Week 3/ 9.12.13: You Betcha

   I'm starting with a mythical bankroll of $10,000, courtesy of my friends at Bodog sports online casino. First of all, because their site is easy to navigate. More importantly, because they're based in Costa Rica and have had minimal success tracking me down in the past.
   I'll analyze games/wagers each weekend and make a pick every Thursday. With any luck, by Christmas it'll be new iPhone 6s for everyone!

   The sports gambling Gods taketh away, and sometimes they giveth back.
   Had no business winning last week's bet - the 49ers minus-4.5 over the Packers. San Francisco was up three points with under two minutes remaining and was driving in Green Bay territory. One more first down and the Niners would've run out the clock. Instead, on a third-down scramble Colin Kaepernick just fell down, setting up a fourth down as the clock tick-tick-ticked.
   Jim Harbaugh's decision? Field goal. Final: 49ers 34, Packers 28. Whew.
   Let's call it even, because in Week 1 I was hosed by a late special-team gaffe.
   I could quit while I'm ahead or ...
   Alabama is gonna roll A&M.
   The Crimson Tide has lost one football game in the past 680 days. 'Bama has won 18 of its last 19 over three seasons.
   The bump in the road: Texas A&M. Nick Saban can downplay revenge all he wants, but the fact that he immediately began playing A&M's 29-24 upset on continuous loop on the TVs in his team's training room after his team beat Notre Dame for the 2012 national title says otherwise.
   Alabama will be ready. And Alabama is clearly the better team.
   The Tide has three new starters along its offensive line, but with running back T.J. Yeldon it will be able to control the ball, the clock and the game. No doubt that Johnny Goofball will be the best player on the field Saturday in College Station, so Alabama's plan will be to keep him off of it.
   The Aggies' defense is more than vulnerable. I know they were missing three suspended starters, but their first two games have been alarming. A&M surrendered 509 yards to Rice, 390 to Sam Houston State and a combined 59 points to those awful outfits.
   It may be the biggest game in A&M history with record-high ticket prices, but to Saban it's just another loss to avenge. And he's pretty damn good at that. His teams at 'Bama and LSU are 15-2 when facing a team the next time after losing to them. At Alabama he's 7-1 in revenge games, winning by an average of 33-12.
   Alabama will win, and easily cover the 8.

STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $10,400.
SEASON RECORD: 1-1.
LAST WEEK: 1-0.
THIS WEEK: Alabam minus-8 over Texas A&M, $750.