TAKE THE OVER SEPT 8 PICKS FROM THE POD

Is this thing on? Do we have to test keyboards the same way we do microphones? This is strange. Am I making this blog using only speech-to-text? Maybe.

​WELCOME to the first written content from your friends at Take The Over, the only podcast that records on Wednesdays and gives you free money. Only one of those is true, but I digress. This week’s blog is almost exclusively college football (aka: a college footblog) and is sure to make your Saturday *that* much more enjoyable. Without further ado, here’s the scoop:

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Iowa State Cyclones (-4)
Ever find yourself wondering what two cornfields would look like clashing on a football field? Well, wonder no more as this Saturday we can all witness the Battle of the Corn out in the Midwest. Actually, I’ve read that this game is sometimes affectionately referred to as “El Assico.” Neither of these offenses was great in Week 1, with Iowa beating Indiana thanks to two defensive scores (Indiana’s offense ain’t so hot, neither). Iowa’s QB managed to complete only 47% of his passes, which doesn’t sound so bad to me considering I earned a 39% on my 9th-grade geometry final, but in NCAA Division I Football terms, it’s not great. Iowa State has gained a reputation as a well-coached team under current Head Coach, and former University of Pittsburgh (H2P) defensive lineman, Matt Campbell who has held the reigns since 2016, and it’s about time we all give the Cyclones their due respect and stop acting shocked when they whoop ranked teams, especially at home. I’m taking Iowa State to win the Cy-Hawk Trophy, with the points.

Pitt (H2P) (-3.5) @ Tennessee
This game started at -2.5 and is now at -3.5 at the time of writing this blog, if that tells you anything (for the newbies: the lines can move for several reasons, but one of the more common reasons is the movement as a result of the money being wagered, so in this case, it appears Pitt has received the lion’s share of the wagering). 23-year-old Redshirt Senior Kenny Pickett has been legally drunk for two years now and you would expect him to have the faith of his teammates as he enters his last hurrah with the Panthers. *Knock on wood* Pitt actually covered in their first game of the season and I think can carry that offensive momentum into a friendly-hostile environment (Tennesseans are so polite and hospitable) and score enough touchdowns in the orange-and-white checkered end zones to cover the spread. I’m taking Pitt, with the points.

Oregon @ Ohio State, o/u 63
If you watched the first half of the Ohio State v. Minnesota game, I’d like to apologize on behalf of every Ohio State Football Booster. That wasn’t a great effort. Maybe some nerves, maybe a lack of focus, who knows? CJ Stroud looked like a rookie to the big stage in the game, but then the receiving corps realized they were much faster than the defense and started calling “Four Verticals” every play for big chunks of yards. It seemed both teams made halftime adjustments and points were being scored in bunches. The Buckeyes’ Offense seems to have the ability to adapt their game to the more-recent “speed” philosophy where they want points and they want them now, and that could turn into a shootout with my beloved Oregon Ducks. Well, I hope it turns into a shootout at least. Since the Ducks will be kicking off at 9:00am Pacific, I can envision a scenario where Ohio State scores 50+ and the Ducks end up with 13 BUT, but….but….we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. TAKE THE OVER in this one.

NC State @ Mississippi State, o/u 51
I had a chance to become intimate with spectating the Mississippi State Football Program about a decade ago during the Dan Mullen Era, and even said under my breath one time that I thought college-Dak would be a nice replacement for Big Ben in Pittsburgh (shoutout to me for having an eye for talent). But I did learn that there’re two things that are consistent: 1) the Bulldogs can score a lot of points, and 2) the Bulldogs can give up a lot of points. They are very good at both. Just like how they gave up 34 points to Louisiana Tech last week, meanwhile NC State hung 45 on USF. If we can score one point for each cowbell rung is Stark Vegas this weekend, we’ll be just fine. TAKE THE OVER in this ACC/SEC clash.

BONUS HOT TAKE
Don’t say DKnop never did anything nice for you. Parlay* Jets ML and Bengals ML +674 and take your winnings straight to Live! Casino Pittsburgh and put it all on black one time. You’re welcome.

*Parlay: a wager type in which multiple bets are linked together to create a greater payout. It's treated as one big bet, so every game within the parlay must win for the bet to win.
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