3) at Notre Dame
If you’ve been paying attention, you know how much we like Georgia Tech.
We’re not wavering from that position in this game.
Even with a full bill of health, we’d still take Georgia Tech. Granted, the Yellow Jackets haven’t played anyone this year, but that offense pretty much returned everyone from last year, and it was rolling as well as any team toward the end of the season.
The offense hasn’t stopped producing this season, and we don’t see the Irish stopping the Yellow Jackets consistently.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, it enters this game with several injury concerns, including at the quarterback position where DeShone Kaizer will take over for Malik Zaire. The Irish already were a risky pick to be included with the top echelon of college football teams, and now it seems almost impossible for Notre Dame to compete at a high level each week.
We believe Georgia Tech to be a top-10 team in college football. It will prove that on Saturday against the Irish. — Go chalk with Georgia Tech
Florida at Kentucky (+3.5)
At some point, our Kentucky bandwagon will come crashing to a halt. But it won’t be this week.
Oddsmakers punished South Carolina hard for losing against the Wildcats last week, making the Gamecocks more than two-touchdown underdogs this week against Georgia. We don’t believe they should have been that harsh, considering we believe the Wildcats to be a solid team in the SEC.
Florida looked very beatable last week, as did many SEC teams, so Kentucky won’t be fearful of the Gators coming into Lexington.
In fact, Kentucky’s offense should move the ball with some consistency against the Gators, and this game will be another opportunity for the Wildcats to prove something to the rest of the nation. Being home underdogs will motivate Kentucky, and it won’t be long until the betting public wakes up to Kentucky.
Don’t sleep on the Wildcats. They have enough talent to keep up with the Gators, and this should be close. — Go against the chalk with Kentucky
Mississippi (+7) at Alabama
It’s not smart to pick against Alabama…especially in Tuscaloosa.
We’re not scared of a little history, though. Alabama has lost three games at home since 2010.
What’s not so scary is that during that same time, the Crimson Tide are only one game over .500 against the spread at home. Oddsmakers continually overvalue the Crimson Tide, whether on the road or at home, and this is another game where that’s the case.
The Rebels are as talented as the Crimson Tide. Go ahead and judge the quarterback, backfield, offensive line, the front seven and the secondary. If you’re being honest, you will see that Mississippi is as talented as the Crimson Tide in those positions.
This should be a good game and Mississippi won’t be intimidated. We know it’s scary to pick against Alabama at home, but don’t be frightened. Mississippi won’t be on Saturday. — Go against the chalk with Mississippi
Auburn (+7) at LSU
LSU head coach Les Miles did what he does best last week against Mississippi State. LSU was by far the more talented team, but Miles’ inability to make adjustments caused the score to be much closer than it should have been.
The result ended with the Tigers not covering.
LSU may be the most talented team again this week, but in terms of a coaching matchup, this game isn’t even close. We’re not overreacting to Auburn’s near-loss to Jacksonville State. Gus Malzahn will make adjustments and in college football, this is a week-to-week game. One week a team may be terrible, and the next it can be national champions.
Auburn will likely be tired of being overlooked by the national media. Don’t get caught up in the hype train against Auburn. — Go against the chalk with Auburn
