Week 2 College Football Betting News and Notes

Las Vegas Betting Notes
By Micah Roberts

Even though there was a nice mix of favorites and underdogs winning on the first weekend of college football, the Las Vegas sports books found themselves either a small winner or break even for the day. Usually when the favorites only go 20-18 on the weekend, the books can expect to do very well. But on Saturday it was more a matter of what favored teams covered allowing the public to have their share of success.

“Bettors did very well on a few of the high profile teams with large points spreads and the parlays between those teams negated what could have been a really good day for us,” said South Point sports book director Bert Osborne. “The combination of Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama and Stanford were a popular choice among the public and all four covered the spread quite easily.”

The two late feature games on Saturday with Boise State-Georgia and Oregon-LSU were the most heavily bet games of the weekend, but didn’t have much of an impact to the bottom line.

"The public split with those games," said Las Vegas Hilton Super Book director Jay Kornegay. “The action was great on each, but the majority of bettors took the sides of Boise State and Oregon. Even with all the large handle on those games, we really wouldn’t have been hurt too much, nor won too much, with any of the possible outcomes because the games were pretty evenly balanced.“

One of the best decisions of the first week was UNLV covering 35 ½-points at Wisconsin on Thursday night, despite the Badgers appearing to having the game in control from the start in their 51-17 win. The early line from last month was Wisconsin -32, but by the start of last week -- when most of the action was taken until kickoff, that number was long gone.

Friday night’s spectacular Baylor-TCU game was also good for the sports books with four-point underdog Baylor winning outright 50-48. Not only was TCU a popular play with the public, but surprisingly, so was the UNDER. It’s almost a natural reaction for recreational bettors to bet the OVER of any sporting event, but the total in this game dropped from 56 to 52½ by kickoff spurred by both sharp and small money.

Another good decision for the sports books was Auburn not covering 23½-points against Utah State in their 42-38 home win, a game that the Aggies had controlled all afternoon but allowed two touchdowns in the final three minutes to lose. For Kornegay, he was rooting for the upset not only because it was a small team from the WAC beating an SEC team on their home turf -- not to mention the defending national champions, but because it would have wiped out all kinds on money-line parlays.

“We get a lot of play on money-line parlays with the big favorites in college football and that upset would have wiped out quite a few on the day because Auburn was linked to a lot of them, “ said Kornegay who had Auburn listed as a -2200 favorite with 14/1 odds given on Utah State to win straight up.

After everything was tallied for the sports books, the day was kind of a wash.

“It was give and take all weekend, a grind.” said Kornegay. “The handle was great, the crowd was pumped that football was finally back, but overall, we didn’t have any major decisions.“

Lightning Strikes Down Two Games

Weather played a factor in two games where action was refunded. Michigan beat Western Michigan 34-10 on Saturday and it looked to be an easy cover for the masses laying 14½-points, but with 1:27 left in the third quarter the game was stopped because of a lightning storm that had moved into the area. Both coaches agreed for the safety of the fans to just call the game final and evacuate the 110,056 fans from the stadium.

The same story occurred Sunday night in Morgantown where West Virginia beat Marshall 34-13, but the game was halted with 14:35 left in the fourth quarter after four hours of delays. West Virginia was a 23-point favorite and appeared to be on their way to a cover having gone on a 14-0 run when the game was stopped.

In Nevada sports books, the rule is that a game must be played at least 55 of the schedule 60 minutes for action, therefore making all tickets on these games a refund. Bettors who laid the points with Michigan are sure to be a little upset while those with Western Michigan tickets appear to have a gotten a gift. There are also going to be several unclaimed refunds from bettors just because they don’t know the rule or they saw the score figuring they lost. After 90 days, all those unclaimed funds go to the casino bottom line.

Another game was almost stopped on Saturday, but each team agreed to weather the storm. Notre Dame was one of the more popular plays of the day in their home game against South Florida. Ticket count ratios were high on the Irish and the only thing keeping the game at minus-10 ½, despite the sports books being long on that side, was respecting the sharp plays made on South Florida at +11. Many of the sports books chose to be on the side of the sharps in this one refusing to go back to +11, despite mounting risk.

For all the Notre Dame supporters, they almost got a gift wish from Touchdown Jesus as lightning forced two separate delays in the game totaling over three hours. The delays killed all the momentum South Florida had as they waited in the locker room at halftime for over two hours.

Notre Dame played like a much better team in the second half outscoring the Bulls 20-7 to at least cover the half-time line (-8) for their supporters, but still eventually lost the game 23-20. The real gift from Touchdown Jesus for Notre Dame bettors would have been to have the game cut short to get a refund like the few Western Michigan bettors got.

Pac-12 Ratings to Drop

Despite going 8-4 over the weekend, the Pac-12 took a major blow in their conference ratings with their four losses. UCLA lost to Conference-USA’s Houston, Oregon lost to the SEC’s LSU, Colorado lost to the WAC’s Hawaii and the biggest blow of all came when Oregon State lost at home to Sacramento State from the mighty Big Sky. The Beavers will also get a loss to the Big-10 as well this week when they lose at Wisconsin on Saturday.

Even USC’s 19-17 win as a 24-point home favorite against the Big-10’s Minnesota won’t rate favorably for the conference.

It’s early in the season, but when those BCS computers start churning out numbers at the end of the year to decide who plays for the big money, a team like Stanford could get the shaft because of their affiliation with the conference and its members poor play against others

4th Quarter Covers - Sep. 1-4
By: Joe Nelson

Glancing at the scoreboard won't tell you the whole story in many games. Here are the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week. Each week there are teams that cover that didn’t deserve to and teams that likely should have taken the cash, get the details in this weekly column.

Syracuse (-6) 36, Wake Forest 29

Sharps were treated to a bitter opening night as books surprisingly took a lot of Wake Forest action to push the Syracuse favorite line down to -6 after opening at -8. The Demon Deacons certainly looked like the right side most of the way with a 20-7 halftime lead and a 29-14 early fourth quarter lead. The Orange battled back with an impressive drive to cut the lead to eight about halfway through the final frame. The game seemed to turn with an injury to Wake Forest QB Tanner Price and after forcing a quick punt it took just one play for the Orange to get in position to tie and they converted on the 2-point try to tie the game with just over seven minutes to go. An interception gave the Orange a shot to win the game but Wake Forest backers appeared set to still cash but the Syracuse field goal attempt was blocked with less than three minutes to go. In overtime Syracuse scored first and then held on defense for a seven-point final margin and a miraculous cover on the later week and closing lines in a wild opening night game.

Ohio State (-31.5) 42, Akron 0

Akron did virtually nothing on offense in this game but the Buckeyes left the door open for an underdog cover. Ohio State was lucky to be up 21-0 at the half as an interception set up a score in the final two minutes of the half after mixed results on offense. The Buckeyes moved the ball much better under QB Todd Bauserman but he and Braxton Miller split the snaps. Ohio State led by just 28 entering the fourth quarter but quickly pushed the lead to 35-0 and without much of a challenge from Akron the Buckeyes padded the lead late to ensure the cover.

Alabama (-39) 48, Kent State 7

Alabama was in control early against Kent State with a 21-0 lead but with a massive spread the 24-0 halftime lead did not seem to be enough. Kent State scored first in the second half and one score looked like it would be enough for a Flashes cover as Alabama led just 38-7 entering the fourth quarter as Alabama was plagued with turnovers and sloppy play on offense throughout the game. The Crimson Tide added ten fourth quarter points however including a field goal with just over five minutes to go that got Alabama just past the closing spread.

South Carolina (-21) 56, East Carolina 37

Those backing the Pirates had to feel good early as East Carolina led 17-0 as three touchdown underdogs almost halfway through the second quarter. South Carolina started to get things going on offense after Stephen Garcia was put in at QB after the first quarter but the Pirates still led by ten at halftime, looking like a sure underdog cover. The Gamecocks took advantage of turnovers for quick scores in the second half and turned the game around with four third quarter touchdowns, taking a 42-31 lead into the fourth quarter. It looked like the Gamecocks would secure a miracle cover after a punt return touchdown pushed the margin to 25 in the fourth quarter but East Carolina would get back within the numbers with a late scoring drive.

Texas (-24) 34, Rice 9

While Texas more than doubled the yardage that Rice posted the Longhorns had to settle for field goals early in the game and led by just seven at halftime. Rice actually trimmed that lead to 13-9 in the third quarter before a big pass play got Texas into the end zone. Texas moved the ball with ease on the first two fourth quarter drives, to go up 34-9 with about six minutes to go in the game, getting past the spread for the first time and Rice was not able to threaten in its final possessions.

Illinois (-19) 33, Arkansas State 15

Arkansas State played Illinois very tough in the first half, actually leading 8-7 with less than three minutes to go in the second quarter. Illinois put together a quick scoring drive and got the ball back in time for a field goal in the closing seconds to lead by nine at the half. While Arkansas State continued to post strong yardage totals, Illinois did all the scoring pushing the lead to 30-8 entering the fourth quarter and adding a field goal halfway through the final frame. Arkansas State was able to find the end zone with just over three minutes to go to get just back within a closing number that had dropped throughout the week.

Florida State (-30.5) 34, UL-Monroe 0

The Seminoles did their part on defense as Louisiana Monroe was held to less than 200 yards while never entering the red zone. The offense had to punt on its first two possessions and never seemed to get into a great rhythm. Florida State led just 17-0 at halftime and 24-0 entering the fourth quarter but a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter allowed the Seminoles to sneak past the large spread.

Clemson (-14.5) 43, Troy 19

This game featured a very misleading final as Clemson actually trailed at halftime 16-13 and the Tigers only out-gained the Trojans by 45 yards. Clemson hit a few big plays to take a ten-point lead into the fourth quarter but that lead was quickly cut to just seven points. A 75-yard rush gave Clemson a 14-point lead and in desperation Troy gave Clemson great field position late and the Tigers added ten points in the final five minutes to get past the spread and create a lopsided final in game that was quite even.

Florida (-34.5) 41, Florida Atlantic 3

Florida had dominant numbers in this game but the Gators led just 24-3 at halftime. A blocked punt return gave the Gators a 31-3 lead entering the fourth quarter but it took until the fourth quarter for Florida to get past the spread. Florida Atlantic had a missed field goal and a turnover on downs in Florida territory so this game was not far from going the other way.

Week 1 Rewind
By Brian Edwards

We’ve called out Les Miles quite a bit during his seven-year tenure in Baton Rouge. And, to be clear, we weren’t in the wrong in any of those instances.

Fact: ‘The Hat’ doesn’t have a clue when it comes to making clock-management decisions. As we’ve always maintained, that’s inexcusable for a head coach at a big-time program that makes north of a million dollars per year.

With that said, there’s no question that Miles is one of the best in the business when it comes to recruiting and motivating. Make no mistake, buckling the chin strap is a requirement when the Bayou Bengals come to town.

They play hard, they play fast and they have a coach who isn’t scared to dial up a blitz or fake a punt or a field goal at any point in a 60-minute football game.

