The Money Bet of the Century, week #12-THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD!!!!

Money Bettors-

Well fans.....we got you your money back last week. Although I did receive a few reader comments about laying down a Money Bet on Kansas Sate (sorry Schillare), the stats that we uncovered while writing the prediction were overwhelmingly in favor of Missouri. I actually started out writing that post in favor of the Wildcats, but as you saw....I just couldn't find a way for them to get it done at home versus the Tigers. As predicted, it was Blaine Gabbert to Denario Alexander all day long. I went so far as to put Alexander in my fantasy team where he racked up an impressive 38 points as a receiver.

This week begins, what apparently has now shifted to a two weekend process: RIVALRY WEEK. I can remember when they used to play all of the games on one weekend and the best thing you could do would be to find a sports bar that has about 20 televisions and get the bartender to plug in as many games as possible. A couple games to keep your eyes on this weekend, Michigan vs. Ohio State: Arguably the biggest college football rivalry in the country happens on Saturday at 12:00 (or 9:00 am for all of us West Coasters). Terrelle Pryor will try to lead the Buckeyes to a Rose Bowl with a win over Michigan, they are favored by 12. Montana vs. Montana State! If you've never watched this game, then you are missing something. This is a great rivalry that Montana has traditionally dominated (70-33-5). There was a span of 16 years (from 1986-2002) where Montana State did not win a game. The game will be in Bozeman this year, and it's looking to be another "Brawl of the Wild" (as the rivalry is called). They were shoveling feet of snow off of the turf earlier this week.

These are both great games, but we're going to stay home in the PAC this week for the Money Bet of the Century....and a great rivalry game. Any self-respecting college football fan should recall with great fondness the California/Stanford game from 1982...."The Play". With seconds left on the game clock, Stanford kicks off to California in what should be the last, uneventful play of the game. What ensues on the kickoff will be talked about for decades, and involves Stanford accusations of referee misconduct, multiple lateral passes (some of questionable legality), and a certain trombone player in the end zone. From what I understand, you can still find people (mainly students that attended at the time) that get really heated about this play 27 years after the fact. I've added the video here if you've never seen "The Play", or you just want to take a trip down memory lane.


This game should not let you down, it's going to be a good one. As Reese Witherspoon, Ex-Stanford Cardinal, will tell you.... Stanford is on a current winning 'heater'. After dismantling Oregon two weeks ago in a 51-42 shootout, Stanford then took care of the Trojans last week in a 55-21 shocker. That's the most points USC's Defense has ever given up at home in school history, and Pete Carroll's first loss in a 28 game win streak in the month of November. Freshman QB Andrew Luck is looking solid and a lot of people are talking about Toby Gerhart as a potential Heisman runner-up. And why not? He has 1400 yards and 19 touchdowns with these two games left to play. He's been an absolute baller when faced with the "tough game".....3 touchdowns and 223 yards against Oregon, 178 yards and 3 touchdowns against USC....BOTH top 10 teams. When Stanford needed him most.....he's been delivering.

Cal comes into this game a little bit wounded. Another phenomenal running back in college football is Cal's Jahvid Best. Anyone who had this guy on their fantasy college football team at the beginning of the year probably still has the lead. Jahvid currently has 12 touchdowns, and 861 yards...a pretty astonishing 6.14 yards a carry. Problem is....he isn't going to be playing this game. He's out with a concussion after a nasty end zone dive a couple weeks ago where he landed on his head. Shane Vereen will start in his absence, but is not expected to produce results like Best. With the run option shut down, it's going to be up to the receivers to do a little heavy lifting. Marvin Jones is probably going to be Kevin Riley's #1 target. He's caught 5 TD passes this year, but might be able to step it up now that the running option is less of a threat.

The big problem I see for Cal is that they've got to be able to put up points to beat Stanford. Stanford's defense is not necessarily stellar, but they are an offensive firepower to be reckoned with. Without Best, Cal just isn't going to have the ability to match The Cardinal.

