College Betting Preview: TCU at Oklahoma State
By Ian Cameron
Sportsmemo.com
Ian Cameron's Recommendation: TCU
Saturday, 12:20 pm PT - FSN
CRIS Opener: Oklahoma State -9 O/U 61
CRIS Current: Oklahoma State -7 O/U 63.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Oklahoma State -9
Oklahoma State has some quarterback concerns entering Saturday’s Big XII showdown against TCU. Backup J.W. Walsh, who has been starting for injured starter Wes Lunt, is now out for the rest of the year with a knee injury. Walsh had played in six games and gone 102-of-154 passing for 1,467 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lunt is currently listed as probable to return for this game from his own injury but he still may not be quite at 100% yet.
TCU’s defense, while not being the same shutdown unit we’ve seen from previous Gary Patterson squads, still has better numbers across the board than Oklahoma State. TCU is 17th in the nation in total yards allowed at 313 per game and 32nd in the nation in points allowed at 20.4 per game compared to Okie State’s 47th ranking in total yards allowed with 365 per game and 53rd ranking in points allowed at 24.7 per game. Lunt had efficient completion numbers before his injury but he only threw four touchdowns to go along with three interceptions and it’s worth noting he faced easier competition early on against Savannah State, Arizona (a 59-38 loss) and UL Lafayette which was the game he got injured. Now Lunt must make his first start against a Big XII defense coming off an injury that has kept him sidelined for weeks.
TCU deserves credit for bouncing back and continuing to play hard following the suspension of starting quarterback Casey Pachall. The incident hasn’t derailed the team as some people suggested it would. Frosh back-up Trevone Boykin has done an admirable job taking over the reigns under difficult circumstances. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns to 5 interceptions with a solid 64% completion rate. Boykin won’t be a stranger to playing on the road as he engineered 48 points with this TCU offense in its last road game which resulted in a 49-21 blowout win at Baylor. The Horned Frogs ground game was potentially in trouble after the season ending injury to running back Waymon James but B.J. Catalon and Matthew Tucker have come on and stabilized the position. TCU still possesses numerous threats in the passing game with recievers Brandon Carter, Josh Boyce, Skye Dawson and LaDarius Brown who have combined for 1,556 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns this season. In Boykin’s last two starts against Baylor and Texas Tech, TCU has piled up 102 points and outgained both teams by a combined 204 yards. Oklahoma State’s defense is not a unit that will shut teams down. The Cowboys allowed 59 points to Arizona and 41 points to Texas and this TCU offense, which has been humming along in the post- Pachall era, is poised to do just as much damage if not more to Oklahoma State.
TCU has thrived on the road all season going a perfect 3-0 SU. Gary Patterson has been a great coach to support in the underdog role: 4-0 ATS in his last four tries dating back to 2009 and the Horned Frogs won all four of those games in outright fashion as well. Look for the Horned Frogs to give the Cowboys all they can handle in what should be a competitive game from start to finish. Don’t rule out the upset possibility either!
College Betting Preview: Mississippi State at Alabama
By Alatex Sports
Sportsmemo.com
Brent Crow's Recommendation: Over
Saturday, 5:30 pm PT - ESPN
CRIS Opener: Alabama -23.5 O/U 47.5
CRIS Current: Alabama -24 O/U 46.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Alabama -24
We have yet another huge SEC matchup this week, with top-ranked Alabama hosting the unbeaten Mississippi State Bulldogs. Unlike the last few weeks, where we saw short-lined matchups between Florida- LSU, South Carolina-LSU, Florida-South Carolina, Alabama is laying a hefty -24. Clearly, Mississippi State is not thought of as a “real” contender in the SEC despite its unblemished record. This biggest reason for this is their lack of quality wins due to a fairly soft schedle. The Bulldogs’ most impressive win came at home against Tennessee – and Alabama just dismantled the Vols in Knoxville, 44-13, last week.
Mississippi State’s other victims include Auburn and Kentucky, both of which are winless in the SEC, three weak Sun Belt teams and Jackson State. And some of the finals scores didn’t indicate complete domination by the MSU side. They are obviously taking a huge step up in class this week facing the No. 1 team in the nation on the road.
On the other hand, Alabama has been blowing out everyone it faces, although its schedule hasn’t been very impressive either. Michigan and Tennessee are the Tide’s best two victims, but they have an average margin of victory of 33 ppg, compared to 12 ppg for the Bulldogs.
I have been waiting for the Tide to sleepwalk through a game, and with LSU on deck this might be the one. However, Mississippi State’s unbeaten record will surely get the players’ attention. There is also the chance that Mississippi State is for real, and can play with the Tide. They without question have been improving under Dan Mullen’s watch.
For me, the best way to play this is over the total of 46. Alabama averages 41 points per game and has scored 35 or more in every game this season. They should approach their average in this one and I expect State to score at least a couple of touchdowns.