Just ask Oregon. The Ducks came to Cowboys Stadium as the inexplicable favorites this past Saturday, only to get dominated in a 40-27 shellacking that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

If you heard me on the radio at any point last week or throughout the summer, you knew that LSU was the play in Week 1. Back in June, I wrote that LSU should be favored by at least three and that the number would likely close at 3½ or four.

Then WR Russell Shepard got suspended for a compliance issue. Next, starting QB Jordan Jefferson and DT Josh Downs were suspended indefinitely for their alleged involvement in a bar fight.

Oregon was favored by one at most books before the game was taken off the board following the news about Jefferson. When the game went back up several days later, the Ducks were favored by four or 4½. That number would eventually go down to 3½ and closed at three in many betting shops.

This space encouraged bettors not to sweat the Jefferson situation. After all, my LSU recommendation was never based on Jefferson. The thinking was that the Tigers would dominate in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

We saw Auburn’s defensive line have a field day against Oregon’s offensive line back in January. And that o-line brought back just one starter.

As for the absence of Shepard, it was basically a wash since Oregon All-American cornerback Cliff Harris was also out of the lineup.

And, oh yeah, there was the head-coaching matchup. I gave the edge to Oregon’s Chip Kelly but insisted Miles would have his team ready to play despite the distractions. I was wrong about the former and correct on the latter.

On this night at Jerry World, Miles was the better head coach and it wasn’t even close.

The dude isn’t the sharpest pencil in the box. He eats grass – literally. He’s not the best speller or speaker but he knows how to do one thing – win football games.

Since taking over for Nick Saban at LSU, Miles owns an incredible 63-17 record. The Tigers have won 11 games or more in four of his six previous seasons, including the BCS title in 2007.

And guess what, LSU fans? You can count on another 11-win campaign in 2011.

While Miles has job security galore these days, the same can’t be said for Mark Richt at Georgia. And you know, sometimes it’s just time. Sometimes a voice can go stale in a locker room.

As Steve Spurrier said after announcing his resignation at Florida on Jan. 4 of 2002, “Twelve years as a head coach at an SEC school is long enough.”

Now certainly, Georgia can recover from Saturday’s 35-21 loss to Boise State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Dawgs haven’t even started their SEC schedule, so all of their goals remain within reach.

But South Carolina is coming between the hedges Saturday and the Gamecocks have been installed as three-point favorites. If Richt and the Dawgs fall to 0-2, wins at Tennessee and vs. Florida become imperative. And as UGA fans know, wins in Knoxville and Jacksonville have been difficult to come by in recent years (or decades in terms of The Cocktail Party).

In short, it’s not looking good for Richt if UGA goes down Saturday at home.

In the interest of fairness, though, we should be talking about the real story coming out of Atlanta in Week 1. What happened at the Ga. Dome was more about the greatness of Boise St. rather than the demise of a UGA program that’s lost eight of its last 14 games.

Greatness? Yeah, it’s a strong word that gets used in sports way too often. But it’s not a stretch in this case.

Chris Petersen’s team has won 62 of 67 games on his watch. Since 2006 when Petersen was hired to replace Dan Hawkins, BSU has won seven of its eight games against BCS foes, including wins over Oklahoma, Oregon St. (twice), Oregon (twice), Va. Tech and Georgia. Only three of those eight games were played on the smurf turf.

Since 2008, the Broncos have lost twice by four combined points. TCU beat them by one in the Poinsettia Bowl after BSU’s kicker missed a short field goal late in the fourth quarter. Boise St.’s other loss came by three at Nevada in overtime when the kicking game faltered once again at crunch time.

Boise State didn’t need the kicking game against Georgia. It didn’t need the trick plays used to beat Oklahoma in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. It didn’t need the blue carpet either.

Kellen Moore and Co. just went about its business as usual. The Broncos went on the road for a season opener in hostile territory and dominated an SEC school playing 75 miles from its campus.

There was nothing fluky about it. Boise St. was more physical, had a better defense, had a better gameplan, had a better QB and had a better head coach. Speaking of the QB and the head coach, they are both as good as any in America.

After spotting Georgia a 7-0 lead on an 80-yeard touchdown run, Boise St. responded by scoring 28 consecutive points. By late in the third quarter, it was clear that a stirring comeback was not in the works. Not against this defense.

The anti-Boise argument has always gone something like this: If it played a BCS schedule for an entire season, it wouldn’t hold up due to a lack of depth. This premise probably has some merit and that’s fine.

All the 2011 Broncos can do is beat who they have on the schedule and who they’ll eventually face in a BCS bowl game. Whether that’s in the BCS Championship Game remains to be seen but one thing is for certain: Once again, the Broncos are legit national-title contenders.

Oklahoma is another contender, although I have them ranked third behind Alabama and LSU. The Sooners made quick work of a Tulsa team that was playing without its best player, WR Damaris Johnson. They jumped on the Golden Hurricane in a hurry and never let up en route to a 47-14 win as 25-point home favorites.

Landry Jones completed 35-of-47 passes for 375 yards and one touchdown without an interception. Ryan Broyles was his favorite target, hauling in 14 receptions for 157 yards. OU has two weeks to prep for its Week 3 showdown at FSU.

Baylor and TCU played the best game of the weekend on Friday night, as the Bears won a 50-48 thriller thanks to a brilliant performance from junior QB Robert Griffin. The darkhorse Heisman hopeful did it all with his arm, legs and his hands. His catch on a trick play in traffic on 3rd-and-10 set up the game-winning field goal.

Griffin completed 21-of-27 passes for 359 yards and five TDs without being intercepted. WR Kendall Wright had 12 receptions for 189 yards and two TDs and also threw a TD pass and the 15-yard strike to Griffin on the crucial 3rd-down conversion.

If Art Briles’ team can win at Kansas St. in Week 4, it has a chance to be 5-0 going into College Station on Oct. 15. Meanwhile, TCU will have to quickly get past what happened in Waco or it could fall prey to another tough road game Saturday at Air Force.

The toughest bad beat of Week 1 wasn’t actually a loss, but it sure as hell tasted like one if you backed Michigan at home laying 14 to Western Michigan. Just like the infamous UNLV-Wisconsin game in 2002, the Wolverines won and comfortably covered the number. However, because the game was postponed due to weather and had not yet completed 55 minutes of play, the game became a no-play (push) by Las Vegas gambling rules.

Supporters of Wisconsin and Wake Forest also suffered tough-to-swallow defeats for our purposes. The Badgers looked great all night with Russell Wilson running the show, racing to a 51-3 lead before pulling the starters. This made it easier for UNLV to score a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to post the backdoor cover as a 35-point underdog.

Wake Forest, a six-point underdog at the Carrier Dome, had a 29-14 lead on Syracuse with eight minutes remaining. But the Orange scored 15 unanswered to pull even and then had a chance for a go-ahead field goal at the two-minute mark. Fortunately for ‘Cuse backers like me, the Demon Deacons blocked the kick and overtime ensued. Doug Marrone’s team scored to go ahead 36-29 and held on for the win and cover.

It’s no longer 2010 and Cam Newton is in the NFL, but the football gods continue to smile on Auburn. Gene Chizik’s team needed a perfectly-executed onside kick to overcome a 10-point deficit with three minutes left to beat Utah St. 42-38 on The Plains. The Aggies took the cash as 23-point underdogs.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

Future non-conference foes for Boise St.: at Michigan St., vs. BYU and at So. Miss in 2012; at Washington, at BYU and vs. So. Miss in 2013; vs. Ole Miss (at Ga. Dome) and vs. BYU in 2014; at BYU and vs. Washington in 2015; vs. Washington St. and at Oregon St. in 2016. The Broncos also play at Washington St. in 2017, vs. Michigan St. in 2022 and at Michigan St. in 2023.

Best Play of Week 1: TCU-Baylor ‘over’ 52 that was a casher before halftime. The number dipped from 56 to 52 in the 24 hours before kickoff.

Texas A&M won for the seventh time in eight games when it trounced SMU 46-14 Sunday as a 15-point home favorite.

Oregon St. lost at home to Sacramento St and Duke lost at home to Richmond. Ouch! The Beavers go to Camp Randall to face Wisconsin this week. The Wynn opened the Badgers as only 16-point favorites and I immediately noted (via twitter) that my number was 21 and 16 wouldn’t be available for long. That turned out to be true as most books opened in the 18-19 range and settled at 21 by Monday evening.

My Top Ten:

1-Alabama
2-LSU
3-Oklahoma
4-Wisconsin
5-Boise St.
6-Va. Tech
7-Arkansas
8-Nebraska
9-South Carolina
10-Stanford

Hot Seats:

1-Mark Richt (Georgia)
2-Rick Neuheisel (UCLA)
3-Mike Locksley (New Mexico)
4-Houston Nutt (Ole Miss)
5-Paul Wulff (Washington State)

ACC Betting News and Notes
By Marc Lawrence

Rewind

The ACC went 7-3 in season opening non-conference play last week.

Six of the seven victories resulted in 40-plus point scoring efforts. The only team that failed to register 40 points in its victory was Florida State, which blanked Louisiana-Monroe 34-0.

Clemson QB Tajh Boyd was named the ACC Player of the Week by Rivals.com. Boyd completed 20 of 30 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Miami was 21-4 SU and 15-4 ATS in season openers until its 32-24 loss at Maryland Monday night.

Fast forward

When North Carolina Sate travels to Wake Forest to take on the Deacon Demons, the Wolfpack will be going into a game against its oldest rival Saturday.

North Carolina State leads the series 62-36-6, but has really struggled in Winston-Salem of late.

A 17-14 win in 2001 at Groves Stadium is the Pack’s only victory on this field since 1995. Wake is 6-1 SU and 7-0 ATS in the past seven meetings as a series host.

North Carolina State won 38-3 in Raleigh last year.

Tiger pause

New offensive coordinator Chad Morris was disappointed with Clemson’s effort against Troy Saturday.

The Tigers had six three-and-outs in the first half and trailed at the break.

"There were too many mental errors from the quarterback standpoint all the way down," Morris said to reporters. "It's going to be a process.”

Call me

Saturday was the first time since 2004 that NC State QBs coach Mike O’Cain called plays during a game.

“I didn’t sleep very well Wednesday and Thursday,” O’Cain told the media. “But Friday, after the plan was in place and we had everything on paper and the so-called hay was in the barn, I slept very well (Friday) night.”

Pirate premonitions

East Carolina scored 37 points and threw for 260 yards on 56 passes against South Carolina Saturday.

“This offense, to me, is very scary,” Virginia Tech DC Bud Foster told the press. “It spreads you out where they dink and dunk, and if you miss a tackle, it can turn into a big play.”

On the ball

North Carolina interim coach Everett Withers defended his decision to give the game ball to former coach Butch Davis after the Heels 42-10 win over James Madison.

He went on to say that he’s not worried about repercussions from the administration.

“That was my decision,” he told reporters. “Coach Davis is a friend of mine. That’s how I felt. That’s why it was done.”

Believe it or not

It’s strange to see but the Yellow Jackets rank No. 1 in pass efficiency with a 322.3 rating.

