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The day many of us have been waiting for is here. College football. It’s not too shabby of a day one either. There are games spread out through the night, starting with Texas A@M and South Carolina.

Under today’s picks you can purchase two of Thursday’s premium plays in college football. It’s going to be a long season from late August all the way until January’s concluding bowl games.

Rutgers vs Washington State
The spread here sits at -8. Washington State played in one of the more thrilling bowl games last year in a 48-45 loss to Colorado State. Hopes are high as Mike Leach returns his typical offense with senior quarterback Connor Halladay. The problem with Washington State’s style of play is if they have the all around talent to maintain it. Last year in six of their regular season losses only one of losses was by a touchdown or less.

They made it to a bowl game thanks to a few cupcake opponents in Idaho and Southern Utah, and a surprise win over USC. The season did have key highlights. One was against Auburn in week one. Many talk about Auburn’s great run a year ago, but it was almost halted right off the bat in a 31-24 win over Washington State. There other solid outing was a tale of two halves against Oregon. In the first half they held a sizeable lead and frustrated Marcus Mariota.

Expect a similar mold from Washington State this season as they’re still a two to three year span away from moving past their current levels.

That should leave the door open for a cover for a team like Rutgers. Rutgers is the type of team that drives opponents crazy. Whether it be in the Big East, AAC, and now the Big Ten.

It’s often forgotten the type of recruiting power the state of New Jersey holds in getting top recruits from New York City, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Even when their overall record has been below .500, Rutgers has produced NFL draft picks.

There is something to be said for a team that has a fourth year starter at quarterback. Rutgers has that with Gary Nova. Maybe it was by default for some of those seasons, but nonetheless Nova is as experienced a quarterback there is in the country. Last year Nova got the message he probably should have received during his sophomore season. In late November he was benched in favor of Chas Dodd. This was after a stretch of five touchdowns and nine interceptions over a five game span from Nova.

It was a message sent loud and clear to Nova as he didn’t hit the field again in 2013, even in Rutgers bowl game loss to Notre Dame.

It was needed and it’ll be interesting to see how Nova responds going into his senior campaign.

Paul James at running back combined with Nova’s leadership improvement could give Washington State fits. For a team that only threw 21 touchdown passes last season, they sure got their moneys worth from wide receiver Leonte Carroo. Out of his 28 catches nine were touchdowns.

Washington State boasts a solid nucleus of returned veterans defensively but they still need to show they’re an improved bunch.

Neither team is going to be a stalwart defensively especially in game one Thursday. It’ll take gradual improvement week to week for either team to get there.

It’ll be up to the senior quarterbacks to showcase their true leadership and skill set. I don’t expect either to back down but with an eight point spread, I’m going to lean towards Rutgers here. A year ago out the gate, Gary Nova faced a similar opponent in Fresno State as a ten point underdog. The team nearly pulled off an upset on the road in a 52-51 loss. It proved to be one of his best games of the season.

Now the team ventures a bit further north for game one in Washington. Take the Rutger Scarlett Knights here plus the points.

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Every year we see the circus of the NFL for free agents, draft picks, and NFL head coaches. It all starts with moves to remove a head coach before anything else can occur. Lets take a look at the top five coaches on the hot seat to be fired in 2014. Referencing the Official 2014 NFL odds will give you a good idea as to why they may be on chopping block in the upcoming season.

Rex Ryan
There’s no doubt that Rex Ryan will be one of the most watched coaches in the NFL this year. He has been through a whirlwind of drama as the Jets head coach. His strong defenses were undermined by poor choices at quarterback, wide receiver, and other personnel decisions. Still the Jets brought him back but the leash will be short on Ryan.

Doug Marrone
I think Marrone will do much better as a coordinator in the NFL or college coach again. He just seems a bit over his head as an NFL head coach. We see this all the time where a hot name lands a job but fades quickly. Buffalo is a tough place for anyone, but results still need to happen. If Manuel falls flat this season expect Marrone’s hot seat to be steaming.

Jason Garrett
The sports media’s favorite team to bash still has the coach on board that has been the leader since Wade Phillips firing. There has been key issues made late in games that have cost the Cowboys winnable games. The romance with Garrett and Romo is soon to hit that closing change over moment.

