Jack Jones
Texas Tech -14
Texas Tech should be a much heavier favorite Saturday over Iowa State. Odds makers are anticipating a letdown from Tech after their huge win over Oklahoma last weekend, but I'm not buying it. The Red Raiders could easily be undefeated right now if not for a few unforced errors in close losses to Texas A&M and Kansas State.
The Red Raiders have outgained all but one opponent they've played this season en route to a 5-2 record. They outgained Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Kansas State over the last three weeks by a combined 407 yards. Their offense is one of the best in the country, and their defense is improving as the season progresses.
Texas Tech ranks 5th in the country in total offense (539.3 yards/game) and 9th in scoring offense (43.4 points/game). Seth Doege is one of the best quarterbacks in the country that nobody talks about. Doege is completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards with 22 touchdowns to four interceptions.
Iowa State has not fared well against these potent offenses this season because they simply cannot keep up with them. For example, ISU has lost the last three weeks to Baylor (26-49), Missouri (17-52) and Texas A&M (17-33). All three of those teams have similar offenses to Texas Tech.
ISU is only scoring 23.1 points/game and averaging 370.7 total yards/game this season. They are giving up a whopping 35.9 points/game and 455.6 total yards/game. ISU is playing backup quarterback Jared Barnett right now. He is completing just 43.2 percent of his passes for 205 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The Cyclones have lost their last two visits to Texas Tech by finals of 42-17 and 52-21, respectively.
The Cyclones are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games following a double-digit loss at home. Iowa State is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games, and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 conference games. Texas Tech is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. a team with a losing record. The favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings in this series, and the home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Bet Texas Tech Saturday.
Steve Janus
East Carolina -16
This may seem like a lot of points to lay on a team that is just 3-4 overall, but I not only like East Carolina to cover, I think they will cover by two touchdowns.
Tulane is one of the worst college football teams in the country. Their two wins this season have came against UAB (1-6) and Southeastern Louisiana. They just lost at home to Memphis (2-6) 17-33. The same Memphis team East Carolina destroyed 35-17 on the road.
The Pirates are a much better team than their record indicates. Their four losses have came against South Carolina, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Houston, who are a combined 26-5 on the year. East Carolina's offense should have their way with the Tulane defense. The Pirates come into this game with the 11th best passing attack in the country, averaging just over 309 yards per game. Tulane is allowing just 201 passing yards a game, but haven't faced a lot of great passing teams. Against Duke earlier this year they allowed 333 yards in a 48-27 blowout loss.
The big concern for a lot of people will be laying this large of number on a defense that gives up just under 395 yards a game. However, we are talking about a Tulane offense that managed to score just 17 points against a Memphis defense that is allowing 494 yards of total offense.
East Carolina is 9-4 ATS vs. a team with a losing record and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater. Tulane on the other hand is 5-15 ATS against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons and 0-6 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game. over the last 2 seasons. BET THE PIRATES!
EZWINNERS
Texas Longhorns -28
The young Texas Longhorns got off to a great start this season before running into a buzz saw in back to back weeks against the best two teams in the Big XII conference in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Horns are coming off of a much needed bye week and they will get back on track in this game against the Kansas Jayhawks who sport the worst defense in the nation. Texas young quarterbacks should get a much needed confidence boost against a Kansas defense that is allowing 50 points per game and 551 yards per game. On the other side of the ball the Texas defense is a pretty strong unit and should not have much trouble against the Kansas offense that has a hard time sustaining drives. The Jayhawks have lost their two road games this season by a combined score of 136-52 and the Longhorns have won the last three meetings between these two teams played in Austin by a combined score of 176-34. This will be another beat down. Lay the points.
