College Football News and Notes Week 6

National title race gets a makeover as four top-10 teams fall
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The national title race received a major makeover in an upsetting couple of days for a bunch top-ranked teams.

Half of the top 10 teams in the country lost in the fifth weekend of the season, including defending national champion and fourth-ranked Florida falling 20-17 at home to Auburn on a last-second field goal.

No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Rutgers and No. 13 Clemson were also all handed their first losses Saturday ... all by unranked opponents.

Add to that No. 5 West Virginia's 21-13 loss to No. 18 South Florida on Friday night, plus No. 6 California knocking off No. 11 Oregon 31-24, No. 21 Penn State falling to Illinois 27-20, and No. 22 Alabama getting knocked off by Florida State 21-14, and it's pretty obvious the polls will have a very different look Sunday.

Except at the very top, though even that looked shaky for a while Saturday night.

No. 1 Southern California overcame its own sloppy play - the Trojans had 16 penalties, three turnovers and a blocked punt - and escaped Washington with a 27-24 victory but failed to cover the 19 1/2-point spread.

It was the first time since the weekend ending Oct. 12, 2003, that five top-10 teams lost in the same week. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 10 Nebraska were the losers in 2003.

This latest wild Saturday was capped by Auburn, which snapped the Gators' 11-game winning streak.

''It's very disappointing,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. ''We didn't play smart.''

The Tigers had a 17-3 lead in the second half, but Tim Tebow led Florida back to tie it in the fourth quarter.

In the end, though, it was Auburn's Brandon Cox, benched earlier this season as the Tigers' offense struggled, who came up big in the clutch.

Cox passed for 227 yards and directed a 4-minute drive that put Wes Byrum in position for a 43-yard field goal. The freshman kicker made it, twice. The first time he sent the ball through seconds after Florida called a timeout to ice him. His next try was even straighter than the first.

''It doesn't get any better than that,'' said Byrum.

The loss could jeopardize Florida's chances of repeating. Then again, with all the other upsets Saturday, the Gators surely won't slip too far out of the picture, especially if they can beat No. 2 LSU next week.

Oklahoma was first to go down Saturday, falling to three-touchdown underdog Colorado on Kevin Eberhart's 45-yard field goal on the last play of the game.

''They outplayed us and outcoached us,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. ''They fought their way to a heck of a win.''

The Sooners had looked all but unbeatable through four games, scoring at least 50 points in each and never being tested.

In the second year of rebuilding under coach Dan Hawkins, the Buffaloes took the Sooners' best shot and didn't back down in Boulder. Oklahoma led 24-7 in early in the second half and didn't score again.

Oklahoma redshirt freshman Sam Bradford, who had been close to perfect in the first four starts of his career, was 8-for-19 for 112 yards and two interceptions against a tough Colorado defense that Stoops had praised all week.

Cody Hawkins, the coach's kid, led the Colorado rally, throwing for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

''You guys all think I'm joking, but there wasn't anybody inside that locker room that thought we were going to lose that game,'' Hawkins said.

As if Oklahoma losing wasn't enough to take the juice out of next week's Red River Rivalry game against Texas, the Longhorns followed the Sooners' loss with one of their own to another team from the Big 12 North, the conference's weaker division for the past several years.

Kansas State beat the Longhorns for the second straight season, this time in Austin.

The Wildcats had three touchdown returns - Ian Campbell's 41-yard interception, James Johnson's 85-yard kickoff return and Jordy Nelson's 89-yard punt - and they knocked around Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy in a 41-21 victory.

Call it an upset, but Texas had looked primed for a beating during its 4-0 start, with shaky victories against Arkansas State and Central Florida.

The Wildcats and second-year coach Ron Prince handed Texas its most lopsided loss in 10 years under coach Mack Brown.

''We're not used to losing like that around here, especially like that,'' Brown said. ''We've got to regroup.''

Rutgers moved into the top-10 for the second time in school history this week and just like the first time, when the Scarlet Knights lost to Cincinnati last season, they couldn't live up to their lofty status.

Maryland had dropped two straight and was coming off a disheartening 31-24 overtime loss to Wake Forest in which the Terps blew a 21-point lead.

Like Oklahoma, however, Rutgers had not been challenged and couldn't respond when it was.

The Terps jumped out to a 14-3 lead, withstood a Rutgers comeback, and wrapped it up as backup quarterback Chris Turner led three second-half scoring drives. Rutgers star Ray Rice managed 97 yards on 21 carries and touchdown.

''This feels nothing like the Cincinnati loss,'' said Rice of last year's blowout. ''We fought today. They were just the better team at the end. They just executed when they needed to execute and we didn't execute.''

The Big East started the season with three teams - Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville - all considered national title contenders.

Before the end of September, all three have lost and South Florida might just be the Big East's best shot to reach the national title game.

