DGB Sports
Georgia
Nationwide - GoldSheet
Super 7: Indiana
Top: Col St
Reg: Ore St, Wisconsin, Georgia Under
Opposite Action Plays
Florida St
Mike Handzelek
Houston U vs. Mississippi St
Pick: Mississippi St -2.5
The most alarming fact in UTEP's 58-41 thumping of Houston is not the score. It definitely is the 305 yards rushing the Miners unleashed upon the matador defense of the Cougars. Today, they face a Mississippi State squad that should of upended L.S.U. a few weeks back. Houston does have a prolific passer in Case Keenum with a nice 13/2 TD/INT ratio but the pass defense he's up against limits opponents to 49% completions & 191 passing yards per game. When he entertains for the third staright week in Davis Wade Stadium @ Scott Field in Starkville, Mullen & his Dogs' are a solid 5-2 ATS. Now let's look at the seal this deal conference versus conference amazing fact. In the last 24 games Conference USA teams tangled with teams from the SEC, it's resulted in a 0-24 record for Conference USA. Despite losing line value from the opening mark, we're sticking with the Dogs'. The Mississippi State defense wins this one so our Matador Defense Exposed Plus 24-0 System says to put $200 on the Bulldogs.
North Texas vs. UL Lafayette
Pick: North Texas +6
The Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin' Cajuns have had time to think coming off a bye week & are now set to take on The North Texas Eagles (I think I like their old Mean Green nickname better)@ Cajun Field in Lafayette. The problem here is with laying any kind of points with a team that plainly can't score. Against lined teams this season, they are averaging a super-anemic 6.67 PPG. We can't overlook non-opportunistic stat of -6 in turnovers the last 3 games put up by Louisiana-Lafayette. On the other side of the ball, North Texas QB Riley Dodge put up 313 yards passing while running for 57 himself against Middle Tennessee State. Don't forget that teams with 17 returning starters installed as a dog who face an opponent off back-to-back losses are 15-2 ATS away from home. We think this dog is clearly barking out loud as are Not Worthy False Favorite With 15-2 System play says to put up $200 on the Eagles of North Texas & let's buy to + 7 1/2 as we cash in this dog at OUR number.
East Carolina vs. SMU
Pick: SMU +6.5
This title fits to the tee none other than Skip Holtz' Pirates of East Carolina. This happens to be the Pirates 4th road game in 5 weeks as they take on June Jones' charges @ Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The Pirates are a PERFECT 0-4 ATS as road favorites of more than 6 and have now lost 12 of 18 ATS going back to the beginning of last year. June Jones has the surface edge taking on East Carolina who have natural grass @ Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium. The Ponies were young last season but now return 16 starters including 51 letterman to the roster & are ready to make a little noise in Conference-USA action. A big factor in the Mustangs 2 wins this season has been Miami transfer Shawnbrey McNeal in the backfield. They've beaten a good UAB team on the road and should have the home crowd riled up after not having a home game for over a month. June Jones always has a master gameplan awaiting through the air as he did @ Hawaii. I expect to utilize it when situations permit against a defense of East Carolina rated 118th in pass defense efficiency in Division I-A. Speaking of "D", S.M.U. has a defense rated #1 in interceptions with 12 thus far and that's good enough for us to pull the trigger on the Mustangs as our Out Of Gas & On The Road In A Flat Spot play. Be happy & buy to + 7 1/2 & put up $200 on S.M.U.