Quarterbacks Tevin Washington and Synjyn Days combined to complete 11 of 16 passes for 365 yards and three TDs against Western Carolina. Washington’s performance in the opener (8 of 13 for 271 yards, three TDs) translates to a passer efficiency rating of 312.8.

West Virginia’s Geno Smith posted the highest rating in the FBS.

“That would be a good stat at the end (of the season),” coach Paul Johnson said.

From the database

• ACC coaches: Jim Grobe is 13-8-1 ATS conference home dog… Johnson is 20-5 ATS away versus an opponent off a loss… Tom O’Brien is 27-12 ATS off a double-digit win versus conference opponents… Frank Spaziani is 4-0 ATS off a loss versus an opponent off a win.

• ACC versus other conferences: 3-9 ATS off win versus the C-USA off win… 34-20 ATS regular season versus the Big Ten… 0-3 ATS away versus the Sun Belt Conference.

• STAT OF THE WEEK: ACC favorites of less than 10 points are 15-40-1 ATS in Game 2 of the season, including 4-20-1 ATS off a double-digit win, and 3-21-1 ATS versus an ACC foe.

Big Ten Betting News and Notes

Rewind

The Big Ten got off to a rousing start last week with all 12 teams in action. Most programs were up against weak mid-major teams to fatten the record and make sure the conference can get as many bowl bids as possible. In all, the teams did what they were expected to do with 10 of the 12 Big Ten squads winning.

The only losses were Indiana, as it came seven points short against Ball State in Indianapolis Saturday, and Minnesota, which played better than the experts predicted at Southern Cal.

Weather also played a major role in a couple of games, as Michigan and Iowa had to halt play because of severe weather with the Wolverines calling it a day after almost three quarters of play. Things will certainly get tougher for the conference in the coming weeks, with key non-conference games on the horizon.

New kids in town

Four new Big Ten head coaches made their debut Saturday.

It appears Minnesota made the right hire in Jerry Kill, as he led the Golden Gophers into Southern Cal and came within two points of a major upset. The team played with confidence and that should bode well going forward. They did not play with any swagger under Tim Brewster and only beat mid-majors and bottom-feeder Big Ten teams during his tenure. The Gophers are back in action this week against New Mexico State and will enter as 19-point favorites. This will be the first home game for Kill and you can bet that he’ll want to make a good impression on the fan base.

Michigan and Ohio State both took care of business against MAC teams Saturday afternoon. Michigan was down 7-0 early, but eventually wore down Western Michigan for a 34-10 victory. It's evident Brady Hoke wants to reestablish the running game at Michigan. The Wolverines had a 2-to-1 run/pass ratio and were well on their way to a cover before Mother Nature showed up, voiding all wagers on the game. Michigan enters as a 3.5-point home underdog against Notre Dame in Week 2.

Ohio State did what it was expected to do against Akron in the debut of coach Luke Fickell. The Buckeyes will have another cupcake in Toledo this week before getting their first test of the season at Miami in two weeks.

Quarterbacking to victory

Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson had huge expectations placed on him when he transferred from North Carolina State. He certainly didn’t disappoint against UNLV in Week 1. It's been a while since Wisconsin had a dual-threat at quarterback, but a 46-yard touchdown run by Wilson at the end of the second quarter should put fear into defensive coordinators across the conference. The Badgers host Oregon State as 21-point favorites Saturday.

The other Big Ten quarterback making news in Week 1 was Northwestern’s Dan Persa, who sat out the Wildcats' season opener versus Boston College. Persa went down with an Achilles’ injury late last season and the team completely fell apart without him. However, Northwestern rallied behind backup Kain Colter to win at BC, 24-17, Saturday. This is something the Wildcats couldn’t do last season and should give them lots of confidence going forward. They'll likely sit Persa again this week, since they host Eastern Illinois.

What lies ahead

Week 2 of the Big Ten schedule features an outstanding slate of games, highlighted by Alabama at Penn State. The Nittany Lions couldn’t stay with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa last season. However, getting them at Happy Valley should make for a much more competitive game.

The early line has Alabama as a double-digit favorite, since the Nittany Lions still have questions surrounding their quarterbacks. A Week 2 win would be a great swan song victory for head coach Joe Paterno, as this could be his final season. You know that the Lions will be giving it their all.

Other attractive matchups in the Big Ten include Oregon State at Wisconsin, Notre Dame at Michigan, and Iowa at Iowa State.

News and Notes Week 1
By Phil Steele

The debut of Russell Wilson was made in the hottest game ever in the 94-year history of Camp Randall Stadium (90? at KO). Wilson led the Badgers to 8 scores on 8 poss with 7 of those TDs’ and the only FG came on a 29 yd’r on 2nd & 3 on the last play of the 1H. Wisconsin led 51-3 when Wilson came out with 8:45 was left in the 3Q. UNLV drove 75/11 and 70/9 for a pair of TD’s to get in the backdoor by a half point, the latter TD coming with 11:41 left. UW finished the game at the LV22 taking a knee.

Rutgers was not as impressive as the final indicates vs NC Central and starting QB Dodd engineered 3 scoring drives in the 1H but Rutgers only finished the game with a 347-128 yd edge. Leading 21-0, RU blew it open scoring 2 defensive TD’s in a :45 span falling on a fumble in the EZ when DL Vallone fell on a fmbl in the EZ for a TD and 2 plays later Harmon got a 37 yd IR TD to make it 35-0. Backup QB Gary Nova who hit 6-17-97, led the team with a 44 yd TD pass then a 10 yd drive for a 36 yd FG (after fmbl) and a 54/14pl drive for a 22 yd FG with 10:35 left to close out the scoring. NC Central was sacked 9 times and turned it over 4 times.

Toledo alternated their QB’s. Danton had the first 3 series and generated a punt, an 11 play drive for a 22 yd FG and a 30/3 TD drive (after int). Owens came in for the next 3 series and got a 45/1 TD pass, engineered 82/7pl TD drive and a 46/11pl drive for a 33 yd FG and UT led 27-0. Danton returned for 3 series and got a 38 yd FG, a 75/9pl drive for a TD and a 63/1pl TD pass and UT led 44-9. Owens came in for 2 series and led a 53/8pl TD drive and a punt and Macon came in and engineered a 38/5pl drive for a TD and a 12 pl drive to run the clock out. UT had leads of 24-0 and 58-15.

Utah jumped out to a 24-0 lead vs Montana St but only had a 16-12 FD edge and 292-258 yd edge. They had an 8 yd TD drive after a 35 yd IR.

Dave Clawson has done a great job at Bowling Green and a great job in openers. This year they were an underdog at Idaho and gave up a TD on the first drive and were SOD at the IU39 on their first drive but BG scored TD’s on their next 4 poss followed by a FG and led 30-7 at the half with a 377-179 yd edge. IU pulled within 33-15 with 14:44 left in the game but IU was pinned at their 2 and tackled for a safety and after punting on their next poss, IU fmbl’d at their own 30 & 49 on the final 2. BG finished with a 478-280 yd edge.

FIU only had a 22-17 FD and 401-301 yd edges but NT’s 2 TD’s both came via the defense. FIU got a 62 yd KR by TY Hilton and drove 29/4pl for a TD then after NT was SOD at the FIU40, got a 60/1pl TD pass to Hilton, 14-0. FIU went 94/10pl for a TD then after a fmbl, 33/2pl for a TD and led 28-0. It was 31-7 at the half with FIU having a 284-100 yd edge. NT did miss 48 and 42 yd FG’s in the 3Q and trailed 41-14 and were SOD at the 1 yd line with 1:23 left but got a safety on the next play.

WKU had a 13-11 FD edge vs Kentucky and the D’s dominated with 19 punts and just 24 FD’s. WKU had a slim 234-190 yd edge. UK’s 2 scoring “drives” were a 22 yd TD drive in the 2Q (after an int) to lead 7-3 at the half. UK on 3&14 got a 58 yd run by Newton down to the WKU26 and on 1&15 a 31 yd TD pass with 4:35 left to make it 14-3 and that was the final.

Miss St’s offense rolled up 405 yards in the 1H and finished with a school record 645 total yards. Memphis didn’t cross midfield until the 2Q. Miss St avg over 9 ypp and finished with a 645-338 yd edge.

Louisville finished the Murray St game with a 159-143 rush yd edge but that was helped by the punt game. They had a 40 yd gain on a fake punt while Murray had a 21 yard “rush” loss on a bad snap over their P’s head. That set up a UL TD early and the Cards jumped out to a 21-0 lead and they brought in true frosh Bridgewater in for 1 series. He was int’d at the MSU24 with 6:51 left in the 2Q and UL leading 21-0 and UL would not score again the rest of the game. MSU got a FG in the 2Q and drove 74/13pl for a TD at the start of the 4Q to make it 21-9 but their final poss ended on an int at the 48 with :39 left. MSU had a 19-16 FD edge but UL did have a 385-291 yd edge.

A surprising stat from the Georgia Tech/Western Carolina game was that GT threw for 365 yards. In fact, last year their high passing total for a game was 130 yards and they surpassed that in the 1Q with 148. They did have a couple of short passes go for 82 and 77 yard TD’s. GT appeared in control 42-14 and were attempting a 46 yd FG on the final play of the half. WC not only blocked it they returned it 69 yards for a TD to make it 42-21. GT got a 77 yd TD pass with 3:00 left in the 3Q to go up 56-21 then drove 74/15pl for a TD with 7:25 left. WC was int’d at the GT15 and GT was SOD at the WC33 (:53). GT’s 662 yards was the 2nd best ever, coming up short of their 706 yards vs Citadel in 1948.

Tough loss for WF vs Syracuse. WF absolutely dominated the 1H with 13-2 FD and 242-52 yd edges but settled for 2 FG’s and K Newman who had 14 straight FG’s missed a chipshot 34 yarder. SU got a TD on a 37/4pl drive after WF punted from its EZ and stunningly WF only led 20-7 despite complete domination. Each team took its 2nd & 3Q drive for a TD and it was 26-14 but WF missed a crucial xp. The key play of the game happened on WF’s next drive. They were at the SU12 when on 3&19 Price fired a FD pass to the 2 but he injured his leg and would miss the rest of the year and a hold wiped out the completion. They settled for a FG to keep SU in the game, 29-14. SU went on 73 and 53 yd TD drives, the latter with 7:07 left to tie it. Backup QB Stachitas threw an int at the WF32 but SU K Krautman had a streak of 16 straight FG’s snapped by a blk’d FG with 2:17 left. However, SU won in OT by 7.

Arizona St returnman Jamal Miles was dynamic including a 98 yd KR to open the 3Q as ASU rolled to a 41-0 lead over UCDavis. UCD gained 161 of their 243 yards in the 4Q and on 4&2 with 12:10 left got a 48 yd TD run then on 4&2 got a 38 yd pass to the 1 setting up their backdoor covering TD with 6:26 left in the 48-14 final. ASU did get to the UCD17 but was SOD on 4&4 with :08 left.

