College Football Betting News and Notes Friday, October 13th, 2017

CLEMSON (6 - 0) at SYRACUSE (3 - 3) - 10/13/2017, 7:00 PM

There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SYRACUSE is 1-1 against the spread versus CLEMSON over the last 3 seasons
CLEMSON is 2-0 straight up against SYRACUSE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

WASHINGTON ST (6 - 0) at CALIFORNIA (3 - 3) - 10/13/2017, 10:30 PM

Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON ST is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CALIFORNIA is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in home games after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON ST is 2-0 against the spread versus CALIFORNIA over the last 3 seasons
CALIFORNIA is 1-1 straight up against WASHINGTON ST over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

CLEMSON @ SYRACUSE
Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Syracuse's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Syracuse's last 13 games

WASHINGTON STATE @ CALIFORNIA
Washington State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Washington State is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against California
California is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Washington State
California is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington State

CLEMSON vs. SYRACUSE
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Clemson's last 7 games on the road
Clemson is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Syracuse
Syracuse is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Syracuse's last 5 games at home

WASHINGTON STATE vs. CALIFORNIA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington State's last 7 games when playing California
Washington State is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games when playing California
California is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of California's last 7 games when playing Washington State

College Football Week 7

Clemson QB Bryant (ankle) will probably play here, but Tigers have bye next week, so they’re not going to put him in harm’s way here, if they can help it. Clemson is 4-0 vs Syracuse in ACC play after LY’s 54-0 beatdown (565-277 TY); they’ve won 37-27 (-30.5), 49-14 (-14) in two trips to central NY. Tigers have road wins at Louisville/Va Tech by 47-21/31-17 scores; they’re 6-9 in last 15 games as a road favorite (2-0 this year). Under Babers, Syracuse is 1-4 vs spread as a home underdog; their losses this year are by 7-9-8 points (2-0 vs spread as an underdog).

Washington State is off wins over USC/Oregon, has to guard against letdown here; Coogs hammered Cal 56-21 (-16.5) LY, after losing 10 of previous 11 meetings with the Golden Bears. Wazzu lost five of last six visits to Berkeley (dogs 4-2 vs spread). WSU is 6-0, winning 33-10 at Oregon in only road game; they’re 2-4 as road favorites under Leach. Cal lost 45-24 to Oregon two weeks ago; they lost last three games, allowed 83 points in last two. Golden Bears covered their last three games as a home underdog- under is 3-1 in their last four games.

Armadillosports.com

Syracuse hosts Clemson
By: Sam Chase
StatFox.com

Undefeated #2 Clemson gets the Friday spotlight on the road against Syracuse.

On a weekend where Top 10 teams like Oklahoma and Michigan fell to the likes of Iowa State and Michigan State, the undefeated Clemson Tigers kept on chugging, rising to 6-0 (4-2 ATS) with a 28-14 home win over a solid conference opponent in Wake Forest (WF +21). All was not rosy for the reigning national champs, however, as starting QB Kelly Bryant left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Signs immediately after the game were that he might miss the Tiger's next contest, with it coming on a short week at Syracuse, but the latest reports say Dabo Swinney believes his signal-caller is likely to start. The Orange, on the other hand, are back at .500 (3-2-1 ATS) after closing out Pittsburgh for a 27-24 home win on Saturday (SYR -3). The triumph comes on the heels of single-digit road losses to NC State and LSU, in which Cuse showed it can hang with teams possessing elite talent. Head coach Dino Baber's Syracuse teams have gone Under the total in 14 of his 18 games there, despite often reaching huge point totals. At Clemson, Swinney is 3-8 ATS as a favorite of 21.5 to 31 points and 6-0 Over against the total as a road favorite of 14.5 or more points.

