College Football Betting News and Notes Saturday, September 30th, 2017

The Dozen: Hokies back on map
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com

This week is unique in that two of the best matchups take place on a Friday night, so we should get a few days of treats from the college game. The game features the defending champs battling their third high-profile opponent after their worst showing of the season. Here's the finest that September's final weekend has to offer:

1. Clemson at Virginia Tech: The Tigers have come through in impressive fashion against Auburn and Louisville, dominating defensively despite the presence of two of the better offensive minds in the college game in Gus Malzahn and Bobby Petrino. Clemson shut down Lamar Jackson's chances of winning a Heisman Trophy and snuffed out Jarrett Stidham's before we even got started despite the late summer surge in hype over Auburn's new quarterback. The Hokies don't have a candidate for college football's top individual honor to focus in on, but do have arguably the best defense that Clemson will face to date.

Blacksburg will be at a fever pitch, so a Virginia Tech team that went 57-10 between a decade span of 2003-12 before going 9-10 from '13-'16 will look to try and reclaim that aura of invincibility Lane Stadium once enjoyed. Under new head coach Justin Fuente, the Hokies are 7-1 at home, but unranked Miami has provided their toughest test. This will be a different animal, under the lights on a national stage.

Clemson and Boston College entered the fourth quarter tied at 7 this past weekend before the defending champs put the game away with 27 consecutive points. The Hokies found something in the second half of December's ACC Championship to cut a large deficit to 42-35 and make the final minutes interesting, so they shouldn't be lacking for confidence. Neither QB involved in that game, Deshaun Watson and Jerod Evans, will participate here. Neither of their successors are as accomplished slinging it just yet, but Kelly Bryant has gotten the job done with his legs while Tech's Josh Jackson has the early edge in ACC passing efficiency. This one should hinge on defense, so monitor potential personnel issues in the secondary on both sides. Here's hoping it's as exciting as last week's top matchup, where Penn State survived Iowa on the final play.

2. USC at Washington State: The nightcap to an excellent Friday slate brings us the Pac-12's top matchup in a week where the league has plenty of attractive games. Sam Darnold has thrown more interceptions than anyone expected, but has also put his brilliance on display in leading the Trojans to a perfect 4-0 start. He saved his best for Stanford, which may be an indication that he's having issues with focus. The Western Michigan, Texas and Cal games were all closer than they should've been entering the fourth quarter, but USC made plays when necessary to pull them all out. This will be its second straight road game and first outside of California, so it provides a great setting for Darnold to lock in and keep his team from flirting with disaster. likely spell serious trouble in Pullman.

Keep in mind that there may be rain and temperatures in the 50s to deal with, so the elements could have an impact. The undefeated Cougs are playing their fifth consecutive home game and have a savvy senior QB leading the way in Luke Falk, so conditions are ripe for an upset. Early sharp money came in on the home team. Washington State will have to reverse trends that have seen it lose nine of 10 against USC in addition to a 3-31 against ranked opponents to cash. As recently as 2008, the Cougars were a 42-point underdog against the Trojans and lost 69-0. Head coach Mike Leach beat USC in a weird 10-7 game back in 2013, the lowest-scoring output in a win during his tenure.

Leach has yet to beat a ranked team at home since taking over the program in 2011. Although there are injury concerns along both lines, Southern Cal will have leading rusher Ronald Jones (thigh) and top receiver Deontay Burnett (shoulder) available. Washington State appears to be in good shape.

3. Georgia at Tennessee: Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has long been known as a defensive genius, enjoying tremendous success at Alabama for nearly a decade while also enjoying jobs at other top schools in addition to an NFL stint in Miami. His success in Athens is no fluke. After an 8-5 first season, the verdict was still out on whether he'd be able to get the job done in the head seat, but he's gotten off to a great first month in Year 2. Most encouraging, his defense has gotten the job done in a tough game at Notre Dame and snuffed out Mississippi State last Saturday in a battle of unbeatens, holding them to three points. Opponents are averaging 12.5 for the season.

The Dawgs are back on the road here, and it's important for true freshman Jake Fromm to continue gaining confidence. The kid looks poised enough to keep the job ahead of the highly regarded Jacob Eason, who is returning from injury soon but unlikely to be handed his gig back given what's transpired to date. Butch Jones' seat is scalding hot after his Vols followed up a loss to Florida on a Hail Mary by barely beating FBS Independent UMass 17-13 in Knoxville. He's expressed displeasure at the way his program is covered, but would be better served finding a way to move the ball. QB Quinten Dormady has struggled, which has many in Knoxville hoping redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano gets a shot. If Tennessee sputters early against an impressive Georgia defense, we could hear loud, scathing boos far more often than we get a choruses of Rocky Top at Neyland Stadium. Jones' Vols spoiled Smart's first home SEC opener on a Hail Mary to WR Jauan Jennings last year.

4. Northwestern at Wisconsin: The undefeated Badgers open conference play coming off the only bye they'll get this season. Alex Hornibrook has been impressive with his decision-making at QB and comes off a record-setting 18-for-19 showing where he racked up 256 yards and four TDs in a rout of BYU. True freshman RB Jonathan Taylor has ascended to the top of the depth chart, running behind an offensive line that has thus far been banged up but is among the nation's best when healthy. Wisconsin has to be taken seriously as a national contender, which makes this matchup compelling since it had lost consecutive games against Northwestern before winning 21-7 last year.

Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats also had an additional week to prepare and have big plans for the season despite suffering an early loss at Duke. With a homecoming game against Penn State scheduled for next week, Northwestern should be mentally prepared to play its best to begin what is easily its toughest stretch of the season. QB Clayton Thorson threw for 370 yards in his last start while RB Justin Jackson has the school's all-time rushing record within his sights and already has led his teams to a pair of wins over Wisconsin due to his efforts on the ground.

5. Miami at Duke: The Hurricanes trailed Toledo last week, then unleashed a furious rally and ended up winning 52-30. QB Malik Rosier made plays, running back Mark Walton overcame an ankle sprain to run for 204 yards on 11 carries and a program looking to post double-figure wins for the first time since 2003 took another step forward under Mark Richt. This will end up being their road opener despite their original schedule calling for visits to Arkansas State and Florida State. Mother Nature had other ideas for the 'Canes, who return to Durham for the first time since pulling off a miracle comeback win on a last-second lateral-filled kickoff return that ended up providing one of 2015's best finishes.

The Blue Devils are also undefeated and own wins over Northwestern, Baylor and rival North Carolina. With a national Friday night stage, they could really open some eyes and get halfway to matching the school-record for wins (10) before the season's first month is over. QB Daniel Jones had his ups and downs as a freshman but has been sharp with his decision-making and toughness thus far. Linebacker Ben Humphreys, arguably Duke's most polished player, should be out there but was injured on a chop block in last week's win at UNC, limping off the field after the impact. He and backup RB Brittain Brown missed practices but should play. The Blue Devils last beat Miami at home back in 2013.

6. Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: The Red Raiders lost last year's meeting in Stillwater 45-44 when kicker Clayton Hatfield missed an extra point with 1:44 left. Ironically, he's questionable here and would be a notable absence if he can't go since his current backup struggled in Saturday's upset at Houston. Going into last weekend, both of these teams were undefeated and facing tough matchups, but it was Tech that went out on the road and persevered.

Oklahoma State lost at home to TCU, never quite getting the stops they needed after falling behind early. QB Mason Rudolph has thrown 13 touchdown passes and has averaged 383.3 yards per game but was intercepted three times by the Horned Frogs to contribute to the 44-31 loss. He'll be looking to solve a Texas Tech defense that is obviously improved and looks sharp in the defensive backfield.

The Red Raiders have dropped eight straight meetings in this series and have surrendered an average of nearly 58 points per game over the last six losses. QB Nic Shimonek ranks fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, third in passing yards and eighth in TD passes while throwing just one pick. Key linebacker Jordyn Brooks is questionable with a knee injury and would leave huge shoes to fill in this upset bid.

7. Mississippi State at Auburn: This would be a lot higher on the list if not for how Georgia dominated last Saturday's battle of Bulldogs, winning 31-3. Mississippi State was coming off a win over LSU and looking like the SEC West's second-best team behind Alabama, which would've set this up as perhaps the top matchup of the day. Auburn did its part, beating Missouri 51-14 to open conference play in style. Besides losing at Clemson, the Tigers haven't been tested much since they faced struggling Georgia Southern and Mercer before wiping the floor with Mizzou in Columbia. Auburn's running backs, Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson, have yet to be healthy at the safe time but are both expected to play. Linebacker Tre' Williams and corner Javaris Davis.

Mississippi State beat Auburn twice behind Dak Prescott, including a 27-19 win at Jordan-Hare in 2015. They were obliterated last year as QB Nick Fitzgerald, leading to the Bulldogs falling behind 35-0 by halftime before ultimately losing 38-14. They'll need WR Malik Dear, one of the team's top playmakers, in place to provide a dynamic weapon, but list him as questionable with a knee injury.

8. Indiana at Penn State: The Hoosiers led Ohio State at halftime in their season opener and hung around into the third quarter, so the Nittany Lions shouldn't expect much of a reprieve after nearly falling at Iowa last weekend. Trace McSorley hit Juwan Johnson with a touchdown pass as time expired to avoid an upset, making sure RB Saquon Barkley's 358 all-purpose yards weren't wasted. Barkley is the Heisman frontrunner at the moment but was held to just 93 yards on 33 carries against IU last season, though he did score a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to help erase a double-digit second-half deficit.

Then-defensive coordinator Tom Allen is the Hoosiers' head coach now and has seen his team outscore Virginia and Georgia Southern by a combined margin of 86-34 since losing to the Buckeyes. Indiana has outscored opponents 62-23 in the first half, so if Penn State suffers any hangover from last Saturday night's emotional win, it should be able to take advantage and make this one interesting. The Hoosiers have captured only one of 20 all-time meetings, prevailing 44-24 in Bloomington in '13.

9. Memphis at UCF: Although USF is the favorite in the American and top the short list of most respected teams among the "Group of Five," these two have already grabbed headlines and have captivated anyone paying attention. The Tigers beat UCLA outright at home and have won five of its last six games, counting wins over Houston and Cincinnati in that mix. The Knights obliterated Maryland last week after a few weeks off due to Hurricane Irma's impact in Orlando.

