College Football Betting News and Notes Saturday, September 23rd, 2017

The Dozen: Penn State hits Iowa
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com

Conference games should start dominating this countdown of college football's top games going forward now that we're getting into the bulk of the season. The theme this week appears to be heavyweights battling promising teams punching upward as they try to put together the beginning of a special season.

1. Penn State at Iowa: After impressively dismissing Wyoming and surviving at Iowa State, the Hawkeyes went through the motions and hurt themselves with turnovers against North Texas last week. Expect a better effort since they should be up to take their shot against the Nittany Lions. Penn State won 41-14 last season but will be making their first trip to Iowa City under James Franklin. Trace McSorely threw four touchdowns, one of which Saquon Barkley took 85 yards to make up for only getting 10 carries against overwhelmed Georgia State. These are the type of games that can elevate Penn State's prolific duo in the Heisman race and opens their most challenging six-week stretch of the season.

Kirk Ferentz's team was embarrassed in falling behind 35-0 and the defense surrendered 500 yards, so there will be a revenge factor in play that should have Iowa far more prepared to play this one. It beat Michigan and Nebraska after the Penn State rout last October and opened the season by holding serve against NFL prospect Josh Allen from Wyoming, so the defense should be up for this and would have to be the driving force in any upset. It would also help if RB Akrum Wadley is out there at 100 percent after leaving the win over the Mean Green. Ferentz says he could've returned if he had to, which is encouraging.

2. Mississippi State at Georgia: MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald did his latest Tim Tebow impression in helping pull off a resounding 37-7 win over LSU, so this battle of Bulldogs should definitely command your attention. After surviving Notre Dame in South Bend, Georgia coasted against FBS-member Samford to improve to 3-0 for a second straight year. This is the point where things fell apart for Kirby Smart lasat season, as his team fell at Ole Miss in dropping four of five in maddening fashion. These teams haven't played since 2011, and Dan Mullen is 1-1 against the Dawgs in his tenure in Starkville. With road games at Georgia and Auburn next week, Mississippi State can continue to open some eyes if they pick up where they left off in dominating LSU in one of Saturday's most impressive performances. That was no fluke, just a bigger team imposing their will and beating the Tigers with their brains in addition to their frames. Currently the second and third-best teams in the SEC, the winner here becomes the flavor of the month in college football for the next week.

3. TCU at Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys crushed Pitt last weekend, so he's got everyone's attention thanks to those eye-popping numbers. There's no question that the Bedlam game at home against the Sooners on Nov. 4 will be one of college football's blockbuster clashes, but this Big 12 opener is large in its own right. TCU has destroyed Arkansas and SMU in consecutive weeks, getting four touchdown passes from Kenny Hill against the Mustangs and making big plays downfield. It wouldn't be surprising to see this end up being a shootout, which would be progress since the Horned Frogs managed just 3 points in last year's loss to Oklahoma State, which has won four of five meetings since TCU entered the conference.

4. Washington at Colorado: This is a rematch of last year's Pac-12 Championship game, which the Huskies won easily 41-10. After struggling in the first quarter and trailing Rutgers 7-3 in its season opener, U-Dub has outscored its opposition 138-30. The Buffs will provide their stiffest competition yet, especially since Mike MacIntyre has a nine-game winning streak going in-state. QB Steven Montez threw four TDs in Saturday's win over Northern Colorado and will now look to keep the Huskies on their heels with his ability to run. If he can buy himself time and create plays, the Buffs have a shot at home. Washington has dominated in covering each of the last four meetings, winning by a combined margin of 176-43. This should be the toughest matchup for Chris Petersen's Huskies until they host UCLA on Oct. 28.

5. Alabama at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide gave up 391 yards as Colorado State actually held the ball longer in a 41-23 win that became the second straight no-cover for the nation's top-ranked team. There won't be any talk of complacency since this is Bama's SEC opener and will be contested against an unbeaten Commodores squad that comes off an impressive non-conference win, albeit one where visiting Kansas State had multiple touchdowns called back. The Vandy defense has surrendered just 13 points in its three wins to help the school to its first 3-0 start since 2011, back when Franklin was helping turn the program around. He never beat Alabama - no one at Vandy has since 1984 - but the 'Dores were 3-0 that season and coming off a 14-7 win over K-State that was a version of the type of game this would have to be for Vandy to have a chance. They'll need a turnover-free game from QB Kyle Shurmur and playmakers Ralph Webb and Trent Sherfield to make plays when called upon against an elite defense locked in on stopping them. The Tide hasn't lost in Nashville since '69 and Nick Saban earned his first SEC win at Alabama there, so it would be an wild to see this talented a team suffer an upset there. It wouldn't be as crazy to say this might be closer than anticipated.

6. UCLA at Stanford: Both teams come off upset losses to "Group of 5" schools, so there's a lot on the line in this matchup since the loser's season could quickly nosedive if this one gets away. The Cardinal haven't lost three straight games under David Shaw and have also won their home opener under his watch in each of his six seasons. He's owned Jim Mora, Jr., beating the Bruins six times, including twice in 2012 as the schools faced off for the conference title. UCLA has only covered in one of those losses, but couldn't get stops in a disappointing loss at Memphis that derailed an undefeated season. It didn't help that Josh Rosen threw a costly interception late, but he's leading the country with 13 touchdown passes. Meanwhile, folks on the Farm aren't at all happy with turnover-prone QB Keller Chryst after a dreadful night in the loss at San Diego State, but Shaw hasn't turned to redshirt freshman KJ Costello just yet.

7. USC at California: The Trojans survived what would've been an embarrassing loss to Texas in double OT and hit the road for the first time by heading north to Berkeley. Cal is off to a perfect 3-0 start under Justin Wilcox, producing turnovers to fuel upsets of North Carolina, and last week, Ole Miss. The Bears benefited from the Rebels losing center and shut them out in the second half, but they also some excellent defensive talent with LB Devante Downs leading the way. If Sam Darnold threw two interceptions against the Longhorns in addition to 397 yards and three TDs, so he's only had one excellent game out of three played thus far. If the picks continue to be an issue, this could be a dangerous spot since USC is just 15-12 in its last 27 true road games and has dropped at least two in each of the last five seasons. Wilcox coordinated defense at USC as recently as '15, so he knows who he's dealing with on that side of the ball. The Trojans won last year's game 45-24 in L.A. and have won 13 consecutive games in the series.

8. Notre Dame at Michigan State: This is a huge swing game for both of these programs this season. The Fighting Irish could be 5-1 and coming off a bye when USC comes to town in a month's time, or they could be saddled with multiple losses and fighting for relevance entering October, something they already dealt with last year. Brian Kelly's team lost to the Spartans in South Bend last season to fall to 1-2 and eventually finished 4-8, so there's got to be some nervous tension around those offices. Mark Dantonio's young Spartans get to show whether they're fast learners since they've been locked in on this rivalry game after surviving Western Michigan on Sept. 9. Dantonio is 10-9 coming off bye weeks at Michigan State and is just 2-3 against Kelly-coached Notre Dame squads. QB Brian Lewerke's ability to generate offense with his legs has Sparty fans encouraged, so expect a conservative run-heavy game plan that puts the pursuit of a road win squarely on a young defense's shoulders.

9. NC State at Florida State: The Seminoles get back to work after last playing Sept. 2 and losing starting QB DeAndre Francois and a showdown with Alabama. Hurricane Irma has provided a major disruption, but the 'Noles weren't as affected as the rest of the state since the storm lost steam as it traveled north. FSU was still mentally preparing for an annual rivalry game against Miami that was subsequently postponed, so they shouldn't have tuned out altogether. True freshman QB James Blackman takes over after Francois' season-ending injury, but the depth chart from the loss to the Crimson Tide returns intact around him. NC State nearly pulled an upset last season and is 3-1-1 against the number since 2012, when they beat the No. 3-ranked Noles in Raleigh with 17 unanswered points. They haven't won in Tallahassee since 2005. Doeren is 0-4 against Jimbo Fisher.

10. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: Bret Bielema and Kevin Sumlin haven't gotten off to the starts they wanted, so the loser will add a second September loss to their list of woes and will have their already scalding hot seat warmed by a few more degrees since they'll be dropping their SEC opener. They're playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where A&M has won the past three meeetings, claiming two in overtime. Bielema is 0-4 against the Aggies but does have the benefit of a bye week to help him prepare and come in healthier. Texas A&M is banged up but will have RB Trayveon Williams and linebacker Otaro Alaka, the team's leading returning rusher and top tackler, in the mix after injury scares.

11. Texas Tech at Houston: Major Applewhite debuted with a road win at Arizona and coached his Cougars to a 38-3 win over local rival Rice in his host debut as the city recovers from all the damage Hurricane Harvey caused. The shootouts have yet to materialize, but that is likely to change with a game whose total opened 71 and has only climbed. Kliff Kingsbury returns to play the school he worked at for four years for the first time, having aided Sumlin in taking the program to new heights before leaving for A&M. His Red Raiders are averaging 54 points in home wins against Eastern Washington and Arizona State. Iowa transfer Nic Shimonek has as many touchdown passes (8 ) as incompletions in replacing first-round draft pick Pat Mahomes and has thrown for an average of 463.5 yards per game.

12. Michigan at Purdue: The Wolverines haven't picked up style points since dominating Florida, but did pull away from Cincinnati and Air Force and are where they wanted to be entering their conference opener. Wilton Speight isn't going to win many popularity contests in Ann Arbor despite hanging on to the starting QB role. He's been abysmal in the red zone and must now prove capable of thriving on the road in his first road trip of the season after losing his final two away starts last year. Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers playing with confidence three games into his tenure, picking up impressive wins over Ohio and Missouri after hanging with Louisville. The Purdue defense has been successful in forcing turnovers and has seen two quarterbacks succeed with picking up his system. This is going to be a much different animal defensively than they've seen thus far, but the Boilermakers definitely look improved and have the fan base excited in West Lafayette. Michigan has won the last three meetings, last losing in 2009.

Others: Oregon at Arizona State, UCF at Maryland, San Diego State at Air Force, Duke at North Carolina, Virginia at Boise State, Utah at Arizona, Toledo at Miami (FL), Syracuse at LSU, Boston College at Clemson, Auburn at Missouri.

ACC Report - Week 4
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

North Carolina State at Florida State

After having one game canceled, and one game postponed, due to Hurricane Irma, the Seminoles are back in action for the first time in three weeks since their opening game loss against Alabama. It isn't often FSU is without a victory into late September, but crazy circumstances have made it so this season. FSU welcomes N.C. State to Doak Campbell Stadium, and they're up to 13-point favorites as of early Wednesday morning. The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS over their past five road games, while the Seminoles are 4-1 ATS in their past five at home. N.C. State has been a thorn in the side of FSU over the years, especially against the number. The Wolfpack are 15-5-1 ATS in the past 21 meetings, and 6-2 ATS in their past eight trips to Tallahassee.

Kent State at Louisville

The Golden Flashes hit the road for Louisville, and they will be facing an angry Cardinals team which was crushed by Clemson last week in a marquee matchup. It will be interesting to see how the Cards picks themselves up after a 47-21 beating. Defense has been an issue for the Cards, allowing 28 or more points in each of their three outings for an average of 36.7 PPG. It's unlikely the Golden Flashes will dent Louisville's defense, as they have managed just three total points (a field at Clemson) in two games against FBS teams, including a 21-0 loss at Marshall last weekend.

Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech

The Panthers were spanked by Oklahoma State last week, now they have a quick turnaround as they meet a well rested Yellow Jackets side. Georgia Tech had its game last week at UCF canceled due to Hurricane Irma, so they're rested and ready to go. The Panthers are 0-4-1 ATS over their past five, while the Jackets have covered six in a row dating back to last season. Ga. Tech is 4-11-1 ATS over their past 16 ACC battles, however. The road team is 4-0 ATS over their past four meetings, while the underdog has cashed in four straight in the series, too. The 'over' is 8-0 in Pittsburgh's past eight ACC battles, and 12-3 in their past 15 overall. The over is also 17-7-1 in the past 25 for the Yellow Jackets against losing teams, although the under is 12-4 in their past 16 following a bye.

