Jimmy goes Emo/Irish to Cleave Tar Hooves?

Now that Accuscore's Zach Rosenfield helped me to six wins in my current 12-1 streak, I've been checking all over Accuscore's site, tring to glean some wisdom for this weeks games. This is a work in progress, but so far I've taken MISSOURI(-14) over oklahoma state, and michigan state(-1.5) over NORTHWESTERN. I took Missouri because Accuscore had them favored by 14.5, but I could get them at bodog for 14. Oklahoma State puts up alot of points, so I'm not sure they should be this big of a dog, but I figure I got a little bit of a bargain, especially since bodog's line has now moved to 14.5.

I'm very leery of taking State vs N'western, since they always seem to beat us, but the Accuscore mean result is MSU, 27-20, so this seems like a pretty big edge. Accuscore's simulations usually seem to be within 1 or 2 points of the actual spread, so 5.5 seems like an exploitable margin. I think State is in the process of turning over a new leaf with Mark D'Antonio (meaning they play defense now, or at least try to) so maybe they can keep the score down against the Wildcats....

I'm considering Ball State against Western Kentucky, giving 16.5. Accuscore averages their result at 36-16, and has them winning 91% of the time, and 78.6% of the time they "win big." I'm not sure what this means. Is winning by 14 winning big? Fourteen won't cut it here. For that matter, if winning by 10 is winning big, that won't cut it in the Missouri game.

Notre Dame was a nine point dog at North Carolina, but now it's 8.5. I think the line started out at 7.5. I'd like to call Pugilant Mick and berate him, but right now it's too early because he's onn the West Coast. I've been trying to figure out if North Carolina has a mascot man-like enough to use the infamous voodoo doll. The only things I've seen are feet with black on the heels (of course) and a ram's head with overgrown horns. Is this a ram with human feet. This sort of Dr. Moreau hybrid could have some sort of demonic genesis, and ram horns have long been associated with the devil, on Tarot Cards, for instance. On the other hand, there's nothing cloven about these Tar Heels. They ain't the Tar Hooves, savy? Unless some Devilish tendancies have rubbed off from their rivals in Durham....not to mention Wake Forest....

On the other hand, apparantly Jimmy Clausen has now shaved his head, prompting some fans to say he looks like an Emo kid. Is Notre Dame being led by somebody that listens to Joy Division? Or did the golden boy decide, Britney Spears like, to make himself a voodoo doll? Somebody needs to watch Jimmy and make sure he doesn't start cutting himself, or getting a bunch of piercings.

Of course, if Clausen is making a voodoo doll of himself, we still don't know why. By losing the flowing blonde locks he may be rejecting his California Surfer heritage in order to put a hex on USC. What the heck. Nothing else has worked lately. In any case, something tells me Jimmy isn't going all Chris Gaines on us to put a hex on th Tar heels....Or is he? Noth Carolina may have legions of Garth Brooks fans, in which case this could get into their heads. Somebody needs to check and see if Jimmy has concocted an alternate biography, or if he has an album coming out. Maybe in a couple of hours I can give this assignment to Mick.

The average Iowa at Indiana score on Accuscore is 23.4-22.4. This would seem to make the Hoosiers a pick, since they are a 5.5 to 6 point dog. Apparantly nobody respects Indiana, including me, because I'm scared to take them here. On the other hand, I don't really respect Michigan State, but I took them....maybe I'm just a hypocrite.

Similarly, Florida is favored by 6 or 6.5, and accuscore has LSU losing by 2. Here any worry I have about Florida covering is compounded by how difficult it's been for me to handicap the SEC in the past.

Meanwhile, in the other huge game for the day, Texas is still a seven point dog to Oklahoma, but now the vig indicates money is coming in on the Sooners, where earlier it was coming in on Texas. I'm sorely tempted to take the Sooners, but I want to dress up in Burnt Orange and root for the 'Horns at Texas Roadhouse or Hooters, and that would sort of spoil that. Accuscore averages Oklahoma winning by 8.2.

Ball State is now favored by 17, so I probably should have taken them before. I am now. ballstate(-17) over WESTERN KENTUCKY Bodog has no information on Wetern Kentucky, which leads me to believe that they are not Division I.

Tulsa at SMU is another game I probably should have taken earlier, as the line has moved from 24 to 24.5. Accuscore has Tulsa winning by an average of 28.5 though, so what the heck. I could buy a half-point, but I won't. tulsa(-24.5)over SOUTHERN METHODIST. Strangely enough, Accuscore's fan poll has 90% picking Tulsa to beat the spread, but only 84% picking them to win. Maybe more than six percent of them didn't understand the question. If these are the same people John McCain and Sarah M. Palin are targeting on the stump that would explain alot. Six percent is enough to swing most elections.

I'm taking CINCINNATI(-7.5)over rutgers. Accuscore favors Cincy by 11, and I'm going to assume a positive hangover from the Mark D'Antonio era. Money is coming in on Rutgers, so I might wait to see if the line goes back to 7, but there is only about 30 min to gametime.

I'm paying for a 1/2 point, to give me CINCINNATI(-7)over rutgers. Seven is so much more common than the bigger numbers that I think it's worth it.

Accuscore turned me on to Texas Techlast week, and this week they average Texas Tech by 24.5 over Nebraska, while the actual spread is 21.5. Again, here I like paying for a half point. TEXAS TECH(-21)over nebraska.

Accuscore averages Kentucky as winning by 2.5 hosting South Carolina, while the Gamecocks are favored by 3 on bodog. I think I have to take that. KENTUCKY(+3)over south carolina. Money must be poring in on the Wildcats. I just had to pay a 1.25-1 vig. Bodog clearly doesn't want to move the line down, though I'm not sure why theirs was 3 in the first place, since accuscore's was 2.5.

In games I've declined to bet on, Accuscore likes Indiana, Oklahoma, and LSU, so I want to keep track of those as well. Oh yeah, and they like Penn State over Wisconsin by 9 instead of 6. Forgot to mention that one before.