Editor's Note: Lawrence Prezman has won six of his last 10 selections in college football. He's locked and loaded with even more winners this week. Click to win!
Perhaps we should just pick against Florida every Saturday in our weekly trap game story. For the second straight week UF was fortunate to avoid a straight-up upset to one of the worst teams in the SEC West Division. Two weeks ago it was Arkansas nearly winning in the Swamp, while last week Mississippi State was +23 and lost by just 10 in Starkville in a game that was there for the taking. That was unfortunately one of just two correctly predicted trap game covers I hit for the underdog last week. The other was Oregon State getting 20.5 points at USC. The three misses last week were Baylor +9.5 against Oklahoma State, Washington +10 against Oregon and Louisville +18 against Cincinnati. That makes me 10-11-1 on the year.
Let’s get that above .500 this week. Remember, I only take the big underdogs in these potential trap situations:
Ohio State (-44) vs. New Mexico State: Why on earth are the Buckeyes even playing this game in the middle of Big Ten play? Well, the answer is money of course. I am not sure how oddsmakers can give OSU a 44-point cushion. Have they not seen this offense? Don’t get me wrong, this game shouldn’t be close, as the Aggies rank last in the country in offense. But the Buckeyes’ real season starts next week at Penn State – so look for coach Jim Tressel to pull the plug on some key starters fairly early this week, likely ensuring that New Mexico State stays within 35 points or so.
Iowa (-17.5) vs. Indiana: The Hawkeyes lost two starting Robinsons for the rest of the regular season this week: running back Adam and top offensive lineman Dace. The Hawkeyes aren’t a very good offensive team as it is, rankings 86th in the country in scoring. These losses may make them even more conservative. This just smells like that Arkansas State game from earlier this year that Iowa escaped from. The Hawkeyes will win here, but after playing big-time teams Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State in a row, there just has to be a letdown this Saturday.
Notre Dame (-28) vs. Washington State: OK, this one is a bit of a trap for the Irish not because of who they play next week (Navy), but because of where this game is: San Antonio’s Alamodome. Now, it takes some getting used to when playing in a dome. And in my opinion, unfamiliar surroundings for both teams usually helps the underdog. And remember that Notre Dame is the king of the close game: its past six games have been decided by a TD or less. Frankly this will feel like a Notre Dame home game fan wise (it technically is) but I think Wazzu hangs close.
LSU (-35.5) vs. Tulane: OK, Tulane is a lousy team. The program has lost 37 straight games to ranked teams and 17 straight in this series. But this is also the last time the Green Wave will get a chance against their big brothers in the state. Earlier this year, LSU paid Tulane $700,000 to essentially go away, voiding the remaining six years on the contract for this series. LSU basically said it didn’t feel it should have to play at Tulane any longer (in the Superdome). I am thinking the Green Wave are motivated by this. And LSU is at Alabama next week for the lead in the SEC West. I don’t care how good of a coach Les Miles is, there’s no way the Tigers are really focused on the game this week.