Cardinal win this game by 14!

The Money Bet of the Century | Week 11

Money Bettors-

Well folks! What can I say, the Money Bet last week wasn't so money. As it turns out, Notre Dame with Michael Floyd didn't turn out to be so potent. And who would have guessed that Notre Dame wouldn't be able to at least BEAT Navy. But, as dissapointed as I am that Notre Dame was not able to help us out, I bet Charlie Weiss is even more upset. There has been a lot of speculation that the Navy loss might have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and cost him the coaching job next year. To quote Charlie: "At Notre Dame, we are never looking backwards.....only forwards...." Well, Charlie, I'd suggest you start looking backwards at where your team has not been able to deliver if you want to "look forward" to another year at Notre Dame's head football coach. Disecting the mistakes in the past might help you avoid some embarassing losses.

This week we are going to the Big 12 to select the game. The game we're taking this week was thoroughly researched and should be a big winner.

A lot was said about a Missouri program that, at the beginning of the year, looked hot. Blaine Gabbert was on fire, and has put up some impressive numbers. This year he has thrown for 2,364 yards and 17 touchdowns. I can remember having him in my college fantasy team when they were playing the first part of the season and he was delivering solid numbers. Against Furman, he had 3 touchdowns and 256 yards, and then against Nevada he put up 414 yards and 3 touchdowns. But, as the opponents have gotten considerably tougher, his numbers have become less gratuitous. Gabbert's main offensive target, wide receiver Denario Alexander is having an impressive year as a main target, mowing up 1038 yards with 8 touchdown catches. This team has been successful going to the air, and has the potential to do so against Kansas State.

It should be a beautiful sunny day at Bill Snyder stadium in Manhatten with the high temerpature slated to be 54 degrees. Kansas State has been making a lot of headway on the ground with Daniel Thomas who has 1087 yards rushing and 11 touchdown receptions. And it's probably good that they stick to the ground game, considering both Kansas State quarterbacks (splitting the duties at this role) have 6 interceptions in 10 games. Kansas State will probably stick to the ground attack against a decently solid defensive unit at Missouri.

This game favors Missouri by one point, and has a fairly low Over/Under point total (51). Given those numbers, oddsmakers are saying the final score pegged at Missouri 26, Kansas State 25. The big question will be whether Kansas State defensive backs will be able to stop Missouri's arial attack. Missouri has a record of being able to win the close game. In games where the end result has been less than a 7 point difference, they are 6-5 (since 2001). Kansas State, using this same mark is a considerably worse 6-11. If Missouri can score over 20 points, which the MBOC staff thinks they will be able to do, they have a record going back to 2001 as 62-19. Look for this game to be a close one, but the Tigers will end up sticking it to the wildcats at home in this game.

Missouri by 7!

The Money Bet of the Century, week #10- Getting you in the game

Money Betters-

Well. Last week was a shocker for the MBOC staff. We sat back and watched Oregon take USC behind the woodshed for the slaughter. No one here on staff expected a 47-20 shellacking! But true to the information we had in our blog prediction, "USC's defense looks sloppy right now. USC's defense allowed Oregon State to score 36 points, and put together almost 500 yards of turf-tearing offense." Our research showed that USC was going to have a hard time stopping Oregon's recently explosive offense. One particularly funny commenter noted in our blog comments "Meat Balls Over Chocolate (MBOC).....yes, this phrase makes no sense, and neither does this pick, Dave". Hilarious. I appreciate any comments, whether they are positive, negative, or downright nasty. Hell, they don't even have to be related to football. AS ALWAYS, don't forget to vote in the upper right hand corner!

If you missed out last week, fear not....there is ocean's of money out there, sloshing around. All you need to do is stick your cup in and get your fill. And here at the MBOC, we're handing out 20 gallon cups to make sure that your checking account can keep at least 4 zeroes in the balance. That's what we're all about....

