Post-Mortems: Big 12 – Wk. 1

American | ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | C-USA
Indy | MAC | Mt. West | Pac-12 | SEC | SBC

My high-volume approach to making picks requires me to watch as many games as possible. Picture-in-picture works overtime and tablets get worn out.

Not every game gets seen as it unfolds, but I have to go back and take a look at what stood out in games I didn’t catch.

This is my post-mortem for Week 1. I can’t divulge all my secrets, so you only get a few lines per game. They’re listed in chronological order (as listed on the board):

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma (-19/69): Over before you blinked, this was looked at like an embarrassment by Lane Kiffin because it was one. His offense didn’t score until the third quarter and didn’t live up to their end of the bargain since he had to know his defense would be in for a tough day. Kyler Murray attacked the season, which is what you wanted to see given his future as a baseball prospect. He looks engaged and like he’s set to have a fun chasing the Heisman alongside Rodney Anderson. Result: Oklahoma 63-14. ATS: Favorite/Over




Texas (-13/54.5) at Maryland: Don’t be so disappointed with Tom Herman’s Longhorns that you lose sight of how great it was to see Kasim Hill pick right up where he left off after last season’s misfortune. If he can stay healthy, the Terps have a shot a reaching a bowl following a tumultuous offseason, giving Matt Canada a great chance to keep the head coaching job moving forward. As for Texas, it seems like Sam Ehlinger misses too many throws to be the unquestioned starter over Shane Buechele, so we’ll probably see that controversy arise again. Freshman running back Keaontay Ingram was one bright spot for a ‘Horns team that will host USC and TCU after this week’s home opener vs. Tulsa. Things could get ugly. Result: Maryland 34-29. ATS: Underdog/Over

Ole Miss at Texas Tech (-2.5/72): The Rebels scored in 33 seconds and put up points in every quarter, which bodes well for life without Shea Patterson. Jordan Ta’amu kept his receiving corps happy in spreading the ball around and Scottie Phillips took advantage of all the attention they receive, debuting with 204 rushing yards. We’ll see how they handle Alabama at home next weekend. The Red Raiders were held scoreless in the fourth quarter and lost McLane Carter to an ankle injury that will likely sideline him for some time. Backup Alan Bowman, a true freshman, will have to grow up fast as Kliff Kingsbury hopes to avoid a third straight losing season. Result: Ole Miss 47-27. ATS: Underdog/Over

West Virginia (-10/59.5) at Tennessee: The Vols ended up being the only team in the SEC to lose in Week 1 and hung in there as long as they could. QB Jarrett Guarantano played about as well as he could but the team’s offense will be a work in progress. Will Grier toyed with Jeremy Pruitt’s young secondary in what was one of the worst possible matchups for his new-look Tennessee squad. The Mountaineers got a five-touchdown game from Grier and 100-yard days from David Sills and Greg Jennings. Business as usual. Result: West Virginia 40-14. ATS: Favorite/Under



Follow Tony Mejia on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA or e-mail him at mejia@vegasinsider.com