Clemson wasn't talking national title before the season, but a 4-0 start had the Tigers edging to the front of a muddled Atlantic Coast Conference.

Well, it's back to the pack for Clemson after Georgia Tech snapped a two-game losing streak 13-3.

Clemson's dynamic tailback duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, who combined for over 300 yard rushing in a lopsided victory over Georgia Tech last season, were held to 62 yards combined by the Yellow Jackets.

''I let my team down,'' Spiller said.

He surely wasn't the only player from a top-ranked team feeling that way Saturday night.

LSU edges USC for AP No. 1
September 30, 2007

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- LSU reached No. 1 the hard way.

The Tigers edged past Southern California in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, even though the Trojans remained undefeated.

On a wild day in college football, when half the top 10 lost, USC avoided the upset bug that struck Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Rutgers. But a sloppy 27-24 victory at Washington on Saturday night cost the Trojans the No. 1 ranking they've held all season.

USC is the first team to lose the No. 1 ranking after a victory since Nov. 3, 2002, when top-ranked Miami dropped after beating Rutgers 42-17 and No. 2 Oklahoma moved up after a 27-11 victory over No. 13 Colorado.

LSU, which recovered from its own first-half malaise to beat Tulane 34-9 on Saturday, received 33 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,593 points. USC got 32 first-place votes, 11 fewer than last week, and 1,591 points.

The voting was the closest since the second poll of the 2002 season, when Miami and Oklahoma tied for No. 1 and each received 27 first-place votes.

LSU is No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since Nov. 2, 1959.

The rest of the rankings released Sunday bore little resemblance to any of the previous polls, thanks to a crazy weekend in which three of the top five and seven of the top 13 teams lost.

Overall, nine ranked teams went down, seven to unranked opponents.

California moved up three spots to No. 3, Ohio State jumped four places to No. 4 and Wisconsin moved up five spots to No. 5.

The rest of the top 10 featured some unfamiliar names.

South Florida, which knocked off No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 on Thursday night, made it into the poll for the first time two weeks ago. Now the Bulls are No. 6 in the country and West Virginia dropped eight spots to 13th.

No. 7 Boston College is in the top 10 for the first time since 1992. No. 8 Kentucky has a top-10 ranking for the first time since 1977.

No. 9 Florida, which lost 20-17 on a last-second field goal to Auburn, fell five spots. Oklahoma, which lost to Colorado on a field goal as time expired, dropped seven spots to No. 10.

In the USA Today coaches' poll, USC held on to No. 1, with LSU, Cal, Ohio State and Wisconsin in the top five.

The other two top-10 teams to lose this weekend took the largest tumbles in the new rankings.

Texas dropped 12 spots to No. 19 after it was handed its worst home loss of the Mack Brown era, 41-21 at home to Kansas State. The Wildcats entered the rankings for the first time since 2004 at No. 24.

Rutgers fell 11 spots to No. 21 after losing 34-24 at home to Maryland.

The second 10 starts with South Carolina at No. 11 and Georgia at No. 12.

After West Virginia is Oregon at No. 14. The Ducks fell three spots after a tough 31-24 loss to Cal. Virginia Tech is No. 15, followed by Hawaii, Missouri and Arizona State at No. 18.

Cincinnati moved up four spots to No. 20, a week after receiving its first national ranking in 31 years.

Clemson, another upset victim, fell nine spots to No. 22 after losing 13-3 to Georgia Tech.

No. 23 Purdue was the second newcomer to the rankings, along with Kansas State, and No. 25 Nebraska was the only team in the Top 25 to hold the same spot as it did last week.

Falling out of the rankings were Penn State and Alabama.

Miss. St. QB out for season with torn ACL
September 30, 2007

Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi State quarterback Josh Riddell tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during Saturday's loss to South Carolina and is out for the rest of the season.

Bulldogs athletic department spokesman Mike Nemeth said Sunday that Riddell will have surgery, probably next week. Riddell was 9-of-21 for 101 yards and an interception before leaving the game. South Carolina won 38-21.

The injury puts the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) down two quarterbacks. Starter Michael Henig broke his hand during Mississippi State's 24-16 win over Auburn on Sept. 15.

Riddell had been splitting playing time with Wesley Carroll, a freshman, who is expected to take over behind center at least until Henig returns in several weeks. His backup will likely be another freshman, Chris Relf.

Unfortunately for coach Sylvester Croom, this is familiar territory.

Last year about this time, Henig was out with a broken collarbone, backup Omarr Conner was out with a severe right groin strain and Tray Rutland was out with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee.

The Bulldogs play UAB at home Saturday.

WVU's White day-to-day with thigh bruise
September 30, 2007

Associated Press

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia quarterback Pat White's status for Saturday's game at Syracuse is uncertain as he recuperates from a bruise on his right thigh.

Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez said Sunday he wants to let White rest before making any decisions about the upcoming game.

"We'll see how he gets better during the week," Rodriguez said in a conference call with reporters. "It's a thigh bruise, so it's kind of day-to-day with him."

White was hit by a helmet in the second quarter of a 21-13 loss at South Florida when he was tackled after an 18-yard run. He limped off the field and remained on the sideline, but did not play again.

White wasn't scheduled to practice with the rest of the team Sunday, Rodriguez said.

"Those things you can't predict," Rodriguez said. "He may wake up tomorrow, tomorrow's a day off, and get better. We'll see."

Week 5 betting recap
By TIM ROBERTS
Covers.com

Upsets were the theme of Week 5 and Allah truly blessed the man wise enough to take Auburn, Colorado, South Florida, Kansas State or Maryland on the moneyline.

Still and all, I can think of some bigger upsets over the past century, including a clash between the U.S. of A. and the Russkies where the unknowns beat an established powerhouse. Remember when Jennifer Garner was relegated to No. 11 in Maxim's "Hot 100" in 2003 after winning the title the year before? You know who ranked directly ahead of her? Russian pop disasters t.A.T.u., that's who. I mean, c'mon! Those girls weren't even that hot! They feed us this faux-lesbian stuff and we turn to mush? Nice call, Maxim ... you unpatriotic jerks.

And then there's Like Jethro Tull's win over Metallica for the 1989 Grammy in the Heavy Metal category. Jethro Tull's lead man often wore tights and played a flute, while Metallica had put out "... And Justice for All." Maybe it's my hick background coming out, but I suddenly feel like pounding some Jack Daniels and headbanging in protest 18 years after the fact.

Before I do that and neglect all writing responsibilities, though, here's what I thought of some Week 5 performances and how they affect football bettors.

Auburn Tigers

Look on the bright side, Florida fans – at least the Gators covered the second-half spread!

The Auburn defense looked every bit as potent as it did during its weeks in the top 10 last year and freshman kicker Wes Byrum obviously has big brass ones after he nailed both cracks at the game-winning 43-yarder. The amazing thing about Saturday night was Auburn's effective offense after it had looked like crap in each of their first three games. Tommy Tuberville and Al Borges consistently made the right calls from the sideline and Brandon Cox's execution was fantastic.

The big concern for Auburn backers now is the obvious letdown potential. How can next weekend's home game against Vanderbilt match the emotion in Gainesville?

California Golden Bears

Cover.com's Julian Dickinson suggested that Saturday's feature game might come down to coaching and if it did, then Cal's Jeff Tedford was the likely winner. That's exactly how it panned out, as Oregon looked far more dangerous in the first half but Cal's halftime adjustments won the game.

It also didn't hurt that the Bears played turnover-free ball and had the best athlete on the field in a game littered with potential track stars. The Ducks smothered DeSean Jackson early in the game, leaving Nate Longshore little option but to seek his lesser-known targets. Jackson made room when he had single coverage, though, and when you only ask him to beat one defender, the job's as good as done.

Clemson Tigers

I worried about Clemson's untested defense coming into this one, but it did a passable job at Georgia Tech. Once the Yellow Jackets had the lead, they ran out the clock masterfully. But a pair of massive plays changed the entire course of the game.

The first was a blocked punt that put Tech deep in the red zone for the game's opening touchdown. The second was a C.J. Spiller touchdown just before the half that was called back due to a Clemson personal foul that had nothing to do with Spiller's run. The Tigers missed the subsequent field goal and trailed 7-3 at the half instead of leading 10-7. If Clemson leads and Tech has to play catch-up, it's a totally different story because the Jackets' passing game remains a mess.

Clemson kicker Mark Buchholz is likely going to take a lot of blame for the loss with his four missed field goals, but that's unfair. Three of those kicks were from 47 yards and further and pointing the finger at the kicker obscures the miserable performance from the Tigers' offense on Saturday.

Florida State Seminoles

I liked what I saw from the Seminoles' offense on Saturday, despite their shoddy stats in the box score. Florida State was creative (four different players took snaps, including Preston Parker in a Wildcat formation) and its receivers showed off, if only in glimpses, their capabilities.

It's hard to love any offense in a game tied 0-0 at the half, but Florida State should have been winning at that point and the Sems at -1 looked like a solid second-half play. The 20-point total for the second half looked dicey, but the 35 points the teams posted just shows what I know.

Florida State's defense and special teams were fantastic on Saturday. Alabama was consistently pinned deep and wasn't a threat to score throughout the first half. Everette Brown was the player of the game, once sacking John Parker Wilson to remove Bama from field goal territory and sacking him again to give FSU the ball inside the 10-yard line. Those two plays resulted in a 10-point swing in Florida State's favor.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Saturday provided Illinois with a big "statement" win, but I still have my doubts about the Illini.

