Here’s how I’m doing:

Last week: 2-2
On the season: Still got a ways to go
What I would’ve been had BC just scored two more points: 3-1

This week’s locks:

-South Florida @ Rutgers (+2): Based on how this season has gone thus far, Rutgers upsetting and someone else being thrust into the BCS Title game picture would only be fitting. Next up: Boston College. Rutgers win in an upset.

-Louisville (-3) @ Connecticut: I don’t have to look at who Connecticut has played to know their record is a bit inflated. I said last week Louisville as a ten point underdog was ridiculous. This week is no different. A three point favorite? Not with that offense. Connecticut is still a basketball school. And to be honest, I’d take Louisville there, too. Brian and the Boys cover the three, win by two touchdowns.

-Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (-13): I’m a real sucker for a team that’s ranked in the top ten and is favored by less than two touchdowns against a team that. . . well, stinks. They played Georgia close, sure; but Georgia hasn’t exactly been a beacon of brilliance the last few weeks. Take SC in a blowout.

-Tennessee (PICK) @ Alabama: I’m a Vols fan. They’ve got an offense. I know it’s a rivalry game, I know it’s in Tuscaloosa. All that said, the Tide sucks. UT rolls.

I promised to take some time off betting the college ranks. I was cold. I couldn’t get anything right. Every game I bet, it went the other way. It was like someone flipping a coin in the air and me calling heads every time, for it only to land on tails ten in a row. What are the odds, ya know? Betting’s supposed to have some skill, and here I was, watching and analyzing games, and unable to win anything that was, in short, a 50/50 shot.

I’m back. I’ve watched this unpredictable college season — USC losing to Stanford, Cal ranked No. 2, BC No. 4 — and I think I have a grip on this whole thing.

So I’m going to bet four or five games this weekend. I’ve looked into it, and I feel confident again. Being confident in betting is important; it’s like baseball, kind of: Get on a streak, and it seems to stretch game after game. Hit a slump, and there’s nothing you can do to break it.

Here we go.

-Louisville(+10.5) @ Cincinnati: I know the Cardinal have struggled, but at the beginning of the season could you ever imagine Louisville being a ten point ‘dog, period, let alone to Cincinnati? Me neither. I know they’ve sucked. And they probably won’t win. But Louisville covers the ten-and-a-half.

-Georgia (-7) @ Vanderbilt: Take that UT game for what it’s worth, but remember this: Last year, the Bulldogs gave up 51 points at home to the Vols, and they weren’t that bad of a team. Past that, Vandy beat UGA on Homecoming last year, and that taste is still very fresh in every Georgia players’ mouths. 7 points? Try 21. I hate ‘em, but the Dawgs cover.

-Tennessee (-6) @ Mississippi State: I’m thinking the Vols’ mojo may be back. And even if it isn’t, last time I checked it doesn’t take a lot of mojo to beat The Rebels.

-Boston College (-14) @ Notre Dame: Being that they’re stepped on annually by Notre Dame, BC isn’t over-looking this game. Matt Ryan will toss 4 TD’s, which is 4 more than the ND offense will score. Eagles cover, win in a blowout.

How I’m doing:

Last week: 3-2
On The Season: 6-7

It’s been a rough year, but this week features can’t-miss games that I can’t miss on. Here’s a few I’d take, and a even a teaser to really spice things up (crazy, I know).

Oklahoma (-23) @ Tulsa: They beat Miami by more, and you have to think that Miami, bad as they’ve been the last few years, still has more talent than Tulsa. I know that game was in Oklahoma, but it’s not like Tulsa is exactly the Swamp. Sooners cover.

Georgia @ Alabama (-3): ‘Bama has an offense, a defense, and one of the best coaches in the nation, loyal or not. Georgia? They’ve got none of the above. ‘Bama rolls, wins by two touchdowns.

Penn State @ Michigan (+3): Mike Hart delivered on his promise last week, but that was against Notre Dame, who recently became a 1-AA school (there’s a thousand App. State jokes to poke at that one). The bad news for Michigan is that they’re not facing Notre Dame’s offense; the good news is that they are facing Anthony Morelli’s. The gift three is nice, but Michigan wins straight up.

Georgia Tech (-3) @ Virginia: Virginia barely beat UNC. And Duke. They lost to Wyoming. I don’t know what Vegas is thinking, but I’m betting. Jackets cover, win easy.

PS: Looking through this, I lied about the teaser. I don’t want to chance anything when I’ve got four guaranteed winners. You heard it: Guaranteed.

Okay. I’ve posted on this a lot, which means I shouldn’t go over it much more, but recapping can never be done too much. Last week I went 2-2. This week? I’m switching up my style a little, have a couple of twists, and am expecting to be rolling in the dough somewhere around 9:00 Saturday night (only to start rolling in it again Sunday night, but those NFL picks will wait until tomorrow).

Anyway, in case you didn’t notice, last week had a few “misprints.” I didn’t pick an FSU team that can’t block, and I definitely didn’t pick a Tennessee team that can’t tackle. This week is free of any possible misprints that my editor may let sneak through. On we go.