Bryant (67.3 CMP%, 1,259 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs; 97 carries, 401 yards, 7 TDs) has been the engine of the offense both on the ground and through the air for the Tigers. He has been unspectacular as a passer, ranking seventh in the ACC with a passer efficiency rating of 137.1 and 12th in touchdown passes, tied with Wake Forest backup Kendall Hinton. He has been good enough in that respect, though, and has done so without the Mike Williams/Jordan Leggett receiving duo that Deshaun Watson had at his disposal. Bryant leads the team in rushing, and is tied with Lamar Jackson for third in the conference in rushing TDs. Against Wake, he completed 21 of 29 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and a pick, while also gaining 39 yards on 12 carries. After he left the game, No. 2 QB Zerrick Cooper completed only 2 of 6 passes for 16 yards, while ostensibly the No. 3 QB, freshman Hunter Johnson, was perfect, going 5-for-5 for 42 yards and an insurance touchdown. If Bryant were to sit against the Orange, it's unclear who would get the start. The Tigers continued to use a multi-pronged rushing attack against the Demon Deacons, as RB Travis Etienne (46 carries, 378 yards, 5 TDs) carried 15 times for 67 yards and a TD, and RB Tavien Feaster (59 carries, 332 yards, 2 TDs) got 11 carries for 54 yards. RB Adam Choice (28 carries, 136 yards, 4 TDs) had a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. That came on the heels of a 28-yard touchdown reception by WR Deon Cain (17 catches, 244 yards, 2 TDs). Like in the backfield, Bryant's wideouts see pretty equal action as one another, as WRs Ray-Ray McCloud (26 catches, 291 yards, TD) and Hunter Renfrow (29 carries, 282 yards) share similar yardage numbers with Cain.

Like Clemson, Syracuse's offense centers around its quarterback. Unlike Clemson, for whom Bryant is starting for the first time this year, the Orange are relying on a veteran behind center in QB Eric Dungey (64.4 CMP%, 1,802 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs; 80 carries, 325 yards, 8 TDs). Dungey has been strong in starting most of the Orange's games over the past two seasons, but he has taken it to another level early halfway through the 2017 campaign: His 1,802 yards are the eighth most in the nation. Now, that number exaggerate his effectiveness a little bit: He has thrown more passes (261) than all but one other player among the country's top 30 passers, and his yards per attempt average (6.9) is lower than all but one other player among the same group. Nonetheless, he's a nationally known player—Athlon had him as their Third Team All-ACC QB going into the season—and he's clearly the leader of a strong Syracuse offense. He completed 33 of 49 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns against Pitt, and also bruised his way to 48 yards on 12 carries and another touchdown on the ground. Dungey tends to fixate on one or two targets, something reflected obviously in his receivers' stats. Last year, since-departed WR Amba Etto-Tawo was eighth in the country in receiving yards; through six games this year, WR Steve Ishmael (56 catches, 729 yards, 3 TDs) is first. He had five catches for 97 yards and a TD against Pitt. Ishmael is also first nationally in receptions and, remarkably, WR Ervin Philips is third (52 catches, 475 yards, 2 TDs). The Pitt win was Dungey's best game yet in terms of distribution, as WR Devin C. Butler (16 catches, 157 yards, TD) had seven catches for 64 yards and a score, while WR Ravian Pierce (19 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs) caught nine balls for 99 yards. As much as Cuse throws, they found plenty of opportunities on the ground against the Panthers for RB Dontae Strickland (76 carries, 220 yards, 3 TDs; 9 catches, 62 yards, TD). Strickland, whose previous season-high for carries had been 15, rushed 25 times for 80 yards and also caught two passes for a season-best 32 yards.

Washington State faces Cal
StatFox.com

Cal hopes to knock #8 Wazzu from the ranks of the unbeaten.

