[FlyersFan]

I too like the Flashes in this one.....though i am not sure if i will play it. ISU has 11 returning starters this year, and 7 on defense. But they have had to learn new schemes on both sides of the ball and this will be the first time they go live with them. They lost in 3OT's to Toledo last year at home as an 8 1/2 point favorite. The next week they beat a crummy UNLV team by 3 points as a 14 point favorite. Linesmaker knows that, IMO and isn't going to give you many points. Flashes return 16 starters including 4 of their top 5 tacklers, their QB and top 2 RB's AND they return 9 of their top 10 O-lineman off of what was a very good O-line last year. This is a very good football team, and personally, i think that Iowa State sucks and a change in systems isn't going to help them in game 1 of the season. MAC teams aren't scared to play people anymore at home or on the road. I mean lets be honest here.....ISU is a glorified MAC program playing in the Big12. They are no better than a Toledo, Kent etc........

Flashes were 4-1 ATS last year as a Road dog and they return pretty much the same group. ISU was 0-2 ATS as a home favorite (1-5 ATS overall at home) and lost one of those 2 games SU and didn't come within a mile of covering either one (decent TOL team and an AWFUL 2-10 UNLV team). You can see they aren't favored over many people and with good reason. In fact they haven't covered a non conference game besides the Iowa game in the last 2 years. They are 0-4ATS plus 1 game over NoIowa that they won by 1 point (game had no line). Another reason, IMO, the line is so low.....and as to the coaching change overall...it may be great for them down the road, but i don't think you will see the effects of it until the latter part of the season...and the fact still remains, you can only coach below average talent so far and i really don't think there is a talent gap between ISU and a good program from the WAC, MAC etc...and you've seen it the last few years in matchups vs. Army, Toledo, UNI, SIU (both 1-AA schools that hung with them), UNLV etc....

The more i look at this the more i like Kent. Haven't really looked at anything yet for week1, but this may be a play for me. I think anything over a FG is tremendous value with KSU