College Football Betting News and Notes Week 8

Betting Recap - Week 7
By Daniel Dobish
VegasInsider.com

College Football Week 7 Results

Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 42-11
Against the Spread 22-30-1
Home-Away
Straight Up 26-27
Against the Spread 21-31-1
Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 17-35-1

The largest underdogs to win straight up

Syracuse (+22.5, ML +1000) vs. Virginia Tech, 31-17
New Mexico (+14, ML +450) at Air Force, 45-40
Vanderbilt (+14, ML +450) at Georgia, 17-16

The largest favorites to cover

Army (-33.5) vs. Lafayette, 62-7
Baylor (-33.5) vs. Kansas, 49-7
Louisiana State (-24.5) vs. Southern Mississippi, 45-10

Top 25 Notes

Miami-Florida has went from a Top 10 team to a team on the brink of falling out of the Top 25, as they fell for a second straight weekend at home. After Florida State stunned them last week, it was North Carolina coming away from Hard Rock Stadium with a hard-fought 20-13 road win. The Tar Heels bounced back after getting thumped at home by a 34-3 score last weekend in the wind and rain from Hurricane Matthew. UNC has won eight straight league road games, most since they joined the conference. ... Also in the ACC, Clemson nearly had their playoff aspirations sunk, but they were bailed out by the kicker from North Carolina State. With the score tied 17-17, Wolfpack PK Kyle Bambard pushed a 33-yard field goal attempt to the right, turning a win in the final seconds of regulation into an overtime game. The Tigers went on to survive in OT, 24-17. Clemson slipped to 4-3 ATS, while N.C. State improved to 5-1 ATS. ... Tennessee has come up with miraculous comebacks and strong finishes all season. That ended Saturday, as Alabama showed the Vols they still have a long way to go to get back to championship-caliber form, as the Tide rolled 49-10 at Neyland Stadium. The Tide improved to 5-2 ATS, including back-to-back road covers, and the 'over' is 3-0 in three road games for Alabama.

Ohio State faced a difficult test in Wisconsin, trailing by as many as 10 on the road at Camp Randall. But the Buckeyes forced overtime and hung on for a 30-23 road win, passing their second major test of the season. The Buckeyes have failed to cover in each of the past two games after opening 4-0 ATS. For the Badgers, the 'over' was just the second in six games.

Western Michigan returned to the rankings this week, and apparently they want to stay a while. The Broncos headed to Akron and humbled the Zip 41-0, as they continue to row that boat. Western might be a sleeper non-Power 5 team for a New Year's Day bowl game, as they're now 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS, including 4-0 SU/ATS on the road. They have knocked off Illinois and Northwestern with resume building wins. One interesting trend is that the 'under' and 'over' has alternated in each of Western's seven games so far this season. Western Michigan is 7-0 for the first time since 1941. On the flip side, Akron slipped to 1-26 in 27 games all-time against ranked foes, with their only win coming nearly 14 years ago against Marshall.

It might not be pretty, but Nebraska continues to get it done and stay unbeaten. The Cornhuskers met Indiana at 'The Rock' in Bloomington for the first meeting since Sept. 1978, and the visitors won an entertaining 27-22 battle. The Huskers are 6-0 SU and 4-1-1 ATS, including 2-0 SU/ATS on the road. The 'under' has hit in four in a row for Nebraska, and five of their six games overall, including both away from home. They host Purdue in Lincoln next Saturday. The Boilermakers enter 3-3 SU/2-4 ATS.

Baylor is quietly unbeaten, improving to 6-0 SU with a 49-7 win over Kansas. The Bears opened 0-3 ATS in their first three games, but they're 2-1 ATS over the past three, including 2-0 ATS at home. While Baylor has scored 35 or more points in each of their six games, Jim Grobe's defense has been the story. With the exception of last weekend's game against Iowa State when they allowed 42 points, the Bears have allowed 13 or fewer points in four of their six games overall. The 'under' is 5-1 in six games this season for Baylor, something we haven't seen from them in a few years. Total bettors who had the 'over' could not believe their misfortune. See bad beats below.

Big Five Conference Report

Syracuse stepped up and pulled off the biggest upset of the weekend, thumping a good Virginia Tech team by a 31-17 score despite being a 22 1/2-point underdog. The Orange offense has scored 28 or more points in five of their seven games this season, but defense has hurt them overall. That wasn't a problem in this one, as they held the Hokies to 17, fewest 'Cuse has allowed against an FBS team in six tries this season. The 'under' is 4-1 in the past five for Syracuse. ... Duke nearly pulled off a monumental upset at Louisville Friday. It was 17-14, and the Cardinals settled for a field goal late in the game. They missed, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Cards a first down. They took advantage to salt the game away, 24-14. Still, the Blue Devils easily covered a 35-point number to improve to 2-0 ATS in their past two on the road, and 3-1 ATS in their past four overall. The 'under' is also 3-0 in the past three for Duke, and 6-1 overall.

It was a good day to be on the road in the Big Ten. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State each won outright on the road in early-afternoon conference play. Five of the six road teams covered, too, with the Buckeyes as the lone exception. The biggest surprise might have been the Wildcats win in East Lansing, as Michigan State has now dropped four in a row to fall to 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS. ... Minnesota won its first road game of the season, and they're now 4-2 SU with one loss coming in overtime. The cover was Minnesota's first in five tries against FBS teams, improving to 1-3-1 ATS in such games. ... The good news, Rutgers wasn't blanked this week after losing their past two games by a combined 126-0. But the Scarlet Knights were still pounded 24-7 by the Illini, as they're averaging just 3.5 PPG in four Big Ten games while allowing 43.5 PPG.

Oklahoma won for the third straight game, topping Kansas State 38-17. The Sooners covered for just the second time this season, and their 'under' result put the brakes on a four-game 'over' run. ... West Virginia quietly improved to 5-0 SU with a 48-17 win at Texas Tech. The Mountaineers cover was their first since Sept. 3, the opening game of the season.

A very banged up Utah hit the road at Oregon State in a very gritty 19-14 victory. Utes side bettors weren't as cheery after the win, though, due to a bad beat (see below). The Beavers have covered back-to-back games for the first time this season, and they're 4-2 ATS overall, including 3-0 ATS in their past three games at Reser Stadium. ... Southern California has certainly had their struggles on the road lately, entering 7-21 ATS in their past 28 away from home. They had no problems in Arizona, however, routing the Wildcats 48-14. The 'under' hung on for USC, and is now 5-1 in their past six games overall. ... Colorado improved to 5-2 SU/7-0 ATS with a 40-16 whitewashing of Arizona State in Boulder.

Missouri continues to be rather anemic on offense, although not anemic enough for 'under' bettors (see below in bad beats), losing 40-14 at Florida. The Tigers have averaged 16.0 PPG in three SEC games (all losses), and they're 0-2 ATS in their past two after a 3-1 ATS start. ... Vanderbilt picked up a huge road win at Georgia, 17-14. The Commodores have covered three of their past four games, and the 'under' is 3-0 in their past three games, and is 4-0 in all four league games this season. ... In a seesaw battle, Mississippi-Arkansas was exciting to the finish. The Rebels grabbed a 30-27 lead with 9:00 to go, but the Razorbacks answered with 2:20 to go sealing the 34-30 win in front of a raucous crowd. The Rebels slipped to 3-3 ATS, including 0-2 ATS in two games away from home. The Hogs put the brakes on a three-game non-cover skid.

Mid-Major Report

Houston hung on by the skin of their teeth, edging Tulsa by a 38-31 score. The Golden Hurricane were marching down the field in the final seconds, but the Cougars stopped a receiver on the half-yard line with no time remaining to seal the narrow victory. It was the fourth straight 'over' result for Houston. ... UCF looked to be in good shape against Temple, up 25-14 at halftime. Someone forgot to tell the Golden Knights to show up in the second half. The Owls outscored the Knights 12-0 to score the well-deserved 26-25 road win. Don't look now, but Temple has covered six straight since failing to cover in their opener against Army. ... The game between Navy-East Carolina set for last Thursday night was canceled due to flooding due in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew striking North Carolina last week.

In Conference USA play, Marshall scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:53 to spoil Florida Atlantic's upset bid, 27-21. Despite the win, the Thundering Herd slipped to 1-3-1 ATS over their past five games. FAU has lost 11 of their past 14 games by seven points or less. ... Florida International picked up their third consecutive victory with a 27-26 win at Charlotte. The Golden Panthers opened 0-4 ATS in their first four games, but they're now 2-0-1 ATS in the past three outings. ... The game of the day that only fans and gamblers probably noticed took place in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Western Kentucky outlasted Middle Tennessee 44-43 in 2OT. The Blue Raiders, catching 1 1/2 at home, took the 43-37 lead with a TD in the second overtime. However, the extra point was blocked. Western drove down and easily scored the touchdown and converted the extra point for the win. After struggling with their offense early in the season, at least by their standards, WKU is averaging 48.7 PPG over their past three games.

Bowling Green headed up Interstate 75 to battle their biggest rival in Toledo. The Falcons were 32-point underdogs, but they hung tough and were tied 35-35 until the Rockets blasted into the end zone with :18 left in regulation to spoil the upset bid. 'Under' bettors took a bad beat in this game (see below). After opening 0-5 ATS in their first give games, BGSU has covered back-to-back games. ... Central Michigan went to DeKalb and escaped with a 34-28 win in 3OT against Northern Illinois. The Chippewas snapped a three-game non-cover skid wit hthe win, improving to 2-1 SU/ATS in three road games. For NIU, it was their second loss of the season in triple-overtime. ... Miami-Ohio picked up its first win of the season, topping Kent State 18-14. While they haven't been winning, the Redhawks have been a favorite at the betting window for totals. The 'under' is 6-for-6 over their past six outings.

New Mexico came away from Colorado Springs with a 45-40 win at Air Force, as the Lobos improved to 3-3 SU. The outright win as an underdog also put an 0-4 ATS stretch to an end. The 'over' is a perfect 6-0 for New Mexico this season. ...

Idaho posted an impressive 55-23 win over New Mexico State to win for the third time in the past four games. After opening 0-3 ATS, the Vandals have covered in three of their past four games. For NMSU, the 'over' is now 4-1-1 in six games overall. ... Appalachian State improved to 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS in three road games, besting Louisiana-Lafayette 24-0 in a mid-week game. The Mountaineers have allowed three total points in the past two games. ... Troy failed to cover for the first time in five games, but they topped visiting Georgia State 31-21. The Trojans hit the road in a Thursday night game at South Alabama. Troy is 2-1 SU/3-0 ATS in three road games this season.

Bad Beats

If you were holding an 'under' ticket for the Missouri-Florida game (51), you're likely still blowing off a little steam. This game had 20 total points (all Florida) at halftime, and 33 points after three quarters. The 'under' was looking good until Mizzou scored an oh-by-the-way touchdown with 1:17 remaining for a final score of 40-14.

Down the road from Gainesville in Tampa, another raw bad beat was happening. South Florida was trying to salt away a 42-20 win, laying 20. After the Bulls scored with 2:57 to go ahead for side bettors, Connecticut had other ideas. They drove down and scored with :57 left to cut the Bulls lead to 42-27, and it was almost like losing twice for USF bettors.

Utah (-7.5) was clinging to a 19-7 lead with under two minutes to play, but the Beavers punched one in with 1:40 to go for the backdoor cover.

The Bowling Green-Toledo (71) rivalry game featured just 21 total points in the first half. Bowling Green trimmed the Toledo lead to 35-28 with 6:47 left in regulation, but 'under' bettors were still in good shape. But Toledo quickly gave the ball back to the Falcons, Bowling Green tied the game at 35-35 with 3:07 to go, and after that it didn't really matter. However, Toledo scored with :18 left to sink anyone brave enough to take the Falcons on the moneyline, which was as high as +7350 this week before closing at +5500.

Staying in the MAC, Northern Illinois botched the field goal attempt in triple-overtime, tied 28-28. 'Under' (60) bettors thought they dodged a huge bullet, as Central Michigan needed just a field goal to win. However, they struck for a quick touchdown strike to make it 34-28 for the bitter pill for 'under' bettors.

The 'over' appeared to be humming right along in the Kansas-Baylor (65) game. The Bears took a 49-7 lead to the fourth quarter, and that's exactly how the game finished.

College Football Recap for Week 7
By Brandon Shively
Covers.com

Ohio State and Clemson were fortunate to remain undefeated having to rally in overtime to win on the road.There were five games that went into overtime last week (1 Friday/ 4 Saturday). What is interesting is that all 4 road teams won in overtime on Saturday with BYU winning at home Friday night, despite getting outgained by 75 yards against Mississippi State. Western Ky won a wild 2 OT game at Middle Tennessee State despite getting outgained 84 yards and giving up 605 yards.

Vanderbilt got a rare win at Georgia despite only 171 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs outgained the Commodores by 250 yards. It has been a tough first year for HC Kirby Smart to say the least.

Syracuse pulled a big upset as a 20.5 pt home dog against Virginia Tech. This total closed at 65 and while there were only 48 points scored, there were 1029 total yards of offense so there could have easily been more points scored.