The Penn State defense shut down the Illini running game for extended periods later in the game and when forced to pass, Juice Williams forced too many throws into two- and three-man coverage. And am I crazy, or does Williams keep the ball himself when running the option way more than most quarterbacks? His willingness to take a hit is fine, but he's running the risk of becoming predictable.

LSU Tigers

From Colt David hitting the upright on his first field goal attempt to the Tigers' penalty for having 12 men in the huddle, it was a disastrous first half for LSU. The -21 halftime spread was a reasonably attractive bet, however, if only because the game at the Superdome was a mirror image of LSU's opener at Mississippi State.

The Tigers can struggle against lesser teams like the Bulldogs and Tulane, but LSU's array of talent, speed, size and depth simply wears such opponents down. That won't be the case when the Gators visit Baton Rouge next week, but then again, LSU won't be asked to cover a 39-point spread either.

Ohio State Buckeyes

This game killed me. I was on Ohio State -24 and was actually done in by the fact that the Golden Gophers' defense was too poor against the run. Ohio State built a big lead without too much effort and found they could keep running the ball at will. If Minnesota's defense shows a little more gumption against the run in the second half, Todd Boeckman has to go to the air a couple more times and odds are the score ends up even more lopsided in the Buckeyes' favor. As is stands, they went on autopilot and won by only 23 points in a repeat of their win over Northwestern the week before.

OSU bettors have to be wary of the Buckeyes being lulled to sleep. The Buckeyes travel to Purdue next weekend, the first real aerial threat they'll have faced this season.

Oregon Ducks

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit is adamant that the Ducks should remain high in the rankings despite Saturday's loss to Cal and his opinion is understandable. I don't know if any team in the country can drive like Oregon with Dennis Dixon taking the snaps. The Ducks threatened to win through the entire fourth quarter and while there were a couple of mistakes, Dixon's second interception and the game-deciding touchback were unfortunate.

Oregon won the battle of the trenches in the first half as it built a 10-3 lead. It made the Ducks look like a solid bet at -1 in the second half, but as noted above, Jeff Tedford's halftime adjustments made a huge difference. The Cal defenders took better angles and stopped Oregon runners from gaining the corners as easily as they had in the second quarter.

Penn State Nittany Lions

It's becoming a weekly thing of mine to pick on Anthony Morelli. I don't know the guy, but that makes it even worse! An absolute stranger is threatening to cost me money every week.

Maybe Penn State offensive coordinator Galen Hall is to blame. In any case, the Nittany Lions' red zone play-calling is even more vanilla than their uniforms. The Illini led 21-17 at the half but had no business keeping the lead. The Nits made multiple defensive stands and Penn State started three consecutive drives in Illinois' side of the field, only to walk away with three total points.

Morelli's turnovers on Saturday were killers and while I love upsets as much as the next guy, Penn State should have covered as a 3-point road favorite. The Nits also should've covered at Michigan as a 2-point road favorite and beaten Notre Dame by 35 points at home instead of 21, meaning I've finally learned my lesson – stay away from PSU.

Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers built the expected 23-0 halftime lead and simply looked like a big play waiting to happen with every snap. Purdue -9 1/2 at the break looked good, really good. A funny thing happened at the break, though, and the Boilermakers stalled repeatedly in the second half. Their pass defense also made the Fighting Irish quarterbacks look far too good for the shoddy pass protection they received from their O-line.

Curtis Painter threw multiple bad passes when Purdue should have put the game out of reach. He tossed a horrible lob when pressured that was easily picked off, and fired an end zone bullet at Dorien Bryant that would have been a touchdown if it had a little less zip and a little more touch.

The lack of points over the game's final minutes killed my play on the over, but more importantly, Purdue's sputtering down the stretch was a valuable caution as the Boilermakers prepare for some Big Ten powers in weeks ahead.

USC Trojans

Saturday's wasn't your typical USC performance, littered with turnovers and penalties. Sometimes when a giant program has a poor first half, you can just sense a monster second-half coming and you don't mind laying a ton of points (see LSU above). The Trojans, however, simply looked off, so their -12 line for the second half was a no-go.

John David Booty tossed a couple of interceptions and lost the ball on an exchange with his center, while the Trojans as a team racked up personal foul penalties at a rate that made Pete Carroll nearly lose his ever-present cool on the officials. The Trojans' ground game was enough for the win, but bettors have to ask if the near-miss in Seattle represented the entire midseason slump USC is prone to or if there's more to follow.

Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia blew Pitt away before the Panthers even knew what hit them. The Cavs had incredible field position throughout the first quarter and took advantage of it by blazing to a 27-0 lead. The fact that Pitt's strength is its running game made the final result a foregone conclusion. I thought that would translate into a more attractive halftmie line, but Pitt +1 1/2 wasn't enough to lure me in.

