College Football Betting News and Notes Week 11

Betting Recap - Week 10
By Daniel Dobish
VegasInsider.com

College Football Week 10 Results

Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 50-12
Against the Spread 36-26
Home-Away
Straight Up 37-25
Against the Spread 31-31
Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 28-34

The largest underdogs to win straight up

Texas-San Antonio (+19, ML +800) at Middle Tennessee, 45-25
Charlotte (+17, ML +650) at Southern Mississippi, 38-27
Mississippi State (+10, ML +330) vs. Texas A&M, 35-28
Illinois (+9.5, ML +310) vs. Michigan State, 31-27

The largest favorites to cover

Tennessee (-41) vs. Tennessee Tech, 55-0
Michigan (-29.5) vs. Maryland, 59-3
Clemson (-28) vs. Syracuse, 54-0
Texas-El Paso (-26) vs. Houston Baptist, 42-10

Top 25 Notes

Texas A&M was a surprise addition in the first College Football Playoff rankings, but they were unable to overcome an injury to starting QB Trevor Knight, losing at Mississippi State 35-28. It was just the second win in the past five games for the Bulldogs, and their second cover in the past six outings. The 'over' has hit in the past three for MSU. As far as A&M is concerned, they ave failed to cover in five straight outings. ... North Carolina posted their third straight win and cover, topping Georgia Tech 48-20. The 'over' result was the first in five games for the Tar Heels. ... Michigan posted a 59-3 win against Maryland for just their second cover in the past five games. The Wolverines defense has been the key to their success, allowing 10 or fewer points in five of their past six outings.

Western Michigan won again in mid-week MACtion, topping Ball State 52-20. The Broncos improved to 9-0, and the 'over' has hit in three of their past four games. The Broncos have really been a friend to bettors when they're on the road, as the Broncos are 5-0 SU/ATS in five games away from Kalamazoo. They'll be back on the road Tuesday at Kent State, a team 1-3 SU/2-2 ATS in four games at home.

Louisville posted a 52-7 road win at Boston College, as Heisman Trophy favorite QB Lamar Jackson accounted for seven touchdowns against a solid defense. The Cardinals are back on track after a bump in the road earlier last month, averaging 46.0 points per game (PPG) over the past three outings while going 2-1 ATS.

Washington State routed visiting Arizona by a 69-7 score, as the Cougars keep pace with Washington in the Pac-12 North Division. It was the first cover in four games for the Cougs. Their offense is certainly on pace, however, as they have scored at least 27 points in each of their nine games.The 'over' is 3-0 in the past three, and 5-1 over the past six games for the Cougs.

Big Five Conference Report

Duke was unable to upset visiting Virginia Tech, but they covered a 12 1/2-point spread in their 24-21 setback. The Blue Devils have dropped three straight, but they have covered four in a row, and five of their past six. ... Wake Forest is bowl eligible following their 27-20 win against Virginia, covering their third game in the past four outings. It was their first 'over' result since Oct. 1. ... Speaking of Oct. 1, that's the last time Miami-Florida tasted victory. That is, until Saturday, when they pushed aside Pittsburgh 51-28. The Canes opened the season 4-0 SU/ATS, went 0-4 SU/ATS over their past four and then won and cover in this one. Is this the start of a new win and cover streak for 'The U'.

Ohio State finally figured things on the offensive end, and just in time, too. They sent a message to the rest of college football with a 62-3 win over No. 10 Nebraska to snap an 0-4 ATS slide. Next up is a trip to Maryland, a team which was beaten up in the Big House Saturday. The Terrapins are 1-4 SU/ATS ove rtheir past five outings, although the Terps are 3-1 SU/2-2 ATS in four games at home. ... Michigan State fell at Illinois, as they just cannot get on track. Sparty started out 2-0 SU/1-1 ATS in their first two games, but they have dropped seven in a row and they're 1-6 ATS during the span.

Texas kept up their mastery against Texas Tech, posting a 45-37 win in Lubbock. The Longhorns entered the game just 2-7 ATS in their past nine road outings, but they've covered two of the past three away from home. The Longhorns are getting attention at the betting window, going 4-1 ATS over the past five while the 'under' has hit in four in a row. ... Oklahoma State posted a 43-37 road win against Kansas State, winning for the fifth straight game while covering for the fourth time in five outings. The 'over' is 4-1 during the span for the Cowboys, who host the Red Raiders next Saturday.

Colorado won 20-10 against UCLA Thursday night, but it was the first time in nine games this season that the Buffaloes failed to cover. The Buffs kept one streak going, as the 'under' has cashed in five in a row for Colorado. ... Oregon State dropped their fourth straight at Stanford, 26-15. However, the Beavers were able to cover their fifth straight. They'll head to UCLA next Saturday night. ... Southern California pounded Oregon 45-20, winning for the fifth consecutive time while covering four of the past five. The 'under' is also a perfect 5-0 for USC over the past five.

The 'under' hit in the Missouri-South Carolina game (see bad beats) below. The under is now 2-0 in the past two game the Gamecocks, and 7-2 in nine games overall. ... Vanderbilt gave Auburn a scare in a 23-16 setback on the Plains. The Commodores have covered three of their past four games away from home. For the Tigers, they failed to cover for the first time in six games, but they're still 7-2 ATS in nine games overall. ... It wasn't pretty, but Alabama picked up a 10-0 road win at Louisiana State. The Crimson Tide have covered four in a row, including each of their past three on the road.

Mid-Major Report

Temple posted a 21-0 win at Connecticut, winning for the sixth time in the past seven games. The Owls have covered nine straight games. They have a bye before traveling to Tulane Nov. 19. ... Tulsa rolled to a 45-24 win against East Carolina, as the Golden Hurricane offense continues hitting on all cylinders. They have scored 43 or more points in seven of their nine games, and they have coveredd four in a row. This game hit the 'under', however, the first for Tulsa since Sept. 10, a span of seven games.

Florida Atlantic won the 'Battle of the Owls' in Houston, dropping Rice 42-25 while setting a program mark with 657 total yards. The Owls picked up their first Conference USA win in five tries, covering for the second time in three games. ... Western Kentucky rolled to a 49-21 win over Florida International, although they failed to cover. The 'over' is 4-1 in the past five for the Hilltoppers. For FIU, the 'over' is 3-0 in the past three, and 6-1 in the past seven. ... Old Dominion stayed hot aginst the number, improving to 5-1 SU/ATS over the past six outings. They thumped Marshall by a 38-14 score, as the Thundering Herd slipped to 1-7 SU over the past eight games, and 2-5-1 ATS during the stretch. The 'under' is 5-0 in the past five for Marshall.

Ohio University continues to roll, posting a 34-10 win over Buffalo Thursday night. The Bobcats have won and covered three in a row, and total bettors love them, too. The 'under' is 8-0-1 in the past nine games for Ohio heading into their next game at Central Michigan Nov. 15. ... Miami-Ohio picked up an impressive 37-17 win over CMU, winning and covering for the fourth straight game after an 0-6 SU/3-3 ATS start.

Wyoming continues to roll, posting an impressive 52-28 win against Utah State. The Cowboys have won and coveed five straight games dating back to their setback Sept. 23 at Eastern Michigan. The 'over' is 4-1 in the past five for Wyoming, too. ... Colorado State stayed hot against the number, blasting Fresno State 37-0. The Rams have covered four in a row, and seven of the past eight heading into their rivalry game at Air Force next week. ... USAFA picked up a much-needed 31-12 win at Army, snapping a four-game non-cover skid.

Idaho hit the road and picked up a 23-13 win at Louisiana-Lafayette. The Vandals need just one win in their final three games to become bowl eligible. They have won three of their past four games, and the Vandals have covered four in a row, and five of the past six. ... After starting the season 0-4 SU/ATS, Arkansas State picked up a fourth straight win and cover with a 31-16 victory at Georgia State.

Bad Beats

Missouri-South Carolina appeared to be headed for an easy 'over' (56.5) result, as the sides combined for 49 points through three quarters. However, there were just three points in the final quarter by South Carolina, as the 'under' came through.

It wasn't your classic bad beat, but Massachusetts scored with 4:17 to go for the backdoor cover, crushing Troy bettors laying the 23. The Trojans won 52-31, but the Minutemen grabbed the cover.

If you were a North Carolina State moneyline bettor, it was a tough finish in Raleigh. The Wolfpack led 20-10 with 3:05 to go in the third quarter, and 20-17 after 45 minutes. However, Florida State escaped their house of horrors, Carter-Finley Stadium, with a 24-20 win with a touchdown with 3:09 to go. The Wolfpack nearly had an interception on that drive, but were unable to pull through. Moneyline bettors came close, but no cigar.

Kentucky was up 24-21 late, and it appeared they were on their way to sole possession of first place in the SEC West, as well as earning a win on the moneyline at +2 1/2. However, the Wildcats allowed two field goals late in the quarter, with the game-tying field at 2:47 and the game-winner with :00 remaining.

College Football Recap Week 10
By Brandon Shively
Covers.com

It was another exciting weekend in College Football with teams making a statement as they try to solidify their spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Top 8 teams went 7-1 ATS with Texas A&M being the lone loser. Looking closer, these 7 teams covered the spread by an average of 20.5 points! That tells me that these teams all looked to indeed make a statement to the committee and either protect their current ranking or possibly move up the rankings. It will be interesting to see how the oddsmaker tries to adjust for this week as I can assure you there will be some inflated numbers with the Top 10 ranked teams. I will touch up on a few of these teams and also discuss some other games of interest from last week along with some stats that can help you prepare for this coming week in College Football.

Western Michigan----The Broncos remain the only undefeated non-Power 5 team after a 32 point win at Ball State. Bettors enjoyed cashing in on this weekday game. Looking closer, Ball State had 497 yards despite scoring only 20 points and they only got outgained by 56 yards. Ball State was out gaining Western Michigan at the half and had 298 yards rushing (7.1 yards per carry). The Broncos will travel to Kent State Tuesday night looking to keep their unbeaten record intact.

Ohio State----The Buckeyes were listed as a 17 point favorite and Nebraska was receiving close to 80% of the bets. That was definitely one of the most interesting lines on the board. I released Ohio State (-17) as a free pick and they did not disappoint holding Nebraska to 204 total yards of offense. Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong also left with an injury to add ‘injury to insult’. Nebraska has now lost consecutive games to kill their hopes of an undefeated season along with any hopes of a BIG 10 Championship. The Cornhuskers have a home meeting vs Minnesota while the Buckeyes look to keep the momentum going at Maryland. (Ohio State ran for 369 yards last year vs Michigan when D.J. Durkin was the Wolverines defensive coordinator). Durkin is now the coach for the Terrapins and the Terps are allowing 226 rushing yards at 5.01 yards per carry this year.

Auburn----The Tigers offense stalled against a Vandy team that was playing with a week of rest. Auburn only outgained the Commodores by 45 yards and were trailing at halftime as a 26 point favorite. Auburn travels to Georgia and the Bulldogs have underachieved this season, but have some momentum after winning a close one in Kentucky. Auburn is 0-2 vs Georgia the last two years only scoring 7 and 13 points. HC Kirby Smart should draw up a solid blueprint as he knows the Auburn Tigers and Gus Malzahn offense like the back of his hand, having faced them annually during his tenure at Alabama.

Baylor----I had questions about Baylor heading into the season and am kicking myself for not fading the Bears last week against TCU. I knew TCU was the correct play and just couldn’t make myself do it, mostly because of the spotty QB play and Kenny Hill getting pulled the week before. Apparently, that woke Kenny Hill up as the Horned Frogs put up 688 yards, including 431 on the ground. Seth Russell has now completed 54% or fewer of his passes the last 4 games. A combined 46% rate against Kansas and Texas is a huge red flag moving forward. They face an Oklahoma team that is averaging 48 ppg their last 6 games. The Sooners defense is down a notch this year, but so is Baylor’s offense.

MISLEADING FINAL SCORES:

UCF 37 Tulane 6 ----UCF appeared to have a walk in the park here but they only outgained Tulane by 41 yards. Tulane had 3 turnovers returned for touchdowns after a 7-6 score at the half. Central Florida is improved this season, but this is the 4th consecutive misleading final score for them.

Charlotte 38 Southern Miss 27----Southern Miss outgained Charlotte by 41 yards, but had 3 turnovers including 2 interceptions by Nick Mullens. Mullens was 19-for-25 on the day which is efficient, however those 2 INT’s hurt the Golden Eagles along with a blocked punt in the end zone and the defense also giving up a 99 yard scoring drive. Charlotte needs to win two of their last three games to become bowl eligible and their next two games are at home.