Virginia is another game that had a misleading final score. The Cavaliers were my Game of the Week and I thought we should have won that game. The score was tied 28-28 at halftime, despite the Cavaliers outgaining the Panthers by 110 yards in the 1st half. Virginia allowed a KR for a touchdown, a punt returned inside the 20, then QB Benkart threw a pick 6 in the closing seconds of the half. In the 2nd half, Virginia could not get their offense going and it was too much Pittsburgh as they never relinquished the momentum they established at the end of the 1st half and won the game, 45-31.

Air Force started the season off 4-0 and now have lost consecutive games after New Mexico put up 35 points in the 1st half in what what would be a 45-40 win. Air Force actually had more passing yards than rushing yards here (280-251) and out gained the Lobos by 88 yards. This is the 3rd consecutive game the Falcons have had more passing yards than rushing yards. I mention this because Air Force is traditionally an option team with a Top 5 rushing offense. Looking closer, QB Romine is only completing 43.8% of his passes and I think the coaching staff needs to re establish the ground game this Saturday as they will look to get back on track against Hawaii.

The struggles continue for Rutgers after losing to Illinois , 24-7. That makes it 174-14 thru their first 4 BIG 10 conference games with an average final score of 44-3. OUCH! Looking closer, Rutgers actually out gained Illinois by 65 yards, but had 5 turnovers. This is a team that I will be staying away from next week.

Despite winning last week against Charlotte, FIU got outgained by 47 yards and the Golden Panthers have now been out gained in ALL 7 games this season. They will be at home next week against a La Tech team that has a Top 5 Passing offense.

The Miami Hurricanes opened up the season going 4-0 with a ‘cupcake’ schedule, and now have lost two consecutive games against more formidable opponents in FSU and North Carolina. The Hurricanes have a weekday game against Virginia Tech who will be looking to bounce back also after losing as a double digit road favorite.

There are two FBS teams that have scored in ALL of their Red Zone possessions this season. Kansas State is a perfect 28-for-28 and Georgia State is 12-for-12. While Georgia State has had trouble scoring at times this year, they continue to be a valuable double digit underdog because of this efficiency.

Army, Baylor, Houston, Louisville, Michigan, Toledo, Washington, and Western Michigan and the remaining 8 teams that have out gained every opponent this season.

Western Michigan, Toledo, Middle Tennessee State, and Texas A&M are the top 4 teams converting on 3rd downs this year.

It’s hard to imagine this, but Florida State and Louisville continue to be two of the most penalized teams in the country, averaging 8.3 and 8.5 penalties a game, ranked 123rd and 124th in the nation.

Opening Line Report - Week 8
By Marcus DiNitto
VegasInsider.com

At 7-0 against the spread, Colorado is the only college football team in the county to have cashed tickets for bettors in every game it has played this season. Most sports books are holding off on hanging a number on this week’s game at Stanford until they know more about the status or Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey.

John Avello, vice president of race and sports at the Wynn and the first oddsmaker to post college football lines in Las Vegas each week, says if McCaffrey is a go, Stanford will be about a 5- or 6-point favorite vs. the Buffaloes. If McCaffrey is sidelined again, we’re looking at the home side laying a field goal or less.

Avello said he doesn’t worry about a team’s ATS record unless it’s a team people bet on every week. Colorado doesn’t fit that category.

"If I see a team is being keyed on, then I will make adjustments. But that’s not the case right now," Avello said.

Wherever Saturday’s spread lands, Vegas books have been impressed with the job Mike MacIntyre is doing in his fourth year at Boulder. After posting losing records in his first three seasons, the Buffs sit at 5-2 straight up overall, 3-1 in the Pac-12 and in position to make a run at the conference title. "It looks like he’s got this team going in the right direction," said Avello.

Added Ed Salmons, oddsmaker at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, "Love the coach. The coach has done a great job. They were ready to fire him after last year. If you read the preseason magazines and articles, they all had him on the so-called hot seat....He took over such a bad team in Colorado, it just took longer to build it than most people realized."

Here are a few more games on the college football Week 8 card that are on our radar:

Texas A&M at Alabama (-16.5)

Avello opened Alabama -17 on Sunday and tweaked the line in Texas A&M's direction on Monday.

While Avello is with everyone else when he calls Alabama the class of college football, Salmons thinks the Tide could be in for a challenge in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

"The kind of team that gives Alabama the most problems historically are teams that play no-huddle and fast, and Texas A&M had a bye week last week. I can see this being a game," Salmons said.

"(The Aggies are) going to have to play a perfect game (to beat Alabama), which is asking a lot. But I think they can stay within the spread. This spread is a little inflated."

N.C. State at Louisville (-19.5)

Avello installed Louisville -17.5, but watched favorite money pour in early and was up to -19.5 on Monday. He wasn’t surprised and says the line may not be done moving.

N.C. State has trouble scoring, while Louisville puts up 60 for fun.

"At first when I looked at this game I said, ‘You know what, N.C. State might have a chance to hang around with this team’. But now I’m not so sure," Avello said. "I thought 17, 17.5, 18 looked like the right number – right now I’m not so sure..."There’s a lot of Louisville backers right now. This game sees 20 – at least 20."

In fact, one book – CG Technology – was already dealing Louisville -20 as of this Monday afternoon writing.

It’s a similar situation to the one the Wolfpack were in last week, when they were bet against as big underdogs at Clemson. Kicker Kyle Bambard missed a 33-yard chip shot that would have won the game and N.C. State ended up losing in overtime.

After that heartbreaking loss coupled with Louisville’s lackluster effort in a 24-14 win over Duke on Friday night, the psychological edge may go to the Cardinals on Saturday.

"It seems like a no-win situation for (N.C. State) this week," Salmons said. "The way they lost that game just has to be so disappointing for the effort they put into that game and to lose. Louisville played so bad Friday night, I would think (coach Bobby) Petrino’s going to be cracking the whip this week at practice – they slept walk through that game. So I think N.C. State’s going to be on the defensive this week."

TCU at West Virginia (-4.5)

Like Colorado, West Virginia has not caught a lot of people’s attention despite an impressive first half of the season. The Mountaineers are 5-0 SU and ranked No. 12 in the nation.

They were bet up from the Wynn’s opening number of -4 for next week’s home game against TCU.

With a favorable schedule that’s included three home games, a neutral-site game far closer to its campus than BYU’s, two bye weeks, and most significantly, mediocre competition – Avello isn’t sold.

"I don’t think they’re that good. Their schedule has been relatively easy," Avello said.

After TCU, West Virginia’s second-half slate includes games at Oklahoma State, at Texas, vs. Oklahoma and vs. Baylor, and the Mountaineers’ bubble may be about to burst.

"They’re going to end up with two, three losses," Avello predicts.

Arkansas at Auburn (-8.5)

The line on this SEC clash bounced around at the Wynn from Avello’s opening number of 8.5 to as high as 9.5 and then back to the opener.

After a horrendous season last year, Auburn has put together a solid 2016 so far. The Tigers have won three straight games, and their two losses are against still-undefeated Clemson and Texas A&M. They are 5-1 ATS, as they covered as 7.5-point dogs in a 19-13 opening-week loss to Clemson.

Avello believes in coach Gus Malzahn and likes the way the Auburn defense is playing.

"They could run the table until they get to the last game (at Alabama)," he said. "But this week they have Arkansas at home. Anytime you play an SEC team, it’s never easy and it’s never easy to figure out."

Ole Miss at LSU (-5.5)

LSU is another SEC team that may have been written off too soon.

"Fournette’s been out, the coach is gone and the team is playing really well," Avello said. "I expected the team to play really well, though."

The Tigers opened -4 vs. Ole Miss at the Wynn and were bet up to -5.5. They were listed as high as -6 at other books Monday.

Avello said the expectation of Fournette coming back plus a disappointing showing by Ole Miss at Arkansas last week are the reasons for the early move in LSU’s direction. Fournette is worth a "couple of points" to the betting line, according to the oddsmaker.

Last week, the Rebels were bet from -6.5 to -10 at the Razorbacks and lost outright, 34-30

"Mississippi losing at Arkansas was not a good loss," Avello said.

Early line moves

Here are games that saw the point spread move 2 points or more in the favorite’s direction in the first 20 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

N.C. State at Louisville
Opening line: Louisville -17.5
After 20 hours: Louisville -19.5

UTEP vs. UT-San Antonio
Opening line: UT-San Antonio -7.5
After 20 hours: UT-San Antonio -10

Middle Tennessee State vs. Missouri
Opening line: Missouri -4.5
After 20 hours: Missouri -6.5

Here are games that saw the point spread move 2 points or more in the underdog’s direction in the first 20 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

UL-Lafayette vs. Texas State
Opening line: UL-Lafayette -9.5
After 20 hours: UL-Lafayette -6.5

Charlotte vs. Marshall
Opening line: Marshall -18
After 20 hours: Marshall -14

Houston vs. SMU
Opening line: Houston -23.5
After 20 hours: Houston -21

ACC Report - Week 8
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

North Carolina State at Louisville

Poor Kyle Bambard. The kicker for North Carolina State had a chance to propel Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack to a signature win at Clemson last week, but instead he saved the league's remaining unbeaten team from a debilitating defeat. Bambard missed the potential game-winning field goal, the teams went to overtime and N.C. State could not finish off the upset. The Wolfpack look to rebound in a tough place, but they're 9-4 ATS in their past 13 road games and 4-0 ATS in their past four despite last weekend's loss. Lousville is 5-2-1 ATS in their past eight overall, but just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 conference tilts, 1-6 ATS in their past seven at home against a team with a winning road record and 0-5 ATS in their past five in October. That includes last week's uninspiring 24-14 win against Duke last Friday at Papa John's Stadium. If you like totals, the 'over' is 4-1 in State's past five against winning teams and 6-2-1 in their past nine overall. Despite an under last week, the over is 6-1 in Louisville's past seven conference games, 5-1 in their past six against teams with a winning mark and 6-1 in their past seven on fieldturf. Louisville is favored by 19 as of Wednesday morning with a total of 65.

Syracuse at Boston College

Head coach Dino Babers has Syracuse on the right track, and it certainly showed last weekend in a home victory over Virginia Tech. The Orange snapped a two-game losing streak with a stunning 31-17 win over Virginia Tech despite entering as 23-point underdogs at home. But can they win on the road? The Orange enter 1-2 SU/ATS in three road outings, and they are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 road outings. The 'Cuse meet a B.C. team with a stout defense and two weeks to prepare for this game. The Eagles were trampled by Clemson last time out, and they were routed 49-0 at Virginia Tech, but in their four other games against teams of the same ilk, the defense has allowed 9.3 points per game (PPG). Defense hasn't been a hallmark of Orange football, as they had allowed 24 or more points in five straight games against FBS teams until last weekend's win. Boston College is just 1-6-2 ATS in their past nine home games and 0-5-1 ATS in their past six ACC battles. B.C. has lost 11 straight conference games dating back to Nov. 29, 2014, when they beat, you guessed it, Syracuse at home by a 28-7 score Nov. 29, 2014. The Eagles enter favored by five as of Wednesday morning, and the public has been betting Syracuse at a near two-to-one clip.

North Carolina at Virginia

The Tar Heels were jammed up at home by the Hokies of Virginia Tech and Hurricane Matthew two weeks ago. They then hit South Florida to battle the Hurricanes last weekend, and had much better results. The Tar Heels bounced back with a 20-13 win at Miami, re-gained Top 25 status and have to feel good heading to Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. The Heels opened as 10-point favorites, but the line is down to eight as of Wednesday morning. North Carolina is 1-4 ATS in their past five following a cover in their previous game, and 1-5 ATS in their past six on the road against a team with a losing home record. Despite last weekend's non-cover, the Cavaliers of UVA enter 7-1 ATS in their past eight conference tilts, 6-1 ATS in their past seven against teams with a winning overall record and 9-2-1 ATS in their past 12 overall. The Heels are 5-1 ATS in their past six in this series, but the Heels are just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 trips to Charlottesville.

Bye Weeks: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest

Big 12 Report - Week 8
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Oklahoma State at Kansas

The Cowboys hit the road for Lawrence looking to add to the misery for the Jayhawks. OK State is favored by 24 points as of Wednesday morning despite the fact they are 1-5 ATS in their past six conference games and 3-7 ATS in their past 10 games overall. The Jayhawks have also covered just three of their past 10 games, and they're 1-4 ATS in ther past five inside the Big 12. The home team has covered five straight in this series, but the Cowboys are 10-3 ATS in the past 13 in this series with the favorite 9-3 ATS in the past 12 meetings. The trends on the total differ between the teams. The over is 8-1 in OK State's past nine Big 12 battles, and 4-1 in their past five against teams with a losing record. The over is 10-3 in their past 13 games overall. For Kansas, the under is 5-0 in the past five while going 5-1 in their past six conference tilts and 6-0 in their past six against teams with a winning overall record.

