College Football Betting News and Notes Friday, September 22nd, 2017

VIRGINIA (2 - 1) at BOISE ST (2 - 1) - 9/22/2017, 8:00 PM

Top Trends for this game.
BOISE ST is 133-98 ATS (+25.2 Units) in all games since 1992.
BOISE ST is 133-98 ATS (+25.2 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
BOISE ST is 75-46 ATS (+24.4 Units) off a win against a conference rival since 1992.
BOISE ST is 23-10 ATS (+12.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.
BOISE ST is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games after playing a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
BOISE ST is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.

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

UTAH (3 - 0) at ARIZONA (2 - 1) - 9/22/2017, 10:30 PM

Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 41-20 ATS (+19.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.
ARIZONA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 80-122 ATS (-54.2 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.

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

VIRGINIA vs. BOISE STATE
Virginia is 1-20 SU in its last 21 games on the road
Virginia is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boise State's last 5 games
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

UTAH vs. ARIZONA
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 6 games on the road
Arizona is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 games
Arizona is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

VIRGINIA @ BOISE STATE
Virginia is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia's last 6 games
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boise State's last 5 games

UTAH @ ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 6 games
Utah is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Utah
Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah

College Football Week 4

Boise State (-2) came east and crushed Virginia 56-14 two years ago, outgaining Cavaliers 358-273. Since 2008, Broncos are 33-15 as road favorites; they’re 11-6 under Harsin, but lost their only road game this year, in OT at Washington State, blowing big second half lead. Virginia split its first two I-A games, both at home, vs Indiana/UConn. Cavaliers threw for 455 yards LW- they allowed 207 rushing yards to UConn. Since 2009, Virginia is 20-16 as a road underdog. ACC teams are 12-10 vs spread out of conference (5-4 on road); Mountain West teams are also 12-10.

Underdogs are 7-3 vs spread in last ten Utah-Arizona games; Utes lost 37-30/35-24 in last two visits to Tucson. Utah ran ball for 200+ yards in last three series games- Arizona gained 450+ yards in last six series games. Wildcats are 7-5 as a home underdog under RichRod, 3-5 since 2015. Utah is 3-0 this season, winning its only road game 19-13 at rival BYU; since 2013, Utes are 5-3 as road favorites. Utah has 314-341 passing yards in its last two games. Arizona lost its only I-A home game this season, 19-16 to Houston (+1.5).

Armadillosports.com

ACC Report - Week 4
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Virginia at Boise State

The Cavaliers take the cross-country trek to the Gem State for a battle with the Broncos on the Smurf Turf. The Cavs opened 0-2 ATS with a pair of 'under' results, but they put together a full 60 minutes with a 38-18 victory against Connecticut last weekend at home. It's not even October and the Broncos have had an eventful season. They opened with a hard-fought 24-13 win against Troy, covering a 10 1/2-point number. Then, they almost pulled the road upset at 7 1/2-point favorites at Washington State, but they blew a 31-10 lead in the final 11 minutes of regulation before falling 47-44 in triple-overtime. The Cavs are 1-6 ATS over their past seven, and 1-3-1 ATS in their past five on the road. Something's gotta give, as the Broncos are 1-10 ATS over their past 11 at home and 2-7 ATS in their past nine against a team with a winning record.

Pac-12 Report - Week 4
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Utah at Arizona

The Utes and Wildcats do battle in their conference opener on Friday in Tucson, and Utah is looking to stay unbeaten. They held off BYU in the Holy War on Sept. 9, and rolled San Jose State last weekend. The Utes are also 3-0 ATS, while Arizona bounced back and hammered on UTEP last week after a narrow three-point loss to Houston back on Sept. 9. In their two wins the Wildcats are averaging 62.5 PPG. Utah us a 3 1/2-point favorite as of early Thursday morning, and it might be because they're 14-3 ATS over their past 17 road games against a team with a winning home record and 4-0 ATS in their past four road games overall. Arizona is 17-35 ATS over their past 52 against a team with a winning record, 4-13 ATS in their past 17 overall and 1-7 ATS across their past eight league games.