FSU 24 NC State 20----The Wolfpack outgained the Seminoles by 107 yards but failed to make plays when needed and FSU rallied down 20-10 in the 3rd to give N.C. State their 4th consecutive loss.

Indiana 33 Rutgers 27----The Hoosiers put up 617 yards of offense at Rutgers, just as they should. The 6 point margin of victory was because of 4 turnovers by Indiana. Indiana is a homedog this Saturday vs Penn State, who has cracked the Top 10 in the Rankings. The Nittany Lions are starting to get a little too much love from the oddsmaker in my opinion and this misleading 6 point final score will keep Indiana off the radar by many this week.

MISCELLANEOUS STATS:

Opponent’s 3rd down conversion percentage: If your defense can’t get off the field, it makes for a tough game. There are 4 teams allowing over 50% of 3rd downs to be converted. Georgia Tech, Nevada, Navy, and New Mexico State.

Penalties: Penalties are important to look at regarding totals but also ‘against the spread’. The four most penalized teams are: Marshall, Florida State, Oregon, and California. These 4 teams are a combined 21-14 OVER this year. Their combined ‘ATS’ record is 12-21-2 (36%). Penalties are costly and are a stat that is commonly overlooked.

Opening Line Report - Week 11
By Marcus DiNitto
VegasInsider.com

When there’s a disparity between how a college football team is rated by oddsmakers and how it’s rated by pollsters, most folks in the wagering world give more weight to the former.

Heading into Week 11, Southern Cal is such a team. Since their 1-3 start, with losses to Alabama, at Stanford and at Utah, the Trojans have won five straight, and their resurgence coincides with coach Clay Helton’s decision to start Sam Darnold in place of Max Browne at quarterback. The freshman’s first start was at Utah, when USC had a 27-17 lead in the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns by the Utes gave the home side the win.

Southern Cal, though, failed to crack the top 25 this week in either the AP or the coaches’ poll. On Saturday, the Trojans visit Washington as they try to spoil the Huskies’ undefeated season.

Ed Salmons, manager at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, believes USC is seriously underrated, not by the oddsmakers, but by the media members and coaches who vote in the polls.

“How USC is not ranked, I don’t know how that’s humanly possible,” Salmons said. “USC, since they switched quarterbacks, has been playing as well as Washington, except they lost to Alabama and they lost to Stanford early in the year. And the first game the kid started was when the played at Utah, and that’s a game they should have won. ... Since then, they’re killing everyone. They’ve been destroying teams week in and week out. USC has a real good shot to go out there and beat (Washington).”

There was some variance with the opening betting lines on this Pac-12 showdown. CG Technology hung Washington -7.5, while the Wynn went -9.5.

“Our oddsmakers ranged from 6.5 all the way to 9.5. We had a discussion and settled at 7.5,” said Jason Simbal, vice president of risk at CG Tech.

Simbal said his book drew small bets on both sides of that number Sunday while wiseguys left the game alone. But on Monday, line-influencing money showed up on the favorite, pushing the number to 9.

The Wynn was bet from -9.5 to -10, but then back to -9 on Sunday and to -8 on Monday.

While some college football observers griped that Washington was not in the top four of the playoff selection committee’s first rankings of the season, Avello said we’ll learn more about the Huskies on Saturday.

“(USC is) gonna go in thinking they have a shot,” Avello said. “They lost to this team last year in a really close game. This is the biggest test, for me, for the Washington team. ... This shows me if they really belong in that top four, because even though they’re at home, they’re getting a worthy opponent here.”

Here are some more games of interest on the Week 11 college football card:

Baylor at Oklahoma (-15)

CG Technology on Sunday opened Oklahoma -13.5, a number not big enough for bettors’ tastes. The book took bets on Oklahoma at -13.5, -14.5 and -15, Simbal said.

Bettors are fading Baylor more than backing Oklahoma, Simbal believes.

“I think people are more turned off by Baylor than they are pro-Oklahoma. This is more an anti-Baylor bet,” he said.

After winning their first six games of the season, the Bears have dropped two straight, at Texas 35-34 and in embarrassing fashion at home to TCU this past Saturday, 62-22.

It has not taken the betting market long to react.

“Their power rating has lost steam. They’ve lost 6 or 7 points in the power ratings (over the last two weeks),” said Avello, who opened Oklahoma -15. “That trouncing against TCU was really bad. It’s not like the game was even close. They just got waxed. ... (Kyle Hicks) had five touchdowns and (TCU) made them look really, really bad. They scored on a couple of big plays, but 22 points is all they had. I don’t know, maybe their confidence level is way down.”

Conversely, Oklahoma has shaken off a 1-2 start to the season, winning six in a row.

“All of a sudden, this team is scoring in the 50s, 60s a game,” Avello said. “I think Baylor can also do that, but they haven’t as of late. So it looks like Oklahoma in this game can score at will, and Baylor I’m sure will be able to score some, but they could get carried away late. ... For this particular game, they may show up early, but these point spreads are all about when the final bell rings, where are you, where do you stand.” West Virginia at Texas (-2)

The Wynn opened this game a pick ‘em but was bet to Texas -2 by Monday, when the line ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 around Las Vegas.

This is a potential look-ahead spot for the Mountaineers, who have Oklahoma next week in a game with major Big 12 championship implications.

The Longhorns are not in the race for the conference title, but they have won two straight, and while this won’t make people in Austin feel any better, their four losses (at Cal, at Oklahoma State, vs. Oklahoma, at Kansas State) are “justifiable,” according to Avello.

“Charlie Strong is going to do a good job with this team,” Avello said, “but it was going to take him a while to get who he wanted in place, and I think that’s starting to happen now – you’re starting to see it. I think it’s going to get better next year.”

Michigan (-20) at Iowa

Michigan continues to throttle anyone in their path, while Iowa has followed up last year’s undefeated regular season with a dud of a 2016 campaign.

The Wolverines are one of those teams for whom bookmakers can’t make a number high enough – people are going to bet them no matter the spread, it seems. This week, for example, CG Technology opened Michigan -18 and took bets on the favorite at that number, as well as -19.5 and -20, Simbal said.

Some college football coaches are not shy about running up scores, particularly this time of year when polls start to matter. Jim Harbaugh fits into that category, and Avello says he accounts for the coach’s foot-on-gas mentality when he books Michigan games.

“He wants to lay the lumber on everybody. He doesn’t pull back at all. He wants to constantly score,” Avello said of Harbaugh. “He’s one of those coaches who goes for it. ... There’s certain guys that will do that. Ohio State will run it up, but once it gets late in the game, they kind of back off a little bit. They’re not constantly trying to throw the ball. I saw Harbaugh throw the ball and they were up by like 40 points in the fourth quarter, four minutes to go.”

Florida (-12.5) at South Carolina

CG opened Florida -15, while the Wynn hung -13.5 and was bet up early to -14 before underdog money showed up Monday.

Florida was unimpressive as a short favorite at Arkansas last week, losing 31-10. South Carolina won its third game in a row and has some late-season momentum.

The Gators are expected to be without QB Luke Del Rio on Saturday, not good news for their already inept offense.

Avello believes a soft SEC East schedule has a lot to do with Florida’s 6-2 record. After the Gamecocks this week, Florida finishes up against LSU (rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew) and Florida State.

“They don’t score and haven’t scored, and that’s always their problem,” Avello said of the Gators. “They rely on defense. ... It just looks like they’re going in a different direction right now.”

Auburn (-10) at Georgia

In case we needed more evidence of the wide gap between the two divisions of the SEC, Auburn from the West lays a hefty number as it travels to play Georgia from the East in Athens. The Wynn opened Auburn -9.5 and was up to -10 later Sunday night.

Army at Notre Dame (-12.5)

Avello opened Notre Dame -11 and was bet to -12.5, still sitting a half-point lower than many competing books.

At 3-6, Notre Dame’s season is pretty much toast, yet gamblers are still investing in the Irish. Avello understands the move on this week’s game, as he doesn’t see Notre Dame giving up and says the Black Knights are a good match up for them.

“The coach (Brian Kelly) isn’t throwing in the towel. He’s going to want to continue win games,” Avello said. “Army just doesn’t score points. They’re the kind of team that scores 20 points a game. Notre Dame has no problem scoring.”

A note on futures

Of the five teams with single-digit odds on the Westgate’s college football futures board, the book’s only liability is Ohio State (7/2). The house “does really well” with Alabama (even-money), Michigan (5/1), Washington (6/1) and Clemson (7/1). This may surprise those who read reports that Michigan was the most bet-on team ahead of the season.

Salmons said Michigan was a popular futures play early, “but then they got down to the 7/1 range and people started betting other teams and they kind of forgot about Michigan. It’s funny, Michigan had way more support over the summer and then once the season started, they’ve had no more support.”

Early line moves

Here are games that saw the point spread move two or more points in the favorite’s direction during the first 23 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

Pittsburgh vs. Clemson
Opening line: Clemson -18.5
After 23 hours: Clemson -20.5

Cincinnati vs. Central Florida
Opening line: UCF -10.5
After 23 hours: UCF -12.5

Wake Forest vs. Louisville
Opening line: Louisville -32
After 23 hours: Louisville -34.5

UT-San Antonio vs. Louisiana Tech
Opening line: La Tech -19.5
After 23 hours: La Tech -22.5

West Virginia vs. Texas
Opening line: pick ‘em
After 23 hours: Texas -2

Vanderbilt vs. Missouri
Opening line: Mizzou -1
After 23 hours: Mizzou -3

San Diego State vs. Nevada
Opening line: SDSU -21
After 23 hours: SDSU -23

Here are games that saw the point spread move two or more points in the underdog’s direction during the first 23 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

Bowling Green vs. Akron
Opening line: BGSU +11.5
After 23 hours: BGSU +9

UL-Lafayette vs. Georgia Southern
Opening line: ULL +10.5
After 23 hours: ULL +8.5

NCAAF: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Baylor at Oklahoma

Oklahoma held off Iowa State 34-24 last last time out marking a sixth straight victory but Sooners fell well short as a 21-point road spot and have now cashed just three of nine tickets on the campaign. Sooners are facing another bulky line (-14) this week when they host struggling Baylor Bears who completely unravelled last effort losing 62-22 as a 7-point home chalk to TCU.

Sooners beat Bears 44-34 catching 1.5 points in Waco last year but historically, Sooners have been bad bets in in the last five encounters posting a 1-4 record against the betting line and a dreadful 0-7 ATS record last seven meeting in Norman. While it hasn't been profitable backing Sooners in this series, tough sidding with Baylor after the shellacking last week. The Bears have failed to cash in all three away from Waco this season and in four of five road games vs a Big-12 rivals. Another thing we have learned about Bears, they're a cash draining 1-6 ATS in their last seven November games. Sooners winning six straight Big-12 games in front of the home audience cashing five of those tickets are worth a second look.

Michigan at Iowa

Michigan (9-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) behind the nation's third-ranked scoring offense (48.0) and top-ranked scoring defense (10.7) hammering Maryland 59-3 Saturday as a 29.5-point home favorite now set their sight's on the next victim, the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4 SU, 3-6 ATS) recently taken behind the woodshed spanked 41-14 by Penn State.

Few would dispute this isn't likely the week Wolverines suffer its first blemish. However, Michigan facing another bulky line handing Hawkeyes a whopping 19.5 points of offense should give Wolverine backer's pause. Wolverines have been Jekyll-and-Hyde when attempting to cover double digits this season posting a 5-4 record against the betting line and are a shaky 9-7 ATS as double digit faves in coach Jim Harbaugh's era. Then again, Hawkeyes have managed just one cover as home underdogs (1-8 ATS) and have zero covers in their last eight hosting a conference opponent (0-7-1 ATS).

ACC Report - Week 11
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

North Carolina State at Syracuse

There will be a battle of 4-5 teams taking the field at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse Saturday afternoon, and the Wolfpack enter on a four-game losing streak after a 4-1 start to the season. The 'under' also is 4-1 in their past five games. N.C. State has struggled away from Raleigh, going 0-3 SU/1-2 ATS. Syracuse had a pair of wins against Virginia Tech and at Boston College before getting shellacked 54-0 at Clemson last weekend. One thing that has been consistent with Syracuse - the 'under'. The Orange have had an 'under' result in each of the past four, and six of the past seven outings.

Miami-Florida at Virginia

Miami snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend against Pittsburgh, and now they hit the road for Virginia. The 'U' heads to Scott Stadium looking to snap a two-game losing streak on the road. The Cavaliers failed to keep their hopes for bowl eligibility alive last weekend, losing for the fourth consecutive weekend. Miami heads in 2-7 ATS in their past nine against teams with a losing record, and 1-4 ATS in their past five overall. UVA is 8-3 ATS in their past 11 conference battles, and 10-4-1 ATS in their past 15 games overall, although just 1-3 ATS in their past four weekends. In this series, Miami is 1-5 ATS in their past six against Virginia, and the underdog is 11-1 ATS in the past 12 meetings. Miami is a 10-point favorite as of Wednesday morning.