Old Dominion at Virginia Tech

Old Dominion travels to Blacksburg for their second straight battle against an ACC foe. The Monarchs hope Saturday's game ends up much better than their encounter with UNC, as the Tar Heels rolled ODU by a 53-23 count. It was a stark contrast to the team's first two games where they had allowed just 12.0 PPG in a pair of 'under' results. The Hokies are coming off a 64-17 victory at East Carolina last week, covering a 27-point number. They're also 2-0 SU/1-1 ATS in two games at home, averaging 29.0 PPG at Lane Stadium. The Monarchs are 3-11 ATS over their past 14 non-conference games, and 1-4 ATS in their past five against the ACC. VT is 5-1 ATS in the past six against non-conference teams, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five at home.

Boston College at Clemson

The Eagles fly south to meet a Tigers team brimming with confidence. Clemson went to Louisville and wiped up on the Cardinals by a 47-21, scooting up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 behind Alabama as a result. It will be interesting to see how they handle facing a lesser challenge after a huge and emotional win. It's guaranteed B.C. will be bringing their best, but that might not be enough. They were stomped 34-10 by Wake Forest at home two weeks ago, and dropped 49-20 by Notre Dame last weekend. So far the Eagles are 0-3 ATS on the season. On the flip side, the Tigers are 3-0 ATS and they have allowed just 10.0 PPG.

Wake Forest at Appalachian State

The Demon Deacons are off to a great start, going 3-0 SU/ATS through three outings. And they seem to keep getting better and better. Wake has scored at least 34 points in each of their three outings while allowing just 9.0 PPG so far. A road trip to Boone will be their biggest test to date after they passed their first road exam by a 34-10 score at Boston College. App State suffered a 31-10 punch in the mouth at Georgia in their opener, but they rebounded against FCS Savannah State before winning 20-13 at Texas State last weekend in their Sun Belt opener. However, the Mountaineers are 0-3 ATS to date. The line currently sits with Wake favored by five, as they look to improve on their 7-1 ATS mark over their past eight road outings. Conversely, App State is 3-12-1 ATS over their past 16 at home and 4-11 ATS over their past 15 games after a straight-up victory.

Toledo at Miami-Florida

Toledo will meet a well rested Miami club at Hard Rock Stadium, as the Hurricanes, ironically, have had two games canceled or postponed due to Hurricane Irma. The Canes face a tough test against a Toledo team which can score with the best of them. The Rockets have rolled up 45.3 PPG through three outings, including a 54-51 track meet against Tulsa last weekend. Toledo has three games under their belt, going 3-0 SU, but they're just 1-2 ATS. That lone cover was a 37-24 win at Nevada in their only road test to date. We haven't seen Miami since Sept. 2 when they were rolling FCS Bethune-Cookman by a 41-13 score, although they failed to cover a 50-point number.

Duke at North Carolina

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels square off at Kenan Stadium on Saturday in the annual Battle for the Victory Bell. The Blue Devils take the short jaunt down US 15/501, and they're three-point favorites on their rivals' turf. Duke has been hot to date, going 3-0 SU/ATS, including a win and cover over Baylor last weekend. UNC is coming off its first win, a road victory at Old Dominion, after two difficult setbacks at home to California and Louisville which have the natives restless. The Tar Heels can ill afford a third successive setback at Kenan, and an 0-2 start in the ACC. The home team is 6-2 ATS in the past eight meetings in this series, with the underdog 4-1 ATS in the past five. The under is also 5-2 in the past seven meetings in Chapel Hill.

Syracuse at Louisiana State

The Orange throttled Central Michigan last weekend, and now hit the road for Baton Rouge feeling good about themselves. But they'll encounter an ornery bunch of Tigers who had their tails whipped at Mississippi State last week by a 37-7 score. That's not good for Syracuse, although they will catch a break. Head coach Ed Orgeron confirmed Derrius Guice will miss Saturday's game after hurting his knee in that game in Starkville. Guice had 300 yards and four touchdowns already this season, so it's a big loss for the Tigers. LSU is already rather thin along the defensive line, as Ed Alexander and Frank Herron will not play, and Neil Farrell will miss the first half after a targeting call last week. However, LSU gets a boost with All-SEC defensive end Rashard Lawrence (ankle) expected to join the mix.

Big Ten Football Report
ASAWins.com

MICHIGAN (-10) @ PURDUE

michigan-footballThe Wolverines are now 3-0 but have had quite the struggle offensively. They have had the ball inside the red zone (inside 20 yard line) 10 times in 3 games this year and scored a grand total of 1 TD on those possessions. Their 5.9 yards per play ranks them 8th in the Big Ten in that category. Their QB Wilton Speight ranks dead last in the Big Ten averaging only 190 YPG passing (only QB’s that average 15 passing attempts per game included). Two weeks ago the Wolverines looked flat coming off their win over Florida and facing a Cincinnati team that simply isn’t very good. They won that game 36-14 but it was a 17-14 game late in the 3rd quarter. Last week vs Air Force they won 29-13 but it was a 19-13 game in the 4th quarter. Those are two teams Michigan should honestly dominate from the get go and they didn’t. The defense has obviously been carrying this team allowing just 3.4 yards per play (tops in the Big Ten). They have allowed only 3 offensive TD’s in 3 games this year!

The Boilers are definitely the surprise of the Big Ten. They are 2-1 on the year with their only loss coming by a TD vs Louisville. Last week they travelled to Missouri and absolutely destroyed the Tigers 35-3. Now granted, Mizzou is one of, if not the, worst team in the SEC but a road win like that is huge for Purdue. It was just their 9th road win in their last 49 away from home. Purdue continued with their two QB system although they gave last year’s starter, David Blough, the nod here. He’s been dealing with a shoulder problem but is now at or close to 100%. He was more than efficient leading the Boilers to TD’s on their first 3 offensive possessions of the game. They weren’t short, after a turnover type drives either. Those 3 TD drives went for 75, 87, and 96 yards. Because of Blough’s success, now back up QB Elijah Sinelar’s opportunities were few and far between with just 6 pass attempts (Blough had 28 pass attempts). The Boilermakers outgained Missouri by 275 yards and held a potent Tiger offense 3 points on 10 first downs and 203 total yards. The Tigers were averaging 42 PPG, 28 first downs per game, and 619 YPG coming into the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two haven’t met since the 2012 season. Since 1980, the Wolverines are 22-5 SU vs Purdue and they’ve been favored in all but 3 of those contests. Talk about a drought? Purdue has won only 3 of their last 33 conference games dating back to the start of the 2013 season. Since October of 2013, the Boilermakers have been a double digit home dog 9 times. They are 0-9 SU & 1-8 ATS in those games. Since 2007 Michigan has been a road favorite of 10 or more in conference play 9 times. They are 2-7 ATS in those games.

PENN STATE (-12) @ IOWA

Penn State was in a prime spot for a letdown last weekend at home vs Georgia State as they were coming off a huge revenge game vs in-state rival Pitt. Apparently the Lions were far from flat as them won the game going away 56-0. They were primed and ready right from the opening kickoff as PSU rolled up 35 points on 358 yards by halftime! PSU moved the ball into Georgia State territory on all but one of their offensive possessions. Penn State is now 3-0 on the season and they have outscored their opponents 141-14. They also lead the Big Ten in turnover margin at +7 after their first 3 games. We’ll get a better idea of just how good this team is as they travel for the first time this season on Saturday.

While PSU didn’t seem to be flat after their in-state rivalry game, Iowa cannot say the same. The Hawkeyes beat their arch rival Iowa State on the road in overtime two weeks ago and came back home to host North Texas last Saturday. Iowa won the game 31-17 but it was much closer than that. In fact, the Hawks didn’t take the lead for good until late in the 3rd quarter when a Nate Stanley TD pass put them up 17-14. After trailing 14-10 at half, the Hawkeye defense held UNT scoreless on just 78 total yards facing only 18 offensive plays in the 2nd half. Keep in mind this is a North Texas team that lost 54-32 vs SMU the previous Saturday so this is a team Iowa should have handled from the opening seconds. After rushing for just 138 and 168 yards in their opening two games vs Wyoming and Iowa State, the Hawks seemed to finally get on track rushing for 238 in this game. However, their starting RB Akrum Wadley and his back up James Butler both left the game with injuries. Wadley has a leg injury and Butler an elbow injury. While neither appear to be serious both are up in the air for this weekend as of this writing.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – After losing 8 of their 9 meetings with Iowa between 2000-2010, Penn State has now won 3 straight in this series by final scores of 13-3, 38-14, and 41-14. In last year’s 41-14 win in Happy Valley, the Nits absolutely dominated with a yardage edge of 559 to 234. PSU was favored by 6 at home in that game and now they are laying double that (currently -12) on the road. Iowa has been a double digit home dog just 16 times since 1981 (11-5 ATS).

CENTRAL FLORIDA @ MARYLAND (-3.5)

Will UCF be rusty in this one? The Knights haven’t played in a game since August 31st so when they take the field @ Maryland on Saturday it will be their first game in 23 days. Their game at the end of August was a blowout 61-17 win over Florida International. Since that win, with Hurricane Irma blowing through the area the Knights had two games cancelled and they were off practice and classes for nearly a full week. Campus was basically shut down. They just returned to practice last Thursday. Many of the players stated they thought it felt like starting camp all over again with so much time off and only one game played this season. The offense looks to be the strength of this team after putting up 61 points in their only game. They return 9 starters on that side of the ball including their starting QB, starting RB, and nearly all of their top receivers.

The Terps had last weekend off so while UCF hasn’t played in 23 days, Maryland hasn’t played in 14 days. While it’s hard to tell just two games into the season, the Terps do look like they are improved over last season when the finished with a 6-7 record. They are 2-0 including a 51-41 win @ Texas which looks much more impressive now after the Longhorns nearly upset USC on the road last Saturday. The offense is definitely clicking scoring 114 points in just two games this year. Their 63 point outburst vs Towson two weeks ago was the most points a Maryland team has scored since 1954. They lead the Big Ten averaging over 9 yards per play. In their season opener vs Texas, they lost starting QB Tyrell Pigrome for the season with a knee injury. Pigrome looked very good vs the Horns tallying 175 yards through the air, 65 on the ground, and 2 TD’s. Highly touted true freshman Kasim Hill took over as the starter vs Towson and didn’t miss a beat leading Maryland to their easy win. Hill was 13 for 16 through the air and a heavy passing attack wasn’t needed as UMD rushed for 367 yards in the win. Top RB Ty Johnson is averaging a ridiculous 15 YPC this season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two met last year @ UCF and Maryland won 30-24 in double overtime. UCF ran 20 more offensive plays in the game and outgained the Terps by 82 yards in the loss. Maryland has been a losing proposition as a favorite going just 22-37 ATS (37%) in that role since 2004. UCF has actually been a successful team away from home with a winning record (25-24 SU) over their last 49.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN @ INDIANA (-23)

Georgia Southern is winless on the season with losses to Auburn & New Hampshire. The Eagles had last week off before heading to play @ Indiana this Saturday. Their 41-7 loss to open the season @ Auburn was actually worse than the final scored might indicate. The Tigers were without their starting tailback and top WR because of suspensions. Georgia Southern was held to 78 total yards on 56 plays in the game. Auburn racked up well over 500 yards and had chances to make the final margin much worse. Two weeks ago the Eagles were supposed to host FCS New Hampshire but because of Hurricane Irma, the game was moved to Birmingham, Alabama. NH jumped out to a 22-0 lead at half and won the game 22-12. While it’s never ideal to lose to an FCS team, the Georgia Southern players were obviously going through some adversity at the time and New Hampshire is a solid program (ranked 15th in FCS). Georgia Southern runs an option offense from the shotgun and to say it needs to improve would be an understatement. They are averaging an FBS worst 2.99 yards per play on the season.

Indiana had a bye last week as well although it wasn’t a previously scheduled Saturday off. They were supposed to host FIU, however the Panthers cancelled their trip to Bloomington because of complications caused by Hurricane Irma. IU comes in with a 1-1 record losing at home to Ohio State and beating Virginia on the road. Their 49-21 home loss to the Buckeyes wasn’t indicative of how the game was played out. The Hoosiers actually led late in the 3rd quarter before turnovers led to an OSU onslaught in the 4th quarter. Their game two weeks ago @ UVA was sort of the opposite. Indiana won the game 34-17 but were outgained, had fewer first downs and held the ball for nearly 10:00 minutes less than the Cavs. UVA was shut out on downs twice inside IU territory and gave up a punt return for a TD in the game. Field position played a huge roll in this game as Indiana scored on TD drives of just 32 and 30 yards to go along with their special teams score.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Indiana is in rare territory this Saturday. They have been a favorite of 3 TD’s or more only 9 times in the last 38 years! They are 9-0 SU in those games (4-5 ATS). The last time they were this hefty a favorite? Last year vs Purdue when IU was -21 and barely squeaked by with a win 26-24.