Texas at Kansas State

The eyes of Texas might not be smiling completely, but they're at least slightly happier following a solid 27-6 win and cover against Iowa State last weekend to snap a three-game losing skid. Both teams in this game enter at 3-3, looking to stay above .500 and in contention for a notable bowl games. The Longhorns have covered five of their past seven overall, but they're just 2-6 ATS in their past eight away from Austin. The Wildcats have managed an impressive 42-19-1 ATS mark in their past 62 conference battles, but they're just 2-5 ATS in their past seven overall. Texas hasn't had a lot of luck in recent seasons against K-State, and that's perhaps why the Longhorns enter as a field-goal underdog. Texas is 2-7 ATS in the past nine meetings and 0-4 ATS in their past four trips to Manhattan while the home team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the past four in this series.

Texas Christian at West Virginia

West Virginia has quietly amassed a 5-0 record and they're up to No. 13 in the rankings, but not many outside of the Wild and Wonderful state have taken notice. Perhaps a resounding win against a wounded, yet still dangerous TCU team will earn some respect. TCU didn't look very impressive on the road at Kansas last week, barely escaping with a 24-23 win over the lowly Jayhawks. TCU is just 1-5 ATS in six games. West Virginia covered last week for the first time in four games, routing Texas Tech by a 48-17 count in Lubbock. They're 3-0 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown this season, but just 1-2 ATS. In fact, while the public has bet West Virginia up from 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 as of Wednesday morning, remember the Mountaineers are just 1-7 ATS in their past eight against teams with a winning record, 2-5 ATS in their past seven overall and 6-20 ATS in their past 26 home games against a team with a winning road mark. The under is 4-1 in TCU's past five on the road, while the under is 12-3 in West Virginia's past 15 at home and 16-5 in their past 21 conference tilts.

Oklahoma at Texas Tech

Oklahoma heads down to Lubbock looking to add to the woes of the Red Raiders. Texas Tech was belted 48-17 last weekend by West Virginia, and they have dropped two in a row after winning their league opener Sept. 29 against Kansas. The Sooners have bounced back after losses to Houston and Ohio State earlier in the season, winning three in a row to open conference play while going 2-1 ATS. Oklahoma has covered eight of their past 10 conference games while going 5-2 ATS in their past seven on the road. Texas Tech is 5-1 ATS in their past six inside the conference and seven of their past 10 overall, but they have failed to cover in six straight against a team with a winning record. The over is 5-0 in the past five meetings in this series, while the over is 5-2 in Oklahoma's past seven road games and 34-16-1 in the past 51 conference battles. For TTU, the over is 11-3 in their past 14 at home and 14-6 in their past 20 overall.

Bye Weeks: Baylor, Iowa State

Pac-12 Report - Week 8
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Colorado at Stanford

Colorado heads to 'The Farm' looking for an important victory against a still dangerous Stanford team while staying in the driver's seat in the South Division. Colorado is 1-2 SU on the road this season, but they have covered four in a row away from Boulder. The Buffs have covered five straight conference games while going 5-0 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning overall record. Stanford was walloped in Washington a few weeks ago and stunned at home by Washington State before righting the ship at Notre Dame last week. The Cardinal are 10-4 ATS in their past 14 against teams with a winning record while going 38-18-1 ATS in their past 57 conference tilts. The under is 7-1 in the past eight conference games for Colorado and 8-3 in their past 11 games overall. The over is 5-0 in their past five home games against a team with a winning road record while the over is 4-1 in their past five against teams with a winning record.

Utah at UCLA

Utah fought off Oregon State last week for a 19-14 win in Corvallis, but they failed to cover for the second time in the past three games. UCLA has dropped two in a row on the road at Arizona State and Washington State, and they'll be happy to get back home. The Bruins topped Arizona 45-24 last time they were at home, but that was also a game with a healthy QB Josh Rosen. He has been dealing with a shoulder injury, and is questionable for Saturday's game. The Utes are just 2-5 ATS in their past seven conference games and 2-5 ATS in their past seven against a team with a losing record. The Bruins are 2-7 ATS in their past nine games, 1-4 ATS in their past five at home and 1-4 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning record. The road team has covered four straight meetings while the under has cashed in five in a row in the series. As of Wednesday the game is off the board due to Rosen's uncertain status.

Oregon State at Washington

Oregon State slinks up Interstate 5 for a battle against playoff-hopeful Washington, and the Beavers have major injury issues at the quarterback position. Oregon State will be down to their third-string QB Marcus McMaryion, as starter Darrell Garretson (ankle) is done for the season and Conor Blount (ankle) is out indefinitely due to a left knee injury. The game is off the board as a result of all of the injury issues, but you can expect the line to be around 30 or more. The Beavers are 5-2 ATS in their past seven, but 5-14 ATS in their past 19 inside the conference and 3-7 ATS in their past 10 on the road. And that's with healthy players. Washington is coming off a bye, and they're 9-1 ATS in their past 10 following a week off. They're also 4-1 ATS in their past five at home, 4-1 ATS in their past five against losing teams and 7-2 ATS in their past nine overall. The Beavs have covered five of their past seven trips to Seattle, but they're 0-4 ATS in the past four meetings.

Washington State at Arizona State

The Cougars got off to a terrible start this season, falling to FCS Eastern Washington. However, the Cougs have rattled off three straight conference games to keep fifth-ranked Washington within their sights. First things first before the season-ending Apple Cup, as they need a road win at AZ State. Washington State has covered nine straight against teams with a winning overall record, seven of their past eight on the road and 13 of their past 16 games overall. They have also covered 10 of their past 12 conference tilts. Arizona State has been fine this season as long as they're at home. They were nearly upset at Texas-San Antonio Sept. 16, they were pounded by 21 at USC Oct. 1 and they lost by 24 at Colorado last weekend. At home, AZ State is 4-0 SU/ATS. They enter this game as a touchdown underdog at home. The home team has covered six of the past seven in this series, while the Cougs are 1-5 ATS in their past six visits to Tempe.

Bye Weeks: Arizona, Southern California

NCAAF Week 8

Syracuse had a very emotional upset win at home over Va Tech LW; underdogs covered five of their last six games with Boston College. Orange lost three of last four visits here, gained less than 250 TY in three of last four games with BC. Syracuse is 8-15 in its last 23 games as a road underdog, 1-1 this year. Eagles had last week off after getting crushed by Clemson; BC is 7-5 as a home favorite under Addazio, 1-0 this season. Four of last five Syracuse games stayed under total. Home favorites are 4-10 against the spread in ACC games this season.

Rutgers was outscored 160-7 the last three games, losing 24-7 LW to an Illinois team that hadn’t beaten a I-A opponent. Scarlet Knights lost their first two road games by combined score of 96-3- they’re 1-5 in last six games as a road underdog. Minnesota (+3.5) was +4 in turnovers, upset Maryland LW behind backup QB Rhoda, a junior; Gophers are 1-6 in their last seven games as a home favorite, 0-3 this season. Under is 3-0-1 in Gophers’ last four games, 3-1 in Rutgers’ last four. Big 14 home favorites are 3-9 against the spread this season.

TCU won three of its last four games with West Virginia, winning 31-30/39-38 in last two visits to Morgantown. Underdogs covered three of last four series games. Pass-happy WV had less than 170 PY vs Horned Frogs last two years. TCU had last week off after getting outgained by 104 yards in a shaky 24-23 win over dismal Kansas; since 2009, Frogs are 10-2 as road underdogs. West Virginia won its last two home games by total of four points but had big 48-17 win at Texas Tech LW. WV is 10-17 as a home favorite under Holgorsen. Big X home favorites are 6-4 this year.

Northwestern scored 92 points in road wins at Iowa/Michigan State in its last two games; odd thing is, they’re 1-3 at home, with a loss to a I-AA team. Wildcats won four in row, eight of their last nine games with Indiana; Hoosiers lost its last six visits to Evanston, with four of last five losses by 7 or less points. Underdogs covered five of last seven series games. Hoosiers are 9-13 as road underdog under Wilson, 1-0 this season. Wildcats had 394/317 rushing yards in last two games vs Indiana. Northwestern is 5-11 in its last 16 games as a home favorite.

Wisconsin lost last two games, to Michigan/Ohio State, both by 7 points; Badgers are 6-4 in last 10 games as a road favorite- they led OSU 16-6 at half last week but couldn’t finish the job. Three of last four Wisconsin-Iowa games were decided by 4 or less points; underdogs covered four of last five series games, with road team winning all five. Badgers won last three visits to Iowa City by 1-19-2 points. Iowa lost its last two home games; since ’07, Hawkeyes are 6-2-1 as a home underdog. Purdue threw for 458 yards against them last week in a 49-35 Iowa win.

Washington State (-2) beat Arizona State 38-24 LY, just 2nd win for Coogs in last 12 games with ASU. Wazzu lost its last six visits to Tempe; its last win here was in 2001. Favorites covered five of last six series games. WSU won its last four games after an 0-2 start; with a win at Stanford. Coogs are 1-2 as home favorites under Leach. Sun Devils allowed 35.5 pts/game, 545.8 yds/game last four weeks, losing two of last three- ASU is 7-3-1 in last 11 games as a home dog, 2-0 this season- they’re 3-0 at home vs I-A teams. Pac-12 home underdogs are 6-3 against the spread.

Oklahoma QB Mayfield started his college career as a walk-on at Texas Tech, left when they did not give him a scholarship. Sooners are 12-4 in its last 16 games with Tech, winning last four (3-1 vs spread); they won 42-30/41-20 in last two visits to Lubbock. Oklahoma scored 45 pts/game in winning last three games after a 1-2 start- they’re 7-3 in last ten games as a road fave, 1-1 this year. Red Raiders gave up 563 rushing yards, 92 points in losing last two games; they got drilled 48-17 at home by West Va LW. Tech is 4-3 as a home underdog under Kingsbury.

Favorites covered last four Texas-Kansas State games; Longhorns lost last four visits to Little Apple, last three by 18+ points. K-State is 6-2 overall in its last eight games with Longhorns. Texas allowed 48 pts/game in losing all three games away from Austin this year; they’re 1-5 as road underdogs under Strong. Wildcats allowed 901 PY in its last two games; their QB Ertz got hurt LW- backup QB isn’t good enough to exploit Texas’ shaky pass defense. K-State is 1-4 in its last five games as a home favorite- they scored 17 or less points in their three losses this year.

Colorado is having a breakthrough year at 5-2, with losses at Michigan/USC; they ran ball for 247+ yards in the wins, were held under 100 RY in losses. Buffs are 6-2 vs spread in last eight games as a road underdog, 3-0 this year. Stanford outgunned Colorado 472-231 in 42-10 win over Buffs LY, their third series win in a row; this is Colorado’s first visit to Palo Alto since 2011. Cardinal scored total of 39 points in last three games; they’re 11-5 in last 16 games as a home favorite, 2-1 this year. Last three Colorado games stayed under the total.

Utah is an underdog for first time this season; they’re 6-1 with only loss 28-23 at Cal. Utes are 6-1 in last seven games as a road underdog. UCLA lost three of last four games and now QB Rosen is hurt; Bruins are 4-9 in last 13 games as a home favorite. Home side lost last three UCLA-Utah games; Utes split last two visits to Pasadena, winning 30-28, losing 21-14- they had total of only 21- passing yards in last two meetings. UCLA is 4-3 in last seven games overall vs Utah. Pac-12 home favorites are 9-4 against the spread this season.

Home side won six of last seven Ole Miss-LSU games; underdogs are 7-3 vs spread in last ten series games. Rebels lost six of last seven visits to Baton Rouge, losing last three by 3-6-7 points. Tigers won last two games 42-7/45-10 since the coaching change, but that was against cruddy teams- Ole Miss is team that Orgeron used to coach, so you know this means extra to him, and he is emotional on a normal day. Rebels lost first true road game 34-30 LW at Arkanas; Ole Miss allowed 200+ RY in four of last five games, bad news with Fournette expected back here.

Arkansas allowed 79 points in splitting last two games vs Bama/Ole Miss; Hogs beat TCU 41-38 in their only true road game this year. Arkansas covered its last six games as a road underdog. Auburn is 4-10 in its last 14 games as a home favorite; they held LSU/Miss State to 27 points in last two SEC games, but is their offense good enough to cover a big spread? SEC home favorites are 9-4 against the spread. Home team won five of last seven Auburn-Arkansas games; favorites covered last three series games. Razorbacks are 5-4 in last nine visits here.

Alabama is so much better than everyone else; they ran ball for 702 yards the last couple weeks, winning 49-30/49-10 at Arkansas/Tennessee. Crimson Tide ran ball for 263 yards/game, won its last three games with Texas A&M by 7-59-18 points; Aggies lost 59-0 last time they visited Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 24-21 vs spread in its last 45 games as a home favorite. A&M is 4-6 as a road underdog under Sumlin. Aggies had last week off after giving up 684 yards in a 45-38 win over Tennessee, the same Vols team Alabama beat 49-10 last Saturday.

Armadillosports.com

Week 8 Pointspread Picks and Predictions
By Joe Fortenbaugh
Covers.com

Let’s get this out of the way now so that I can move forward with what will be a much-needed therapy session: I’m picking against Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend.

Blasphemy!

Yes, I know exactly what I’m getting myself into. Alabama has lost only 12 games since 2008 while claiming four SEC titles and four national championships. In addition, the Tide enter Saturday’s matchup with Texas A&M off a complete and utter 49-10 road annihilation of a Tennessee program that, just two weeks ago, was the undefeated toast of the country… before it ran into the Aggies.