Michigan vs. Iowa
Point Iowa -8
The Michigan Wolverines have shown a little dependency on their run game. Word to your mother--Kirk Ferentz's crew are excellent run stuffers as they proved twice against Penn State in back-to-back years. You have that perfect setup here with Frosh Baby QB Tate Forcier invading tough Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City with no maturity in his resume'. The result will be turnovers as Michigan digs a whole they won't get out of by the 4th quarter. They've been fortunate enough by playing & winning 4 straight @ Ann Arbor. What happened when they go on the road for the first time? They lose to the Spartans and give up over 400 yards of total offense. If the Spartans found a way to control the Wolverines, think what Iowa will do. Michigan is giving up 31 PPG against legitimate opponents. Coach Rich Rodriguez is a putrid 1-10 ATS versus teams that have defenses who hold their opponents to 2 TD's or less. On the other side of the ball, QB Rick Stanzi seems to have the experience needed to take the Hawkeyes one step further. This is that perfect time for a statement to be made by Iowa that they may still be around for a Big Ten title game come November 14th when they invade Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Remember the Hawkeyes have been limping the last few games and now, Tony Moeaki, Bryan Bulaga & Derrell Johnson-Koulianos are ready with guns blazin'. Iowa has delivered BIG as a favorite of 3 1/2 to 10 points going a red-hot 10-2 against the number. The bottom line says if the Spartans can run stuff Michigan & hold them to under 30 yards on the ground, Iowa will also be up to the task. Iowa goes and gets their 10th win a row as they pull away in the 4th quarter and chew up Michigan's desperation. Our Running Game Stuffer Play is to take the Iowa Hawkeyes for $200 but buy to -6 1/2.
Arizona U vs. Washington U
Pick: Arizona -3.5
The Washington Huskies put a lot into that upset of USC and even more losing to Notre Dame on the road last week. They fit nicely into this system. When an overtime loser allows 35 or more points and are at home, they've gone a ticket-ripping 12-32-1 ATS. The Huskies go up against an Arizona team who already rushed for 900 yards winning 3 of their first 4 games. The Cats' are salivating after watching game film showing Notre Dame's 530 yards of total offense against the Huskies. Arizona's QB change to Nick Foles has been a change for the better as he was 25 of 34 for 254 yards & 3 TD's with no INT's versus Oregon State. We like the fact that the Wildcats had 2 weeks to prepare for this one and are up aginst a team that's running on fumes. In The Stats (ITS) shows Arizona dominating opponents to the tune of 412-288 total yards advantage. This is partly due to a very beefy offensive line that averages 6'5" & 313 pounds. The bottom line says Arizona is 6-0 their last 6 trips to Husky Stadium in Seattle and will win this one in a hard-fought game in the trenches. Smash-mouth football belongs to the Cats' as our Running On Fumes play says to take the Arizona Wildcats & buy down to -2 1/2 for $200.
Street Rosenthal
*200 Mississippi +5
Every trend I have on this game signals an Ole Miss win! This is a great spot for Ole Miss today. Bama hasn't covered a spread in Oxford in decade. This is the biggest game of the year for the Rebels and look for Ole Miss to lay it all on the line in this must win match up. Let's look at some trends. Alabama is 0-7 ATS since 1980 in games 1-6 and previous opponent was Kentucky. Alabama is also 1-10 ATS since 1980 game 6 and opponents previous game was away. The League is 0-8 ATS (-10.2 ppg) since October 27, 2007 as a favorite vs. Mississippi. Bama is also 0-4 ATS (-8.5 ppg) since October 15, 2005 vs. Ole Miss. Don't forget, Nut has yet to lose a game at Ole Miss by more than 7 points!
*200 Miami Ohio +19
Northwestern rallied last week and spent a lot of energy. This game is Miami Ohios 5t road game this year. They have played the likes of Kentucky, Cincinnati and Boise State. Yes, they are 0-5 and probably going to be 0-6 after today. However the trends support a cover. Let's look at some of those trends. Miami Ohio is 10-0 ATS since 1990 in game 6 and their opponent scored more than 14 points in their last game. Miami Ohio is 9-0 ATS since 1990 in game 6 as a dog and their next opponent conference is vs a MAC team. NorthWestern is 0-7 ATS since 1995 as Home Fav and opponent previously faced a team from the MAC conference. Look for an easy cover today as Miami Ohio shows up to play.
