Editor’s Note: Guest post by Hayden King
After many upsets, my record this past weekend was 14-8.
The year total is now at 26-10, which is keeping me at about a 72% clip on picks.
Here’s a breakdown of the picks by favorites/underdogs:
Favorites (11-7: 18 Total Games)
The favorites were absolutely brutal this weekend. I had wins with: Virginia, Hobart, Delaware, Ohio State, Quinnipiac, Rutgers, Manhattan, Lehigh, Bryant, Siena, Navy, and Towson.
My losses came from: Army, St. Bonaventure, Georgetown, Maryland, Bucknell, and Denver.
Maryland, Georgetown, and Denver all got upset. I think Hopkins is good, but I think they lucked out by beating Georgetown.
Not only was it Georgetown’s first game, but the Hoya’s hit more posts then I think I’ve ever seen in a game. Also, they led at the end of every quarter (besides the 4th obviously).
Don’t knock Hopkins for a great performance, but I think Georgetown will come back hot this weekend at home vs. Penn.
Maryland and Denver might’ve shown us something to look out for. Maryland looked like they don’t have much to rely on in close games, even though they won most of the faceoffs vs. Loyola on Saturday. Denver just looked sloppy, and I think they made a strong case to be left out of the Top 20 with how they played against Air Force. Both teams should see drastic movement in the Top 20 polls.
Underdogs (2-2: 4 Total Games)
The underdog bets for the week were: Vermont over Boston, Marist over Binghamton, Marquette over Utah, and Villanova over Penn State. Two wins: Vermont and Villanova. Two losses: Marquette and Marist.
I liked what I saw when Vermont played Syracuse, so this seemed like an easy pick, especially with Boston playing their first game of the season.
For Marist I’ll be honest: I guessed and went with name recognition, won’t make that mistake again.
As far as Marquette goes, if you read my blog last week you heard me say to not bet on the Utes. Well, I followed my own advice and got cooked with Utah beating Marquette 18-16. What that means to me: Utah is a mid-tier team and might squeeze out a Top 20 win or two, but will win most of their unranked matchups.
Villanova being an underdog over Penn State made no sense to me. Villanova is (and has been) a good team, especially early in the season. Also, they beat Penn State for their 1st game in 2022, so why wouldn’t history repeat itself?
Week 2 Picks (Weekend Only)
Games to Watch/Bet: Welcome Back Ivy League
My favorite pick for this weekend is Cornell over Albany. The Dane’s got obliterated by Cuse, and Cornell is playing their first game since losing the 2022 National Championship. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cornell win by 10+ goals.
I also love Hobart over Lehigh on Saturday. I don’t know if Hobart will be an underdog, but I think they should pull out a win at Lehigh. Lehigh’s offense was insanely basic vs. Fairfield, using inverts and athleticism to win their matchups. Also, Lehigh has a lot of young guns playing significant minutes early (shoutout Grant Rodny for netting his first 2 career goals on Saturday).
Nothing against Lehigh, as I think they will have a strong season. However, my heart is saying Hobart in this matchup and I think you should be able to get an attractive Money Line on this game.
My game of the week is Georgetown hosting Penn on Saturday. Penn is going to have their first game of the season, and Georgetown is coming home off a rough upset vs. Hopkins. I’m betting on rust and emotions for this game. Penn should have some rust, and Georgetown should come out looking for something to prove. Give me Georgetown in this matchup, as I think they will right the ship in week 2.
And,for anyone thinking Cuse is back, I have them getting smoked by Maryland on Saturday. Good luck to all!
Total Picks
Bucknell over Richmond
Rutgers over Army
Cornell over Albany
Delaware over St. John’s
Georgetown over Penn
Hobart over Lehigh
Michigan over Hofstra
Loyola over Johns Hopkins
Navy over Manhattan
St. Josephs over Towson
Boston over Bryant
Maryland over Syracuse
Air Force over Colgate
Vermont over Utah
Virginia over Harvard
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