But I still like Kevin Sumlin’s undefeated (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) Aggies this Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Well, at least as far as the spread (+18.5) is concerned.

For starters, Texas A&M is off a bye week, so Sumlin has had two weeks to get ready for a hostile Bryant-Denny Stadium that he silenced in a 29-24 upset victory of the Tide back in 2012.

That bye week nugget is important because Saban is just 8-15-1 ATS during the regular season against conference opposition that is .500 or better and coming off a bye.

Also note that Texas A&M’s last visit to Bryant-Denny resulted in a 59-0 bloodbath defeat, so there’s no doubt in my mind that Sumlin has spent the last two weeks reminding his players of that specific game.

Now, could you please pass me the Pepto-Bismol.

Pick: Texas A&M +18.5

Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal

Spread: Stanford -2

Even Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffrey, who did not play at Notre Dame last week and is questionable for Saturday’s meeting with Colorado due to an undisclosed injury, can’t save the Cardinal offense from a Buffaloes defense. Colorado is permitting an average of just 20 points per game this season.

Erratic quarterback play has doomed Stanford with the Cardinal scoring just 13 points per game over their last three outings - two of which were losses at Washington (44-6) and against Washington State (42-16).

Meanwhile, Colorado has covered the spread in every single game this season and is making a serious run at claiming the program’s first Pac-12 championship in school history.

Colorado is 8-0 ATS over its last eight games overall, 5-0 ATS over its last five conference matchups and 4-0 ATS over its last four road dates.

Pick: Colorado +2

Oregon State Beavers at Washington Huskies

Total: 54.0

Forget about Oregon State’s lackluster offense (25.2 points per game) and the fact that it will most likely rain in Seattle on Saturday night, as there are only two things you need to know about this matchup, and both have to do with Washington making a statement.

First, the undefeated and red-hot Huskies (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) currently find themselves ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll behind Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson, so the current feeling in the Pacific Northwest may be that Chris Petersen’s Washington program needs to embrace “style points” in an effort to sway the voters into a more favorable ranking.

Second, quarterback Jake Browning currently finds himself listed at 8/1 to win the Heisman Trophy at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, so any additional “stat padding” couldn’t hurt in the signal-caller’s quest to upend Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in the race for college football’s ultimate individual prize.

The Huskies are averaging 49.5 points per game this season and have cashed Over tickets in eight of their last nine outings. Further, the Over is 5-0 in Washington’s last five conference encounters and 5-1 in the team’s last six home dates. Don’t be shocked if the Huskies top the 54 point total by themselves on Saturday night.

Pick: Over 54

Wyoming Cowboys at Nevada Wolf Pack

Spread: Wyoming -4

Washington’s Chris Petersen gets all the attention and affection when it comes to college football head coaches who have taken a sizeable step forward in Year 3 of their respective tenures, but don’t sleep on Wyoming’s Craig Bohl, who is poised to lead the Cowboys to just their third winning season since 2005.

Wyoming is coming off a well-earned bye week after commencing conference play with impressive upsets of Colorado State (38-17) as 5.5-point underdogs and Air Force (35-26) as 13.5-point underdogs.

Nevada, which is an abysmal 0-4 ATS over its last four games overall, is next. The Wolf Pack are just 8-20 ATS over their last 28 games played in the month of October and have dropped three of their last four outings, with the program’s lone win coming against a horrific Fresno State team (27-22) as 8.5-point favorites.

This game will feature a tale of two vastly different offenses, as the Cowboys are averaging a robust 35.5 points per game over their last four outings, while the Wolf Pack are averaging an anemic 17 points over their last four contests. Expect Bohl and his resurgent Wyoming program to climb one step closer toward bowl eligibility this weekend.

Pick: Wyoming -4

Last week: 1-3 ATS
Season: 15-13 ATS

NCAAF: Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Wisconsin at Iowa

Iowa and Wisconsin are two teams built on defense. Through their first 7 games, Hawkeyes (5-2, 3-4 ATS) have surrendered 19.1 points/game. Wisky (4-2, 5-1 ATS) which has a defense that has to be ranked as one of the best in the nation is allowing 15.2 per/contest. Niether offense is not going to get a lot of points, expect a repeat of last years tussle that saw Iowa nip Badgers 10-6. Hawkeyes 1-4-1 O/U taking points at home, 1-5 O/U scoring 24 or less in front of the friendly crowd at Kinnick Stadium, Badgers 2-9-1 O/U in unfriendly territory consider 'Under'.

Texas A&M at Alabama

Huge Southeastern Conference Showdow in Tuscaloosa when top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0, 5-2 ATS) hosts Texas A&M Aggies (6-0, 4-2 ATS). This past weekend, the Crimson Tide went to Tennessee and spanked Vols 49-10 as a 14-point road favorite recording a 19th consecutive victory with a money-making 12-7 record against the betting line. Aggies off a 'BYE' were last seen taking down those same Volunteers 45-38 in double overtime but failed at the betting window as 7.5 point home chalk. Opening odds had 'Bama' 16.5 point favorites but has since been bumped to 18.0 across all shops.

Defense the moniker for Crimson Tide allowing a lowly 15.0 points/game on 274.7 total yards along with an unstoppable offense lead by QB Jalen Hurts racking up 504.7 yards/game split between 239 passing, 265.7 rushing yards/game will be difficult to beat in confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tide are on an 23-1 stretch in front of the friendly crowd.

However, you do bet Alabama at some risk as Tide did struggled against the betting line in those twenty-four home games (11-12-1 ATS), have failed to cash in four of the past five hosting an SEC opponent and have dropped the loot in seven of its last ten overall laying 15 or more points.

Big Ten Report - Week 8
By ASAWins.com

Ohio State (-20) at Penn State

Penn State – PSU had last week to prepare for this huge home game. We’re guessing they’ll try and get the ground game going with RB Saquon Barkley against an Ohio State defense that allowed over 230 yards rushing last week at Wisconsin. Barkley was “struggling” a bit heading into his most recent game vs Maryland. He had 4 consecutive “non-100 yard” games before exploding for 202 vs the Terps. On the defensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions have struggled to stop the run which is not a winning recipe when playing Ohio State.

In their 3 Big Ten games, the Penn State defense has given up 170, 228, and 326 yards on the ground. Now they must attempt to slow down the Big Ten’s top rushing offense with the Buckeyes putting up 300 YPG on the ground on 6.0 YPC. Being as banged up as they’ve been, that might be a tough task for the Nits. They have been without all of their starting LB’s due to injuries, however there is a chance that Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda could return on Saturday. We’re told they are getting close to coming back. If they do return, it would be the first time since the season opener they’ve played together. They’ll need those two back if they want to have a chance to slow down Ohio State’s running game.

Ohio State – The schedule makers are not making it easy on the Buckeyes. This is the second straight week they are on the road vs a team coming off a bye. Last week they led Wisconsin for only 6 minutes of the 60 minute game (regulation). They were outgained by the Badgers and allowed Wisconsin to grind out 236 yards on the ground. The Ohio State defense came into the game allowing under 100 YPG rushing. Despite being outplayed by Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium, the Buckeyes came out with an OT win. Amazingly, it was the Bucks 17th straight Big Ten road win and Urban Meyer’s 20th consecutive road win overall. Their last conference road loss came back in 2011 which is an astounding accomplishment.

The Buckeyes are laying a big number here and it’s the 16th time in their last 17 road games they’ve been favored. It’s also the 4th straight time that OSU has been a double digit favorite over Penn State. After covering their first 4 games of the season, the Buckeyes lost each of their last 2 games to the spread vs Indiana and Wisconsin. Their number remain dominating though as they are outgaining their opponents by an average of 236 YPG and 2.5 YPP. The OSU pass defense has been phenomenal allowing only 159 YPG but have shown some vulnerability in stopping the run. While their overall rush defense numbers are very solid (121 YPG) the two good running teams they’ve faced this year, Wisconsin & Oklahoma, have moved the ball well on the ground.

Last Year – Ohio State was favored by -17.5 at home last year and won easily 38-10. Now they are favored by more on the road at PSU this year than they were last season at home. As expected, the Buckeyes are 29-0 SU the last 29 times they’ve been a road favorite of -20 or more and a solid 18-10-1 ATS in those games. This is THE LARGEST underdog Penn State has EVER been at home. The closest was 2 years ago when they were +14 at home against these Buckeyes.

Inside the Numbers – Since joining the Big Ten, Penn State is just 7-16 vs Ohio State and just 8-15 ATS in those games.

Wisconsin (-4) at Iowa

Wisconsin – Can the Badgers get up off the mat after last Saturday’s brutal home loss to the Buckeyes? That will possibly be the #1 key to this game. They opened as a 3-point road favorite in this game and as of this writing have pushed up to -4 at some spots. Wisconsin played OSU toe to toe last week and by many accounts actually outplayed the Buckeyes. The Badgers, who were 10-point underdogs, were actually tied or ahead in regulation for all but 6 minutes and 15 seconds. Wisconsin outgained OSU last Saturday including rolling up 236 yards on the ground vs a Buckeye defense that was allowing 98 YPG rushing coming into the game.

Defensively they held Ohio State to 5.5 YPP but really had trouble putting pressure on JT Barrett. That was partly due to the fact that LB Vince Biegel, UW’s top pass rusher, was out for his second straight game due to an injured foot. Biegel has progressed well after his surgery a few weeks ago and actually is slated to play this weekend at Iowa if all goes well in practice this week. The Badgers dropped to 4-2 on the year, however their 2 losses came at the hands of #2 Ohio State and #4 Michigan by just 7 points each. QB Alex Hornibrook looked much better last week after recovering from a bruised sternum suffered early on in the Michigan game. That injury was kept under wraps until late last week and explains why he looked so poor vs the Wolverines.

Iowa – The Hawkeyes offense was struggling big time going into last week’s game vs Purdue but they couldn’t ask for a better remedy than having to face the porous Boilermaker defense. After failing to top 21 points in three of their previous four games, the Hawkeyes erupted for 49 points on 520 yards. Iowa had 6 possessions in the first half and scored TD’s on 5 of them to lead 35-7 at half. However, the Hawkeyes, as might be expected, came out flat after halftime getting outscored 28-14 in the 2nd stanza.

The Iowa defense really struggled in the 2nd half allowing the Boilermaker offense to score 4 TD’s on 389 yards. Because of that poor 2nd half, Iowa only outgained Purdue by 15 yards, the first time they’ve outgained an opponent this season. Purdue rolled up 505 total yards with only 47 of those coming on the ground.

On the other side, Iowa destroyed the Boilers terrible rush defense to the tune of 365 yards on the ground. They’ll have a much tougher go of it this week facing a Wisconsin defense allowing 106 YPG rushing and that includes facing the likes of LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State. Iowa returns home where they have lost 2 straight at the hands of North Dakota State and Northwestern.

Last Year – The Badgers were a 5-point favorite at home last year and lost to the Hawkeyes in a low scoring affair 10-6. Wisconsin outgained the Hawks by 100 yards but turned the ball over 4 times including at the Iowa 1-yard line going in for the winning score in the 4th quarter.

Inside the Numbers – The Hawkeyes have been tabbed home underdogs just twice since 2013. Both of those games were vs Wisconsin and the Badgers won both 28-9 and 26-24. Going back further, Iowa has been a home dog 38 times since the start of the 1989 season. They are just 9-29 SU in those games (18-18-2 ATS). Wisconsin has won 12 of their last 13 SU as a road favorite (8-4 ATS)

Rutgers at Minnesota (-19)

Minnesota – In the battle of back up QB’s last Saturday, Minnesota’s Conor Rhoda topped Maryland’s Tyrell Pigrome 31-10. Pigrome had the better numbers throwing for 161 yards and rushing for 71 yards while Rhoda completed just 7 passes for 82 yards and had negative yards rushing. Pigrome, however, committed 2 of the Terps 3 turnovers while the Gophs didn’t have a giveaway. You wouldn’t look at the box score and come to the conclusion that Minnesota won this game by 3 TD’s. The Gophs had just 311 total yards, averaged less than 5 yards per play, completed only 7 passes and converted on only 29% of their third down plays yet still put up 31 points.

The offense was hoping to get starting QB Mitch Leidner back this week after sitting out with a concussion last week although we’ve been told that looks like a long shot. They are preparing as though Rhoda will get the start again. The Minny defense continued to play very well allowing just 10 points and less than 4 YPP. So far in Big Ten play the Gophers have allowed 7, 10, and 23 (in regulation) points. They held both Iowa & Maryland to just one offensive TD each.

Since getting back to full strength in the defensive backfield before the Iowa game (suspended and injured players returning), they have allowed just 142 and 161 yards passing. That was the strength of their defense last year as well as they allowed just 180 YPG through the air.

Rutgers – And the beat goes on for the Scarlet Knights. They were whipped again, this time by a lower tier Big Ten team with Illinois rolling to an easy 24-7 road win. That loss dropped Rutgers to 0-4 in the Big Ten and they have been outscored 174-14 in those four games! If that doesn’t tell you how bad Rutgers has been in conference play, how about this. They are last in scoring offense (3.5 PPG), last in scoring defense (43.5 PPG), last in total offense (231 YPG), and 13th (second to last) in total defense (486 YPG).