The originally scheduled date for this matchup (Sept. 9) was a casualty of the storm, which ultimately helped Memphis' cause in its home upset of the Bruins since they were fresher and made winning plays down the stretch as a result. QB Riley Ferguson threw for nearly 3,700 yards and 32 touchdowns last year, but he introduced himself to anyone who didn't already know about him by coming out on top in a duel against future first-round pick Josh Rosen. UCF sophomore McKenzie Milton has bulked up and looks to have a firm grasp on the offense, but it's the defense and running game that will key the program's success this season. Both teams will run into Navy in October, but the winner here has an opportunity to enter the national rankings and continue generating momentum. These programs are on the rise, but UCF comes in healthier despite losing one of its top RBs, Jawon Hamilton, to a broken leg. Memphis has lost nine straight in the series, last winning in 1990.

10. Cal at Oregon: Both teams lost for the first time on Saturday, so even though each looks much improved under their first-year head coaches, the loser here will dig themselves a hole in Pac-12 play. While the Bears were a 17-point home underdog against USC, the Ducks were 10.5-point favorites at Arizona State and fell 37-35 when QB Justin Herbert couldn't find any rhythm on the team's final two drives, sailing passes and missing receivers.

New head coach Justin Wilcox will look to try and confuse Herbert the way he has Ole Miss' Patterson and USC's Darnold already this season. Between him and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, the Bears have a brain trust that might be able to slow down a typically explosive Ducks offense that has nonetheless had a few power outages already this season. To have a shot at an upset, Cal must have QB Ross Bowers (8 INTs) take better care of the ball. Oregon had won seven straight in this series before losing last year's game 52-49 in 2OT.

11. Ole Miss at Alabama: The Rebels have handed the Crimson Tide half of their four losses over the last three seasons, a fact that can't be erased even if the NCAA chooses to do just that and take away those victories due to the scandals that ultimately lost Hugh Freeze his job. Interim head coach Matt Luke comes off both his first bye week and first loss, getting blown away in the second half in Berkeley. The 27-16 loss came in part because of the loss of top receiver AJ Brown and starting center Sean Rawlings, whose absence disrupted all chemistry up front, creating problems for QB Shea Patterson on the road. Both his security blanket and his top offensive lineman have practiced this week and are expected back for this one, which is a prerequisite to have any success as a four-touchdown underdog in Tuscaloosa.

'Bama crushed previously unbeaten Vanderbilt 59-0 in Nashville, outgaining the Commodores 677-88 while rushing or nearly 500 yards. The Crimson Tide held the ball for nearly 43 minutes and played flawless ball a week after committing their first turnover in a sloppy win over Colorado State. After impressively handling Florida State to open the season, the Tide had looked rather ordinary in beating Fresno State and CSU, but took no prisoners in their first true road game, taking a huge step forward. 'Bama lost in '14 and '15 before surviving last season's game 48-43 after falling behind 24-3. Trust that Nick Saban has reminded them of all of this on an endless loop over this past week.

12. Arizona State at Stanford: Bryce Love has eliminated all concern that the Cardinal running game would be unable to replicate Christian McCaffrey's production. He's already run for 787 yards and five scores through four games, averaging 10.8 yards per carry. He's broken off a run of 50 or more yards in six straight games and should make life easier on likely new starting QB K.J. Costello, who provided a spark in Saturday's 58-34 win over UCLA. Head coach David Shaw hasn't committed to naming a starter yet, but even if veteran Keller Chryst remains under center, it's inevitable that Costello will get snaps and ultimately take over. The Sun Devils will try to build off their upset of Oregon, but have lost 10 of 12 true road games under Todd Graham, with the wins coming at UCLA and most recently, UT-San Antonio. ASU won the last meeting back in '14, snapping a four-game series losing streak.

Others: Iowa at Michigan State, Florida State at Wake Forest, Colorado at UCLA, South Carolina at Texas A&M, Northern Illinois at San Diego State, Vanderbilt at Florida, North Carolina at Georgia Tech, Maryland at Minnesota, Baylor at Kansas State, Air Force at New Mexico.

College Football Betting News and Notes Week 5
By Adam Burke
Bangthebook.com

ACC

Pat Narduzzi benched Max Browne early on in Pitt’s ugly loss to Oklahoma State. Ben Dinucci didn’t do anything to rip the job away, but the USC transfer and former top QB recruit seems to be running out of potential, even though a lot of what he entered college with remains untapped.

Big Ten

Injuries are mounting in the Iowa backfield. Nevada transfer James Butler is out at least a month and Akrum Wadley is also dinged. Butler had 36 carries through three games for 158 yards and also had one reception. Iowa also lost tight end Noah Fant to a shoulder injury last week. The Hawkeyes host Penn State this week.

Michigan’s feeble passing game lost a key weapon last weekend. Tarik Black has a broken foot and will undergo surgery. He had 11 catches for 149 yards through three games, including a touchdown reception against Florida.

Minnesota running back Rodney Smith was having a huge day against Middle Tennessee State and then left hurt. He had 16 carries for 107 yards and got hurt on the last play of the first half. With Shannon Brooks out, Kobe McCrary found the end zone three times. Minnesota has a bye this week.

Big 12

The Baylor offense needs every weapon it can get. One of them returns this week in the person of Terence Williams. Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and should get a lot of work with how both quarterbacks are struggling for the Bears. Zack Smith looked awful and Anu Solomon is out with a concussion.

Arguably the biggest injury in the country from last week comes from Texas. Starting left tackle Connor Williams, a four-year starter and maybe the best offensive lineman in the upcoming NFL Draft, tore basically everything he could in his left knee. That certainly doesn’t help an inconsistent Texas offense one bit.

Pac-12

Oregon wide receiver Charles Nelson was carted off the field in Oregon’s win over Wyoming, but it appears that he avoided a serious injury. Nelson has 15 catches on the year with one touchdown reception and has become a popular target for Justin Herbert. Nelson reportedly has a sprain and should be back in a few weeks.

Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton has a thoracic spine fracture, which sounds awful. He’s considered week-to-week. Luton completed 61.5 percent of his tosses with a 4/4 TD/INT ratio in four games before suffering the injury.

The UCLA running game hasn’t been much to write home about for the last couple of seasons, but the depth at that position took a hit when Nate Starks went down with an MCL injury. The senior had 10 carries and four receptions for 120 total yards through two games.

Washington State linebacker Peyton Pelluer is down for the year with a fractured foot. Pelluer had started 34 straight games for the Cougars.

SEC

Auburn has dismissed backup quarterback Sean White following his arrest. It was Jarrett Stidham’s job anyway, at least as long as the offensive line allowed, but this is a disappointing ending to what has been an up-and-down tenure with the Tigers for White.

Felony charges look to be coming down for Antonio Callaway and some of the other Florida players suspended for credit card fraud. They won’t be back anytime soon.

LSU star running back Derrius Guice has not practiced yet this week. LSU hosts Syracuse, so the Tigers shouldn’t need Guice to win, but they have had some significant issues on the offensive line this year.

Ole Miss has gotten some great production from Shea Patterson and the aerial attack this season, but the Rebels could be down a key wideout. AJ Brown left hurt with a knee injury and did not return. He didn’t have any receptions in the game, but had 16 catches for 389 yards and four TDs in the previous two games.

The South Carolina offense has not been good. Kurt Roper’s play calling lacks creativity and the team plays at one of the slowest tempos in the country. Well, the most dynamic player, Deebo Samuel, is now done for the season with a broken leg. Samuel already had two kick return TDs, 15 catches for 250 yards with three touchdowns, and a rushing TD. His season is over and that is a huge blow for the Gamecocks offense.

Tennessee has all sorts of problems. Add another one to the list. Jauan Jennings was the top returnee for the Volunteers at wide receiver, but his season is over thanks to a dislocated wrist. He only had three catches for 17 yards in the one game he played, but his season is finished.

Other Conferences

Ball State has to run the football to win. James Gilbert had 11 carries for 92 yards in the game against Tennessee Tech before leaving the game to get some treatment for a knee and a hand injury. His status will be updated later in the week as Ball State kicks off a stretch with three straight road games.

Kent State quarterback Nick Holley is done for the season with a torn ACL. Holley had 35 carries for 207 and nine completions for 106 yards. Last season, he ran for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns. This is a huge blow to a team that is already pretty bad, so adjust your numbers accordingly heading into this week’s game against an angry Louisville team.

The Miami Redhawks have to rebound this week against Central Michigan after a devastating loss last week to Cincinnati on a late pick-six. James Gardner and Alonzo Smith, the team’s top wide receiver and running back, are both questionable.

Middle Tennessee State was already without Brent Stockstill last week and the loss of Richie James could be equally crippling for the Blue Raiders. James is questionable for Saturday’s game with an ankle injury.

Ohio wide receiver Papi White, who caught 41 passes, including six for touchdowns last season, is out for the better part of a month with a hand injury. White had seven catches for 103 yards in the loss to Purdue, so the Bobcats will need to find some new weapons in the passing game.

This is a very big one. Old Dominion running back Ray Lawry, who was in line to further obliterate the program record for rushing yards, could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Lawry rushed for 947, 1,136, and 1,255 yards with double-digit touchdowns in each of his previous three seasons. He’s an NFL prospect for next year’s draft. This is a significant loss.

The Rice Owls aren’t blessed with a lot of talent and could be missing their starting quarterback and top running back against FIU on Saturday. Sam Glaesmann won the quarterback competition over Jackson Tyner, but he has a shoulder injury. Sam Stewart has averaged 4.7 yards per carry, but he is also questionable. The Owls are a small favorite.

One of the things that made Tulsa really successful last season was the tandem of James Flanders and D’Angelo Brewer. Brewer is still there, but Corey Taylor II had become his tandem mate. Taylor didn’t play last week in the shootout against Toledo. We’ll have to wait and see what his status is this week against New Mexico.

UMass tight end Adam Breneman re-aggravated his ankle injury in last week’s loss to Temple on Friday night. If he can’t go this week, the Minutemen may not move the ball much against an upset Tennessee team.

UTEP fired offensive coordinator Brett Pease, which probably isn’t going to help a ton, especially with quarterback Ryan Metz still sidelined, but the Miners should try just about anything at this point.

College Football Week 5

Michigan State won three of last four games with Iowa; underdogs are 6-2 vs spread in last eight series games. Hawkeyes won 19-16/15-13 in last two visits to East Lansing, but ran ball for only 52-23 yards in last two games vs MSU. Spartans are -6 in turnovers this year; since 2012, they’re 14-20 as a home favorite, but 2-0 this season. Iowa was outgained 579-273 in LW’s 21-19 loss to Penn State, when PSU scored winning TD in last 0:10. Hawkeyes are 5-3 in last eight games as a road dog- they won only road game 44-41 in OT at Iowa State.

