Brohm group

Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, with Jack Plummer behind him, calls a play during a skeleton drill.

 ERIC CRAWFORD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This is coincidentally hilarious. I'm writing this story as Eric Crawford, a driver that I'm not allowed to mention and I are making our way to Atlanta for the Louisville football season opener Friday night.

I just looked up, and we rolled past the Munfordville (Ky.) exit on I-65 South.

Didn't see a sign for Billy Walters, but there should be. Billy is the guy who moves point spreads and has just written a best-selling book on his wild and crazy life as a gambler (and carouser). I'd put down $1,000 on Walters as Munfordville's most famous product.

I've read the book, "Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk." Billy said what nearly every intelligent person says about gambling: Over time, you're going to lose. It's cooked into the system. So set aside a reasonable amount of money that you're comfortable losing and enjoy a few weekend wagers.

You can also have fun with imaginary money. That is what Tom Lane, Eric Crawford and I will do this season.

I dropped $2,000 in imaginary dollars into everybody's bank account and asked them to wager on three games every weekend. I'll track the results every weekend and rank the players in order of their performances.

Heck, in a few weeks, we'll be clear to gamble real money.

Tom Lane

  • $200 on Colorado (+20.5) at TCU, Saturday, Noon.
    • "Because Deion (Sanders, Colorado's new coach)."
  • $200 on Western Kentucky (-11.5) vs. South Florida, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
    • "Because the Toppers should be pretty explosive, and USF is probably still pretty bad."
  • $200 on Miami (Fla.) (-16.5) vs. Miami (Ohio), Saturday, 7 p.m.
    • "I'll go with Hurricanes, because if the team known as the real Miami loses, I'll still feel good (Mr. Lane is a proud Miami, Ohio, graduate.)"

Eric Crawford

  • $100 on Middle Tennessee State (39) at Alabama, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
    • "Alabama will play it close to the vest with Texas coming to Tuscaloosa next week. There is still uncertainty at quarterback. One garbage touchdown by the Blue Raiders should get the job done."
  • $100 on Georgia Tech (+7.5) vs. Louisville, Friday, 7:30 p.m., in Atlanta.
    • "I think Louisville wins but I'll go with Tech with a spread this big for what is essentially a road game against a relatively inexperienced Cards' defense."
  • $100 on the over (41.5) for the TCU team over against Colorado, Saturday, Noon, in Fort Worth, Texas.
    • "Completely new defense at Colorado that wasn't even together for spring football. Could be plenty of missed assignments even with the talent there."

Rick Bozich

  • $250 on Ohio State (-30) at Indiana, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
    • "The Buckeyes have beaten the Hoosiers by 40 or more in three of the last four seasons. The Buckeyes have the best receiving group in the nation, and IU's secondary is not the best group in the nation. Indiana has not announced a quarterback, but neither Brendan Sorsby nor Tayven Jackson has put anything on film that suggested they are ready to topple a top-five opponent."
  • $100 on North Carolina State (-14) at Connecticut, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
    • "The Wolfpack rolled the Huskies by 31 last season, and Dave Doeren worked to upgrade his offense during the offseason by adding quarterback Brennan Armstrong and offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who made magic two years ago at Virginia."
  • $75 on South Carolina (+2.5) vs. North Carolina, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. in Charlotte.
    • "The Gamecocks finished last season with gusto, beating Tennessee and Clemson before taking Notre Dame to the wire its bowl game. The Tar Heels often throw in an early season clunker and lost their last four games last season.

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