Pittsburgh at Clemson

Pitts rolls down to the upstate of South Carolina looking to deal the Clemson Tigers their first setback of the season. It won't be easy, as the Tigers are 20-point favorites as of Wednesday morning. The Panthers haven't had a lot of success against the number, going 3-8 ATS in the past 11 games overall. Clemson has covered six of the past eight at home, including 4-0 ATS in their past four home games aginst a team with a winning road record. The Tigers are also 11-5 ATS in the past 16 overall against a team with a winning record. There is a great disparity in the total trends, as the 'over' is 8-0 in Pittsburgh's past eight overall, and 5-0 in their past five road games, while the 'under' is 4-1 in Clemson's past five at home and 7-3 in their past 10 home games against a team with a winning road record.

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech

In the 'Tech Bowl', the Ramblin' Wreck head to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies. The Gobblers enter this game as two-touchdown favorites, looking to keep themselves ahead of UNC in the battle for the Coastal Division title. The Yellow Jackets have had a lot of difficulty against the number going 4-13-1 ATS in the past 18 games overall, and 3-10 ATS in their past 13 against teams with a winning record. Worse, they're 1-7-1 ATS in their past nine conference games and 1-6-1 ATS in their past eight on the road. Virginia Tech is 5-1 ATS in their past six at home against a team with a winning road record, but they're 0-5 ATS in their past five at Lane Stadium against the Yellow Jackets. The road team is 6-0 ATS in their past six meetings, and the underdog is 4-0 ATS in the past four in this series.

Wake Forest at Louisville

Wake Forest became bowl eligible with a seven-point home win against Virginia, but they'll have their work cut out if they hope to pick up a seventh win this week. Louisville is almost a five-touchdown favorite as they look to keep their playoff hopes and national championship hopes on track. The Demon Deacons are 5-1 ATS in their past six road games, and 4-1 ATS in the past five ACC outings. The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their past five at home, and 7-3-1 ATS in their past 11 games overall. However, the Cards enter just 2-3-1 ATS over the past six games, and they're 0-2-1 ATS in the past three as a favorite of 31 or more points.

Big 12 Report - Week 11
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Baylor at Oklahoma

Baylor hasn't quite spiraled out of control, but a two-game losing streak has them adjusting their goals. Oklahoma has a pair of losses, but they're both outside of the conference. In fact, the Sooners remain the only team which is unbeaten in the conference. Since a resounding loss at home to Ohio State, Oklahoma has rattled off six straight wins with at least 34 points during each outing while showing up as the team we all expected to see. Baylor is 2-1 SU on the road this season, but they're 0-3 ATS. Overall the Bears have struggled against the number, going 2-6 ATS. Oklahoma is a 16-point favorite as of Wednesday morning, and they're 2-0 ATS in two league home games in Norman.

Iowa State at Kansas

It's a battle of 1-8 teams in Lawrence Saturday, but one team has stood taller than the other. The Cyclones of Iowa State have won just once on the scoreboard, but they have cashed frequently at the betting window. I-State is 6-1 ATS over the past seven outings, losing four of their past five games by 10 points or less. Kansas has just been awful overall, losing all eight of their games against FBS teams, and they're a dismal 2-6 ATS during the span. With the exception of a one-point loss to TCU Oct. 8, Kansas has lost six of their past seven games by 24 or more points. Iowa State is listed as a 9 1/2-point favorite as of Wednesday morning. The 'over has cashed in five of the past seven for Iowa State, while the 'under' is 6-2 in the past eight for Kansas. The total has held steady at 56.

West Virginia at Texas

West Virginia bounced back from its first loss of the season at Oklahoma State, posting a 48-21 win against Kansas. however, they failed to cover for the second straight week, and they're 2-5 ATS in the past seven overall. Meanwhile, Texas has posted back-to-back wins for just the second time this season, although they're an impressive 6-3 ATS in nine games overall. The Longhorns have been a completely different team at home, going 4-0 SU/ATS in Austin as opposed to 2-3 SU/ATS on the road. The Mountaineers have also struggled on the road, going 2-1 SU, but 1-2 ATS on the road. At home, WVU allows an average of 15.8 PPG, while giving up 28.7 PPG in three outings on the road.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State

Texas Tech's powerful offense will be on display at Oklahoma State, another team with an impressive offense. The over/under is set at 90 as of Wednesday morning, so you know the scoreboard operator is doing finger stretches to get ready. The Red Raiders have scored 37 or more points in seven of their nine games this season, but they have also allowed 44 or more points in six of their past eight. OK State has won five straight games since a 35-24 loss at Baylor Sept. 24, and they have covered each of their past three outings. The 'over' is 4-1 in Oklahoma State's past four outings, too, as they have scored 37 or more points in each of their past five victories. In addition, the Cowboys have allowed 20 or morep oints in each of their eight games against FBS teams, and 30 or more points in six of their eight outings. Expect fireworks, and a lot of them.

Bye Teams: Kansas State, Texas Christian

Pac-12 Report - Week 11
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Stanford at Oregon

Stanford heads up to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to battle a wounded, yet still dangerous Oregon team. The Cardinal are field-goal favorites as of Wednesday morning, and the public seems to like Stanford quite a bit. Stanford has actually performed better against the number on the road as opposed to their home mark. The Cardinal are 3-1 SU/ATS in four trips away from 'The Farm'. The 'under' has connected in four in a row for Stanford, and it is 7-2 in nine games overall. Oregon showed their potential in a 54-35 game against Arizona State, as they proved their offense can still be dangerous. In fact, the Ducks have scored 32 or more points in seven of their nine games overall while allowing 35 or more points in seven straight outings. The 'over' is 5-1 in the past six games for Oregon, while the 'under' is 4-0 in the past four for Stanford.

Southern California at Washington

USC rebounded nicely after an ugly start to the season, as the Trojans have come a long way since a 52-6 whitewashing at the hands of Alabama back on Sept. 3 in the opener. After a 1-3 SU/ATS start, USC has won five straight while covering four of those outings, including each of the last three. The Trojans offense is hitting on all cylinders with star on the rise QB Sam Darnold. USC has posted 45 or more points in each of the past three games, although they'll have difficulty hitting that mark against a Washington team which has allowed 17 or fewer points in five of their nine outings. Washington's offense has been deadly, posting 41 or more point in seven of their nine games, while posting at least 31 points in every game. As such, the 'over' is 6-0 in the past six, and 8-1 overall. The 'under' is 5-0 in the past five for USC, and just 1-7 over their past eight. The total sits at 62 as of Wednesday morning.

Oregon State at UCLA

Oregon State has really struggled this season, officially dropping their seventh game of the season to lose bowl eligibility. But the Beavers have been a friend to bettors at the window, covering five straight outings. That includes an impressive 3-1 ATS mark in four games on the road. UCLA played Colorado tough last weekend, losing 20-10 in Boulder, and they have alternated covers in each of the past six games. Overall they're 3-6 ATS, including 1-3 ATS in four games at home. The 'under' is 3-1 in UCLA's past four, and 5-2 over the past seven. The 'under' cashed in Corvallis last season, as the Bruins blanked the Beavs 41-0. In fact, the 'under' has cashed in each of the past six meetings in this series dating back to Sept. 29, 2007.

Colorado at Arizona

The Buffaloes head to the desert to top the Wildcats while looking to start a new cover streak. Colorado covered their first eight games, but failed to cover for the first time last weekend in a 20-10 win against UCLA at home. The Wildcats are 15-point underdogs at home, and they're 1-4 ATS in five games as underdogs of 9 1/2 or more points this season. Colorado is 2-2 SU on the road this season, but they're a perfect 4-0 ATS. Not only have the Buffaloes been consistent against the numbers, but bettors have hit plenty of Colorado parlays with the 'under', too. The 'under' has hit in five in a row for the Buffs. For Arizona, the 'under' is 3-2 in five home games.

California at Washington State

California started the season 3-2, including an impressive victory over Utah back on Oct. 1. However, they have struggled since with just one victory, an overtime victory, over their past four outings. They includes an ugly 66-27 setback against Washington last weekend, and embarrassing loss at home. Defense has let the Bears down big time, as Cal has given up 43 or more points in each of their past four, ans seven of the past eight outings. Washington State started out with an ugly loss to Eastern Washington of the FCS in their opener, and they started out 0-2 SU. However, since entering conference play the Cougars are a perfect 6-0/3-3 ATS, keeping pace with rival Washington in the race for the North Division in the Pac-12. The Apple Cup is going to be a war if the Cougs can avoid an upset between now and then. The Cougs are just 1-3 ATS over their past four, and just 2-3 ATS as favorites as double-digit favorites. However, as a 16-point favorite last weekend they picked up a resounding 69-7 win against Arizona, and they're 3-1 ATS in their past four at home.

NCAAF Week 11

Clemson is 9-0 and appears to have clear road to making 4-team playoff, but the way it is set up, teams have to keep running up scores to impress committee. Tigers beat Syracuse 54-0 LW, are 0-2 as home favorites this year, 13-14-1 in last 28 games as HF. Pitt allowed 90 points in losing last two games, allowed 31+ in seven of last eight games. Panthers are 1-2 as road underdogs this year, 5-3 overall under Narduzzi- they split four road games this year, with average total of 77.8 in those games. ACC home favorites are 10-13 vs spread. Clemson QB Watson dinged up his throwing shoulder LW- check status.

Navy is 3-0 at home this year, scoring 38.7 pts/game in wins by 4-6-14 points; Middies ran ball for 469 yards in LY’s 49-21 (-13) win over Tulsa; total yardage was 529-356. Navy won 28-27 over Notre Dame in Jacksonville LW- they’ve run ball for 300+ yards in last four games. Tulsa won its last three games, running ball for 330+ yards in all three games; Hurricane split their four road games this year, allowing 39.3 pts/game on foreign soil- they’re 11-4 vs spread in last 15 road games. Average total in their last six games is 79.3. AAC home underdogs are 6-6 vs spread.

Oklahoma State won its last seven games with Texas Tech (6-1 vs spread), scoring 58.4 pts/game in last five meetings. OSU won 70-53 LY. Underdogs are 4-2 vs spread in Tech’s last six visits to Stillwater. Red Raiders scored 40 pts/game in losing two of three road games (average total, 85.3)- they’ve scored 50+ four times but are only 2-2 in those games. Cowboys won last five games overall, scoring 42.4 pts/game- they’re 15-8 in last 23 games as a home favorite, 2-2 this year. OSU gave up 345 rushing yards LW but survived 43-37 at K-State. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread.

Air Force is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games as a home favorite, 2-1 this year; Flyboys clinched another Commander-in-Chief trophy LW, beating Army- they won eight of last ten games with Colorado State, with home side winning last four; Rams lost last six visits here, with dogs covering four of the six. Falcons covered only one of last five games overall. Rams won three of last four games, covered six of last seven; they’re 3-0 as a road underdog this year, losing by 7-5 points, with only win at UNLV. Mountain West home favorites are 8-11 vs spread. Four of last five Air Force games went over total.

Auburn won its last six games, winning its two road games, 38-14 at Miss State, 40-29 at Ole Miss; Tigers ran ball for 337.3 yards/game in last four SEC games. Auburn is 5-2 as road favorite under Malzahn, 2-0 this year. Georgia lost its two SEC home games by total of four points- they won eight of last ten games with Auburn; favorites covered six of last seven. Auburn lost its last four visits between hedges, losing last two by combined 79-14. Dawgs are home underdog for just 5th time in last 11 years (2-1-1). SEC home underdogs are 11-6 vs spread. Last three Georgia stayed under the total.

Kentucky had won three games in row before losing 27-24 at gun to Georgia LW; Wildcats are 7-9 as road underdogs under Stoops, 2-1 this year. Tennessee is 2-3 in SEC, scoring 28.2 pts/game; they snapped 3-game skid with win over I-AA team LW. Vols are 18-1 in its last 19 games with Kentucky, losing 50-16/52-21 last two years; they’re 7-9 as home favorites under Jones, 1-2 this year. Wildcats are 2-7 vs spread in last nine visits to Knoxville, 0-4 last four years. Tennessee gained 163-297 TY in last two SEC games. SEC home favorites are 12-6 vs spread. Five of last six Kentucky games stayed under the total.