Florida State is 0-2 for first time since 1989; they’ve got a true freshman QB who was 22-39/278 passing in his first college start, a 27-21 loss to NC State, but he also fumbled on 2-yard line. Seminoles won last five games with Wake Forest, though Deacons covered last two meetings- this is lowest series spread since 2009. Wake Forest is 4-0 after a 20-19 win at Appalachian State, when ASU threw for 372 yards; Deacons are 7-4 as a home underdog under Clawson. FSU is 6-6 as a road favorite the last three years- they’re 11-13 as an ACC road favorite under Fisher.

Navy beat Tulsa 44-21/42-40 last two years, running ball for 460-390 yards; underdogs are 3-1 vs spread in last four series games. Middies are 3-0 this season, scoring 35.7 ppg; they ran the ball for 569 yards LW, but have completed only 9-25 passes in three games- past couple Navy teams threw the ball better. Tulsa lost last two games 54-51/16-13; they’ve allowed average of 294.5 rushing yards/game, bad news when facing Navy. Golden Hurricane is 1-5 as a home underdog the last 2+ years. Tulsa allowed 596 yards, 42 points in the one game they won!!!

Colorado gave up 254 rushing yards in 37-10 (+11) home loss to Washington LW; Buffs now head out on road for first time- they’re 7-2 vs spread in last nine games as home underdogs. Colorado (-13) beat UCLA 20-10 LY, snapping 5-game skid vs Bruins; Buffaloes lost last three visits to Pasadena, by 4-22-39 points. Underdogs covered last four series games. UCLA has already allowed 44+ points in three games; they allowed 48-58 points in losing last two weeks, at Memphis/Stanford- they were down 44-10 in one of their wins, vs Texas A&M.

South Carolina needed a great catch by a WR to nudge La Tech 17-16 on late FG LW; they’re 3-1 now, and are 4-7 vs spread as a road underdog last 2+ years, winning SU at Mizzou in first true road game this year. Texas A&M scored 44+ points in three of its four games, but blew 44-10 lead in loss at UCLA- they’re 3-0 since then. Aggies are 3-0 vs South Carolina in SEC play, but Gameecocks covered last two meetings, losing by 11-7 points. Aggies ran ball for 321-216 yards in last two meetings. SEC home teams are 3-5 vs spread in conference games.

Florida snuck by its last two games, beating Tennessee/Kentucky right at end; Gators still have a lot of players suspended with off-field issues. Florida is 19-1 in its last 20 games vs Vanderbilt, winning last three by 24-2-7 points; underdogs are 5-1 vs spread in last six series games. Gators won their last 10 visits to Nashville, covering four of last five. Florida is 9-17 in last 26 games as a home favorite. Vandy got pounded 59-0 LW by Alabama; first downs in game were 38-3. Last 5+ years, Commodores are 14-9 vs spread as a home favorite.

Tennessee (-27) snuck by UMass 17-13 last week, after losing to Florida on last play the week before; the natives are restless. Vols outgained UMass by only 38 yards (319-281); they’re 4-2 vs spread as home dogs under Jones. Georgia is 4-0 wth a 20-19 win at Notre Dame; Dawgs have a freshman QB, which is often dicey on road. Georgia is 12-9 in last 21 games as a road favorite, 2-1 under Smart. Tennessee beat Georgia 34-31/38-31 last two years, after Dawgs had gone 11-4 in previous 15 series games. Georgia won two of last three visits to Knoxville.

LSU/Georgia/Auburn is tough gauntlet for Mississippi State team that got smoked between the hedges LW, after pounding LSU 37-7 at home. MSU is 3-2 in its last five games with Auburn; Tigers ran ball for 220.3 ypg in last three meetings- underdogs covered three of last four. State is 9-4 in last 13 games as a road underdog, 0-1 this year; they threw for only 103 yards LW at Georgia. Hard to tell much about Auburn; they beat three stiffs but were outgained 281-117 in a 14-6 loss at Clemson, their only decent opponent so far. Tigers are 6-13 in last 19 games as a home favorite.

North Carolina scored 44.7 ppg in winning last three games with Georgia Tech by 5-7-28 points; UNC gained 636 yards in LY’s game, 353 in the air. Tech ran ball for 300+ yards in 8 of last 9 series games. Tar Heels are 1-3 this year with home losses to Cal/Duke; they gave up 312 yards on ground at Louisville. Tech has already run ball for 535-436 yards this year in games vs Tennessee (L41-42), Pitt (W35-17); since 2012, Yellow Jackets are 19-13-1 as home favorites. Under Fedora, Carolina is 15-8-1 vs spread when coming off a loss.

Underdogs covered five of last six Clemson-Virginia Tech games; Tigers (-10.5) beat Tech 42-35 in LY’s meeting, first series game since 2012. Clemson lost two of last three trips to Blacksburg, with last visit here in 2011. 4-0 Clemson won its only road game 47-21 at Louisville couple of weeks ago, outgaining Cardinals 613-433; over last 3+ years, Tigers are 5-9 when laying points on road. Hokies are 4-0 with a neutral field win over West Virginia their only decent win; over last decade, Tech is 4-3 vs spread when getting points at home.

Dogs covered four of last five Air Force-New Mexico games; Lobos won last two, 45-40/47-35. New Mexico ran ball for 367+ yards in last five series games. Falcons lost last two visits here, by 47-35/45-37 scores. Air Force lost last two games, to Michigan/San Diego State; they were blanking Aztecs 9-0 in a monsoon LW until lightning delayed game and Aztecs threw ball well after delay when rain stopped. Lobos are 11-17 vs spread in last 28 home games; underdogs covered all three of their lined games this year.

Oklahoma State won/covered first three games this year, then TCU came to Stillwater and beat Cowboys 44-31 LW; Cowboys are 5-8-1 vs spread in last 14 games as a road favorite. Texas Tech scored 79 points in wins over ASU/Houston last two games; Red Raiders are 5-4 as home underdogs under Kingsbury. OSU won its last eight games with Tech; road teams covered last four, as Cowboys scored 55.5 ppg in winning/covering their last four visits to Lubbock. This game got bet down from 13.5 to 9.5; total is 82 or 83. Losing side scored 34+ in last four series games.

Memphis is 3-0 despite giving up 29 points to UL-Monroe, 31 to I-AA So Illinois; UCLA threw for 463 yards in 48-45 Memphis win two weeks ago. This is Tigers’ first road game; they’re 5-2-1 in last eight games as a road underdog. Central Florida scored 99 points in winning its first two games; they crushed Maryland LW, but Terps were down to their #3 QB. Knights are 4-1 as a home favorite under coach Frost. UCF won its last nine games with Memphis; teams haven’t met since 2013. Tigers are 0-4 vs spread in last four trips to Orlando, last of which was in 2011.

Amadillosports.com

ACC Report - Week 5
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

North Carolina at Georgia Tech

The Tar Heels have dropped three of their first four games to start the season, not exactly the start head coach Larry Fedora and the UNC faithful hoped for. They'll travel to Atlanta trying to solve the Yellow Jackets, a team that is favored by 10 points as of early Thursday morning. The Tar Heels have failed to cover their past four league games, although they're an impressive 5-1 ATS in their past six road games and 4-0 ATS in their past four on the road against a team with a winning home mark. The Jackets have covered seven straight dating back to last season, but they're also just 5-11-1 ATS over their past 17 inside the ACC. The Tar Heels are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 trips to Atlanta, while the 'over' has hit in six of the past eight at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Rice at Pittsburgh

At the beginning of the season this game didn't look terribly exciting, but it especially lacks interest with both teams entering play at 1-3 SU. The Panthers are coming off a 35-17 loss in Atlanta, failing to cover for the third time in four tries (0-3-1 ATS). Pittsburgh has also lost three in a row, dropping each by at least 18 points. Rice kicked off its season in Australia, getting bombed 62-7 by Stanford. They tasted victory at UTEP on Sept. 9, winning 31-14 as 1 1/2-point underdogs, but they were pounded in Houston 38-3, and they dropped a 13-7 decision to a poor Florida International team last weekend. The 'under' has cashed in each of their past three, as they have allowed just 21.7 PPG while scoring 13.7 PPG during the span. Rice is 15-7-2 ATS over their past 24 out of conference.

Syracuse at North Carolina State

The Orange roll down to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh to battle the Wolfpack, a team coming off a huge win at Florida State last weekend. Will there be a letdown? Vegas doesn't seem to think so, as N.C. State is favored by 12 points as of Thursday morning. The Orange are 7-3 ATS in their past 10 road games against a team with a winning home record, while the Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in their past five ACC games. However, they're 0-4 ATS across their past four at home. The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the past six in this series, with the road team cashing in each of the past four. The 'under' is also 4-1 across the past five meetings.

Central Michigan at Boston College

Central Michigan will face an ACC foe for the second time in three weeks. They hope it goes much better than their visit to Syracuse on Sept. 16 when they were run out of the Carrier Dome by a 41-17 count as 7 1/2-point underdogs. Ironically, that's the same exact number Boston College is favored by. Boston College has dropped three in a row since a road win at Northern Illinois to start the season. That includes a 34-7 setback last week at Clemson, although the Eagles did cover for the first time in four tries. The 'under' also hit, and is 3-1 for B.C. The Chippewas are 1-4 ATS in their past five non-conference battles, 1-5 ATS in their past six road games and a dismal 1-8 ATS in their past nine against the ACC. While B.C. is just 3-10-2 ATS in their past 15 home games, they're an impressive 7-2-1 ATS in their past 10 against MAC foes.

Florida State at Wake Forest

It isn't often you see an 0-2 team open as a 10-point favorite on the road against a 4-0 team, but that's exactly how this game opened. The line is down to 7 1/2, as the public gobbled up the points, believing in John Wolford and the Demon Deacons while not trusting FSU and true freshman QB James Blackmon. Wake has outscored their four opponents by a 26.3 PPG margin. They lost last season's game in Tallahassee by a 17-6 score, and FSU has won five straight in this series. The Seminoles are 5-2 ATS in their past seven road games, while Wake is an impressive 6-1 ATS in their past seven ACC battles. The Deacs are also 5-1 ATS over their past six at home. The underdog is 9-4 ATS over the past 13 meetings, with the Seminoles just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 trips to Winston-Salem.