After taking down Pac-12 giant USC in a matchup of two undefeated teams two weeks ago, you couldn't blame Washington State for feeling a little disrespected after heading to Eugene last weekend as only one-point favorites. They certainly played like it, taking down the Ducks by a 33-10 score. The Cougars are now 6-0 on the season and have beat the spread in four straight contests after going 0-2 ATS in their first two. At # 8 in the AP Poll, they're ranked last among the major unbeaten teams (not counting 4-0 Miami), only five spots ahead of the USC team they defeated. They'll be playing their second straight road game this weekend, this time in Berkeley against the California Golden Bears. After a 3-0 start and wins that once would have seemed impressive over UNC and Ole Miss, Cal has dropped to 3-3 (3-3 ATS) after three consecutive losses to USC, Oregon and Washington. As 29-point underdogs at UW last weekend, the Bears trailed 24-0 at halftime and ultimately lost by a 38-7 score. Over the last three seasons, Washington State is 11-3 Under against the total when having gained 125 rushing yards or fewer in its two previous games. But under head coach Mike Leach, the team is 5-1 Over against the total coming off of two straight conference wins.

As is characteristic of Leach's teams, Washington State focuses on throwing the ball, and then throwing the ball some more in its Air Raid offense. Leach, formerly the coach at Texas Tech, may now have his best passer ever in QB Luke Falk (71.8 CMP%, 19 TDs, 2 INTs). Falk is third in the country in passing yards despite the fact that he's missed some time to injury—backup Tyler Hilinski has thrown over 50 passes himself. Falk isn't incredibly efficient through certain lenses—his 7.63 yards per attempt are eighth in the Pac-12—but that's not unexpected considering his volume. His near-impeccable TD-INT ratio serves as an accurate representation of just how effectively he helms this offense. Naturally, he has a number of wide receivers who see plenty of targets. Despite catching only two passes for 19 yards against Oregon, WR Tavares Martin Jr. (34 catches, 464 yards, 7 TDs) leads the team in receiving. WR Kyle Sweet (27 catches, 283 yards, TD) was his most frequent target in that game with seven catches for 86 yards, while RB Jamal Morrow (37 carries, 288 yards, 2 TDs; 23 catches, 179 yards, 5 TDs) and WRs Renard Bell (20 catches, 374 yards, TD) and Isaiah Johnson-Mack (33 catches, 316 yards, 3 TDs) each caught a touchdown apiece. While the ground game isn't the headliner in Pullman, Morrow, RB James Williams (58 carries, 230 yards, TD; 41 catches, 290 yards, 3 TDs) and RB Gerard Wicks (22 carries, 116 yards, TD; 10 catches, 51 yards) see some action both on the ground and through the air.

Gone in Berkeley are the days of QB Davis Webb and WR Chad Hansen, who helped form one of the Pac-12's most formidable passing offenses a season ago. In their place are new starting quarterback Ross Bowers (55.9 CMP%, 1,437 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs) and a host of the few remaining non-injured receivers vying to catch 55.9% of his passes. That completion percentage and TD-INT ratio, along with a sad 6.47 YPA, show a quarterback that has struggled to find his footing in his first season as a starter. His best game of the year—and, really, his only strong performance at all—came in the opener at North Carolina, and things have gone downhill since. He was feckless against Washington, completed 11 of 18 passes for 80 yards. Backup Chase Forrest was able to move the ball a bit in garbage time, but does not yet appear poised to overtake the starting job. All the blame for the offense can't be placed on Bowers, however, as the aforementioned receiver injuries have decimated the wideout unit. WRs Melquise Stovall and Demetris Robertson are out for the year, and WR Kanawai Noa (24 catches, 373 yards, TD) missed the UW game with an injury. He is questionable to play against Washington State. WR Vic Wharton III (27 catches, 397 yards, 3 TDs) is Bowers's most reliable option. Sadly, the running game has been similarly affected by injuries. RB Patrick Laird (65 carries, 400 yards, 4 TDs) was himself injured when he took over for starter Tre Watson (who is now out for the year) at the beginning of the season, and he exited the Washington game early with an injury. Laird, however, appears good to go against Wazzu on Friday.