RUTGERS @ NEBRASKA (-13.5)

Rutgers won! The Knights broke their FBS worst 11 game losing streak last Saturday by destroying FCS opponent Morgan State 65-0. Their most recent win before Saturday was nearly a year ago when they beat New Mexico. Now sitting at 1-2 after losses to Washington & Eastern Michigan to open the season, the Knights travel to Lincoln, Nebraska for just the 2nd time in their history. Watching their first few games, RU does look like they have improved offensively. QB Kyle Bolin, a transfer from Louisville, looks better than what they have had at that position in the past. His back up, freshman Johnathan Lewis has been getting time as well and he is a dangerous runner. They have added a few transfers at WR to go along with their top WR Janarion Grant to make that position quite athletic. They open conference season this weekend after getting out scored by an average of 30 PPG and outgained by 230 YPG in Big Ten play last year. After breaking their 11 game losing streak last weekend, Rutgers now must try and break their 14 game Big Ten losing streak @ Nebraska on Saturday.

While Rutgers was thrilled they finally won a game last weekend, Nebraska was trying to figure out how they could possibly lose at home to Northern Illinois. Turnovers that’s how. If you would simply glance at the boxscore from last week’s 21-17 home loss, you would have though Nebraska won this game rather handily. They held NIU to just 213 total yards (Huskers had 387), had more first downs and a big 13:00 minute time of possession edge. Northern Illinois led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and had a grand total of ONE first down. Nebraska QB Tanner Lee tossed two interceptions that were returned for TD’s in the first quarter alone. That gives Lee 7 interceptions in just 3 games which is the most in the nation. The Husker defense played quite well the Northern offense crossed midfield only 3 times the entire game taking out the interceptions. It was Nebraska’s first loss EVER to a MAC opponent. What once may have been a “ho-hum” game for the Huskers is now a huge one. They cannot afford another loss to a team they should handle on the field. A setback here would drop them to 1-3 and possibly send their season into a tailspin. Top RB Tre Bryant (300 yards rushing this season) did not play last week due to a knee injury and is questionable for this game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have met twice since Rutgers joined the Big Ten with Nebraska winning each by margins of 18 & 17 points. As mentioned above, Rutgers has lost 14 straight Big Ten games. All but 4 of those losses were by at least 17 points. The Knights have a 2-10 SU record on the road in Big Ten play since joining the league in 2014. Since joining the Big Ten in 2011, the Huskers have been a home favorite of 10 or more 10 times in conference play. They are 3-7 ATS in those games.

UNLV @ OHIO STATE (-40.5)

The Rebels head to Columbus with a 1-1 record after losing at home to Howard 43-40 in week one and then beating Idaho 44-16 on the road two weeks ago. They had last weekend off to get ready for their huge road game vs the Buckeyes. Their loss at home to Howard was actually noted as the worst upset in NCAA history according to the pointspread. While Howard is an FCS team there are a number of sportsbooks that carry lines when those teams face an FBS foe. The oddsmakers set UNLV as a 45-point favorite in that game only to see the Rebels lose by a FG. That topped the previous biggest upset which was in 2007 when a Jim Harbaugh led Stanford team beat USC as a 40-point dog. In a huge turnaround, just a week later UNLV beat Idaho by 28 points as a 4-point underdog. The Rebs rely heavily on the run with 96 rushing attempts in two games to just 37 pass attempts. We’ll see how they fare against an OSU rush defense allowing just 3 YPC and that includes a game vs rush heavy Army.

Two weeks ago OSU was embarrassed on their home field getting manhandled by Oklahoma. They took their frustrations out on Army last week in a 38-7 win. The spread hovered between 30.5 and 32.5 so their spread result really depended when and where the wager was made. After much ridicule following their loss to Oklahoma, OSU QB JT Barrett played a very solid game completing 25 of his 33 passes for 270 yards and 3 TD’s. Much is being made of the OSU offense struggling early in the year but their numbers are quite similar to last year. After 3 games last year the Bucks were averaging 545 YPG on 7 YPP. This year they are at 557 YPG on 6.7 YPP. Very comparable numbers. The difference this year, stat wise, is definitely on the other side of the ball. Defensively OSU was allowing just 278 YPG on 3.9 YPP after their first 3 games last season. This year those numbers are much higher 401 YPG on 5 YPP. Maybe the defense should be getting more criticism?

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – UNLV is just 24-49-4 their last 77 road games. The Rebs have been this significant of an underdog only ONCE since 1980. That was back in 1995 when they were 53 point dogs @ Tennessee and lost the game 62-3. On the flip side, OSU has been a favorite of 40 points or more 8 times in the last 38 seasons. As to be expected, they are 8-0 SU in those games and 6-2 ATS. In those 8 games only twice has a team topped 7 points and the Bucks pitched a shutout in half of them (4).

NOTRE DAME (-4) @ MICHIGAN STATE

After losing a heart breaker two weeks ago at home to Georgia 20-19, the Irish bounced back last week with an important win @ Boston College. The game was fairly tight for almost 3 full quarters when ND pulled away scoring 4 TD’s in the final 17:30 of the game to win 49-20 and easily cover the 13 point spread. The offense continues to be very impressive racking up 611 yards vs a BC defense that finished 14th in the nation last year allowing only 331 YPG. It was the second time this season Notre Dame scored 49 points as they beat Temple 49-16 to open the season. The lone concern offensively has been the accuracy of first time starting QB Brandon Wimbush. He rushed for 207 yards last week and 4 TD’s, however completed only 11 of his 24 pass attempts for less than 100 yards. On the season Wimbush is completing only 50% of his passes with 2 TD’s and 2 interceptions. The Irish play @ Michigan State this weekend for their first and only back to back travel games this season.

While ND was getting a much needed win in Boston, Michigan State was at home resting and getting ready for this game. After going just 3-9 last year, the Spartans come into this game with a 2-0 record beating MAC teams Western Michigan and Bowling Green. While MSU looks like they are definitely improved over last year, it’s still hard to gauge how much better they are. This game will go a long ways in answering that question. Sparty beat Bowling Green 35-10 in their opener but the Falcons have since gone on to lose at home to South Dakota and then were crushed at a struggling Northwestern 49-7. MSU also topped a solid Western Michigan team 28-14, however they caught the Broncos come back from the west coast after losing a heart breaker @ USC. Not an ideal situation for WMU. Now you see what we don’t have a great barometer for how good Michigan State is. We do know this, they are getting much better play from the all-important QB position which was a train wreck last year. Starter Brian Lewerke has completed 65% of his passes on the season and he’s rushed for 150 yards in two games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two rivals faced off every season from 1997 – 2013. Then they did not play each other in 2014 or 2015. Now they are back at it this season. Notre Dame is just 5-13-1 ATS in this series since 1994. As a road favorite in this series, the Irish are just 2-7-1 ATS since 1980. Michigan State struggled big time in this series from 1976 – 1994 losing 17 of the 19 match ups. After a hiatus in 1995 & 1996, the series started again and since 1997 Sparty has won 11 of the 18 meetings.

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

West Virginia at Kansas

The Mountaineers travel to Lawrence to battle the Jayhawks, and the line has been bumped up to 21 as of Wednesday evening. West Virginia usually fares pretty well on the road against lesser teams, going 14-2 ATS over their past 16 away games against a team with a losing home record. They're also 7-3 ATS over their past 10 against teams with a losing overall mark. Kansas has covered each of their past four conference games, but they're just 9-20 ATS over their past 29 games overall. They're also just 5-13 ATS across the past 18 against teams with a winning overall record. Totals bettors might be interested to know the 'over' is 5-0 in West Virginia's past five against teams with a losing overall mark, but the under is 4-1-1 in their past six road outings and 20-6 in their past 26 conference battles. The over is 4-0 in the past four for Kansas, 4-1 in their past five home games and 4-1 in their past five against teams with a winning overall record.

Texas Tech at Houston

The Red Raiders step out of conference to face the Cougars of Houston, and they find themselves as a touchdown favorite entering play. It's not a lot of respect for a Texas Tech team averaging 54.0 PPG, including a 52-45 victory against Arizona State. The Cougars have also topped a team from the Pac-12, topping Arizona 19-16 on the road, while allowing just 9.5 PPG so far. The 'under' has cashed in each of Houston's first two games, but the under is always a risky play when the Red Raiders are involved. The over is 12-2 in the past 14 for the Red Raiders against a team with a winning overall mark, and 19-8 in their past 27 outside the conference.

Texas Christian at Oklahoma State

The Horned Frogs and Cowboys hook up in Stillwater, as Heisman Trophy candidate QB Mason Rudolph gets his biggest test of the season. TCU has been outstanding to this point, winning by 20 or more points in all three of their games, including a road trip to Arkansas and a home game against SMU. OK State polished off Pittsburgh on the road by a 59-21 score, and no one has come without 35 points of them in three games so far. The Cowboys have scored 44 or more points in all of their games, hitting the 'over' in two of three. The Horned Frogs enter 5-2 ATS in their past seven on the road, but 2-7 ATS in their nine conference tilts. In this series, the Horned Frogs are 1-4 ATS in the past five meetings, with the home team 4-1 ATS in the past five. The 'under' is also 4-1 in the past five meetings.

Oklahoma at Baylor

In previous seasons this has been a marquee matchup with plenty of build-up. This season, the Sooners are 3-0 SU/ATS, including a signature win at Ohio State, while Baylor is 0-3 SU/ATS, including losses to FCS Liberty, Texas-San Antonio and Duke. Not exactly the who's who of college football. Baker Mayfield and the Sooners enter the game as four-touchdown favorites, and they're looking for their eighth consecutive cover. Oklahoma is 4-1 ATS in their past five league games, too. Baylor has covered just twice in the past 10 games, they're 1-5 ATS in the past six Big 12 battles and they're a dismal 2-6 ATS in their past eight games after a straight-up loss.

Bye Weeks

Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas

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

Southern California at California

USC heads to Berkeley looking to keep their national championship aspirations alive. Cal is looking for a signature win and to vault into the national picture with a win. Cal has passed all tests so far, winning on the road at North Carolina and at home against Ole Miss, while also pushing aside FCS Weber State. USC has covered just three of their past 10 on the road, and they're 7-15 ATS over their past 22 road games agaisnt a team with a winning home record. Cal isn't much better, going 1-4 ATS in their past five league games and 1-5 ATS in their past six against winning teams. That pales in comparison to their failures against the number vs. USC, though. Cal is 0-6 ATS in their past six home games against the Trojans, and 1-7 ATS in the past eight meetings overall. The road team has cashed in 15 of the past 21 in this series, too, while the 'under' is 11-2 over the past 13.

Nevada at Washington State

Nevada entered the season with some raised expectations, jockeying with UNLV, Fresno State and San Jose State for the middle of the Western Division in the MWC. After an 0-3 SU/1-2 ATS start, they'll be lucky to stay out of the basement. The Wolf Pack are coming off a 30-28 disappointment against FCS Idaho State, losing as 32 1/2-point favorites. The one thing that has been consistent is the 'under', hitting in each of their three outings. The under is a rarity for Washington State, as the 'over' has hit in each of their past two. They have scored 99 points during the two-game span while yielding 67.

Washington at Colorado

The Huskies and Buffaloes will tangle in Boulder in a key early-season matchup between two 3-0 teams. Washington has dominated this series against the number, going 7-0 ATS in the past seven meetings with the favorite 5-0 ATS in the past five. The 'under' has been the rule for both teams lately, going 3-0-1 in Washington's past four conference games and 5-2-1 in their past eight overall. The under is 5-1 in Colorado's past six against a team with a winning record while going 4-1 in their past five at home and 11-3 in their past 14 league games.

