Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites.
Saturday’s top 13 games
Virginia @ Tennessee
Virginia
— Virginia was 3-7 LY, their first losing year since 2017.
— 5 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 17 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB started 23 games at I-AA Monmouth
— previous QB started 30 games, transferred to NC State.
— since 2018, Virginia is 11-8 ATS as a road underdog.
— since 2014, Cavaliers are 21-14 ATS outside the ACC.
— Virginia hasn’t gone bowling since 2019 (’21 game was cancelled)
Tennessee
— Tennessee was 11-2 LY (27-33 previous five years)
— Vols were +11 in turnovers LY (minus-9 previous six years)
— 5 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 93 starts back on offensive line.
— Senior QB has 9 starts; they added a 5-star freshman QB.
— Under Heupel, Tennessee is 8-2 ATS outside the SEC
— Under Heupel, Tennessee is 11-4 ATS as a favorite.
— Vols are 4-1 SU/ATS in their last five bowls.
— Teams haven’t met since 1990.
— since 2018, SEC teams are 31-16 ATS vs ACC opponents.
Colorado @ TCU
Colorado
— Last six years, Buffs are 24-42 SU/26-39-2 ATS
— Deion Sanders is the new coach (27-6 at I-AA Jackson State)
— 6 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 44 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB Sanders started 26 games for his dad at Jackson State
— Last four years, Colorado is 4-13 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last two years, Buffs were 1-5 ATS out of conference.
— Colorado’s new OC was a good head coach at Kent State.
— Colorado hasn’t gone bowling since 2020; their last bowl win, 2004.
TCU
— TCU went 13-2 LY, but lost national title game 65-7 to Georgia.
— Four years before LY, Horned Frogs were 22-23 SU.
— 3 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 73 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB has started three games.
— in his career, coach Dykes is 25-18 ATS as a home favorite.
— last year was Dykes’ first year at TCU.
— since 2016, TCU is 10-17-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— since 2014, Frogs are 18-12-2 ATS outside the Big X.
— TCU qualified for a bowl in four of last six seasons.
— TCU (-14) whipped Colorado 38-13 in Boulder LY.
— since 2018, Big X teams are 12-4 ATS vs Pac-12 opponents.
Fresno State @ Purdue
Fresno State
— last two years, Bulldogs went 10-3/10-4.
— 4 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 63 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB started 11 games at UCF.
— since 2017, Fresno is 10-4 ATS as a road underdog.
— in his career, Tedford is 22-16 ATS as a road underdog.
— last six years, Fresno is 14-9-1 ATS outside Mountain West.
— last five years, Bulldogs are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in bowl games.
Purdue
— Purdue went 9-4/8-6 last 2 years; coach bolted to Louisville.
— new coach Walters was defensive coordinator at Illinois.
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 92 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB started five games at Texas.
— last five years, Purdue was 4-13 ATS as a home favorite.
— Boilers are 13-9 ATS in last 22 non-conference games.
— Purdue hasn’t finished year with + turnover ratio since 2017.
— Boilers went bowling four of last six years.
— First meeting between these teams.
— since 2017, MW teams are 10-6-1 ATS vs Big 14 opponents,
Louisiana Tech @ SMU
Louisiana Tech (1-0)
— last two years, Tech went 3-9/3-9.
— 8 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 76 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB started 29 games at Boise State.
— Tech is 4-9-1 ATS in last 14 games as a road dog.
— Tech beat FIU 22-19 LW, after falling behind 14-0.
— Bulldogs outgained FIU 447-182, threw for 333 yards.
— Bulldogs haven’t been to a bowl since 2020.
SMU
— last 4 years, SMU was 32-16 SU/23-25 ATS.
— last six years, Mustangs are 16-10 ATS as a home favorite.
— 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 123 starts back on offensive line.
— LY’s QB bolted to Wisconsin; soph QB started once LY.
— Last four years, SMU is 10-7 ATS outside the SEC
— Mustangs have high-profile game at Oklahoma next week.
— SMU qualified for a bowl 4 of last 5 years; last bowl win, 2012.
— two years ago, SMU (-11) nipped Tech 39-37 in Ruston.
— last two years, C-USA teams are 7-5 ATS vs AAC teams.
Northern Illinois @ Boston College
Northern Illinois
— last three years, Huskies went 0-6/9-5/3-9 SU.
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 117 starts back on offensive line; they’re supposed to be good.