ACC Report - Week 7
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Clemson at Syracuse

The Tigers head to the Carrier Dome for Friday night action, and they're more than a three-touchdown favorite. The Tigers won last week, but failed to cover in a 28-14 win against Wake Forest. After opening 3-0 ATS, the Tigers are just 1-2 ATS over their past two conference tilts. They enter this game at just 2-6 ATS over the past eight on a field turf surface, too. For Syracuse, this is their bowl game, or a bigger game even if they should become eligible for the postseason. The Carrier Dome should be rocking for a rare primetime, national attention game.

Syracuse is 4-0 ATS over their past four against winning teams, 3-0-1 ATS across their past four outings and 5-1 ATS in their past six home outings against teams with a winning road record. However, they have managed a 1-4-1 ATS mark over their past six home games. If you like totals, you might like the 'under'. While the over is 6-1 in Clemson's past seven road affairs, the under is 4-1 in their past five overall, while the under is 10-1 in Syracuse's past 11 at home, and 13-3 in their past 16 overall, while going 8-1 in their past nine ACC games.

Pac-12 Report - Week 7
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Washington State at California

The Cougars look to continue their winning ways against the skidding Bears in Berkeley on a little Pac-12 after dark, Friday style. Washington State proved their upset over USC two weeks ago was no fluke, as they hit the road for Oregon last week and picked up an impressive 33-10 win for their fourth consecutive cover. The Cougars offense has been impressive, posting 30 or more points in all six games this season. Their defense has been an underrated part of their success, as they're yielding just 14.7 PPG over the past three, all 'under' results. Cal opened 3-0 SU over their first three with wins at North Carolina and against Ole Miss, so they were feeling good about themselves. However, a visit from USC, a trip to Oregon and Washington, and suddenly their back to .500 while failing to cover their past two. They have lost their past three games by an average of 20.7 PPG. Washington State has owned this series lately, at least against the number, going 7-1 ATS in their past eight trips to Cal, while going 11-5 ATS in the past 16 overall.

Friday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Clemson at Syracuse

As of late Thursday night, most betting shops had Clemson (6-0 straight up, 4-2 against the spread) installed as a 23-point favorite with a total of 57.5. The ‘Cuse was available on the money line for a 10/1 return (risk $100 to win $1,000).

With Oklahoma falling at home last week to 31-point underdog Iowa State, Clemson now owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 11 games. Dabo Swinney’s squad owns wins vs. Kent State (56-3), vs. Auburn (14-6), at Louisville (47-21), vs. Boston College (34-7), at Virginia Tech (31-17) and vs. Wake Forest (28-14).

Clemson failed to cover the number in last week’s 28-14 over Wake Forest at Death Valley. The Demon Deacons took the cash as 21-point road underdogs, while the 42 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 50.5-point total. The Tigers actually moved ahead of the number early in the fourth quarter on Hunter Johnson’s 13-yard scoring strike to Canon Smith for a 28-0 advantage. However, Wake Forest responded with a 16-yard TD throw from Kendall Hinton to Scotty Washington to trim the deficit – and pull even on the spread – to 21 with 8:32 remaining. Then with 2:28 left, Hinton found Cam Serigne for an 11-yard TD pass to give the Deacs the backdoor cover.

Clemson junior QB Kelly Bryant exited the Wake game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Nevertheless, he’s been upgraded to ‘probable’ and will get the starting nod at the Carrier Dome. Bryant completed 21-of-29 passes vs. Wake for 200 yards with one TD and one interception. He ran for 39 yards on 12 attempts. Johnson, the true freshman who was a five-star recruit, completed all five of his throws for 42 yards and one TD without a pick. Another true freshman, RB Travis Etienne, rushed for 67 yards and one TD on 15 carries, while Hunter Renfrow had six catches for 61 yards.