There were a lot of good picks this week to choose from. It made it difficult. I really like Boise State to own Louisiana Tech. Boise State knows they have to win big ( and get a little bit lucky) these days to make it into the Championship Game. You can expect them to be dropping the hammer, weekly. I was also tempted by a girl from Omaha to make the game Oklahoma vs. Nebraska (also a good option). Not having Bradford will make this game interesting.

Nevertheless, the pick of the week goes not to the Big Ten....not to the Pac 10.....but to the Independent conference! This week will be big for these 3 schools, with Army playing against Air Force in Colorado Springs. (GameDay, look for the Coug Flag waving in the background). Notre Dame plays Navy.

Notre Dame has looked solid the last couple weeks with wins against Boston College and Washington State (still love ya Cougs). Without the stumble against USC (at USC), Notre Dame is 4 points away from a perfect season (losing to Michigan). Best news about Notre Dame this week? They are getting back Michael Floyd. In case anyone forget about him, he was a receiver that broke his collar bone against Michigan State. In the first three games of the year, he was a key target: 358 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He has been sorely missed, and Golden Tate has produced while getting extra attention from defensive backs. Casey Claussen will have dual threats as receivers this week, and that's going to create some great opportunities for RB Robert Hughes ( filling in for Armando Allen who might also play, but is day to day). All in all, the return of Floyd is going to allow Notre Dame to open up a wider field. It could be a serious problem for the Midshipmen.

Make no mistake about it, Navy is a strong team (figuratively and literally). They've only dropped three games this year; one to Ohio State, and one to Pittsburgh. Then last week, they shock everyone with a loss to Temple?!?!? Rebounding off of that disappointment, they'll be playing tough in Notre Dame. One note of caution I have for the readers is Navy's wins. When they win, they don't win very big. In the last three games, we've seen a trend of some very close games (Temple, Wake Forest, and SMU). C'mon Navy.....that puts you in the same boat as Washington State!! Navy doesn't pass the ball a lot, so you can look for a lot of ground work on there part. You can look for a considerable amount of ball handling by Fullback Vince Murray and Navy's QB, Ricky Dobbs. If Notre Dame's defense has been studying their game tape, they should be setup to bend, but not break to Navy's triple-threat offense.

Notre Dame is an 11 point favorite, and they have Jesus on their side. Midshipmen will find themselves unable to outscore Notre Dame's rejuvenated offense playing at home.

Irish by 17!!

The Money Bet of the Century, week #9- Last week made you rich!!

Money Betters-

In case any of you were asleep for last weeks college football games, the MBOC 'Double Down Special' delivered handily. To recap, University of Washington and Arizona State football game, two weeks ago, turned into a push. You got your money back, and were probably questioning my ability to choose games. Then we came back with the 'Double Down Special', encouraging you to throw the balance of your checking account on the Michigan State vs. Iowa game. Well, if you watched the game....you were biting your knuckles wondering where next week's groceries were going to come from. Well friends, we delivered and you splurged and bought the 2-ply toilet paper and organic grapes. With one minute and thirty-eight seconds left in the game, unbeaten Iowa put together an impressive two-minute drill and scored on a 4th and goal situation, with two seconds on the clock. It doesn't get any more, down-to-the-wire than that.....but I felt Iowa was destined to go longer as an unbeaten. They'll have a bit of a rest this week with a home game against Indiana. Iowa will eventually lose to Ohio State on November 17th, in Columbus, and this will be foretold by Lee Corso putting a Iowa Hawkeyes Mascot hat on during GameDay, thus enacting "The Jinx".