That pretty much tells the story for new head coach Chris Ash and his 2016 Rutgers team. The amazing part is, despite getting outscored by a whopping 160 points in league play, the Knights have actually outgained 2 of their 4 Big Ten opponents (Iowa & Illinois). They were also 2-1 heading into conference play. So with an offense averaging barely over a FG per game in the Big Ten, a change is a no-brainer and that’s what Ash has done for this week’s game at Minnesota.

QB Chris Laviano will take a seat and sophomore Gio Rescigno will get his first career start. Rescigno played the entire 2nd half of last week’s game vs Illinois and went 10 for 18 and led Rutgers on their first TD drive since September 24th! We do know this, it would be nearly impossible to do any worse for an offense that ranks 127th (out of 128) averaging 298 YPG.

Last Year – No meetings since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.

Inside the Numbers – This is rarified air for the Gophers. Since 2006 they’ve been favored by -17 or more just 5 times and failed to cover 4 of those. They also lost 2 of those 5 games outright. Over their last 48 games dating back to mid-season 2012, Rutgers is just 19-29 ATS. Going way back to 1980, our database tells us that Rutgers is just 3-77-1 SU and 32-48-1 ATS as underdogs of 17 or more (0-3 ATS this year).

Indiana at Northwestern (-2.5)

Northwestern – The Cats opened as 3 point favorites in this one and they have since dropped to -1.5. Northwestern is coming off impressive back to back road wins (with a bye in between) winning at Iowa and at Michigan State. While those are tough spots to win, if we’re talking last year, wow. This year, both Iowa and MSU look to be down quite a bit, both have lost back to back home games, so it’s not overly surprising. The way the Cats won last week was something that caught our eye. They got down 14-0 in East Lansing and then went on a 33-3 run into the 3rd quarter to build up a 33-17 lead. Sparty then cut that lead to 33-31 and the Wildcats then returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD and went on to win 54-40.

Where the heck was this NW offense early in the season? They started the year just 1-3 and were averaging only 16 PPG. Over the last 2 games they’ve rolled up 92 points on 852 yards. They are 19 of 38 on third down (or 4th) in those games which is a big reason why they have put up the numbers they have. They’ve been able to keep their offense on the field. Where would NW be right now if they had that type of offensive production early in the year? Probably undefeated as their 3 losses on the season have come by a combined 14 points.

RB Justin Jackson leads the Big Ten in rushing and QB Clayton Thorson is leaps and bounds better than last year. He’s improved his completion percentage by 8% (50% to 58%), his yards per attempt has gone from 5.2 to 6.9, and he already has more TD pass this season (11) than he had all of last year (9). Now if the Cats can shore up their defense (allowing nearly 100 more YPG this year than last) this team will be very dangerous from this point on.

Indiana – Who thought when the season started we’d be discussing Northwestern’s potent offense and subpar defense while also focusing in on Indiana’s much improve defense and “struggling” offense. After 3 conference games, Northwestern’s offense ranks ahead of Indiana in both YPG and PPG. On the flip side, Indiana’s defense ranks ahead of NW in both YPG and PPG. What world are we living in? Two weeks ago the Hoosiers held OSU to their lowest yards per play output of the year. Last week they held Nebraska to 5.0 YPP and also held them scoreless in the 2nd and 3rd quarter. If it weren’t for a pick 6 by the Huskers in the 1st quarter, Indiana may have pulled the upset.

The IU defense has been susceptible to the run allowing 188 YPG, however those numbers are even skewed a bit as OSU rolled up nearly 300 on the ground. In their last 2 games, the Hoosier defense held the Buckeyes 11 points below their season average and Nebraska 8 points below theirs. The problem has been the offense scoring only 17 and he 22 points in those games. Their other Big Ten game, a win over MSU, the Hoosiers were only able to score 24 and only 21 in regulation. Much of the problem has been the inconsistency of QB Richard Lagow who has thrown 9 interceptions in his last 4 games inlcluding 2 last week vs Nebaska. We never thought we’d say it but it looks like Northwestern will have the advantage on offense in this game while Indiana will have the advantage on defense.

Last Year – These two haven’t met since 2012 when Northwestern won big 44-29.

Inside the Numbers – The Wildcats have won 8 of the last 9 in this series. 7 of the last 9 in this Big Ten battle have been decided by a TD or less. Northwestern is just 7-17 ATS their last 24 home games.

Illinois at Michigan (-39)

Michigan – The Wolverines are coming off a bye after beating Rutgers 78-0 two weeks ago. Michigan is 3-0 in the Big Ten and have outscored their 3 opponents 141-17! Michigan has outgained each of their seven opponents by an average of 250 YPG. They have outgained every opponent by at least 100 yards with the exception of Colorado who they outgained by 72 yards. This number has Michigan -36.5 which is the second highest spread for the Wolverines this year only behind Hawaii which had Michigan favored by -38. The Wolves won that game 63-3. The defense has been lights out all year.

The U of M defense is the only team in the entire country to allow under 4 YPP coming in at 3.58 YPP which is by far the best in the nation. Florida is next best allowing 4.14 YPP. The Wolves are also by far #1 in YPG allowed at 212 which is a full 33 yards better than Army which is slotted at #2. They also lead the country in sacks per game at 4 and 3rd down conversion rate allowing opponents only 12%. Offensively this team is very tough to defend, especially on the ground, where the Wolverines have four players that have at least 250 yards rushing. Their 25 rushing TD’s lead the nation.

Illinois – The Illini got off the schneid last week beating Rutgers after losing four straight leading into that one. Rutgers seems to be the remedy for teams to “get right” and Illinois sort of did that with a 24-7 win. Illinois was outgained by 65 yards in the game but ran only 57 offensive plays to 80 for Rutgers. Starting QB Wes Lunt was on the shelf last week with a back injury. His replacement Chayce Crouch stepped in a “managed” the win over Rutgers completing just 6 passes for 92 yards. Crouch injured his shoulder late in the game at Rutgers and may not play this weekend. If the first two QB’s are unable to step on the field, the Illini would send Jeff George Jr under center and he has never taken a snap in a college football game. That would be a disaster against a defense the caliber of Michigan’s.

The good news for Illinois fans is, both Lunt and Crouch were in full pads at practice on Wednesday and looked OK. The Illinois defense looked better last week, who wouldn’t vs a Rutgers team averaging 3.5 PPG in Big Ten play, giving up just one TD. That was after allowing at least 31 points in four straight games. The Illini are 36.5 point dogs in this one which is the 3rd largest underdog number for Illinois in the last 25 years.

Last Year – These two last met in 2012 when the Wolverines shutout Illinois 45-0.

Inside the Numbers – This is the FOURTH time this season alone that Michigan has been favored by 30 points or more. They are 3-0 ATS in their first 3. For comparison’s sake coming into this year the Wolverines were favored by 30 or more just 12 times since the start of the 200 season. The Illini have been a 30+ point underdog only 5 times since 1980 (2-3 ATS) and just once since 2005.

Michigan State (-3) at Maryland

Maryland – The Terps, under new head coach DJ Durkin, looked like they might be one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten early in the season. They rolled through their first four games with a perfect record. Granted those games were against Howard, FIU, UCF, and Purdue, but they didn’t lose a game none the less. We mentioned that we couldn’t get a good read on how good Maryland might be because of their early competition. Now we have a better idea. Since the 4-0 start, the Terps have played two “middling” Big Ten teams, Penn State & Minnesota, and were trounced by both. PSU beat them 38-14 and the Gophs went into College Park and won 31-10 with both teams playing their back up QB’s. Maryland was dominated in both of those games getting outgained in both by 274 combined yards.

After averaging 43 PPG over their first four games Maryland has put up just 12 PPG their last two games. Part of that drop off can be attributed to the absence of starting QB Perry Hills. He injured his shoulder late in the 2nd quarter of their game at PSU two weeks ago and he has not played since. He’s still questionable this week, however he was listed as the #1 QB on the depth chart earlier this week. The defense actually played fairly well last week. You wouldn’t guess that looking at the scoreboard but the Terps limited Minnesota to just over 300 yards and less than 5 YPP. They are allowing just 4.8 YPP on the season. Very solid but they need help from the offense who needs to get it straight soon.

Michigan State – If Maryland is struggling then MSU is in a complete free fall. Last week’s 54-40 loss at home to Northwestern was Sparty’s fourth straight loss. The crazy part is, they were favored in all 4 games and lost by a combined score of 139-81. It was the first time since 2006 that the Spartans have lost 4 games in a row and our database tells us it’s the first time they have EVER lost four games in a row as a favorite.

Head coach Mark Dantonio is doing whatever he can to jumpstart this team as he inserted freshman Brian Lewerke under center last week for his first career start. Lewerke started fairly well leading MSU to 10 points on 136 yards over his first four drives. Although he also threw a pick 6 on one of those four drives as well. However on his next 4 drives, Michigan State totaled 19 years, punted 3 times and Lewerke was sacked for a safety on the other. He was then yanked and previous starter O’Connor played the remainder of the game. This week both have taken reps with the #1 offense but no decision had been made as of Thursday.

Let’s not blame this all on the offense. The defense isn’t helping as last week’s 54 point outburst by Northwestern was the most points this team has given up since 2003. They’ve allowed 30 or more points in 3 of their 6 games this year after allowing 30 or more in just 6 of their previous 54 games entering this season.

Last Year – MSU has won and covered both meetings between these two. Last year Sparty won 24-7 as a 14.5 point home favorite and in 2014 they won 27-15 as a 10.5 point road chalk.

Inside the Numbers – If MSU loses this game, it will be their 5th consecutive loss as a favorite. As we stated above, the Spartans have NEVER lost 4 straight games as a favorite until last week so 5 in a row would obviously be a first as well. Dating back to the start of last season, MSU is now 3-12-1 ATS their last 16 as a favorite. Believe it or not, this is the first time this season the Terps have been an underdog. They have lost 14 straight games as an underdog (4-10 ATS).

Purdue at Nebraska (-24)

Nebraska – While Nebraska comes in with a perfect 6-0 record, their best start since 2001, we’re still not sure just how good this team is. I guess you could say their “signature” win this year was at home vs Oregon 35-32. While that looked like a very good win at the time, the Ducks have since flopped so how good was that win? The only team they’ve beaten that currently has a winning record is Wyoming who comes in at 4-2. They jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead last week on Indiana, with the help of a pick 6, but had to hold on late for the 27-22 win.

The offense was held somewhat in check by the IU defense averaging just 5.0 YPP. After completing over 65% of his passes in the first two Big Ten games, QB Tommy Armstrong struggled big time at Indiana. He completed just 38% of his passes and threw 2 interceptions in the game. It looks like Armstrong and company will get some help on Saturday as the offensive line is close to full strength. Starting left tackle Nick Gates has been out with a bad ankle but practiced some this week and may play.

Starting center Dylan Utter dislocated a finger but should play on Saturday. Armstrong has thrown 65 fewer passes through 6 games this year compared to last and don’t expect that to change this weekend. That because the Huskers average 220 yards rushing on 47 attempts and they are facing a Purdue defense that is allowing their Big Ten opponents to rush for an average of 360 YPG! Expect the ball to stay on the ground a lot on Sunday.

Purdue – The Boilers came into this season with just a 6-30 record over the last 3 seasons. They were actually showing some progress this year with a 3-3 mark through 6 games. Apparently they weren’t showing enough progress as head coach Darrell Hazell was given his walking papers after last week’s 49-35 loss at home to Iowa. It was an interesting move at this point of the season because it’s quite obvious the players like Hazell and definitely hadn’t quit on him. Despite getting down 28-0 and 35-7 at half, this Purdue team battled back to within 14 twice in the second half and had the ball attempting to cut the lead to 7 at one point in the 4th quarter.

WR’s coach Gerad Parker takes over as interim head coach with zero head coaching experience. The Purdue offense has been fairly explosive this year averaging 441 YPG and scoring 34+ points in half their games. The problem has been on the other side of the ball. The Purdue run defense has failed to hold ANY of their Big Ten opponents under 300 rushing yards! They’ve also allowed 50, 31, and 49 points in their 3 conference games.

Last Year – Purdue (+7.5) pulled the home upset last year beating Nebraska 55-45. The Huskers scored first with a FG to lead 3-0 and Purdue never trailed after that.

Inside the Numbers – The Huskers are 2-1 ATS this year as a double digit favorite however entering the season they were just 15-25 ATS in that role the previous 40. This is the largest number Purdue has faced this year by nearly 2 TD’s – they were +11 at home vs Iowa. The Boilers are 6-0 ATS the last 6 times they’ve been a dog of 3 TD’s or more.

Texas A&M at Alabama
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Alabama and Texas A&M will both take unbeaten records into Saturday’s crucial SEC showdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Nevertheless, the oddsmakers aren’t expecting a competitive game.

As of late Friday afternoon, most betting shops had Alabama (7-0 straight up, 5-2 against the spread) installed as an 18-point favorite with a total of 60.5 points. The number for the side opened at 16.5, but it has drifted as high as 19 or 19.5 at a few books this week. The total opened at 58.5 but moved into the low 60s at around 12:50 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The Aggies were +700 to win outright (risk $100 to win $700).