Oregon at Arizona State

Are the Ducks back? Well, the offense is certainly back. They have posted 42 or more points in each of their three games, including 45.5 PPG in two games against FBS opponents. Arizona State won its opener 37-31 against New Mexico State, but they lost to San Diego State at home and on the road against Texas Tech, slipping to 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS in three outings. The Ducks are 2-8 ATS over their past 10 conference games, 4-12-1 ATS in their past 17 overall and 0-4 ATS in their past four road outings. However, they're also 24-9-1 ATS across their past 34 on the road. AZ State is 8-3 ATS in their past 11 at home, but 0-4 ATS in their past four and 1-6 ATS in their past seven at home against teams with a winning road mark. Oregon is also 3-0-1 ATS in the past four meetings with Arizona, and 5-1 ATS in their past six visits to Tempe. The over has cashed in six of the past seven battles in this series.

UCLA at Stanford

Two teams coming off stinging losses will hook up on 'The Farm' in Palo Alto. UCLA was outscored in Memphis last week, as the Bruins couldn't get it done against an upstart Memphis squad. Stanford lost at San Diego State, dropping their second consecutive outing on the road after a setback against USC the week before. Stanford opened as a 10-point favorite, but that was quickly bet down to around seven or 7 1/2. The Bruins are just 2-7 ATS in their past nine road games, while the Cardinal are 0-4 ATS in their past four at home. So something's gotta give. The Cardinal are also 0-5 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning overall record. The favorite has hit in seven of the past nine meetings, while UCLA is 2-8 ATS in their past 10 trips to Palo Alto and 0-4 ATS in the past four meetings overall. The under has hit in 11 of the past 16 in this series.

Bye Week

Oregon State

College Football's Biggest Betting Mismatches: Week 4
By: Monty Andrews
Covers.com

Surveying the weekly NCAAF schedule can be a daunting task for even seasoned bettors. So each week, Monty Andrews breaks down some of the underlying betting mismatches on the college football slate, giving you an inside edge when handicapping the schedule.

Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats (+3, 44)

Florida's flaccid run game vs. Wildcats' wall of linemen

The Gators need to establish the run in this one after struggling on the ground in their first two games - and the Wildcats will be ready for them.

After a famously dreadful showing against the Wolverines - in which the Gators finished with just 11 rushing yards on a whopping 27 attempts - Florida bounced back nicely against Tennessee, stunning the visitors with a game-winning 63-yard Hail Mary touchdown with no time remaining. The Gators averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the victory - but if you remove Malik Davis's 74-yard scamper, that average drops all the way to 3.4 YPC.

Don't expect an average-boosting run like that this weekend. The Wildcats, who surrendered 5.3 YPC last season, are holding foes to a minuscule 1.9 YPC through three games - the best rate in the nation. Even more impressively, Kentucky hasn't allowed a rush longer than 11 yards all season.

TCU Horned Frogs at Oklahoma State Cowboys (-13, 67)

TCU's passing game vs. Cowboys' pass D

This could be the highest-scoring marquee game of the week, as the Horned Frogs and their 49.0 scoring average match up against a Cowboys team coming in with the third-highest point average in Division I (54.0).

Horned Frogs pass throwers Kenny Hill and Shawn Robinson have been sensationally accurate, connecting on nearly 75 percent of their passes through three games. But from a yardage perspective, the duo lags behind the rest of the Big 12; their 277.0 yards per game through the air ranks eighth in the 10-team conference. Hill's 8.7 yards per pass attempt ranks him 31st in the nation despite the elite-level accuracy.

Getting the ball downfield will be a challenge against a Cowboys secondary that has provided a solid compliment to the team's title-worthy offense. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 55.7 percent of their passes against Oklahoma State, which has allowed only two passing touchdowns through three games.

Michigan Wolverines at Purdue Boilermakers (+10, 52)

Wolverines' run D vs. Purdue's misleading rush success

On the surface, it looks like the Purdue Boilermakers have had a decent rush attack so far; at 4.5 yards per carry, Purdue ranks inside the top 50 among FBS teams. But if you take away running back Tario Butler's two longest runs - of 36 and 39 yards, respectively - the Boilermakers average just 3.9 YPC, which would rank outside the top 70 nationwide. And even that is an improvement over last year, when Purdue averaged 3.2 YPC against FBS opponents and 2.8 YPC overall.

Michigan has given up a few long runs this season, but its ground containment still ranks among the best in the nation. Only Utah, Kentucky and Auburn have allowed fewer than the 2.3 YPC the Wolverines have surrendered against FBS opponents; that includes a sensational effort against Air Force, in which Michigan limited the Falcons' vaunted triple option attack to 3.4 YPC. on 49 attempts.

Butler won't find much room to roam this weekend - and neither will the rest of Purdue's ball carriers.

NCAAF Week 4

Michigan-Purdue are meeting for first time in five years; Wolverines won last three meetings by 11-22-31 points. Favorites covered six of last eight series games. Michigan has only one TD in 20 red zone drives this year, a red flag. Purdue is improved under new coach Brohm (30-10 @ WKU), whacking Ohio/Mizzou after 35-28 loss to Louisville. Last 5+ years, Purdue is just 5-18 as a home underdog- no bueno. Wolverines are off to a 3-0 start, allowing 14.7 pts/game, holding all three opponents under 300 TY. Michigan is 3-4 as a road favorite under Harbaugh.

Pitt lost 33-14 to Penn State, 59-21 to Oklahoma State last two weeks, now they face option attack of Georgia Tech, very tough schedule- they trailed 49-14 at the half LW. Tech meanwhile had game PPD LW, played I-AA team week before, so they’re raring to go. Since 2011, Jackets are 18-13-1 as a home favorite. Underdogs covered last three Pitt-Ga Tech games; Panthers won last two by FG each. Tech ran for only 241 yards vs Pitt, after racking up 376-465 yards in previous two meetings. Pitt covered seven of last ten tries as a road underdog.

First road game for Penn State squad that crushed first three opponents by combined score of 141-14- they threw for 300+ yards in two of those games. PSU is 3-4 as a road favorite under Franklin. Nittany Lions won last three games with Iowa by 31-24-10 points; their 38-14 (+2.5) win at Iowa in ’12 (last visit here) was their only win in last five visits to Kinnick Stadium. Iowa is off to 3-1 start, but 44-41 OT win at rival Iowa St is red flag; Cyclones threw for 347 yards that day. Over last decade, Hawkeyes are 7-3-1 vs spread as a home underdog.

Florida State hasn’t played in three weeks due to bye/hurricane; backup QB Blackman makes his first start here after soph star QB Francois was lost for year in Alabama game. Impossible to tell how FSU’s offense will change as a result. Seminoles are 8-11 in last 19 games as a home favorite. NCState threw for 756 yards in splitting pair vs So Carolina/Marshall; this is first true road game for Wolfpack, who lost last five visits to Doak Campbell Stadium (0-2-1 vs spread in last three). NCState is 5-6-1 as a road underdog under Doeren.

Georgia-Mississippi State meet for first time in six years; Bulldogs won four of last five meetings (favorites 3-2 vs spread); they lost 24-17 in last visit here, six years ago. Dawgs beat couple of stiffs but also won 20-19 at Notre Dame in between; Georgia QB Eason is out, but Fromm has proved an adequate replacement; last 5+ years, Dawgs are 12-19 as a home favorite. MSU crushed LSU 37-7 LW, a stunning score; last 4+ years, Bulldogs are 9-3 as a road underdog. MSU rang up 924 yards, 94 points the last two weeks, in wins over La Tech/LSU.

Florida is off emotional win over Tennessee when they completed 63-yard bomb on last play to beat Vols, avoid OT- Gators were without nine suspended players LW. Florida won its last 30 games with Kentucky, covering nine of last ten; Gators are 15-6-1 vs spread in its last 22 SEC games, Kentucky is 3-11-2 in last 16 tries as a home underdog. Wildcats are 3-0 with wins at So Miss, South Carolina; they were outgained in both of those games. Kentucky has 17 returning starters with a senior QB; they’re 0-5 vs spread in Gators’ last five visits to Lexington.

Washington won/covered its last five games with Colorado, winning the games by an average of 15 points; Huskies won first two I-A games this year by 16-32 points- they could’ve beaten Fresno St worse than they did LW. Washington is 6-4 as a road favorite under Petersen- their junior QB Browning has started 29 college games. Colorado is 3-0 but played two stiffs; since 2014, Buffs are 6-3 as a home underdog- they’re 14-8 in last 22 games as a dog, but they lost 8 of 11 starters off LY’s defense, so playing against a veteran QB could be dicey.

Underdogs covered five of last six Notre Dame-Michigan State games; Irish are 4-2 in last six trips to East Lansing. Notre Dame ran ball for 422/515 yards in wins over Temple/BC, only 55 in loss to Georgia- they’ll try to bully youthful Spartans (14 new starters), who beat up on couple MAC teams to open season. State allowed 183 rushing yards in its two wins, but dimension of mobile QB Wimbush is something Spartans didn’t see in their MAC opponents. Since 2010, MSU is 4-0 as a home underdog. Notre Dame is 5-10 as a road favorite under Kelly.

Oklahoma State won four of last five games with TCU, winning 31-26/49-9 in last two meetings; Cowboys ran for 334 yards in LY’s easy 31-6 win. OSU has scored 54 pts/game in their 3-0 start, with wins by 35-37-38 points- they had 49 points at halftime in LW’s easy win at Pitt. TCU is 3-0 but allowed 339 PY in 56-36 win over local rival SMU LW. Horned Frogs won their first road game 28-7 at Arkansas. Since 2001, TCU is 12-3-1 as a road underdog; they’ve got 17 starters back this year, 10 on offense. Since 2008, OSU 31-16-1 as a home favorite.

San Diego State beat Pac-12’s Arizona State/Stanford last two weeks, now they head east to face Air Force squad they’ve beaten six times in a row (5-1 vs spread). Aztecs won 27-20/41-27 in last two visits here. State won its first road game 30-20 at ASU; since 2012 they’re 9-6 as a road favorite. Air Force gave Michigan a hard time LW, losing 29-13 in Ann Arbor in game where TY was 359-232 Wolverines- AF completed only one pass!!! Falcons have only one starter back on defense this year- last 3+ years, Air Force is 5-0 vs spread when getting points at home.

Texas A&M won its last five games with Arkansas; 3 of the 5 wins were by 12+ points. Aggies ran ball for 366 yards in 45-24 (-6.5) win over the Hogs, Arkansas completed only 9-23 passes in 28-7 home loss to TCU in last two game two weeks ago; Hogs are 12-6 vs spread in last 18 games as an underdog. A&M coaches have been under fire since blowing 44-10 lead in hideous loss to UCLA in season opener. Aggies are 10-19-2 vs spread in last 31 games as a favorite. This game is in traditional JerryWorld site (Jerry Jones went to Arkansas).

First road game for USC squad coming off home wins over Stanford/Texas (in OT) last two weeks- tough schedule. Trojans passed for 713 yards in last two games but ran for only 71 yards vs Texas LW. USC won last 13 games with Cal (10-2 vs spread in last 12) but they have national TV game at Wash State next week- this could be a trap game. Golden Bears are 3-0 with upset wins of UNC/Ole Miss- new coach Wilcox is turning things around quickly, but Cal also gave up 431 PY to I-AA Weber State two weeks ago. Last 10+ years, Cal is 7-16 as a home dog.

UCLA’s 48-45 loss at Memphis LW reminds us they were down 44-10 at home to Texas A&M in opener, before miracle rally bailed them out. Bruins lost their last nine games vs Stanford (1-8 vs spread)- they’re 7-5 as a road underdog under Mora. UCLA lost its last five visits to the Farm, with four losses by 8+ points. Stanford ran ball for 240 yds/game in last three games vs UCLA. Cardinal lost last two games, at USC/at San Diego State following Australia trip; Stanford covered once in last six tries as a home favorite.

Armadillosports.com

SEC Notebook - Week 4
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

As we move into Week 4, the headlines in the SEC center around how many head coaches are in trouble. There are really only six of 14 SEC schools that currently have coaches on solid footing.

The stakes couldn’t possibly be higher for both Bret Bielema and Kevin Sumlin when their teams square off against each other at Jerry World in Arlington, where Arkansas (1-1 straight up, 0-2 against the spread) will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak in its rivalry with Texas A&M. As of Friday morning, most books had the Aggies listed as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 55. The Razorbacks were +120 on the money line (risk $100 to win $120).