On to this week's pick...and there are a lot of them this week. I've spent a decent amount of time calling games out in the Big Ten, but this week, we'll go back to my favorite conference, the Pac 10. Anyone who isn't aware of a surging Oregon team, should be. In the last 5 games, Oregon has outscored opponents 192-62. Oregon has considerably tightened up a defense that looked lacking at the beginning of the season against Purdue and a decent Utah team. Oregon's only loss was the first game of the season to Boise State, and featured the infamous "sucker punch" heard round college football. Since that incident, the team has come a long way. Last week's special teams efforts from Oregon looked strong, as a blocked punt turned into a touchdown, and a fake punt helped setup a later Duck Score. The jury is still out on Masoli, he didn't have too impressive of a game at Washington, but stars are made in big games like the one he'll face this weekend against Southern California.

USC's defense looks sloppy right now. Anyone watching the USC vs. Oregon State last week remembers the game was like sitting at center court watching a tennis match go back and fourth. USC's defense allowed Oregon State to score 36 points, and put together almost 500 yards of turf-tearing offense. But the Beavers could not stop USC's high powered offense, which eventually won the day. Matt Barkley, USC's Freshman wonderchild, has thrown 5 picks this year so far, and he goes up this week against a Duck defense which has 19 picks, which leads the Pac-10. Parlay this fact with the game is being played in Autzen, and anyone could tell you that a few big plays could turn the environment seriously in the Ducks favor.

The ducks aren't just flapping their way through the 2009 season, they're out to take a Pac-10 title. The Trojans will come marching into Autze, looking for a key win they need to have to make an argument that they are the Pac 10's best team.
Autzen Stadium-- Oregon's Special Teams & Defense-- and a surging Oregon offense will combine into a triple threat that USC cannot overcome.

Oregon wins by a field goal!

The Money Bet of the Century, Week #8- The Double Down Special!

Greetings Money Betters-

I'm writing the Money Bet of the Century this week from Salt Lake City, Utah and am titling the post this week "The Double Down Special". Those of you that were watching the MBOC game last week, you'll know that a last second bomb ended up making that game a push. So...I'm not going to start off this week apologizing....you got your money back in what was a strange twist in the end of that game. After all, if you double down this week with the money you got back last week....you are going to be a happy camper this week. Thus "The Double Down Special" was born....

This week, we are heading back to a destination we've already traveled to....East Lansing, Michigan (not the picture on the left, although that's a good place too). With employment reaching 14.7% in the state of Michigan this past August, they'll be plenty of people with nothing to do on Saturday....you can expect a big crowd in attendance to see this perennial Big 10 show down. You can also bet the house there will be plenty of boozing on behalf of the downtrodden economy and Spartan season. Starting off the season with 3 losses, it's been a tough season so far. "We've battled back from a 1/3 start, and that's not easy to do," Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. They seem to have righted the ship with a three game winning streak against Michigan, Illinois, and Northwestern. One does have to question how strong this team is, with just 10 point victories over Illinois and Northwestern, and it took a lucky end zone interception to beat Michigan (an unlucky game for the MBOC) in overtime. Illinois and Northwestern (along with Purdue) are bringing up the rear of the Big 10 Conference. Kirk Cousins, Michigan State's Quarterback, probably summed it up best when he said "Iowa right now is playing as the best team in the Big Ten. They're going to come here and have to go through us, obviously. We expect a great game from them. We're going to have to play better than we've played any week this season in order to have an opportunity to beat them."

This week Iowa is looking to do something they haven't done in the 120 year history of the school....start the season 8-0. They also have had a tough time in East Lansing, losing the last 4 in a row here (last win was in 1995, 21-7). They'll definitely have their work cut out for them as they march into 'Sparty'. The Hawkeyes have used a stout defense and a plus-11 turnover margin to overcome several significant injuries, holding six of their seven opponents under 18 points. With a win last week at Wisconsin (20-10), Iowa has proved that they can win on the road AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, win in a big environment when they are not favored. (they were 2 point dogs to Wisconsin, and it ain't an easy place to play).

You can believe Iowa will be ready to play in the game this weekend, this is for school history!! Once again, they are not favored to win, and are 1.5 dogs to Michigan State. It's been a rough season for Sparty, and you can bet this will be a very close game....but look for the Hawkeyes to swoop away with a victory against the Green and White.

