College bettors power poll Week 12
By ALEX SMART
1: Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-1 ATS, 8-2 SU) (LW: 1) Oklahoma State was destroyed by Texas Tech last weekend, but it’s hard to find a reason to take them down from the top spot in the Power Poll. The Pokes' BCS prospects look grim, especially if they’re not careful against a Colorado team that spanked them 34-0 in its last meeting in ’05.
Next Up: Away @ Colorado (-17)
2: Ball State Cardinals (7-1 ATS, 9-0 SU) (LW: 3) The Cardinals probably don’t have enough bulk left on their schedule to join the BCS party, but they still have a lot of work to do just to win the MAC. They made a big statement by obliterating Northern Illinois 45-14 last week, and now have a short week to prepare for the Redhawks, who are just 2-7 ATS in their L/9 MAC games.
Next Up: Away @ Miami (OH) (-16)
3: Oklahoma Sooners (7-2 ATS, 9-1 SU) (LW: 7) Oklahoma kept its name in the hat for the national championship when it spanked Texas A&M 66-28. The offense has rolled up 186 points and 1,689 yards in its three-game cover streak. Eight of the Sooners’ nine lined games this year have also gone ‘over’ the ‘total’.
Next Up: Bye
4: Florida Gators (7-2 ATS, 9-1 SU) (LW: 9) Another week, another cover for the Gators, who have rolled off five straight covers by an average of 19.3 points per game. Last week, Vandy was on the short end of the scoreboard, falling 42-14. Florida is likely four steps from the national championship game and will look to take that first step against South Carolina next week in the Swamp.
Next Up: Home vs. South Carolina (-23)
5: Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2-1 ATS, 9-1 SU) (LW: 2) HC Joe Paterno’s quest for another championship was squashed in Iowa City when his Nittany Lions dropped to the Hawkeyes 24-23. It was the first time an opponent covered PSU since September 27, but it should be a “get better” week for its football bettors. Indiana is only 1-8-1 ATS in its L/10 and 16-35-2 ATS in its L/53 road games.
Next Up: Home vs. Indiana (-34)
6: Florida International Golden Panthers (7-2 ATS, 4-5 SU) (LW: 13) A trick play with just over 2:00 to go resulted in the game-winning touchdown, giving FIU a huge 22-21 victory over Arkansas State, and keeping its slim Sun Belt title hopes alive in the process. The Golden Panthers are off this week, but could notch the program’s first .500 season with wins in two of its final three games.
Next Up: Bye
7: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-2 ATS, 8-1 SU) (LW: 11) The offense for the Golden Hurricane had a week to get ready for its upcoming shootout with Houston. Both squads average over 37 points and 550 yards per game; so expect to see plenty of offensive fireworks. Last year, Tulsa spanked the Cougs 56-7.
Next Up: Away @ Houston (-6)
8: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-2 ATS, 5-4 SU) (LW: 4) Oddsmakers lined Louisiana-Lafayette as nine-point favorites against UTEP and sports bettors pushed that number up to 13.5. The Ragin’ Cajuns laid a massive egg by losing 37-24. The news could be bad for ULL bettors again this week, as they are 0-3 ATS in their last three meetings with the Owls.
Next Up: Away @ Florida Atlantic (-1.5)
9: Air Force Falcons (7-2 ATS, 8-2 SU) (LW: 15) With all of the attention that Utah, TCU, and BYU have garnered this season, the college football betting world has seemed to forget about the Falcons. They picked up their fifth straight victory by beating Colorado State 38-17, and could still make a huge impact on the MWC race with games against BYU and TCU remaining on the schedule.
Next Up: Home vs. Brigham Young (+4.5)
10: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-2-1 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 5) The Jackets had a chance to take the ACC Coastal Division by the throat, but got hammered in Chapel Hill 28-7. They’ll still be amongst the many teams going bowling from the ACC this year, but will look to improve their position in their final two games of the season.
Next Up: Bye
11: Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2-1 ATS, 10-0 SU) (LW: 23) The biggest jump of the weekend belongs to the Red Raiders, who made a massive statement by beating Oklahoma State 56-20. They narrowed the gap between themselves and Alabama in the human polls and will probably take over the No. 1 spot in America if they can manage a victory in Norman with all the chips on the table in two weeks.
Next Up: Bye
12: North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-2 ATS, 3-6 SU) (LW: 19) Hopes are slender for the Wolfpack to go bowling, but they took one step in that direction by beating Duke 27-17 last weekend. It was the fourth straight cover for NCSU, which can keep those bowl aspirations alive and upset the balance of power in the ACC Atlantic yet again if it can knock off the Deacs at home next weekend.
Next Up: Home vs. Wake Forest (+4)
13: California Golden Bears (7-2 ATS, 6-3 SU) (LW: 20) Cal has no chance of winning the Pac-10 and going to the Rose Bowl, but that won’t upset their college football bettors. The Bears ran off their third straight cover by only losing to USC 17-3 as 21.5-point underdogs. They’re now 4-1 ATS in Pac-10 play.