South Carolina coach Muschamp was 28-21 in four years as Florida coach, 17-15 in SEC games; Gamecocks won four of last six games with Gators; three of last five were decided by 5 or less points. Carolina won two of last three visits here- they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five trips to Swamp. Gators are 4-0 at home, outscoring foes 101-29 (2-2 as home favorite); they’re 8-15 in last 23 games as home favorite, 2-2 this year. Gamecocks are on road for first time since Sept 24; they’re 1-2 as road underdogs, scoring 12.3 pts/game but are 3-0 since bye, scoring 29.7 pts/game. SEC home favorites are 12-6 vs spread.

Arkansas is 6-3, allowing 45+ points in all three losses; Hogs are 5-2 in last seven games as a home underdog, 2-1 this year- they allowed 264+ RY in three losses, held opponents under 200 RY in their wins. LSU scored 14-13-0 points in its three losses- they got blanked at home by Alabama LW. Tigers need to bounce back vs Razorback squad that beat Tigers 31-14/17-0 last two years; LSU lost three of last four visits here. Underdog covered last four series games. LSU is 3-8 vs spread in last 11 games as a road favorite. Arkansas is SEC home underdogs are 11-6 vs spread.

Oregon lost six of last seven games and allowed 35 points in only win; they’ve allowed 270+ RY in five of last six games. are 11-3 in last 14 games with Stanford; underdogs covered six of last eight meetings. Cardinal lost six of last seven visits here; five of six losses were by 21+ points. Stanford has only 454 TY combined in last four games; they won last two games while running for 602 yards, allowing 10-15 points over Pac-12 stiffs Arizona/OSU. Cardinal is 15-9 as road favorite under Shaw, 2-0 this year; they’re 3-1 on road this year, with only loss at Washington. Pac-12 home underdogs are 9-5 vs spread.

Washington is 6-0 in Pac-12 games, with four of last five wins by 24+ points; Huskies are 9-5 as home favorites under Petersen, 3-1 this year. USC won its last five games after a 1-3 start, scoring 45+ points in last three. Trojans are 2-8 as road underdogs last five years, 0-2 this season. Underdogs covered seven of last nine USC-Washington games, including last four played in Seattle- Trojans won four of last five visits here. Huskies are 3-2 in last five series games, but gained less than 300 TY in six of last seven meetings. Pac-12 home favorites are 13-9 vs spread.

Texas is 4-0 at home, scoring 38.3 pts/game; Longhorns are 5-2-1 as home favorites under Strong, 2-0 this year- they allowed 71 points, 1,106 TY in winning last two games. West Virginia split its two true road games, losing at Oklahoma State two weeks ago; Mountaineers are a dog for first time this year; they’re 6-7 as road dogs under Holgorsen. West Virginia/Texas split last four meetings (1-1 in each stadium) with an average total of 71.8. WV lost 33-16, won 48-45 in last two visits here. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread. Under is 4-1 in last five West Virginia games, 4-0 in Longhorns’ last four games.

Baylor lost its last two games after a 6-0 start, allowing 688 RY and 97 points; have to question their mental state, given chaos around program- they’re underdog for first time this year, are 4-2 as road dogs the last five years. Oklahoma won its last six games, scoring 48.5 pts/game; they’re 12-9 as home favorites the last four years, 2-1 this year. Sooners ran ball for 260+ yards in four of last six games. Bears lost eight of last nine visits to Norman, but covered eight of those nine anyway. Underdogs are 9-4 vs spread in last 13 series games; Bears are 3-2 in last five meetings overall. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread.

South Florida is 7-2 but allowed 91 points, 636 rushing yards in last two games, vs Temple-Navy. Bulls are 2-1 on road, with average total, 68.7. USF is 4-2 as road favorite under Taggart, 2-1 this year. Memphis won last three games with USF by 7-11-13 points; Bulls split last two trips to Memphis, losing 31-20, winning 21-16. Tigers are 3-1 at home this year, with only loss to Tulsa; Memphis allowed 169 or less RY in its wins, 263+ in its losses- they’re 6-0 allowing less than 42 points. Underdogs are 4-3 vs spread in last seven series games. AAC home underdogs are 6-6 vs spread.

Armadillosports.com

Best Bets - Week 11
By Sportsbook.ag

Last week's college football best bets swept the board without any sweating. Washington came out to make a statement to the selection committee as predicted, and TCU dominated a deflated Baylor team coming off their first loss.

That makes it two straight weeks of sweeping the board with these CFB best bets and hopefully the good times keep rolling with this week's selections.

Best Bet #1: Stanford/Oregon Over 57

Betting Stanford games 'over' has largely been a losing proposition this year as the Cardinal enter this week's game with a 2-7 O/U mark. But after a 10-5 home loss to Colorado a few weeks back, things have started to trend upwards for this offense with 34 and 26 points in their two games since.

Stanford's hopes of making the playoffs or even a Pac-12 Conference game have long been dashed, but this program will still go bowling somewhere and they'll need to have their offense at least capable of pulling their own weight in that game.

Enter a trip to Oregon to face a Ducks defense that has been torched by everyone this year and there's a good chance we see plenty of points this week.

Oregon has allowed 35+ points in seven straight games and that run includes all six conference games they've played.

The talent just simply isn't there this year for the Ducks and while Oregon fans have grown accustomed to seeing their team have success for years in high-scoring affairs, this year the offense simply can't make up for all the mistakes the defense makes.

You aren't going to win too many games giving up 35 points per game they've become the cure for any opponent that's been struggling offensively.

Furthermore, for as solid as Stanford's defense has looked the majority of the year, Oregon still knows how to put up points and will have success as well.

Last year the Ducks put up 38 points on Stanford as 8.5-point road underdogs, and Oregon has always been a much better point producing machine at home. The Ducks are a perfect 3-0 O/U at home against conference foes this year and that undefeated record shouldn't change this week.

Eight of the past 10 meetings between these two programs have cashed 'over' tickets and only once did the total close at a lower number than 56.5. The Ducks have also lost the yardage battle – on the ground and in the air – in all but one Pac-12 game so far this year, so look for Stanford to move up and down the field on the Ducks like everyone else has.

The fact that this is the highest total for a Stanford game this year should stand out as a sign we will see some points, especially when you consider that the previous highest mark of 56.5 against Washington State was one of Stanford's two 'overs' on the year.

Best Bet #2: Illinois/Wisconsin Over 39.5

Wisconsin is another team like Stanford that has been a favorite of 'under' bettors this year (2-7 O/U), as they've got a tremendous defense and prefer to win games with a ground and pound attack. The Badgers are laying 26.5 points at home this week against a bad Illinois team and a total like this suggests the Illini won't score a touchdown.

But that hasn't happened all year for Illinois, and after going through numerous grueling games the past month, I expect this Wisconsin defense to let up a little bit here.

Three of the past four meetings between these two programs have cashed 'over' tickets, and all of Wisconsin's true home games this year have finished with at least 40 points.

The Badgers will get to 30+ points themselves here against a Illini defense that has struggled against top tier competition and this number is simply too low not to make this play.

One TD by Illinois at any point gives this play a good chance to cash, and with the number having moved up to its current state after opening at 38.5 despite VegasInsider showing that nearly 70% of the money has come in on the 'under' already suggests that going against the grain is correct here.

Big Ten Report - Week 11
By ASAWins.com

Michigan (-20) at Iowa

Iowa – The Hawkeyes had a chance to turn their season back in the right direction last week as they were coming off a bye and traveling to Penn State. It didn’t happen as Iowa was stopped 41-14 and it was no fluke. PSU outgained the Hawkeyes by a whopping 365 yards and were 8 of 15 (53%) on 3rd and 4th down. The slumping Iowa defense gave up 599 total yards on 8.5 YPP. It was the 3rd straight game Iowa allowed at least 420 yards and 2nd time in 3 weeks the allowed over 500 yards. During that 3 game stretch they have allowed opposing offenses (PSU, Wisconsin, and Purdue) to average 6.9 YPP. That’s from a defense that gave up just 341 YPG last year on 5.0 YPP. Obviously a huge drop on that side of the ball for the Hawks.

The offense isn’t helping out either. They’ve been held to 14 points or less in 4 of their 6 Big Ten games this season. Iowa ranks just 12th in the Big Ten in total offense averaging 324 YPG ahead of only Rutgers & Illinois (conference games only). This struggling offense now has to face a Michigan defense that has given up 10 points or less in every Big Ten game but one. Could be tough sledding for QB Beathard who has regressed this season and struggles to pick up big plays for this offense. In fact, on Saturday, before their final meaningless TD drive late in the 4th quarter, Iowa had only 3 offensive plays in the game that gained 10 yards or more. Struggling defense + lethargic offense does not equal much success for this team.

Michigan – The Wolverine starters should be well rested here as they walloped Maryland last week 59-3 and many of the regulars were able to sit the 2nd half. Nine different players carried the ball for Michigan while eight different players caught at least one pass. QB Wilson Speight threw for a school record 292 yards in the first half and led Michigan to TD’s on all 5 of its offensive possessions. Head coach Jim Harbaugh heaped praise on Speight after the game saying, “That's the best half of football I've ever seen a Michigan quarterback play.” The Wolverines didn’t punt in the game and scored points on 9 of their 10 offensive possessions. The only possession that ended in no points was when Michigan was stopped at the Maryland 14-yard line on fourth and one.

The defense was their usual dominant self as they held another opponent to 10 points or less, their fourth in five Big Ten games. They lead the Big Ten in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense (conference games only). They are winning their Big Ten games by an average score of 45-8 and outgaining their conference opponents by 300 YPG (521 YPG to 221 YPG).

Last Year – These two haven’t met since 2013 when Iowa won 24-21 at home vs Michigan. That was the 4th time in the last 5 meetings the Hawks have beaten the Wolverines dating back to 2009.

Inside the Numbers – The home team has won 7 of the last 10 games in this Big Ten series. The underdog is 11-2-2 ATS the last 15 meetings. Iowa has not been a home dog of +20 or more since the 1999 season. Before this season, Michigan hadn’t been a Big Ten road favorite of 20 or more points since 1997. This year, if this line holds at -20, it will already be the third time in three Big Ten road games they’ve been favored by 20 or more.

Minnesota at Nebraska (-7)

Nebraska – There is no opening line on this game due to the status of Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong who was taken away in an ambulance late in the 1st half of their game at OSU last week. The number has since come up at Nebraska -7 in spots. Armstrong returned to the sidelines in street clothes and he is currently going through concussion protocol this week. If Armstrong can’t play, Ryker Fyfe, will start and his back up will be WR Zach Darlington who used to be a QB before changing positions. Fyfe took his first snap last week since Sept 17th and finished the game just 5 of 18 for 52 yards in Nebraska’s 62-3 loss to the Buckeyes (including 2 pick 6’s). In Fyfe’s 5 drives under center, the Huskers punted 3 times (3 three and outs), he threw a pick on the 3rd play of another drive, and the final possession stalled inside the OSU 10-yard line.

They are hoping to get some reinforcements back on the offensive line this weekend with 3 former starters all banged up and recently out, but getting better. The Nebraska defense, that actually looked solid a week earlier at Wisconsin, was shredded for 590 yards on 8.0 YPP. The OSU offense scored points on their first 8 offensive possessions and probably would have on their final and 9th drive as well but the game ended with the Bucks on the Nebraska 39 yard line. Just a game to forget for Nebraska who now no longer controls their own destiny in the Big Ten West as they had entering the last two games.

Minnesota – After starting the Big Ten season 0-2, the Gophers are on a 4 game winning streak and are now one of two teams in the Big Ten West, along with Wisconsin, that control their own destiny in that half of the conference. While Minnesota’s 4 game run has been obviously impressive because they’ve won all of those games, the opposition has been less than impressive with a combined record of 5-19 in league play. The streak began by beating Maryland with the Terps playing their back up QB.

Their last three wins have come against the three worst teams in the entire Big Ten (Rutgers, Illinois, and Purdue). While they won those three games, each as a heavy favorite, they outgained those three opponents by just 117 yards combined or just 39 YPG. Not overly impressive vs teams that have been outgained by an average of 208 (Rutgers), 132 (Illinois), and 108 (Purdue) yards per game in Big Ten play. After trailing 28-23 at half in last Saturday’s 44-31 home win over Purdue, the Gophers took advantage of 3 Boilermaker 2nd half turnovers turning them directly into 21 points. Partly due to the turnover, the Minnesota defense was able to hold Purdue to just 3 points after the break.

Last Year – Nebraska came into Minnesota Last Year in a pick-em game and destroyed the Gophers 48-25 outgaining them by 100 yards.

Inside the Numbers – These two have met 5 times since the Huskers joined the Big Ten with Nebraska winning 3 of those games. Total scoring numbers in those games are Nebraska 174 – Minnesota 115 (Average score of Nebraska 34-23. The total yardage in those 5 games looks like this Nebraska 2,148 – Minnesota 1,643 (Average yardage per game of Nebraska 430 – Minnesota 328).