Jameel Sewell proved that he's definitely the right quarterback for the Cavs when they have a lead to protect, as his mobility is such a boon. But the way Sewell handled himself on Saturday also suggests he's the right man to help Virginia build leads as well.

Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers have to be the shakiest top-10 team in the country, which is reflected in their 1-3 record against the spread. Their defense has looked breachable in two of their games with a line and their offense has looked iffy in the other two. Saturday was the defense's turn to play poorly.

Every time the Badgers' offense reclaimed the momentum their defense would immediately hand it right back to the Spartans. The most egregious examped was Devin Thomas' 80-yard run on a simple screen pass that showcased Wisconsin tackling at its worst. The Badgers had scored a long touchdown of their own immediately beforehand, but the defensive lapse took the Madison crowd out of the game right away.

Memphis defensive lineman shot to death, killer at large
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A University of Memphis football player was shot on campus and classes were canceled Monday, a university police dispatcher said.

Junior defensive lineman Taylor Bradford was pronounced dead at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, according to a report on The Daily Helmsman website.

Classes will resume Tuesday, said the dispatcher, who did not give his name and provided no further details.

It is not known if Tuesday's game between Marshall and Memphis will proceed as planned.

The student had apparently walked out of his dormitory late Sunday and was in his car when he was shot in the chest, WMC-TV reported. The car ran into a tree a short distance from the campus, the station reported.

Football players gathered Sunday night as Bradford's damaged car was towed away from the accident scene, The Daily Helmsman reported.

''There was an incident on our campus last night that may have involved a current or former football player,'' said Bob Winn, associate athletic director at University of Memphis.

The university provided no further details Monday.

The university had 20,562 students enrolled for last fall, according to its Web site.

The school was founded in 1912 as West Tennessee State Normal School and was eventually renamed the University of Memphis in 1994.

Early NCAAF line moves – Week 6
By DOC'S SPORTS

The strongest initial line movements over the past two weeks have only cost against-the-spread wins for teams getting heavy early action in four of 13 instances. Either the sharp money is getting a dull or the books are intent to short worthy favorites. Regardless, here are this week’s heaviest early line movements.

(All games scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6.)

Wisconsin at Illinois
Open: Wisconsin -1
Current: Illinois -3

No love for Bucky. The Badgers have been one of the least-impressive 5-0 teams in the nation, posting a 1-3 record against the number while slogging out wins against supposedly inferior competition. Wisconsin couldn’t cover in either of its first two Big Ten games even though both were played at home, and now the No. 5 Badgers are dogged on the road against an unranked foe. That’s a huge red flag. And the fact that the Illini possess the Kryptonite for burly Big Ten clubs – speed – tells me that this potential “upset” is just loaded with value.

Central Michigan at Ball State
Open: Ball State -7 ½
Current: Ball State -12

The Chippewas have been gashed by injuries this season and apparently the books believe their 35-10 thrashing of equally thin Northern Illinois was an aberration. Ball State has lost three straight in this series but has the talent on the home field on its side. CMU’s secondary should be no match for Nate Davis and Co. and the Chippewas are just 21-43-2 on the road in conference play. Be wary if this line moves much more (I expect it to hit -14) because the last time the Cardinals were a double-digit favorite they were hammered 38-14 at Eastern Michigan in 2003.

Georgia Tech at Maryland
Open: Maryland -1
Current: Georgia Tech -2

The 3-point shift in the line isn’t what got my attention in this ACC matchup. But the fact that Georgia Tech is involved with a crossover spread like this in back-to-back weeks did. Last week the Jackets opened as a small favorite but the line instantly steamed to Clemson laying a field goal in Atlanta. The Jackets sprung the upset easily. This week Tech is on the opposite end, laying points on the road to a conference foe.

Texas Christian at Wyoming
Open: TCU -2
Current: Wyoming -2

War Memorial Stadium should be rocking when the defending Mountain West champs roll into town. TCU’s margin of victory over its past two games (13) belies the fact that this clearly isn’t as talented a Horned Frogs club as the ones that posted back-to-back conference titles. Wyoming had an extra week to prepare, is 13-6 ATS as a home dog since 2001, and is 8-2 ATS with revenge off a win against an opponent off back-to-back victories.

Oklahoma at Texas
Open: Oklahoma -6 ½
Current: Oklahoma -10

The Red River Shootout brings us the most significant early line movement, as this number skyrocketed through several key numbers on the way to its present position. It’s pretty clear which team the books feel is best equipped to bounce back from an upset last Saturday (OU to Colorado; Texas to K-State) and the fact that each of the last nine meetings has been decided by double digits certainly bore consideration. Longhorn backers do have some hope: teams off a straight-up loss as a favorite of 20 or more points that were installed as a favorite the following week are just 3-15 ATS since 1997.