Clemson at Virginia Tech

The Tigers and Hokies square off in the marquee game of the weekend in the ACC. Clemson can add another feather to their cap after already having pushed aside Auburn and Louisville. While the Tigers failed to cover last week, they won handily by a 34-7 score and they're 3-1 ATS overall. The Hokies have opened 4-0 SU, including a pair of shutouts against FCS Delaware and Old Dominion, but they'll obviously get their biggest test of the season. They do have a signature win against West Virginia under their belt, but they came way back on Sept. 3.

Clemson has cashed in each of their past four against teams with a winning overall record and they're 5-1 ATS over their past six overall. However, they're 1-4 ATS in their past five inside the ACC. Va. Tech has covered seven of their past eight, while going 5-1 ATS in theri past six at Lane Stadium in Blacksburgh. The 'over' has hit in six in a row on the road for Clemson, while going 4-1 in their past five ACC games and 7-2 in their past nine against winning teams. The under is 3-0-1 in Tech's past four at home, and 4-1 in their past five against teams with a winning overall mark. The under is also 18-8 in their past 26 inside the conference. In this series, the home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings, while the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the past six and the under has hit in five of the past seven.

Bye Week

Virginia

Big Ten Report - Week 5
By ASAWins.com

Iowa at Michigan State (-3.5)

The Hawkeyes are off an absolute heartbreaking home loss last weekend. Iowa led at half by the score of 7-5 despite being outgained 206 to 44 in total first half yardage. PSU held Iowa scoreless in the 3rd quarter and led 15-7 entering the final frame. After doing next to nothing offensively the entire game, Iowa kicked it in gear and scored two fourth quarter TD’s to take the lead 19-15 (missed both 2-point conversions) the second with just 1:42 remaining in the game. Those two TD drives were both just 3 plays long and totaled 74 and 80 yards. Those 6 plays accounted for 154 of Iowa’s 273 total yards in the game! The Nittany Lions ended the game on a 12 play, 65-yard TD drive in which they converted two fourth downs including their 7-yard TD pass as time expired. With that PSU topped Iowa 21-19 and ran a ridiculous 99 offensive plays compared to just 45 for the Hawkeyes. With the extra 54 offensive plays Penn State was able to outgain Iowa 579 to 273. However, despite being outgained by over 300 yards, Iowa actually averaged 6 yards per play while PSU came in at 5.8 YPP. Iowa has relied on defense and their running game for years and while the defense has done its part, the rushing attack has not. The Hawks are averaging just 3.79 YPC after 4 games ranking them 12th in the Big Ten. With an inexperienced QB under center, that will definitely need to change moving forward for Iowa to be successful.

Michigan State was rocked at home last Saturday 38-18 by Notre Dame (-3). While the Irish definitely looked like the better team on the field, the 20 point margin was a bit deceiving. Sparty dug themselves a hole very quickly as the Irish went 78 yards on 7 plays to open the game with a quick TD. On MSU’s first possession QB Brian Lewerke threw a pick 6 and it was 14-0 just 4:30 into the game. Michigan State lost the turnover battle 3-0 and those giveaways were game turning as one was a pick 6 and the other was a fumble at the goal line as they were about to score a TD. You would think looking at the final score the Irish dominated the numbers but that wasn’t the case. MSU actually outgained Notre Dame 496 to 355 but they also ran 25 more offensive plays making the YPP numbers much closer (5.7 to 5.5). It has been tough to gauge the Spartans this year as their first two games were wins vs MAC teams and both were ideal situations for the Green & White. These two last met in the 2015 Big Ten Championship game which was a 16-13 MSU win. It will be interesting to see how each of these teams respond off tough losses.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Since 1980, these two have met 29 times. Iowa is 17-11 SU & 19-9-1 ATS in those games. The Hawkeyes are 11-3 ATS their last 14 games in East Lansing winning 8 of those games outright. Since 2002, the Spartans are just 3-8 ATS at home when coming off a home loss the previous week.

Northwestern at Wisconsin (-14.5)

The Cats had last week off to get ready for their trip to Madison. Northwestern has been a bit of a disappointment this year and many consider them a team that could make a run at the Big 10 West Title. They still definitely could as this is their first conference game so the others can in a sense be thrown out. NW is 2-1, however they struggled to beat a Nevada team that has since lost to Toledo, Idaho State (as a 32-point favorite), and Washington State by a final score of 45-7. The Cats lone road game was a disaster as they were throttled at Duke 41-17 as a 2-point favorite. It wasn’t a fluke as the Devils outgained NW by 347 yards! They looked much better two weeks ago destroying Bowling Green but who hasn’t? BG is 0-4 including a loss to FCS South Dakota at home. The defense has struggled as they are one of just four Big Ten teams allowing over 400 YPG. That includes 157 YPG on the ground and they’ll need to shore that up against a Wisconsin team leading the Big Ten in rushing at 275 YPG.

The Badgers also had last week off. They needed it as they are a bit banged up after their first 3 games, especially on the offensive line. Both starting offensive guards are injured heading into this one and it looks like Beau Benzschawel will play while Jon Dietzen may not. Wisconsin is 3-0 and off an impressive road win at BYU 40-6 outgaining the Cougars by 300 yards. They are outgaining their opponents by a full 3.3 yards per play on the year (7.7 offensive YPP to 4.4 defensive YPP). The Badgers lead the Big Ten in rushing and have found a gem at the position. Freshman Jonathan Taylor has the size (210 pounds) and speed (New Jersey state 100 meter champion) to be a difference maker. He has been just that already in his short career as he leads the Big Ten at 146 YPG rushing on over 8 YPC. Northwestern has given Wisconsin some problems as the teams have each won 13 games over the last 26 meetings. That’s despite Wisconsin being favored in 25 of those 26 games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Since 1980, the Badgers have been favored in 30 of their 31 meetings with Northwestern. Despite that, they are just 18-13 SU in those games. Since 2001, Wisconsin has hosted NW 5 times. The most recent in 2015 was a controversial 13-7 loss when late Badger TD was disallowed. The other 4 were UW blowouts by margins of 12, 29, 32, and 47 points. NW has covered 10 of their last 15 when tabbed a dog of 14 or more. However leading into that run, they were just 2-11 ATS in that situation.

Maryland at Minnesota (-13)

Just when the Terps looked like they were starting to turn the corner they lose another QB for the season. Maryland’s 10-point win to open the season at Texas is starting to look very good after the Horns went to USC and nearly won. That win in Austin was orchestrated by starting QB Pigrome who passed for 2 TD’s and ran for another. He went out with an ACL injury late in the 3rd quarter and is lost for the season. His back up, highly touted freshman Kasim Hill stepped in and the Terps looked like they wouldn’t miss a beat. Last week Hill tore his ACL in a home loss to UCF and is also out for the season. That means 3rd stringer Max Bortenschlager (61 career pass attempts with 28 of those coming last week) now takes over as the starter. Bortenschlager took over for Hill late in the first quarter last week with the Terps trailing just 3-0 vs UCF. After he took over Maryland’s drives went something like this…Stopped on downs, punt, interception, missed FG, punt, punt, punt, TD, punt, pick 6, punt. Those 11 offensive possessions resulted in 7 points and 163 total yards. The good thing is, Maryland won’t have to rely solely on their inexperienced QB as their rushing attack with Ty Johnson leading the way is very good. They average 224 YPG and Johnson leads the Big Ten averaging a whopping 10 YPC.

While Maryland was dealing with another huge injury on the field last week, Minnesota was resting. The Gophs had the week off after crushing Middle Tennessee State 34-3 two weeks ago. They dominated the Blue Raiders on the ground rolling up 221 yards and did very little through the air (122 yards). That’s been the blueprint for the Gophers offense this year. In three games this team has 156 rushing attempts and just 58 pass attempts. They are dead last in the Big Ten with 519 total passing yards so far this season. QB Conor Rhoda has been solid when asked to throw hitting on 65% of his pass attempts. Rhoda was splitting time under center with Demry Croft, however Croft was dismissed from the team leading into their game with MTSU so it’s all on Rhoda now. The Gophs defense has looked very good ranking 2nd in the league allowing just 239 YPG. We probably just aren’t sure how good they are quite yet as they’ve played Buffalo (89th in total offense), Oregon St (98th in total offense) and MTSU without their starting QB. Even with that, this team is an impressive 3-0 outscoring their opponents 99-24 so far this season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Gophers are 1-1 ATS this year in games where they are favored by double digits. Heading into this season, they had lost 8 of their previous 10 games to the number when favored by 10 or more. These two have met once since Maryland joined the Big Ten. That was last year and Minny went into College Park and won 31-10 as a 3.5 point dog. The yardage was close but Maryland committed 4 turnovers including throwing a pick six.

Ohio State (-29.5) at Rutgers

The Bucks have responded nicely after their home loss to Oklahoma a few weeks ago outscoring their next two opponents (Army & UNLV) 92-28. Despite two dominating wins, OSU failed to cover both games as huge favorites. Last week vs UNLV they were favored by 40 points and looked well on their way to a cover leading 44-7 at half. They took their foot off the proverbial gas in the 2nd half playing many back ups including QB Dwayne Haskins who took over for JT Barrett. UNLV went on to “win” the second half 14-10 and get the cover. The Buckeye offense racked up 664 total yards and had an impressive 25 plays of 10 yards or more. The defense has slipped a bit early in the year compared to last season. After four games the OSU stop unit is allowing 20 PPG and 367 YPG which ranks them in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Last season they allowed 16 PPG on 197 YPG. Speaking of defense, the Buckeyes are led by Greg Schiano on that side of the ball and he returns to his old stomping grounds for the first time. Schiano was the head coach at Rutgers for 11 seasons.