— used four QB’s LY; they’re all back this year.
— Under Hammock, NIU is 12-4 ATS as a road underdog.
— Huskies are 8-3 ATS in last 11 non-MAC games.
— NIU was +3 in turnovers LY, their first plus season in last seven.
— NIU went to one bowl the last four years.
Boston College
— under Hafley, Eagles are 15-20 SU/16-19 ATS
— 9 starters back on offense, 6 on defense
— 137 starts back on offensive line; much improved.
— soph QB started four games LY
— last four years, BC is 3-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Eagles are 4-10 ATS in last 14 non-conference games.
— Boston College was minus-12 in turnovers LY.
— BC hasn’t played in a bowl since 2019 (one in ’21 was cancelled).
— Since 2016, ACC teams are 16-8 ATS vs MAC opponents.
— Last time NIU visited Boston College was 2015.
Akron @ Temple
Akron
— last four years, Akron is 5-37 SU/15-27 ATS
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 64 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB started 10 games LY, after playing JC ball.
— last two years, Akron is 7-6 ATS as a road underdog.
— last four years, Akron is 2-10 ATS in non-conference games.
— last five years, Zips are minus-41 in turnovers.
— Akron hasn’t gone bowling since 2017.
Temple
— last three years, Owls were 1-6/3-9/3-9.
— 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 40 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB started 10 games LY; he is Kurt Warner’s son.
— last four years, Temple is 5-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— last nine years, Owls are 19-17 ATS in non-conference games.
— Temple was minus-11 in turnovers last year (+3 previous 6 years)
— Temple hasn’t been to a bowl since 2019.
— Since 2016, AAC teams are 9-6 ATS vs MAC opponents.
— Temple won/covered last six series games.
Boise State @ Washington
Boise State
— Last nine years, Boise State is 86-28 SU.
— 9 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 80 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB has started 10 games.
— Last four years, Boise is 6-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2019, Broncos are 5-10 ATS in non-conference games.
— Last six years, Boise is +31 in turnovers (+3 LY).
— Since 2017, Broncos are 2-1 SU in bowls, also had 2 bowls cancelled.
Washington
— Washington was 11-2 LY, DeBoer’s first season in Seattle.
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 36 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB has 30 starts; 17 here, 13 at Indiana.
— last four years, Huskies are 11-9 ATS as a home favorite.
— Washington is 9-2 ATS in last 11 non-conference tilts.
— In his career, DeBoer is 15-11 ATS as a favorite.
— Last year was Washington’s first bowl since 2019.
— LY, Pac-12 teams were 6-3 ATS vs Mountain West opponents.
— Washington is 5-0 SU/3-2 ATS in series games.
— Huskies (-3.5) beat Boise 38-7 in last meeting, 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.
South Florida @ Western Kentucky
South Florida
— last four years, USF is 8-37 SU/22-22-1 ATS
— new HC Golesh was OC at Tennessee last two years.
— 4 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 40 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB has 7 starts.
— last three years, Bulls are 8-7-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— last three years, Bulls are 4-6-1 ATS out of conference.
— USF hasn’t been to a bowl since 2018.
Western Kentucky
— last two years, WKU was 9-5/9-5.
— last two years, Hilltoppers were +10/+11 in turnovers.
— 7 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 56 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB started 14 games LY, threw for 4,744 yards, 40 TD’s.
— last two years, WKU is 7-4 ATS as a home favorite.
— last two years, Hilltoppers are 7-4 ATS out of conference.
— WKU has been to a bowl the last four years (3-1).
— Teams haven’t met since 2015.
— last two years, C-USA teams are 7-5 ATS vs AAC teams.
California @ North Texas
California
— last three years, Cal is 10-18 SU/15-13 ATS
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 92 starts back on offensive line.
— QB bolted to Louisville; new QB was sub at TCU.
— since 2016, Golden Bears are 2-7-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— since 2018, Cal is 6-8 ATS outside the Pac-12.
— Bears have Auburn visiting Berkeley next week.
— Cal hasn’t been to a bowl since 2019.
North Texas
— North Texas hasn’t had a winning season since 2018.
— new HC was 24-18 at I-AA Incarnate Word.
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 157 starts back on offensive line; they’re supposed to be good.
— junior QB started 18 games at UL-Monroe.
— since 2016, Mean Green is 6-7 ATS as a home underdog.
