NCAA Football Picks for Saturday, 9-25-10

I have been asked to provide some information and analysis on the games each week thus in giving the folks what they request here goes my two free picks for Saturday, September 25.

Wyoming +13.5 vs Air Force

By all accounts last week, Wyoming was completely waxed at home vs. Boise St. Boise St was motivated as Wyoming had been circled as a possible trap game after their Sept. 6 win vs Virginia Tech. Boise St. came into the game with their hair on fire and blew out Wyoming, who is a traditionally a tough game when you play them at their place. On the other hand, the Air Force Falcons out gained Oklahoma in Norman before finally falling in a hard fought 27-24 game.

Many squares will look at this game and jump on Air Force; I suggest looking to the other side of this game and grab Wyoming as a 13.5 point home dog. First of all, Wyoming is traditionally a good home team as the trip there is not something most teams are used to making. Also, Wyoming has played two of the top 5 teams in the country thus far losing at Texas and home last week vs. Boise St. On the other hand, while Air Force is always a tough customer, I suspect that last week's game with one of college football's "Blue Bloods" Oklahoma took a lot out of the Falcons mentally and physically. Oklahoma has the type of size and speed that Air Force isn't used to going against and it will show up this week in Wyoming. This will be a close game but in the end Air Force has too much talent. Grab the points and Cowboys.

Air Force 31 Wyoming 23


Texas - 16 over UCLA

Go to Austin Texas and ask them about the "Route 66" game. It may not mean much to you but in Austin it represents the worst loss hung on their beloved Longhorns since 1904. It was September 1997, UCLA had one of their few good teams and they came into Austin to play Texas at a down period (one of the few in their illustrious history). Cade McNown, UCLA's quarterback, had 5 TD passes by halftime and when the day was all said and done UCLA hung a 66-3 loss on the Horns.

Now many of you might be thinking; what does a game some 13-years ago have to do with this game? If you ask that question, you don't understand how big football is in Texas and especially how big college football is in Austin. Believe me, the Texas coaches will remind the current players what UCLA did to their predecessors some 13-years ago. Couple the preceding with Texas, while not as good as last year's team which lost to Alabama in the Title game, being a top 5 team with top 5 talent and UCLA being downright awful. Yes, I know UCLA beat Houston 31-13 last week but Houston lost their QB early and folks, it's Houston- they play in Conference USA. Prior to the Houston game, the Bruins played two BCS schools, at Kansas St. which was a 22-31 loss and Stanford which was a 0-35 loss.

I will be surprised if UCLA cracks 10 points in this game and while I suspect that Texas won't score 66 because Mack Brown has too much class for that; Texas will score enough to cover this paltry spread.

Texas 37 UCLA 10