Bielema’s team has had two weeks to prepare after dropping a 28-7 decision to TCU as a three-point home underdog. The Hogs, who opened the year with a 49-7 home win over Florida A&M, could only generate 267 yards of total offense against the Horned Frogs. Austin Allen didn’t have much time to throw, connecting on merely 9-of-23 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown without an interception.

One early bright spot for Arkansas offensively has been juco transfer TE Jonathan Nance, who had three receptions for 75 yards and one TD. He now has six catches for 100 yards on the season.

Texas A&M (2-1 SU, 1-1-1 ATS) hasn’t been all that impressive in doing so, but it has won back-to-back games since blowing a 34-point lead late in the third quarter in an unfathomable season-opening loss at UCLA. Sumlin’s squad defeated Nicholls 24-14 in Week 2 as a 37.5-point home ‘chalk,’ but not without a major scare.

Nicholls, which played Georgia to the wire in Athens last year in a 26-24 setback as a 53-point underdog, pulled even at 14-14 with 12:05 remaining in the final stanza. However, the Aggies got a two-yard TD run from Kendall Bussey to go ahead, and then Daniel LaCamera put the game on ice with a 26-yard field goal with just 18 ticks left.

Louisiana came calling to College Station last week, and the Ragin’ Cajuns took a 21-14 lead into intermission following a one-yard TD pass from Jordan Davis to Jordan Wright with seven seconds left in the second quarter. Texas A&M would outscore Louisiana 31-0 in the second half, though.

Kellen Mond completed 21-of-34 passes for 301 yards and three TDs compared to just one interception. With star sophomore RB Trayveon Williams sitting out with a sore ankle, Bussey rushed 13 times for 88 yards. Mond also had a TD run, while true freshman Jacob Kibodi ran for 101 yards and one TD on merely four carries. Tyrel Dodson had a pick-six for the Aggies and Armani Watts also had an interception.

Williams is listed as ‘probable’ vs. Arkansas, while starting DBs Donovan Wilson and Nick Harvey remain ‘out,’ potentially for the rest of the season. Williams, who rushed for 1,057 yards and eight TDs while averaging 6.8 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2016, ran for 256 yards and three TDs for a 7.8 YPC average in the first two games.

Although Texas A&M has won five in a row in the series, Arkansas is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 encounters. The Aggies beat Arkansas in overtime in both 2014 and ’15, and they won a 45-24 decision last season. However, that was a misleading final, as the Hogs came up empty on a pair of goal-to-go opportunities, including one late in the third quarter when the game was tied. In other words, the Razorbacks have lost three consecutive gut-wrenchers.

Kentucky has lost 30 consecutive games to Florida, the longest active losing streak in an FBS rivalry. The Wildcats have their best shot in a long time Saturday night at home. As of Friday morning, UF was listed as a short 1.5-point favorite, while the total was at 44.

UF probably won’t have two defensive starters in senior CB Duke Dawson and sophomore LB Kylan Johnson. Both are listed as ‘doubtful.’ Meanwhile, Kentucky is expected to be without its best defensive player Jordan Jones, who is ‘doubtful’ with a shoulder injury sustained in Week 2.

Dawson was the SEC Player of the Week after recording six tackles, two passes broken up, one tackle for a loss and one interception, his second of the year. Jim McElwain’s team captured a 26-20 win over Tennessee thanks to a walk-off TD pass from redshirt freshman QB Feleipe Franks to sophomore WR Tyrie Cleveland.

The Gators covered the number for many gamblers as they were favored by 4.5 to 5.5 for most of the week. A number of shops moved the line to six and a few even closed north of six, but those numbers weren’t available until the last hour or two of wagering. The 46 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 50-point total, but not without sending ‘under’ supporters through anxious moments galore at crunch time.

Consider this: UF led 6-3 going into the fourth quarter. The first offensive TD of the game wasn’t scored until 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, when UT knotted the score at 20-20 late in the fourth quarter, the result on the total was very much in doubt with the potential of overtime(s).

In the first two starts of his career, Franks has completed 23-of-37 passes (62.2%) for 287 yards with a 2/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Cleveland has nine receptions for 149 yards and one TD. He also had a key 46-yard kick return after the Vols had trimmed the deficit to 13-10. The return, coupled with the 15-yard celebration penalty UT was flagged for after scoring the TD, was the catalyst in the Gators answering to go ahead 20-10.

Kentucky improved to 3-0 with last week’s 23-13 win over previously-unbeaten South Carolina as a 5.5-point road underdog. The Wildcats have won 10 of their last 13 regular-season games. They got 102 rushing yards and two TDs from sophomore RB Benny Snell. UK intercepted Jake Bentley twice.

The ‘under’ is 3-0 overall for UK this year. The ‘Cats are an abysmal 2-10-2 ATS in their 14 games as home underdogs during Mark Stoops’s five-year tenure. They’ll take on the Gators at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on the SEC Network.

How bad was LSU’s 37-7 loss at Mississippi State in Week 3? Well, the Tigers hadn’t lost by that big of a margin when they were ranked and facing an unranked foe since a 1943 blowout defeat against Georgia Tech.

Making matters worse, star RB Derrius Guice sustained a knee injury. According to Ed Orgeron on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Guice didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday and was ‘very questionable’ vs. Syracuse. Then on Thursday, Orgeron said Guice wouldn’t play, only to reverse course Friday and say that he will start.

These schools met at the Carrier Dome two seasons ago, with LSU capturing a non-covering 34-24 win as a 24-point road favorite. As of Friday morning, most spots had LSU installed as a 21-point home favorite with a total of 56. The Orange had 10/1 odds to pull the upset in Baton Rouge.

South Carolina will be in bounce-back mode when it hosts La. Tech on the SEC Network at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The Gamecocks will be without star WR Deebo Samuel, who is most likely out for the season with a broken leg that required surgery earlier this week. Samuel was playing like a first-team All-American, scoring six TDs in USC’s first three games.

Will Muschamp’s team will also be sans starting OT Zack Bailey, who has a high-ankle sprain. Bailey, a junior, has made 21 career starts. South Carolina owns a 2-3 spread record in five games as a home favorite since Muschamp took over.

Louisiana Tech is off a 23-22 comeback win at Western Kentucky as a four-point underdog last week. The Bulldogs hosted Mississippi State two weeks ago, getting routed 57-21 as 10-point home underdogs.

As of early Friday, most spots had South Carolina favored by 9.5 points with a total of 53. The Bulldogs, who are 9-6 ATS in 15 games as road underdogs on Skip Holtz’s watch, were +290 on the money line (risk $100 to win $290).

A pair of undefeated teams will collide in Nashville at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS. That would be Alabama and Vanderbilt, which is 3-0 for the first time since 2011. As of early Friday, most books had the Crimson Tide listed as an 18.5-point favorite with a total of 43. The Commodores were +800 to win outright (risk $100 to win $800).

Vandy (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) owns a 9-3 spread record in 12 games as a home underdog during Derek Mason’s tenure. The ‘Dores knocked off Kansas State by a 14-7 count as 4.5-point home puppies last Saturday night. Kyle Shurmur threw one TD pass and ran for a score in another turnover-free performance.

For the season, Shurmur has connected on 71.0 percent of his throws for 703 yards and eight TDs without an interception. He’s also rushed for a pair of scores. Trent Sherfield has a team-best 12 catches for 234 yads and one TD, while Kalija Lipscomb has six grabs for 106 yards and a team-high three TDs.

National stats in September can often be misleading, if not downright irrelevant on account of how many weak non-conference opponents are on the schedule. With that said, we’ll nonetheless point out that Vandy leads the nation in scoring defense (4.3 PPG) and pass defense (95.3 yards per game). The ‘Dores are fourth in the country in total defense.

Alabama (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) has beaten Fresno State (41-10) and Colorado State (41-23) since knocking off FSU 24-7 in its opener in Atlanta. The Tide has compiled a 24-15 spread record as a road ‘chalk’ since Nick Saban was hired in 2007.

Auburn (2-1 SU, 0-2-1 ATS) has seen the ‘under’ go 3-0 thanks to its defense that looks like one of the nation’s best. Gus Malzahn’s team hits the road again this week to take on Missouri, which was listed as an 18-point ‘dog early Friday. Barry Odom’s team is +750 to win outright.

The losing coach in this game will keep feeling heat from his school’s fan base. Missouri took a 31-3 assbeating by Purdue in Columbia last week. Drew Lock completed merely 12-of-28 passes for 133 yards. Since the junior signal caller threw seven TD passes in a 72-43 win over Missouri St., he has only one TD pass compared to four interceptions.

Auburn is off a lackluster 24-10 non-covering win over Mercer as a 41-point home ‘chalk.’ During Malzahn’s tenure, AU is 5-3 ATS as a road favorite. Meanwhile, Missouri is 2-0 ATS as a home ‘dog under Odom.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Alabama starting senior LB Rashaan Evans has missed back-to-back games and is listed as ‘questionable’ at Vandy.

As we noted earlier this week in our Week 3: The Aftermath piece, former starting QB Sean White and DT Byron Cowart are no longer with the program.

Current Iron Bowl pointspread via The Westgate SuperBook: Alabama -7.5 at Auburn.

Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown left last week’s 27-16 loss at Cal with a knee injury that’s been diagnosed as a sprained MCL. Brown is expected to miss 1-2 weeks, leaving his availability for a Week 5 game at Alabama in doubt. Brown went into Week 3 leading the nation in receiving yards (389) with four TD grabs. The Rebels are off this weekend and have two weeks to prep for their trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium.

If Vandy is going to have any hope vs. ‘Bama, it has got to start creating some holes for Ralph Webb, the school’s all-time leading rusher. Webb has been running hard and has made some plays catching the ball out of the backfield, but there’s simply been no room for him to run. Alabama’s d-line isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered to fix Vandy's ground attack, but Webb’s 2.6 YPC average has got to improve against the Tide. Webb has two rushing TDs and has hauled in three receptions for 104 yards and one TD.

My SEC Power Rankings

1-Alabama
2-Georgia
3-Auburn
4-Mississippi St.
5-Florida
6-LSU
7-Vanderbilt
8-Tennessee
9-Kentucky
10-South Carolina
11-Texas A&M
12-Ole Miss
13-Arkansas
14-Missouri

Miss. State at Georgia
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Georgia and Mississippi State are set to collide between the hedges at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. As of late Friday afternoon, most betting shops had Georgia (3-0 straight up, 2-1 against the spread) listed as a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 48. MSU was available on the money line for a +175 payout (risk $100 to win $175).

UGA owns victories vs. Appalachian State (31-10), at Notre Dame (20-19) and vs. Samford (42-14). Kirby Smart’s squad dominated a very solid Appalachian State team in its opener, racing out to a 31-0 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Mountaineers didn’t get on the board until scoring a TD with 5:41 remaining, and they made the score look more respectable thanks to a 43-yard field goal with 26 ticks left.

Starting sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason was lost to a knee injury in the first quarter, however, but true freshman Jake Fromm stepped in and played like a poised veteran. Fromm completed 10-of-15 throws for 143 yards and one touchdown without an interception. Nick Chubb rushed for 96 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, while Sony Michel produced 87 rushing yards and one TD on 16 attempts.

In Week 2, UGA’s fan base showed up in South Bend with authority to take over Notre Dame Stadium. The defensive struggle featured two ties and three lead changes, the last of which came when Rodrigo Blankenship buried a 30-yard field goal with 3:34 left to provide the Bulldogs with the winning points.

Terry Godwin made an incredible one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone midway through the second quarter to knot the score at 10-10. After a pair of Notre Dame field goals gave it a 16-10 advantage, Michel’s six-yard TD run with 4:34 left in the third quarter gave UGA its first lead.

Fromm connected on 16-of-29 passes for 141 yards and one TD with one interception. Michel ran for 73 yards and one TD on 13 carries, while Chubb finished with 63 yards on 13 totes.

Smart’s team captured a 42-14 win over Samford last week, but it failed to cover the spread as a 33-point home ‘chalk.’ Fromm threw for 165 yards and three TDs without an interception. Godwin had four receptions for 98 yards and a pair of TDs. With Michel sitting out to rest an ankle injury, Chubb rushed for a team-high 131 yards on 16 attempts. Michel is 'probable' vs. MSU.