For the season, Bryant has connected on 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards with a 4/4 TD-INT ratio. He has rushed for a team-high 401 yards and seven TDs with a 4.1 yards-per-carry average. Etienne is the team’s second-leading rusher with 378 yards, five TDs and an 8.2 YPC average. Ray-Ray McCloud has 26 receptions for 291 yards and one TD, while Renfrow has 29 grabs for 282 yards.

Clemson’s defense is ranked eighth in the nation in total defense, fifth in scoring defense (11.3 PPG), 15th against the pass and 13th versus the run.

Clemson is 2-0 ATS as a road ‘chalk’ this season, 14-16 in its last 30 such spots going back to the start of the 2009 campaign.

Syracuse (3-3 SU, 3-2-1 ATS) has won three of four home games while going 1-2-1 ATS. This is the Orange’s first game as a home underdog this season. They are 1-4 ATS in five games as home ‘dogs since Dino Babers took over.

Syracuse has covered the spread at a 3-0-1 ATS clip in its last four outings. The Orange pushed its way past Pittsburgh last week in a 27-24 triumph as a three-point home ‘chalk.’ The 51 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 63-point tally. Junior QB Eric Dungey was the catalyst, completing 33-of-49 passes for 365 yards and two TDs without an interception. He also rushed 12 times for 48 yards and one TD. True freshman TE Ravian Pierce hauled in nine receptions for 99 yards, while Steve Ishmael had five catches for 97 yards and one TD.

Dungey has completed 64.1 percent of his throws for 1,802 yards with a 9/4 TD-INT ratio. He has seven TD passes compared to two interceptions in the ‘Cuse’s four home outings. Dungey has legs as well, evidenced by his team-best 325 rushing yards for eight TDs with a 4.1 YPC average. Dungey has a pair of elite wideouts in Ishmael and Ervin Philips. Ishmael has 56 catches for 729 yards and three TDs, while Philips has 52 receptions for 475 yards and two TDs.

Babers’s squad is 1-1 in ACC play, defeating Pitt and dropping a 33-25 decision at N.C. State the previous week. The Orange did rally for a backdoor cover as a 14-point underdog at N.C. State, though. The week before, the ‘Cuse gave LSU all it wanted – just as it did at the Carrier Dome two seasons ago – in a 35-26 setback as a 21.5-point puppy.

Syracuse’s results in its first three games looked like this: 50-7 home win over Central Connecticut, 30-23 home loss to Middle Tennessee (before Brent Stockstill and Richie James went down with injuries) and a 41-17 home win over Central Michigan.

The ‘under’ is 5-1 overall for the ‘Cuse, 4-0 in its home contests. The Orange have seen its game average combined scores of 56.3 PPG.

The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Tigers, 1-1 in their road assignments. They’ve seen their games average combined scores of 46.3 PPG.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern at the Carrier Dome on ESPN.

Washington State at California

As of Thursday night, most books had Washington State (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) listed as a 15-point road favorite with a total of 54. The Golden Bears were +475 on the money line (risk $100 to win $475).

Washington State won its first five games at home vs. Montana State (31-0), vs. Boise State (44-41 in triple OT), vs. Nevada (45-7), vs. Oregon State (52-23) and vs. USC (30-27). The Cougars went on the road for the first time last week to collect a 33-10 win at Oregon as 1.5-point road faves for their third straight triumph over the Ducks. As usual, senior QB Luke Falk was money, completing 24-of-42 passes for 282 yards and three TDs without an interception. Gerard Wicks rushed seven times for a team-best 58 yards, while Kyle Sweet had seven catches for 86 yards.

Falk has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 2,000 yards with a 19/2 TD-INT ratio. Taveres Martin Jr. has 34 receptions for 464 yards and seven TDs. Four other WRs have at least 283 receiving yards. Jamal Morrow has run for a team-high 288 yards and two TDs while averaging 7.8 YPC. He also has 23 catches for 179 yards and five TDs. James Williams has run for 230 yards and one TD, in addition to catching 41 balls for 290 yards and three TDs.

Washington State owns a 2-4 spread record in six games as a road favorite during Mike Leach’s six-year tenure.