South Florida at Florida Atlantic
Open: South Florida -21 ½
Current: South Florida -16

Is that a letdown I smell? South Florida is coming off what most observers feel is a program-defining victory over West Virginia last Friday night. The Bulls were playing at home in prime time and now they’re expected to go on the road against an inferior in-state school and maintain their intensity level? Doubtful. South Florida is 7-3 as a road favorite over the past six years, but they not only do they have to fight against a possible letdown but they also may get caught looking ahead to a underrated rivalry game against dark horse Central Florida next weekend. I’m not predicting a loss here, but FAU could make things interesting.

Cincinnati at Rutgers
Open: Rutgers -6
Current: Rutgers -3

The Bearcats have been a wrecking crew this season and are one of my favorite teams in the country. But it may be time to sell on a team that’s gone 4-0 ATS so far this season and is coming off a 29-point road victory. Last year Cincinnati stunned Rutgers as a home dog just a week after the Scarlet Knights dropped Louisville (are you listening South Florida?) so there is a revenge factor at work. The bottom line is that this Cincy team may be even better while last week Rutgers may have been exposed. But are we getting enough points for optimum value?

Jeff Haney notes trends developing for college teams

Of the 120 college football teams whose games regularly appear on the betting board, only six remain undefeated against the point spread this season.

Cincinnati, from the Big East, and Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference lead the way with against-the-spread (ATS) records of 4-0.

Kansas and Missouri of the Big 12 are each 3-0 ATS, along with South Florida of the Big East and Louisiana Tech of the Western Athletic Conference.

Another three NCAA teams have yet to cover this season, with North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, both from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the most notable failures vis-a-vis the point spread at 0-4 ATS. Rice, of Conference USA, is 0-for-3 against the number.

When NFL teams get off to a good start against the spread, most savvy gamblers look for reasons to bet against them, expecting a regression to the mean. Handicapper Al McMordie, for instance, picked against high-flying Green Bay, New England and Pittsburgh this week in the Leroy's "Money Talks" contest. He figured those teams were overvalued in the betting marketplace and due to come back to earth.

Handicapping college football, however, where there's less parity and a greater degree of randomness, calls for a different strategy.

All we know so far is that the teams that are unbeaten ATS have generally exceeded the expectations of oddsmakers and the betting market while those yet to cover have fallen short of expectations. Whether the trends will continue is another matter.

With its nationally televised victory against West Virginia on Friday night as a 7-point underdog, South Florida vaulted into the top 10 but also probably ensured it won't have much point-spread value the rest of the season.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, has relied on a top-notch defense in winning eight in a row straight-up dating to last year and comfortably exceeding the expectations of oddsmakers and bettors. Saturday, three weeks after beating Oregon State 34-3 as a 3-point underdog, the Bearcats easily handled San Diego State, winning 52-23 on the road as a 14-point favorite.

At 5-1 odds, Kentucky was the fifth choice among six teams to win the SEC East on the preseason Las Vegas line, behind favored Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The Wildcats are also unbeaten straight-up, at 5-0, and have reached No. 8 in the rankings.

Kansas, a 25-1 preseason long shot to win the Big 12 championship game, has fattened up on nonconference competition as a betting favorite but will be tested in conference play. Like the Jayhawks, Missouri is also undefeated straight-up. The Tigers face division favorite Nebraska on Saturday.

Louisiana Tech looks intriguing from a gambling perspective, an unexceptional team that has started 1-3 straight-up and 0-2 in the WAC yet manages to cover as an underdog each time out.

Of the three underachievers against the spread, Virginia Tech has the best chance of meeting its nongambling preseason expectations. The Hokies, who were co-favorites with Miami to win the ACC Coastal Division, are 4-1 straight-up. They got thumped by LSU and won their three other lined games as a favorite, but failed to cover.

Watch the other two money-burners, as N.C. State and Rice are at risk of falling into the "dead" zone as the season progresses - hopeless cases against the point spread.

Rice, 0-4 straight-up, is coming off two games in which it went off as an underdog of 27 points and 38 points yet still failed to cover.

North Carolina State, which has not scored more than 24 points in 26 consecutive games against Division I-A teams, showed no offensive punch Saturday even against Louisville's questionable defense, losing 29-10 as an 8 1/2-point underdog. The Wolfpack's lone victory came against Wofford, a team not on the betting board.

lasvegassun.com

Week 5 Rewind
VegasInsider.com

With 32 of the 50 board games showing double-digit spreads in Week 5, I dubbed it Mismatch Saturday. Little did I know that it would become Upset Saturday, with seven of the top 13 teams in the AP rankings losing. That’s right, seven!

The craziness started on Friday when South Florida beat West Virginia for the second time in as many years, capturing a 21-13 victory as a 6 ½-point underdog. USF vaulted to No. 6 in the AP poll, noticeably ahead of in-state rivals Florida, Florida State and Miami.