Georgia is ranked 17th in the nation in total defense, sixth at defending the run and 21st in scoring defense (14.3 points per game). This unit is led by senior LB Lorenzo Carter, who has recorded 14 tackles, five QB hurries, two forced fumbles, three sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Mississippi State (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) was probably the biggest winner in Week 3, smashing LSU by a 37-7 count as a 7.5-point home underdog. The 44 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 54.5-point tally.

Nick Fitzgerald completed 15-of-23 passes for 180 yards and two TDs without an interception. He also ran for 88 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. Aeris Williams rushed for a team-high 146 yards on 23 attempts, while Keith Mixon had six receptions for 97 yards and one TD.

There was nothing fluky about this pimpslap, as MSU dominated from start to finish. Dan Mullen made the best hire of the offseason when he snatched defensive coordinator Todd Grantham away from Louisville and Bobby Petrino. Grantham’s defense held Derrius Guice, one of the nation’s premier RBs, to 76 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Mullen’s offense is averaging 47.7 PPG to rank ninth in the nation in scoring offense. Fitzgerald and Williams have been the keys. The junior QB has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 543 yards with a 7/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Fitzgerald has rushed for 240 yards and five TDs on 31 attempts, averaging 7.7 YPC. Williams has run for a team-best 336 yards and one TD with a 7.0 YPC average. Mixon has seven catches for 112 yards and one TD, while Donald Gray has 10 receptions for 95 yards and one TD.

Before thumping LSU, MSU routed Louisiana Tech 57-21 as a 10.5-point road favorite in Ruston. Fitzgerald threw for 124 yards and three TDs, and he also had 111 rushing yards and two TDs on 10 carries. Williams ran for 107 yards on only nine totes.

In the season opener, MSU blasted Charleston Southern, 49-0, as a 21-point home ‘chalk.’ The defense limited the FCS foe to merely two first downs.

MSU’s defense is ranked third in the country in total defense (206.0 YPG), sixth in pass defense (105.0 YPG) and sixth in scoring defense (9.3 PPG). The catalyst for this unit is sophomore DT Jeffery Simmons, who has produced 17 tackles, two QB hurries, 2.5 sacks, one blocked punt that he returned 24 yards for a TD, one blocked kick and one fumble recovery returned for a 90-yard TD.

The ‘under’ is 3-0 for UGA with its combined scores averaging 45.3 PPG. Meanwhile, MSU has seen the ‘under’ go 2-1 overall, but the ‘over’ hit in its lone road assignment. Mullen’s team has seen its games average combined scores of 57.0 PPG.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Georgia owns a 1-5 spread record in six games as a home favorite since Smart took over. On the flip side, Mississippi State has compiled a 9-3 spread record in its last 12 games as a road underdog.

Nebraska RB Tre Bryant is ‘out’ vs. Rutgers with a knee injury. Bryant has rushed for 299 yards and two TDs this year. The Cornhuskers dropped a 21-17 decision to No. Illinois last week as 10.5-point home favorites. Starting QB Tanner Lee threw a pair of pick-sixes. Third-year head coach Mike Riley was given an extension last week ahead of the NIU game, prompting AD Shawn Eichorst to get canned on Thursday. Obviously, this increases the heat on Riley, who is just 16-13 at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were favored by 12 points over the Scarlet Knights late Friday afternoon.

Boston College star LB Conner Strachan is out indefinitely with a knee injury. He will miss his second straight game at Clemson. The senior led BC in tackles (80) as a junior when he also produced 7.5 TFL’s, 3.5 sacks and one QB hurry. Before going down in a 34-10 home loss to Wake Forest, Strachan had recorded nine tackles and 1.5 TFL.

Clemson junior kicker Greg Huegel, a two-time second-team All-ACC selection, is done for the season after tearing his ACL at practice this week.

Cincinnati was extremely fortunate to improve to 2-1 last week with a 21-17 come-from-behind win at Miami (OH.). RedHawks’ junior QB Gus Ragland came into the season with a 20/1 career TD-INT ratio. The third pick of his career was a costly one, a 14-yard pick-six by Malik Clements with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bearcats are double-digit ‘dogs at Navy. Going against the Midshipmen’s vaunted ground attack, they will sorely miss sophomore LB Perry Young when he sits out the first half due to a targeting penalty from last week. Young has produced 24 tackles, three TFL’s, one forced fumble and two PBU through three games.

North Carolina has already sustained nine season-ending injuries and it still has two games left to play in the month of September. In addition, four other Tar Heels are ‘out’ vs. Duke, two are ‘doubtful’ and two are ‘questionable.’ The most disconcerting loss for Larry Fedora is junior LB Andre Smith (knee), who is done for the year after contributing 113 tackles, one sack, five TFL’s and three PBU in 2016.

Middle Tennessee’s two best players – QB Brent Stockstill and WR Richie James -- remain ‘questionable’ vs. Bowling Green.

Tulane QB Jonathan Banks was upgraded to ‘probable’ Friday and is expected to start vs. Army. Banks sustained a rib injury in the first half of a Week 2 loss at Navy. He missed last week’s loss at Oklahoma. Banks has completed 13-of-20 passes for 198 yards and three TDs without an interception.

NCAAF Week 4 Picks and Predictions
By: Andrew Caley
Covers.com

Losing streaks are never fun.

And if you are competitive in any way, like most of us sports bettors are, you never get used to it. I hate losing and have hated it for as long as I can remember.

I remember playing club basketball as a kid for an organization called the ABA Celtics and there was a two season stretch where we won three games. Now even when I was young, I wasn’t one of those kids who would lose a sporting event and then just go pick up the next thing. Each an every one of those losses would stick with me. My mom wouldn’t talk to me after games (or before games for that matter), as apparently, I had a mean game face, even as a kid.

I would sit and think about what I could learn from those losses, what could I have done different and then go out and work some more on my game. I always considered myself a poor, poor, poor man’s version of Steve Nash, shaggy hair and all. (That’s probably the Canadian in me).

The point is, I do the same thing when it comes to my picks. Once I have sat down and done the research and settled on who I am taking, once the bets are in I become as emotionally invested in my picks as I am financially. It matters to me to do well. I do the same process to improve on my shortcomings from the week before and I know it can work.

The following year, we went undefeated and won our league championship.

So obviously we can’t go out and work on a jump shot to get better at our picks, but we can take meaningful steps to bouncing back.

One problem with betting college football is the size of the board. There are so many programs and matchups, with so much information to sort through it’s easy to get lost in it all. So, one thing I like to do is to just simply just go back and watch some tape. Who passes the eye test?

Mason Rudolph and the Oklahoma State Cowboys do that’s for sure.

Rudolph has lead the Cowboys and their high-octane offense to a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS record to start the season, outscoring opponents by a score of 162-52, while ranking second in the nation in total offense and fourth in points scored. The Cowboys also haven’t just been covering the spread, they have been doing easily, by an average of 17.3 points per game.

Rudolph is of course the catalyst for it all. The Cowboys signal caller has thrown for 1,135 yards with 11 touchdowns with just one interception, while completing 72.3 percent of his passes.

Oklahoma State gets a step up in competition when they host Kenny Hill and the TCU Horned Frogs to open conference play. Last season OK-State thumped TCU 31-6 and Rudolph is an even better passer this time around. The Cowboys in by two scores.

Pick: Oklahoma State -11.5

Oklahoma Sooners at Baylor Bears (+27.5, 63)

We're sticking to the Sooner state for pick No. 2. Baker Mayfield is arguably the only quarterback having a better season than Rudolph. (Anyone else pumped for the Battle of Bedlam this season?)

Mayfield has also led the Sooners to a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS record this season, which includes the going into Columbus and thumping Ohio State 31-16 as 7.5-point pups in Week 2. Mayfield has thrown for 1,046 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions, while completing 76.8 percent passes.

Everyone knows about the Sooners powerful offense, but it's their defense that has been surprising. They rank 13th in the nation in points allowed at just 12.3 points per game and are currently 21st in total defense and seventh against the pass.

Oh, did I mention they are playing Baylor this week? Yes, the Baylor team that lost straight up to Liberty and UTSA as 33.5-point and 12.5-point faves respectively. The Bears are 0-3 SU/ATS and rank 82nd in total yards and 92nd in points scored and the defensive side of the ball is even worse. The Bears rank 111th in total defense, 97th in passing yards, 108th in rushing yards and 101st in points allowed.

They lost straight up as 33.5-point faves!

Pick: Oklahoma -27.5

Mississippi State Bulldogs at Georgia Bulldogs (-4, 48)

It's the battle of the Bulldogs "Between the Hedges" in Athens on Saturday.

The public and many pundits are falling in love with Nick Fitzpatrick and this upstart Mississippi State team after its huge 37-7 win as seven-point pups versus LSU last week.

Georgia opened as about a 6.5-to-7 point favorite and the line is all the way down to Georgia -4 and I really think this is an overreaction to one good performance. Mississippi State is good don't get me wrong, but what people aren't talking about is how good this deep and talented Georgia defense is. They are going to make life tough for Fitzgerald.

This game will be decided on the ground and I give the edge to Georgia's Nick Cubb and Sony Michel.

Pick: Georgia -4

Last week: 1-2
Season to date: 5-4

Heisman Odds Update

We've been talking about Rudolph for a few weeks now and he has done nothing but continue to pad his Heisman resume (see stats above), but there is absolutely no value with the OK-State gunslinger anymore as he is now a 3/1 front runner for the Heisman Trophy. He was 12/1 just last week. Rudolph is behind only in in-state rival Mayfield, who after another solid game is now the 5/2 favorite to win the prestigious award.

The two Bedlam Series quarterbacks are followed by USC's Sam Darnold at 9/2 and Louisville's Lamar Jackson at 5/1. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley rounds out the Top 5 at 12/1.

If you're still looking for a dark horse candidate to come out of the pack and challenge the front runners, take look at USF's Quinton Flowers at 50/1. Flowers is a strong-armed quarterback with the body and legs of a running back. He has thrown for almost 800 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for another 300 yards and four scores on the ground. Plus, he could be playing for a Bulls team that has a good chance to be undefeated heading into Bowl season.

Saturday's Week 4 NCAAF Top 25 Betting Cheat Sheet
By: Covers.com

UNLV Rebels at (9) Ohio State Buckeyes (-40, 60.5)

* Runnin' Rebels RB Lexington Thomas ranks 13th in Division I in rushing yards (341) and fifth in touchdowns (five) despite playing just two games. UNLV is 2-14 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference.

* Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer is considering having placekicker Sean Nuernberger handle kickoff duties with Blake Haubeil and Bryan Kristian struggling to open the season. Ohio State has turned 93.8 percent of its red-zone visits into points.

LINE HISTORY: A few weeks ago the Rebels were 45-point favorites against Howard and now they're getting 40 points at Ohio State. A few books opened with the Buckeyes as 39-point chalk but just about all shops have it up to 40 now.

TRENDS:

*The Rebels are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games against Big Ten opponents.
*The Buckeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.

NC State Wolfpack at (11) Florida State Seminoles (-13, 51.5)

* The Wolfpack's vaunted defense has produced just six sacks through the first three games. QB Ryan Finley comes into the week ranked 13th nationally in passing yards (987) and had 304 yards and a score in last year's loss to the Seminoles.

* Florida State is 7-0 in home openers under head coach Jimbo Fisher, outscoring opponents by an absurd 372-52 margin in that span. The Seminoles converted an NCAA-best 96.5 percent of their red-zone visits into points last season.

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers installed FSU as an 11-point fave but bettors have pushed the line up to 13 as some shops. The total started out around 51 and is up a half point to 51.5.

TRENDS:

*NC State is 20-4 ATS in its last 24 games following a bye week.
*FSU is 6-0 ATS in its last six games following an ATS loss.

Kent State Golden Flashes at (20) Louisville Cardinals (-44, 55.5)

* The Golden Flashes, who finished eighth in the nation in turnover margin in 2016, have turned the ball over just twice in their first three games. QB Nick Holley and LB Matt Bahr will miss the game due to injury; Holley leads the team with 207 rushing yards.

* Cardinals star Lamar Jackson became the ACC's all-time leader in rushing yards for a QB last week with 2,834, and has 10 100-yard rushing games since the start of 2016. Louisville ranks 10th in the nation in total offense at 554 yards per game.