Friday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Virginia at Boise State

As of Wednesday, most betting shops had Boise State (2-1 straight up, 2-1 against the spread) installed as a 12-point home favorite. The total was 52.5, while the Cavaliers were available to win outright for a +370 return (risk $100 to win $370).

Boise State beat Troy 24-13 as an 11-point home favorite in the season opener for both schools. The 37 combined points landed ‘under’ the 58.5-point total. BSU drew first blood early in the first quarter on Avery Williamson’s 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. With a 14-3 late in the second quarter, BSU quarterback Brett Rypien was intercepted by Blace Brown, who cut the deficit to 14-10 thanks to a 53-yard pick-six. The Broncos would extend the lead to 17-10 before halftime. Then after a scoreless third quarter, the Trojans pulled to within 17-13 on a Bratcher Underwood 39-yard field goal. With Montell Cozart subbing for an injured Rypien, he found Jake Roh for a seven-yard scoring strike to put the game on ice with 2:12 remaining.

Rypien, a two-time first-team All-Mountain Western Conference selection, sat out last week’s home win over New Mexico after sustaining a head injury in a triple-overtime loss at Washington State, 47-44. The junior signal caller had hit on 7-of-8 passes for 76 yards before going down. Cozart played well for the most part, rushing 14 times for 72 yards and one TD. The grad transfer from Kansas completed 12-of-20 passes for 161 yards and two TDs, but he had a costly interception. Leading 31-17 in the fourth quarter, Cozart’s ill-advised pass was intercepted by Cougars’ LB Peyton Pelluer, who turned it into a pick-six to make it a one-possession game with 5:51 remaining. Alex Mattison ran for 63 yards and one TD in BSU’s losing effort, while Cedrick Wilson hauled in nine catches for 147 yards and two TDs.

Bryan Harsin’s team is off a 28-14 win over New Mexico as a 16-point home ‘chalk.’ The 42 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 56-point tally. BSU led 14-7 at intermission and didn’t extend that advantage until Roh scored his second of three TDs on a six-yard run with 11:55 remaining. The Broncos went ahead of the number for the first time when Cozart found Roh for a 15-yard TD pass with 3:11 left. Boise State backers needed just one stop to secure a spread cover, but it wasn’t to be. The Lobos covered the number in backdoor fashion thanks to a 14-yard TD pass from Coltin Gerhart to Anselem Umeh with 71 ticks left. UNM limited BSU to just 264 yards of total offense compared to 277 from the Lobos. Cozart completed 15-of-19 passes for 137 yards and two TDs without an interception. He also ran for a team-best 71 yards and one TD on just nine attempts. Roh had three receptions for 25 yards and two TDs, in addition to the six-yard TD scamper. Wilson brought down three catches for 64 yards.

Boise State’s defense has been led by junior LB Leighton Vander Esch, who has recorded 36 tackles, one interception, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass broken up. Junior DT David Moa is ‘questionable’ vs. UVA after his arrest last week for allegedly disturbing the peace. Moa, who had a team-high 8.5 sacks for BSU last season, had produced eight tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss through three games.

Like Moa, Rypien had been listed as ‘questionable’ after missing last week’s win over UNM. However, he practiced on Wednesday and was upgraded to ‘probable.’ As of early Wednesday night, Rypein was expected to get the starting nod vs. UVA.

Virginia (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) played its first three games at home, sandwiching a 34-17 loss to Indiana between a season-opening win over William & Mary and a 38-18 victory over UConn in Week 3. The Cavaliers picked up their spread cover as 11-point favorites against the Huskies. After seeing the ‘under’ cash in its first two outings, UVA saw its first ‘over’ vs. UConn when the 56 combined points went north of the 51-point total.