Rutgers at Michigan State (-14)

Michigan State – Can Sparty possibly lose another game when listed as a favorite? This team has now lost 7 straight games and they were a favorite in 6 of those. They are just 2-7 ATS this year with those games losing to the spread by a combined -96 points or over 10 points per game. They’ve played a fairly difficult schedule up until last Saturday so there was hope they may be able to turn it around with a few games coming up vs the Big Ten’s worst (Illinois & Rutgers). Well that didn’t happen as last week this team lost at Illinois 31-27 as a 9.5 point favorite. That was an Illinois team playing with their 3rd string QB (Jeff George Jr) who had been creamed by a combined score of 81-25 the two previous week’s with George at QB.

It was a loss to a poor Illinois team despite MSU running 90 offensive plays to just 53 for the Illini. The offense moved the ball but was obviously extremely inefficient. They crossed inside the Illinois 36-yards line on 8 of their 12 possessions but scored just 2 TD’s and kicked 4 FG’s on those possessions. They were forced to punt from the Illinois 36, 40, and 45 yard line. Let’s not forget we’re talking about a team that was in College Football’s “Final 4” last season. Turnover margin and red zone efficiency have dropped big time and are keys to this huge decline. Last year they were 23rd nationally in turnover margin and this year they are 125th! They also rank 125th in red zone efficiency which is a big reason they average just 23 PPG which is down a full TD from last season (30 PPG). Can they turn it around vs Rutgers this week? If not, this team is obviously done if they aren’t already.

Rutgers – Watch out for this Rutgers team. Well we don’t want to get too hyped up on that but this team is definitely improving. Since switching QB’s from Laviano to Rescigno two weeks ago, the Knights have lost 34-32 at Minnesota and 33-27 vs Indiana. While they obviously lost both of those games so improvement is relative, let’s remember this team lost their first four Big Ten games by a combined score of 174-14 (although games vs Michigan & Ohio State are included in those numbers). After a very good first start vs Minnesota a few weeks ago, Rescigno was solid again throwing for 258 yards and 1 TD.

The Rutgers offense was helped by 4 Indiana turnovers which led directly to 2 of their 3 TD’s. Defensive they continue to stink. They allowed Indiana to rack up 567 total yards which keeps Rutgers dead last in the Big Ten (conference games) giving up a ridiculous 485 YPG. Which Rutgers team shows up here? The one that was beaten handily by Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio State (the last 2 are obviously not a big surprise) or the team that lost their other 3 Big Ten games vs Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana by a combined 15 points?

Last Year – MSU has won both games since Rutgers entered the Big Ten. Last year was a tight 31-24 win at Rutgers and the year before was an easy 45-3 home win.

Inside the Numbers – MSU already has 7 losses this year after losing just 5 total games between 2013-2015. Michigan State has won 34 straight games (outright wins) when favored by 14 or more dating back to the 2009 season. Rutgers has been a road dog of 14 or more 71 times since 1980. They are 2-68-1 SU in those games.

Northwestern (-13.5) at Purdue

Purdue – This team has put up solid fights in the first half of many games. They are often “hanging around” at halftime only to get blown out in the 2nd half. It happened again last week at Purdue led Minnesota 28-23 at half but lost the 2nd half 21-3 in their 44-31 loss. The last three weeks vs Nebraska, Penn State, and Minnesota, the Boilers led or were tied at the half of each winning the 1st half battle by a combined score of 59-50. They have also been destroyed in each of those 2nd halves losing in those games by a combined score of 78-10 after the break! In those three games, the Boilers have had 23 offensive possessions, scored just one TD & one FG, punted 10 times, turned the ball over 7 times, and 4 drives ended on downs when Purdue went for it on 4th down.

Those are some putrid second half numbers. Purdue defense, however is the key problem for this team. They continue to get shredded on the ground giving up 288 YPG rushing in Big Ten play and the Gophers did their part rolling up 235 yards rushing last week. They are also dead last in the league allowing 44 PPG in conference play. This team has now played 3 games under interim coach Gerad Parker and lost all three. They now have very little chance to get to .500 as they’d have to win their remaining three games. Is this team close to folding? If they lose another one this weekend, we’d have to say the chances are pretty good.

Northwestern – The Northwestern offense was rolling along nicely averaging 34 PPG their previous four games entering last week’s game vs Wisconsin. The Badgers top notch defense shut them down to just 7 points in a 21-7 Northwestern loss. They only crossed midfield 3 times in their 13 offensive possessions and had 5 three and outs. The Cats weren’t able to get anything going on the ground with just 19 total attempts for 39 yards. They knew they’d have trouble running the ball against the Wisconsin defense and came out throwing with 8 of their first 10 plays being passes. QB Thorson attempted 52 passes, which was by far the most in his career, and completed 28 of them. While NW ran the ball only 19 times, UW kept it on the ground 57 times and thus dominated the time of possession with a 2 to 1 advantage.

The NW defense actually played fairly well. They held Wisconsin to just 333 total yards although that was a bit skewed as Badger QB Bart Houston took 47 yards in losses on the final drive simply running backwards to try and run out the clock. It was the third straight game the Wildcat defense held their opponent below their scoring average. At 4-5, NW has to close out the season strong to make sure they get to a bowl game. With games at Purdue, at Minnesota, and Illinois that is definitely doable.

Last Year – These two have met twice since 2010 with Northwestern taking both games. They won 21-14 last season and 38-14 in 2014.

Inside the Numbers – Northwestern has won 6 of the last 9 in this series. Prior to that, the Boilers were 18-4 vs Northwestern from 1980 – 2003. Northwestern has been a double digit, conference road favorite only THREE times since 1980. The most recent was in 2005. They are 2-1 both SU & ATS in those games. Purdue has been an underdog in this series only 6 times in the 31 meetings since 1980 (2-4 SU & 4-2 ATS).

Ohio State (-29.5) at Maryland

Maryland – The Terps began the season winning their first 4 games and it looked like new coach DJ Durkin was a shoe in for a post-season bowl bid. Maryland has since lost 4 of their last 5 including last week’s 59-3 whitewashing at Michigan. Their only win during this 5 games stretch was at home vs Michigan State who is still winless in the Big Ten. The Maryland defense, which looked good early allowing 17 points or less in their first four games, has looked terrible as of late. Two weeks ago they allowed 650 yards to a struggling Indiana offense and last Saturday Michigan stomped them for 660 yards. Those numbers include almost 700 yards rushing allowed the last two weeks.

That could be a recipe for disaster facing an Ohio State offense that definitely got back on track last week with 62 points and 590 yards vs a solid Nebraska defense. Will the Terp defense allow over 600 yards for the third consecutive game? It certainly looks like a possibility. Durkin has shuffled his starting line up on defense this week as it looks like he’ll go with 4 new starters including two on the defensive line. They are banged up on the other side of the ball with starting QB Hills questionable with a shoulder injury, top RB Johnson possibly out with a shoulder issue, and starting left tackle Dunn also a game time decision with an injury.

Ohio State – After struggling on offense for three consecutive games, the Buckeyes hit the after burners last week and put up 62 points and almost 600 yards on the Huskers. The 62-point outburst was almost as many points as they had scored in their previous three games combined (68 in regulation). They scored on every possession except one and that was their final drive of the game which ended inside the Nebraska 40-yard line as time expired. The Bucks also put up 238 yards on the ground as they have not outgained and outrushed every opponent except one (Wisconsin). It was their 4th win by at least 45 points this season. The Buckeye defense had been “struggling” a bit coming in allowing 2 of their previous 3 opponents to top 400 yards (Northwestern & Wisconsin).

They played one of the best games of the season vs Nebraska giving up just 209 total yards and only 9 first downs. The Husker offense got inside the OSU 45-yard line only three times the entire game. We have to say this is an interesting number. The spread sits at Maryland +28.5 & +29 which is the same number they were AT Michigan last week. Only difference is this week they are at home against a team that most view as comparable and fairly even with Michigan. That tells us this line is probably inflated but with the Terp injuries and struggles on defense, we can’t say we’ll jump in on this one.

Last Year – Ohio State has dominated both meetings between these two winning 49-28 last year and 52-24 in 2014.

Inside the Numbers – Maryland has gone OVER the total in 13 of their last 18 home games. The Terps have been a home dog of +28 or more just 5 times since 1980. They are 0-5 SU & 1-4 ATS in those games. Interestingly enough, all of those games were against Florida State back in Maryland’s ACC days. OSU has been a road favorite of this magnitude (-28 or more) just twice since 1998. Those games were both in 2013 at Purdue and at Illinois (1-1 ATS).

Illinois at Wisconsin (-26.5)

Wisconsin – We felt Wisconsin was in a very tough spot last weekend. They had come off a number of tough, emotional type games (Michigan, Ohio St, Iowa, & Nebraska) including 2 OT’s. They were facing a dangerous Northwestern team that was playing their best football of the season and took Ohio State to the wire on the road a week earlier. Even with that, the Badgers just continued to impress handling NW 21-7 and holding a hot Wildcat offense who had averaged 30+ points over their last four games in check. Now they come in favored by 26.5 vs an Illinois team that beat Michigan State week. What’s interesting about that number is Wisconsin averages just 24 PPG thus they are favored by more points than they average offensively. They have only scored more than 26 points twice this season vs Akron & Michigan State.

With their win over Northwestern and Nebraska’s loss at Ohio State, Wisconsin now controls their own destiny to the Big Ten West Title. The simply need to beat Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota and they go to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Title game. If past history has anything to say, they are almost a shoe in as the Badgers are 31-1 against those three opponents dating back to 2004. If they can pull it off, it would be Wisconsin’s fourth Big Ten Title game appearance in the last six seasons.

Illinois – The Illini pulled a big upset at home last week beating Michigan State 31-27. If you simply took a look at the boxscore and not the final score, you would have thought the Spartans beat the Illini easily. In the win, Illinois was -189 in yardage, -14 first downs, and -20:00 minutes in time of possession and still won by 4. Jeff George Jr remained at QB with starter Wes Lunt still week to week (expected out again this week) and his back up Chayce Crouch out for the season. In the three games George has been the starter, the Illini are 1-2 but have been outgained in each game by a grand total of 613 yards or an average of 204 YPG.

Going back further, since their opener vs FCS Murray State, the Illini have been outgained in every game but one. They outgained Purdue by 40 yards and have been outgained by their other seven opponents since the opener by a combined 1,106 yards (158 YPG). Wisconsin will be Illinois’ fifth ranked team they’ve faced so far this season. They’ve lost those games by an average of 24 points and this spread is currently Wisconsin -26.5.

Last Year – Wisconsin went to Illinois as a 4.5 point favorite last year, lost starting QB Joel Stave during the game, but still won 24-13. It was Wisconsin’s sixth straight win over Illinois.

Inside the Numbers – Wisconsin has dominated this series going 15-3-1 over the last 19 meetings. However, Wisconsin has only beaten Illinois by more than 26 points (the current spread) ONE time since 1980. The Illini are 15-24 ATS the last 39 times they’ve been an underdog.

Penn State (-7) at Indiana

Indiana – The Hoosiers went to Rutgers last week and topped the Knights 33-27 in a game that was more lopsided than the final score indicated. The truth is IU dominated the game with 27 first downs (13 for Rutgers) and 567 total yards (351 for Rutgers). The problem was the Hoosiers turned the ball over 4 times in the game. Not only did they turn the ball over, but two of those giveaways led directly to 14 of Rutgers 27 points. On top of that, IU was unsuccessful on two short field goals and on two other possessions pushed the ball inside the Scarlet Knights 30-yard line and came away with no points. Minus being inefficient on the few drives we just spoke of, the offense as a whole played very well for the second straight week.

After struggling early in the Big Ten season in comparison to other recent IU offenses, they’ve kicked it in the last two weeks totaling over 1,200 yards. After getting outgained in each of their first four conference games, the Hoosiers have out yarded their last two opponents by a combined 349 yards. They need one more win to qualify for their second bowl appearance in as many years (no bowls since 2007 before last season) but the road isn’t easy with PSU this week, at Michigan next week, before closing with arch rival Purdue.

Penn State – Penn State is rolling right now. Since getting a bit “lucky” to beat OSU a few weeks ago, this Nittany Lion team then scored 62 on Purdue and last week destroyed Iowa 41-14. The Hawkeyes were coming off a bye and actually in a pretty good spot for a solid performance as they were as healthy as they had been in a while. Our handicap had this game closer to -10 than -7.5 so once it dropped below a TD we jumped on PSU as our Top Play at -6. It was no fluke and it could be argued the Nittany Lions dominated even more than the final score indicated. They outgained Iowa by a whopping 365 yards and rushed for 359 yards. They pushed into Iowa territory on every possession except one and ended the game taking knees on the Hawkeye 9-yard line. The only time they didn’t push across the 50-yard line they made it to the PSU 45.