Iowa by 7!!

The Money Bet of the Century, Week #7- Back in Black!!

Well Money Betters-

We had our first win last week. To do it, we had to bring in field correspondent Jeff Wood. I was with Jeff Wood in Missoula, Montana to watch the Montana Grizzlies take on The Cal Poly Mustangs in what must have been one of the coldest games I've seen since going to the Michigan State vs. Penn State game on November 22nd last year. Cold games = larger whiskey consumption. That's just the way it is.

I have to give the MBOC props last week because it went down the way it was predicted. Jaquizz had a break out game with 4 touchdowns and 189 yards rushing. I hope you had him in your college fantasy league. Older brother James caught six passes for 78 yards and one touchdown. They ran the 'WILDCAT' numerous times. That should be a new drinking game. If you are watching an NFL game or a college game, and they say 'WILDCAT!', you drink. Bot am I getting tired of them talking about that.

Washington State is having a terrible season (if you haven't noticed). I know this little clip has been around the block, but if you hadn't seen the 'GameDay' love that they forked out for the Cougars, you've got to see this clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hExVJ8O8Y7o
Thanks for the love, ESPN. We definitely need it this season.

On to the pick. Everyone who knows the philosophy here at the MBOC, understands the motto that we live by. "Don't let your pride get in the way of your pocketbook". We've always liked this expression and we live by it! This week we find ourselves in one of these situations, betting in a game with a team we'd love to see lose: The Huskies (Washington vs. Arizona State game)

Washington is hard to predict. Some weeks they look like bums (there fans are always bums), and other days they look like they are filled with some promise (sort of like University of Washington Alum Anna Faris (pictured at left)). Last week, a lucky play and a deflection of an offensive player's foot caused the ball to kick up and allow Washington a lucky interception. And....like him or not, Jack Locker is a big time NFL prospect. Last week he ended up #6 on Mel Kiper's top ten draft pick list. He's got 10 touchdowns on the year, 4 of them rushing the ball himself. James Johnson (#3) and Jerome Kearse (#15) are two great receivers to watch. Hopefully if they get another goal line stance, it won't take them 8 tries to punch it in (vs. Notre Dame, lol).

On the other side of the ball, you have an untested Arizona State. With wins over Washington State last week (27-14 but missed the spread by a whopping 8 points) and Louisiana Monroe and Heavy-weight cupcake Idaho Sate. Key losses to Georgia and Oregon State show that they can be challenged by a good team. One key test will be to see how Washington's defensive line will be able to stop #31 Dimitri Nance. So far this year, he's been able to put up 5 touchdowns on 366 yards. Overall, I have to say that Arizona State is having a mediocre year, and it's going to be hard for them to stop a good team. However, Washington cannot stop their co-eds.

I think the Huskies are turning into an 'okay' team. They should be able to handle Arizona State without any problem. I know Washington is inconsistent, but spotting ASU 7 points down in Tempe is too much. Huskies take a leak on Sun Devils leg and WIN THE GAME. You can lay a bet on it. As always, don't hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom.....and don't forget to vote in the upper right hand corner!!!

Money Betters-

Hmmmmm.....stifled again with my second pick. If I had excuses, I'd insert them now...but I'm a no excuses kind of guy. I sat down and wondered what it would take to shake this slump. Some superstitious folks would advise growing a beard, not showering, or perhaps some sort of ritualistic morning routine. I think you deserve better. In years past, the way we've broken out of a slump is to go to one of the MBOC's field correspondents. That's what will do this year. It's a tried and true way to turn the proverbial ship around. Without further delay, MBOC at-large correspondent Jeff Wood will be writing this week. I think you can expect GOOD things.....