Youngstown St LY finished 3-8 but actually led in each and every one of their games showing they were much better than their record indicated. They gave Michigan St a better game than the score indicates at 28-6. In fact, in the 1H YSU had a 14-8 FD edge and held the ball for 19:06. YSU’s first drive was 55/12pl but they were SOD on 4&2 at the MSU35. YSU’s 2nd drive got to MSU’s 33 but a fmbl’d snap on 3rd down put them out of FG range and they punted. YSU’s 4th drive went 62/9pl for a TD and they only trailed 7-6. YSU also had a 9pl drive end in a missed 40 yd FG and trailed 14-6 at the half. MSU’s final TD was a 17 yd drive after a 13 yd IR and came with 7:09 left to make it 28-6.

It sure was an exciting Friday night game and Baylor’s offense was very impressive. TCU has led the nation in defense the L3Y and in their worst game LY they allowed 361 yards. Baylor amassed a surprising 367 yards in the 1H! TCU did miss 2 FG’s and 2 xp’s in the first 3Q’s and trailed 47-23 but charged back within 47-45 with 7:11 left. TCU had their streak of 25 consecutive reg ssn games snapped in this loss. Baylor had not beaten a ranked team since 2004. Last year TCU had beaten BU 45-10. TCU drove for TD’s on the next 3 poss and got two 2 pt conv but had the 3rd one go off the WR’s hands to trail 47-45. QB Griffin fumbled and TCU took over at the BU39 but settled for a 27 yd FG with 4:27 left. BU then hit a 3&10, 15 yd pass for a FD and continued on a drive to get a 37 yd FG with 1:04 left. TCU got to BU40 but on 3&10 was int’d at the 20 and BU held on for the upset.

The Connecticut game was moved from Thurs to Sat due to the use of their home stadium by Hurricane Irene relief staff. RFr TB Lyle McCombs ran for 141 yards and 4 TD’s with 2 in each half. UC used all 3 QB’s and they combined to hit 12-21-228 yds. Fordham was 5-6 LY and was playing their first FBS foe since 1954. Fordham just began offering scholarships last year. UC finished with a 21-8 FD and 434-169 yd edges.

Ohio St rolled over Akron with 27-5 FD and 517-90 yd edges and Joe Bauserman not only got the start, but QB’d all but 1 poss in the 1H with Braxton Miller’s only poss resulting in a punt. Bauserman led 4 TD drives but Miller, after engineering another punt on his first poss of the 2H, did guide 59/6 and 38/4pl TD drives and his final drive got them to the Akron 15 yd line where they ran out the clock. Bauserman hit 12-16-163 and Miller was 8-12-130 playing with mostly backups in the 2H.

Joe Paterno coached from the pressbox and PSU ret’d the opening KO 95 yards for a TD. PSU dominated the 1H with a 15-2 FD and 252-66 yd edges and led 41-0 when ISU took over with 8:17 left and drove 62/11pl getting a TD with 2:15 left. Bolden got the start but hit just 6-12-37 yards. McGloin hit 6-8-77 yds but McGloin had 4 poss and had 3 TD’s on those. Bolden had 6 poss resulting in a TD, FG and a missed FG. Third string QB McGregger did not throw a pass but led a 12 yd TD drive in the 4Q. ISU was QB’d by Washington transfer Ronnie Fouch (PS#55) who was held to 11-23-105.

The defending National Champs Auburn Tigers were generally outplayed at home by upstart Utah St. USU had a 27-17 FD and 448-364 yd edges and twice led by double digits. They led 21-7 before the half when AU benefitted from a 97 yd KR TD. At the end of the game, USU scored a TD with just 3:38 left to lead 38-28. AUB got a 3&gl from the 15 TD pass with 2:07 left then recovered an onside kick and got a TD with :31 left to escape with a 4 pt home win.

Boston College was without top RB Montel Harris and Northwestern was without QB Dan Persa. Kain Colter replaced hitting 17-24-197 and ran for 71 more with a TD. BC’s top RB was Andre Williams who came in questionable but rushed 22 times for 114 yards. NU trailed 10-3 but tied it 10-10 on a TD with :38 left in the half then opened the 3Q with a 60/12pl drive for a TD to lead 17-10. They extended it to 24-10 in the 4Q but BC got a TD with 6:00 left and after NU went for it on 4&1 with 1:41 left, BC took over at their 36 and got 3 FD’s to the NU19 but scrambled under pressure and was tkl’d on the final play. BC finished with a 474-424 yd edge.

Purdue once again lost their QB early in the season and they were without their #2QB as well. Caleb TerBush hit 19-33-219 as the 3rd string QB promoted to starter also threw the game winning TD pass in the final minute. Middle Tenn had a 460-420 yd edge. MTSU trailed for 5:22 of the 1H but led 14-10 and led most of the 2H. PU got a FG with 5:57 left to pull within 3 and a TD with :49 left to take the lead. MTSU went 50 yards and lined up for the game tying 47 yd FG but it was blk’d by Ricardo Allen.

Appalachian St came in highly ranked in the FCS but this game was no contest. Virginia Tech had a 291-61 yd edge at the half and led 38-0. VT had a lead of 52-0 before ASt got on the board and backup QB Mark Leal hit 6-11-113 yds for VT.

Alabama’s 2 QB’s both tossed a pair of int’s but Bama dominated with a 482-90 yd edge and Kent St’s only score came on a 3 yd DRIVE for a TD following one of the int’s. Bama had a 24-6 FD edge. Trent Richardson only had 37 yards rushing but had 3 TD’s. At the half Bama had a 257-22 yd and 13-1 FD edges.

Bryn Renner made an outstanding debut for UNC. He completed his first 8 passes and finished 22-23-277 yards but had 1 int. UNC blasted FCS power James Madison 42-10 with a 24-10 FD edge and 461-411 yd edge. Renner set the ACC record for highest single game completion % (95.7%) and he also scored a TD on a sneak early in the 4Q. Everett Withers made his coaching debut and it was very similar to what Butch Davis did in his first game as that UNC led JM 30-7 at the half and won 37-14.

Air Force dominated the 1H vs South Dakota with a 30-7 lead and had a 340-130 yd edge. They extended it to 37-7 on their opening drive of the 3Q but allowed two 4Q TD’s, the latter with 7:33 left and only won by 17.

Florida St started slow with the first 5 poss of the game being punts. Thanks to an int with 3:04 left in the half they drove 84/6pl and got a 50 yd TD pass with 1:09 left to lead 17-0. They had a 206-93 yd edge. FSU opened the 3Q with a punt but went 66/14pl for a TD, 66/11pl for a FG. Backup QB Trickett came in after a 28 yd PR and his first career pass went 28 yds for a TD with 6:57 left. ULM was SOD at the FSU28 and 39 on 2 of their last 3 drives.

The Houston Cougars had a nice advantage in the fact that temps were in the 90’s and humid. Los Angeles had not been above 75? the entire month of August. UCLA also lost QB Prince in the 2Q to concussion. Richard Brehaut hit 17-26-264 yards. UH led 31-14 and took over with :55 left in the half and got a TD on a 64/2pl drive, the TD coming with :08 left to lead 31-14. UH led 38-28 and had the ball with 1:59 left but gave up a TD pass with 1:19 left and then had to recover the onside kick to hold on for the win. UCLA finished with a 554-469 yd edge.

Illinois got a pair of slips by Arkansas St CB’s that turned into long TD’s and opened up a 30-8 lead after 3Q’s. The announced crowd was 35,000 but appeared considerably smaller. UI finished with a 25-15 FD and 473-350 yd edges.

Lane Kiffin continues to try some crafty things and it basically kept Minnesota in the game. Last year he missed three 2 pt conversions vs the Gophers. Once again USC tried 2 pt conv after each of their first 2 TD’s and once again came up short on both and only led 12-0. In the 3Q leading 19-3 Kiffin went for it on 4th & 6 at the UM36 and the snap went over the QB’s head for a huge loss with UM recovering at the 30 and setting up a TD. On their next drive USC was SOD on 4&1 at the 20. UM actually pulled within 19-17 with 8:03 left and had the ball with backup QB Shortell in at their own 29 but were int’d at the 42 with :53 left. QB MarQueis Gray was inj’d and Shortell hit 7-13-98.

Interesting game with Colorado St/New Mexico. Each team missed a FG in the 1Q and NM fumbled at the CSU1. CSU got a TD with 1:32 left in the half to lead 7-3 but NM went 80/8pl getting a 3rd & 16, 27 yd TD pass with :12 left. That TD was their first TD in an opener since 2005 and gave them a 10-7 lead. CSU was SOD on 4&10 at the NM38 and missed a chipshot 28 yd FG early 4Q. CSU took the lead with a 40/11pl drive for a TD with 7:17 left. NM’s hopes appeared out the window when on 4th & 14 they were sacked for a 7 yd loss at the CSU36 but CSU made a daring call going for it on 4&1 with 1:57 left and they were SOD. NM got 2 FD’s to the 19 and another FD to the 5 was called back on a hold and on 3rd & 6 QB Austen was sk’d & fmbl’d with :09 let at the CSU18.

William & Mary had a disappointing debut vs Virginia. UVA did only lead 10-0 when they got a 48 yd FG on the final play of the half to make it 13-0. They had a 212-52 yd edge. The crushing drive of the game came when UVA drove 97/10pl on their opening drive of the 3Q to make it 20-0. W&M did not cross midfield until 8:00 were left in the game and they trailed 40-0 and avoided a shutout with a FG with 4:34 left.

Houston Nutt was hoping for a heat advantage over BYU which plays in the altitude but with Tropical Storm Lee blooming, it was in the 80’s and overcast skies. This was a defensive struggle as each team got a defensive TD and Ole Miss blew a 13-0 4Q lead, losing by 1. The winning score came when BYU fell on a fmbl in the EZ for a TD with 5:09 left.

Howard Schnellenberger was not on the sidelines for the Florida game as his hip acted up and he was having severe discomfort and made a hospital trip on Friday. UF dominated in Muschamp’s debut scoring on their first 4 poss and led 24-0 with FAU not picking up their first FD until 3:00 were left in the half. FAU did have a 1st & gl at the UF 4 and settled for a 26 yd FG and then missed a 34 yd FG with :05 left in the half, both following UF int’s on their 5th & 6 poss. UF blk’d a punt and ret’d it 20 yds for a TD with 10:09 left 3Q but had a 1st & gl at the FA6 and was int’d in the EZ. UF’s final score came on a 29 yd FG with 1:46 left to make it 41-3 and they had a 30-11 FD edge and 468-137 yd edge.

Oklahoma St’s defense was better than the stats and the score. They led ULL 21-3 in the 2Q and allowed just 113 yards at the half. UL got a 37 yd IR TD by Bentley and 50 yd IR TD by Jemarlous Moten which pulled them within 34-20. In the 4Q trailing 51-20, UL went 82/15pl for a TD and then trailing 61-27 they took over with 2:52 left and went 80/9pl for a 3 yd TD run with :17 left. The much anticipated debut of OC Todd Monken saw the team roll up 666 yards, 9th best in school history.

Pitt missed a couple of FG’s in the 1H and only led 7-3 despite a 168-119 yd edge. They did get a key play in the 3Q with a 47 yd IR to the Buffalo 20 setting up a TD to make it 14-3. BUF pulled within 21-16 with 13:27 left but Pitt drove 60/6pl for a TD to make it 28-16 with 11:51 left. BUF was SOD at the Pitt38 (5:25) but Pitt fmbl’d back. BUF was SOD at the PIT12 with 2:44 left and Pitt went 88/5pl getting a TD with 1:49 left to clinch it.