The defense simply thwarted a rested and healthy Iowa offense holding them to just 234 total yards on 4.5 YPP. Half of Iowa’s 10 offensive possessions resulted in 14 yards or less. The Nits defense has really stepped it up since getting a few starting LB’s back in the line up who had been out since early in the season. They have allowed 341 yards or less in 3 of their last 4 games and none of those four opponents have topped 24 points. As we stated in last week’s edition, if Penn State can win out beating IU, Rutgers, and Michigan State, and Ohio State beats Michigan they will at least have a share of the Big Ten East title.

Last Year – Penn State rolled to an easy 29-7 win last year vs Indiana nearly doubling the Hoosiers in total offense (420 to 234).

Inside the Numbers – Talk about dominating a series. PSU has won 18 of the 19 meetings between these two since the 1980 season. Indiana’s only win in this series game in 2013 as they whipped PSU 44-24 as 3.5 point underdogs. The Nittany Lions have NEVER been an underdog in this series. Coming into this season, PSU was just 2-8 the last 10 times they were road favorites dating back to 2011. They are 1-0 in that spot this year winning and covering at Purdue.

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

Baylor at No. 11 Oklahoma (-16, 80)

* The Bears' season is teetering after back-to-back losses at Texas (35-34) and last week at home to TCU (62-22), a contest that saw Baylor surrender 688 yards, including 431 rushing. Senior Shock Linwood, who has rotated with Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty for the lead running back role, has rushed for 594 yards through eight games this season to give him a school career record 4,056, but he was suspended for this week's game by acting head coach Jim Grobe after a sideline dustup with a graduate-assistant coach. The Bears will need a big game from senior quarterback Seth Russell who has passed for 1,978 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 436 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season and will be going against an Oklahoma defense that ranks 122nd nationally in passing yards allowed per game (297.7).

* Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago, is having another outstanding season, completing 71.2 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 31 touchdowns against only six interceptions. It helps when you have a wide receiver like explosive senior Dede Westbrook, who has 40 catches for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns since the start of Big 12 play on Oct. 1, and a running back duo like Joe Mixon (813 yards, 5 TDs) and Samaje Perine (475 yards, 6 TDs), to work with. The Sooners' defense, which has started 22 different players this season due to a rash of injuries, is led by junior outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who ranks third in the Big 12 and 20th nationally with an average of 0.9 sacks per game, and cornerback Jordan Thomas, who ranks second in the nation with 1.7 passes defended per game.

LINE HISTORY: Oklahoma opened as 14.5-point home favorites and as the week went along the spread has risen to 16. The total opened at 80 and has remained at that number all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Over is 6-1 in Bears last 7 games following a straight up loss.
Under is 4-1 in Bears last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Bears are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Oklahoma.

Mississippi State vs No.1 Alabama (-28.5, 55)

* Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and passed for 209 yards and rushed for 182 as the Bulldogs cruised up and down the field against Texas A&M. Fitzgerald has thrown for 1,705 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 839 yards and eight scores and his favorite target is senior wideout Fred Ross (54 receptions for 641 yards), who leads the SEC with nine touchdown catches and has caught at least one pass in 31 consecutive contests. Senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson is fifth in school history with 34.5 tackles for loss - including 10 this season - while senior middle linebacker Richie Brown has a team-best 76 tackles.

* The Crimson Tide allow just 13.2 points per game and dominated LSU's offense in their first game without standout senior strong safety Eddie Jackson (broken leg). Sophomore Minkah Fitzpatrick was moved from cornerback to strong safety and he recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season, while senior defensive end Jonathan Allen and senior outside linebacker Tim Williams share the team lead with seven sacks. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts is effectively guiding the offense and has passed for 1,656 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 635 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

LINE HISTORY: The Crimson Tide opened as 29-point home favorites and by Thursday has dropped to 28.5. The total opened at 55.5 and went down to 55. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.
Crimson Tide are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games in November.
Under is 4-1 in Bulldogs last 5 games following a straight up win.
Under is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings in Alabama.

No.16 West Virginia at Texas (-2, 64)

* The Mountaineers may be without running back Rushel Shell (503 yards, five touchdowns), who missed last week with an ankle injury, but a balanced offense was sparked last week by rushing efforts from Justin Crawford (129 yards) and Kennedy McKoy (127). Quarterback Skyler Howard, who had a 260-yard, three touchdown game last week, has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 2,293 yards and 16 TDs. The senior connected for 104 yards to Daikiel Shorts and 102 to Shelton Gibson against Kansas.

* The Longhorns may have salvaged their season on the recent strength of their improved defensive play after coach Charlie Strong took control of the play-calling four games ago. Foreman surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in 10 straight games and with 1,446 yards this season averages 180.8 per game. The effectiveness of freshman quarterback Shane Buechele (2,257 yards, 19 touchdowns) to set up the run game could be as effective as Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph in leading the Cowboys to victory over West Virginia two weeks ago.

LINE HISTORY: Texas opened as 1.5-point home favorites and the spread moved up to 2.5 before settling back to 2. The total opened at 64 and has yet to move. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game
Longhorns are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games
Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 games following a straight up win
Under is 4-0 in Longhorns last 4 games overall

No.10 Penn State at Indiana (7.5, 59.5)

* Barkley (conference-leading 1,055 yards rushing, 13 total touchdowns), rushed for 167 yards and scored twice last week in the 41-14 win over Iowa. McSorley (55.6 completion percentage, 14 TDs, three interceptions) is second in the Big Ten in yards per attempt (8.5) and interception percentage (1.2) and has found a new deep threat in Saeed Blacknall, who has three catches for 96 yards in the last three weeks. Led by a revitalized and deep front seven, the Lions have yielded a combined 76 yards rushing the past two weeks, marking the first time Penn State had ever held back-to-back Big Ten opponents to fewer than 50 yards rushing.

* Lagow, a 6-6 junior, passed for 394 yards and three TDs in last week’s 33-27 victory over Rutgers but also threw two of his 13 interceptions on the season. Wide receivers Nick Westbrook (78.7 yards per game) and Ricky Jones (75.7) rank in the top five in the Big Ten, while Devine Redding is sixth in the league with 793 rushing yards - good for a 4.8 average. Linebacker Tegray Scales ranks second in FBS with 7.1 solo tackles per game, defensive back Rashard Fant leads the country with 1.8 passes defended per game and linebacker Marcus Oliver ranks tied for fifth in FBS with 0.44 forced fumbles per game.

LINE HISTORY: Penn State opened the week as 6.5-point road favorites and that spread was up to 7.5 by Thursday. The total opened a 58.5 went up to 59.5 before dropping to 58. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Nittany Lions are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
Nittany Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.
Hoosiers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game
Home team is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh at No. 2 Clemson (20.5, 65.5)

* The Panthers are tough in the trenches, as they lean on star running back James Conner on offense and do an excellent job of shutting down opposing ground games. The Panthers also boast one of the nation’s top return men in Quadree Henderson, who leads the nation in kickoff return average (33.8 yards) and kickoff return touchdowns (three). Defensive end Ejuan Price anchors the defense and ranks third in the nation in sacks (1.0) and tackles for loss (1.78) per game.

* The Tigers suffered a scare when star quarterback Deshaun Watson left last week’s game with a bruised right shoulder, but it looks as though he will be ready to go Saturday. Watson is the catalyst for an electric offense that also features a dangerous running back in Wayne Gallman. The Tigers are equally as impressive on defense and especially tough against the pass, but if they have a slight weakness it is stopping the run (132.8 yards allowed per game), which could be a problem against Conner and the Panthers.

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened as 20-point home favorites and the line has crept up to 20.5/ The total opened at 66.5 and quickly jumped to 67 and than came down a full point to 66 as of Thursday. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
Over is 8-0 in Panthers last 8 games overall
Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 home games

Georgia Tech at No. 14 Virginia Tech (-14, 55)

* Running back Clinton Lynch is one of the more explosive players in the ACC, averaging 17.2 yards per touch (298 yards rushing on 28 carries; 12 receptions for 389 yards) and scoring a touchdown in each of the past four games. Thomas, who is expected to play Saturday, rushed for 82 yards and passed for 144 yards last week after recording 459 yards of total offense against Duke on Oct. 29. But the defense gave up 9.1 yards per play against North Carolina and has surrendered 35 points or more in four of the past five games.

* The Hokies average 444.4 yards of total offense per game, topping 450 yards six times in nine games, and have scored 39 points per game in their seven victories. A trio of receivers – Bucky Hodges, Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips – have combined for 119 receptions for 1,753 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Evans has passed for 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Virginia Tech’s defense ranks 18th nationally in points allowed per game (20.2).

LINE HISTORY: The Hokies opened the week as 13.5- home favorites and has risen to 14. The total opened at 55 and hasn’t moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

Hokies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
Over is 5-0 in Yellow Jackets last 5 games overall
Over is 4-0 in Hokies last 4 home games.
Road team is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.

No. 9 Auburn at Georgia (10,48 )

* The Tigers dodged Vanderbilt’s upset bid thanks in part to their defense, which held the Commodores to three points and 135 yards of total offense in the second half. Pettway has averaged 192.5 rushing yards per game with six touchdowns in his past four games, and has topped 100 yards six times in eight games this season. White looked solid in completing 10-of-13 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown after the offense struggled under John Franklin III in the first two quarters.

* The Bulldogs rebounded from a dreadful offensive performance against Florida (164 yards of total offense), finishing with 460 yards against the Wildcats as Eason completed 17-of-31 passes for 245 yards. Georgia’s rushing attack has sputtered throughout much of the season, but Sony Michel (127 yards) and Nick Chubb (85 yards) combined to average 5.3 yards per carry last week. Georgia’s defense ranks third in the SEC against the run (118.2 yards per game), but faces a strong test against the nation’s third-best rushing attack (Auburn averages 299.8 yards rushing per contest).

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened the week as 10-point home favorites and as of Thursday that number hasn’t moved. The total opened at 48 and remains at that number. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in November.
Favorite is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.

Texas Tech at No.13 Oklahoma State (-12.5, 90)

* Mahomes (31 TDs, eight INTs) leads the country with 3,886 passing yards while the Red Raiders average 485.8 passing yards (first in FBS), 46.2 points (fourth) and 587.1 total yards (second). Jonathan Giles is tied for the Big 12 lead with 12 touchdown receptions and is second with 60 catches and 982 yards. The Red Raiders, who allow 236 rushing yards, rank 124th nationally in scoring defense (41.8 ) and 126th in total defense (533.9).

* Mason Rudolph (2,989 yards, 22 TDs, four INTs) is second in the league in passing and has two of the league's leading receivers. James Washington (50 catches, 974 yards, eight TDs) and Jalen McCleskey (57 catches, 670 yards, six TDs) rank third and eighth, respectively, in yards per game. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 in turnover margin (plus-8 ) after forcing 11 during the win streak.

LINE HISTORY: The Cowboys opened as 12-point home favorites and has inched up half point to 12.5. The total opened at 90 and has yet to move. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Red Raiders are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games in November.
Red Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
Cowboys are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Over is 6-0 in Cowboys last 6 games in November.
Favorite is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

No. 5 Ohio State at Maryland (29.5, 57.5)

* Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett has 21 touchdowns and four interceptions, including four TDs without a pick against Nebraska. He has gone three straight games without an interception and likely will continue to target Samuel, who has 29 catches over the last four outings. Barrett needs two total touchdowns to break the Big Ten record set by ex-Purdue star Drew Brees (95).

* The Terrapins' 4-0 start is barely a memory at this point following a 1-4 stretch capped by a hideous 59-3 loss to Michigan last weekend. Maryland trailed 35-0 at halftime, promnpting Durkin to say: "It's disheartening that we didn't compete. It's hard for me to say that and to even acknowledge that." Quarterback Perry Hills is day-to-day with a shoulder injury, giving Caleb Rowe another shot under center if Hills can't go.

LINE HISTORY: The Buckeyes’ opened the week as 28-point road favorites and after an initial drop the line has been moving up to 29.5. The total opened at 57.5 and hasn’t moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
Under is 8-2 in Buckeyes last 10 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-1 in Terrapins last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Illinois at No.7 Wisconsin (26.5, 39)

* The Fighting Illini haven't won back-to-back conference games since the final two of 2014, but are in position after knocking off Michigan State last week, 31-27, getting a career-high 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns from running back Kendrick Foster. The Badgers will present an immense challenge for the Illinois run game, as their run defense is tops in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation at 101.2 rushing yards surrendered per game. If the Fighting Illini choose to air it out against Wisconsin, they may have to do so without leading receiver Malik Turner, who missed Saturday's game with a concussion.

