Are You Ready for Some Gamble?

Yesterday, I said goodbye to my family. Football season has begun, so I won't be seeing them again for another five months. I thought perhaps this year my addiction wouldn't be as bad as it has in the past. But considering that yesterday I watched portions of the Boston College/Central Michigan, South Carolina/Mississippi St, Northwestern/Miami (OH), Eastern Washington/Oregon St, Northern Arizona/Arizona St, and UTEP/SDSU games, it's probably fair to say that I've got a ways to go towards recovery. So as long as I'm admitting the problem, I might as well embrace it and spice things up with some sportsbook action. Here are my (for entertainment purposes only, of course) picks for this weekend:

Cal -2 at Tennessee. The fact that Cal just decided a week ago who their starting QB would be makes me nervous. But as long as Nate Longshore's main job is to hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, then Cal should be able to go on the road and beat a Tennessee team that still has a lot to prove. Tennessee QB Eric Ainge completed only 45% of his passes last season. He should continue to struggle again to start out this season...even against a Pac 10 defense. Cal 20, Tenn 17.

Notre Dame -6.5 at Georgia Tech. Charlie Weis has taken a page out of Lou Holtz' book and is saying all the right things about Ga Tech being a dangerous team that will be fired up to take down the Irish. The Yellow Jackets do have a dangerous weapon in WR Calvin Johnson, and the Notre Dame defense isn't exactly stalwart, but the last time I checked, Georgia Tech was still coached by Chan Gailey, and he's still running the same plays that didn't work when he was with the Cowboys. The Jackets will score some points, but it won't be enough to match Brady Quinn and Co. Notre Dame 38, Ga Tech 21.

San Jose St +19.5 at Washington. Seemingly every year, a big conference school overlooks San Jose State and finds themselves in a dogfight. Combine that with the fact that the Huskies are coming off one of their worst seasons ever and probably shouldn't be favored over anyone by almost three TDs, and I see no choice but to pick the Spartans. Ty Willingham should get a win in this game, but it's going to be a battle. Washington 30, SJSU 20.

Utah +3 at UCLA. I hope I'm wrong about this one, but I think Utah wins this game outright. Last season, UCLA's m.o. was to fall behind by two touchdowns in the first half and then rally with Drew Olson and Maurice Drew. Well, those two guys are gone now, and while Ben Olson may eventually become an elite QB, there are going to be some growing pains. Utah will be starting Brett Ratliff, who last year led the team to wins over BYU and Georgia Tech, putting up close to 40 points a game. The scoreboard operator will be busy, but in the end, Karl Dorrell will have a grim look on his face. Actually, Dorrell will have a grim look even if UCLA wins. Utah 38, UCLA 31.

Sooo...it's opening weekend of the college football season, and I just picked 4 road teams. That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Did I mention these picks were for entertainment purposes only?