darrell,

We posted another winning week last week and we are 64% on the season. This week we have five picks - all Saturday games.

Wunderdog Picks Results Check out my 12-month performance here.

Please Tell A Friend about this newsletter and they'll thank you!

Good luck today...

Game: Syracuse at Illinois (Saturday 9/16 12:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 stars on Illinois -3

Both "orange" teams are coming off loses in week 2 and both teams are desperate for a win. Syracuse did look better last week against Iowa but they were without star QB Tate Drew in that game. Iowa played conservative on offense and let their defense win the game. The Syracuse offense was very vanilla and had a difficult time moving the ball as QB Perry Peterson struggled only completing 46% of his passes. Illinois was beat fairly badly 33 - 0 by a solid Scarlet Knight team. But, the final score is a little misleading as two of the TD's came on a block punt and a interception for a touchdown. The Illini defense only gave up two touchdowns and for the most part held the Scarlet Knight down in the second half only allowing 3 points. This should be a battle of two good defenses, and as such I look for the team with more offensive weapons. The big play possibility of Illini (QB Tim Brasic and RB Pierre Thomas) is what gets in done in this game. I feel the line is off a couple points due to the blowout last Saturday and the overreaction to a bad game. The Illini will bounce back this week and show the country that they have improved from last year. Syracuse is 1-12 ATS as a road dog of 7 points or less over the past decade. Illinois has 19 returners here from last season vs. just 10 for Syracuse. Lay the small number and go with the home team here to cover the line.

What do you say to a bunch of football players who lost 62-0 last Saturday? How do you motivate a bunch of youngsters who now go on the road to play a Big Ten team this week? I dunno. I like the Gophers to take out their frustrations on the Owls after Minnesota was embarrassed by Cal on national TV last week, losing 17-42. Temple is horrible. They were essentially kicked out of the Big East because they sucked so bad. They lost all but one game last year by 21 or more points! The Gophers offense will look to feast on the Temple defense that gave up over 45.3 points per game last season and 62 points last week to Louisville. It could have been a lot more but the Cardinals called off the dogs late in that game. Minnesota is known for beating up non-conference teams especially at home in the dome and on the turf where their running game flourishes. The Owls have given up up a bunch on the ground this year, over 240 a game and a smashmouth run-team like Minnesota will be licking there chops. The Owls pass defense is equally as bad giving up over 270 yards per game. QB Bryan Cupito should be able to set up play action pass nicely in this one with Minnesota's strong running game. Look the Gopher WR's make some big plays down the field as Minnesota scores early and often. I know this is a big number but the Owls are bad - really bad - and the line really isn't big enough. Gophers win huge.

In the first two weeks of the season, the Cardinals have put up some huge numbers on offense: 121 points and over 1,300 yards in total offense and this is without there star RB Micheal Bush who broke his leg in the season opener versus Kentucky. They will need another big performance on offense if they are to beat the defensive minded Hurricanes this week. This game matches maybe the country's best offense versus its best defense. The big question in this game is: how much can Miami score? Are the Hurricanes going to be able to keep up with the high octane offense of the Cardinals? The Hurricanes defense has yet to face an offense of this caliber. Without Bush, Lousiville has gone with a two headed rushing attack (Stripling and Smith) who have combined for over 300 yards rushing in the first two games. QB Brian Brohm is experienced and should be able to control this game. While short on weaknesses, Miami's defense might have one in the secondary where the Hurricanes lost two starters from last season and could be vulnerable to the Cardinals passing game and the big play. This will be the most important game for the Cardinals this season and could propel them into the National Championship game. They will come in focused and ready to play. The Louisville crowd should also be in full force for this tilt. The Cards are an awesome 11-1 ATS as a home favorite over the last 3 seasons. Now, those opponents were not the caliber of a Miami but we know that Cardinals take care of business at home. Miami's off a big win but that may hurt them here. With Larry Coker at the helm Miami is 4-14 ATS off a win by 28 or more points. Too much Cardinals offense here. Take them at home.

No team has faced a tougher schdeule in the first two weeks than the Commodores. They drew Michigan in week one on the road (27-7 loss) and Alabama in week two on the road (13-10 loss). In both of these games Vandy was in the game until late which says something, given the opponents and locations. This week the Commodores come home for first time this season to a vastly overrated Arkansas team that in the first two weeks has looked very undisciplined. Last week the Razorbacks fumbled on the one yard line, missed two FG's and and a extra point against a very bad Utah State team. They won 20-0 but they really should have won 40-0. This game matches two very similar teams when it comes to talent and I think that will show up in the final score. This should be a low scoring affair as both teams like to run the football and very strong defenses. The Commodores are the better passing team even though it doesn't show up in the stats. This is more of a focal point than it is for the Razorbacks and should keep the Razorbacks on their toes. This game should be a dog fight and could go right down to the wire. Getting nearly a TD here in the Commodores home opener is a gift. I look for some home cookin' here and maybe a outright victory.

The Lobos of New Mexico are one of those major college teams that play so far below the radar they frequently offer great wagering opportunities. This Saturday provides a great example when the Missouri Tigers visit. Last week, the Lobos thoroughly clobbered rival New Mexico State on the road. A big late fourth quarter against UNM's second and third teams tightened the final score to 34-28. In that victory, QB Craig Nelson threw for 3 scores. He'd sat out most of a loss at Portland State. Last year the Lobos used a punishing offensive attack and took advantage of key Tiger turnovers to notch a 45-35 upset win in Columbia in the second game of the 2005 season. Will this be revenge for the Missouri Tigers? It could be tougher than they think. The Lobos have teh talent to be able to match the Tigers point for point with their high powered passing attack which ranks 10th in the nation (295 yards per game). This should be high scoring affair just like last year's game. I don't look for much defense in this one even though Missouri's defense is ranked fairly high (it's due more to lack of compeition). I expect the Tigers to come in a little over-confident after beating Mississippi last week. They will be entering a very hostile environment as the New Mexico faithful will be fired up for this night game. This is the biggest name on their home schedule. The line is 13.5 and looks to be a little inflated we'll go the other way on this with the home dog, take New Mexico plus the points.