Dennis Allen
Poor Allen has to somehow manage a team that will be led by Matt Schaub. Not only that the team has one of the oldest running back tandems in the league in MJD and Darren McFadden. Both have been injury-riddled over the last two to three seasons. The youth on this team is untested and already took a blow with last years cornerback in DJ Hayden missing the first six weeks of the season.

Mike Tomlin
His name hasn’t been mentioned to much but the Steelers are losing the race amongst the Bengals and Ravens. Last year the team had no offensive rhythm. They moved the football only when trailing and looked like a college football team trying to erase a deficit. Defensively they believe they have turned things back around. Only time will tell, but a third place finish puts Tomlin on the hot seat.

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Today’s first five innings free play comes in the Reds versus Cubs. Yesterday saw a 3-0 underdog win from the Cubs over the Reds. Today’s starters are Matt Latos and Jacob Turner. Many are going to eye Turner’s name and automatically side with the Reds or the over. Against fifteen or twenty different MLB teams I would agree. But not against the Reds.

The lineup has hit a wall once again after seeming to come to life just a few weeks ago. They’re just not getting any hits or getting on base. Yesterday they saw solid looks from Travis Wood but could not get any hits. They had three on the day and were consistently hitting into fly ball outs.

I expect Matt Latos to have a strong comeback today after having a rough outing a week ago in Colorado. The Cubs bats take a major hit with Anthony Rizzo out today with a back injury suffered yesterday.

With Jacob Turner his stint in Miami was filled with inconsistency. He had two different stretches in which he was a part of the Marlins starting rotation. His woes in May were what cost him his rotation spot. But when he was called to duty in late July with Alvarez and Cosart missing starts he filled in admirably. Against Houston and Atlanta he got a win allowing just three runs in both starts.

The problem with Turner is he can’t be a rotation starter at this point in his career. Starting for his third and last time as a Marlin he had a rough game against the Reds. That is where we see the high price value today on Latos.

Off of relief outings as a Cub I expect Turner to be comfortable tonight in his normal four to five innings on the mound. That’s his maximum and is why I suggest taking the under tonight of 4 in the first five innings.

Good luck and take a look at today’s other premium plays under today’s picks.

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Key fantasy football drafts have been going on over the last week or two. They’ll continue for the next week. Many of you probably did invite leagues just for fun in mid June to late July, but now will start to get into your true fantasy groove. Your cap is on and your ready for the NFL season.

Before you head to your war rooms to draft with your buddies and colleagues here are a few fantasy football notes to think about.

Be leery of Jamaal Charles

I profiled Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles as a draft pick to be worried about this season. He has as high a stock as any fantasy football back, but there is a track record with Andy Reid to be leery of. Track the article from a week ago to read further.

Don’t Overreact to Preseason Play
A lot of people overreact to media drawn out stories or minimal statistics. Think about it this way. The action these athletes receive in preseason is so minuscule to what they receive in the regular season. Quarterbacks thus far in three combined preseason games may have totaled three to four quarters of actual action. Two of those quarters were warm up basic vanilla plays. The other few series maybe they did show rust. Think back to your athletic achievements even if they were back in peewee days. How’d you do the first week of practice or first games? Exactly. Let the pros be pros and expect their play to spike back to normal come Sundays.

Act Like You’ve Been There
In your drafts you should be prepared 100 percent. Don’t let an owner before you spoil your pick. If he picks someone you had in mind, move on with your backup plan. Some owners get so distraught that their pick was taken that they lose sight of their draft plans. The same can be said for auction leagues as well. You have a budget and have to abide to that. Obviously your going to have to protect your wallet on certain guys.

Sleepers Are Bait in Drafts
The term fantasy football sleeper started off well back in the mid to late 90’s. Gradually it has bogged down like a ten year television sitcom. It’s redundancy has plagued fantasy owners minds for their drafts. Too many people fill their rosters with potential hype and devalue the strength of their rosters. It’s safe to target a maximum of two possible sleepers. Use the rest of your bench depth on veterans and worthy tier three players. More than likely your sleeper pick ends up as your first or second waiver wire drop.

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I continue on my divisional coverage of predictions for over/under win totals. Today we will focus on the NFC North. A division that has as much talent as any division in the NFL, but has fallen short of living up to it on an annual basis.

Lets see if this is the year that the Lions, Packers, and Bears thrive and give the NFC a run for their money.

