Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 10/25/18
Baylor Bears vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Preview and Predictions
NCAAF Previews 23rd October 2018 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 10/23/2018
West Virginia looks to bounce back from a thorough beating when the No. 12 Mountaineers host Baylor on Thursday night in Big 12 play. West Virginia opened the season with five straight victories before getting outgained 498-152 in a 30-14 loss to Iowa State on Oct. 13.
The Mountaineers had a bye while they were nursing their pride and coach Dana Holgorsen is confident his team his ready to move on. "A lot of eyes will be on us to see how we respond to what happened up at Iowa State, so I'm looking forward to seeing us as well," Holgorsen said during a press conference. "I think our guys are determined and it showed out there at practice. I think we'll be ready to put our best foot forward." Baylor also is coming off a bye and gave Texas a good battle before losing 23-17 in its last outing. "Going into Morgantown on a Thursday night will be raucous," Bears coach Matt Rhule said during a press conference. "We better have the mentality where we can eliminate distractions and focus on the game and just take it one play at a time. West Virginia will make some big plays and we want to limit those big plays."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS1. LINE: West Virginia -14
ABOUT BAYLOR (4-3, 2-2 Big 12): The Bears are averaging 33.4 points per game and have topped 30 on four occasions behind the steadiness of quarterback Charlie Brewer. The sophomore has passed for 1,798 yards and 10 touchdowns against three interceptions while senior Jalen Hurd has been his favorite target with 47 receptions for 622 yards and three touchdowns. But the defense has been shaky by allowing 31 points per game - including a season-worst 66 versus Oklahoma - while sophomore defensive tackle James Lynch is enjoying a solid campaign with a team-best four sacks.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (5-1, 3-1): Senior quarterback Will Grier has thrown for 1,919 yards and 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions this season but passed for just 100 yards and one touchdown in a subpar performance against Iowa State. "They played us really hard and outplayed us in a lot of areas, and that was frustrating," Grier said in a press conference. "We have to be able to produce better. We have to move the chains, we have to score points. That was frustrating, but it's over and done with. We've all moved on to Baylor." The Mountaineers allow an average of 20.5 points per game with junior outside linebacker David Long Jr. having a strong season with 10.5 tackles for loss, including three sacks.
EXTRA POINTS
1. West Virginia has won four of the six meetings, including a 38-36 road victory last season.
2. Grier passed for 375 yards and five touchdowns - including three to now-senior WR David Sills V - in last season's game with Baylor.
3. Bears junior WR Denzel Mims has 100 career receptions - the 18th player in school history to reach the milestone.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 47, Baylor 34
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Toledo Rockets vs. Western Michigan Broncos Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NCAAF
NCAAF Previews 24th October 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 10/24/2018
We might normally refer to the Western Michigan Broncos as a runaway train at the moment, because they have a six-game winning streak and are undefeated in the Mid-American Conference, but they don't have a very good pointspread record, so they have not necessarily been exceeding expectations.
This is a team that has a lot of athletes, and they will certainly be challenged this coming Thursday when they play host to the explosive Toledo Rockets in a game that will take place at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo. But Toledo will have to come to a decision as to which quarterback will really take the lead.
TV: ESPN2, 7 PM ET. LINE: Western Michigan -6.5
ABOUT TOLEDO: They went into the locker room with a 17-7 halftime lead over a very formidable Buffalo squad, and that's why the second-half performance last Saturday was so disappointing. Toledo (now 3-4 SU, 2-5 ATS) yielded 24 unanswered points to the Bulls, who rolled to a 31-17 victory. Toledo got two big plays in the first half – a 70-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman Bryant Koback and an 80-yard touchdown reception by the dynamic Diontae Johnson, coming off the arm of Eli Peters, who came in to relieve Mitch Guadagni. But that accounted for more than half of their total yards. Toledo had only eight first downs, compared to 32 for Buffalo, and they were so undisciplined it was laughable, getting penalized 12 times for 148 yards. In other words, they did very little in the process of possessing the ball less than 21 minutes. Peters was just 5-17 for 128 yards, and Guadagni left the game after just18 yards of total offense. Buffalo's Tyree Jackson threw for 326 yards, but Toledo was able to sack him five times, an accomplishment since the Buffalo offensive line had given up only one sack all season previous to this. The Rockets also had three interceptions, and linebacker Jordan Fisher had a career-best 12 tackles. They'll go into this game with questions about who is going to lead the team on the field going forward, but they do average 39.3 points a contest.
ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN: Last week's game came against an opponent that was decidedly non-threatening on offense (Central Michigan). And the weather was extremely windy. Therefore, WMU (6-2 SU, 3-5 ATS) did not necessarily have to take to the air with its offensive effort in a 35-10 victory. The Broncos had only 16 first downs, and Jon Wassink threw for only 51 yards, although it is worth mentioning that he only had to put the ball in the air nine times. There were a couple of factors that took care of the rest – one was the dynamic running back duo of LeVante Bellamy (19 attempts for 145 yards) and Jamauri Bogan (19 carries, 96 yards), coupled with Wassink's feet, which accounted for three rushing TD's, and another factor was the multitude of problems Central Michigan has on offense, including ineptitude at the quarterback spot. Tommy Lazzaro completed only nine of 24 passes against Western Michigan, and in terms of preparation, he offered nothing compared to what WMU is going to face this week, regardless of which QB they are facing. Linebacker Alex Grace was awarded honors as MAC West Defensive Player of the Week, as he had nine solo tackles and an interception. WMU ranks 23rd in Total Offense and 58th in Total Defense, but they are just 92nd in Passing Efficiency Defense.
EXTRA POINTS
1) Western Michigan will be looking for some revenge after last season's 37-10 loss in the Glass Bowl when they were outgained by 180 yards from scrimmage. Toledo leads the all-time series 42-30.
2. Western Michigan offensive coordinator Jake Moreland was a tight end at the school and one of head coach Tim Lester's favorite receivers when both of them played for the Broncos from 1996-99.
3. Toledo head coach Jason Candle is the highest-paid coach in the Mid-American Conference, having secured that deal after his 11-3 campaign in 2017, amid rumors that he was strongly considered for the job at Central Florida.
PREDICTION: Western Michigan 40, Toledo 27
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Ohio Bobcats vs. Ball State Cardinals Preview and Predictions 10-25-2018 in NCAAF
NCAAF Previews 24th October 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 10/24/2018
The Ohio Bobcats, as it turns out, had a pretty good setup last week as they faced one of the worst defenses in the country. And they exploited that defense accordingly. Now they will face a team that indeed lacks a little on the stop end but is not nearly as permissive. Luckily for them, they have a nice dual threat at quarterback in Nathan Rourke.
As far as the Ball State Cardinals are concerned, they have already done better than they did last season, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're a threat yet in the Mid-American Conference. However, judging from their results against really capable teams like Northern Illinois and especially Notre Dame, even in defeat, they can be a handful under the right circumstances.
These teams will square off on Thursday night before a nationwide audience at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio.
TV: CBS Sports Network, 7 PM ET. LINE: Ohio -10.5
ABOUT OHIO: It had to be a somewhat awkward situation for Ohio coach Frank Solich, as an early-week coaching change left the Bowling Green Falcons in the hands of someone who could be considered his pupil. Solich, when he was head coaching Nebraska, gave Carl Pelini leaning his first assistant's job, but that doesn't mean he took it easy on his former charge. These teams were tied at 14 in the second quarter, before Ohio pulled away for good, and puled away big. Papi White had a huge day, with a 17-yard touchdown run and two touchdowns receptions, of 76 and 16 yards, from quarterback Nathan Rourke. Ohio (4-3 SU & ATS) fell just short of 600 yards in total offense, moving the chains for 32 first downs. And they easily handled a Bowling Green offense that was more beleaguered than usual, limiting them to just 13 first downs. Rourke, who threw a career-high four TD passes in the game, was named MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week for the third time. His numbers compare favorably to a lot of top quarterbacks, as his 15.85 yards per completion ranks third best in the nation. With a "Thursday Night Lights" theme, it's going to be a "Blackout Night" in Athens against Ball State.