*200 Houston +3
Houston was embarassed by UTEP last weekend and I look for them to come out today and show some pride. Miss St is one of the weakest teams in the SEC and will struggle to keep up with the speed of this explosive Houston team. Was Houston caught in a classic trap week? Probably so, and I look for them to rebound nicely today. In the last meeting, the Cougars enjoyed a 28-16 win against the Bulldogs in Starkville during the 2005 season. It was UH's second straight win and their sixth win in the last seven games in the series. The Cougars have enjoyed success on the road against Mississippi State, posting a 4-3 record in Starkville. I look for Houston to take the ball to the air against a weak Miss St secondary and get us the cover today.
*300 South Carolina -9.5
The Gamecocks are no surprise to early season success as they hold a 16-5 record in the first 7 games of over the past 3 seasons. The Gamecocks must finish the year like they have started. The Kentucky Wildcats have yet to score a conference victory this season. The Wildcats scoring offense ranks next to last in the SEC averaging 25 points per game and their scoring defense ranks 3rd worse allowing 26.5 points per game. The trends are not good for Kentucky today. Let's take a look at them. Kentucky is 1-8 ATS since 1982 away in game 5 and they lost their previous game. Kentucky is 0-5 ATS (-6.6 ppg) since December 31, 2007 after a loss at home
*300 Florida State -3
The trends aren't the only thing I am wagering on today. FSU is playing with revenge in mind today. Tech got the best of them last year and FSU will want to even that score. FSU will also play hard for their coach tonight as he has taken some bashing in the media al week. Let's look at some trends that favor our pick. Ga Tech is 0-7 ATS since 1982 in game 6 and away and they won their previous game. FSU is 4-0 ATS (+8.5 ppg) since October 02, 1993 vs. Ga Tech after an away game.
*500 San Jose St -4
Anytime we see 25% of the public on a team and the line moving in their favor I am going to make it a big play. SJS has dominated this series and the Vandals are on a 3 game win streak. This streak will end here today as SJS will prove just to much to handle. SJSU is 5-1 against the spread in their last 6 as a home favorite of 3.5-10 points.
BLACK WIDOW
5* Yellow Jackets/'Noles ESPN 2 Eruption Florida State -2.5
Florida State players will take it upon themselves to win this one for Bobby Bowden. This is only the second time in Bowden's tenure with the Seminoles that his team has started the season 2-3. He is getting drilled in the media this week, and now it's up to the players to right the ship against Georgia Tech Saturday in support of one of the best head coaches of all-time. FSU hosts Georgia Tech, a team they lost to 28-31 on the road last season. Now that they are more familiar with Paul Johnson's system, look for the 'Noles to stop his triple-option attack this week. Tech rushed for 288 yards on Florida State last year and still only managed to win by a field goal, so don't expect the Yellow Jackets to put up those kind of numbers on the ground again in the 2009 meeting. FSU is 6-0 SU in their last 6 home games vs. Georgia Tech and 12-1 SU in all meetings with the Yellow Jackets since 1992. So you can see how rare that loss really was to the Yellow Jackets last season. FSU is only giving up 3.0 yards/carry at home this season, so they are stopping the run very well. Their weakness is in their pass defense, but Georgia Tech only averaging 13 passing attempts/game. All factors favor the Seminoles, most importantly the motivational factor to win this one for their head coach. Take Florida State and lay the points.
5* Gators/Tigers CBS Saturday Night Showdown on LSU +8
With the questions surrounding Tim Tebow, the clear play is on LSU Saturday. Even if Tebow does play, he won't be on top of his game. He'll be very rusty and worried about getting hit after suffering a concussion. LSU just keeps finding ways to win, and though they have not blown anybody out, you can't fault the Tigers for that. The Tigers have had this one circled on their calendars for a year, and when playing at home down in Baton Rouge, the place will be rockin' Saturday night. LSU's defense is ranked 16th nationally after allowing 14.8 points/game through four games, and this unit gives them a great chance to win outright Saturday. Charles Scott showed he could carry the load last week in their 20-13 win at Georgia, rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns. QB Jordan Jefferson was calm under pressure, and that experience at Georgia last week will give him a lot of confidence heading into this SEC showdown. The Tigers are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0. The underdog is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in this series. Take LSU and the points.