Because of injuries and attrition, Oregon St played 7 true frosh in the game. OSU was trailing Sacramento St and Sean Mannion hit 8-12-143 as OSU scored 18 pts in the 2H. The Beavers trailed 21-6 when they got a pair of TD’s and a 2 pt conversion to tie with 8:02 left. SS fmbl’d at the OSU36 but OSU was driving for the game winning TD and not only fmbl’d at the SS14, it was ret’d 58 yds to the OSU28. SSt’s 28 yd FG with 2:35 left was blk’d and OSU had life. They went 77/14pl and had a FD to the 11. On 4th down, true frosh Kevin Romaine was brought it in for the chipshot 27 yd FG but it bounced off the upright which sent the game to OT and while each team scored a TD in OT, SSt got the 2 pt conversion for the upset.

Bill Callahan switched Nebraska from an option to a pro-style pass attack and Bo Pellini has slowly been switching the Huskers back. Their new OC, Tim Beck, is bringing the option back to the offense and his first call as a coordinator was a run to the FB which just happened to be the first time the Huskers had a FB carry the ball since 2004. Taylor Martinez rushed for 135 yards and passed for just 116 with the more option based offense. The Huskers led 23-0 at the half and 40-7 after 3Q’s going through the motions in the 4Q and showing very little with a 365-230 yard edge.

The Michigan/Western Michigan game was an unusual one. It was called with 1:27 left in the 3Q. While UM appeared to have an easy 24 pt win, WM shot itself in the foot in the 1Q. They took their opening drive 74/15pl for a TD, got their 2nd drive to the UM21 where they missed a 38 yd FG. The key play of the game happened when WM went on an 8 play drive. On 2nd & gl from the 5, they had a pass that was tipped and not only int’d, but ret’d 94 yds for a TD and a 14 pt swing, instead of leading 14-7 they trailed 14-7. Later, down 20-10 at midfield QB Carder was hit & fmbl’d and Brandon Herron ret’d the fumble 28 yds for a TD to open it up 27-10. Herron became the first player in UM history to have 2 defensive TD’s in the same game.

UCF rolled over Charleston Southern 62-0 holding CS to 1 FD in the 1H with a 299-21 yard edge and CS’s best chance to score came on a missed 28 yd FG with 5:44 left then UCF promptly went 84/10pl tacking on a TD with 1:21 left in their 62-0 win with a 560-119 yard edge.

Washington St QB Jeff Tuel fractured his left clavicle and it’s not known how long he’ll be out. Idaho St was just 1-10 last year and has a JC QB in Kevin Yost and could surprise. Yost hit 32-45-386 yds vs the Cougars but in fairness, WSU did lead 40-0 at the half. It was 33-0 when WSU got a 61 yd Hail Mary on the final play of the 1H. ISU gained 340 of their yards in the 2H.

Navy’s QB Kriss Proctor had 3 rushing TD’s and passed for 1. He had a 75 yd TD run on the game’s 3rd play. Delaware trailed 16-7 when Jon Teague kicked a school record 54 yd FG for Navy. At half Navy led 19-7 with a 259-177 yd edge. It was 26-7 and Delaware got a FD at the Navy8 when they lost their starting QB Sasek to injury. They settled for a 25 yd FG on that drive. Navy took advantage of an int off backup QB Tim Donnelly to drive 37/6pl for a TD with 8:13 left to lead 40-10. DEL did gain 78 yards on a 12pl drive getting a garbage 1 yd TD run with 2:54 left.

Kevin Wilson’s debut at Indiana didn’t go as planned. They did have a 226-155 yd edge at the half and led 17-14 but Ball St opened the 3Q with a 48/11pl drive for a 38 yd FG and a 70/9pl drive for a 20 yd TD pass and the lead, 24-17. Indy was SOD on 4&3 at the BSU9 with 14:51 left and BSU went on a great drive taking over with 9:30 left in the game. They ran the ball 13 out of 14 plays on an 80 yd drive settling for a 22 yd FG with 2:12 left for a 10 pt lead, 27-17. IU went 52/9pl getting a 27 yd FG with :57 left but BSU recovered the onside kick.

News and Notes Week 1 Part 2
By Phil Steele

Arizona jumped to a 14-0 lead vs NA but NA led by Cary Grossart hit 16-17-145 in the 1H drove 64/13pl for a 28 yd FG and 91/9pl for a TD to pull within 14-10 at the half. AU got an int on the 5th play of the 3Q at the NA18 and a TD on the next play. After punting on their next poss, AU went 85/5pl, 59/5pl and 63/10pl for TD’s to put it away and lead 41-10 with 9:26 left. NA went 75/10pl and was SOD at the 5.

Ohio rolled up a 452-368 yd edge vs New Mexico St. They led 23-7 at the half and went 68/3pl and 81/14pl on their first two 3Q poss to lead 37-10, then got a 65 yd PR TD to lead 44-10 with 3:33 left in the 3Q. NMSt got a 97 yd KR TD and a 54 yd TD pass early 4Q to pull within 20 but were SOD at the OU32 and 18 on their final 2 poss.

Northern Illinois was not as impressive as the 35-6 1H score would indicate as after an int and fmbl they drove 53 and 11 yards for TD’s to lead 28-6. They did go 82 yards for a TD with 7:29 left in the 2Q to make it 35-6 and Army went on a 14pl drive but fmbl’d at the NI5. NI led 35-6 but only had a 279-160 yd edge. NI was int’d on their first 3Q poss and went 62/4pl and 97/17pl for TD’s and led 49-6 after 3Q’s when they pulled their starters. Army went 49/4pl, 66/12pl and 83/14pl for TD’s the latter with :12 left.

In a game played in some heavy rain Southern Miss had a 21-13 FD edge and 379-244 yd edge but SM muffed and lost a punt at its own 3, gave up an 85 yd KR TD and had a FG blk’d and SM needed a 49 yd FG with 2:32 left to pull out the 19-17 win.

It appears Stephen Garcia made a dramatic impact on South Carolina as they put up 56 points in his 3Q’s of work. SC started Conner Shaw and he played the 1Q and on his drives they fumbled at the EC15, punted, fmbl’d at their own 43 and punted. EC would lead 24-14 at the half. SC put up 28 pts in the 3Q but the first came after a fumble by EC as SC used 4 plays to go 35 yards. After another fumble by EC, SC went 2pl for a TD. SC got a FR TD and later a 31 yd 5pl drive after an int. SC then added a 68 yd PR TD. On 5 of their TD drives, they totalled 75 yards offense. That PR actually got SC leading by over 3 TD’s for the first time, 56-31 but EC went 72/19pl converting on 4&7 and later on 4&2 for a 4 yd TD pass with 2:42 left.

There was a lot of points in the LSU/Oregon game but most of them came on a short field and it was actually a defensive struggle with UO only having a 335-273 yd edge. At the half UO had a 167-100 yard lead by trailed 16-13 and true frosh D’Anthony Thomas was in the game because UO’s top 2 RB’s (James and Barner) were both out and he fumbled on 2 consecutive poss, both setting up LSU TD’s.

Texas Tech had an easy go of it with Texas St but St actually jumped out to a 10-0 lead going 45/11pl and 41/9pl for a TD and FG. At the half St led 10-9 and had a 149-139 yd edge and in the 3Q went 64/8pl but fumbled at the TT16. TT went 83/12pl for a TD and took advantage of 3 more TO’s getting TD drives of 36, 23 and 27 yards, the latter 2 in the final 6:00 to turn it into a 50-10 “rout”.

San Diego St played a fine game vs Cal Poly. They went for it on 4th & gl at the 3 and then a TD to go up 21-7 and led 28-14 at the half with a 335-179 yd edge. CP fumbled a punt in the 4Q at their own 36 and SDSt got a TD to lead 42-14 and SDSt’s final score came 2:15 later on a 94 yd KR TD. SDSt had a 492-284 yd edge.

Oklahoma entered preseason #1 for the first time since 2003. Walk-on Dominique Whaley won the RB job and rushed for 131 yards and 4 TD’s as OU won its 37th straight at home (the nation’s longest streak). The Sooners piled up 34 FD’s and 663 yards. They led 30-0 in the 2Q and at the end of the half, had a 1st & 5 at the 9 but after an 8 yd game, fumbled at the 1 or would have scored again. OU put it away with 1:52 left in the game leading 47-7 and this time only allowed 1 garbage TD as Tulsa drove 70/5pl for a TD with 8:29 left. OU finished at the TU45.

Stony Brook almost pulled off the outright upset. In fact, they were dominant in the 1H. SB had a 16-2 FD edge and 299-70 yd edge at UTEP but had 2 long drives inside the 10 come up with just 3 points. They went 86/14pl and settled for and missed a 27 yd FG then went 60/6pl and had a 2nd & gl at the 1 but settled for a FG. SB did get a 14 yd FR TD with 3:00 left 3Q and led 24-10 but UTEP took over and dominated the game from there. UTEP went 48/3pl for a TD, 65/9pl but on 4th & gl from the 2 were int’d in the EZ. They went 72/8pl but on 2&2 from the 20, got a completion to the 1 but fmbl’d into the EZ for a TB with 7:20 left. UTEP went 53/6pl for a 21 yd TD pass to tie and even missed a 61 yd FG on the final play of regulation that K Warren had enough leg but was off to the left. UTEP scored a 25 yd TD pass on it’s only play in OT and SB’s only play in OT was an int at the 4 and UTEP escaped.

Kansas St did need a 37 yd TD pass with 1:39 let to get past E Kentucky, 10-7 but overcame 5 TO’s and a blocked punt. For the game KSU had a 21-7 FD edge and 303-129 yd edge. KSU was also SOD at the EK23 at the end of a 7 play drive and missed a 37 yd FG. UK’s only TD came on a 1 yd “drive” following a FR to the 1 which gave them a 7-0 lead with 4:12 left 3Q. KSU’s winning drive was 86/11pl and on 2&5 they got a 33 yd TD pass with 1:39 left.

Two big plays kick-started Tennessee in their rout of Montana. They went 3 & out to open but MT fmbl’d the PR on their own 47 and UT got a 47 yd TD pass on the next play. MT got 2 FD’s and punted and UT on 3&7 got an 81 yd TD pass to lead 14-0. It was 28-7 at the half with an 11-4 FD and 235-116 yd edge with MT also getting an 80 yd TD pass when down 28-0. At the end of the 3Q UT went on a 14pl drive and MT a 10 pl drive but each were SOD. UT drove 44 yards for a TD after a fmbl to lead 42-9 with 9:10 left and MT went 82/9pl for a 7 yd TD run with 6:04 left to close the scoring.