Bronco Mendenhall’s squad led UConn 24-0 at intermission and 31-0 late in the third quarter. The Huskies scored three TDs in last 16 minutes, but they missed two-point conversions following each score. Virginia enjoyed a 626-434 advantage in total offense, Kurt Benkert completed 30-of-40 passes for 455 yards and three TDs with one interception. Jordan Ellis rushed for 95 yards and one TD on 20 carries. Doni Dowling had six receptions for 136 yards and one TD, while Andre Levrone finished with four catches for 127 yards and one TD. Olamide Zaccheaus caught nine balls for 122 yards and one TD.

For the season, Benkert has completed 96-of-145 throws (66.2%) for 976 yards with a 7/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Ellis is the Cavs’ leading rusher, producing 219 yards and three TDs with a 4.1 yards-per-carry average. Zaccheaus is Benkert’s favorite target, hauling in 26 receptions for 250 yards and two TDs.

Virginia’s defense is led by senior LB Micah Kiser and senior safety Quin Blanding, a pair of five-star recruits who Mike London somehow landed before getting ousted in favor of Mendenhall. Kiser has recorded 36 tackles, five sacks, one PBU and one fumble recovery. Blanding has 33 tackles through three games.

Virginia has lost 13 of its last 16 road openers. The last victory in such a spot came in 2011 at Indiana.

UVA posted a 3-3 ATS record as a road underdog in Mendenhall’s first season. Dating back to 2007, the Cavs are 25-18 ATS when they’re catching points on the road.

This is the first meeting between these schools, but UVA has visited Bronco Stadium before. The Cavaliers lost a 37-34 decision to Fresno State in overtime at the MPC Computers Bowl in 2004.

Boise State has compiled a 6-14-1 spread record in 21 games as a home favorite during Harsin’s four-year tenure. Even worse, the Broncos are an atrocious 0-10-1 ATS in their last 11 games as home ‘chalk.’

Utah at Arizona

As of Wednesday, most spots had Utah (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) listed as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 58. The Wildcats were +145 on the money line (risk $100 to win $145).

Utah has captured wins vs. North Dakota (37-16), at BYU (19-13) and vs. San Jose State (54-16), covering the number in each instance. The win in Provo over the Cougars came as a five-point road favorite, but the final score was a misleading one. Kyle Whittingham’s team had to settle for three short field goals in the first half from distances of 21, 25 and 31 yards. The Utes enjoyed a 436-233 advantage in total offense. BYU got a TD late in the fourth quarter to make the score look more respectable.

Whittingham made a surprising move in August when he named sophomore Tyler Huntley as his starting QB ahead of Troy Williams, who started all 13 games and helped Utah to a 9-4 record. Williams had a 15/8 TD-INT ratio and rushed for five TDs. In three starts this season, Huntley has connected on 80-of-111 passes (72.1%) for 868 yards with a 5/2 TD-INT ratio. Huntley has also rushed for a team-best 212 yards and three TDs. His favorite target is Oregon transfer Darren Carrington, who has 26 receptions for 409 yards and four TDs.

Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation at defending the run, giving up merely 48.0 yards per game on the ground. The Utes are 12th in the country total defense. This unit is led by senior LB Sunia Tauteoli, who has 18 tackles, three TFL’s and one interception.

Utah has cashed tickets at a 5-3 ATS clip in its last eight games as a road favorite. Meanwhile, Arizona is 7-5 ATS as a home underdog during Rich Rodriguez’s tenure, but it is 3-5 ATS in its last eight such spots.

Arizona (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) opened the season with a 62-24 win over Northern Arizona as a 26.5-point home favorite. The 76 combined points went ‘over’ the 70.5-point total. Shun Brown opened the scoring for the Wildcats with a 66-yard punt return for a TD. Brandon Dawkins rushed seven times for a team-high 92 yards and two TDs, and he also threw for 89 yards and one TD without an interception. Nick Wilson ran for 87 yards and one TD on eight carries.

