LAS VEGAS — Still stuck on that 75 percent win rate. I’ll keep trying to do better.
Gonna roll up to Chestnut Hill and try Virginia Tech over Boston College. BC started the year with a bang, jumping out to a 4-0 record, but the Eagles have lost FOUR in a row, and there’s a reason. His name is Phil Jurkovec.
The two QBs who have stepped in for Jurkovec have been, shall we say, less than. Dennis Grosel (9/17 for 93 yards) and Emmett Morehead (6/15 for 87 yards) stats from last week AIN’T the answer. But it’s the Eagles defense that is getting SHREDDED. Specifically, the Boston College rush defense, which is trending in the wrong direction in a BIGLY way. In the last two games, Syracuse and Louisville gobbled up 624 yards on the ground against BC, with SIX TDs.
And now that the Hokies are establishing their own potent ground attack (237 yards last week against Georgia Tech), this should be a steady dose of SMASHMOUTH football. V-Tech for the money.
NBA Pick
Then you can swing out west with me for some NBA action and grab the Blazers -4 points over the Pacers. It’s a small sample size, but Indiana has NOT won a game yet away from home this season, as in OH & FOUR. And since Portland is one of the toughest places for a road team to find a win, we’re gonna throw some cash at the Blaze.
College Football Pick
Are you a fan of the letdown theory in college football? If you are, then you’re probably betting Purdue over Michigan State. We AIN’T! And this is why. The Spartans are sitting at 8-0, No. 3 in the college football playoff rankings.
With Ohio State on the table in a few weeks, Sparty has GOTTA be all-in on Purdue. And since MSU’s strength is the run game, and the Boilermakers have YUGE problems stopping it (they gave up 290 yards to Wiscy), then you need to throw a handful of chips at Michigan State.
Shift to the evening, and we’re recommending Alabama -28 over LSU. Yeah, TWENTY-EIGHT. Why would anyone lay such a ginormous bundle? Well, REVENGE to start. Scroll back to 2019 when the Tigers came to Tuscaloosa and posted a wild 46-41 victory over the Crimson Tide.
Someone got hold of a video from the LSU locker room that showed Ed Orgeron going kinda ballistic. He told his players, “We’re going to beat their ass in recruiting! We’re going to beat their ass every time they see us! You understand me? Roll tide, what? F--- you!” Damn.
Apparently, Nick Saban is not about revenge. SURE, wink, wink! So why were all the screens at the training facility playing back all the losses from the previous years?
Hmmmmm. One other tiny point. ’Bama is pretty good off rest. Last season, the Tide came into the Kentucky game with a few weeks off and OBLITERATED the Wildcats 63-3. So, revenge + rest = BLOWOUT CITY, BAABBBEEE!
NFL Pick
If Kyler Murray sits, then we are ALL-IN on the 49ers. San Francisco played the Cards in Week 5 at Arizona and came up on the short end of a 17-10 score. So Eck, what’s changed?
Well, the QB spot has changed from Trey Lance back to Jimmy Garoppolo. In that loss, Lance was 15-for-29 for only 192 yards, and they got just 43 yards from Elijah Mitchell. Last week, in the Niners’ 33-22 win over the Bears, Jimmy G hit on 17 of 28 for 322 yards, and Mitchell EXPLODED for 137 on the ground.
Again, if Murray is out, we rush for the gold and rock the 49ers. If Kyler plays, still like San Fran, but would dial back the wager by half.
And if you want more picks this weekend on the college and NFL board, PLZ hit me on Instagram. I will be doing quick 15-second picks at www.instagram.com/vegasvigoris
Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America's Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him online at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. If you wanna piece of Eck, hit his Email...ben@americasline.com.