LINE HISTORY: This line opened with Louisville -39.5 at some shops. The Cards have been bet up to as high as -44 now. The total has stayed pretty consistent at 56.5.

TRENDS:

*Kent State is 11-27 ATS in its last 38 non-conference games.
*Louisville is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games overall.

Old Dominion Monarchs at (13) Virginia Tech Hokies (-28, 52.5)

* True freshman Stephen Williams Jr., who will start at quarterback for the Monarchs, is the only 17-year-old QB in FBS. ODU is winless in eight games all-time against teams from the Power 5 conferences.

* QB Josh Jackson leads the ACC and ranks 10th among Power 5 quarterbacks with a 177.8 rating through three games. WR Cam Phillips leads the nation in receiving yards (417) and had 14 catches for 189 yards and three scores last week.

LINE HISTORY: The Wynn sportsbook in Las Vegas opened this game with the Hokies favored by 24.5 points but early money pushed the line up quickly. Virginia Tech is giving as many as 28.5 points at some shops.

TRENDS:

*Old Dominion is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.
*The Hokies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.

(5) USC Trojans at California Golden Bears (+17, 64.5)

* Five key Trojans players have been held out of practice this week, including three on the defensive side of the ball: DL Rasheem Green, CB Ajene Harris and OLB Porter Gustin. Star WR Michael Pittman Jr. is questionable to make his season debut.

* Cal will look to QB Ross Bowers to air it out a little more this week; his 7.1 yards per attempt ranks 74th in FBS. The Bears have allowed scores on just 7-of-11 opponent trips to the red zone, the 19th-best rate in the nation.

LINE HISTORY: This line seems to be floating between 16 and 17. Many shops opened at USC -16 and moved up to -17 but there are lots of 16s and 16.5s on the board now. The total opened at 63.5 and seems to be settling in at 64.

TRENDS:

*The Trojans are 6-0 ATS in their last six conference games.
*Cal is 1-5 ATS in its last six games against teams with winning records.

Boston College Eagles at (2) Clemson Tigers (-34, 52.5)

* Eagles QB is Anthony Brown ranks third among Division I freshmen in passing yards (525) and is tied for second in touchdown passes (five). The Boston College offensive line ranks fourth in the ACC with four sacks allowed through three games.

* Tigers LB Dorian O'Daniel had six tackles and a 44-yard interception return for a TD against Louisville, and has 20 tackles over his last two games. Clemson is one of four schools averaging more than 240 rushing and 240 passing yards.

LINE HISTORY: The Wynn opened with the Tigers giving 31.5 points and bettors pushed the line up to Clemson -34. The total is holding tight around 52.5.

TRENDS:

*BC is 2-9-1 in its last 12 conference games.
*Clemson is 5-0 ATS in its last five games overall.

Toledo Rockets at (14) Miami Hurricanes (-13.5, 60.5)

* The Rockets' 679 yards of offense in last week's win over Tulsa was the fourth-most in school history. Toledo has allowed just three sacks through three games, ranking in the top 20 nationally in sacks allowed per game.

* PK Michael Badgley is 21-for-21 on field-goal attempts from 40-49 yards in his collegiate career. The Hurricanes had an NCAA high-tying 17 true freshman in action in their season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman.

LINE HISTORY: This line opened at 'Canes -14 and it came down a half point to Toledo +13.5. The total is where the real movement happened. The over/under line opened at 56.5, got bet up to 62 and has since dropped back down to 61.

TRENDS:

*Toledo is 14-2 ATS in its last 16 road games.
*The Under is 9-2 in Miami's last 11 games following a bye week.

(1) Alabama Crimson Tide at Vanderbilt Commodores (+18.5, 43)

* The Crimson Tide have defeated the Commodores 21 straight times dating back to the 1985 season. Injured LBs Rashaan Evans, Dylan Moses and Anfernee Jennings returned to practice this week and could be in the lineup Saturday.

* The Commodores come into this one leading the nation in total defense (198.3 yards per game) and ranked second in team tackles for loss per game (9.3). Vanderbilt has outscored its opponents 63-7 in the first half.

LINE HISTORY: This game opened with the Tide giving 18.5 points and there's where it stands heading into Saturday. The total opened at 43.5 and is now down to 43 even.

TRENDS:

*Alabama is 6-1 ATS in its last seven conference games and 5-0 ATS in its last five road games.
*Vandy is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games against teams with winning records.

(15) Texas Christian Horned Frogs at (7) Oklahoma State Cowboys (-12.5, 71.5)

* Horned Frogs QB Kenny Hill has completed 75 percent of his passes, good for ninth in Division I. TCU leads the nation in third-down conversion rate (65.8 percent) and second in defensive touchdowns (three).

* The Cowboys enter the week averaging 607 yards of total offense, the third-highest rate in the nation. Oklahoma State has allowed opponents to convert 43.1 percent of third downs, ranking it 95th overall.

LINE HISTORY: Some books are dealing TCU +13, which is a 2-point jump from the opening number the Wynn hung over the weekend. The over/under line is stayed put between 71 and 71.5 all week.

TRENDS:

*TCU is 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall.
*Oklahoma State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against winning sides.

(8 ) Michigan Wolverines at Purdue Boilermakers (+10.5, 50)

* The Wolverines have made 10 trips to the red zone in 2017 but have just one touchdown to show for it. The Michigan defense has been far more effective, allowing just three offensive TDs through three games.

* Purdue is a perfect 13-for-13 at converting red-zone visits into points, with 10 of those trips resulting in a touchdown. RB Tario Fuller has 232 rushing yards and two TDs in his past two games after finishing with just 29 yards in the season opener.

LINE HISTORY: Pinnacle opened at Purdue +8.5 and most shops are up to +10 or +10.5. The total opened up at 52 and has been bet down to 50.

TRENDS:

*Michigan is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games following an ATS loss.
*The Over is 11-2 in Purdue's last 13 home games.

Nevada Wolfpack at (18) Washington State Cougars (-28, 67.5)

* The Wolf Pack have held opponents to a 3.2 yards-per-carry average to date, a major improvement from the 6.1 YPC it allowed in 2016. Nevada's time-of-possession average of 25:25 ranks 119th in the nation.

* Cougars star ILB Peyton Pueller will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured foot; he ranked fourth in the conference in tackles last season. Washington State averages 408.3 passing yards per game, good for sixth in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: Bettors are Cougar fans this week. They bet up the opening line from WSU -25 all the way to -28.5 at some shops. The total opened as low as 64 and now can be found as high as 67.5.

TRENDS:

*The Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
*The Under is 4-0 in Nevada's last four non-conference games.

(3) Oklahoma Sooners at Baylor Bears (+27.5, 63)

* The Sooners have won 16 Big 12 Conference games in a row, the fifth-longest such streak since the conference was formed 21 years ago. Baker Mayfield's 226.9 rating is the highest of any Division I QB that has played multiple games.

* Bears LB Clay Johnston has amassed 6.5 tackles for loss so far, ranking him second in the Big 12 and fourth in Division I. Baylor has held foes to 4-of-24 on third down over its last six quarters after opponents went 22-of-34 in its first six quarters.

LINE HISTORY: This game opened between 26.5 and 28 for the favored Sooners. It's settled at most sportsbooks at Oklahoma -27.5. There's been no real movement on the total. It's holding at 62.5 or 63 depending on the shop.

TRENDS:

*The Sooners are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games overall.
*Baylor is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games overall.

(19) Mississippi State Bulldogs at (12) Georgia Bulldogs (-4.5, 48.5)

* Mississippi State has allowed just one sack so far this season, joining Miami, Minnesota and Iowa State as the only Division I teams with one or fewer sack against. MSU's 47.7 points-per-game average leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the country.

* Georgia's RB Nick Chubb is averaging 6.6 yards per carry through three games after posting a 5.0 YPC average a season ago. Georgia averages 5.83 yards per punt return, good for 70th in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: Georgia opened as high as 7-point chalk but the line has come all the way down to -4 at some shops. Most books are dealing Georgia -4.5. The total is hanging out around 48 and 48.5.

TRENDS:

*The Over is 5-1 in Mississippi State's last six conference games.
*Georgia is 2-5 ATS in its last seven home games.

(22) Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats (+1.5, 43.5)

* Gators senior CB Duke Dawson remains in the concussion protocol and is questionable to play this weekend. Outside Malik Davis (five carries, 102 yards), Florida rushers are averaging 1.5 yards per carry.

* The Wildcats boast the nation's third-best run defense (57 yards per game) while limiting opponents to less than 2.1 yards per carry. Kentucky's defense has also recovered four fumbles in 2017, second-most in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: The Wynn posted the Gators as 4-point road faves and the line has surprising moved in favor of the Wildcats. Kentucky is now between a 1.5 and 2-point underdog. The total has settled in at 44 points.

TRENDS:

*The Gators are 5-0 ATS in their last five trips to Kentucky and 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Wildcats.
*Kentucky is 7-1 ATS in its last eight conference games.

Syracuse Orange at (23) LSU Tigers (-21, 56)

* The Orange have generated at least 500 total yards in seven of 15 games under head coach Dino Babers. Teams have converted just 16.3 percent of their third downs against Syracuse, the second-best mark in the ACC.

*LSU will be without star running back Derrius Guice, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury. The Tigers have won 48 consecutive home contests against non-conference foes dating back to the 2000 season.

LINE HISTORY: Bettors aren't backing the Bayou Bengals that loss to MSU last week. LSU opened around a 23.5-point fave and have been bet down to -21.5. The game over/under line is set at 56.5.

TRENDS:

*The Under is 7-1-2 in LSU's last 10 home games.
*Syracuse is 4-0 ATS in its last four games against SEC opponents.

(16) Auburn Tigers at Missouri Tigers (+18, 60)

* The Tigers have allowed a paltry 605 yards of total offense to date - its lowest total through three games since 1974. QB Jarrett Stidham set a school record with 18 straight completions in last week's 24-10 win over Mercer.

* Mizzou has allowed just two sacks through its first three games - the second-best mark in the SEC - while limiting opposing defenses to 2.7 tackles for loss per game. QB Drew Lock averages 19.1 yards per completion, third-best in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: The betting market agrees with the opening number on this game and we haven't seen much movement on the line at any shop. The total is another story though. Books opened this number as low as 55 and it's now as high as 60.

TRENDS:

*Mizzou is 2-9 in its last 11 games overall.
*The Over is 10-2 in Auburn's last 12 conference games.

(25) San Diego State Aztecs at Air Force Falcons (+3, 47.5)

* SDSU has forced 70 turnovers since 2015 - second nationally to Utah - and has committed just 29 of its own, the fifth-lowest total in Division I over that span. The Aztecs limited Stanford to 18:46 time of possession last week, its worst such mark since 1996.

* The Falcons average 320.5 rushing yards - seventh-most in Division I - while limiting opponents to an average of 227 total yards, the ninth-best rate in the country. Air Force has scored in 300 straight games, the third-longest active streak in the nation.

LINE HISTORY: The Wynn opened this game with the Aztecs favored by six points but the line was quickly bet down. Just about all outlets are dealing Air Force +3. The total jumped around a bit between 46.5 and 48 and seems to be settling across the board at 47.5.

TRENDS:

*San Diego State is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 conference games.
*Air Force is 4-0 ATS in its last four games overall.

(4) Penn State Nittany Lions at Iowa Hawkeyes (+12.5, 52)

* The Nittany Lions have won nine straight games against Big Ten foes, its longest such streak since 1994. Penn State averages 8.28 yards per offensive play so far in 2017, the sixth-best rate in Division I.

* The Hawkeyes have won each of their first three games despite trailing in each; that includes a 10-point comeback against rival Iowa State earlier this month. Iowa's 73 first downs rank 27th in the nation.

LINE HISTORY: The line has bounced around between Penn State -12 and -13. The total is hanging around between 52 and 52.5.

TRENDS:

*Penn State is 8-0-1 ATS in its last nine conference games and 12-2-2 ATS in its last 16 games overall.
*The Under is 5-1 in Iowa's last six home games.

(24) Oregon Ducks at Arizona State Sun Devils (+14.5, 76)

* The Beavers have produced an NCAA-high 18 TDs on the ground; RBs Royce Freeman and Kani Benoit have accounted for 15 of them while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Oregon leads the Pac-12 with seven interceptions and 42 points off turnovers.