* The Badgers could be shorthanded on offense as well, as right tackle Jacob Maxwell and fullback Austin Ramesh remain questionable with right shoulder injuries. On the defensive side, nose guard Olive Sagapolu will miss his fourth straight game due to injury and that side of the ball was already banged up after starting inside linebackers Chris Orr and Jack Cichy were lost for the season because of injuries. T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Leon Jacobs have stepped in and kept the defense humming along.

LINE HISTORY: The line opened with Wisconsin as 26.5-home favorites and an over of 39, neither number has moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Badgers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
Under is 6-1 in Fighting Illini last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 5-0 in Badgers last 5 games following a straight up win.

Wake Forest at No. 6 Louisville (34.5, 54.5)

* With Clawson announcing this week that opening-day starter Kendall Hinton would miss the rest of the season with a setback in his sprained left knee, quarterback John Walford (11 total TDs, seven interceptions) will lead the Deacons the rest of the way and is coming off his first interception-free game in four contests. Cameron Glenn (four tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception) and Jessie Bates (four tackles, an interception, a pass breakup) took home the conference’s Defensive Back and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, for their performances last week. Defensive end Duke Ejiofor and linebacker Marquel Lee are one of two duos across the country to rank inside the top 12 in tackles for loss (13 apiece).

* Jackson accounted for seven scores (four passing, three running) for the third time this season - no other player in FBS has done it more than once - to give him a NCAA-best 45 total scores for the season, while his 30-point-per-game average is higher than the scoring average for 70 FBS teams. Running back Brandon Radcliff has 627 yards and has a legitimate shot at giving the Cardinals their first set of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season in school history. Linebacker James Hearns moved into a three-way tie for first in the country by forcing his fifth fumble last week and leads the team with six sacks, while sophomore cornerback Jaire Alexander is tied for second in the country with five interceptions.

LINE HISTORY: Louisville opened as 33-point home favorites over the visiting Demon Deacons and by Thursday that number was bumped up to 34.5. The total opened at 54.5 and hasn’t moved. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Demon Deacons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Demon Deacons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games.
Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games on fieldturf.
Over is 4-0 in Cardinals last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.

No. 22 Boise State at Hawaii (17.5, 63.5)

* The Broncos fell behind in the Mountain Division with a 30-28 loss at Wyoming on Oct. 29 in which they were outgained on the ground 215-159. Boise State made rushing the focus last week against San Jose State and piled up 298 yards on the ground in the 45-31 victory as Jeremy McNichols (159 yards, two TDs) got some help from freshman Alexander Mattison (100 yards, 1 TD). Quarterback Brett Rypien, who did not throw a TD pass and was intercepted once at Wyoming, bounced back as well by posting a season-best 76.2 completion percentage with three TDs and no picks.

* McNichols and Mattison should not have much trouble finding running lanes against the Rainbow Warriors defense, which is being gashed for an average of 259.2 yards on the ground - 124th in FBS. Hawaii quarterback Dru Brown was intercepted a total of three times in his first eight games and matched that number last week at San Diego State, when he was replaced by Aaron Zwahlen after throwing his third pick. Zwahlen, a freshman, went 3-for-10 for 32 yards and an interception in the first action of his college career.

LINE HISTORY: The Broncos opened as 17.5-road favorites and briefly dropped to 17 before retiring to 17.5. The total hit the board at 63.5 and that number has been fine with bettors all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Under is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Over is 7-1 in Broncos last 8 games in November.
Over is 8-1 in Rainbow Warriors last 9 games following a straight up loss.
Over is 6-1 in Rainbow Warriors last 7 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

No. 24 Louisiana State at No. 25 Arkansas (7, 46.5)

* Tigers seniors will leave the program having never beaten Alabama after the team was shut out for the first time since a 17-0 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 15, 2014. Star running back Leonard Fournette, then a freshman, rushed for a career-low nine yards in that 2014 game and failed to crack 100 in a home loss to the Razorbacks last season, making Arkansas and Alabama the lone SEC teams that regularly prevent him from taking over the game. Quarterback Danny Etling suffered through his worst game of the season last week, completing 11-of-24 passes for 92 yards and an interception.

* The Razorbacks were crushed 56-3 at Auburn on Oct. 22 and used the bye the following week to focus on the defense. Arkansas did not allow an offensive touchdown in the win over Florida and cut its rushing yards allowed from 543 against Auburn to 12 against the Gators after mixing up the personnel along the line during the bye. The Razorbacks offense goes as running back Rawleigh Williams III goes, and he is averaging 151.3 yards in the last three wins and 49 yards in the last three losses.

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened as 6.5-road favorites and was bet up to 7.5 before settling at 7 when this cheat sheet was put together. The total opened at 46 and has risen a half point to 46.5. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Razorbacks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 3-0-2 in Tigers last 5 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in Tigers last 4 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 5-1 in Razorbacks last 6 home games.

No. 20 Southern California at No. 4 Washington (-9.5, 62.5)

* Darnold has thrown 18 touchdown pass and topped 300 yards three times during the winning streak that has displayed that the Trojans have a star quarterback in the making. Overall, he has passed for 1,874 yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions and he is mixing well with standout junior wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 48 receptions for 641 yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore inside linebacker Cameron Smith leads the defense with 63 tackles while sophomore outside linebacker Gustin Porter has a team-best 7.5 tackles for losses.

* Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning matched his own school record with six touchdown passes in last week's win over California and he also holds the single-season mark of 34 passing scores. Browning, who has passed for 2,273 yards, regularly teams up with junior wideouts John Ross (44 reception, 14 touchdowns) and Dante Pettis (37 catches, 11 scores), while sophomore running back Myles Gaskins (952 yards) is closing in on his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. The defense suffered a huge blow with news that senior outside linebacker Joe Mathis (team-best five sacks) is done for the campaign and needs shoulder surgery.

LINE HISTORY: The Huskies opened as 8.5-home favorites and throughout the week was up and down before settling at 9. The total opened at 62 and has been bet up half a point to 62.5. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 5-0 in Trojans last 5 games following a straight up win.
Under is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Mississippi at No. 8 Texas A&M (-10, 54.5)

* Pellerin went 1-of-5 for 19 yards and an interception in relief of Kelly last week. "I think that with a week of practice it can be expanded from what you saw the other night, but will it be what Chad (Kelly) has done? Probably not," Rebels coach Hugh Freeze told reporters. "Regardless of who goes at quarterback whether it is him, (Markell) Pack, whoever, Jeremy Liggins, Shea Patterson, it would be crazy for us to expect to carry the whole playbook into this game. We need to pick the things we really like and the things he feels good about, (Jason) Pellerin, and his preparation and go with those." Pellerin will try to lean on running back Akeem Judd, who ran for a career-high 139 yards last week.

* Knight sparked the Aggies offense as much with his legs (10 rushing TDs) as with his arm (13 passing TDs), and Jake Hubenak will be asked to run a similar offense. "Jake's not as fast but is effective," Sumlin told reporters. "Will probably change some of the things we do a little bit. Although many are designed runs, some of them weren't. Trevor had the ability to take the ball down and do some things. QB read game isn't the same for everybody." Hubenak went 11-of-17 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in relief last week but totaled just two yards on seven carries.

LINE HISTORY: Texas A&M opened as 10-point home favorites and the total hit the betting board at 54.5 and neither number has moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Rebels are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
Over is 3-0-1 in Rebels last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 13-2-1 in Rebels last 16 games on grass.
Under is 6-1 in Aggies last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Rebels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

Minnesota at No. 19 Nebraska (-7, 48 )

* Sophomore running back Rodney Smith leads the conference with 13 rushing touchdowns and has topped 100 yards in every game during the winning streak, finding the end zone eight times over that stretch. Mitch Leidner (1,505 passing yards, 12 total TDs), who is the only quarterback in school history to pass and run for at least 30 touchdowns, accumulated a season-high 305 total yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in last week's triumph. The Gophers will be shorthanded on defense this week as Cody Poock (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery in the near future, while fellow linebacker Nick Rallis must sit out the first half Saturday as a result of the targeting penalty that led to his ejection near the end of last week's win.

* If Armstrong is unable to pass concussion protocol in time, the Cornhuskers would turn to senior Ryker Fyfe, who went 5-of-18 for 52 yards with an interception against Ohio State and does not pose nearly the same kind of running threat (16 career carries for 20 yards) as Armstrong. Cethan Carter returned from a three-game absence due to an elbow injury and was one of only three players to catch a pass versus Ohio State; the senior has 52 career receptions and could work his way up to second place on the school's all-time list among tight ends if he can manage 16 more catches over the final four games. Senior safety Nate Gerry finished with a season-high tying nine tackles and needs 30 more to pass Mike Brown (287; 1996-99) for the most by a defensive back in school history.

LINE HISTORY: The Cornhuskers’ opened as 7-point home favorites and the total opened on the board at 48 and have held firm all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Golden Gophers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
Golden Gophers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Cornhuskers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Over is 4-0 in Golden Gophers last 4 games following a straight up win.
Over is 5-0 in Cornhuskers last 5 games following a straight up loss.

No. 3 Michigan at Iowa (21.5, 50.5)

* Speight was named the Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week after completing 19-of-24 passes for a career-high 362 yards and two touchdowns in the lopsided win against Maryland. Jake Butt continues to make his case for the Mackey Award, catching five passes for 76 yards against the Terrapins to break the Wolverines' all-time record for receiving yards by a tight end, passing the legendary Jim Mandich, who accumulated 1,508 from 1967-69. Amara Darboh, who had four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown last weekend, was added to the 15-man shortlist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football.

* Offensive tackle Cole Croston, who has missed two games with an ankle sprain this season, wasn't listed on the depth chart and will likely be replaced by Ike Boettger on Saturday. Freshman offensive tackle Brett Waechter has left the team due to stomach issues which have plagued him during practice and workouts over the last few years. Starting running back LeShun Daniels Jr. was held to 18 yards on 10 carries in the loss to Penn State, and has rushed for over 100 yards only once in his last seven games while Akrum Wadley managed just 28 yards on nine attempts against the Nittany Lions.

LINE HISTORY: Michigan opened as 18.5-point road favorites and by the end of the week the number rose up all to 21.5. The total opened at 50.5 and was bet up to 51.5 and has since settled at 50.5 Friday morning. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Wolverines are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 6-0 in Wolverines last 6 road games.
Over is 6-0 in Wolverines last 6 games in November.
Over is 6-0 in Hawkeyes last 6 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.

No. 12 Colorado at Arizona (15.5, 58 )

* Quarterback Sefo Liufau has seen more pressure in the last two games, and only has completed 31-of-55 passes for 278 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions – his first two of the season with both coming a week ago Thursday against UCLA. Lindsay ranks third in the conference with 90.9 rushing yards per game, and his 11 total TDs rank fifth. Defensively, the Buffaloes are led by linebacker Kenneth Olugbode (fourth in the Pac-12 with 7.7 tackles per game) and rank first in Pac-12 total defense (296.9 yards allowed) and second in scoring defense (17.2 points surrendered).

* The Wildcats rotated quarterbacks Brandon Dawkins, Anu Solomon and Khalil Tate last week at Washington State, hoping to generate some offense but only managed seven points and 286 total yards in a 62-point blowout loss. Senior tailback Samajie Grant has started the last two games and has run for 141 yards on 27 carries while wideout Nate Phillips (21 receptions, 233 yards) now has caught a pass in 42 consecutive games – tied for the fifth-longest streak in the nation. Senior linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. has a team-leading 58 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss for Arizona, which ranks 10th in the conference in scoring defense (37.1 points) and ninth in total defense (475.2 yards).

LINE HISTORY: Colorado opened as 15-point road favorites and that line crept higher to 15.5 on Tuesday morning and held firm. The total hit the betting board at 57.5 and has been bet up to 58. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Buffaloes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Buffaloes are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Under is 5-0 in Buffaloes last 5 games overall.
Under is 4-1 in Wildcats last 5 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

California at No. 23 Washington State (-14.5, 83.5)

* The Golden Bears were 1-for-14 on third down in last week’s loss to Washington despite the return of wide receiver Chad Hansen, who made five catches for 70 yards and his ninth touchdown after missing the previous two games due to injury. Freshmen receivers Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall have combined for nine TDs, but the team needs more production from running backs Khalfani Muhammad and Tre Watson after the duo has failed to reach the end zone in two straight games. Safety Khari Vanderbilt has made a team-high 60 tackles, but the defensive line has struggled to pressure the quarterback all season.