4* on Oregon State +1
Oregon State got the signature win they needed last week by beating up on Arizona State 28-17 on the road. Now they return home ready to take the next step, a place where the Beavers have been very tough to beat this decade. Oregon State 24-11 ATS (+11.9 Units) in home games after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game since 1992. The Beavers are 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 over the last 3 seasons. Oregon State is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in October games over the last 3 seasons. Head coach Mike Riley always has his team playing at their best this time of the season. It's not by chance, either, this guy is one of the most underrated head coaches in the country. Stanford is 1-1 on the road, losing at Wake Forest and beating Washington State, which was expected of course. OSU is finding their stride and will not be denied at home Saturday. Take Oregon State and the points.
4* on New Mexico State +12.5
New Mexico State should not be catching double-digit points at home against a 1-3 Utah State squad Saturday. NMSU has put together 2 wins this season, including a big road victory at New Mexico. This team is improved under new head coach DeWayne Walker and they won't be folding against the Aggies Saturday. Utah State is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite of 10.5 or greater. This team shouldn't be favored this heavily against anyone. New Mexico State is 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game. The underdog is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in this series. Take New Mexico State and the points.
BIG AL
5* NCAA FB GAME OF THE MONTH (40-14 L54)
At 3:30 pm, our College Football Game of the Month is on the Mississippi Rebels plus the points over Alabama. Ole Miss was ranked in the Top 5 in late September, but fell victim to Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, and lost 16-10 as small road favorites. After losing that game, Mississippi was called "overrated" by the media, but its defeat certainly wasn't a surprise to me, as I played South Carolina in that ballgame. Now, however, with everyone off Ole Miss' bandwagon, I'll jump back on, and take the points with the Rebels as a home underdog. It certainly will be a raucous atmosphere at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, as coach Houston Nutt has asked all fans to wear blue in support of the Rebels. Whether or not this "blue-out" will inspire his squad is another issue, but I look for Nutt to pull out all stops on Saturday. Indeed, he closed practice to the media all week, and that's the first time he's done so since coming to Mississippi. Alabama has won the last five meetings between these two schools, but Mississippi has covered each of the last four, and those four Crimson Tide wins have come only by 3, 3, 3 and 4 points! So, getting points with Mississippi here at home in Oxford is HUGE. Even though its offense hasn't been impressive in SEC play (scoring just 16.5 ppg), its defense has been stellar, and the Rebels have allowed 10.7 ppg through its first four games this season. With such a good stop-unit, the Rebels fall into a great system of mine that plays on strong teams with good ground games, and staunch defenses. That system is 72-26 ATS since 1980, and is one reason why I favor the Rebels. Another is a 51-20 ATS system of mine which plays on certain revenging home dogs, who have exactly one loss on the season. Finally, I have a 64-25 ATS system that goes against unbeaten road favorites vs. .601 (or better) teams, provided our road favorite is off an ATS win. Two weeks ago, Alabama lost Dont'a Hightower for the year with a torn ACL, and the Crimson Tide was able to overcome his absence with a 38-20 victory at Kentucky. Still, Alabama gave up over 300 rushing + passing yards to the Wildcats, and that was the most yardage the Tide has surrendered this season! Look for the Rebels to pull the small upset on Saturday. 5* College Football Game of the Month on Mississippi.
