Your Pigskins and Ponies Picks for Oct. 22-25

Welcome to ABR’s Pigskins and Ponies column, where winners play!
Horse racing is my means to an end, and I love the sport like no other, but I admit it, like most of you, on a Sunday afternoon in the fall, it’s hard to pull me away from my couch … and NFL RedZone.
I have a wanted sign in Las Vegas and am feared by fantasy football mavens nationwide, but when it comes to the college game, I choose to punt.
That’s where Derek Cooley comes in. The dude is a loaded gun of university knowledge.
Let’s kick off the football, spring the horses from the gate and pad our bankrolls!
**Lines as of Wednesday Night from scoresandodds.com**
College Pigskins – by Derek Cooley
Week heaven, I mean week seven, was out of this world!  Not only were we undefeated, but we didn't encounter too many close calls either! Iowa dominated as a road favorite, Alabama dominated as a road favorite and Oklahoma uber-dominated as a road favorite.
One of the most miraculous victories you will see was Michigan State over Michigan, but we already had MSU covering that spread thanks to Connor Cook. 
Florida played extremely well in Death Valley and covered, and Notre Dame took care of USC and beat them by 10.
We could not have been more right about some of our matchups last week.
This week, we are keeping it to six games and trying to once again not overthink or overlook.
Last week: 6-0
Season Total: 21-22-1 (.488)
Week 8
Wisconsin -6 @ Illinois (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
Both running backs in this game are questionable: Corey Clement for Wisconsin and Josh Ferguson for Illinois. Ferguson has been listed as “very questionable” trying to return from a shoulder injury, while Clement has been practicing this week following his recovery from sports hernia surgery. That being said, I think the Illini were playing well and were hit with a bye week at, to be honest, a bad time. Wisconsin’s victory in Lincoln has done a lot for this team, and I think they beat Illinois by a touchdown in front of the U of I homecoming crowd.
(17) Oklahoma -14.5 vs. Texas Tech (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)
Oklahoma’s loss to Texas has seemingly lit a fire under the Sooners. They absolutely destroyed Kansas State on the road; I mean demolished them. Mayfield, Perine and co. will return to Norman and put up some major points against Texas Tech. This game will be high flying, but Oklahoma will have a wide margin of victory in the end.
Tennessee +15.5 @ (8) Alabama (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
The Crimson Tide are rolling after their consecutive road victories in Athens over Georgia and College Station over Texas A&M. Alabama, however, just does not “bring it” at home like they do on the road, and this is one of the main reasons why I like the Vols to keep this closer than expected and cover this spread. Joshua Dobbs is one hell of an athlete, and if he can keep the turnovers down ... Tennessee will be competitive. That win over Georgia in Knoxville will go a long, long way for this team.
(24) Ole Miss -6 vs. (15) Texas A&M (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
This game is really hard to pick. Looking at the current situation of both teams, the Aggies got run out of their own building by the Crimson Tide, and then there was Ole Miss! The Rebels were handled by Memphis! MEMPHIS!  Yes, Memphis had their number last week and it was at the Liberty Bowl, but this Ole Miss team beat ’Bama in Tuscaloosa! That's college football for ya! But I think Ole Miss bounces back in Oxford, and uses their “we beat Alabama and you didn’t” advantage to pull this one out and salvage their season. Rebs by a TD.
(9) Florida State -6.5 at Georgia Tech (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) Everett Golson, Dalvin Cook and the Seminoles will run over a Georgia Tech team that is in a tailspin. Both of these teams are headed in polar-opposite directions, and it will show on the field. This pick is pretty simple and easy for us. FSU big.
(3) Utah +3.5 @ USC (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
What does Utah do? They keep winning. That's what they will do here: win this game. Even if they somehow, someway lose by a field goal, the Utes still cover. It has been 99 years since the Utes won in Los Angeles, but the name Devontae Booker — that’s all you need to hear. Booker will absolutely control this game for a motivated Utah squad, and their hard-hitting defense will be able to get to Cody Kessler.
HEAD COACH KYLE WHITTINGHAM HAS THE UTES PLAYING EXTREMELY WELL