Brad Diamond
Michigan State vs. Nebraska
Play: Nebraska -3½
On Saturday #9 Nebraska takes on #15 Michigan State this Saturday out in Nebraska. A few weeks ago we came with Michigan State as our College Game of the Week, last time around we stayed away from the Wisconsin encounter. Surely, after such a wild finish and win over Wisconsin, the Sparty psyche has to be a little flat going into this road test. Good news for Husker backers as the school has never lost to Michigan State, 5-0 to be exact with the last defeat in the Alamo Bowl, 17-3 in 2003. The key in this whole encounter is the ability of Nebraska controlling the clock. So, the Nebraska running game takes hold for the answer, one that has averaged 5.50 yards per carry ranked #7 nationally. Overall, the offense is fine at 6.22 ypp and 433 yards per game. Technically speaking, Nebraska is 20-4-1 ATS at home vs. a winning road team, while the Spartans show at 2-7 ATS in the 3 ½ - 10 price range. Finally, the Huskers have covered three straight in the series. Lay the wood!
Bob Balfe
Virginia Tech/Duke Over 53
Vtech has humiliated Duke over the past couple of seasons. The Blue Devils actually are going to be competitive today against a very banged up and young Hokies Defensive Line. Duke has the skilled players on offense to put up points. There might be a point in this game that Duke looks like they have a legit shot to win. I expect the talent of Vtech to take over at sometime, but with both teams nursing injuries on the defensive side of the ball I look for a ton of points in this game. Take the Over.
Michael Alexander
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech
Play: Georgia Tech +4
GEORGIA TECH is 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game
GEORGIA TECH is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
Underdog (GEORGIA TECH) is 13-4 ATS in their last 17 meetings
Rocketman Sports
Bowling Green vs. Kent
Play: Bowling Green -3.5
Bowling Green is 4-4 overall this year while Kent State comes in with a 1-6 record. Kent State is also 1-6 ATS in all games this year. Kent State is only scoring 10.7 points per game overall this year and 16 points per game at home this season. Falcons are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road favorite of 3.5-10.0. Falcons are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a road favorite. Falcons are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. Falcons are 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 road games. Falcons are 12-5 ATS vs. a team with a losing record. Golden Flashes are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog. Road team is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings. We'll recommend a small play on Bowling Green today!
SPORTS WAGERS
Wake Forest +7/+239 over NORTH CAROLINA
Rarely do we play a pooch that we don’t believe can win the game outright and this one is no exception. Thus, we’ll play Wake on both the money line and spread. For one, the home-field edge in this contest is rather non-existent, as there might be as many Deac fans at this one as Tar Heel fans. North Carolina is 5-3 overall and they have a lot of very average wins. What’s more notable is the Tar Heels 1-3 conference record and their inability to beat anyone of substance. The Tar Heels best win this year was a 14-7 home victory over Louisville and all we can say to that is big deal. Wake is coming off a narrow 24-23 win at banged-up Duke last week and that close call has them undervalued here. Wake has a whole bunch of hidden positives going for them. They’re well-coached and they’re getting progressively better with each passing game. Wake has been battle tested and they’ve passed with a big win over #23 Florida 35-30. The Demon Deacons should have little trouble moving the chains all day long against this suspect defense that can’t stop anyone, let alone anyone good. We get the better team in a non-hostile environment that probably has a better chance of winning than the host. Play: #119 Wake Forest +7 (Risking 2.2 units to win 2). Play: Wake Forest +239 (Risking 1 unit).
Georgia Tech +4 over CLEMSON
The Tigers are undefeated and they’ve been moving up the rankings every week. After opening the year with two easy, Clemson then went on to beat three ranked teams in succession and its stock soared. Subsequently, the Tigers whacked Boston College by 22 in what was supposed to be a “letdown” game. The past two weeks the Tigers have scored 56 and 59 points respectively and now their stock is off the charts. The Yellow Jackets are the complete opposite of Clemson. They were supposed to be make some noise this season and they started out like gangbusters with a 6-0 record before losing to Virginia and Miami over the past two games. Now the Jackets stock has dropped dramatically and as a result, we get a double dose of sell high and buy low. The Tigers are winning and scoring a lot of points but what is being overlooked is their inability to prevent points and they just can’t keep winning 50-45 games. Tigers have been on a high for too long and at some point they’re going to come crashing down. Tech can really slow this one down with an effective running game that ranks 5th at 321 yards per game against a Tigers defense that can’t stop the run. They will wear out this Clemson defense. This one has danger written all over it for the ranked visitors against an unranked host. Yellow Jackets outright but we’ll accept the points. Play: #124 Georgia Tech +150 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).