94% (16-1 ATS) NCAA CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
At 8 pm, our WAC Conference Game of the Year is on the San Jose St Spartans minus the points over Idaho. Last week, the Vandals won their third straight game (all upset wins), and it was also the fifth straight ATS win for them (including four outright upsets). Overall, it's Idaho's best start since it went 4-1 to start the 1994 season. But it's extremely hard for underdogs to keep pulling upset wins, and I expect Idaho to come back down to earth in San Jose on Saturday night. Consider that teams off three straight upsets are 1-16 ATS since 1980 vs. .500 (or worse teams) when priced from -24 to +10 points. The Spartans have won each of the past four meetings vs. the Vandals, and were 14.5-point ROAD favorites last season. Now, with Idaho having so much success against the spread in 2009, we get San Jose as a small home favorite. The Spartans also have a "rest" advantage as they had last week off, while Idaho played at home vs. Colorado State. San Jose falls into a 111-47 ATS system of mine that plays on certain rested home teams vs. conference foes, and the Spartans also fall into 83-26, 31-3 and 46-16 ATS systems. Lay the points with San Jose.
Kiki Sports
GOY Iowa
Jim Feist
20-Star Mountain West Conference Game of the Year!
TCU VS AIR FORCE
Take: TCU
It’s never easy to prepare for the Air Force ground attack, but TCU has experience: These teams met last season and the Frogs rolled, 44-10! TCU (4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) has a powerful ground game of its own (200 yds rushing pg) and a fierce defense, just like last year. Coach Gary Patterson likes offensive balance and has a veteran attack with junior QB Andy Dalton (6 TDs, 2 picks, playing since his freshman season) and RB Joseph Turner. The defense dominated in a 14-10 win at Clemson. The Air Force Falcons come off a disheartening 16-13 OT loss to rival Navy. "We came here to win the football game. We did not do it. Physically, that was an extraordinary football game." TCU has the run defense to contain Air Force. Play TCU!
Inner Circle Game of the Month
NEW MEXICO VS WYOMING
Take: WYOMING
Wyoming (3-2) is playing decent for new head coach in Dave Christensen, who is demanding more physical play. They come home from a long road trip to Florida International last week, a 30-28 comeback. Christensen has brought in a no-huddle, up-tempo, spread offense, but he has no QB stablity. They have rotated QBs freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels (3 TDs, 1 pick) and senior Karsten Sween. New Mexico (0-5 SU/1-4 ATS) has been terrible under new coach Mike Locksley, a better recruiter than Xs and Os guy and it shows during their 0-5 start. They had a frustrating 20-17 home loss to rival New Mexico State, allowing a TD with 39 seconds left. The home team has far too much offense. Play Wyoming.
Matty BaiungoFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
3* BLOWOUT Game of the Week
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Fresno St @ Hawaii
Play: Fresno St (-)
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Fresno St can make a legitimate case that they’ve played the toughest schedule in the country so far. After waxing 1-AA UC Davis 51-0, their next three games came at Wisconsin, home against Boise St, and then at Cincinnati. That trio has yet to lose a game as they are a combined 15-0 straight-up and 8-2 against the spread vs. teams not named Fresno St. And Boise St and Cincinnati are currently ranked in the top 10 in the country. That’s one heck of a three-game stretch, but those games will have the Bulldogs battle tested for their second conference game here in Hawaii. And Fresno played pretty good ball as they out-yarded and had more first downs in all three of those games. They took Wisconsin to overtime, only trailed Boise by 3 midway through the 3rd quarter, and were within 4 of Cincinnati in the 4th quarter. So for this team to be 1-3 right now is somewhat unfortunate.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Head coach Pat Hill built his reputation on scheduling the big boys and going on the road to play them. And Fresno usually plays tough, close games as big underdogs while pulling a few upsets along the way. We do prefer to play on this team as an underdog, but this is a great spot to take a shot and lay the points with Fresno on the road. The Bulldogs come into this game fresh as they enter off their much needed bye week. Their early schedule was a daunting task so the week of rest will have the tank refueled. Their offense has been unstoppable averaging 34 points per game on over 480 yards of total offense. They are well balanced with 200 yards coming on the ground and through the air per game. But it’s their running game behind Ryan Mathews that will slice through Hawaii’s defense. The Warriors allowed Louisiana Tech to rumble for 352 yards in their last game so a fresh Mathews has to be salivating at this match-up.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Hawaii comes into this game beat-up in more than one way. They lost their senior starting quarterback Greg Alexander to a season-ending knee injury, and now have to turn to sophomore Bryant Moniz who has no experience. Bigger than that though is what the players are dealing with on a more personal level. As head coach Greg McMackin put it: “The tsunami and earthquake in Samoa hurt about ¾ of our team. If you’re one member of our team, then you hurt for your brothers on the team. In the real world, that’s a tough thing to do.” Now Hawaii returns to the island after their long trip to Ruston to play their first home game in over a month, but preparing for a football game is the last thing on their mind. Fresno is simply the much more talented team that has the fundamental and situational edges to win this going away. Go with Fresno St.
