Beware of Traps - Week 5
By Judd Hall
We were so close to power shifts in college football last weekend that I was ready to dance around the office. Not a pretty sight, I’m sure, but that never came to fruition. Alabama survived in Fayetteville and the Nittany Lions finally got on track against Temple.
Close defeats like that can take a huge toll on teams full of young kids. Indiana was a perfect example of that last season. The Hoosiers were 3-0 and on the verge of a big win in Ann Arbor, but fell 36-33. That loss unraveled the team as they went 1-8 the rest of the way.
So will we see any glorious collapses begin this weekend? Let’s look at some of those teams that are cruising for a fading by the bettors.
Fallen Hooters…
I had a strong feeling that Temple would hold close against the Nittany Lions last week as a 13 ½-point road pup. The public was thinking the same as that line actually opened up at 16 ½ at the start of the week. The Owls looked like they were going to pay off on the money line by taking a 13-9 lead into halftime. Unfortunately for Al Golden’s team, Chester Stewart was picked off three times as Temple fell to the Nittany Lions 22-13. And you can be damn sure that PSU was lucky to win this game.
The Owls stay on the road this week as they head to West Point for a showdown with Army. Temple comes into the game as a five-point road “chalk” for this game. While that line make sense, I can’t help but think this is a great letdown position.
Army has an edge for this game with a running game that is eighth nationally by averaging 274.8 rushing yards per game this season. The Owls had no answer for Evan Royster and PSU’s ground game last week as they racked up 216 rushing yards. I can easily see the Cadets putting a real scare into Temple this weekend.
Wolverines and Revenge…
We already talked about how the Hoosiers lost last year at Michigan. Now Indiana has a chance to get some revenge against the Wolverines this weekend as a 10-point home pup. But Rich Rodriguez’s team might not be paying too much attention to the task at hand. That tends to happen when you have a rivalry showdown with the Spartans coming up the following week.
Now I understand that Denard Robinson is coming back from a knee injury, but should still be a force on the attack for the Wolverines. What is a concern in this game is Michigan’s pass defense. That unit is 105th against the pass, allowing 264.8 yards per game through the air.
Indiana’s Ben Chappell is the sixth most efficient quarterback in the nation (179.04) and is averaging 296.7 passing yards per game. And he threw for 270 yards last season in Ann Arbor in a game the Hoosier should have won. Don’t be shocked if IU keeps it close against the Wolverines in Bloomington.
Storm Warning…
Well, the Hurricanes had no problems in killing off Pittsburgh last week after a less than desirable effort in Columbus a few weeks back. Now Miami is a 3 ½-point road favorite against the Tigers as they start ACC play this weekend.
Miami fans are looking for revenge after Clemson beat them 40-37 in overtime last season at Sun Life Stadium. Of course, the Tigers needed a Herculean effort out of C.J. Spiller to get the win. Spiller won’t be bothering the ‘Canes here as he’s doing his best to make Buffalo worth paying attention to now.
The Tigers are coming into this game after getting a week off from a tough 27-24 OT loss at Auburn on Sept. 18. That time off helps Dabo Swinney rally his troops from what is a tough defeat.
Clemson also has history on its side in this game as they’ve covered the spread in all three meetings they have had against the Hurricanes. Plus, Miami has the hated Seminoles next weekend. And Randy Shannon’s team has gone 4-1 straight up but 1-4 against the spread in their last five games before taking on Florida State.
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