Rutgers put up a good fight in last week’s 27-17 loss at Nebraska but the results were all too familiar. Another loss. They have now lost 17 of their last 18 conference games and have yet to win a Big Ten contest under head coach Chris Ash (0-10). The offense continues to be a struggle for this team. If you throw out their game vs FCS Howard, they have only scored 4 offensive TD’s in their other 3 games. Last week they had 17 points, however 7 of those points came on a pick 6 thrown by Nebraska QB Tanner Lee. Defensively they’ve been pretty solid. They are one of 6 Big Ten teams to allow less than 5 yards per play this season. They held a very good Washington offense to just 2 offensive TD’s in their season opening 30-14 loss. Rutgers was a 28 point dog in that game at home and now is looking at a very similar number with OSU favored by 29.5.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Last year when these teams met in Columbus, the Buckeyes were a 39-point favorite and won 58-0. These two have faced off 3 times since Rutgers joined the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have won all 3 games in blowout fashion outscoring the Knights by a combined 163-24! This is the 6th highest point spread for OSU on the road dating back to 1980. They have been a road favorite of 28 or more just 7 times since 1980 (4-3 ATS). This is the 9th time Rutgers has been a home dog of 28 or more in the last 38 seasons. They are 2-7 ATS in those games losing by an average score of 50-10.

Indiana at Penn State (-17.5)

The Hoosiers should be well rested for this game as they have played only one game in the last 22 days. That game was last week at home vs Georgia Southern. Their previous game was way back on September 9th. IU jumped out to a 31-0 lead last week early in the 2nd quarter at home vs Georgia Southern. They went on to win the game 52-17 and the Hoosiers scored 3 non-offensive TD’s in the game (two defensive TD’s and one special teams TD). Indiana was only +92 in total yardage, however much of GSU’s yardage came after the game was out of reach. In fact, 265 or GSU’s 375 total yards came after they were already trailing 31-0. The Hoosiers definitely look like a team that could cause some of the big boys in the conference some problems. They led Ohio State 21-20 late in the 3rd quarter before falling apart down the stretch. They won handily at Virginia 34-17 which looks more impressive now as the Cavs are 3-1 including a 42-23 win at Boise State which is always a tough place to play. Starting QB Richard Lagow left the Georgia Southern game with a leg injury but head coach Tom Allen stated he could have returned if needed. He should be fine for this game.

We’re not sure what to think of PSU right now. They are obviously very good. How good? We’re not sure. Coming into last week, they had played a very easy schedule with their only big name win coming over Pitt. They won that game 33-14, however Pitt outgained PSU in that one 342 to 312. The Panthers also had 3 turnovers in that game. At the time it didn’t look like a big deal that Pitt had better overall stats, however it’s what the Panthers have done since that has us wondering. Since that loss, Pitt has been creamed by Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech. Last week the Nittany Lions picked up a nice 21-19 win at Iowa, always a tough place to play. PSU dominated the stats and ran 54, yes 54 more offensive plays in the game. With that we wonder why it took a game winning drive and a TD pass as time expired to win 21-19? Seems to us with those numbers the game should have been an easy win for Penn State. Their seasonal numbers look great as they are averaging 7.4 YPP (tops in the Big Ten) while allowing only 4.0 YPP (2nd best in the Big Ten).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – PSU has won 19 of the 20 meetings in this series. Penn State is on a pointspread roll to say the least going 11-1-1 ATS their last 13 games. Last year PSU won this match up 45-31 in Bloomington. Talk about a deceiving final score. IU actually led 31-28 with under 4:00 minutes remaining in the game! The Lions scored 17 straight points in the span of 3 minutes and 30 seconds to make the final margin 14. Indiana is just 59-83-5 ATS (41%) as a road dog over the last 37 seasons.

Big 12 Report - Week 5
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Baylor at Kansas State

So close, but no cigar for Baylor last weekend against Oklahoma. The Bears couldn't avoid an 0-4 SU start, but they were able to finally pick up their first cover of the season in a near monumental upset. At the very least, if the Bears were lacking confidence after shocking losses to FCS Liberty and Texas-San Antonio, as well as a not as shocking loss at Duke, they certainly have a little mojo back after taking the Sooners to the brink. K-State is champing at the bit after a 14-7 loss two weeks ago at Vanderbilt, a stunning lack of offense after posting a pair of 55-point performances against FCS Central Arkansas and Charlotte. Of course, those teams do not have a nasty defense like Vandy.

The Bears roll into Manhattan with a 1-7 ATS mark over their past eight games, and they're 3-8 ATS in their past 11 overall. Baylor is also 2-5 ATS in the past seven inside the Big 12. The Wildcats have rattled off covers in four of their past five overall, and they're 6-2 ATS over their past eight after failing to cover in their last outing. They also own an impressive 45-22-1 ATS across their past 68 league games. The underdog has hit in six of the past seven meetings, with the home team 5-1 ATS across the past six in this series. Baylor is 0-4 ATS in their past four tries at K-State, while going 2-6 ATS in the past eight meetings overall.

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech

Oklahoma State looked like a potential playoff contender, and they still might be. But that's why rankings are meaningless in September, as they were housed by Texas Christian last week in Stillwater. OK State is looking to bounce back after a 44-31 setback, and it doesn't get easier on the road against a high-octane Texas Tech team. The Red Raiders have passed a couple of tests in a row, pushing aside Arizona State by a 52-45 score, and then they spoiled Houston's long home win streak with a 27-24 win on the road last week. The Red Raiders have opened the season with a 3-0 ATS mark. Oklahoma State is 6-1 ATS over their psat seven road games, 5-2 ATS in their past seven against winning teams and, perhaps more importantly, 4-0 ATS in their past four trips to Lubbock, and 9-3 ATS in the past 12 against TTU. The road team has cashed in four straight in the series, and the 'over' is 5-0 in the past five meetings.

Bye Weeks

Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Christian, West Virginia

Pac-12 Report - Week 5
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Arizona State at Stanford

Arizona State heads to Stanford in a key league game. The Sun Devils posted a feel-good win against Oregon last week, 37-35, snapping a two-game losing streak. So far this season AZ State's problems haven't been on offense, as they're averaging 34.8 PPG, but they have struggled on defense. The Sun Devils are yielding 37.0 PPG through four outings, and that's not a good sign heading into a game against the dynamic rushing attack of the Cardinal, led by Bryce Love. He torched UCLA's defense for 263 rushing yards and a TD, while Stanford rolled up 405 net rushing yards and 553 total yards overall. The Sun Devils are 1-6 ATS in their past seven road games, while Stanford is 16-7 ATS in their past 23 conference battles and 6-1 ATS in their past seven home games against AZ State. The home team is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six in this season, with the favorite 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight overall in this series.

Washington at Oregon State

The Huskies head down to Corvallis to try and keep their playoff hopes on track, while also keeping the Beavers down. Washington has alternated covers in each of their four outings, and their defense is a huge part of their success overall. The Huskies have allowed just 11.8 PPG through four outings. The Beavers have been a consistent play for bettors this season. First, Oregon State is 0-4 ATS and second, the 'over' is a perfect 4-0. Washington is more than a four-touchdown favorite as of Thursday morning, and they're looking to improve on their 14-6 ATS mark in the past 20 against losing teams. The Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their past five meetings with the Beavers, while the over is 6-2 in the past eight battles. The over is also 6-0-1 in the past seven games in Corvallis.

Colorado at UCLA

The Buffaloes look to get back on track after being routed 37-10 at home against Washington last week. It was Colorado's third consecutive game failing to cover the spread. UCLA was trampled last week at Stanford, giving up 553 total yards, including 405 net rushing yards. The Bruins have allowed 44 or more points in three of their four games, with the 'over' cashing in each game. UCLA is also a dismal 1-3 ATS against the spread, with their only cover a 33-point win against Hawaii. Colorado has covered six of their past seven on the road, and eight of their past 11 inside the conference. UCLA is 1-5 ATS in their past six overall, like Colorado, but also 3-7 ATS in their past 10 at home. The underdog is 4-0 ATS in the past four in this series, with the road team going 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings.

California at Oregon

Cal and Oregon are each looking to rebound after their first loss of the season last week, and someone is going to head out of the stadium on Saturday on a two-game losing streak. The Ducks opened as a 16 1/2-point favorite, but that has been bet down to 13 1/2 as of Thursday morning. The Golden Bears are 5-11 ATS over their past 16 league games while going 1-4 ATS in their past five on the road. They're also a dismal 10-26 ATS in their past 36 after a straight-up loss. Oregon is 2-8 ATS over their past 10 league games, and they're just 4-12-1 ATS across the past 17 dating back to last season. They're also 2-6-1 ATS in their past nine against winning teams. Oregon has owned the series, at least against the number, going 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings, including a perfect 4-0 ATS in their past four at Autzen Stadium. The under is also 8-0 in the past eight meetings in Eugene, and 7-3 in the past 10 meetings overall.

Bye Weeks

Arizona, Utah

College Football's Biggest Betting Mismatches: Week 5
By: Monty Andrews
Covers.com

Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers (+7, 47)

Georgia's red-zone rampage vs. Tennessee's wretched RZ rate

Two teams headed in opposite directions meet this weekend at Neyland Stadium as the Georgia Bulldogs look to remain perfect against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Georgia posted one of the most impressive victories in all of Division I last weekend, dominating on both ends of the football in a 31-3 drubbing of then-No. 17 Mississippi State. Tennessee suffered a stunning 17-13 loss to UMass - and could be in for a long afternoon if it can't figure out a way to keep Georgia out of the red zone.

Only 17 Division I teams have converted every one of their red-zone visits into points so far this season - and the Bulldogs are one of them, having gone a perfect 13-for-13 through their first four games. Ten of those trips have resulted in touchdowns, including seven on the ground.

Of course, having RB Nick Chubb in the fold has helped, as Chubb's six rushing scores are tied for the most in the SEC. Georgia has the seventh-most red-zone visits of any team still perfect so far.

Look for that success to continue this weekend against a Volunteers team that has struggled to keep teams off the scoreboard once they get inside the Tennessee 20-yard line. The Volunteers rank outside the top 100 nationally in red-zone defense (90.9 percent), allowing 10 scores on 11 opponents visits - including seven touchdowns.

If the Bulldogs can get into the Tennessee red zone with regularity, look for Chubb and the rest of the Georgia offense to feast.

Clemson Tigers at Virginia Tech Hokies (+5.5, 51.5)

Clemson's turnover troubles vs. Virginia Tech's dynamic defense

You would be hard-pressed to find a defensive category in which the Clemson Tigers don't rank among the Division I leaders as they enter this week's highly touted matchup with Virginia Tech.

Clemson is allowing fewer than 10 points per game through its first four contests, has surrendered just four touchdowns, and limiting foes to 134.5 passing yards per game. But there's one area where the Tigers have struggled - and it's one where the Hokies own a sizeable edge.

Clemson owns a minus-2 turnover differential and ranks 110th in the nation in takeaways at 0.8 per game.