Tim Trushel
20* San Jose St.
Illinois
Indiana
SMU
ETHAN LAW
Kentucky vs South Carolina
Take: Kentucky +9½
Syndicate play: The second play the syndicate collectively bet this week in the NCAA was KENTUCKY +10! South Carolina opened as a 11.5 point home favorite underdog and when the syndicate placed their wager the line quickly moved down to +10.5. Later in the week the larger players continued to move the line to where it stands now at 10. After some considerable discussion the group decided to place a $45,000 wager on KENTUCKY +10.
Ethan’s thoughts: Only one adviser liked this game and I can tell you it was not me. We discussed this game for hours and hours and although I believe it does have some considerable merit, it is not (in my opinion one of the stronger plays on the board. The reason I do not like it is because it could be over after the first quarter, and I always like believe my underdogs will win their games outright and I do not believe that is the case here. Despite my thoughts, the group is sold on the fact that Kentucky comes into this game at a very bargain price. Our runner even told us that Kentucky is the Top selection by most of the larger outfits for that reason, and justifiably so. Granted the true line in this contest should be in the neighborhood of 8.5 to 9 points, but the simple fact that Kentucky got absolutely blasted by No. 1 Florida, 41-7, and followed that up with a terrible 38-20 defeat to Alabama. With that said those are two of the TOP teams in the nation and South Carolina although very good, is not even close to the level of those squads. Because of the fact that Kentucky is 0-3 ATS their last three the lines makers are forced to adjust their numbers, and now I am beginning to become convinced that the adjustment was to substantial to warrant this line. South Carolina has a slew of injuries and for an early season game, this is an absolute MUST WIN for Kentucky if their hopes of making a bowl contest want to stay alive. The Syndicate thinks they can win in this spot.
SYNDICATE PLAY: KENTUCKY +9.5
East Carolina vs SMU
Take: SMU +6½
Note: To my full Season NCAA Subscribers, this play is not part of Ethan Laws premium package. Rather, each week Ethan will be releasing a few plays that were bet by the New York City betting syndicate to which he is one of the lead adviser's on. The Syndicate will likely be releasing more than one selection starting next week, but in the early going they play a very conservative approach.
Syndicate play: The Syndicate was very happy about last weeks success as they placed on their larger wagers of the season on UTEP +15 who absolutely destroyed Houston on their way to an outright win. This week they came back with two selections. The first play the syndicate collectively bet this week in the NCAA was SMU +6.5! SMU opened as a 6.5 home underdog and when the syndicate placed their wager the line quickly moved down to +6. Later in the week the public action on East Carolina has brought the game back up. Nevertheless, after some considerable discussion the group decided to place a $40,000 wager on SMU +6.5.