A very interesting stat to me is that Bryant Moniz threw for just 178 yards vs Colorado. Moniz rushed for 121 yards (career high). Last year Hawaii was on their 2nd straight game to the mainland and led 10-0 at half but wore down. That was on their minds this year. Their two 1H TD’s came on a 57/1pl TD run by Moniz at the start of the 2Q and then taking over with 2:14 left in the half they went 87/7pl and got a Moniz 14 yd TD run with :24 left in the half to lead 17-0. CU did have seven 1H FD’s but punted on all 5 drives. CU pulled within 24-17 with 4:51 left and UH punted on their next drive but UH forced a punt then drove 45/8pl for a TD to get some breathing room with 6:17 left. CU was int’d on 4th& 6 from its own 29 and ret’d to the 1 setting up a UH FG and was sk’d for a 5 yd loss on 4&12 at its own 27 with 3:07 left.

Steele Jantz’s first 5 poss as the starting QB for Iowa St ended in two 3 & outs, a fmbl and 2 int. NI got a 42 yd FG on their first poss. ISU was int’d at the NI6 and int’d in the EZ on 3&7 at the 9. NI went on an 80/18pl dive but settled for a 24 yd FG and led 6-0. ISU fmbl’d at the NI25 but took over with 3:23 left in the half and got a 1 yd TD run with :03 left in the half to lead 7-6. At the half they had a 172-167 yd edge. NI went 90/22pl for a TD to open the 3Q. The drive took up nearly 10:00 and the TD made it 13-7 with 2:30 left. ISU was int’d and the team’s punted 5 times. ISU went 61/7pl and on 4&10 got a 26 yd TD to take the lead, 14-13. The lead lasted :18 which was the time it took for a KO and an 80 yd TD pass to Johnson and NI was back on top 19-14 with 4:12 left (2ptng). ISU went 60/9pl. The drive finished with a 3&11, 17 yd Jantz run with :34 left. The 2 pt failed but NI fumbled and ISU took a knee. NI had a 385-325 yd edge.

Showing the advantage of situations, Boise had an A++ game with basically their most important game of the entire season vs Georgia. It was far from a neutral site as they played in Atlanta. UGA on the other hand had their most important game of the year vs South Carolina on deck, that is a game which will determine if they get to the SEC Title Game. UGA played well early, in fact, Boise had just 1 FD on the first 3 poss and UGA got an 80 yd TD run by Boykin to lead 7-0. Boise went 58/6pl for a TD and UGA was SOD on 4&1 at the BSU26. After an int with 4:17 left in the half, BSU drove 51/7pl getting a 12 yd TD pass with :48 left to take the lead into the lockerroom, 14-7. Boise scored TD’s on 2 of their first 3 3Q poss while UGA missed a 54 yd FG to make it 28-7. The next 3 poss were all TD’s to make it 35-21. UGA’s last 2 attempts ended on a 4th & 2 SOD at the BS39 and a 4th & 12 sack at their own 3 while BSU had a 24-13 FD edge, the yards were just 390-273.

Duke had a 22-13 FD edge and 379-288 yd edge vs Richmond. In the 1H Richmond recovered a fumble at the 8 setting up a TD and another fumble rec’d at the Duke 26 set up a 29 yd FG so their 10 points came on drives totalling 22 yards. Duke had a couple of questionable mistakes as they were SOD on 4&1 at their own 35 in the 1Q and at the end of the half, spiked the ball with :04 left at the Richmond 19. Instead of a 36 yd FG, they opted to go for it and gained 9 yards but ran out of time at the 10 yard line. Richmond got a TD with 10:12 left but missed the xp and led 23-21 and Duke was poised to retake the lead as they got an 18 yd PR to the RU24 with 4:12 left. Duke settled for a 28 yd FG and missed it with 1:43 left. They did force another punt but only got to the RU41 and their 60 yd FG on the final play came up short.

One note that I personally have from watching the games this weekend is to quit going to the weird Nike uniforms. As a college purist watching Boise and UGA I almost turned the set off numerous times with 2 teams that looked like they were playing in Star Wars costumes. It would have been much better to see the normal UGA helmets and normal BSU helmets. During magazine time when schools send me photos with these tricked out helmets that look nothing like the normal helmets, I opt not to use them in my magazine as I don’t like watching college ball games played with the weird uniforms. I wish they stick with the traditional look.

Yes, Notre Dame trailed the entire game and lost to USF but before you throw their season into the toilet please keep in mind the Irish had a 508-254 yd edge and just had some pretty bad plays in the redzone which cost them the win. Not many teams can survive a 14 pt swing and the Irish suffered one on their opening drive. They quickly went 76/8pl and on 3&gl from the 1, not only fmbl’d but it was picked up and ret’d 96 yds for a TD. Instead of the Irish leading 7-0 they trailed 7-0 (14 pt swing). During the game ND had a dropped TD pass on 2nd & goal from the 7 and on the next play were int’d in the EZ. At the half the Irish had a 191-144 yd edge and trailed 16-0. In the 3Q the Irish got to the USF5 with backup QB Rees in but he was int’d on a pass that bounced off WR Jones’ helmet as he was not looking. ND went on a 54/6pl drive and missed a 30 yd FG. For the game ND had a 504-254 yd edge but the 5-0 TO deficit saw them come up 3 points short.

Tough loss for Weber St vs Wyoming as WSU had 27-20 FD and 541-463 yd edges but gave up a late 4&11, 19 yd pass which set up WY’s game winning TD with :22 left and WSU also missed a 53 yd FG that was short on the last play. In the 1H WSU had a 16-8 FD edge but settled for a 40 yd FG and had a snap go over the P’s head for a 37 yd loss (if you take away that bad snap, they had a 291-227 yd edge). That set up a 9/1pl TD pass for WY and it was 21-19 at the half. WY extended it to 28-19 but WSU went 80/6pl for a TD. WSU was SOD on 4&1 at the WY40 but 2 poss later, WSU got an 80/4pl drive with a 49 yd TD pass putting them up 32-28 with 12:18 left. WY went 58/11pl but on 4&2 gained 1 yd to the WSU10 with 7:52 left and things looked gloomy when they were forced to punt on 4&15 at their own 20 with 3:40 left. WSU took over at the 46 but a sk and a false start forced them to punt on 4&15 with 2:12 to go. WY27 would go 73 yds in 13 plays and on 4&11 a 19 yd pass got them down to the 9 and they got the game winning TD 2pl later. WSU got 2 FD’s but a 53 yd FG was short on the last play.

Eastern Michigan did dominate Howard with a 441-201 yd edge in a game. Howard opened with a 29 yd IR TD to lead 6-0 (2ptng). They led 9-3 after 1Q but EM dominated the 2Q getting a 50 yd KR which set up a 31 yd FG, a 16 yd PR set up a 21 yd TD drive and they took the lead 13-9. EM was SOD on 4&4 at the Howard36 but then drove 78/6pl for a TD with 1:31 left in the half. Special teams helped again when Howard fumbled the KO at their 32 and EM got a TD 4pl later to lead 27-9. RB Sherrer got a 27 yd TD run on the 2nd play of the 3Q to make it 34-9, it was the 2nd longest run by an EM player in Rynearson Stadium. Howard missed a 38 yd FG with 2:07 left in the 3Q and EM missed a 37 yd FG with 11:25 left. EM took over at their own 12 with 8:53 left. On 3&21 pass interference gave them a FD to the 9. The drive also included a 4&1 conversion to the HU24 and a 9 yd TD pass with 3:16 left made the final 41-9 making some EM fans very happy. Howard got 2 FD’s to the 45 at the end.

In the Sunday night game on FOXSportsnet, SMU pulled QB Padron after 2 series which both ended on int’s. A&M took advantage of both with 6 and 45 yd drives for TD’s to lead 14-0. JJ McDermott came off the bench and QB’d the rest of the game hitting 21-34-254. He guided 60/7pl and 71/7pl drives for TD’s. After the first TD, SMU onside kicked but only went 1 yd and A&M went 31/5pl for their 3rd TD drive of 31 yds or less and led 20-7. At 20-14 A&M went 87/10pl for a TD with 5:44 left in the half and then went 52/6pl for another TD to lead 33-14. Margus Hunt set an SMU record with his 12th blk’d kick as he blk’d 2 xp’s in the 1H. A&M only had a 235-210 yd edge at half but led by 19. SMU’s only scoring threats in the 2H came on a 4th & 8 incompletion at the A&M 36 and a 4th & 5 incompletion at the A&M45 as McDermott failed to guide a scoring drive on his last 7 series. A&M led 43-14 after 3Q’s.

Elon actually had a 219-156 yd edge vs Vandy at the half but trailed 21-7. A couple of interesting notes pulled from the game is that VU went for it on 4th Down quite often and in this game was successful. A 4&5 conversion on their 2nd drive led to a 67/9pl drive for a TD, a 4th & 3, 16 yd run by Smith got them their 2nd TD. VU also converted on 4th & 1 in the 3Q, which set up a 33 yd FG. VU’s D contributed to their high point total. The VU D got a 21 yd IR TD with 8:06 left in the 2Q and Elon also missed a 27 yd FG after a 61 yd drive. A 9 yd punt set up VU for a 37 yd TD “drive” and then a 22 yd IR set up a 23/1pl drive. VU’s last TD came after a 13 yd punt when they went 46/4pl for a TD by backup QB Jordan Rodgers (Aaron’s brother).

Kansas only had a 447-420 yd edge. True frosh RB Tony Pierson went 47 yards on his first carry to set up a TD and 13 yards for a tD the 2nd time he touched the ball. He finished with 73 yards on 5 carries. McNeese QB Cody Stroud hit 22-27-210 alternating with Riley Dodge (NT transfer) who hit 9-14-107. Dodge hit a 4&4, 32 yd pass in the 3Q.

There were 2 games called for weather this weekend. West Virginia /Marshall kicked off in the afternoon and ended late at night with empty stands and both teams in the lockerroom. Marshall played well up front on the D-lien stuffing WV’s rush game and holding them to 42/26 carries. MU also had 2 trips inside the 10 yard line result in a pair of FG’s or it could have been closer. Each had a return TD with MU getting an 87 yd PR TD by Booker to take a 7-0 lead. WV’s 3rd scoring drive that put them up 17-7. It went to a delay at 27-13 with 4:59 in the 3Q and the 2nd delay a 34-13 with 14:36 left in the game that was actually the final as they opted not to return.

TAKING OUT FRUSTRATION

The Cincinnati Bearcats had a disappointing season last year and they were out to get off to a much better start this season. Teams in this situation generally play harder later in the game and that was the case with Cincy. The Bearcats led 34-0 with a TD with :39 left in the half then AP fumbled the KO and UC got a 3rd & 14 TD pass with :09 left 1H, 41-0. At half UC had a 351-108 yd edge and QB Collaros would not play the 2H. UC led 65-3 when AP drove 71/8pl for a garbage TD with 8:06 left. UC, with 3rd string QB Kay in, went 72/11pl and tacked on a 14 yd TD run with 1:10 left for the 72-10 final. AP was just 2-9 last year and has only 8 scholarship seniors.

Texas wanted to build a new attitude this year with new coordinators and they played well vs Rice as they finished with a 506-224 yd edge. Texas had a 198-73 yd edge before allowing Rice a 50 yd drive at the end of the half and a 49 yd FG with :56 left. Rice actually pulled within 13-9 but UT put together 3 consecutive TD drives of 72/8, 99/8 and 94/11pl to go up 34-9. UT finished at the Rice 24 yd line.