When Jim Leavitt’s name was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Alabama job last year, he came out and said he wasn’t interested and even claimed his job was “the best in America.”

I remember chuckling at that remark, but now look whose laughing? That would be Leavitt, who built USF’s football program from scratch and has a legitimate national-title contender in his 11th season with the Bulls.

Seriously, look at the rest of South Florida’s schedule. The Bulls get Cincinnati and Louisville at home, so they will most likely be favored in both of those spots. The toughest road game will be at Rutgers.

Sure, as we learned over the weekend, all of those games are lose-able, but the point is that USF has got a shot.

Saturday’s first shocker went down in Boulder, where Colorado went 2-10 in Pat Hawkins’ first season in 2006. Nobody saw this one coming, as the Buffaloes rallied from a 24-7 deficit to collect a 27-24 win over previously-unbeaten Oklahoma.

Kevin Eberhart buried a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the Buffs the outright win as 24-point underdogs. Cody Hawkins threw for 219 yards and a pair of TDs for CU.

Another shocker took place at The Swamp, where Auburn handed the Gators their first home loss under Urban Meyer. Wes Byrum was true from 43 yards out on the game’s final play to lift the Tigers to a 20-17 win as 17 ½-point underdogs.

Senior quarterback Brandon Cox, who had taken criticism galore in this space and was yanked from the lineup two weeks ago, played his best game of the year. Cox connected on 17-of-26 pass attempts for 227 yards.

Auburn has been a double-digit underdog three times since 2001. Tommy Tuberville’s team has won outright in all three of those spots, beating UF twice and Alabama in 2002.

As for the Gators, they are an atrocious 4-14-1 ATS as favorites in SEC games during Meyer’s three-year tenure.

Texas was another victim of the upset bug, but the Longhorns had been playing with fire all month. After dodging upset bids from Arkansas St., TCU and Central Florida, Mack Brown’s team finally went down, and it wasn’t even close.

Kudos to Kansas State, which went into Austin and dealt out woodshed treatment in the form of a 41-21 clubbing as a 14 ½-point underdog. Jordy Nelson sparked the Wildcats into the winner’s circle by returning a kick 89 yards for a touchdown and hauling in 12 receptions for 116 yards and another TD.

California announced its candidacy as a national-title contender by going into Eugene and emerging with a 31-24 win over Oregon as a seven-point underdog. DeSean Jackson led the Bears with 11 catches for 161 yards and two TDs.

Jeff Tedford’s squad has an open date this week that leads into a four-game stretch (vs. Oregon St., at UCLA, at Arizona St. and vs. Washington St.) prior to the USC game at home on Nov. 10.

Speaking of the Trojans, they got all they wanted and more at Washington. Pete Carroll’s team had three turnovers and committed 16 penalties, yet pulled out a 27-24 victory.

The Huskies easily took the cash as 20-point underdogs.

Georgia Tech was in desperation mode when it hosted undefeated Clemson at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets were off back-to-back losses vs. Boston College and at Virginia.

But with RB Tashard Choice back to 100 percent and with a defense that completely stymied Clemson’s vaunted ground attack, Chan Gailey’s team took out the Tigers by a 13-3 count as a three-point underdog.

Maryland went into Clemson last season and won outright as a double-digit underdog. The Terrapins did the same at Rugers over the weekend, thumping the Scarlet Knights 34-24 as 18-point ‘dogs.

Another ACC squad that was impressive in non-conference play was Virginia, which waxed Pitt 44-14 as a six-point ‘chalk.’ This space has been all over Al Groh recently but just like Rich Brooks last year, Groh appears to be taking himself off the hot seat. The Wahoos are 4-1 with winnable games against Middle Tennessee and UConn on deck.

Speaking of Brooks’ upstart Kentucky program, the Wildcats were at it again Saturday. Senior QB Andre Woodson saw his NCAA-record interception-less streak end at 325 pass attempts, but the Wildcats still won a 45-17 decision over FAU as 24 ½-point favorites.

UK is 5-0 straight up and 4-0 ATS. The ‘Cats are 3 ½-point underdogs Thursday at South Carolina.

Speaking of the Gamecocks, they beat Mississippi St. 38-21 as 14-point favorites to improve to 4-1. Instead of sitting on the ball with a minute left and a 10-point lead, Steve Spurrier produced for SC backers by allowing Mike Davis to score on a 12-yard run for the spread cover.

Watch out for Ron Zook’s Illinois team. The Illini knocked off Penn St. 27-20 as a three-point home ‘dog to improve to 4-1. Zook’s third team has equaled the amount of wins for his first two teams combined.

Other impressive teams to produce ATS winners in Week 5 included Troy, Boise St., FSU, Cincy, Ohio St. and Hawaii.