Hello and welcome to week three of the MBOC. Dave is off to a slow start this year so I am here to help get the MBOC off the schnied. While Dave and our old roommate Mike Reidy will be with me at the frigid confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Montana (High temp of 39) to watch the Montana Grizzlies take on Cal Poly this weekend, there is a decent slate of bigger games on tap as well. The big one being Florida @ LSU with Tim Tebow being a game time decision. That makes the match-up in Baton Rouge a stay away game in my opinion.

I tend to follow the pac-10 closer than other leagues and the game that jumps out at me is the 4-1 Stanford Cardinal traveling to the always hostile Reser Stadium in Corvallis to play the 3-2 Oregon State Beavers.

Now Stanford has started strong with recent wins over UW and UCLA, both at the Farm in Palo Alto. They have one of the best backs in the Pac-10, bruiser Toby Gerhart who has already rushed for 650 yards. Their Frosh QB, Andrew Luck, has also played well during the first part of the season completing 62% of his passes and managing the game. The only loss for Stanford has been on the road to ACC’s Wake Forest. While Stanford is solid and better than past years under second year coach Jim Harbaugh winning a night game in Reser will prove daunting.

Oregon State has struggled a little at home this year losing to both juggernaut Cincinnati and resurgent Arizona in tight ball games. They did however get a key pac-10 road win last week knocking off Arizona State in Tempe. They counter with a dynamic rushing game of their own with the Rogers brothers. Younger and speedier Jaquizz has gone for 500 yards while elder brother James averages over 6 yards a carry. OSU also has allowed only one team over 100 yards rushing as a team this season.

Fulfilling my duties as field correspondent, I asked Sarah Jean Underwood, Oregon State graduate and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the year, what she thought about my choice, and she started laughing because she thought it was a total layup. She immediately made a bet with her bookie and wrote down the 1 point line in disbelief (see photo to Left).

I like OSU to win outright in this game and cover the 1 point that they are favored by. OSU will find it’s rhythm playing in front of a home crowd at night and Toby Gerhart will find tough sledding against a stout Beaver run defense. Stanford will fall back in the Pac-10 with a loss on Saturday and further complicate the race for the Roses......... I’d lay a bet on it!

The Money Bet of the Century, week #5- Back with a Vengeance!

Much like when Mike Price left The Washington State head football coaching job.....or when William Seward thought that buying the state of Alaska was a good idea (ha).... it is important to remember that we all make a mistake once in a while. The MBOC has let you down, my fellow friends. So this week I will include cute co-eds from the respective schools instead of the schools logos. Apology accepted...ha ha.

Besides, we are going to make it up to you this week. This week's Money Bet takes out to the majestic, wind-swept plains of East Lansing, Michigan for this week's 'Un-rivalry' between Michigan and Michigan State. I say Un-rivalry, because as much as Michigan State probably would like to consider this their big rivalry, Michigan looks at them like their red-headed step-child.



As you might have read about this year, Michigan State is off to a snake-bitten start. Their hapless season is off to a 1-3 start, with their only win an ass-pounding victory over Montana State in early September (Sorry, Miles...I know you went to school at Montana State). Since that 44-3 triumph for Sparty, it has been a tumultuous trail of tears. Close games against the Chippewas of Central Michigan (Loss: 27-29) and everyone's favorite Catholic, Notre Dame (Loss: 30-33) have the Spartans feeling like the wallflower at an orgy. A deep search into the 2009 history of these teams, shows a very weak secondary that has allowed a BIG-10 record 10 touchdowns heading into it's 5th game of the year. And yet, Michigan State was supposed to have a solid season, despite the team being young (47 Freshman and 25 Sophomores). Kirk Cousins, Michigan State's QB isn't looking like a running threat either, with a -12 yards rushing after 4 games. Going 17 of 34 for 201 yards (stats from the Wisconsin game) AIN'T gonna get the job done against Big Blue.


