Northcoast Sportsline
College POW
Clemson
Small College Plays
Nebraska
Auburn
Troy
SEC POW
Auburn
Mike Lineback
South Fla / Fla St Under 50.5
Cal -5.5
Miami Fl -2.5
Miami Fl / Va Tech under 47.5
Seabass
30 Padres
30 Cubs
20 Texas
20 Cinncy
Executive
Early Game
300 Wisconsin
Chris James Sports
3* Rice +7
3* Stanford -8.5
2* UNLV -3.5
2* Penn State -9.5
BRANDON LANG
40 DIMER MIAMI. FL
Gameday
4* Florida State
Scott Rickenbach
10* (Top Play) TCU Horned Frogs (+) @ Clemson
First off, we want to emphasize here that we are aware of the fact that there could be rain during this game at Clemson on Saturday afternoon. However, the field does drain very well – in fact that was evident in last week’s game versus Boston College where there were two stoppages of play due to inclement weather. Additionally, we feel that the rain does not hinder our “play on” team here as TCU is fully capable of winning this game in the trenches and grinding out a win. That would be on the strength of their own ground game and the fact that the Horned Frogs defense can focus on shutting down the Tigers run game since Clemson has a freshman quarterback and their offense has often struggled for long periods of time as a result.
While the Tigers got a big win over Boston College last week, their offense did sputter at times and their defense faces a much bigger challenge here from the Horned Frogs than they did from the Eagles last week. While TCU hasn’t even opened up conference action yet, and their game next week is also a non-conference game (against SMU), the Tigers are in a tough ACC sandwich here. They’ve already played two conference games (lost at Georgia Tech, beat Boston College at home last week) and Clemson has an ACC game on deck with a game at Maryland up next. While the Tigers are already watching the ACC standings, the Horned Frogs aren’t even concerned with their MWC Standings yet. The Mountain West action doesn’t even begin for them until they visit Air Force on October 10th. That said, it’s a very focused TCU team that is visiting Clemson on Saturday. Head Coach Gary Patterson and his Horned Frogs are still playing the “no respect” card as an MWC team – we all remember the fuss about Utah’s undefeated season last year as a school in a non-BCS Conference. This lack of respect serves TCU well in a game like this because they have additional motivation and are out to prove they belong.
One of the things we love about TCU in this spot is that, as well as they played, coach Patterson has them believing that they should have (and need to be) much better. They dominated Virginia even more than the final score showed as it was two late touchdowns for the Cavaliers that made them game look much closer than it really was. Also, the offense excelled last week against Texas State, an FCS foe, but the defense looked disinterested at times and wasn’t flying around against the Bobcats. Again, this serves as additional motivation this week and you can bet that the Horned Frogs are fully prepared to fly to the ball against the Tigers and try to “state their case” at Clemson. While the Tigers have RB CJ Spiller back, the losses of QB Cullen Harper and RB James Davis are proving to be huge for this team. The offense has struggled at times under redshirt freshman QB Kyle Parker. Also, this offense lost WR Aaron Kelly, their leading receiver, from last season’s team. Contrast this with a Horned Frogs offense that is led by a junior QB, Andy Dalton, who is also a dangerous runner plus RB Joseph Turner is a senior RB that leads a very tough rushing attack.
The Horned Frogs losses last season came at Oklahoma and at Utah but they actually had more first downs than the Sooners and they dominated the Utes with a huge statistical edge. They lost both of those games on turnovers and this is adding even more value to a team that totally dominated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl last season and should have won by much more than a one point margin. They are every bit deserving of their current ranking in the Top 25 and the Frogs come in fully focused here while there are a few concerns for the Tigers here in addition to the “ACC sandwich spot” that they are in. Clemson has scored just one TD on nine trips inside the red zone this season. QB Parker has looked like a freshman already this season with two poorly thrown interceptions against the Eagles a perfect example of this in last week’s game. Also, the Tigers star left tackle, Chris Hairston, is dealing with a sprained left knee and Clemson really needs him in there (if healthy) because the Horned Frogs DE Jerry Hughes is lining up on the other side and is an All-American. Also, a flu bug was running through the team earlier this week and certainly did the Tigers no favors. Look for Clemson to fall short here against a hungry Horned Frogs that is extremely motivated for making a statement in this non-conference affair! Play TCU plus the points as a 10* Top Play selection.