The Hokies have had no such issues with turnovers, combining a sensational offense (40.0 points per game, 27th in Division I) with an active defense that has forced three fumbles and four interceptions over the first four weeks of the season.

Only Duke, Syracuse and Pittsburgh have forced more turnovers among ACC teams, and combined with great ball security on the offensive end, Virginia Tech boasts a plus-5 turnover margin to date. If the Hokies can win the turnover battle Saturday, they could stun the visitors.

NCAAF Week 5 Picks and Predictions
By: Andrew Caley
Covers.com

It was another down week for the Triple Option.

That makes us .500 for the season, and well, you all know how I feel about losing after last week’s article. So yeah, I'm sick about it.

College football is a tricky game for bettors, especially since there aren’t that many true opportunities to evaluate teams early in the season. There are no preseason games and most of the early schedule is against cupcakes. So, when a team finally comes up against a team that presents a challenge, many falter (thank you very much Oklahoma State).

Or maybe, a team is coming off a big win and fall into a ridiculously obvious letdown spot against a clearly inferior team and can’t cover a substantial number (thank you Oklahoma).

I’m not bitter. I swear. Well, maybe a little.

However, there were some positives to take from Week 4, namely Georgia and its awesome defense and bruising run game.

Funny enough, I ended up a going a little old school this week, landing on teams which pride themselves on a solid ground attack and play sound defense. Starting with the Bulldogs, hopefully this formula gets us back on track.

Mississippi State was everyone’s darling team after its dismantling of LSU a week earlier, but the battle of the Bulldogs “Between the Hedges” did not go the way many expected. Heck, look at the line history: Georgia opened -7 and was bet all the way down to -2.5, before closing at -3. And what happened?

Georgia’s defense smothered Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald, limiting him to 130 total yards and held MSU to 280 yards of total offense. Then, UGA leaned on Nick Chubb and its powerful run game on its way to a dominating 31-3 victory.

Georgia’s athletic, super-talented and disciplined defense now ranks 15th in the nation in total yards allowed and eighth in points allowed at just 11.5 per game. That includes two matchups against teams (Mississippi State and Notre Dame) which are both averaging over 36.5 points per game this season.

And who do they get to match up against this week? Tennessee.

A team that has a head coach who seems to be coaching for his job in Butch Jones, a quarterback situation that is a mess and they almost lost to a UMass program as 28-point favorites. At Neyland Stadium! This is not your dad’s Tennessee of the SEC. It just doesn’t feel right that a UMass team should ever be able to go on to the Volunteers’ home soil and for all intents and purposes hand them a loss.

The Volunteers rank 86th in total offense and it could be a long day for whomever is under center, whether it’s Quinten Dormady or Jarret Gurrantano.

Cubb and Sony Michel (who is finally getting healthy) are licking their chops in this matchup, as they get to go up against a Tennessee run defense that ranks 118th, allowing 242.2 yards per game. Yikes.

It’s hard to imagine this game being close and Georgia is only laying a touchdown? Even on the road, yes please. We’re rolling with the ‘Dogs again this week.

Pick: Georgia -7

North Carolina Tar Heels at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-9.5)

It’s another Georgia based program for game No. 2 (can you guess what the theme of this week’s eats will be?) as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets host the North Carolina Tar Heels in an ACC showdown.

The Yellow Jackets have been impressive early on, going 2-1 straight up and 3-0 against the spread in their first three games, thanks to their triple option attack which leads the nation in rushing at a whopping 393.7 yards per game.

Quarterback TaQuan Marshall leads the way for the Yellow Jackets, rushing for 386 yards at a clip of 5.1 yards per carry with eight touchdowns, while running back KirVonte Benson has 346 yards at 5.2 yards per carry with three scores. In fact, Georgia Tech has eight player who are averaging more than five yards per carry.

Marshall has also been efficient the few times he has had to pass, going 14-23 for 280 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Yellow Jackets lone loss was a 42-41 overtime defeat against the aforementioned Volunteers, as four point underdogs on a neutral field. It was a game they should have won, but showed glimpses of their potential and they’ll get plenty more opportunity to show that Saturday against a leaky Tar Heels defense.

North Carolina is 1-3 SU/ATS, with its lone win coming against Old Dominion and two of its losses coming as the favorite. The Tar Heels rank 113th, in total defense and 105th in points allowed, but more importantly for this matchup, they rank 87th against the run, giving up 176.5 rushing yards per game.

Their offense is inconsistent and has to play a defense that ranks 13th nationally giving up 2643 yards per game.

Georgia Tech will run all over North Carolina.

Pick: Georgia Tech -9.5

Indiana Hoosiers at Penn State Nittany Lions (-18, 63)

Penn State received a scare from a solid Iowa team last week in Iowa, but managed to pull out a 21-19 victory, albeit as 13-point chalk, thanks to a last second touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to Juwan Johnson.

The win kept Penn State undefeated and firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation, but more importantly, I think the close call will wake up the Nittany Lions and force them to refocus. That could mean bad things for Indiana.

Well, that and the fact they have to go up against this Saquon Barkley kid. The one guy on Penn State, who has kept his eye on the prize all season and that prize, is the Heisman Trophy and a playoff appearance.

Barkley is coming off yet another ridiculous performance. He rushed for 211 yards and one touchdown, while adding 12 receptions for 94 yards against Iowa. 305 total yards. Is that good?

The star Penn State back now has 518 rushing yards and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns, in addition to 23 receptions for 335 yards and two more score. That’s in four games.

Barkley now gets to go up against a Hoosiers defense that rank 100th in the country and 103rd against the rush, allowing 196.3 yards per game. He will continue to dominate and Penn State will refocus, especially at Beaver Stadium, where they are 7-0-2 ATS in its last nine games there.

Pick: Penn State -18

Last week: 1-2
Season to date: 6-6

Heisman Odds Update

Speaking of Barkley, we have a new favorite at the top of the Heisman odds board from the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. That should come as no surprise considering the numbers listed above, but the Penn State star runner made a huge jump up, going from 12/1 to 2/1 after last week’s huge game while most of the other front runners had at least a little stumble.

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, who was 7/2 last week, has the next best odds at 7/2, but the Sooners struggled to put away a bad Baylor team. Mayfield’s numbers are still great, as he has thrown for 1,32 yards while completing 75 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph dropped from 3/1 to 8/1 after he and the Cowboys put up a stinker of a performance in a home loss to TCU. While, USC’s Sam Darnold also dropped to 8/1 after tossing his seventh interception of the season after throwing nine all of last year. Additionally, Southern Cal is 4-0 but just 1-3 ATS and hasn't looked great.

If you’re looking for a great dark horse candidate to back heading into this week, look no further than our boy Luke Falk at 40/1. We’ve talked about the Washington State signal caller before in this column and besides not covering all the time, he’s been awesome in leading the Cougars to a 4-0 SU record.

Falk has thrown for 1,378 yards with 14 touchdowns to just one interception, while completing almost 77 percent of his passes. If Falk can play well and lead Washington State to an upset win over Darnold and USC, don’t be surprised to see him shoot up the Heisman odds board.

College Football Week 5 Best Bets
Vegasinsider.com

This week we've got another Saturday chalk-full of college games to break down, although there are only a couple of games that pit Top 25 teams against one another.

Those games are an SEC showdown between #24 Mississippi State and #13 Auburn, and a ACC Championship game rematch from 2016 with #2 Clemson at #12 Virginia Tech. That ACC clash is likely going to get more eyeballs on it because it's the featured primetime game this week, but it's actually the other game I mentioned that looks to be the better one from a betting standpoint. It's that SEC battle that begins this week's card of college football best bets.

Best Bet #1: Mississippi State/Auburn Over 51

This is a total that saw plenty of action on Thursday as the opening umber of 49.5 hit as high as 53, before finally settling back down to 51. 51 is a key number in football totals betting and although it's not the best number we've had out there for this play, it's still a decent one that should be surpassed.

All that movement came despite the majority of tickets being written on the 'under' for this game according to VegasInsider.com's betting percentages. Support for the 'under' is not hard to get given that Mississippi State put up a measly 3 points in another high profile SEC game a week ago. The 31-3 loss to Georgia was one of the worst ones this program has experienced in awhile, and especially disappointing after they just had dominated LSU the week prior (37-7) as a touchdown underdog. With Auburn yet to allow more than 14 points against in any of their four games this year, many bettors see this being a game where points come at a premium, and recent results from Mississippi State's offense and Auburn's defense are a big reason why. An 0-5 O/U run in this rivalry the last five years doesn't hurt that cause either.

However, when you look at Mississippi State's complete body of work so far this year, the three points they put up last week sticks out like a sore thumb. The Bulldogs had put up at least 37 points on all three previous opponents, as this is a SEC team that's built to win with their offense, specifically their running attack.

QB Nick Fitzgerald is a big-body QB that's straight out of the Dak Prescott mold for this program. He loves to run the ball (41 attempts for 5 TD's on 7 yards average per carry), and his duel-threat ability at the position creates many problems for opposing defenses. Oh and by the way, Auburn's lone loss this year came against Clemson when they allowed Clemson QB to rush for 59 yards and 2 TD's.

On the flip side, we saw that Mississippi State's defense has some significant holes in it last week, and has 9-point home favorites, Auburn should be able to take advantage of them. The Tigers finally burst out this year by hanging 51 on Missouri last week, and they should threaten 35+ here. Mississippi State has allowed an average of 26 points per road game so far this year, and Auburn is a team that's quite similar to Georgia. Mississippi State is 4-1 O/U in their last five on the road, so look for that trend to continue here.

Finally, the Bulldogs have plenty of other favorable 'over' trends entering this game as well. They are 11-4 O/U after scoring fewer than 20 points last time out, 6-1 O/U the last seven times they've lost by 20+ points, 5-2 O/U in their last seven SEC games, and both 4-0 O/U after a SU loss and an ATS loss (not necessarily the same game). With the way the line has moved this week given the heavy 'under' action it's received, I'm joining the minority here in expecting this one to be a shootout.

Best Bet #2: Oregon -15

Oregon is coming off their first loss of the year last week, as they were stunned as two touchdown favorites at Arizona State. A poor 1st quarter really did them in and they were left to play catchup the rest of the way until a Sun Devils FG with under three minutes left gave ASU the eventual 37-35 win. Teams coming off their first defeat this deep into the season can be a cause for concern, but in all honesty, Oregon's number was extremely inflated on the road last week as they shouldn't be laying double digits against anyone in Pac 12 play when they are the visitors.