California (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) has the advantage in this game from a situational standpoint. What I mean by that is WSU – just like USC when it came to Pullman (and lost as a favorite) two Fridays ago – is on the road on a short week and getting on an airplane for a second straight week.

Justin Wilcox’s first team in Berkeley raced out to a 3-0 record with wins at North Carolina (35-30), vs. Weber State (33-20) and vs. Ole Miss (27-16). Since then, however, Cal has dropped three in a row and has failed to cover the spread its last two times out. In the first defeat, the Golden Bears committed six turnovers in a 30-20 home loss to USC. They led for a good chunk of the game and were defeated due to their own miscues. Nevertheless, they covered the number as 16.5-point ‘dogs thanks to a late score for the backdoor cover. (To be clear, however, Cal was ahead of the number almost the entire game, so the backdoor is a bit misleading)

After losing to USC, Cal went to Eugene and took a 45-24 loss at Oregon as a 17-point road underdog. The 69 points elevated ‘over’ the 66-point total. Then last week at Washington, the Huskies put it on Cal by a 38-7 count as 28.5-point home ‘chalk.’ Cal’s defense put up a fight, but the offense was abysmal in generating merely 93 yards of offense. The ground game produced…..minus 40 yards on 26 attempts!

Cal has compiled a 2-0 spread record with one outright victory in a pair of home ‘dog spots since Wilcox took over (this year, obviously).

Mike Leach teams have always been known for its offense and this squad is no different – ranking 23rd in the nation in total offense, third in passing, and 20th in scoring (39.7 PPG). What’s different about this Leach-coached club is a shockingly stout defense, one that’s ranked 11th in the country in total defense, sixth in pass defense and 23rd in scoring ‘D’ (18.5 PPG).

The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Golden Bears, 3-0 in their home games. They’ve seen their games average combined scores of 54.2 PPG.

The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Cougars, 1-0 in their lone road outing. They’ve seen their games average combined scores of 58.2 PPG.

I’ve said that BYU is the nation’s most disappointing team for several weeks now. In terms of individual players, how disappointed must Cal fans be in its sophomore WRs, Marquise Stovall and Demetris Robertson? Both enjoyed stellar freshman campaigns after headlining Sonny Dykes’s final recruiting class at the school. Robertson was a 5-star recruit out of Savannah, Georgia, while Stovall was a four-star get for Dykes. Robertson had 50 receptions for 767 yards and seven TDs in 2016, while Stovall produced 42 catches for 415 yards and three TDs. This year, however, Robertson hasn’t touched the field and has been ruled out for the season. Ditto for Stovall, who had merely seven catches for 70 yards in limited action.

When these teams met last season, Washington St. captured a 56-21 win as a 17-point home ‘chalk.’ The 77 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 78-point total. Falk completed 36-of-50 passes for 373 yards and five TD with one interception. Wicks rushed for 128 yards and one TD on nine attempts, while Williams ran for 80 yards and one TD on 12 carries.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Kansas State QB Jesse Ertz is ‘out’ vs. TCU due to a knee injury. Ertz has completed 55.0 percent of his passes for 930 passing yards with a 7/3 TD-INT ratio. He has also run for 336 yards and three TDs with a 5.2 YPC average.

Pittsburgh QB Max Browne went down with a shoulder injury last week that required season-ending surgery to end his collegiate career. The 2013 five-star recruit to USC had a disappointing career, although he was playing decent for a bad team under Pat Narduzzi.

Miami (OH) star QB Gus Ragland (12/4 TD-INT) is listed as ‘doubtful’ at Kent State this week. The Golden Flashes lost starting QB Nick Holley in Week 2 and since then, their offense has been absolutely atrocious. They’ve scored 19 points in the last four games to – obviously!!! – result in four straight thunder ‘unders.’ The total is 41.5 for this MAC showdown.