Kelso
15 Units Giants (-130) over Chicago Cubs
Clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 65.
Dave Cokin
20* Plays
TCU +2.5
Texas A&M -14
Stanford -8
Dominic Fazzini
20 Dime -- OREGON STATE (minus points vs. Arizona)
5 Dime -- PURDUE (plus points vs. Notre Dame)
OREGON STATE
This is a big game for both teams as they enter Pac-10 play, and I think the Beavers have what it takes to come away a winner today.
Oregon State has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Arizona by an average of 31-14, including a 19-17 victory in Tucson last year. OSU also is 9-1 ATS in those games.
The Beavers have went 2-1 this season, beating Portland State 34-7 and UNLV 23-21 before losing at home last week to No. 17 Cincinnati, 28-18, ending a 26-game home winning streak in nonconference games.
That loss is going to drive Oregon State to bounce back today against the Wildcats, who opened the season with wins over Central Michigan (19-6) and Northern Arizona (34-17) before losing 27-17 at Iowa last Saturday.
Arizona's offense is not as dynamic as Cincinnati's or UNLV's, so the Beavers should be able to stay in control today behind the running of star tailback Jacquizz Rodgers. That should help neutralize Wildcats running back Nic Grigsby, who has rushed for 400 yards and three touchdowns this season. Plus, Arizona is starting a new quarterback, Michigan State transfer Nick Foles, so OSU should be able to load up against the Wildcats' running game.
Arizona is 0-3 straight up as a road 'dog the last five years coming off of a road loss, and the Beavers are 7-2 ATS and SU the last five years coming off of a home loss. The favorite in this series also has covered 10 of the past 13 meetings.
Even with last week's loss, Oregon State has won 16 of its last 21 games in Corvallis. I think the Beavers get the job done again today. Take OSU to cover the points.
PURDUE
Notre Dame managed to edge Michigan State 33-30 last week, but coach Charlie Weis is hardly off the hot seat. And the flames are going to get higher after the Fighting Irish's game tonight at Purdue.
Notre Dame's top offensive threats are all banged up. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is slowed by turf toe on his right foot, but should still play. However, running back Armando Allen is going to be a game-time decision because of an injured right ankle, and star receiver Michael Floyd could be out for the season with a broken collerbone.
Purdue averages 210.7 yards rushing per game, led by sophomore Ralph Bolden, and should be able to control the clock against the Irish, limiting Notre Dame's scoring opportunities. And it's not like the Boilermakers can't pile up the points themselves, as they average 36.3 points per game.
As long as Purdue QB Joey Elliott takes care of the ball and is efficient in the passing game, this game is going to stay close the entire way. Plus, with a night game in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers' faithful are going to be lathered up and rocking and rolling at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Better put some ice on your ass before the game, Weis, that seat might be getting a little hotter. Take Purdue to cover the points tonight.
KBHoops
5* Virginia Tech +3 **POD**
5* Purdue +7
4* Air Force -17
4* Rice +7
3* Arkansas State -2.5
3* Houston/Texas Tech OVER 74
Pitbull
20* North Carolina +3 Play of the Week
20* Virginia Tech +3 Play of the Week
15* Michigan State +3 -125
10* Michigan -20
5* Minnesota +1
5* NC State +1
DGB Sports
Boise St.
Guaranteed Pick: Hollywood Sports
Game: North Carolina at Georgia Tech Sep 26 2009 12:00PM
Prediction: Georgia Tech
Reason: At 12:00 PM EST on Sat, we will be playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets minus the points over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Georgia Tech is doubly motivated. First, they are coming off an embarrassing 33-17 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on national television last Thursday. Second, the Tar Heels took it to the Jackets last season by a 28-7 score. We look for Georgia Tech to bounce back with a very good game. UNC has five-straight losses in Bobby Dodd Stadium. And Georgia Tech has won ten of the last twelve meetings between these two clubs. Before dissecting this matchup, it is important to evaluate the context of these Georgia Tech losses.