ABOUT BALL STATE: Mike Neu's team, which won only twice last season, was going after its fourth victory of 2018, but they had the misfortune of running into an Eastern Michigan squad that is very good on the road. It was 21-6 at the half, and Ball State never seriously threatened, going rather quietly with a 42-20 defeat. Riley Neal had only 157 yards on 39 passing attempts, and even though the ground game recorded 227 yards, 80 of those came on a run by Will Jones in the fourth quarter, long after the final outcome had been decided. Otherwise, they ran 31 times for 147 yards. Ball State hurt itself with penalties, getting flagged nine times for 108 yards, and that puts a lot of pressure on their defense because they can't hold onto the ball very long. Eastern Michigan had more than 37 minutes of possession, and those are the perils of having an offense that is more or less based on passing. The good news, one supposes, is that Ohio, which allows opposing quarterbacks to complete 66% of their throws, is only 120th in Pass Efficiency Defense. Only four teams in the country have accumulated more first downs than the Cardinals, although they average only 25 points a game because their red zone offense is poor (98th nationwide).
EXTRA POINTS
1. For Ball State, the game against Eastern Michigan was only their second "over" of the season, compared to six "unders."
2. Past meetings aren't really all that meaningful in terms of analyzing this matchup; they last faced each other in 2015, with Ohio winning 48-31 in Athens.
3. Among all of the head coaches in the "Group of 5" conferences, which includes the Mid-American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, American and Conference-USA, Ohio's Frank Solich has the longest-running current tenure, as he is in his 14th year at the school.
PREDICTION: Ohio 38, Ball State 24
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Preview and Predictions
NCAAF Previews 24th October 2018 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 10/24/2018
Virginia Tech looks to contain the nation's most productive rushing offense and remain unbeaten in the ACC Coastal Division when it hosts inconsistent Georgia Tech on Thursday night. The Hokies, who are ranked 27th in the country in rushing defense, rallied to beat North Carolina 22-19 before their bye week and will go to work on a Georgia Tech triple-option attack that has averaged 352 yards on the ground.
"Time of possession is going to be huge for us," Virginia Tech quarterback Ryan Willis told reporters. "Eliminating three and outs and giving our defense some rest (is important), because that triple option can go for a long time on the field. We just need to do our best, execute our plays and take care of the ball." The Hokies have knocked off Florida State, Duke and North Carolina en route to first place alone in the Coastal, but have the four teams with winning records in conference play left on the schedule after meeting the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech rolled up 129 points combined to defeat Bowling Green and Louisville before suffering three fumbles on the way to a 28-14 loss on Oct. 13 in its last contest, and needs three wins over the final five games to qualify for a bowl. "What I want to accomplish is to go up there and not lay the ball on the ground. ... and not beat (ourselves) and give (us) a chance to win," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson told reporters. "I think when we've done that, we've been pretty competitive and can be a pretty good team. There's a small margin for error."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Virginia Tech -3
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (3-4, 1-3 ACC): The Yellow Jackets were held to 229 yards on the ground by Duke, including a team-high 62 from sophomore Jerry Howard, and senior quarterback TaQuon Marshall was held to a season-low 41. Marshall, who is probable with an upper-body injury, leads the team in rushing with 598 yards and nine of its 30 touchdowns on the ground while freshman running back Jordan Mason is next with 482. The Yellow Jackets' defense has had its moments this season, producing three touchdowns, and senior lineman Anree Saint-Amour boasts four sacks and three forced fumbles the past three games.
ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (4-2, 3-0): Willis put together an 18-play, 98-yard drive that ended on a touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Keene with 19 seconds left to beat North Carolina in his third start since taking over for injured Josh Jackson. "He is tough and he's a competitor," Hokies coach Justin Fuente told reporters of Willis, who has seven TDs and 862 yards passing the last three games. "He stayed in there and battled and scratched and clawed and put together a nice drive." Sophomore Damon Hazelton (29 catches, 515 yards, five TDs) and junior Eric Kumah (21, 317, two) are the top options for Willis.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Virginia Tech is 23-9 on ESPN's Thursday Night Football package and 6-0 against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday all time - the last being 23-21 in 2015.
2. Georgia Tech has won in its last two trips to Blacksburg, Va., and took three of the past four in the series, including last year's battle 28-22 at home.
3. The Yellow Jackets have forced 16 turnovers - tied for 14th in the country - after finishing with 10 in 11 games last season.
PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 31, Georgia Tech 21
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