College Football: Wait...What? Maryland Bought An Edsall?

Reportedly, Randy Edsall—the now former head coach of the UConn Huskies—will be the new head coach at the University of Maryland.

Forgive the license here, but isn't the goal of firing a head coach—especially one that had as much success as Ralph Friedgen—to hire a better one?

It was assumed that Maryland wanted to go in a different direction with the football program. They were no longer satisfied with the plodding, mundane, and methodical pace that Friedgen brought to the table—that wasn't putting enough backsides in the seats.

They wanted a guy with...well...a pulse, a personality, and a bit more fire to his approach.

That led many to believe that the disgraced former head coach of Texas Tech, Mike Leach, would be the guy.

So, imagine the surprise and awe of many when it was discovered that Maryland traded a Friedgen for a freezer.

Not sure where that makes any sense.

While Edsall has done a fine job of making UConn semi-relevant at a school where basketball rules, his overall record isn't something to run home and tell your mama about.

He's been average, at best, and will now have to fight against even bigger fish in the ultra-competitive ACC.

Perhaps, the powers that be at Maryland saw something we didn't in UConn's beatdown on Saturday night. Maybe coach Edsall will bring his plodding, mundane, and methodical approach to College Park with more favorable results. And, if that happens, we should all be ready to eat a little crow.

However, at the moment, this hire is about as exciting as the Edsel of 59'.

Congratulations, Maryland. You just gave up Ralph Friedgen for...a slightly lesser version of Ralph Friedgen.

Related articles

• Report: Maryland picks UConn's Randy Edsall as next coach (sportingnews.com)
• Report: Randy Edsall To Replace Ralph Friedgen At Maryland (sbnation.com)

College Football Betting Odds: 10 ATS Picks to Click This Weekend (10/2)

Last week treated the Lady a lot better than the two prior—7-3 ATS was the final tally. Not bad for a weekends worth of picks, eh? That lovely end brought the season record up to a much more respectable 20-15, but there is still much work to do in order to get well on the year.

So, if you want to glance at last weeks numbers, do so here, otherwise, let's get to this weeks teams worthy of taking a chance on—ATS of course.

(All lines courtesy of VegasInsider.com). 

1.  Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: Pick Em' (PK)

Wisconsin has played no one of any real substance this season, but they've still managed to be unimpressive in every contest—including the ones where they should have blown the doors off their opponent. Michigan State will be on an emotional high with the return of their head coach to the sidelines and could be up to the challenge of sending the Badgers home with their first loss of the year.

The Lady's Pick: Michigan State

2. Michigan at Indiana: Michigan (-10.5)

Michigan will, likely, have Denard Robinson back as their starting quarterback this week. That's big for the Wolverines because it became clear last week, when Robinson went out in the first quarter, that the team moves the ball a lot more efficiently with him in the lineup. Indiana has played no team that comes close to the offensive power that Michigan brings to the table—expect lots of points.

The Lady's Pick: Michigan

3. Connecticut vs Vanderbilt: Connecticut (10.5)

Vanderbilt may not be playing with a ton of personnel this season, but they are playing with a ton of heart. Connecticut has been on the ATS pendulum this season, doing well against the pansies but folding against the lesser opposition—perhaps it's harder to get up for the lower profile games? The talented running backs (for the respected teams) are due back this week and will be a major factor in the outcome. I think Vanderbilt can keep it interesting so long as Warren Norman can run the ball.

The Lady's Pick: Vanderbilt

4. Georgia Tech at Wake Forest: Georgia Tech (-14)

The Yellow Jackets have been an enigma this season and skepticism about their ability to play a full 60 minutes—on both sides of the field—has to be pretty high right now. That said, they are probably itching to get back on track after suffering such a heartbreaking loss at home last week and there are few teams in the ACC better to get well against than the Demon Deacons.

The Lady's Pick: Georgia Tech

5. Miami at Clemson: Miami (-3)

Everyone is back on the Hurricane's bandwagon after the way they dismantled Pitt last weekend, but Clemson looked impressive for 54 minutes against Auburn a couple weeks back and they've had an extra week to prepare for the Hurricane's arrival in Death Valley.

The Lady's Pick: Clemson

6.  Nevada vs. UNLV: Nevada (-20)

The Wolfpack has been on a roll. In the last two weeks, they've beaten both Cal (at home) and BYU (on the road). Now they will travel back to Nevada to take on the lowly Rebels. Though the Wolfpack ran away with this one last season, and should soundly beat the Rebels on Saturday, it just seems like one of those games where the emotional highs can catch up to a team and cause them to lapse momentarily. Nevada won't lose, but they may not win by 20.

The Lady's Pick: UNLV

7. Kentucky vs. Ole Miss: Ole Miss (-4)

It was nice that Ole Miss was able to get it rolling against Fresno State last week, but Kentucky will offer a different kind of challenge to this Rebel offense—a real one. Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb are looking to get loose after being, essentially, stalled against the Gators last week and this is just the game to set the Wildcats loose.

The Lady's Pick: Kentucky

8. Texas Tech at Iowa State: Texas Tech (-4.5)

Iowa State has a pretty good quarterback in Austen Arnaud, but chances are he won't be 100 percent for this one. Texas Tech hasn't been all that impressive, offensively, but they should have enough talent to outplay the Cyclones if they try hard enough.

The Lady's Pick: Texas Tech  

9.  Marshall at Southern Miss: Southern Miss (-9)

DeAndre Brown is questionable, as is Marshall's defensive stud, Mario Harvey. Both are considerably important to their teams for different reasons. If Brown is limited or held out due to injury, Marshall has enough play makers on defense to keep the game close.

The Lady's Pick: Marshall

10.  Virginia Tech at NC State: Virginia Tech (-3)

The odds makers are having a tough time believing in NC State. The Wolfpack has only been favored once this season—at home versus Cincinnati. The underdog roll seems to suit them just fine as they continue to rise above expectations. Look for them to do so again on Saturday.

The Lady's Pick: NC State

Tuesday Afternoon Tea: Just a Few Links For Your Drink

Now that Clemson's starting quarterback might decide to bolt for an MLB paycheck—people are suddenly interested in what Tajh Boyd will do in his stead. Here's a good guess, in a year or so, people may forget who Kyle Parker was in the first place because, honestly, most of Clemson is already saying "bye, bye" to his services. Boyd is going to be very good for Clemson.

It's funny to me that Notre Dame is still being given this much credit. Here's the thing, people, Notre Dame can get paid big dollars without extending a branch to any other conference—why would they want to save the hides of any one?

Yawn...The Gators are still making the rest of SEC sports play second-fiddle; it'll be nice when that streak ends. 

If the Pac-10 does actually expand, somebody send the State of Texas a memo to remind them that: Baylor Sux...just a suggestion.


Bill King sheds a little light on Georgia's recent run of "bad publicity".

Clemson won't be the only ACC team looking for another quarterback this coming season. N.C. State may be saying "so long" to Russell Wilson as he, potentially, also will join the Colorado Rockies roster.

And, staying with MLB for a touch longer, the Texas Rangers nabbed Georgia Diamond Dawg pitcher, Justin Grimm, in the fifth-round.

Paul Finebaum has turned his venomous attention towards the Cock's and Hogs of South Carolina and Arkansas, respectively.