* The Sun Devils are one of 20 Division I teams to score touchdowns on every visit to the red zone in 2017, going a perfect 8-for-8 coming into the weekend. QB Manny Wilkins shares the school record with 149 straight pass attempts without an interception.

LINE HISTORY: The Wynn opened this game with the favored Ducks giving 17 points and the line has been bet down to 14.5 and 14. The total opened at 76 and is settling in at 75.5.

TRENDS:

*The Ducks are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games on grass but 2-8 ATS in their last 10 conference games.
*The Sun Devils are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.

(6) Washington Huskies at Colorado Buffaloes (+11.5, 50)

* Huskies WR Dante Pettis has returned punts for touchdowns in each of Washington's first three games this season, and has eight punt return TDs for his career. The Huskies limit foes to a 28.6 success rate on third downs, inside the top 30 nationally.

* LB Drew Lewis is the first Buffaloes player with double-digit tackles in each of his first three games of the season since 1990. Colorado has forced seven turnovers, one of only 26 Division I teams to do so.

LINE HISTORY: The Huskies opened as 10-point chalk and have been bet up to -11.5. The total opened at 51 and now seems to be settling in at 49.5 or 50.

TRENDS:

*Colorado is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 conference games but 1-5 ATS against the last six opponents with winning records.
*The Huskies are 7-0 ATS in the last seven meetings between the two schools.

Saturday's NCAAF Game of the Day: Penn State at Iowa
Covers.com

Penn State Nittany Lions at Iowa Hawkeyes (+12.5, 52)

No. 4 Penn State faces a major test in its first road game of the season when it visits fellow unbeaten Iowa on Saturday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Nittany Lions steamrolled through their first three opponents at home by a combined score of 141-14, and their bevy of offensive stars shined brightly in last week's rout of Georgia State.

Trace McSorley threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns while running back Saquon Barkley amassed 226 total yards - including a career-high 142 through the air - and the defense pitched its second shutout. Barkley is averaging 8.1 yards per carry, 21.9 per catch and 26.8 per kickoff return, presenting the Hawkeyes with a unique challenge that has coach Kirk Ferentz scrambling for superlatives.

"I'm trying to think of the last time we played a back like this," Ferentz told reporters. "I'm thinking of the backs I've seen in my time in the conference. ... He just does so many things well. He's a powerful, strong, fast athlete. He's a really good football player. Run, pass, you name it, he's a threat. He's just a really impressive football player."

The Hawkeyes also have a workhorse at running back in Akrum Wadley (60 carries, second in the Big Ten) and Nathan Stanley's 10 TD passes are first in the league, one ahead of McSorley.

LINE HISTORY: The line has bounced around between Penn State -12 and -13. The total is hanging around between 52 and 52.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Iowa – RB Akrum Wadley (Probable, Leg), RB James Butler (Elbow, Out 3-4 weeks).

Penn State – OL Brendan Mahon (Undisclosed, Probable), DE Torrence Brown (Knee, Probable), CB Amani Oruwariye (Undisclosed, Probable).

WEATHER REPORT: Sunny with almost no chance of rain. Game-time temperature expected to be 89 F with winds blowing at 7.8 mph.

PENN STATE (3-0 SU, 2-0-1 ATS, 1-2 O/U): McSorley is 10th in the country in passing efficiency (184.1), has increased his completion percentage (67.1) nearly 10 points from last season, is gaining six yards a carry and now has even more support in the form of versatile backup Tommy Stevens, who has passing, running and receiving scores through the first three games. "What's nice about [Stevens] is he can play like a receiver, he can play like a running back, he can play like a quarterback, and we've used him in almost all of those ways," coach James Franklin told reporters. "I don't think there's any doubt that it creates stress on a defense." Franklin also has to be pleased with the emergence of big-play receiver Saeed Blacknall, who was held without a catch in the first two games but had 64 receiving yards and a score against Georgia State.

IOWA (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U): Since throwing an interception on the Hawkeyes' second drive of the season, Stanley has thrown his 10 TDs without a pick and is completing 61.4 percent of his passes. Wadley, who had 234 yards through the first two games before sitting out much of last week's 31-14 win over North Texas with an ankle injury, has been practicing and is expected to play Saturday. Iowa ranks 12th among Big Ten teams with 3.8 yards a rush, a troubling trend given the fact that it was outgained 359-30 on the ground in last year's 41-14 loss at Penn State.

TRENDS:

*Penn State is 8-0-1 ATS in its last nine conference games and 12-2-2 ATS in its last 16 games overall.
*The Under is 5-1 in Iowa's last six home games.

CONSENSUS: The favored Nittany Lions are getting 52 percent of the support in the consensus while 53 percent of players like the game to go Over the total at 52.5.

NCAAF Week 4 Action Report
By: Patrick Everson
Covers.com

Week 4 of the college football season is a mixed bag, with some heavyweights taking on one more Glass Joe before delving into conference play, and other big-name programs swinging into league play. Covers checks in on the action for several games, with insights from Jason Simbal, vice president of risk management for CG Technology in Las Vegas; Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US, also in Vegas; and an oddsmaker for offshore sportsbook BetNow.eu.

No. 15 Texas Christian Horned Frogs at No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys – Open: -11; Move: -12.5; Move: -13; Move: -12.5; Move: -13.5; Move: -14; Move: -13

Oklahoma State is racking up points in prodigious fashion, and speaking of prodigious fashion, how about Mike Gundy’s hair? But we digress. The Cowboys (3-0 SU and ATS) are averaging a whopping 54 points per game, twice scoring 59, including in last week’s 59-21 wipeout of Pittsburgh on the road as a 10.5-point favorite.

Texas Christian is also 3-0 SU (1-2 ATS) and lighting up the scoreboard (49 ppg). But the Horned Frogs got much more than they expected last week from Southern Methodist. TCU trailed 19-7 in the second quarter and led 35-29 after three quarters before pulling away for a 56-36 victory as a 22-point home chalk.

“Oklahoma State seems to be a legit national title contender, with the way they’ve played, beating some good teams on the way,” Simbal said. “This game, not one we like to see as a bookmaker, because you have Oklahoma State, who’s been one of the favorite teams for the public to bet the last two weeks, considering how they’ve looked. This line opened at 11, and actually sharp action bet this game up to 13. And we know that the public is gonna come in behind that, so certainly not an enviable position in this game for the books.”

Some of that public follow-through may have come Thursday, when the line went to 14, though it backed down to 13 by Friday night for this 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

William Hill US opened the Cowboys -11 and saw that rise to 13.5 by midweek, though it ticked down to 13 late Friday.

“The public is all over Oklahoma State,” Bogdanovich said. “I’d imagine the wiseguys jump in (on TCU) at some point, probably waiting for 14.”

At BetNow.eu, the Pokes opened -11.5 and went to 13 by Friday afternoon, though bettors took that number back to 12.5 by Friday night. The total opened at 64 and shot up to 71.

No. 19 Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs – Open: -7; Move: -6.5; Move: -6; Move: -5.5; Move: -5; Move: -4.5; Move: -4

No one was surprised by Mississippi State getting out of the gate 2-0 SU and ATS, with easy victories over Charleston Southern and at Louisiana Tech. But dominating LSU in Week 3? That was unexpected. Mississippi State rumbled over the Tigers 37-7 as a 7.5-point home underdog and aims to continue its run against another solid SEC opponent.

Georgia’s highlight so far is a 20-19 win at Notre Dame catching 5.5 points in Week 2. That victory was sandwiched between a 31-10 home win over Appalachian State as a 12.5-point fave and last week’s 42-14 victory over Samford laying a hefty 33 points at home.

“All the money is on Mississippi State,” Bogdanovich said of activity for this 7 p.m. ET clash in the SEC. “Everyone saw Mississippi State destroy LSU last week.

At CG books, including The Cosmopolitan and Venetian on the Vegas Strip, Mississippi State opened -6.5, was bet to 5.5 by midweek, then a big run took it down to 3 Friday evening.

“It’s early in the season, but Mississippi State has certainly impressed so far, coming in against Georgia, also with an impressive win against Notre Dame. So these are two pretty hot teams here,” Simbal said. “But so far, the backing of the public has been with the underdog Mississippi State team. The price on Georgia is shortening by the day.”

Georgia opened -6 at BetNow.eu, but heavier action on Mississippi State drew that down to 4 by Friday night.

West Virginia Mountaineers at Kansas Jayhawks – Open: +20.5; Move: +21.5; Move: +22; Move: +21.5; Move: +22; Move: +22.5; Move: +23.5; Move: +23

West Virginia lost its opener to Virginia Tech, but bounced back by winning and cashing twice, heading into this noon ET Big 12 opener. The Mountaineers ripped Delaware State 59-16 last week as a ridiculous 62-point favorite.

Kansas (1-2 SU, 0-3 ATS) enters this game off back-to-back losses to Mid-American Conference teams Central Michigan and Ohio. Last week, the Jayhawks were 7.5-point pups at Ohio and fell 42-30.

“The sharps backed West Virginia. Not something we like to see as a book, because you know the public is never gonna bet on Kansas,” Simbal said.

No. 8 Michigan Wolverines at Purdue Boilermakers – Open: -10; Move: None

Michigan got an impressive neutral-site win and cover over Florida in Week 1, but wasn’t nearly as impressive in failing to cover at home against Cincinnati and Air Force in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. Last week, the Wolverines (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) led the Falcons just 16-13 well into the third quarter before pulling away to a 29-13 victory as a 23-point chalk.

Purdue (2-1 SU) has cashed in all three of its starts this season, entering this 4 p.m. ET Big Ten opener off blowout victories over Ohio and Missouri. The Boilermakers went on the road in Week 3 and bashed SEC foe Mizzou 35-3 as a 6-point underdog. Purdue’s lone loss was a 35-28 Week 1 setback to Louisville as a hefty 25.5-point underdog in Indianapolis.

“Believe it or not, we’re high on Purdue money,” Bogdanovich said, though he noted it’s not high enough to move the line yet. “There’s good action on this game, and it should be one of the better games of the day. I haven’t seen sharps on either side.”

BetNow.eu opened the Wolverines -10.5 and was still there Friday, but pointspread action favored the Boilermakers, and Purdue was also drawing moneyline action.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan State – Open: +4; Move: +4.5; Move: +4; Move: +3.5

Notre Dame (2-1 SU and ATS) bounced back from its home loss to Georgia by beating up on Boston College in Week 3. The Fighting Irish won 49-20, easily cashing as a 14-point road fave.

Michigan State is out of the gate 2-0 SU and ATS, and coming off a bye week. Both of the Spartans’ wins were at home against MAC competition, 35-10 over Bowling Green giving 17.5 points in Week 1, and 28-14 against Western Michigan as a 7-point chalk.

“The professionals are on Michigan State for sure. Definitely on the ‘dog there,” Bogdanovich said of action for this 8 p.m. ET matchup.

Other games seeing noteworthy action and line movement:

Rutgers at Nebraska: The Huskers lost at home to MAC foe Northern Illinois last week, then the school fired athletic director Shawn Eichorst on Thursday. Coach Mike Riley might not be far behind Eichorst if Nebraska doesn’t get things figured out. The Huskers opened -14 at William Hill books and dropped to -12 for this 3:30 p.m. ET start. “That might be more on information than money,” Bogdanovich said of the line move. “There’s all sorts of turmoil at Nebraska.”

Syracuse at Louisiana State: The Tigers are smarting from last week’s stunning blowout loss at Mississippi State. Bettors have been on the Orange in this 7 p.m. ET game so far, taking LSU from -23.5 to -21.5. “Probably some sharp play for Syracuse at other books, but I didn’t see it,” Bogdanovich said.

Duke at North Carolina: The Blue Devils go to Chapel Hill as chalk for this 3:30 p.m. clash, but the number is on the way down, with Duke bet from -3 to -1.5 by Friday evening at William Hill. “I think the professionals are on North Carolina, but we don’t have a lot on it,” Bogdanovich said.

Georgia State at North Carolina-Charlotte: The line jumped the fence at William Hill, from Georgia State -3 to UNCC -1 in a 6 p.m. ET meeting of winless teams. “We’ve got some money on Charlotte, but not a lot. It’s a complete garbage game,” Bogdanovich said.