Nick Saban’s squad return home after a pair of road wins at Arkansas (49-30) and at Tennessee (49-10). The Crimson Tide beat up on the Volunteers for the 10th consecutive season, easily taking the cash as a 13.5-point road favorite. The 59 combined points went ‘over’ the 54.5-point total on an 85-yard touchdown scamper by Bo Scarbrough with 11:38 remaining.

As usual, Alabama was able to get points from both its defense and special teams. The Tide took a 14-0 advantage when Ronnie Harrison intercepted UT’s Josh Dobbs and returned the pick for six (58 yards) with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. With 14:42 remaining in the final stanza, Eddie Jackson returned a Vols’ punt 79 yards for a TD.

Jalen Hurts, the true freshman signal caller for the nation’s top-ranked team, did most of his work at UT with his legs. Hurts rushed 12 times for 132 yards and three TDs. Scarbrough needed only five attempts to gain 109 yards, while Damien Harris produced 94 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Before collecting its two recent road scalps, Alabama captured wins vs. Southern Cal (52-6 at Jerry World), vs. Western Kentucky (38-10), at Ole Miss (48-43), vs. Kent State (48-0) and vs. Kentucky (34-6).

The Tide has benefited from 11 TDs from its defense and special teams so far this year. That’s the most during Saban’s 10-year tenure.

Hurts won the QB job in early September and nobody should expect him to lose it until his days in Tuscaloosa are over. Hurts has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,385 yards with a 9/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also provides a big-time scrambling dynamic, rushing for 428 yards and eight TDs with a 5.8 yards-per-carry average.

Harris has rushed for a team-high 572 yards and one TD, averaging 8.3 YPC. Joshua Jacobs, a true freshman RB, has contributed 345 rushing yards and three TDs while averaging 8.0 YPC. Scarbrought has 273 rushing yards and five TDs with a 6.3 YPC average.

Calvin Ridley is one of the country’s top wideouts, hauling in 39 receptions for 477 yards and four TDs. ArDarius Stewart missed 2.5 games with an injury, but he’s still produced 26 catches for 379 yards and three TDs.

Alabama’s defense features All-American candidates and future NFL players galore. Senior DE Jonathan Allen is most likely going to be a top-five pick this spring. Other expected 2017 first-round selections from this defense include LB Rueben Foster and CB Marlon Humphrey, while DT Da’Ron Payne, CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, DE Da’Shawn Hand and Harris will likely be first-rounders in 2018.

Foster has a team-high 41 tackles to go with four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four QB hurries and two passes broken up. Allen has recorded 29 tackles, 5.5 TFL’s, five sacks, six QB hurries, two PBU, one blocked kick and one 75-yard scoop and score.

Texas A&M (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) has had two weeks to prepare for Alabama after beating Tennessee 45-38 in a wild, double-overtime affair. The Aggies led 28-7 midway through the third quarter and appeared poised to cash tickets as 7.5-point home favorites. However, the Vols scored with 2:07 remaining to get ahead of the number with a 35-28 deficit.

Moments later, A&M true freshman RB Trayveon Williams coasted into the second level and was ahead of the pack down the sidelines seemingly on his way to a 73-yard TD run. But as Williams was less than two yards away from tasting paydirt, UT’s Malik Foreman made an incredible play by diving at Williams and knocking the ball out of his hands and through the back of the end zone. This resulted in a touchback and ended all hopes of A&M covering the number.

Trevor Knight’s one-yard TD run and a subsequent interception by Armani Watts in double OT secure the victory for the Aggies. The 83 combined points went ‘over’ the 60.5-point total, but UT’s TD with just over two minutes left in regulation was needed for ‘over’ supporters.

Knight ran for 110 yards and three TDs against UT. The grad transfer from Oklahoma also threw for 239 yards and a pair of TDs, though we should note that he was also intercepted twice. Williams rushed for 217 yards and one TD on 28 carries. Josh Reynolds had five catches for 89 yards and one TD, while Christian Kirk had seven receptions for 80 yards and one TD.

Texas A&M’s other victories this year have come vs. UCLA (31-24 in OT), vs. Prairie View A&M (67-0), at Auburn (29-16), vs. Arkansas (45-24 at Jerry World) and at South Carolina (24-13).

Knight has only completed only 53.5 percent of his throws, but he has 1,500 passing yards with a 9/5 TD-INT ratio. His unexpected impact has come in the ground game, as he’s rushed for 502 yards and nine TDs while averaging 7.7 YPC. Knight’s favorite target has been Kirk, who has 40 catches for 352 yards and four TDs. Reynolds has 25 receptions for 488 yards and four TDs, while Ricky Seals-Jones has 10 catches for 175 yards. Seals-Jones has missed back-to-back games with a leg injury and he remains a question mark at Alabama.

Williams leads the Aggies in rushing, tallying 704 yards and five TDs while averaging 8.6 YPC. Keith has run for 242 yards and three TDs in relief of Williams.

Alabama isn’t the only defense that’ll be on the field Saturday. Texas A&M is ranked No. 22 in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 19.2 PPG.

This unit is led by junior DE Myles Garrett, who many consider the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Garrett has registered 14 tackles, six TFL’s, four sacks, six QB hurries and one forced fumble despite missing one game. He didn’t make the trip to Columbia for the win over South Carolina, but he was back against Tennessee and has had two weeks since then for his ankle to get better.

We should also mention that this won’t be the first time Knight has faced Alabama. When he was a redshirt freshman at OU, he led the Sooners to a 45-31 win over Alabama as 16.5-point underdogs at the 2014 Sugar Bowl. Knight completed 32-of-44 passes for 348 yards and four TDs.

Texas A&M has been a double-digit underdog just four times since Kevin Sumlin took over in 2012. The Aggies have thrived in those instances, producing a 3-1 record both SU and ATS. They beat Alabama 29-24 in ’12, smashed South Carolina 52-28 in the ’14 season opener and edged Auburn 41-38 as 23-point ‘dogs two years ago.

Alabama has lost outright only four times in 77 games as a double-digit favorite since Saban took over. The Tide lost to ULM in his first season (2007) as a 24.5-point home ‘chalk.’ They also lost to the Aggies as 13.5-point home favorites, in addition to defeats vs. Oklahoma (-16.5 at Sugar Bowl in January of ’14) and at Auburn (-10 in ’13). The loss to Utah at the Sugar Bowl came when ‘Bama was favored by 9.5 points.

The ‘under’ is 3-2-1 overall for the Aggies, going 2-0 in their road assignments. Their games have averaged combined scores of 59.3 PPG.

The ‘over’ is 4-3 overall for the Tide, but the ‘under’ is a perfect 3-0 in its home outings. They’ve seen their games play to an average combined score of 60.4 PPG.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

The updated odds to win the SEC from Sportsbook.ag look like this: Alabama -220 (risk $220 to win $100), Florida 4/1, Texas A&M 4/1, LSU 9/1, Tennessee 9/1, Auburn 30/1, Kentucky 100/1 and Ole Miss 100/1.

How many SEC head-coaching jobs are going to open in the next two months? We came into the year with six coaches needing to have quality seasons. This group included Derek Mason, Mark Stoops, Les Miles, Gus Malzahn, Kevin Sumlin and Butch Jones. There was also the status of Hugh Freeze, who is the middle of an NCAA saga. To be clear, Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork has stood tall in support of Freeze, but that’s a fluid situation in Oxford. The Dan Mullen situation in Starkville was also on the radar somewhat because he showed interest in the Miami job last December and Dak Prescott was no longer around to provide victories on the regular. To update these situations, Miles has already been dismissed, while Jones and Sumlin are clearly secure to return in 2017. With Auburn trending up in recent weeks, Malzahn looks good for now but a loss at home to Arkansas, coupled with a few others down the stretch, could rapidly change things. Many think Stoops has to get to six wins for a bowl invite and that would make Saturday’s home game vs. Mississippi State a must win. We’ll have more on Mason below, while the developments in the Magnolia State deserve monitoring in the coming weeks.

Kentucky has limped to a 1-9-1 against-the-spread record in 11 games as a home underdog during Stoops’s tenure. UK will be in that role again Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium when it hosts Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, who are 2-4 straight up, are off a 28-21 overtime loss at BYU in double overtime. Bettors backing MSU as a seven-point underdog took a push last Friday night in Provo. Mullen’s team is in danger of missing a bowl for the first time since 2009, his first year in Starkville. The Bulldogs are 9-6-1 ATS in 16 games as a road favorite on Mullen’s watch.

Vanderbilt is 0-4 ATS in four games as a double-digit favorite since Derek Mason arrived in 2014. The Commodores were 26.5-point home favorites vs. Tennessee State on Friday. Vandy is off the biggest win of Mason’s career, a 17-16 victory at Georgia as a 13.5-point underdog. Zach Cunningham made one of his game-high 17 tackles on a fourth-and-one play to seal the deal. If Cunningham isn’t a first-team All-American this year, it’ll be a crime. Cunningham has 81 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, one forced fumble. One pass broken up and one QB hurry. Mason will probably be safe with a win Saturday even if the ‘Dores lose their last four to finish 4-8. The meaning of last week’s win in Athens can’t possibly be overstated.

According to Jim McElwain, Florida might be without starting senior DT Bryan Cox Jr. for the rest of the season. Cox is dealing with a hand injury. In better news for UF, DE Jordan Sherit and DT Joey Ivie might be available against Georgia next week. Both are listed as ‘questionable.’ The Westgate SuperBook has the Gators favored by one over UGA this week. The betting shop also has UF favored by 4.5 at Arkansas and McElwain’s bunch is listed as a 7.5-point underdog for the regular-season finale at FSU.

Other notable SEC Games of the Year spreads from The Westgate include Ole Miss -5.5 vs. Auburn, Alabama -10 at LSU, LSU -9.5 vs. Arkansas, Texas A&M -2 vs. LSU, Arkansas -3 at Missouri, Tennessee -13.5 at Vandy, Ole Miss -15.5 vs. Mississippi State and Alabama -19.5 vs. Auburn.

Arkansas is 6-0 ATS with five outright wins in its last six games as a road underdog. The Razorbacks, who are fresh off a 34-30 home win over Ole Miss, are 10.5-point ‘dogs at Auburn this weekend. The Tigers have had two weeks to prepare for this spot after drilling Mississippi St. by a 38-14 count in Starkville.

LSU was a six-point home favorite vs. Ole Miss for most of the week, but the number increased to 7.5 early Friday afternoon. The Tigers are off a 45-10 home win over Southern Miss as 25.5-point home favorites. After missing three games, star RB Leonard Fournette is poised to return to the lineup. The Rebels have compiled a 6-2 spread record in eight games as road ‘dogs under Freeze.

After losing 28-27 at Boise State on Thursday night, BYU fell to 4-4 for the season. The Cougars' four losses have come by 10 combined points to BSU, WVU, UCLA and Utah. The Broncos, Utes and Mountaineers have one loss between them. BYU also lost by one (7-6) at BSU in 2012. I had the Broncos -6.5 that night and they failed to score on 5-6 trips inside of BYU's 35 yard line. The Cougars got their score (to get ahead of the number) with about three minutes left and went for two (and failed). I was not a happy camper that night.

North Carolina had a rough Thursday. The Tar Heels needed Miami to win at Virginia Tech and that didn't happen when the Hokies cruised to a 37-16 win at Lane Stadium. Even worse for Larry Fedora's squad, UNC announced that senior OG Caleb Peterson is done for the season with an injury. Peterson had started 42 career games and was a second-team All-ACC selection last year.

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

North Carolina State Wolfpack at No. 7 Louisville Cardinals (-19, 65)

* Ryan Finley has quickly emerged as one of the conference's finest passers despite throwing two interceptions last week - his first two turnovers of the season - to end his streak of not throwing a pick to begin his Wolfpack career at 139 attempts, besting Philip Rivers' previous mark by 40. The sophomore signal-caller has benefited greatly from the presence of 5-11, 223-pound junior tight end Jaylen Samuels, who tied a personal best with eight catches and set another with 100 yards receiving versus Clemson. Matthew Dayes churned out his fifth 100-yard rushing day in six outings this season last weekend while also moving past Torry Holt for sole possession of fourth place on the school's all-time touchdown list with 34.

* Jackson, who has rushed and passed for at least one touchdown in a FBS-best nine consecutive games, leads the nation in TDs scored (15), points scored (90) and points per game (15), and he leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (138.7). Jackson (832 yards rushing) and Brandon Radcliff (534) are both on pace to become the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since Bilal Powell ran for 1,405 in 2010, and Radcliffe's 80-yard TD burst in last week's win was the longest scoring run since Powell's 85-yard scamper six years ago. Defensive tackle Drew Bailey was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after totaling a career-best 11 tackles (three for loss), matching the most by a Cardinals' defensive lineman since Elvis Dumervil in 2005.