KANSAS STATE +13½ over Oklahoma
It's called smoke and mirrors only when it's not sustainable. K-State's get-outgained-but-win act is here to stay. Red zone efficiency, turnover margin and big-play special teams are consistent hallmarks of Bill Snyder teams past, present and future. Another constant is stellar performance as a home underdog. Two touchdowns would have been ample even before Oklahoma's season came crashing down last week. Now the visitor can barely call itself the favorite. The Sooners had three big questions entering a season that was supposed to produce a national title run, and all three were exposed in last week's home loss to Texas Tech, the lowest moment of the Bob Stoops era. Brent Venables' defense has been sliding for three years now while Landry Jones has never quite looked like a quarterback that could make it through a season without a costly performance. And the Oklahoma special teams -- particularly the placekicking -- have long been mediocre for a top team. Kansas State can't win in Stillwater next week, but the Cats have a great shot at this one and they know it. The Wildcats are a team on the rise and will enter next season as the Big-12 favorites. Snyder produced six 11-win seasons in a span of seven years during his first tour on the sideline of the stadium that now bears his name. The upcoming run might not be quite as impressive, but it will produce plenty of big wins. The first defining moment is upon them, and Snyder's charges are up to the task. Huge overlay. Play: #188 Kansas State +13½ (Risking 2.18 units to win 2).
JR O'Donnell
Georgia Tech +3.5
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets host the 5th ranked (BCS) Clemson Tigers who are off to their fastest start since 1981 (national champions). This is a young Clemson team that will be over whelmed with the All World Hype!! The GeoTech Jackets had gotten into the top ten nationally & layed 2 eggs in a row to Virginia and Miami. Uncharacteristically the Yellow Jackets were held to 242 yards rushing, almost 100 below it's average last week in the loss, and part of the reason is the inability to throw the ball even a little. Clemson smashed a super soft & banged up NC Heels club 59-38, while resting their best RB Andre Ellington, as QB Tajh Boyd tossed 5 TD's. Clemson is 15th in passing yards to Tech's 108th ranking, and the Tigers are 40th in rushing yards to Geo Tech 5th. How good is the Geo Tech average of 7.2 yds per play!! Tech Ranks 17th in the country in scoring ...38 ppg #'s are powerful as the Underdog is 13-4 ATS in their last 17 meetings.
David Banks
Wisconsin / Ohio State Under
An enormous Leaders Division Big 10 tussle is set to go down in the Horseshoe Saturday night when the Wisconsin Badgers (6-1, 5-1-1 ATS) and Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3, 4-3 ATS) get it on in Week 9; kick-off from Columbus is set to go live on ESPN & ESPN3.com at 8:00 ET.
A wrench in the form of a Hail Mary pass was thrown into the Badgers’ plans of competing in the BCS Championship Game last week in East Lansing where Wiscy fell by a 37-31 final tally to the Michigan State Spartans on the game’s final play. The SU loss was the first incurred by head coach Brett Bielema’s squad on the year, and it also snapped the team’s five-game winning streak against the closing pointspread. Now saddled with a lone scratch in the loss column, the Badgers will head to Columbus looking to tally their first true road win of the season. After getting picked off twice and only throwing for 223 yards last week, QB Russell Wilson now has to deal with the country’s 13th ranked scoring defense in the form of the Buckeyes who’ve given up an average of just 16.3 PPG (#13). Wisconsin has covered eight of their L/9 in Big 10 play.
The Buckeyes will take to their own turf in Week 9 fully reenergized after resting up on their bye last week; this will be the University’s Homecoming game. Before the break, OSU went into Nebraska and gave the Cornhuskers all they could ask for in the 34-27 defeat as 10-point dogs, and they then went into Champagne and handed the Illinois Fighting Illini their first loss of the 2011 season. With QB Braxton Miller still in the infancy stage of his collegiate career, Ohio State would be best served in controlling the game with its rushing attack and relying on the defense to force turnovers and keep the Badgers potent attack at bay. It knows it can compete in this game due to the fact that it held the Spartans, a team that just put 37 points on the board vs. the Badgers, to just 10 points in the ‘Shoe back on October 1st. The Buckeyes are 6-1 ATS their L/7 when dogged.