But before you think this is a guaranteed lock for Michigan, last week the Wolverines QB, Tate Forcier injured his shoulder in a close battle with Indiana last week. Forcier is definitely a key to making things happen at the QB position, as the Wolverines back-upDenard Robinson is a widely untested and unknown backup. Look for Michigan Receivers Martavious Odoms and Greg Mathews to have to step up against a weak Michigan State secondary. They both stepped up last week, with Greg Mathews catching a 5-yard TD pass with 11 seconds left to help the Wolverines best the Hoosiers. Michigan Defensive End Brandon Graham, with the perfect season hanging in the balance, perhaps said it best "This is the time when leaders have to step up and demand more."

Even with Michigan's perfect record, they haven't played a road game yet this season. As their coach Rich Rodriguez pathetically joked, "Can we play all 12 game sat home?" The wolverines stumble into East Lansing a two point dog to 'Sparty'.

I think Michigan plays this game tough. As much as I'd like to see them lose this game, the receivers will prove too much for Michigan State's weak secondary. Look for their receivers to have massive yardage and consider picking up Martavious in your fantasy college team for weak 5. Michigan goes on to win this game.

Wolverines by 7!

The Money Bet of the Century Week #4

The Money Bet of the Century is back after a two year hiatus. As most of you know, I was attending business school the last couple years. Between business school responsibilities and weekend Penn State football, I really slacked off in my publishing of The Money Bet of the Century.

For those of you that are first time readers, here's a brief history of the Money Bet of the Century. Sometime in early 1999, co-founder of The Money Bet of the Century (aka MBOC) Marc Cooperstein found himself in an interesting gambling quandary. In the hole to one of Washington State University's favorite bookies (Cody Woodruff), Marc saw the gambling line come out for the Washington State Cougars in their game versus Idaho. When Marc saw the line come out, he instantly proclaimed "What are the guys in Vegas smoking.....it's like 'FREE MONEY'. I've seen a lot of blown lines in my time, but this is THE MONEY BET OF THE CENTURY!". Already down $800 to Cody, Marc proceeded to put up the keys to his mid-80's BMW (about $2000) on the line. Later that day, when his 'Money Bet of the Century' did not cover, Marc was seen through a window in his room by himself silently and vigorously shaking his television set. Thus the legend of the Money Bet of the Century was born!!

Here at the Money Bet of the Century, our aim is to find you that one college football game each week that is the guaranteed, hands-down, sure-fire pick to win money.

This week, we're heading out to the Pac-10 to locate the Money Bet. With 342 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first 3 games of the season, Jacquizz Rodgers is a formidable Running Back in the Pac-10. He's also helped fantasy football players cash in this season, currently ranking 5th in the overall points in ESPN's college football fantasy Challenge. This week he is listed as probable, but inside information obtained from our field correspondents says he'll play and contribute inline with the type of performance he's had so far this season.

You don't have to look to far from the last name Rodgers to find another threat on the same team. Jacquizz's older brother, James has 19 receptions for 233 yards so far this season.

This gives Oregon State's QB Sean Canfield a couple of different potent weapons to consider. He struggled last week against Cincinnati, but the MBOC staff considers Cincinnati one of the sleeper teams that could run the table this year in college football.

Arizona comes to Reser Stadium this week after a disappointing road loss to Iowa. Probably some of the worst news for Arizona came out last week when they found out that their star Tight End Rob Gronkowski will miss the rest of the season because of a strained back. 19-year old Sophomore Matt Scott from Corona, California will get the nod at QB for the Wildcats, who really haven't proven anything in the first 3 games of the season. An unconvincing win against Central Michigan University (19-6) and a slightly better effort at Northern Arizona (34-17) are all that reside on the resume of this mediocre Arizona Squad.

The line has Oregon State shaving out a win by only 1.5 at home, making this a damn near moneyline pick. You can bet the Beavers will come out gunning to open their first conference home opener. Look for Jacquizz Rodgers to chew up a ton of yardage against Arizona's week D-line, he'll have 3 touchdowns and around 120 yards. For the Money Bet this week....

Beavers by 10!!!