35-35
Jinder Mahal -105 wins the Punjabi Prison Match over Randy Orton tonight (with interference from the Great Khali) thankfully getting us back to square one, record-wise. I hope you guys played it as I posted it.
Yes.
The pick:
Liberty FLAMES +30.5 over the Baylor Bears
I want to make this a concise write-up so you read it, because many have no interest in this game (because of it's polarity: complete blowout or surprisingly close).
What do we have on Baylor's side of the ball?
Two words: QUESTION MARKS!
What are those question marks?
1. Matt Rhule
He is the biggest. Matt Rhule is of a defensive mindset, bringing Temple to previously unforeseen heights in victories, prominence, national recognition and primarily DEFENSE, never experience at once lowly Temple.
It was a surprise when he took this job because although Baylor has had some good defensive teams, they are primarily known for their high-powered offense.
Plagued by scandal, Rhule took the job anyway, according to him over dinner with his wife where god told him it was the right choice.
He's a big question mark. I can't see how he's going to be running a similar offense to Baylor teams of yesteryear as that is simply not his focus. Even if he is, there is an adjustment period. While he has more weapons than at Temple, he's going to have his teams regard defense first and the offense will come as it will.
And when you are getting 30.5, that's a good thing, even with Liberty.
Temple was a great fit for him. But Baylor? In his first game? Laying a number that is not much different than one they would lay in an up-tempo year (35/37/40?) matters. 30.5 is not much different. You are talking about winning by 5 TD's. That has tremendous backdoor possibilities. And all we have at the head coaching spot is question marks.
What kind of offense will run in the first game? We know what the defense will be and that is another problem and I'll get to that. And what are your weapons on offense? Well here they are.
2. The Offense
A lot is lost here.
The QB position will be lead by one of two guys: Zach Smith or guess who? AZ transfer Anu Solomon.
For anyone who watched Arizona, Anu Solomon is not going to BOMB teams, even bad ones (and Liberty is not this fluff FCS pushover either). He's a far cry from his 2014 form. If Anu Solomon starts the first game, getting 30.5 is meaningful, particularly given we don't even know what the offense will be beyond Anu. If Zach Smith runs it, they'll score more, but how much more? He's no Seth Russell. I can't see this team being a well-oiled Baylor machine of years past because of the QB position and more losses. 30.5 seems more and more attractive.
At RB, they lose Shock Linwood at a position that was all over the place last year, banged up from top to bottom. Again, question marks as to what they will be in 2017.
Receivers? Cannon, Zamora and Hawthorne all gone. More question marks particularly after inserting what might be a new QB and offense.
Offensive Line: They lose their top 3.
Now what is the defense?
3. Baylor's defense
The entire D-Line returns. WOW, you say, right? That's great! Wrong. There's a big problem: They are switching to a 4-3 defense and they have a new D-Coordinator in Phil Snow, also from Temple.
Sometimes quotes say a little but mean a lot. Listen to what Snow had to say about his unit in the spring:
"With this defense, you do the little things and the big things work. This unit doesn't understand that yet. and they haven't totally bought into that yet, but it's a process. It takes a year to learn this defense, and we are in the early stages."
Again, so little says so much. I need not break down that quote for you. You leave it with more question marks.