Southern Cal continues to deal with injuries galore ahead of this week’s showdown vs. Utah at the Coliseum. Most important, star WR Deontay Burnett is a question mark with turf toe. Burnett has 41 receptions for 577 yards and six TDs this season.

The ‘under’ is a perfect 6-0 for Akron, which has won back-to-back games and covered the number in three consecutive outings.

Friday's NCAAF Game of the Day: Clemson at Syracuse
Covers.com

Clemson Tigers at Syracuse Orange (+22.5, 56.5)

With quarterback Kelly Bryant wearing a walking boot following Clemson’s win over Wake Forest last week and a short week looming, the Tigers had reason for concern. Bryant returned to practice Monday, though, and coach Dabo Swinney expects him to start when the No. 2 Tigers travel to Syracuse for an ACC matchup Friday night.

Bryant injured his ankle during the third quarter of Clemson’s 28-14 home win over Wake Forest last Saturday - the Tigers’ 11th straight win and 37th in 39 games. Clemson has an open date next week before a tough stretch in which they’ll face Georgia Tech and Florida State at home with a trip to North Carolina State sandwiched between. "We've had a tough little stretch here through the first six games and got another one this week,” Swinney told reporters. “We're looking forward to the open date afterward, but our focus is really on trying to empty our tank this week and sprint into this open date and play our best game Friday night.” Clemson has won all four meetings since Syracuse joined the ACC, including a 54-0 rout last season, but the Orange have made a huge turnaround from a year ago - especially on defense - and are coming off a 27-24 win over Pittsburgh.

LINE HISTORY: Clemson opened as 21-point road favorites and they have been bet up to 22.5-point faves as of Thursday afternoon. The total hit betting boards at 56 and has been bumped up slightly to 56.5. Follow the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Clemson - QB K. Bryant (Probable, Ankle), CB M. Edmond (Out, Foot), LB J. Williams (Out, Shoulder), LB L. Rudolph (Out For Season, Shoulder), PK G. Huegel (Out For Season, Knee), QB T. Israel (Out Indefinitely, Illness), TE G. Williams (Out For Season, Knee), DE R. Yeargin (Out For Season, Neck).

Syracuse - CB C. Hudson (Questionable, Undisclosed), DE J. Pickard (Questionable, Knee), WR J. Custis (Questionable, Shoulder), OL S. Clausman (Questionable, Undisclosed), DL K. Coleman (Questionable, Ankle), DL J. Black (Questionable, Leg), WR S. Avant (Questionable, Undisclosed), LB S. Cullen (Questionable, Undisclosed), CB A. Cordy (Out Indefinitely, Leg), DB D. Clarke (Out For Season, Eligibility), WR A. Enoicy (Out Indefinitely, Undisclosed), OL A. Roberts (Out For Season, Knee).

ABOUT CLEMSON (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS, 2-4 O/U): The Tigers have been remarkably balanced on offense, averaging 237.3 rushing yards and 233.7 passing yards per game. Bryant is the catalyst, as he leads the team with 401 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards and four scores. Clemson’s defense has been even better, ranking fifth in the nation in scoring defense (11.3 points per game) and eighth in total defense (264.3 yards per game).

ABOUT SYRACUSE (3-3 SU, 3-2-1 ATS, 1-5 O/U): The Orange have returned to respectability on defense, allowing 24.3 points per game after giving up 38.6 per contest a year ago. That improvement, combined with a potent offense that ranks 32nd in the nation in total yards (466.8 per game), makes Syracuse a dangerous opponent. Quarterback Eric Dungey ranks in the top five nationally in total offense (354.5 yards per game) and has a pair of experienced and accomplished receivers in Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips, who have combined for 356 receptions in their careers.

TRENDS:

* Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Orange are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 6-1 in Tigers last 7 road games.
* Under is 10-1 in Orange last 11 home games.

CONSENSUS: The road favorite Tigers are getting 59 percent of the support while the Over is receiving 64 percent of the picks.