--Teaser
Miami (+21) @ Oklahoma
South Florida @ Auburn (+3)
Kent @ Kentucky (-2.5)

It’s a teaser, which is one of those bets that always looks good until the games actually play themselves out. That said, I feel this one is pretty solid: I can’t see a Miami defense losing to an Oklahoma offense (without AP, mind you) by more than 21 points; Auburn looked shaky against Kansas State, sure, but at home, against South Florida, as a two point underdog? That’s money in the bank. As for Kentucky and Kent, well, it seems like a sure bet to me. Andre Woodson is one of the best players in the nation, and as hard as it is for me to bet on a Kentucky football team that doesn’t feature Tim Couch (pre-NFL-deadbeat days, obviously), it’s something I’ve got to jump on. This teaser’s a lock. Trust me.

-Straight up

-Virginia Tech (+14) @ LSU

LSU beat Mississippi State by 45. VT beat Eastern Carolina by a much slimmer margin than they were supposed to. But Matt Flynn only had 123 yards passing against Croom’s boys, and their top rusher boasted a measley 68 yards. This was against Mississippi State. Not against Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall. Sean Glennon’s as bad as they get, but VT can sit back on Brandon Ore and win a game. LSU can’t sit back on Jason Hester and Richard Murphy — Richard Murphy! — and expect to win much. Beamer knows special teams and defense. Matt Flynn’s gonna know this isn’t Mississippi State anymore. They probably won’t win, but take VT and the touchdowns.

-Troy @ Florida (-25)

Hey, it’s Troy. And better yet, it’s Florida. I don’t give a damn that Tebow’s new. Percy, Percy, Percy. Gators cover.

-Bowling Green @ Michigan State (-17)

Michigan State is that team that comes out of the gates hot and then really tanks. Thankfully, we’re in luck: It’s week two, where MSU does its best impersonation of USC. It won’t be like last week (my God, was that game ever really in question?), but MSU rolls, covers the 17.

How I’m Doing:
This Week: 2-1
On The Year: 2-1

It’s not often that I run specials, but this weekend is, well, special: After going 3-0 on Saturday (that pick I had of Tennessee. . . I wasn’t serious; you were supposed to figure that out), I figure I’ll test my run of luck today with a game that used to draw national headlines, and now only gets attention because it’s the only game of the day.

-Florida State (-3) @ Clemson

This will mark the third consecutive game that I’ve taken the road team. But this weekend I was 2-1 (1-1 on the road), and had Tennessee remembered what a tackle was I might have pulled the trifecta.

Clemson returns the best running back tandem in the nation with James Davis and CJ Spiller. According to sources, Davis will be more of a feature back, and they’ll try to get Spiller out in open space to do his thing (which is run really, really fast). The problem is that Clemson starts its third new quarterback in as many years, and this new quarterback doesn’t have Chaunsi Stuckey to throw to.

FSU, on the other hand, has always had the athletes, but unfortunately had daddy’s sons coaching them. Not the case this year. LSU’s offense, even scoring 45 points, looked slow without Jimbo Fischer. And now he’s the guy coaching Drew Weatherford.

The guy coaching the other team? Yeah, that’s daddy’s son. Punt the field goal, ‘Noles cover.

I have a confession: For a very, very long time, I’ve been quite the gambler. I love betting on sports, whether I know the game or not. In fact, some of the time I bet on NFL games, I only bet on them because they’re the two teams I’m able to watch regionally on Fox (it’ll be sad this year when I’m betting on the Falcons/Bucs game).

That said, I win. I win a decent amount. Last year I capped off somewhere just above 65% which, while not Matthew McConaughey in Two For the Money, it’s not shabby. And for you, it’s free. This week there’s a few games I like. Here they are.

LSU Tigers (-18) @ Mississippi St. Bulldogs

-Ol’ Sly Croom was supposed to bring Mississippi St. back to the Promise Lands, but somewhere along the way someone reminded him he was at Mississippi State. The good news for the Bulldogs is that they return 10 starters on offense from last year’s team; the bad news is those same ten starters managed less than 20 points in 7 of State’s 12 games. And their game with LSU last year? 35-3 at halftime, and 48-17 when the Fat Lady sang. You can’t tell me Mississippi State’s gotten better; and I’m not too sure LSU’s gotten worse. Tigers roll, cover the 18.

Georgia Tech (+2.5) @ Notre Dame

-Last year, Notre Dame nipped Tech 14-10. This year, Charlie Weis doesn’t have Brady Quinn and isn’t even sure who he’s supposed to replace Quinn with. Other key subtractions? Jeff Samarja, Rheema McKnight and Darius Walker. That means, pretty much, that the entire offense is new. That doesn’t bode well for a team that’s playing its first game against a top 20 defense that returned 8 starters. The bad news for Georgia Tech is they lost Calvin Johnson; the only news that outweighs losing one of the best receivers ever is losing one the worst quarterbacks ever. Charlie Weis to Bill Belichick: What should I do? Jackets cover, win in an upset.

Tennessee (+7) @ Cal

-Last year’s 35-18 score doesn’t represent the thrashing that took place (at one point the score was 35-3). There’s a lot of concern with Erik Ainge’s broken pinkie finger, but last year he could’ve won with a broken arm. This is the Pac 10 vs. the SEC, people, and Cal isn’t exactly USC. I hate to be biased, but. . . well, sorry. Money talks. Ainge gives ‘em The Finger, Cal gets romped.