Kendall Holiday What We Learned 9/22/07-9/23/07

by: Kendall Holiday

This is easily our favorite time of the year, with baseball coming down to its final push, and football really heating up. If you have not already done it, check out the college schedule for October 6th, it’ll make work go by a little bit quicker over the next couple of weeks.

What we learned…

In College:

South Carolina is much improved, but not quite ready for the big time. This could change in the next couple of years, provided a certain ball-coach does not bolt for….LSU, once Les Miles takes over at Michigan this off-season.

Oklahoma’s running back duo of Allen Patrick and DeMarco Murray is the most explosive in the country, or at least it has looked that way. They’ll have a more difficult time of it this weekend in Boulder, but man these kids are big and fast and run straight downhill.

Nebraska looked terrible this weekend, and was lucky to beat a bad Ball State team at home. You have to wonder who ranks these recruiting classes, after watching Nebraska. All of their kids get the recruiting junkies going crazy, but show me consistent playmakers out there. They are not any. NU will have its hands full some in the up-coming Big 12 schedule.

Notre Dame is that bad. They’ll be lucky to win one football game this fall. Michigan State is not very good this season, and they pounded the Irish on their home field.

Kudos the Michigan, who got by Penn State in a huge win for the Wolverines. After a disastrous start to the season, they look like the best team in the Big Ten to us. Wisconsin should have lost to Iowa. Ohio State looks good, but throw everything out when the teams meet in November. It always seems like the better team loses that game.

In the NFL

The Patriots are the best team in the league right now. It will be interesting to watch as the season progresses, but it sure looks like it’s the Pats and everybody else right now.

Good for Donovan McNabb, who torched the Lions, exposing them badly yesterday. Brian Westbrook had a good game as well, and the Eagles are better than they looked to start the season. The East might be one of the more entertaining divisions this season.

The Broncos were finally exposed for their weak rush defense, which honestly, is among the worst in all of football. One week after giving up 150+ to Lamont Jordan, David Gerrard, Fred Taylor, and Maurice Jones Drew went wild. Denver, like the rest of the AFC West, is really not a very good football team this season.

The Cowboys look like a different football team thus far. Most of the credit must be given to Wade Phillips, who has created a player friendly environment which was needed after Parcells. Tony Romo looks incredible, and their balance on offense and push by the front four on defense will make them very, very good this season.

Finally, keep an eye on the Colorado Rockies during the final week here. They have won eight in a row, and just pummeled the Padres on the road this past weekend. The Padres might have lost Mike Cameron and Milton Bradley to injury, which will make things even more difficult on their lacking offense. We think it will be the Phillies or Rockies taking the Wild Card spot at the end of the week. Which brings us to…..

Playoffs:

ALCS: Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees

NLCS: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets

World Series: Los Angeles over the DBacks in Six

The above is likely to change by the end of this week!

Kendall Holiday Past Articles

Kendall Holiday Wagering News and Notes - 2/10/08
Alright folks, we are in the thick of it now, and teams are starting to show their weary faces. As I am typing this, UCLA is struggling against a relatively ... read more

Kendall Holiday Wagering News and Notes
Hope this finds everyone doing well, as it has been a while.Super Bowl Number…..who cares? The Patriots showed me a lot last weekend. This is the ... read more

Handicapping the Bowl Games - 2007
There are many things to take into account over the next three weeks when 32 football games will be played. The bowl season always presents wonderful ... read more

Late Season NFL Handicapping - and more
Wow, what a weekend. Attending mothers 60th birthdays, and heading to the airport to pick up out of towners in for the weekend. Must be bowl season. ... read more

Seasons Greetings From Holiday Land - 12/4/07
This week was good to us overall, but it can always be better…. The BCS is a mess, but would you have it any other way? The most frustrating ... read more

All Kendall Holiday Past Articles

Kendall Holiday Recent Past Picks

NFL Football

Houston Texans @ Tennesse Titans Sunday September 21, 2008 1:00 pm
We are not quite on the Titans bandwagon, though we think they will be around all season long.  The Texans were our sleeper team in the AFC this season and they still are despite getting hammered by the Steelers on the road in the opening week.  Matt Schaub is an effective ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

LSU Tigers @ Auburn Tigers Saturday September 20, 2008 7:45 pm
There are two rules we live by here, and both of them come into fine focus in this football game, a game that Auburn will win outright and likely easily in our estimation.  The public is all over LSU, and from what they know, they should be.  LSU has looked great early, ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

Buffalo Bulls @ Missouri Tigers Saturday September 20, 2008 2:00 pm
Again, like last week, we have Missouri as a top three team in the country and they have the best offense for our money.  Buffalo is improved, but it does not matter when you have Daniel, Maclin, Coffman, and Franklin on offense.  Missouri's defense did well against a pretty ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

East Carolina Pirates @ NC State Wolfpack Saturday September 20, 2008 12:00 pm
Count us as in the group that thinks East Carolina is a good team, but not one that should be laying seven points on the road to NC State.  Now, this NC State edition does not boast the likes of Philip Rivers, but they can still play defense, and will keep this game close throughout.  ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

West Virginia Mountaineers @ Colorado Buffaloes Thursday September 18, 2008 8:30 pm
Big Thursday Night game at the foot of the Flatirons.  There will be a blackout by Colorado fans for this game, and apparently, there is much exctiement for this game in Boulder as it is Nationally televised on ESPN.  We have seen both of these teams play this season, and ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

NFL Football

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys Monday September 15, 2008 8:35 pm
A 2-0 start to our NFL season yesterday with our Underdog selection winning outright in the Raiders and our Vegas Mistake game coming through with Tampa Bay.  We look to make it 3-0 here tonight.  Donovan McNabb is back and healthy for the Eagles, and that is ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

NFL Football

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday September 14, 2008 4:05 pm
This game has blowout written all over it.  Tampa comes in off a loss to upstart NO, a team we expect to be very good this football season.  Atlanta shocked everyone last week with Michael Turner rushing for over 200 yards, and Matt Ryan playing mistake free football.  ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

NFL Football

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs Sunday September 14, 2008 1:00 pm
This line is way off in our opinion, but we'll gladly take it here, as the Chiefs are the worst team in the NFL this season, and Oakland is good value considering the whole country saw Denver destroy them last Monday night.  Denver is likely a better football team than people ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

Wisconsin Badgers @ Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday September 13, 2008 10:30 pm
Still too early to go big on a college football game, but we really like the looks of Fresno State in this one.  Fresno State HC Pat Hill has called this the biggest game in his coaching career at Fresno, and that is saying something, but Fresno just finds ways to win at home, ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

College Football

Nevada Wolf Pack @ Missouri Tigers Saturday September 13, 2008 12:30 pm
This is our preseason blow out selection.  Missouri, in our estimation is one of the top five teams in the country this season.  They possess the best quarterback in the land in Chase Daniel, and a bevy of weapons for him to choose from including Jeremy Maclin and Chase ... read more

Kendall Holiday Bio and Picks | Articles By Kendall Holiday

All Kendall Holiday Past Picks