However, thanks to that shocking result, and California's somewhat shocking result in hanging with #5 USC for a little more than three quarters, the perception on this game has completely flipped. Many saw California give USC all they could handle a week ago and believe this very young team is poised to take the next step. This week they are getting plenty of support from bettors as they believe this Oregon point spread is inflated once again.

Yet, getting the Oregon Ducks on your home field and getting them on their home field are two completely different entities. For all of the flaws Oregon does and may have, they are still a dynamic, explosive, and extremely fast offense at home that can put up points in a hurry. In two home games this year they've scored 42 points in the 1st halves alone, and when you do that it typically doesn't matter how many holes your defense may have.

This Ducks team is looking to rebound in a big way after last week's performance, and running up the score on a California team who shot their load against USC last week is just the spot to do it. This is Cal's first Pac-12 road game in 2017, and they were 0-4 SU and ATS on the road in conference play a year ago.

Finally, this is also a bit of a revenge game for the Ducks who were stunned out of the gate a year ago by this Golden Bears team. California won the game 52-49 in OT as small home underdogs, but it was the 31-14 halftime lead that really hamstrung Oregon's playcalling. The Ducks definitely took this team lightly a year ago, and that's not going to happen again in 2017, as this game could end up being a route from start to finish for the Ducks.

Saturday's Week 5 NCAAF Top 25 Betting Cheat Sheet
Covers.com

(17) South Florida Bulls at East Carolina Pirates (+21, 75)

* The Bulls have scored 30 or more points in 21 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak all-time. USF & Alabama are the only two teams in Division I to rank in top 10 in rushing yards and rushing defense.

* The Pirates rank dead last in Division I in scoring defense (48 points per game), total defense (624.8 yards per game) and pass efficiency against (192.2). Redshirt senior Thomas Sirk ranks eighth among active QBs in rushing touchdowns (16).

LINE HISTORY: The Bulls opened this matchup as about a 24-point road favorite at most books, but despite a 4-0 SU record they haven't been a good bet this season and bettors have faded them down to -21. The total opened at a sky high 74 and bettors hammered the Over, moving the number as high as 80.5, before coming back down to the current number of 75. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* USF is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.
* ECU is 0-4 ATS in its last four home games.
* Over is 9-2 in ECU's last 11 games in September.
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.

Northwestern Wildcats at (10) Wisconsin Badgers (-14.5, 49)

* The Wildcats are 18-4 when RB Justin Jackson rushes for 100 or more yards. The Northwestern defense is allowing opponents to convert 47.2 percent of their third-down opportunities, the 18th-worst mark in Division I.

* The Badgers are allowing an average of 10 points per game - fourth-best in the nation - and have yet to surrender a point in the second half so far this season. Wisconsin is 26-7 against Big Ten foes over the past five seasons.

LINE HISTORY: This line has mostly held steady at the opening number of Badgers -14.5. It's the total that has seen more action. Since opening at 51, the number has been bet down to the current number of 49. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Wisconsin is 15-3 ATS in their last 18 games following a bye week.
* Northwestern is 1-4 ATS in its last five meetings in Wisconsin.
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 4-0 in Wisconsin's last four conference games.

Vanderbilt Commodores at (20) Florida Gators (-9, 40.5)

* The Commodores average 87.5 rushing yards per game, ranking them 121st out of 129 Division I teams. But Vanderbilt's defense has held teams to seven red-zone scores in 11 trips - the 13th-best rate in the nation.

* Down nine players suspended prior to the season, the depleted Gators rank 89th in pass offense (200.7 yards per game), 101st in rushing (121.7) and 76th in points allowed (26.7). Florida also sits 97th in third-down conversion rate (34.1 percent).

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Gators as 9.5-point home favorites and were bet as high as -10, but have since come down to the current number of Florida -9. The total opened at 42 and has been bet down a point and a half to the current number of 40.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Florida is 2-8-1 ATS in its last 11 home games.
* Vanderbilt is 4-0 ATS in its last 4 meetings in Florida.
* Under is 13-3-1 in Vanderbilt's last 17 road games.
* Over is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings.

(8 ) Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers (+7.5, 47)

* Injured Bulldogs QB Jacob Eason (knee) has been working with the second-team offense, but his status for the weekend hasn't yet been determined. Georgia has scored on all 13 trips to the red zone in 2017, with 10 of those drives ending in touchdowns.

* The Volunteers have given up scores on all but one of opponents' 11 red-zone visits so far this season, ranking them outside the top 100 nationally. DT Shy Tuttle is expected to start Saturday despite suffering an orbital bone injury last weekend.

LINE HISTORY: Georgia opened this SEC showdown favored by a converted touchdown on the road and have been bet up slightly to the current number of Georgia -7.5. The total has been bet down slightly, moving from 48 to 47. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Georgia is 4-0 ATS in its last four road games.
* Underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Under is 5-0 in Georgia's last five conference games.
* Over is 5-0 in the last five meetings.

Indiana Hoosiers at (4) Penn State Nittany Lions (-18, 63)

* Hoosiers CB A’Shon Riggins, S Marcelino Ball and DT Nate Hoff are all considered questionable for Saturday after suffering injuries last week. Indiana is inside the top 50 in passing yards per game but its 11.1 yards per completion ranks 96th.

* The Nittany Lions come in with a plus-6 turnover differential on the season, tied for the fifth-best total in Division I. Penn State's 10.3 tackles for loss per game is the best rate in the nation, and it ranks tied for 18th in sacks per contest (3.0).

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Nittany Lions as big 17.5-point home favorites over the Hoosiers and that number has moved up just a bit to the current number of Penn State -18. The total has seen plenty of movement however. The number opened around 61 and climbed as high as 69.5 at some books, before dropping back down drastically to the current number of 63. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Indiana is 0-5 ATS in its last five games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
* Penn State is 7-0-2 ATS in its last nine home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Indiana's last seven road games.
* Over is 5-1 in Penn State's last six games following a ATS loss.

(25) Florida State Seminoles at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+7.5, 47.5)

* Seminoles receiving leader Auden Tate is considered day-to-day with a shoulder injury suffered in the second half of last week's game against N.C. State. Florida State is averaging a paltry 2.7 YPC with zero rushing touchdowns through two games.

* The Demon Deacons offense has turned the ball over just once, tied with Miami, Virginia and LSU for the second-fewest turnovers in the nation. Wake Forest is holding foes to a 31.4 percent conversion rate on third downs, ranking 40th in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: The Seminoles hit the board at most books as 7.5-point road favorites and that's where the number currently sits. The total opened at 47 and has bounced back-and-forth between that and 48. It is currently at 47.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* FSU is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games following a ATS loss.
* Wake Forest is 6-1 ATS in its last seven conference games.
* Under is 8-2 in FSU's last 10 road games.
* Over is 5-1 in Wake Forest's last six home games.

(24) Mississippi State Bulldogs at (15) Auburn Tigers (-9, 51)

* The Bulldogs are one of only three Power 5 teams to surrender one sack or fewer so far this season, joining Minnesota and Iowa State. MSU also has yet to lose a fumble in 2017, the only team in the SEC to have that distinction.

* The Tigers are limiting opponents to 236.3 yards per game, the fourth-best average in Division I. RBs Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson are expected to play this week, marking the first time this season they'll appear in the same game."

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened this matchup with the Tigers as 9.5-point home favorites and they moved the number to Auburn -10, before coming down to the current number of -9. The total opened around 49 and reached as high as 53 before coming back down to the current number of 51. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Auburn is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
* Mississippi State is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
* Over is 6-1 in Mississippi State's last seven games following a SU loss of more than 20 points.

Troy Trojans at (22) Louisiana State Tigers (-20.5, 48.5)

* The Trojans have surrendered just two rushing touchdowns in 2017 while holding opponents to 95.5 yards per game on the ground, the 14th-best rate in the nation. QB Brandon Silvers has thrown for multiple TDs just once in his last nine games.

* Tigers RB Derrius Guice (knee) is considered questionable for this weekend; it's the same designation he had last week, when he played but finished just 14 yards on eight carries. LSU has allowed foes to score on nine of 10 red-zone trips.

LINE HISTORY: LSU hit the board at most books as 19.5-point favorites and rose as high as -21, before settling at the current number of -20.5. The total opened at 49 and is down slightly to 48.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Troy is 0-6 ATS in its last six games overall.
* LSU is 1-7-1 ATS in its last nine games in September.
* Over is 15-1 in Troy's last 16 vs. SEC opponents.
* Under is 6-1-2 in LSU's last nine games following a SU win.

(9) Ohio State Buckeyes at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+29.5, 52)

* The Buckeyes rank first in the Big Ten and 13th in Division I with 319.2 passing yards per game. Head coach Urban Meyer says he will continue to roll with a six-man wide receiver rotation; Eight different wideouts have at least one touchdown catch.

* The Scarlet Knights rank last in the Big Ten in yards per play (4.8 ) and passing yards per game (163.5). Rutgers has held opponents to 19 conversions on 63 third-down opportunities; that 30.2-percent success rate ranks 28th in the nation.

LINE HISTORY: The Buckeyes opened as about hefty 29-point road chalk at most books and were briefly bet up to -30, before settling at the current number of Ohio State -29.5. The total opened around 51.5 and was bet up to 54m before coming back down to 52.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Ohio State is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games overall.
* Rutgers is 5-1 ATS in their last six games in September.
* Over is 4-1 in Ohio State's last five conference games.
* Under is 6-1 in Rutgers' last seven games overall.

(14) Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders (+10, 84,5)

* Cowboys QB Mason Rudolph has 300 or more passing yards and multiple touchdowns in five consecutive starts dating back to last season. Oklahoma State is outscoring opponents 66-6 in the first quarter.

* The Red Raiders rank second in the nation in passing yards per game (437.7) while completing nearly 75 percent of their attempts as a team. Texas Tech's plus-7 turnover margin is tied for fourth in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: The Pokes opened as about 11-point road faves for this Big 12 matchup and after last week's poor showing, bettors faded them down to -8. But they have since bounced back to Oklahoma State -10. The total hit the board at a massive 81 and bettors still didn't think that was enough, moving the number up to 84.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Oklahoma State is 5-0 ATS in its last five games following a ATS loss.
* Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 6-1 in Texas Tech's last seven home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

(6) Washington Huskies at Oregon State Beavers (+26.5, 59.5)

* The Huskies rank tied for sixth in Division I in turnover margin (plus-6), 10th in scoring defense (11.8 points per game) and 11th in scoring (44.5 ppg). Washington runs just 59.3 plays per game, fewest in the Pac-12.

