College Football Wednesday

There are two types of people in this world: NFL fans and NCAA fans. Well, that's not true (especially if you ask Ben Rumpson or Blondie and Tuco). But it seems that not a lot of people are true fanatics about college football and professional football. Maybe it is too hard to divide your loyalty when it comes to the gridiron.

Whatever the case, I am a die hard San Diego Charger fan. My heart is up for sale to the highest bidder when it comes to the BCS, though, kinda like scholarships in South Beach. That does not mean I do not enjoy student athletes. It's just that I prefer my football players to get paid out in the open.

I do like watching NCAA football, but I can just as easily root for Stanford and Cal, UCLA and USC all on the same weekend. I see no reason why I have to root for Michigan and against Ohio State. I will not, however, root for the Broncos, Chiefs or Raiders. Unless, of course, it somehow helps the Chargers with improved playoff positioning.

When I wrote for a Los Angeles-area web site and magazine, a co-worker and I would go to lunch every Thursday with a printout of the weekend college games and their betting lines. We would pick two games each and then one absolutely random one that would have to be a complete guess. The person with the winning record had lunch paid the next week.

As an ode to such a fantastic and memorable time in my life, I will attempt to duplicate the predictions every Wednesday and then review every Monday. I may or may not do the same with the NFL. More than likely "may not."

Houston is a 3-point favorite at home against UCLA. Growing up, I had a poster of Michigan, Notre Dame and UCLA football on my bedroom walls. I have always liked UCLA's colors and the 8-clap, but as my good friend @y2k8t (a former UCLA women's lacrosse star) posted on Twitter, "Indecision at QB is always a good sign, right? RT @UCLAAthletics: Prince to start vs Houston. But Bruins will use both QBs during game." The 2-back system worked fine for the Florida Gators with Tim Tebow and Chris Leak in 2006, but, sadly, neither Kevin Prince nor Richard Brehaut are Tebow. Take the Cougars and give up the points.

Boise State against Georgia in Atlanta with an over/under of 51. It seems a bit silly to say this game is being played at a "neutral site." It may not be at Sanford Stadium on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, but the Georgia Dome is less than a 2-hour drive East on I-85. But the Broncos should be used to this sort of "neutral site" business. They beat Virginia Tech in last year's season opener 33-30 at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, which is about a 5-hour drive from the Hokies' hometown of Blacksburg. So I don't think travel or fans will have much of an impact on the outcome. I think this will be a nail biter and I would bet both teams will put up points, so I would go with more than 51 points are scored.

Florida International favored by 13 1/2 over visiting North Texas. In a game pitting the Golden Panthers against the Mean Green, I've got to go with Mean Green, simply because it reminds me of this.