Kyle Whittingham at practice by Thomas A Cella. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Pro Pigskins – by Joe Kristufek
For the second consecutive week, we settled for a wash.
Philly came through for us again, Seattle didn’t, and somehow San Francisco and Baltimore combined for 45 points, slightly over the total.
We got fortunate that Minnesota covered and the recommended parlay to the under would have been a nice play.
Last week: 3-3
Season Total: 14-21-2 (.400)
Week 7
Thursday, Oct. 22
Seattle Seahawks - 6.5 at San Francisco 49ers
At 2-4, Seattle is desperate. They’re so much more talented than their record indicates, but they just can’t seem to finish off games on either side of the ball. They should be able to lock down an offensively challenged 49ers team and confuse their offense enough to cause some key turnovers. On the other side of the ball, expect a strong dose of the running game with some timely passes.
Sunday, Oct. 25
St. Louis Rams - 5.5 vs. Cleveland Browns
Off a bye week and at home against the weakest opponent they’ve faced all year, the Rams should be ready to feast. Cleveland can’t run the ball and a one-dimensional passing offense isn’t going to work against an opportunistic Rams defense. QB Nick Foles is coming off a one of the worst games of his career, a four-interception clunker against the Packers, but Todd Gurley ran for nearly 160 yards and, despite the turnovers, the Rams were in it until late.
Miami Dolphins -4 vs. Houston Texans
Off a head coach firing and a bye week, the Dolphins responded with easily their best collective performance of the year in a road romp over the Titans. They return home with renewed enthusiasm and face another team in the Texans that they should handle.
HOUSTON COULD GET A HEAVY DOSE OF LAMAR MILLER

Lamar Miller 2014 by Jeffrey Beall - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions OVER 44
The Vikings win with defense, but the Lions offense is showing signs of returning to top form, and Minnesota will have to match strides in order to win this game. Look for Detroit to get pass happy which leads to points on both ends.
Indianapolis Colts -4 vs. New Orleans Saints
With QB Andrew Luck back in the saddle, the Colts stayed in the game against the vaunted-and-inspired Patriots squad, and this week they get to face a defensively challenged Saints team at home. Don’t be fooled by the New Orleans upset over an overrated Falcons team. The Indianapolis offense will get fat this week.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Baltimore Ravens UNDER 48
A lot has been made of Arizona’s record scoring pace, but many of the points they’ve put up early in the season have been circumstantial. They only scored 13 last week against Pittsburgh and face an offensively challenged Ravens team this week. 
Ponies – by Joe Kristufek
We fired some shots last week, unfortunately they were blanks.
Thatcher Street got the trip we hoped for in the Sycamore, but he didn’t have quite enough punch down the lane. In the Raven Run, Chide was the victim of a slow pace and, dare I say it, a very poor ride. Wireless Future failed to make a serious impact in the Hawthorne Derby, but our second recommendation, Saham, did run big in finishing second.
Last week: 4-0-1-0 ($2 WPS * $24 wagered * $0 returned)
Season Total: 21-3-4-3 ($2 WPS * $126 wagered * $77.60 returned = $3.70)
Saturday, Oct. 24
Keeneland Race Course – Lexington, Ky.
Race 9 – Valley View Stakes (G3) 
#13 Mrs McDougal (morning-line odds, 6-1)
In a highly competitive race for 3-year-old fillieds on the turf, we’re going to hang our hat on a filly with an excuse and upside. With experience, this gal has learned her lessons well, and a recent clunker at Belmont can possibly be attributed to an “off” turf. Jockey Julien Leparoux fits her like a glove and the price should be right.
KEENELAND TURF COURSE

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Hawthorne Race Course – Stickney, Ill.
Race 6 – Stickney Handicap
#5 Be Playful (morning-line odds, 9-2)
This much-improved Illinois-bred turf filly swings back off a sharp second-place run behind an odds-on favorite in a minor grass stakes at Arlington. Under handicap conditions, she gets six pounds from most likely favorite, Lots o’ Lex, and that could be enough to make the difference.
Race 8 – Cicero Handicap
#1 Peej (morning-line odds, 7-2)
Another improving runner with upside, this guy legitimized himself by running fourth last out behind some accomplished lawnmowers in a minor stakes at Arlington. He didn’t have the cleanest of trips that day and was beaten less than two lengths. He’s well-drawn on the rail here and could fall into an advantageous, pocket trip.