MISLEADING FINALS

Clemson and Troy was a misleading final. At the half Troy had a 195-121 yard edge and with a late 61/5pl drive for a TD with :51 left in the half, took a 16-13 lead. A pair of TO’s set up Clemson for FG’s on 2 drives that combined for zero yards. CU punted to open the 3Q but then got a 54 yd pass to Allen to take the lead, 20-16. They led 26-19 with 11:20 to go when they got a 75 yd TD run by Bellamy to make it 33-19. After a punt and kick/catch interference CU took over at the Troy28 and another zero yd drive netted a 45 yd FG, 36-19. Troy fumbled and CU went 42/7pl for a TD with 1:21 left and a misleading 43-19 win. Troy had a 19-16 FD edge.

The 2H was ugly for San Jose St but in the 1H the FD’s were even with SJS having 9 and SU having 9. In fact, SU had just a 189-162 yd edge. TO’s and blown opportunities were the key. SU had a 13 yd TD “drive” after a fmbl and later a 7 yd drive for a 37 yd FG after a long PR. SJS had a 1st & gl at the 8 but settled for and missed a 23 yd FG then had a 1st & gl at the 7 and settled for a 19 yd FG. SU also had a 1 yd TD “drive” after a 39 yd FR and led 27-3 despite the game being played evenly. SJS fumbled into the EZ for a safety, was SOD on a fake punt on its own 44 and fmbl’d at their own 39 in the 2H as the game turned into a blowout.

Eastern Washington dominated the game. EW had a 30-14 and 504-250 yd edges. Washington recovered 2 fumbled punts that set up TD’s on “drives” of 23 and 27 yards. EW was SOD at the UW33 and an int set up UW for a -4 yd drive for a 47 yd FG. EW also settled for a 28 yd FG at the end of a 68 yd drive. At the half EW had a 253-137 yd edge but trailed by 7. UW punted with 1:17 left up by 3 and EW quickly drove to the UW25 for a FD. On 2&10 with :35 left, within FG range and plenty of time, they went for the win and were int’d in the EZ for a TB and UW escaped.

It was a much anticipated debut for Mike Glennon but he hit just 18-31-156 yards. NCState was actually outgained by Liberty 406-318 with the key being +7 in TO’s. NCSt scored 2 TD’s in the final 3:38 of the 1H to overcome a 7-3 deficit. The first TD was on an 82 yd PR TD, the 2nd came after a fmbl as they drove 57/10pl for a TD with :32 left. NCSt led 16-7. It was only 30-21 mid 4Q when LIB fmbl’d at their own 43. Seven plays later NCSt got a TD with 4:13 left then got a 47 yd IR to the LIB19 setting up a 1 play, 19 yd TD run with 3:29 left to give them a misleading 22 point win.

INJURIES OF NOTE

A key in the Fresno St game was that the young O-line, breaking in 4 starters, suffered a key injury as C Richard Helepiko left with an ankle inj early in the game. Pat Hill was forced to put frosh Cody Wickman in at tackle “Our center went down early and they had to make 3 moves, we weren’t intact” Hill said. “We had a guard at center and a freshman tackle”. FSU only trailed 19-14 at the half despite being outgained 310-122 as they recovered a fumble for a TD and had a 16 yd drive for a TD after another TO. They did go on a 57 yd drive and missed a 35 yd FG. In the 3Q FSU was int’d at the Cal9 and trailing 36-21 had the ball at the end but was on 4th & 2 at its own 20 lost 5 yards.

FBS VS FCS NOTES

Central Michigan only had a 13-11 FD edge vs SC State and 256-137 yd edge but won 21-6. Each team missed a FG and CM did get a 67 yd TD pass mid 2Q and led 13-6 at the half.

Temple had struggled with their city rival Villanova under Al Golden losing outright in 2009 and needing a last second FG to win in 2010. Steve Addazio’s first game saw no such difficulty as TU rolled to a 42-0 lead in their 42-7 win and they had a 475-275 yd edge with RB Bernard Pierce rushing for 127 yards.

Quarterback situations for Week 2
By Rob Veno

Quarterback news and notes following Week 1’s games.

Memphis announced freshman Taylor Reed will start Saturday's game at Arkansas State. Reed, a lefty, was 23-of-35, 149 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT in last week's loss to Mississippi State.

Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe expects quarterback Tanner Price (knee) to start Saturday against NC State.

North Texas' quarterback situation is somewhat up in the air after a dismal 41-16 loss to Florida International.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said Kevin Prince is better than 50/50 to be available for San Jose State after hurting his shoulder last week. Richard Brehaut came in for relief and threw for 264 yards.

Minnesota may use a two-quarterback rotation after freshman Max Shortell stepped in for an injured MarQueis Gray and nearly led the Golden Gophers to an upset win over USC. If Shortell plays, Gray would move over to wide receiver. Gray nabbed 42 passes for 587 yards last year.

No word on who will start for Notre Dame this weekend in Ann Arbor. Head coach Brian Kelly hinted that he'll make his decision today.

Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt wasted no time in naming Zack Stoudt the team's No. 1 QB.

UL-Lafayette first-year head coach Mark Hudspeth will reevaluate the QB position this week as the Ragin' Cajuns prepare for their trip to Kent State.

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley says Ryan Katz is still the starter though freshman Sean Mannion may see time against Wisconsin this weekend.

UConn plans on using its three-headed QB rotation moving forward.

New up-tempo offenses in Week 1
By Andrew Lange

Taking a look at some of the team’s who made offseason moves to more up-tempo offenses and how they fared in Week 1.

Ball State: First-year head coach Pete Lembo couldn’t have asked for more from quarterback Keith Wenning, who finished 23-of-29, 173 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, in BSU’s 27-20 upset win over Indiana. The run game was also effective with 210 yards on 4.6 ypc. Overall, the Cardinals ran 75 offensive plays. The game however went under the total of 53 (was bet as high as 56.5).

West Virginia: Most were expecting much more but the Mountaineers offense didn’t look all too different than previous editions in their rain-shortened win over Marshall. Quarterback Geno Smith had a solid game (26-of-35, 249 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) but the run game never got going (42 yards, 1.6 ypc). The game (34-14) likely would have gone over the total of 52.5 with nearly a full quarter left to be played before it was called. Dana Holgorsen noted prior to the contest that his offense would take time to click.

Pittsburgh: It took the Panthers a full half to even realize they were supposed to be playing up-tempo. Pitt limped into halftime up 7-3 over Buffalo before getting things rolling after the break. They put together some nice long drives in the second half and all told posted 410 yards and 35 points. Pitt ran only 66 plays while Buffalo, another team wanting to play up-tempo, ran a staggering 93 plays. Even with a 20-point fourth quarter, the contest landed under the total of 54.5.

Clemson: The Tigers were another team that started slow but finished strong. After a first quarter scoring drive of 58 yards on two plays, Clemson went FG, Punt, FG, Punt, Punt, Int, and Punt to close the half. Following another three-and-out to open the second half, quarter Tajh Boyd found his rhythm and led the Tigers to 30 second half points. Clemson finished with 468 yards as the 43-19 final helped bettors cash an easy over with 53.5.

Northern Illinois: With Jerry Kill gone, perhaps we see the Huskies become “more offense” and “less defense” this year. It sure looked that way against Army as NIU unveiled its new up-tempo, no-huddle offense and put up 49 points (in three quarters) and 509 yards on 71 plays. Army managed some garbage time points (409 total yards) to help this one fly over the total of 53.5 (49-26 final).

Big 12 Betting News and Notes
By Nick Parsons

Realignment is the talk of the town but means nothing to college football bettors. Here's what does.

Bye bye bye

Perhaps the most important factor for Big 12 bettors this week is not the five teams in action, but rather those that aren’t. Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech all have the week off. This can present value, but it also becomes tough to assess which teams benefit from a bye week.

Oklahoma should benefit from the week off as it has a key game with Florida State on September 17. The Sooners will actually face better competition this week, as Oklahoma’s practice squad is a tougher than Week 1 foe, Tulsa. The extra game film they will have of the Seminoles won’t hurt either.

The most vulnerable might be Kansas State. As 26-point favorites, the Wildcats were unimpressive in their 10-7 win over Eastern Kentucky. A game this week might have easily erased the memory of that affair and allowed the team tweak parts of their game plan.

They will play Kent State, which should manage the win over UL Lafayette this week. The Golden Flashes had the tough task of playing in Tuscaloosa in their opener and won’t be at all intimidated in the Little Apple, especially if they have momentum from a win.

Pre-Saturday affairs

The Big 12 has two key midweek non-conference games, with Arizona visiting Oklahoma State Thursday and Missouri taking on Arizona State Friday. The Las Vegas Hilton and a couple offshore books opened with Oklahoma State as a 15-point favorite. The spread has since moved down to -13 and -13.5 with early bettors taking Arizona.

The total is at 65 points, which is no doubt the result of having two of the best quarterbacks in the country take on each other in Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden. That number could rise by kickoff, with expectations of an offensive shootout. But remember expectations almost never come true (think Oregon Auburn national title).

Missouri travels to Arizona State Friday and is listed as a 8-point underdog. The Tigers only managed to beat Miami-Ohio 17-6 in Week 1, but have more than a reasonable chance of pulling off an upset versus the Sun Devils.

Saturday three pack

Saturday only has three Big 12 teams on the menu, but they all should be exciting affairs, which makes it tough for handicappers.

Iowa State is a 6.5-point underdog against Iowa. The Hawkeyes no doubt have a huge edge in talent and have attracted the majority of wagers. The Cyclones barely got past Northern Iowa with a 20-19 win in their opener and new QB Steel Jantz threw three interceptions. One has to wonder though why this spread isn’t in double digits.

Texas plays host to BYU and is listed as a 7-point favorite. The key concern for the Longhorns will be BYU QB Jake Heaps. Not much should be held against BYU’s narrow one-point victory over Ole Miss. The Cougars struggled for three quarters but slowly became more comfortable scoring all 14 of their points in the final 10 minutes.

Maybe the most value this week is on Kansas as a 6.5-point underdog against Northern Illinois. The Huskies of the MAC showed good offensive form in their 49-26 win over Army, but the Jayhawks are much improved from last year. McNeese State is obviously not an accurate measuring point, but QB Jordan Webb looked confident in the pocket and James Sims ensures that opposing defenses will be honest.

College football Top 25 Betting Cheat Sheet: Week 1
By Adam Thompson

Find out the facts for every Top 25 college football matchup on the Week 2 board in the weekly cheat sheet.

Thursday

Arizona Wildcats at Oklahoma State Cowboys (-12.5, 60)

Why Arizona will cover: OSU allowed 34 points by Louisiana-Lafayette last week, which bodes well for the Wildcats’ rebuilding offense.

Why Oklahoma State will cover: The Cowboys unloaded 61 points last week – but didn’t cover. A young defense should have learned a lot from Week 1. Arizona was just 4-8 ATS in 2010.