Next Up: Away @ Oregon State (+2)
14: Texas Longhorns (7-3 ATS, 9-1 SU) (LW: 6) It was a dominant performance by the No. 4 team in the land when it knocked off Baylor 45-21, but it was horrific luck for Longhorns bettors. The Bears scored with just under 5:00 remaining on a long run, which kept them within the 25.5-point spread. After opening up the season with seven straight covers, the Longhorns have failed to cover three straight spreads.
Next Up: Away @ Kansas (-14)
15: Alabama Crimson Tide (7-3 ATS, 10-0 SU) (LW: 24) With games remaining against Mississippi State and Auburn, it’s starting to look more and more like the Tide’s year. Though they probably should’ve pushed the final spread by winning 24-21 in regulation, they made geniuses out of their football bettors by winning 27-21 in overtime in the Bayou against the Tigers. They’re just 2-3 ATS this year at home though and are 3-10 ATS against the Bulldogs.
Next Up: Home vs. Mississippi State (-20.5)
16: Texas Christian Horned Frogs (7-3 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 8) They marched into Utah and dominated for 58 minutes, but in the end, TCU didn’t do quite enough to beat the Utes, losing 13-10 in a fantastic MWC matchup last Thursday. The BCS and MWC championship dreams are over in Fort Worth, but the Horned Frogs should still be rewarded for a fantastic regular season with a good bowl bid in December.
Next Up: Bye
17: Temple Owls (6-2-1 ATS, 3-6 SU) (LW: 17) The Temple offense has been miserable this season as the unit ranks 116th in the nation with just 268.7 yards per game. If they didn’t work on that in their bye week, they could get run off the field against a Kent State team that averages just short of 400 yards per game. The Owls are 0-2 ATS against the Golden Flashes since joining the MAC.
Next Up: Away @ Kent State (-2.5)
18: Boise State Broncos (5-2-1 ATS, 9-0 SU) (LW: 21) After Utah State took the opening drive of the second half for a touchdown, Boise State bettors had to want to rip up their football betting ticket. Three touchdowns in about 10 minutes salvaged a push on the closing line and provided another winning ticket for early bettors. A second trip to the BCS appears to be three wins away.
Next Up: Away @ Idaho (-34)
19: Oregon State Beavers (6-3 ATS, 6-3 SU) (LW: NR) Does anyone realize that the Beavers rank in the top 25 in both offense and defense? Worse than that, they’re three wins away from stealing the Rose Bowl bid from USC. They’ll get tested against Cal next week, a team they are 4-2 SU and ATS against since 2002.
Next Up: Home vs. California (-2)
20: Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 10) This is the Minnesota team we all expected to see at the beginning of the season. The Gophers were blown out of their own building by their rivals from Michigan 29-6 and have now lost consecutive games outright as 7.5-point favorites. After losing the Little Brown Jug, they’ll hope to capture Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the first time since 2003.
Next Up: Home vs. Wisconsin (+13)
21: Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3 ATS, 6-4 SU) (LW: NR) Iowa made a lot of Big XII and SEC teams very happy by knocking off the previously unbeaten Nittany Lions 24-23 at the buzzer. The Hawkeyes are going to go bowling again and have covered four of their L/5 games. They’ll put their 5-1 home record on the line next week against the Boilermakers in hopes of improving their bowl bid.
Next Up: Home vs. Purdue (-14)
22: Vanderbilt Commodores (6-3 ATS, 5-4 SU) (LW: 12) Vanderbilt is running out of time to find their elusive sixth victory after losing their fourth straight to the Gators by the count of 42-14 last weekend. The Commodores will hit the road to face Kentucky, a team that they are just 1-6 SU and ATS in their L/7 games.
Next Up: Away @ Kentucky (+4)
23: Florida State Seminoles (4-2-1 ATS, 7-2 SU) (LW: NR) Happy birthday, Bobby Bowden! On his 79th birthday, his Seminoles rolled over Clemson 41-27 and guaranteed that they would take over Michigan’s place as the team with the most consecutive seasons with a bowl bid. The Noles are 2-1 SU and ATS against next week’s opponent, Boston College, since the Eagles joined the ACC.
Next Up: Home vs. Boston College (-7)
24: Northern Illinois Huskies (5-3 ATS, 5-4 SU) (LW: 14) The Huskies had a chance to make some noise in the MAC against Ball State, but they found themselves on the short end of a 45-14 defeat. The conference’s other undefeated team, Central Michigan, pays a visit to DeKalb next weekend, a place where NIU is just 1-2 ATS this season.
Next Up: Home vs. Central Michigan (-2.5)
25: Baylor Bears (6-3 ATS, 3-7 SU) (LW: NR) This season may go down as another rough one in the history of the Bears, but at least their football bettors are guaranteed a winning season. They’re one of just two teams in America that has covered both Missouri and Texas and they just finished that in consecutive weeks. Baylor is 2-0 SU and ATS as a favorite this year and finds itself in that role again this week against the Aggies.
Next Up: Home vs. Texas A&M (-8.5)
Dropped Out: Duke (16), Arizona (18), Southern California (22), Rice (25)