Rodriguez’s squad dropped a 19-16 decision to Houston in Week 2 as a one-point home underdog. The 35 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 64.5-point tally. Arizona gave up a short TD run to the Cougars with 45 seconds left in the second quarter to fall behind 17-10. Then in the third, Dawkins fumbled the ball out off the end zone for a safety. That play, coupled with not being able to punch in a TD on a late-third quarter drive that ended with Josh Pollack making a 21-yard field goal, proved to be UA’s undoing. Down 19-13 midway through the fourth quarter, Pollack buried a 42-yard field goal but it wouldn’t be enough. Dawkins threw for 178 yards, but he was held to 26 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Back-up QB Khalil Tate completed 5-of-8 passes for 41 yards with one interception.

Arizona bounced back last Friday night in El Paso with a 63-16 blowout win at UTEP as a 26-point road ‘chalk.’ Dawkins completed 18-of-21 passes for 155 yards and three TDs without an interception. The junior QB also rushed for 143 yards and three TDs on 14 carries. Brown scored a pair of TDs, returning another punt to the house for 63 yards and snagging a 36-yard TD strike from Dawkins.

Rodriguez’s offense is ranked 11th in the nation in scoring, averaging 47.0 PPG. The Wildcats are sixth in the country in rushing, producing 328.7 YPG.

For the season, Dawkins has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 422 yards and four TDs without an interception. He has also rushed for a team-high 251 yards and five TDs, averaging 7.4 YPC.

Arizona has three defensive starters listed as ‘questionable,’ including LB DeAndre’ Miller, safety Isaiah Hayes and DT Parker Zellers. Also, starting TE Trevor Wood (foot) is a question mark.

Arizona hosts Utah
By: StatFox.com

Arizona will be hoping to pull off a Friday night upset over #23 Utah this week.

The Utes are off to a great start this season, as they have now won-and-covered in all three of their games. The most impressive of those victories was a 19-13 win as five-point road favorites against BYU. The team now has a good chance to improve to 4-0, but the Wildcats have been solid this season and will definitely have some extra energy playing in front of their fans in a night game. Arizona has won-and-covered in two of its three games this year, and the one loss was a 19-16 defeat at the hands of a good Houston team. That game easily could have gone either way and this Wildcats team looks much improved this year. It’s also worth noting that Arizona has dominated this head-to-head series as of late. Utah won 36-23 when the teams met last year, but Arizona had won-and-covered in four straight heading into that one. One trend that stands out when looking at this game is the fact that Utah is 41-20 ATS in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992. The Utes are also playing an Arizona team that is just 2-11 ATS in home games versus teams that average 32 or more possession minutes per game since 1992.

Utah is really rolling right now and a lot of that has to do with the play of QB Tyler Huntley (868 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT). Like most of the Utes’ quarterbacks in the past decade, Huntley is a very capable runner. He has rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns through three games, and you can count on him using his legs against the Wildcats here. This is going to be a high-scoring game, so Huntley will have plenty of opportunities to make plays in this one. The same goes for RB Zack Moss (192 yards, 2 TD), who has rushed for only 64 yards over the past two weeks. Moss has found it tough to get going in recent weeks, but he’ll have a lot more holes against this Wildcats defense. But when Huntley decides to air it out, it’ll be WR Darren Carrington (26 rec, 409 yards, 4 TD) that he’ll be trying to find. Carrington was a highly-coveted transfer from Oregon this offseason, and he has not taken very long to get used to his surroundings. He had nine catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns last week and should be able to come through with yet another big performance here. Defensively, the Utes will want to pressure the quarterback in this one. If they don’t then Dawkins will find a way to beat them with his arm or his legs.