Points: How Arizona will slow OSU is a mystery. But the Wildcats have the potential to keep up.

Friday

Missouri Tigers at Arizona State Sun Devils (+6, 49)

Why Missouri will cover: The Tigers’ offense struggled in a 17-6 win over Miami-Ohio, but fireworks are still expected from this unit.

Why Arizona State will cover: ASU has the quickness on defense to keep up, and the offense, led by an experienced offensive line, and could wear down Mizzou. ASU was a shocking 8-1-1 ATS in 2010.

Points: Both teams have offenses that can put up big numbers.

Saturday

Florida Atlantic Owls at Michigan State Spartans (-33, 48)

Why Florida Atlantic will cover: MSU won’t throw anything out that the Owls didn’t see at Florida last week (of course, the 35-point underdog Owls lost by 38). And they only lost 30-17 to the Spartans last year.

Why Michigan State will cover: The defense should be suffocating and the offense is loaded. MSU may have the spread covered by halftime.

Points: Michigan State may have to do close to all of the scoring, a tough proposition.

Toledo Rockets at Ohio State Buckeyes (-21.5, 53)

Why Toledo will cover: One of the top teams in the MAC, Toledo returns 17 starters and could present problems for a still-meshing OSU squad, at least early on.

Why Ohio State will cover: OSU looked better than expected in last week’s opening victory. And the team gets key players back from suspension. Plus, these two teams played two seasons ago, with OSU winning 38-0. Other Ohio teams don’t fare well in Columbus.

Points: The over in Toledo games in was 8-5 last year. The over also hit in Ohio State’s first four games last season.

Oregon State Beavers at Wisconsin Badgers (-13.5, 60)

Why Oregon State will cover: The Badgers didn’t cover in an easy win over UNLV last week, and went 0-5 ATS in its first five games last year. Spread attacks have bothered Wisconsin. And you’re not going to find a more determined team to erase the memory of a Week 1 loss (Sacramento State).

Why Wisconsin will cover: The Beavers return just three starters from a 64th-ranked defense, including one in their front seven. Not good news against UW’s punishing ground attack.

Points: The over hit in the Beavers’ first six games of ’2010. The Badgers scored under 30 points only once last season.

Mississippi State Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers (+1, 62)

Why Mississippi State will cover: The Bulldogs looked great in a 59-17 thrashing over Memphis, while the Tigers would have lost to Utah State it not for a recovered onside kick. Its offense returned eight starters from 2010 and is expecting a breakout year.

Why Auburn will cover: Redemption will be a big motivator for Auburn. Auburn is 7-2 ATS vs. MSU its last nine meetings. We’ll see how Mississippi State reacts to being a SEC road favorite.

Points: Auburn will need to improve across the board to get over this total, but that’s possible.

Stanford Cardinal at Duke Blue Devils (+20, 58)

Why Stanford will cover: The Cardinal scored 35 points or more in all but one game last year. How is Duke going to handle that offense?

Why Duke will cover: The Blue Devils should be able to throw the ball this season. It didn’t happen well enough in Week 1 in a loss to Richmond. But if they can score 3-4 times, that forces Stanford to score in the 50s.

Points: Stanford’s going to score a ton. The question is whether Duke holds up its bargain and put a few points on the board.

TCU Horned Frogs at Air Force Falcons (+7, 61)

Why TCU will cover: TCU poured on 48 points against Baylor last week, but has something to prove defensively. Air Force might get caught in a TCU rampage.

Why Air Force will cover: Teams not ready for the Falcons’ triple-option can get burnt big time. And its defense is better than most think, despite limited size up front.

Points: Both teams have offenses that can spell trouble, but both have defenses that are motivated to improve upon last week’s effort.

Nevada Wolf Pack at Oregon Ducks (-22, 63)

Why Nevada will cover: Nevada is coming off a strong 13-1 campaign and wants to prove that Boise State isn’t the only mid-major program with annual big-boy beating chops. Plus, LSU exposed major flaws in Oregon last week.

Why Oregon will cover: The Ducks piled on lesser teams in 2010, and should be angry following the national TV embarrassment to LSU.

Points: It’s hard to imagine Oregon’s offense getting shut down as it did last week. Nevada can score, too.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Penn State Nittany Lions (+12, 49)

Why Alabama will cover: Loaded on both sides, Alabama should be too much for Penn State to hang with. The Tide went 4-0 ATS in non-conference games last year, so they don’t wait for the SEC to get physical. PSU’s run defense is suspect.

Why Penn State will cover: The Lions got shut down by the Tide last year 24-3, but now the series is in Happy Valley and PSU has something to prove. A potential strong run unit could take Alabama out of its game.

Points: Both teams have the potential to put up big numbers, but both have the defenses to hold the other down. Has the potential to be a grinder.

Virginia Tech Hokies at East Carolina Pirates (+19, 67)

Why Virginia Tech will cover: The Hokies didn’t take Appalachian State for granted, like it did in a loss to James Madison last season. They were still an impressive 10-3 ATS in 2010. Virginia Tech will run, run, run, and ECU was among the nation’s worst at defending the rush last year.

Why East Carolina will cover: Neat stat of the day: The Pirates went 6-0 in games it covered and 0-7 in games it didn’t in 2010. The Pirates hung with South Carolina before running out of gas in the second half.

Points: Judging by Week 1’s results, there should be loads of scores, especially from the Hokies.

South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Bulldogs (+1, 54)

Why South Carolina will cover: The Gamecocks have covered in their last four games against the Bulldogs. Once they made a QB change in their opener, the offense steamrolled to 56 points.

Why Georgia will cover: Despite coming off a down year, it’s always tough to win between the hedges (5-1 at home). USC’s defense is definitely suspect.

Points: The over hit in five of the Gamecocks’ first six games of 2010. Based on the Gamecocks’ efforts so far, both teams should put it in the end zone.

BYU Cougars at Texas Longhorns (-5, 47)

Why BYU will cover: BYU returns nine starters on offense and has a defense that grounded Ole Miss in a 14-13 victory in Week 1. Texas has great underclassmen, but they’re just that; inexperienced underclassmen.

Why Texas will cover: BYU is 1-5 ATS in its last six games. Plus, the Longhorns are on a mission to prove last year’s 5-7 mark was a fluke.

Points: Both teams will rely on stout defenses early on, which could limit scoring overall.

Fresno State Bulldogs at Nebraska Cornhuskers (-24. 52)

Why Fresno State will cover: Sophomore QB Derek Carr is supposed to be the real deal. We’ll find out Saturday.

Why Nebraska will cover: The Bulldogs are young and very inexperienced, which plays into Big Red’s hands, especially in Lincoln.

Points: Fresno couldn’t slow down a mediocre Cal team last week, and now gets an explosive Nebraska crew. Carr could lead the Bulldogs to a few scores.

New Mexico Lobos at Arkansas Razorbacks (-41, 52)

Why New Mexico will cover: It’s a big spread and the Lobos surprised some by holding Colorado State to just 14 points (in a 14-10 loss) and covering.

Why Arkansas will cover: In a 10-win season, the Razorbacks were 9-3 ATS. Their offense should go wild on a Lobos defense that ranks among the nation’s worst.

Points: It would be surprising, but not shocking, to see Arkansas top the total by itself.

UAB Blazers at Florida Gators (-24, 53)

Why UAB will cover: UAB can throw the ball effectively and should have one of C-USA’s top offenses. The Blazers lost to two SEC teams last year, but only by a combined eight points.

Why Florida will cover: The Gators hit the ground running last week under a new coach and system. Confidence should be high and the Gators have the talent to pull away by halftime.

Points: While Florida can score in a hurry, its main focus has been shoring up the defense. That will be tested against a free-wheeling Blazers squad.

SEC Betting News and Notes
By Ted Sevransky

Barking Bulldogs

Mississippi State came out on fire against hapless Memphis last week. The Bulldogs offense gained 405 total yards by halftime en route to a school-record 645 total yards for the game. Dan Mullen’s squad gained a whopping 9.3 yards per play.

“A lot of big plays, which is great. I love big plays. I love all those explosive plays. I want us to be a little cleaner. What we've got to do is keep all the positives out of this game, and clean up on the negatives as we continue to move forward,” Mullen told the media.

The 59 points they hung on the Tigers came on the heels of the 52 they hung on Michigan in the Gator Bowl to close out last season. It was the most points they have scored away from Starkville since 1936. For a team that averaged just 15 points per game as recently as 2008, this is a major offensive turnaround.

Mullen acknowledged that his team is a touchdown favorite for this week’s road game at Auburn.

“Does that line mean they’re going to put seven points on the scoreboard when we show up? I’m not much into gambling,” he said.

Lucky Tigers

Mississippi State’s opponent this week is the defending national champ. Auburn was more lucky than good to escape with a four-point win against a Utah State squad that went 4-8 last year, matching the most wins the Aggies have had in any season over the past decade.

“Offensively and defensively we're a long way off of being able to win very many games right now… In that regard, we were thrilled that we won the game,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik told the media. “Everybody who saw the game realizes that we did not play well as a football team. There's no excuse for that.”

Tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen caught the game winning touchdown in the final minute following a well-executed onside kick recovery. Lutzenkirchen made it clear that his team might have overlooked the Utah State throughout the summer months.

“We were wrong for thinking coming in that they might be a cupcake team and they really ran it down our throat the first half. We got lucky with this one,” he said.

Auburn is currently a 6.5-point home underdog to Mississippi State Saturday, with the total set at 56.5.

Cocks explode

Things didn’t start well for South Carolina in their neutral-site tilt against the East Carolina Pirates last Saturday. In the days leading up to the game, notoriously-fickle head coach Steve Spurrier announced that he was not going to start senior QB Stephen Garcia because Garcia had been outplayed in practice by sophomore Connor Shaw. That plan backfired immediately as the Gamecocks trailed 17-0 by midway through the second quarter, losing two fumbles and going three-and-out twice on their first four drives.

Spurrier benched Shaw at that point in favor of Garcia. After all, Shaw had gone 3 for 9 for just 21 yards and was responsible for one of the lost fumbles. With Garcia in the contest, the Gamecocks exploded for eight touchdowns in the next 30 minutes.

“I don't know if this was my best game as a Gamecock, but we needed this win, for sure, especially for us to come back and win after that first quarter,” Garcia told the media.

Garcia’s stats weren’t pretty, going 7 for 15 for 110 passing yards against a bottom-tier C-USA defense, while scrambling for 56 yards on five carries, including a pair of touchdown runs.

South Carolina’s defense forced five turnovers, including an Antonio Allen fumble return touchdown that broke the game open after halftime. Ace Sanders also had a punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving USC a defensive score and a special-teams score.

The Gamecocks still didn’t cover the spread as 21-point chalk, indicating that they might be a tad bit overvalued as 3-point road favorites against Georgia this Saturday. The total is set at 51.5.

“SEC play hasn't even started,” said UGA head coach Mark Richt. “It's a long season. We've got to get our minds right. A game like this (the Bulldogs’ loss to Boise last Saturday), no question, we know more about our football team than if we played someone and beat them by 40. Hopefully that translates into us learning how to play better in these type of games and better see where our weaknesses are.”