Both of those games were on the road and Georgia Tech returns to Atlanta for this game. The Yellow Jackets were playing their third game in thirteen games when they faced the Hurricanes. The players were flat and it showed. Furthermore, last season's ACC Player of the Year in Jonathan Dwyer got injured and was limited to seven yards on just five carries. Dwyer has looked fine in practice this week. Coach Paul Johnson compared the loss to Miami with last season's 20-17 loss at Virginia Tech when the Yellow Jackets also entered the game 2-0. GT then returned home and bounced back with a 38-7 thrashing of Mississippi State. North Carolina will present a much bigger test than that but GT will benefit with their nine-day break before the game. The Tar Heels defense contained Georgia Tech's triple option spread attack last year ... or so it appears. Coach Butch Davis and the UNC coaching staff had the luxury of two weeks off to prepare for this specialty offense. Said Tar Heels' linebacker Mark Paschal about the benefit of this extra preparation time: "Seeing it for two weeks definitely played a part ... Everybody knew their assignment and carried it out and we were able to put ourselves in position to slow them down a little bit." North Carolina will not have this advantage this season. And while they do return nine starters from last year's team, Johnson is sure to show some new wrinkles to his evolving offense that GT is much more comfortable with a year later. Furthermore, despite scoring only seven points, GT did run up 326 rushing yards against UNC. North Carolina scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to break this game open. This burst of momentum was fueled by two second-half fumbles by GT. Said Johnson about these miscues: "We fumble it away then we go back out there and lay it on the ground on the very next series ... Lights out ... We could never get them off the field ... In a game like that, you better maximize and we didn't. We played very poorly on offense." In the first half, Georgia Tech missed two field goals as well as failed to convert two short 4th down plays. Georgia Tech was coming off a big 31-28 win over Florida State the week before and they experienced a let-down. Said QB Josh Nesbitt about their intensity level: "I just see it as we didn't come ready to play ... and they beat us from start to finish." So, while the hype around this game is that the strong Tar Heels defense "solved" the Yellow Jackets triple option spread offense, we are not so sure that is actually the case. The extenuating circumstances in that game are compelling.
Georgia Tech is averaging 243.7 rushing yards per game this season -- ranking 16th in the nation. The highly celebrated UNC defense is 7th in the nation in rushing defense as they are holding their opponents to just 52.3 rushing yards per game. But lets remember two things. First, GT accumulated 326 rushing yards. We suggest that the Yellow Jackets failed to execute in key situations last year rather than that game being an indictment of the triple option spread working against UNC. Second, North Carolina's three wins this year have come against East Carolina, Connecticut and the Citadel. We would be surprised if the Tar Heels defensive numbers were not looking pretty good after playing such offensive heavyweights as those three clubs. GT has two secret offensive weapons that will compliment Dwyer and Nesbitt. Anthony Allen is a dynamic running back that transferred from Louisville. Allen has 190 yards on just 14 carries for a robust 13.6 yards per attempt average along with two touchdowns. And wide receiver DeMaryius Thomas is a strong passing option who had six receptions for 133 yards against Miami. Thomas is 12th in the nation with his 109 receiving yards per game average. The wrinkle that UNC will not be as prepared to handle is the evolving passing attack that can develop from the triple option base offense. Perhaps the bigger question for this game involves speculating about the Tar Heels offense that scored just 12 points against UConn (the only BCS Conference school they have faced this season). The Tar Heels relied on their passing attack last year but lost their three top wide receivers from last seasons team. They return just six starters from last year's club.
Finally, there are host of trends that support Georgia Tech to bounce back. Georgia Tech is 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. The Jackets are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games coming off a loss while also 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games coming off a game where they failed to cover. The Tar Heels may be due for a letdown after their 31-17 win over East Carolina where they accumulated 285 passing yards. UNC is just 7-19 in their last 26 games after passing for at least 280 yards and they are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games after allowing 20 or less points in their previous game. This looks like a classic bounce back situation for Georgia Tech with some nice value regarding the line given a general misinterpretation of what happened between these two clubs last season. 25 Star ACC Game of the Year with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets minus the points over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Best of luck for us -- Frank.
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