Tar Heels lose cornerback Williams for season with knee injury
October 1, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -North Carolina cornerback Kendric Williams is out for the season after injuring his left knee during Saturday's loss at Virginia Tech.

Williams, a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship before the season, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the first half. He had started five games and had 16 tackles.

Gators lose Phil Trautwein, Chris Rainey for season, expect to get Andre Caldwell back
October 1, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -No. 9 Florida will be without offensive tackle Phil Trautwein and freshman running back Chris Rainey for the rest of the season.

Trautwein, a senior captain who started every game for the national champions last season, missed the first five games this year because of a stress fracture in his right foot. The Gators (4-1) had hoped he would be able to return.

``I don't believe he'll play this year,'' coach Urban Meyer said Monday.

Trautwein is expected to receive a medical redshirt and return next season.

Rainey, one of numerous freshmen playing for the Gators, injured his shoulder and was expected to have surgery soon. He played in two games, rushing once for 10 yards, returning one kickoff for 39 yards and one punt for 22 yards.

The Gators do expect to have receiver Andre ``Bubba'' Caldwell back at full speed for Saturday's game at top-ranked LSU. Caldwell played sparingly in a 20-17 loss to Auburn after missing two games because of a sprained ligament in his right knee.

``He's become a leader,'' Meyer said. ``He's an inspiration to the team. He was wild on that sideline during the (Auburn) game. He has to keep control of his emotions because he's such an emotional guy. And we need Bubba back.''

Lee gets start for FSU against N.C. St.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Roughly a month after nearly giving up on his dream of playing quarterback for Florida State, Xavier Lee got a second chance Monday.

The redshirt junior will make his fourth career start Saturday when Florida State hosts North Carolina State, coach Bobby Bowden said.

Lee saw his first action of the season Saturday when he came off the bench to pass for 224 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 victory over Alabama after starter Drew Weatherford failed to get the team into the end zone despite favorable field position.

"Nothing was happening," Bowden said about changing quarterbacks early in the second quarter of a scoreless game.

"Lee made things happen with his running ability, plus the strength of his arm, plus he was getting the ball to the right people," Bowden said. "He won the job. Drew is the backup now. He'll have to play the role Xavier's been playing the past couple of years."

In less than three quarters against the Crimson Tide, Lee also added a game-high 59 rushing yards against Alabama to become the Seminoles' third leading rusher for the season.

Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Monday that the second-half offensive breakout shows what the team is capable of doing.

But if not for Fisher's heart-to-heart talk with Lee just before the season opener at Clemson, the one-time Florida prep player of the year might have transferred.

"He was too good of a player and good of a talent to let get away," Fisher said Monday.

Lee's first chance came last year at Maryland when Weatherford came up lame with tendinitis in his right foot. Lee played well in a losing effort against the Terps and the next week directed a 33-0 victory over Virginia. But then he was replaced by Weatherford after being intercepted twice in a 30-0 loss at home to Wake Forest as the Seminoles hit rock bottom in Bowden's most disappointing year in Tallahassee.

When he was first told Saturday to grab his helmet and start warming up, Lee initially thought it was a joke.

"(Now) I've got my shot and hope to make the most of it," said Lee, who has passed for 1,575 yards and a dozen touchdowns during his career at Florida State.

Florida State (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will be trying to end an eight-game losing streak against Atlantic Division teams. N.C. State, meanwhile, is trying to end an 11-game losing streak against Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams dating back to last season's win over the Seminoles.

Louisville WR Spillman suspended indefinitely

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Louisville wide receiver/kick returner JaJuan Spillman has been suspended from the team indefinitely, coach Steve Kragthorpe said Monday.

Kragthorpe did not give a reason for the suspension. Spillman has played in all five games for the Cardinals (3-2) this season. He is fifth on the team in receptions with nine for 64 yards. He has also split time returning punts and kickoffs with Trent Guy. Spillman is averaging 22.2 yards per kick return and 8.8 yards per punt return.

Spillman, a sophomore, was arrested earlier this year following a car accident in the city. According to a police report, an officer responded to an accident near campus. The report said Spillman and an unnamed passenger admitted to the officer that they had smoked marijuana in the car. An officer found 9.3 grams of marijuana, police said.

The case is headed to trial on Nov. 27.

Kragthorpe said in August that the matter was being handled internally, and Spillman was not immediately disciplined.

Pitt's Pinkston to miss rest of season
October 1, 2007

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pitt sophomore offensive tackle Jason Pinkston will have left shoulder surgery later this week and will miss the rest of the season.

Pinkston was hurt Sept. 15 at Michigan State and did not play in the Panthers' blowout losses to Connecticut (34-14) and Virginia (44-14) the last two weeks. Pitt's next game is at home Oct. 10 against Navy.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Pinkston, a first-team all-state lineman at Baldwin High School, will accept a medical redshirt and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.