* Coach Mike Leach’s squad opened with losses to Eastern Washington and Boise State but now has a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2002. While Leach is known for his Air Raid offense, he’s used a more balanced attack this season with the rushing trio of Jamal Morrow, Gerard Wicks and James Williams averaging 228.7 all-purpose yards while scoring a total of 27 touchdowns. The defense held Arizona to 158 rushing yards last week despite the absence of starting nose tackle Robert Barber, who has been suspended indefinitely for an off-campus incident.

LINE HISTORY: The Cougars opened the week as 15-point home favorites and was quickly bet down half point to 14.5 and has held firm. The total was opened at 83.5 and didn’t move all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS

Golden Bears are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Golden Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Cougars are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Over is 6-1 in Golden Bears last 7 games following a ATS loss.
Road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

Saturday's SEC Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Auburn at Georgia

Auburn remains alive for everything going into this Saturday’s SEC showdown between the hedges with Georgia. As of late Friday afternoon, most books had Auburn (7-2 straight up, 7-2 against the spread) installed as a 10-point favorite with a total of 48. Gamblers could take UGA on the money line for a monster +320 return (risk $100 to win $320).

Since 2002, Georgia (5-4 SU, 4-5 ATS) has only been a home underdog three times. The Bulldogs covered in their lone home ‘dog spot this year, taking the cash as 3.5-point ‘dogs in a 34-31 home loss to Tennessee.

Georgia had lost four of its last five games going into Lexington last week, but it knocked off Kentucky 27-24 as a 2.5-point road favorite. The 51 combined points slipped ‘under’ the 52-point tally. Rodrigo Blankenship booted a walk-off 25-yard field goal to secure the victory as time expired. Blankenship had already connected on three kicks from 49, 42 and 25 yards out. UGA enjoyed a 460-308 advantage over UK in total yards, but three lost fumbles allowed the Wildcats to hang around. True freshman QB Jacob Eason completed 17-of-31 passes for 245 yards and one TD without an interception. Sony Michel ran for 127 yards and one TD on 19 totes, while Nick Chubb finished with 85 rushing yards on 21 attempts.

Eason has been up and down, but he has all the makings of a QB who will play on Sundays for a long time. He has connected on 53.3 percent of his passes for 1,754 yards with an 11/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Isaiah McKenzie has 32 receptions for 459 yards and six TDs.

Chubb has rushed for a team-best 691 yards and five TDs while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Michel has 487 rushing yards and two TDs with a 5.1 YPC average.

Auburn has won six consecutive games while cashing tickets at a 5-1 ATS clip. Gus Malzahn’s squad has been particularly sharp on the road, winning 38-14 at Mississippi St. and 40-29 at Ole Miss.

Auburn was fortunate to capture a 23-16 win over Vanderbilt last week as a 23.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Tigers played the first half without starting QB Sean White, who had not practiced all week due to a shoulder injury. However, with Vandy ahead 13-10 at intermission, White gave it a go in the second half. He completed 10-of-13 passes for 106 yards and one TD without an interception. Kamryn Pettway rushed 25 times for 173 yards, but he pulled up lame with a hamstring injury on a long run that would’ve been a TD to put the game on ice. But when Pettway went down, Vandy’s defense held and forced a field-goal attempt. That kick was blocked on a sensational play by Zach Cunningham, who timed it perfect and leaped over the offensive guard without making contact and easily blocked the attempt. Then the Commodores penetrated into Auburn territory in the final minute thanks to a first-down pass off a deflection on a fourth-and-18 play. But Kyle Shurmur, who played the best game of his career, made his only mistake and was intercepted inside the red zone. Nevertheless, Vandy easily took the cash as the double-digit ‘dog.

White has been the SEC’s biggest surprise. He has completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 1,617 yards with a 9/2 TD-INT ratio. He has rushed for 145 yards and a pair of scores. White’s favorite target is Tony Stevens, who has 24 receptions for 408 yards and three TDs.

Pettway leads the SEC in rushing with 1,106 yards and seven TDs. He averages 6.4 YPC. Pettway is listed as ‘questionable’ at UGA and will likely be a game-time decision. If he can’t go, the ground game should be in good hands with Kerryon Johnson, who has rushed for 616 yards and nine TDs while averaging 4.9 YPC.

Auburn has compiled a 5-2 spread record in seven games as a road favorite during Malzahn’s tenure.

UGA has lost two of its three home games both SU and ATS this year.

Georgia is ranked 16th in the country in total defense and 20th in rush defense.

The ‘under’ has cashed at a 6-3 overall clip for UGA, going 2-1 in its three home outings. The Bulldogs have seen their games average combined scores of 49.6 points per game.

The ‘under’ is 5-4 overall for Auburn, 1-1 in its road assignments.

Kickoff in Athens is slated for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

LSU at Arkansas

As of late Friday afternoon, most spots had LSU (5-3 SU, 3-5 ATS) installed as a seven-point road favorite with a total of 46. The Razorbacks were available to win outright for a payout in the +240 neighborhood.

Arkansas (6-3 SU, 4-5 ATS) bounced back from its worst loss during Bret Bielema’s tenure to spank Florida 31-10 as a 3.5-point home underdog last week. The 41 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 44-point total. Santos Ramirez put the Razorbacks on the board first with a 24-yard pick-six off of Luke Del Rio on the Gators’ first play from scrimmage. Rawleigh Williams rushed for 148 yards and two TDs on 26 carries, while Austin Allen threw for 243 yards and one TD. Drew Morgan had a game-high seven receptions for 95 yards and one TD.

Arkansas is 5-2 ATS with four outright victories in its last seven games as a home ‘dog. The Hogs have won five of six home games this year while going 3-3 ATS. The only defeat at home came to top-ranked Alabama.

Arkansas junior QB Austin Allen has completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,291 yards with a 19/8 TD-INT ratio. He throws to one of the nation’s best and most underrated group of WRs led by Morgan, who has hauled in 48 receptions for 515 yards and three TDs. Jared Cornelius has 24 catches for 465 yards and four TDs, while Keon Hatcher has 29 grabs for 441 yards and five TDs. Jeremy Sprinkle has made 23 catches for 266 yards and four TDs after replacing Chargers’ rookie Hunter Henry at the tight end position.

Williams has rushed for 955 yards and seven TDs while averaging 5.3 YPC. Devwah Whaley is a solid back-up, producing 383 yards and one score while averaging 5.4 YPC.

LSU is off a heartbreaking 10-0 loss to Alabama as a seven-point home underdog. The defense was spectacular, but the offense was a train wreck and special teams didn’t help much, either. The offense produced merely six first downs, 125 total yards and 33 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Leonard Fournette was limited to 35 rushing yards on 17 carries. The game remained scoreless until Alabama freshman QB Jalen Hurts ran for a 21-yard score with 13:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide tacked on a 25-yard field goal from Adam Griffith to put the game on ice with 2:41 left. The Tigers have now lost six in a row to Alabama.

Before falling to the Tide, LSU had won three straight games since the dismissal of Les Miles following an 18-13 loss at Auburn. Interim head coach Ed Orgeron remain in the mix as a candidate for the full-time gig, but he won’t be much longer if the Tigers can’t get a victory in Fayetteville. Orgeron led them to home wins over Missouri (42-7), So. Miss (45-10) and Ole Miss (38-21), but this will be their first game on the road with ‘Coach O’ calling the shots. They haven’t left Baton Rouge since the loss on The Plains, and their only other road outing was the 16-14 loss to Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in the opener.

Fournette missed three games, but he returned against the Rebels to rush for a school-record 284 yards and three TDs on just 16 carries. For the season, Fournette has 705 rushing yards and five TDs with a 7.0 YPC average. He also has 13 catches for 102 yards. Derrius Guice has rushed for 629 yards and seven TDs while averaging 7.9 YPC.

Purdue grad transfer Danny Etling has been the starting QB since Week 3. Etling has connected on 58.5 percent of his throws for 1,221 yards with a 7/4 TD-INT ratio.

Arkansas has dominated LSU in the last two meetings, including a 31-14 win in Baton Rouge last year. When they collided in Fayetteville two seasons ago, the Hogs dealt out cream-cheese treatment in the form of a 17-0 clubbing.

The ‘under’ is 5-4 overall for Arkansas, 5-1 in its home games. The Hogs have seen their games average combined scores of 59.9 PPG.

The ‘under’ is 6-0-2 overall for the Tigers, who have seen their games average combined scores of 40.5 PPG.

ESPN will have the broadcast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Florida is somehow a double-digit home favorite vs. South Carolina. The Gators have limped to a 3-6 spread record in nine double-digit ‘chalk’ spots since Jim McElwain took over for his counterpart this weekend, Will Muschamp. The Gamecocks have ripped off three consecutive wins since Muschamp made the best decision of his head-coaching career. With South Carolina going into an open date with a 2-4 record, Muschamp elected to take the redshirt off of four-star freshman recruit Jake Bentley, who has responded by playing lights out and leading the ‘Cocks to three straight wins. Bentley has completed 73.0 percent of his passes for 622 yards and six TDs without an interception. Indeed, there’s just a tad bit of irony in the fact that Muschamp returns to The Swamp with what appears to be a beautiful QB situation set up not just for the present, but also for the next 2-3 seasons. Don’t bring up the phrase ‘QB situation’ in Gainesville these days. That’s because we’re now deep into the seventh season of UF getting deplorable play at the most important position on the field. Since Tim Tebow graduated in 2009, the following players have taken snaps: Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, John Brantley, Jeff Driskel, Jacoby Brissett, Tyler Murphy, Skyler Mornhingweg, Treon Harris, Will Grier, Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby. None has enjoyed any sustained success like former UF QBs such as Steve Spurrier, John Reaves, Wayne Peace, Kerwin Bell, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Doug Johnson, Rex Grossman, Chris Leak and Tebow.

Adding to UF’s woes is a laundry list of injured players. Before getting spanked 31-10 at Arkansas, UF had the nation’s second-ranked defense. However, that unit won’t have its two leading tacklers against USC. Senior LB Jarrad Davis (ankle) and Alex Anzalone (broken forearm) are ‘out’ along with Del Rio (shoulder) and starting junior center Cam Dillard. In addition, sophomore DE CeCe Jefferson will be a game-time decision. Austin Appleby will get his third start of the season. The grad transfer from Purdue has three TD passes compared to just one interception. CBS will have the kick from Steve Spurrier Field at noon Eastern.

If my remarks above didn’t make it clear, I’m all over South Carolina catching the double-digit number. And as much as it pains me to say it, nobody should be shocked if the Gamecocks cash money-line tickets in the +350ish range.

Regardless of whether his team wins or loses, Muschamp will – as always – be a class act on Saturday. (Yes, I don’t dock anyone class points when they angrily cuss at refs after they make incompetent calls.)

VegasInsider.com learned early Friday that Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has decided to take the redshirt off of five-star freshman recruit Shea Patterson and start him Saturday night at Texas A&M. With star senior QB Chad Kelly suffering a season-ending injury in last week’s non-covering home win over Ga. Southern, the 4-5 Rebels were left to make a tough call. But was it really that difficult to go this way? First of all, if Patterson is ‘as advertised,’ he’s not going to be around for a fourth year anyway. Secondly, with probation looming, most of the momentum earned during Freeze’s tenure basically evaporates if Ole Miss doesn’t go bowling. These are three extremely important games remaining on the regular-season slate, and the Rebels have to win two of them to get invited to the postseason. They are 10-point ‘dogs to the Aggies, who fell from No. 4 in the College Football rankings after losing 35-28 at Mississippi St. as 10.5-point road ‘chalk’ last week.

The loss was costly for Kevin Sumlin’s team in more ways than one. Trevor Knight, who was enjoying a banner season after transferring over from Oklahoma, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury against the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss owns a 6-3 spread record in nine games as a road ‘dog on Freeze’s watch.

After getting out of RedStick unscathed with a 10-0 victory compliments of a spectacular defensive performance, top-ranked and undefeated Alabama moves on from LSU to a home game with Mississippi St. at noon Eastern on ESPN. Most spots have the Tide tagged as a 29-point home favorite.

Tennessee is a 14-point home favorite vs. Kentucky. If the Vols can win out (they won’t because I believe they’re going to lose to Vandy), they’ll win the SEC East if UF loses one of its two remaining league games (vs. USC and at LSU). Butch Jones has indicated that RB Alvin Kamara will return to the lineup vs. UK. Also, there’s a chance CB Cam Sutton may play for the first time since getting injured in a 28-19 home win over Ohio in Week 3. Malik Foreman remains a question mark.