Ethan’s thoughts: I am happy to report that all three advisors flagged Marshall early in the week including myself as I thought this was one of the top plays on the board. To begin we have technical dominance on our side as the Pirates are 0-4 ATS as road favorites of more than six points while SMU is 9-1 ATS inside the conference off a loss after allowing more than 36 points in previous game. East Carolina won at Marshall last week (but really got crushed in the stats) and that triggers a 6-12 ATS system since 2008 when that occurs. Using what I said above, all three advisers were quick to point out that East Carolina leads the East Division of C-USA despite being outscored by 15 points this season. Hmmmm. If you really analyze this team you see a trend developing, which is one of theories behind this selection. East Carolina has a very good defense but they simply cannot score ranking the last in the conference at just 21 points per game and less than 300 yards of total offense per game. Indeed, they have been outgained by an average of 69 yards per game. So the key match-up in this contest comes down to The Pirate defense which is ranked fourth in C-USA in total defense (366.0 yards per game) vs. the Mustang offense ranked fourth in total offense (380.0). If the Mustang offense gets moving, the Pirates will not be able to keep up. In contrast, SMU has a virtual cornucopia of offensive weapons surrounding quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, including running back Shawnbrey McNeal and receivers Emmanuel Sanders, Aldrick Robinson, and Terrance Wilkerson. So if the Mustangs just reach their season average of 26 points a game that will without question make them win this game easily. We also noted that thie same SMU team really took TCU to the wire as last week they trailed just 12-7 at the half.
SYNDICATE PLAY: SMU +6.5
David Banks
Auburn
Kansas
UConn
Bama
Maryland
TX. Tech
SMU
FSU
Cards -160
Rockies -120
DOUBLE DRAGON
HYDRA
LSU +8
REGULAR
MISSISSIPPI +4.5
MISSISSIPPI ST. -2.5
AUBURN -2
FSU -2.5
SAM CLAYTON
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
25 DIME - MICHIGAN +8
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Two of the Big Ten's most rejuvenated teams square off Saturday night in Iowa City as the Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0) host Michigan (4-1, 1-1). Much has been made about the phenomenal Iowa defense and rightfully so -- the black and gold went into Happy Valley and held Penn State to a mere 10 points. However, before that contest, the Nittany Lions played three complete cupcakes in Akron, Syracuse and Temple (all at home). Now maybe it's a stretch to say that Joe Pa and Co. are overrated, but they certainly didn't face any true competition before squaring off against the Hawkeyes. And like Iowa, Penn State wins games with their defense, not by engaging in shootouts.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
While people are focusing on Iowa's bright spots against Penn State and Arizona, there were also two down-to-the-wire nail biters against Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, both of which were decided by a field goal. And it just so happens that I see a very important intangible for tonight, one that bridges the style of play of UNI, ARST and MICH: the wheeling, dealing quarterback. Wolverines' QB Tate Forcier is an absolute playmaker, an athlete that moves around the pocket very well and can beat you with his arm and his legs. Forcier plays a very similiar game to that of Pat Grace and Corey Leonard, the two quarterbacks that have had the most success against Iowa this season. Signal-callers that can scramble with efficiency have been a thorn in the side of the Hawkeye defense.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
When the Wolverines seemed to be down and out against Notre Dame and Indiana, it was Forcier that led them to comeback victories. The kid has ice water in his veins and he leads a very balanced spread attack for Rich Rodriguez. Forcier is third in the Big Ten with a 142.7 passer rating and his 154 rushing yards indicate that he can make something out of nothing when the pocket collapses. It sounds like square reasoning, and maybe it is, but Michigan hasn't once been out of a ball game. Even their lone loss came in overtime last week against MSU, a game where the Wolves were held to a season-low 251 yards. They'll be hungry this week and out for revenge, plus their high-octane offense will always keep them in striking distance. With the way Michigan puts points on the board, this spread has backdoor cover written all over it.
FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Besides, Iowa isn't exactly the type of team that's going to blow you out. They want to control the ball, run clock and let their defense do the rest of the work. However, when a versatile offense that's already outdone Notre Dame in a shootout is the opposition, the game is never out of reach. All the pressure is on the Hawkeyes, who haven't started out 6-0 since 1985. They also know they have a Thanksgiving-esque plate with road games at Wisconsin and Michigan State on the horizon. If they for one second start to look ahead, this wily Michigan squad could sneak up and shock the Iowa City faithful.