Much like Tyler Huntley, Arizona QB Brandon Dawkins (422 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT) is a guy that uses his speed to help move his offense down the field. Last week, Dawkins threw for 155 yards with three touchdowns and no picks but also added 133 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Expect him to be just as active in the running game this week, as he is not going to be able to pick apart a good Utah defense from the pocket. Dawkins faced this team a year ago, throwing for 243 yards with one touchdown and two picks. He also rushed for 49 yards and a score. He will, however, need to be more careful with the ball on Friday. If Dawkins commits multiple turnovers then Arizona is not going to have any chance of winning this game. The Wildcats will also have a hard time if nobody else steps up and contributes offensively. On the defensive end, stopping the run game will need to be a priority for Arizona. If the Utes are rolling on the ground then they are going to win this game by at least two touchdowns. The Wildcats must also make sure that their safety is over the top on Carrington at all times.

Friday's NCAAF Game of the Day: Virginia at Boise State
Covers.com

Virginia Cavaliers at Boise State Broncos (-13, 51.5)

Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert seeks an encore performance after a record-setting effort last week when he leads the Cavaliers into a Friday night matchup at Boise State, which trounced Virginia two seasons ago in Charlottesville. Benkert threw for a school-record 455 yards in a 38-18 win against Connecticut last Saturday, displaying an aggressive approach the team will need to succeed under the lights in Boise.

"The (blue) turf is one thing, but the style of play," Cavaliers coach Bronco Mendenhall told reporters. "Boise is always really aggressive at the beginning of the game. ... You have to start fast, and you have to be really resilient, especially early, to play well there." Mendenhall lost twice at Albertsons Stadium while coaching at BYU and he's seen footage of the Broncos' 56-14 rout in Virginia on Sept. 25, 2015. The current unit in Boise State rebounded from a triple-overtime loss to Washington State by producing a 28-14 win over New Mexico in its Mountain West Conference opener Sept. 14. Senior Montell Cozart stepped into the starting role in place of Brett Rypien and threw for two touchdowns while running for another as the Broncos survived an uncharacteristically sluggish effort that produced just 264 total yards.

LINE HISTORY: Boise State opened as 13-point home favorites and the total hit the betting board at 51.5. Neither number has moved as of Thursday night.

INJURY REPORT:

Virginia - WR J. Reed (Probable, Undisclosed), CB T. Harris (Out For Season, Wrist), WR C. Blackman (Out For Season, Leg).

Boise State - TE C. Blakley (Questionable, Leg), NT D. Moa (Questionable, Personal), DE A. Silsby (Questionable, Undisclosed), QB B. Rypien (Questionable, Head), WR A. Bulter (Out For Season, Knee), LB B. Whitlock (Out For Season, Shoulder), S E. Tyler (Out For Season, Knee).

ABOUT VIRGINIA (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U): Three different receivers had at least 122 yards and a touchdown last week, led by Doni Dowling (136 yards). Benkert completed 30-of-40 passes and enters this week's action fourth among ACC quarterbacks in completion percentage (66.2) while sitting third in both yards per game (325.3) and TD passes (seven). Junior running back Jordan Ellis had a season-high 95 yards on the ground and found the end zone for the third straight game.

ABOUT BOISE STATE (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS, 1-2 O/U): Rypien (undisclosed injury) had a streak of 25 consecutive starts snapped last week, a run that started when he threw for 321 yards and three TDs at Virginia two season ago. "He's practicing, he'll practice today and we'll see where he's at through practice," Broncos coach Bryan Harsin told reporters Monday. "He's back out there, threw some last week." Both Rypien and Cozart have leaned heavily on senior wideout Cedrick Wilson (16 catches, 276 yards), while senior tight end Jake Roh matched his career total with three touchdowns (one rushing) against New Mexico.

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Broncos are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 home games.
* Under is 10-4-1 in Cavaliers last 15 road games.
* Under is 12-3 in Broncos last 15 home games.

CONSENSUS: The road underdog Cavaliers are getting 58 percent of the action from users and the Over is picking up 53 percent of the totals wagers.