LINE HISTORY: Louisville opened as 18-point home favorites and the spread moved as high as -20 before settling back down to -19. The total opened at 65 and has yet to move. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Wolfpack are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games on fieldturf.
* Cardinals are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 4-1 in Wolfpack last 5 games following a straight up loss.
* Over is 6-1 in Cardinals last 7 conference games.

No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes (+3.5, 42.5)

* The Badgers rolled up 236 yards on the ground against Ohio State last week as senior Corey Clement recorded a season-high 164 to push his total to 483 in five games. Hornibrook finished with a career-high 214 yards passing versus the Buckeyes as well and owns a touchdown pass in five straight games, but could be without senior receiver Robert Wheelwright (leg). Junior Jazz Peavy is the top target for the Badgers with 21 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns while junior tight end Troy Fumagalli notched seven of his team-high 23 catches last week.

* Wadley (592 yards) and Daniels (589) are both among the top five in the Big Ten in rushing while combining for 14 touchdowns to lead the Hawkeyes’ ground attack. That has been a welcome development after losing top receiver Matt VandeBerg for the season due to injury, and it has given senior quarterback C.J. Beathard some breathing room. Beathard is completing 60.1 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns through the air and senior Riley McCarron has stepped up to catch 18 balls over the last three games, but tight end George Kittle (arm) is questionable for Saturday.

LINE HISTORY: Wisconsin opened as 3-point road favorites and the line crept higher to 3.5 on Tuesday morning. The total hit the board at 41.5 and went up a full point to 42.5. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Badgers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Hawkeyes are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 home games.
* Under is 4-0 in Badgers last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Under is 4-1 in Hawkeyes last 5 games on fieldturf.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Cavaliers (+9.5, 69)

* Junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky will be without a major weapon Saturday after senior receiver Mack Hollins (20 career touchdown receptions) was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. Trubisky has completed 70.5 percent of his passes with 15 touchdown strikes and senior Ryan Switzer (58 catches, 606 yards) is his favorite target. The Tar Heels gave up 363 yards (54 under its current average) against Miami last week while forcing a fumble, recording two sacks, breaking up five passes and holding the Hurricanes to 4-of-15 on third down.

* The Cavaliers totaled 700 yards through the air in losing the first three games and have registered 1,035 to win two of the past three contests. Benkert owns all but two of the passing yards and has thrown for 14 touchdowns along with seven interceptions while sophomore Olamide Zaccheaus (29 catches, 423 yards, five TDs) and senior Keeon Johnson (31, 305, three) are his top targets. Mendenhall would like to get more from a ground attack that is averaging 3.8 yards per run, but has produced nine touchdowns from seniors Taquan Mizzell and Albert Reid.

LINE HISTORY: North Carolina opened the week as 10-point road favorites. The spread dropped down as low as 7.5 before rebounding to the current number of 9.5. The total began the week at 68 and went up a full point to 69 on Thursday. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Tar Heels are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games in October.
* Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games.
* Under is 5-0 in Tar Heels last 5 games in October.
* Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.

Eastern Michigan Eagles at No. 20 Western Michigan Broncos (-23.5, 58.5)

* The Eagles, who were 7-41 from 2012-15, are turning the program around with the help of junior quarterback Brogan Roback and senior defensive end Pat O'Connor. Roback set career highs with 347 yards and 29 completions (39 attempts) while throwing three touchdown passes against Ohio to earn MAC West Division co-Offensive Player of the Week honors with Franklin. O'Connor recorded a sack last week and has 5.5 this season (tied for 24th nationally) and 17 in his career as he poised to break the school record of 17.5 set by Kevin Howe from 2003-06.

* Senior wide receiver Corey Davis is tied for the national lead in touchdown catches with 10 after hauling in a pair versus Akron - his third straight game with multiple TDs - as he winds down his record-setting career. Davis has 279 career receptions and needs 28 to break the school record set by Jordan White from 2007-11. The Broncos already surpassed last season's sack total with 21 - led by senior defensive end Keion Adams' 5.5 - while junior linebacker Robert Spillane, senior safety Justin Ferguson and junior cornerback Darius Phillips have two interceptions apiece.

LINE HISTORY: Western Michigan hit the board at the beginning of the week as 22.5-point home favorites and by Thursday that number was up to -23.5. The total opened at 62 and dropped sharply to 58.5. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Eagles are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Broncos are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up win.
* Under is 5-0 in Eagles last 5 games overall.
* Over is 9-1-1 in Broncos last 11 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.

No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (-18.5, 58.5)

* The Aggies lead the SEC in total offense (532.8 yards per game) and rushing offense (274.3) and will be trying to penetrate an Alabama unit that leads the nation in rushing defense (69.2) and allows just 2.2 yards per carry. Standout freshman running back Trayveon Williams (SEC-leading 704 rushing yards, five touchdowns) has been superb with an 8.6 average per carry while senior quarterback Travis Knight has been effective as both a runner (502 yards, nine scores) and a passer (1,500 yards, nine touchdowns). Junior defensive end Myles Garrett (28 career sacks, team-leading four this season) is getting closer to full strength from an ankle injury and senior strong safety Justin Evans leads Texas A&M with 48 tackles and three interceptions.

* Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has become a big-time star and has accounted for 17 touchdowns (nine passing, eight rushing) while passing for 1,385 yards and rushing for 428. Sophomore running back Damien Harris (572 yards) averages an impressive 8.3 yards per carry while sophomore wideout Calvin Ridley has 39 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. Senior defensive end Jonathan Allen has five sacks to raise his career total to 23, two behind second-place Kindal Moorehead (1998-2002) on the Crimson Tide's all-time list while senior safety Eddie Jackson has a superb 25.8 punt-return average and has scored three total touchdowns (two on punt returns, one on an interception).

LINE HISTORY: Alabama opened the week as 17-point home favorites and that spread was up to -18.5 by Thursday. The total opened at 58.5 and hasn't moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Aggies are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
* Crimson Tide are 10-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 7-0 in Aggies last 7 road games.
* Under is 4-1 in Crimson Tide last 5 home games.

Texas Christian Horned Frogs at No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers (-6.5, 65)

* Junior quarterback Kenny Hill has topped 400 passing yards three times and has passed for 2,142 yards and 12 touchdowns but has also thrown a Big 12-worst eight interceptions. Junior running back Kyle Hicks has a team-leading 479 rushing yards and has scored nine touchdowns (seven rushing, two receiving) but the Horned Frogs have sorely missed Turpin, who caught 16 passes and stood out on kickoff (32.8 average) and punt returns (28.8, one touchdown) before injuring a knee against Iowa State on Sept. 17. Sophomore outside linebacker Ty Summers (64 tackles) and sophomore middle linebacker Travin Howard (58 stops) are the top two tacklers in the Big 12 while junior safety Nick Orr has a team-best three interceptions.

* Howard has been highly accurate with a 66.1 percentage and has thrown for 1,590 yards and eight touchdowns against four interceptions. Junior running back Justin Crawford (373 yards, three touchdowns) is expected to play despite injuring an ankle against Texas Tech and he has formed a good combo with senior Rushel Shell III (348 rushing yards, five touchdowns). The defense allows just 19.4 points per game with senior safety Jarrod Harper (team-best 30 tackles), senior strong-side linebacker Justin Arndt (team-high four tackles for loss) and senior cornerback Rasul Douglas (team-leading two interceptions) enjoying good campaigns.

LINE HISTORY: West Virginia opened the week as 4.5-point home favorites and are currently at -6.5. The total opened at 66 and dropped a full point to 65. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Horned Frogs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Mountaineers are 1-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 4-1 in Horned Frogs last 5 road games.
* Under is 12-3 in Mountaineers last 15 home games.

Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (-38.5, 55)

* Safety Patrick Nelson was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week after registering a game-high 14 tackles in the win against Rutgers. Backup quarterback Chayce Crouch was thrust into a starting role after Wes Lunt went down with a leg injury in the second half against Purdue on Oct. 8 and the sophomore has performed admirably, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown pass against the Boilermakers and Scarlet Knights. Hardy Nickerson, who is a graduate transfer from California, had 11 total tackles versus Rutgers to bump up his average to a Big Ten-best 9.7 per game.

* Running back Drake Johnson, who has missed the first six games with a muscle strain, practiced with the team during the week and is expected to make his first appearance of the season on Saturday. Fullback Khalid Hill ran for three touchdowns while Karan Higdon, Jabrill Peppers and Ty Isaac added two each as the Wolverines tied a program record by rushing for nine TDs in the victory over Rutgers. Michigan did not attempt a field goal against the Scarlet Knights but head coach Jim Harbaugh reiterated that the kicking competition was still open after Kenny Allen missed three FGs against Wisconsin.

LINE HISTORY: Michigan opened as big 37-point home faves and by Thursday that spread was up to -39. The total hit the board at 55.5 and came down to 55. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Fighting Illini are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
* Wolverines are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a bye week.
* Under is 9-2 in Fighting Illini last 11 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
* Over is 12-1 in Wolverines last 13 games on fieldturf.

Purdue Boilermakers at No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers (-24, 61.5)

* David Blough, who helped orchestrate last year's upset with 274 yards passing and four touchdowns, became the first Boilermaker to throw for five touchdowns since 2008, and he also passed for a career-high 458 yards last weekend. Fellow sophomore Cole Herdman easily topped his career bests with seven catches for 104 yards, becoming the first Purdue tight end to record a 100-yard receiving game since Dustin Keller in 2007. The Boilermakers were without linebacker Ja'Whan Bentley (ankle) and defensive tackle Jake Replogle (migraine) versus Iowa - both are questionable against Nebraska - but their absence allowed others to shine as linebacker Marcus Bailey had 11 tackles for the second straight game and defensive end Evan Panfil doubled his previous season total with two sacks.

* Second-year coach Mike Riley praised running back Terrell Newby for "really (being) a man there at the end"; the senior has logged a pair of 100-yard games in each of the last two weeks, churning out 170 of his 242 yards rushing over that stretch in the fourth quarter alone. Sophomore wideout Stanley Morgan Jr., who leads the team with 16 catches, finished with a career-high 93 yards receiving against the Hoosiers, including a 72-yard reception in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winner. The emergence of both players has helped soften the blow created by the absences of tight end Cethan Carter, who has been ruled out for Purdue with an elbow injury, and last year's leading receiver Jordan Westerkamp, who could miss his second straight game with a back injury.

LINE HISTORY: Nebraska opened the week as 24-point home favorites and were still at that -24 number on Thursday. The total opened at 61.5 and didn't move all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Boilermakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss.
* Cornhuskers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Over is 7-1 in Boilermakers last 8 games overall.
* Under is 6-1 in Cornhuskers last 7 games on fieldturf.

Memphis Tigers at No. 25 Navy Midshipmen (+2.5, 57)

* The Tigers held one of the best rushing offenses in the AAC to 169 yards in a 24-14 win at Tulane last week as freshman defensive back Austin Hall emerged with 12 tackles. Hall and the defense are taking some of the weight off quarterback Riley Ferguson, who recorded 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions in the first three games but managed only one scoring strike with four interceptions in the last three. Freshman running back Darrell Henderson is becoming Ferguson's favorite weapon and totaled 142 yards while rushing for a touchdown and catching a scoring pass last week.

* Worth completed only three passes (in five attempts) against Houston, but two of those completions ended up in the end zone to add a different dimension to the offense. The Midshipmen will always rely mostly on the run, and Worth did his part in that regard with 115 rushing yards and a score on the ground in the 46-40 stunner. Linebacker Josiah Powell recorded a pair of interceptions - one for a touchdown - in the win and owns a sack and 3.5 tackles for a loss on the season.

LINE HISTORY: Memphis opened the week as 2.5-point home favorites and, despite a brief jump to 3, the spread is still 2.5 on Thursday. The total opened at 55.5 and was up to 56.5 by Thursday evening. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Tigers are 1-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Midshipmen are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
* Under is 21-4-1 in Tigers last 26 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Over is 7-1 in Midshipmen last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

No. 18 Utah Utes at UCLA Bruins (-7, 46)

* The Utes enter this game tied with Colorado atop the Pac-12 South Division standings and two games ahead of USC. Scoring at least 25 points seems to their benchmark, as Utah is 9-1 over the past two seasons when scoring that many, while UCLA is 2-9 in that span when surrendering at least 25. One area Utah figures to dominate is special teams, as the Utes rank second in the nation in net punting average, have a four-year starter at place kicker who owns the school's career field-goal record and even their long snapper has been on the field for every snap over the last four seasons.

* The Bruins were the preseason pick to win the South Division this season, but instead have lost three of their first four in conference play for the first time in coach Jim Mora's five-year tenure. UCLA will likely need to lean on its defense, as the run game is struggling and Rosen might be shaking off some rust, and the entire defensive unit has been solid so far, not allowing an opponent to amass 400 total yards in the last six games. Just one opponent has managed to complete at least 53 percent of its passes this season, and the secondary has accounted for eight interceptions on the year.

LINE HISTORY: UCLA opened as 7-point home favorites and the total hit the betting board at 46 and neither number has moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Utes are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
* Bruins are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win.
* Over is 5-1 in Utes last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
* Under is 6-0 in Bruins last 6 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.

