Troy -6.5 – Thursday August 28th ’08 7:30p
Two years ago, Middle Tennessee led Troy by 13 points with less than two minutes to play, needing a win to earn their first ever Sun Belt title. But the Blue Raiders couldn’t hang on, allowing two late touchdowns, losing by a single point. Frankly, the program hasn’t recovered from that devastating defeat. Middle Tennessee showed no ability to compete with Troy last year, bombed 45-7 in their season finale. In many respects, the program looks even weaker to start the ’08 campaign. MTSU has 48 frosh and sophomores on the roster, with only ten seniors, a very young team. Their youth is most apparent at the crucial offensive line positions, with four underclassmen projected to start. And, among those projected starters, the Blue Raiders have suffered massive injury problems, leaving them with backups starting at Center, Right Guard and Left Tackle here in their season opener. Facing a tough Troy defensive front, there appears to be a real class difference between these two teams in the trenches, making the Trojans the choice tonight. And with all five Troy starters returning on their own offensive line, breaking in a new quarterback becomes much easier for the road favorite. Take Troy. Courtesy of Ted Sevransky - Click Here for Football Odds

Stanford +3.5 (-110) – Thursday August 28th ’08 9:00p
Head Coach Mike Riley has turned Oregon State into a well respected PAC 10 football program. In his seven years his has put together a 47-38 record as well as five straight bowl appearances. Last year’s 9-4 club may have been his best yet in Corvallis. Jim Harbaugh is trying to put the same sort of program together at Stanford, and although his club finished at 4-8, they showed progress. Stanford was anything but a powerhouse offensively last year. They averaged just 111 yards rushing per game and 211 yards passing, which equated to 19.6 points per game. However, they return seven starters from last year’s offense and they have had over a year to soak in Harbaugh’s system. They should be much improved on the offensive line too. That, combined with what should be improved quarterback play (Tavita Pritchard, Jr) and running back play (Toby Gerhart, So), will increase the yardage and point totals by quite a bit. Oregon State was a force on defense last season, especially against the run and they have dominated Stanford in this area for several seasons now. However, the Beavers are returning just three starters from last season’s 9-4 team and the entire starting front seven is gone. They should still be good, but far short of last season’s success. We are going to go with the Cardinal here at home +3.5. The OSU drop off in defense contrasted with the Stanford upgrades on offense is the motivating factor in our selection. Last year the Beavers overwhelmed the Cardinal at home 23-6. I would expect OSU to be somewhere in that point range again as Stanford returns nine starters from last year’s defense, but I expect the Cardinal to produce far more than six points. Things to consider: OSU has lost their last five road openers. Stanford beat USC, Arizona, and California in Harbaugh’s first year, the only figure to get better this season and they are catching OSU at a good time. Take the Stanford Cardinal +3.5 at home. Courtesy of Matt Foust

Oregon State @ Stanford u45.5 (-110) – Thursday August 28th ’08 9:00p
The Pac-10 has become an Under conference in recent years, as the Under is 56-32-1m 63.6 percent in all conference games the last two years, and we look for Oregon State and Stanford to continue that tradition here. The biggest claim to fame for Stanford last season was their shocking upset of USC, and what makes that win even more unbelievable is that the Cardinal averaged a measly 16.4 points per game in conference play with the Under going 6-2-1 vs. conference opponents. The offense should struggle again this season, the first year with Tavita Pritchard as the fulltime quarterback. The defense should show some marked improvement however, with nine returning starters. Now Oregon State was an anomaly in the conference last year, as they were much more of an Over team. However, they look to be a one-dimensional passing team at the moment with their running back situation still unsettled, which should make this easier for the Cardinal defense, especially with one of the Stanford returning defensive starters being Bo McNally, one of the best safeties in the Pac-10. As a result, look for both teams to struggle to score in this one. College Football Free Pick: Oregon State, Stanford Under 45.5 (-110) – Courtesy of LT Profits

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