* Beavers RB Ryan Nall is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry at home compared to 7.8 YPC on the road. Oregon State has scored on all nine of its trips to the red zone, one of 17 Divison I teams with a perfect record there.

LINE HISTORY: The Huskies opened as 26.5-point road favorites and there has been very little movement off that number. The total hit the board at 63 and it's been all Under money since, with number coming down to 59.5. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Washington is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Oregon State is 0-4 ATS in its last four games overall.
* Over is 8-1 in Oregon State's last nine games following a ATS loss.
* Over is 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings in Oregon State.

Mississippi Rebels at (1) Alabama Crimson Tide (-27, 58)

* WR A.J. Brown and DE Victor Evans returned to practice and are expected to play, while C Sean Rawlings is also hopeful to return despite not practicing Wednesday. Ole Miss averages a paltry 2.8 yards per carry with just two rushing touchdowns to date.

* The Crimson Tide rank fifth in the nation in rushing yards (303.3). Alabama has surrendered just one rushing touchdown on the season while limiting opponents to 70.3 rushing yards per game, fifth-fewest in Division I.

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the No. 1 team in the country as big 28-point home chalk for this SEC matchup and they have been bet down slightly to the current number of Alabama -27. The total opened at 59 and is down to 58. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Ole Miss is 0-5 ATS in its last five games overall.
* Alabama is 7-1 ATS in its last eight conference games.
* Over is 4-1 in Ole Miss' last five games overall.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Alabama.

Northern Illinois Huskies at (21) San Diego State Aztecs (-10, 49)

* The Huskies average just over 26 minutes per game in time of possession, the 19th-lowest average in the nation. DE Sutton Smith leads Division I in tackles for loss (9.5) and also has three sacks and a fumble recovery.

* RB Rashaad Penny ranks second in the country in rushing yards per game (179), all-purpose yards per game (230) and total touchdowns (nine). San Diego State averages just 169.3 passing yards per contest, 110th nationally.

LINE HISTORY: The Aztecs hit the board as around 2.5-point home favorites at most books, but since then have moved down to the current number of San Diego State -10. The total opened at 44.5 and bettors love the over, moving the number all the way up to 49. Check out the complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Northern Illinois is 5-0 ATS in its last five games overall.
* San Diego State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games following a ATS win.
* Under is 7-1 in Northern Illinois last eight games overall.
* Over is 5-1 in San Diego State's last six games following a ATS win.

Clemson at Virginia Tech
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

During the summer before I had seen Kelly Bryant play, I said Clemson will be in great shape if it can get through September with a 4-1 record. There was a challenging Week 2 date against Auburn at home, followed by a trip to Louisville that would be Bryant’s first career road start. And then there was another dangerous road assignment at Virginia Tech.

Well, here we are going into the last Saturday in September, and Dabo Swinney’s team owns a 4-0 straight-up record and a 3-1 against-the-spread mark heading into Blacksburg. Not only that, but its biggest challenger in the ACC Atlantic, Florida State, has lost its starting QB to a season-ending injury and is winless.

As of late Friday afternoon, most betting shops had Clemson installed as a seven-point favorite with a total of 50.5. The Hokies were available to win outright for a +250 payout (risk $100 to win $250).

Clemson opened the season with a 56-3 win over Kent State as a 38-point home favorite. Next, Swinney’s squad captured a 14-6 victory over Auburn as a six-point home ‘chalk.’ Brent Venables’ defense was dynamite, suffocating Auburn while giving up only 117 yards of total offense. Bryant ran for 59 yards and two TDs to provide all the offense that was needed.

Clemson went to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Week 3 to take on Louisville and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. The Tigers raced out to a 33-7 in the first three quarters and coasted to a 47-21 victory as three-point road favorites.

Bryant completed 22-of-32 passes for 316 yards and one TD without an interception. He also ran for a pair of scores. Travis Etienne, a true freshman RB, produced 98 rushing yards and one TD on just six carries. Tavien Feaster added 92 rushing yards on 10 attempts, while Ray-Ray McCloud had seven receptions for 115 yards and one TD.

Clemson showed up flat for the first time all season in last week’s home game vs. Boston College, which came into Death Valley as a 33.5-point road underdog. With 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Clemson and BC were tied at 7-7. However, a six-yard TD run by Adam Choice put the Tigers in the lead for good.

Etienne broke a 50-yard TD run with 5:41 left to give Clemson some breathing room with a 21-7 advantage. Then with 2:50 remaining, Bryant put the game on ice with a four-yard TD run. Etienne added a 10-yard TD scamper with 52 ticks left to close out a 34-7 non-covering triumph. The 41 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 53-point total.

Bryant threw for only 140 passing yards and was intercepted twice, his first picks since throwing one in the opener vs. Kent State The junior signal caller made amends by rushing 22 times for 106 yards and two TDs. Etienne added 113 rushing yards and two scores on merely nine attempts. Feaster contributed 73 rushing yards on 20 totes, while Hunter Renfroe had six receptions for 53 yards.

Junior DE Austin Bryant had four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and three QB hurries vs. BC. He has a team-high five sacks on the season.

In the first four starts of his career, Bryant has completed 74-of-109 passes (67.9%) for 873 yards with a 2/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has rushed for 268 yards and seven TDs. Etienne has a team-high 292 rushing yards and four TDs, with an astounding 12.7 yards-per-carry average. Feaster has run for 249 yards and one TD, while Choice has 110 rushing yards and three TDs.

Bryant’s favorite targets are McCloud and Renfroe. McCloud has snagged 18 catches for 218 yards and one TD, while Renfroe has 21 receptions for 202 yards.

Clemson is ranked No. 3 in the nation in total defense, limiting foes to 227.0 yards per game. The Tigers are third in scoring defense, holding opponents to 9.2 points per game. They are 12th in the country versus the run and ninth against the pass.

As for the Clemson offense, it is 11th in the nation in total yards (513.5 YPG), 13th in rushing (275.2 YPG) and 30th in scoring with a 37.8 PPG average.

Virginia Tech (4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS) has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games dating back to last season. Justin Fuente’s second team opened the year with a 31-24 win over West Virginia in Landover, Maryland. The Hokies took the cash as five-point favorites, stopping the Mountaineers down in the red zone in the game’s final minute.

Redshirt freshman Josh Jackson enjoyed a stellar collegiate debut, rushing for 111 yards and one TD on 11 attempts. Jackson completed 15-of-26 throws for 235 yards and one TD without an interception. Senior WR Cam Phillips had seven receptions for 138 yards and one TD, while RB Travon McMillian scored on a three-yard TD run with 6:30 remaining to provide the winning points.

After garnering the win that will age well against a quality WVU team that’s won three in a row since then, Virginia Tech has taken it to three cupcake opponents. The Hokies have won 27-0 vs. Delaware, 64-17 at East Carolina and 38-0 vs. Old Dominion.

For the season, Jackson has connected on 65.2 percent of his passes for 1,127 yards with a stellar 11/1 TD-INT ratio. He has also run for 144 yards and one TD, averaging 4.5 YPC. McMillian has a team-high 162 rushing yards, one TD and a 5.1 YPC average. Six Virginia Tech players have rushed for at least 97 yards.

Jackson’s favorite target is Phillips, who leads the nation in receiving yards with 523 on 34 receptions. Sean Savoy has 14 catches for 163 yards and one TD.

Totals have been an overall wash (2-2) for the Tigers, who saw the ‘over’ hit in their lone previous road contest. Clemson’s games have averaged combined scores of 47.0 PPG. The Hokies have seen the ‘under’ go 2-1-1 overall, 2-0-1 in their three home outings.

Clemson has won four in a row in this rivalry, with Virginia Tech’s last victory coming in a 41-23 win as a 5.5-point road underdog in 2007. The Tigers held off the Hokies by a 42-35 count as 10-point ‘chalk’ at last year’s ACC Championship Game. Virginia Tech was driving inside Clemson territory when it ran out of downs late in the fourth quarter. The 77 combined points soared ‘over’ the 58.5-point tally.

Clemson beat Virginia Tech 38-17 in 2012 and knocked off the Hokies twice in 2011, covering the number and winning by double-digit margins in all three instances.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern from Lane Stadium, with ABC providing the telecast.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

The ‘under’ is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Clemson is 5-9 ATS in its last 14 games as a road favorite. This is Virginia Tech’s first game as a home underdog on Fuente’s watch.

Oklahoma State took its first loss of the season at home last week when it dropped a 44-31 decision to TCU. Mike Gundy’s team will be without starting OG Larry Williams (leg) for the rest of the season. The Cowboys, who are 10-point favorites at undefeated Texas Tech, might be without OT Zachary Crabtree, last year’s second-team All-Big-12 choice who is ‘questionable’ with a toe injury. Texas Tech’s leading tackler in 2016, LB Jordyn Brooks, is a question mark due to a knee injury. The Red Raiders are 5-4 ATS in their nine games as home underdogs during Kliff Kingsbury’s five-year tenure. The total is 84.5 points, the highest on the board in Week 5.

Stanford starting QB Keller Chryst (4/0 TD-INT) has been downgraded to ‘doubtful’ vs. Arizona State due to a concussion. K.J. Costello is expected to get the starting nod against the Sun Devils, who are off a 37-35 win over Oregon as 14.5-point home underdogs.

Boston College QB Anthony Brown has been upgraded to ‘probable’ vs. Central Michigan.

Twelve teams remain unbeaten for our purposes. The best ATS squad are Duke (4-0), Utah (4-0), SMU (4-0), Buffalo (4-0), New Mexico State (4-0), Texas Tech (3-0), Fresno State (3-0), No. Illinois (3-0), Southern Miss (3-0), Marshall (3-0), Ga. Tech (3-0) and UCF (2-0).

Seventeen teams haven’t earned a spread cover yet: UTEP (0-4), FSU (0-2), Charlotte (0-4), Bowling Green (0-4), Louisiana (0-4), Missouri (0-4), Oregon State (0-4), UConn (0-3), BYU (0-4), Arkansas (0-3), Florida (0-3), Western Ky. (0-4), Temple (0-4), Ole Miss (0-4), Troy (0-4), Pitt (0-3-1) and Georgia Southern (0-2-1).