— since 2019, UNT is 7-10 ATS out of conference.
— UNT went bowling five of last six years (0-5 SU/1-4 ATS).
— since 2017, AAC teams are 7-1 SU/8-0 ATS vs Pac-12 teams.
— Cal (-14) won previous meeting 23-17, four years ago.
Army @ UL-Monroe
Army
— last three years, Army went 9-3/9-4/6-6
— since 2015, Cadets are 5-4 ATS as a road favorite.
— 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 76 starts back on offensive line; they’re changing offenses.
— whoever the QB is, he’ll be inexperienced.
— last three years, Army was +4/+8/+6 in turnovers.
— since 2016, Army is 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS in bowls.
UL-Monroe
— Terry Bowden is 8-16 SU in two years at ULM.
— Under Bowden, Warhawks are 5-2 ATS as a home underdog.
— 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 46 starts back on offensive line.
— QB bolted to North Texas; his replacement will be inexperienced.
— since 2018, ULM is 5-13-1 ATS outside the Sun Belt
— last five years, ULM is minus-26 in turnovers.
— Warhawks have been to one bowl, back in 2012.
— Army (-21) beat ULM 37-7 in 2020, 48-24 (-6.5) LY, both at home.
Washington State @ Colorado State
Washington State
— Wazzu went 7-6/7-6 in Dickert’s first two years as HC.
— 7 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 55 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB started 13 games LY, threw for 3,231 yards, 23 TD’s.
— since 2018, Coogs are 6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Wazzu is 7-12-1 ATS in last 20 non-conference games.
— under Dickert, Coogs have been +11/+3 in turnovers.
— Wazzu went bowling five of last six years (1-4 SU/0-5 ATS)
Colorado State
— Last five years, Colorado State is 14-38 SU.
— During those five years, Rams are minus-30 in turnovers.
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 46 starts back on offensive line, but only one starter is back.
— soph QB Millen has 10 career starts
— Since 2019, Colorado State is 5-6 ATS as a home underdog.
— Rams lost their last four bowls, giving up 41.3 ppg.
— Their last bowl win was in 2013, 48-45 over Washington State.
— Coogs (-16) beat Colorado State 38-7 LY in Pullman.
— LY, Pac-12 teams were 6-3 ATS vs Mountain West opponents.
West Virginia @ Penn State
West Virginia
— WVU is 22-25 SU/ATS in four years under Brown.
— 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 133 starts back on offensive line
— whoever QB is will be inexperienced.
— Under Brown, WVU is 13-16 ATS as an underdog.
— In his career, Brown is 17-11 ATS as a road dog.
— last five years, WVU is 8-5 ATS outside the Big X.
— since 2016, West Virginia is 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS in bowl games
Penn State
— Last two years, Penn State is +11/+6 in turnovers.
— 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 66 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB threw 60 passes as the backup LY.
— last two years, Penn State is 7-4-1 ATS as home favorites.
— Nittany Lions are 12-5-1 ATS in last 18 games as a favorite.
— Penn State is 13-7 ATS in last 20 non-conference games.
— Last six years, Penn State is 3-2 SU/ATS in bowls.
— Former rivals haven’t played since 1992.
— since 2014, Big X teams are 13-11-1 ATS vs Big 14 opponents.
North Carolina vs South Carolina, @ Charlotte
North Carolina
— in 4 years under Brown, UNC is 30-22 SU/24-27-1 ATS.
— 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 137 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB has 14 starts; he threw 38 TD’s last year.
— last 4 years, Tar Heels are 15-19-1 ATS as a favorite.
— since 2018, UNC is 9-10-1 ATS outside the ACC.
— Carolina went bowling last four years, lost last three.
— since 2014, Tar Heels are 3-8-1 ATS on neutral fields.
South Carolina
— in Beamer’s first two years, South Carolina went 7-6/8-5
— 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 86 starts back on offensive line; they added two I-AA transfers, too.
— Junior QB has 30 starts, 13 of them at Oklahoma.
— Under Beamer, Gamecocks are 8-2 ATS outside the SEC.
— Under Beamer, Gamecocks are 7-7 ATS as an underdog.
— SC’s new offensive coordinator has been an OC in the NFL.
— Carolina is 2-3 SU/3-2 ATS in last five bowls.
— South Carolina won four of last five meetings.
— since 2018, SEC teams are 31-16 ATS vs ACC opponents.