Wisconsin put an end to its three-game losing streak at the hands of the Buckeyes last season winning 31-18 as 3.5-point home underdogs. The favorite is just 3-8 ATS in these conference rivals L/11 clashes with the ‘under’ going a lucrative 6-2-1 the L/9. Wiscy is just 1-2 SU & ATS as a road chalk of 3.5-7 points the L/3+ seasons, but stands 9-1-1 ATS its L/11 when favored. Ohio State is 3-0 SU & ATS following its bye as well as a perfect 4-0 ATS the L/4 times it went off the board as an underdog in the 3.5-10 point range.
Jimmy Moore
Georgia vs. Florida - CBS
Pick: Florida +3
Take the Gators to find the going much easier against Georgia instead of their last 3 games against Alabama, LSU and Auburn. Florida owns this series and will be very ready to rebound off of 3 straight losses.
Jack Clayton
Stanford at USC
Pick: Stanford
The Cardinal (5-0 Pac-12) enters the heart of its schedule, starting last week with Washington (65-21 win) and now at USC. Stanford (7-0 SU, 6-0 ATS) offensive coordinator David Shaw was promoted to head coach, so the same offensive style remains. Star QB Andrew Luck (20 TDs, 3 INTs) leads an offense that is averaging 49 points, 218 yards rushing and 267 passing. They can play defense (12 ppg allowed), too, after giving up 17 ppg last year. Play Stanford!
Tony Karpinski
Stanford vs. USC
Play: Stanford
If anything was learned from last weekend, it’s that Stanford can raise the level of its play when the competition improves. The Cardinal toyed with its first six opponents, but turned it up a few notches when Washington visited a week ago. Now, it won’t handle USC with such ease, but it will pass its toughest road test of 2011. USC is coming off a bog road upset of Notre Dame. Stanford, however, has too many options on both sides of the ball to turn this game into a mano-a-mano battle between the quarterbacks. The Cardinal will once again pile up big numbers on the ground, leaving the Trojans dazed and confused on defense. I'll TAKE STANFORD to both win and cover! PREDICTION: Stanford Wins 42-21
WUNDERDOG
Ottawa at New York Rangers
Pick: New York Rangers -150
The Ottawa Senators have had their problems on the road where they are just 1-3 to open the season. They finished in the Northeast basement a year ago with just 74 total points and, although they may be a bit stronger this year, the road is still a problem for this club as their only win has come vs. a losing Carolina club that took them a shootout to score the decisive goal. The Rangers have had a schedule anomaly that saw them play their opening seven games on the road, where they more than held their own. They should have their legs back under them in their second home game of the season tonight. The Senators are not much fight as a dog at just 1-5 in their last six, while the Rangers, now rested and home, are 8-3 off of one day rest in their last 112. New York in this one.
John Ryan
Hawaii vs. Idaho
Play: Idaho
5* graded play on Idaho as they host Hawaii set to start at 5:00 PM ET. My proprietary sports handicapping database and simulator shows a high probability that Idaho will lose this game by seven or fewer points and has an excellent opportunity to get an upset win. I like playing the money line too for a 2* amount looking for the upset win. Hawaii is 6-9 against the money line (-19.3 Units) in road games after allowing 6.25 or more yards per play in their previous game since 1992; 1-3 against the money line (-19.9 Units) as a road favorite using the money line over the last 2 seasons. Hawaii head coach McMackin is 2-6 against the money line (-18.1 Units) after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread as the coach of Hawaii. Idaho may be just 1-6 on the season, but they have played a far tougher schedule than 4-3 Hawaii. I call this ‘seasoning’ adn it will help the Vandals play well in front of their home town fans this afternoon. Take the Idaho Vandals.