No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 24 Auburn Tigers (-10, 55.5)

* The Razorbacks possess the SEC’s leading rusher in Rawleigh Williams III, who rolled up 180 yards and added a receiving touchdown against Ole Miss. Austin Allen also leads the conference in passing yards (1,861) and scoring passes (18), and is the only player in the nation with multiple touchdown tosses in seven games this season. The Razorbacks have put up mediocre defensive numbers and have struggled to stop top-flight offenses, allowing 41.3 points per game in conference play.

* The Tigers’ youthful offense steadily has improved as the season has progressed, as sophomore quarterback Sean White has thrown six touchdown passes and just one interception since an uneven performance in a season-opening loss to Clemson. The sophomore tandem of Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway provides a solid one-two punch in the backfield, with each averaging over five yards per carry. Auburn’s improved defense has held six of its last seven opponents under 20 points dating to last season and has been especially tough on third down, holding opponents to a 31.5 percent conversion rate to rank 21st in the nation.

LINE HISTORY: Auburn opened the week as 7.5-point home faves and by the end of the week that number was all of the way up to -10. The total hit the board at 55.5 and hasn't moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Razorbacks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games on grass.
* Tigers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Under is 7-1 in Razorbacks last 8 games following a bye week.
* Under is 7-0 in Tigers last 7 conference games.

Oregon State Beavers at No. 5 Washington Huskies (-36.5, 53.5)

* The Beavers have played their best football the past two weeks, stunning Cal 47-44 in overtime and then taking No. 19 Utah to the wire before losing 19-14. But OSU limps into this one without its two top quarterbacks -- starter Darell Garretson, who will miss the rest of the season with a left ankle injury, and backup Conor Blount, who has a left-knee injury -- meaning sophomore third-stringer Marcus McMaryion, who has completed just 41 percent of his passes (32-of-76) during brief playing time the last two seasons, gets the nod against the Huskies. Making matters worse is the Beavers also could be without their two top running backs, Ryan Nall (ankle), who rushed for 221 yards in the win over Cal, and backup Art Pierce (shoulder), which puts even more of the workload on standout wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr., who actually had a team-high 61 yards rushing on reverses and fly sweeps against the Utes.

* The Huskies have scored at least 35 points in every game this season and come in off a 70-21 thrashing of Oregon. Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning ranks No. 1 in the FBS in pass efficiency (204.9) and completion percentage (72.2) and has thrown 23 touchdown passes while being intercepted just twice in 144 pass attempts while wide receiver John Ross has 30 receptions for 371 yards and a Pac-12-best nine touchdown receptions. Linebacker Azeem Victor leads the team in tackles (46) but the strength of the unit is a secondary led by junior safety Budda Baker (29 tackles, 1 interception) and junior cornerback Sidney Jones (18 tackles, 1 interception), both returning first team all-conference players who are considered potential first-round NFL picks.

LINE HISTORY: Washington started the week as big 36.5-point home favorites and the spread has not moved. The total began at 54.5 and came down a full point to 53.5 on Thursday. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Beavers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
* Huskies are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Beavers last 5 games following a bye week.
* Over is 8-0 in Huskies last 8 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.

No. 11 Houston Cougars at Southern Methodist Mustangs (+21, 63)

* Freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver leads the Cougar defense with 43 tackles, five pass breakups and 9.5 tackles for loss after a career-high 12 stops last week against Tulsa. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (1,938 passing yards, 11 TDs and team-high 414 rushing yards, six TDs) ranks fourth nationally in total offense (392 yards) while leading a team that has scored at least 33 points in each of its six games. Dillon Birden is coming off a career-best 82 rushing yards and three scores while Linell Bonner bumped his team-leading total to 653 receiving yards with a career-high 13 catches for 97 yards.

* Hicks (1,284 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions) had career highs in completions (29), attempts (52) and yards (258) against Tulsa - the first game the offensive line did not allow a sack. Braeden West has a team-high 521 rushing yards and three scores while Courtland Sutton is averaging 98.3 receiving yards with four TDs. SMU is ranked second nationally with 13 interceptions - including four by Jordan Wyatt and Horace Richardson - but is allowing 454.8 yards.

LINE HISTORY: Houston began the betting week as 21.5-point road favorites and by the end of the week that number was down to 21. The total started out at 63 and hasn't moved. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Cougars are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Cougars last 7 games following a bye week.
* Over is 12-3 in Mustangs last 15 games in October.
* Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Southern Methodist.

No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Tech Red Raiders (+13.5, 84)

* The Sooners have been dealing with defensive injuries, and now have a notable one on the other side of the ball as starting tailback Samaje Perine suffered an unidentified muscle pull in last week’s 38-17 win over Kansas State and will be primarily replaced by Joe Mixon. Mayfield, meanwhile, has completed 76.1 percent of his passes with nine TDs during the team’s three-game win streak, with eight of those scoring passes going to wide receiver Dede Westbrook, who has accumulated 574 yards during that span. The Oklahoma defense is led by linebackers Jordan Evans (7.8 tackles per game) and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (six sacks) and is coming off one of its better showings of the season in holding Kansas State to 17 points and 335 total yards.

* Although dinged up a bit of late, quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads the nation in passing (429.8 yards per game) and total offense (455.2 yards) as the Red Raiders rank fifth nationally in scoring (48.8 points), but they were held to a full 38 points below their per-game average last week against the Mountaineers. Like Oklahoma, Texas Tech also possesses a dynamic wide receiver in sophomore Jonathan Giles, who is pacing the conference with 750 yards and nine receiving TDs. Defense, though, remains another matter as the Kris Williams-led unit ranks in the FBS bottom 30 in points allowed (40.2 per game), total defense (479.2), rushing defense (204.8 ) and passing defense (274.3) while forcing only five turnovers.

LINE HISTORY: The Oklahoma Sooners began the week as 13.5-point road favorites. The spread went up as high as 14 but by Thursday has settled back to the opening number of 13.5. The total opened at a massive 84 and hasn't moved all week. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Sooners are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 conference games.
* Red Raiders are 0-6 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 4-0 in Sooners last 4 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
* Over is 9-1 in Red Raiders last 10 vs. a team with a winning record.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions (+19.5, 58.5)

* The Buckeyes have won 20 straight road games - a school record and the longest active streak in the country - thanks to a balanced dominance on both sides of the ball. In addition to its top-notch offense, Ohio State yields 12.8 points per game and has given up only one touchdown on the ground all season, not to mention 13 turnovers forced in six games. Mike Weber averages 102 rushing yards for the Buckeyes, who have scored a rushing TD in 58 of 60 games under Meyer.

* The Nittany Lions were off last week following a resounding 24-point triumph against Maryland thanks in large part to Saquon Barkley (career-high 202 rushing yards). Barkley has eight rushing TDs this season, although he had averaged under four yards per carry in each of his previous two games before his breakthrough performance against Maryland. Trace McSorley has contributed 154 rushing yards over the last two games while leading the Penn State air attack that ranks third in the Big Ten in passing.

LINE HISTORY: Ohio State opened as 19.5-point road favorites and, despite a wobble in each direction, the spread was still at 19.5 on Thursday. The total opened at 59.5 and came down a full point to 58.5. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a bye week.
* Nittany Lions are 1-12 ATS in their last 13 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
* Over is 7-0 in Buckeyes last 7 games on grass.
* Over is 6-0 in Nittany Lions last 6 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.

No. 22 Mississippi Rebels at No. 23 Louisiana State Tigers (-6.5, 60.5)

* Quarterback Chad Kelly suffered through his worst passing day of the season at Arkansas last week, completing 46.2 percent of his passes against a strong rush, but still sits second in the SEC with 1,849 passing yards. Kelly's favorite target is tight end Evan Engram, who leads the SEC with 590 yards but counts his three biggest receiving games of the season in the team's three losses. Engram caught five passes for 58 yards and a score in a 38-17 home win over LSU last season but the star was Kelly, who passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns and added 81 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.

* Fournette's absence opened up the door for Derrius Guice, who piled up 325 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries in the last two games, and 480 yards and six TDs in the three that Fournette sat out this season. Guice's strong rushing against Southern Miss last week opened things up for quarterback Danny Etling, who threw for 276 yards and three TDs in the 45-10 win. The Tigers have yet to allow an opponent to score more than 20 points and defensive end Arden Key leads the SEC with seven sacks while Kendell Beckwith (60) ranks second in tackles.

LINE HISTORY: LSU opened the week as 4.5-point home favorites and that spread grew steadily all week to settle in at -6.5 by Thursday night. The total began the betting week at 60.5 and hasn't moved. View complete line history here.

TRENDS:

* Rebels are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games.
* Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games in October.
* Under is 13-3 in Rebels last 16 games in October.
* Under is 13-3 in Tigers last 16 conference games.
* Underdog is 13-3 ATS in their last 16 meetings.

NCAA Football Report
By Steve Merril

Army (-18) vs. North Texas

This line opened -17 and was quickly bet higher. Army is a perfect 2-0 SU/ATS at home this season, including an easy 62-7 win versus Lafayette last week as a 33.5-point favorite. The Black Knights held an incredible 537-10 rushing yards advantage. Overall this season, Army's option offense has run the ball on 87% of their offensive plays for 82% of their total offensive yards.

North Texas is 3-3 SU this season, but their three losses have come by an average of 21 points per game. The Mean Green has struggled to stop the run on the road this year, allowing 255 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry. Overall, North Texas is permitting 33.5 points per game away from home.
:
Missouri (-7.5) vs. Middle Tennessee

Some early money pushed Missouri to the key number of -7, but then the line declined to -6.5 and even -6 at some sportsbooks. Now this line is rising again, even though Missouri just went 0-2 SU/ATS at LSU and Florida. However, those blowout losses will actually ensure a focused effort for the Tigers who are now taking a step down in class against a non-conference opponent.

Middle Tennessee is coming off a double-overtime 44-43 loss versus Western Kentucky in which the Blue Raiders had their extra point blocked in the second overtime. It was a very important game in Conference USA and such a tough loss might actually leave the Blue Raiders a little flat this week. It was an offensive shootout as Middle Tennessee held a 605-521 total yard edge. However, they will now be taking a big step up in class versus a SEC opponent in Missouri that has allowed just 16.3 points per game and only 4.1 yards per play at home this season.

TCU at West Virginia (65)

West Virginia enters this game with a perfect 5-0 SU record after an impressive 48-17 road win at Texas Tech last week. The most impressive aspect was holding an explosive Red Raiders' offense to just 17 total points. A little surprising though as Texas Tech did throw for 345 yards in that game. West Virginia also had the advantage of a bye week and extra preparation time. The Mountaineers are a strong offensive team that is averaging 32.8 points and 534 total yards per game this season.

TCU enters this game off a bye week after playing a 24-23 game at Kansas in which the teams combined for 8 turnovers. It was TCU's worst offensive showing this season and the Horned Frogs should bounce back with a better effort now, especially with an extra week to prepare. Overall this season, TCU is averaging 40.2 points and 531 total yards per game on offense.

NCAA Football Report
By Steve Merril

Rare big favorite:

Army (-18) vs. North Texas

This line opened -17 and was quickly bet higher. Army is a perfect 2-0 SU/ATS at home this season, including an easy 62-7 win versus Lafayette last week as a 33.5-point favorite. The Black Knights held an incredible 537-10 rushing yards advantage. Overall this season, Army's option offense has run the ball on 87% of their offensive plays for 82% of their total offensive yards.

North Texas is 3-3 SU this season, but their three losses have come by an average of 21 points per game. The Mean Green has struggled to stop the run on the road this year, allowing 255 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry. Overall, North Texas is permitting 33.5 points per game away from home.

Step up in class:

Missouri (-7.5) vs. Middle Tennessee

Some early money pushed Missouri to the key number of -7, but then the line declined to -6.5 and even -6 at some sportsbooks. Now this line is rising again, even though Missouri just went 0-2 SU/ATS at LSU and Florida. However, those blowout losses will actually ensure a focused effort for the Tigers who are now taking a step down in class against a non-conference opponent.

Middle Tennessee is coming off a double-overtime 44-43 loss versus Western Kentucky in which the Blue Raiders had their extra point blocked in the second overtime. It was a very important game in Conference USA and such a tough loss might actually leave the Blue Raiders a little flat this week. It was an offensive shootout as Middle Tennessee held a 605-521 total yard edge. However, they will now be taking a big step up in class versus a SEC opponent in Missouri that has allowed just 16.3 points per game and only 4.1 yards per play at home this season.

Total to watch:

TCU at West Virginia (65)

West Virginia enters this game with a perfect 5-0 SU record after an impressive 48-17 road win at Texas Tech last week. The most impressive aspect was holding an explosive Red Raiders' offense to just 17 total points. A little surprising though as Texas Tech did throw for 345 yards in that game. West Virginia also had the advantage of a bye week and extra preparation time. The Mountaineers are a strong offensive team that is averaging 32.8 points and 534 total yards per game this season.

TCU enters this game off a bye week after playing a 24-23 game at Kansas in which the teams combined for 8 turnovers. It was TCU's worst offensive showing this season and the Horned Frogs should bounce back with a better effort now, especially with an extra week to prepare. Overall this season, TCU is averaging 40.2 points and 531 total yards per game on offense.