Vegas Has It Right On
Green Bay
Many have Green Bay circled as one of the easy picks to topple Vegas’s set line of ten wins. They do look like a strong team but surpassing double digit wins is always a challenge. This is a division that hasn’t changed much personnel wise. All teams know each other very well. That’s a challenge in my mind to get through a division with ease. We’ve seen it for years in the NFC East, and the same can be said here. Vegas has this one right on. I can see them getting 11 wins, tying the number at ten, or falling just short at 9 wins. I wouldn’t put money on them.

Beats The Number
Detroit Lions 8 wins
Talk about a team that had some ugly losses a year ago. Detroit’s average season hit a landslide as they dropped their last four games. That finish was the writing on the wall to send former head coach Jim Schwartz packing. Now the question is can Caldwell boost the talent-laden Lions. I believe he can and that the Lions beat the number of 8 wins. All it’s going to take is true maturity from a team filled with great young players.

Falls Short
Chicago 8 wins
Throughout the Lovie Smith era this Bears team had its ups and downs. They got to the Super Bowl and had success based on a ferocious defense that had key players everywhere. The defense aged and truly hasn’t been the same in a solid three seasons. Marc Trestman is an offensive guy and will continue to thrive this year. I’m just not sold that they get it done even with vast improvement on the defensive side of the ball. They’re similar to the Cowboys. They’ll be in games and look fantastic in highlights, but when it comes to wins and losses they fall short.

Minnesota Vikings 6 wins
I’m an old Big East college football fanatic. I certainly was down on Geno Smith after watching him at West Virginia before his last season in the Big 12. Teddy Bridgewater is in my eyes going to struggle as well. He is slight of frame for an NFL quarterback and has worse accuracy issues in my estimation than Smith. Over the long haul I believe Bridgewater can become a decent starter but it’s going to take some serious growing pains. He was fortunate to play in a watered down Big East and AAC. Louisville’s upset win over Florida caused Bridgewater’s stock to rise similar to an NCAA basketball player having a great March Madness. Neither a veteran in Matt Cassel or a year one Teddy Bridgewater is capable of getting this team a combined six wins. AP of two years ago isn’t coming back anytime soon either.

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Last week I took a look at the AFC East division for win totals. Today I’ll take a look at the AFC North. In the north the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers have all had their share of successes over the last five years. Baltimore got it done with their reliable defense and steady arm of Joe Flacco. Pittsburgh’s nucleus hasn’t changed much either with the arm of Big Ben.

Cincinnati though over hauled their team when Carson Palmer demanded out. Right about that time is when the Bengals saw a drastic difference in the way the team played. It doesn’t mean Carson was a poor quarterback, it’s just a mark on the time line of the franchise. They retained Marvin Lewis which many people disagreed on and made better personnel decisions with their draft picks.

Still, oddsmakers do not have them out in front by much in the division. Lets take a look at the division and give a pick on over/unders.

Cincinnati 9– Pick Over
Many are doubting Andy Dalton’s contract and ability. They can doubt but there is no doubting the core of talent on the Bengals. It’s a sound team that has youth and growing talent on both sides of the football. In Baltimore and Pittsburgh both teams still have aged talent and question marks from last season. Both should be better but the Bengals have in my mind the best team in the division. They’re a bit underrated from the oddmakers because of the continued love for Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Baltimore 8.5- Pick Over
Things just were in complete disarray a season ago in Baltimore. The Super Bowl hangover was in full affect. A new offensive system with Gary Kubiak should help riddle the offensive woes that lacked the punch to help their defense. Ray Rice’s down season wasn’t just shocking to fantasy football owners but to the Ravens overall. They’ll have a new look this year and be able to gain an extra couple of wins because of it.

Pittsburgh 8.5- Pick Under
Sometimes an organization needs to gut things out and make tough decisions. Since Hines Ward retired this team has lost its identity offensively and got worse on defense. They’ve become faster on defense but that’s not going to alleviate big plays from happening. Offensively I still don’t believe there is enough premier talent to get them back atop this division.

Cleveland 6.5- Pick Under
A few weeks ago I liked the over here. Normally I wouldn’t let preseason play sway my conviction but I’ll go a different route here. 6.5 is a steep number for a team with large question marks at quarterback and with a surely suspended top receiver in Josh Gordon. If the set win total was 5-5.5 my hesitancy to stick with the over wouldn’t of swayed. It’s just too large of a number in a tough division.