Five Things You Need to Know for Sat., Sept.22
Atssportsline.com
Five Things You Need to Know in Sports
Want to start your day off right? Looking for the most interesting events of the day and a few games to lay action on? This day is all about college football. Let's take a look at the top five matchups of the day.
1)#9 Clemson (3-0) at #4 Florida State (3-0), 8pmET at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla. (ABC)
Last year: CLEMSON (-2’) over Florida State, 35-30. This is a matchup of two top-10 ACC teams. FSU brings the best defense in the nation and a lot of swag after shutting out Wake Forest, 52-0 last week. Clemson has some weapons on offense, but their defense is ranked 34th and that’s after playing Auburn, Ball State and Furman. QB E.J. Manuel leads the offense, along with RB Chris Thompson, who rushed for 197 yards on nine carries last week. Home team is 9-2 TS L11 in series. Florida State is a 14-point favorite and the total is 55.5.
2)Missouri (2-1) at #8 South Carolina (3-0), Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC., 3:30pmET (CBS)
This is Missouri's first-ever SEC road game. QB Connor Shaw is back after an injured shoulder to replace Dylan Thompson for So. Carolina. That will be a nice addition to one of the best running games in the nation led by Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore. Missouri starting QB James Franklin sat out Missouri’s 24-20 win over Arizona State and will likely play in. South Carolina is 4-1 ATS L5 before playing Kentucky. South Carolina is a 10.5-point favorite with a total of 48.5.
3)#2 LSU (3-0) at Auburn (1-2), Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala, 7pmET (ESPN)
Last year: LSU (-20’) over Auburn, 45-10. LSU has outscored its first three opponents 145-31. LSU has won 16 straight regular season games. Auburn is off to their worst start since 2007. They are trying to avoid a 1-3 start for the first time since 1998.They did defeat UL Monroe last week but it took them an overtime period. Arkansas is 2-5 ATS L7 SEC openers. LSU is 14-4-2 ATS L20 in first SEC game. LSU is a 20.5-point favorite with a total of 49.
4)#13 Kansas State (3-0) at #5 Oklahoma (2-0), Memorial Stadium, Norman, Ok., 7:30pmET, (FOX)
Last year: Oklahoma (-13’) over KANSAS STATE, 58-17. Kansas State struggled last week, barely defeating North Texas by 14, laying 27. They may have been looking ahead to this matchup. They were embarrassed last year at home and have payback on their minds. OU struggled early against UTEP last week, winning 24-7. QB Collin Klein threw for 230 yards last week and ran for 85 yards. Defensively, both teams are strong against the run. This could be one of the best games of the day. Oklahoma is 1-8 ATS L9 at home in series. Oklahoma is a 15-point favorite with a total of 57.
5)#17 Michigan (2-1) at #15 Notre Dame (3-0), Notre Dame Stadium,South Bend, Ind., 7:30pmET (NBC)
Last year: MICHIGAN (+3’) over Notre Dame, 35-31. The Fighting Irish are seeking their first 4-0 start since 2002. This is the second of four ranked opponents Notre Dame will play in a six-game stretch. While they’ve had trouble defending Denard Robinson in the past but this is the best Notre Dame defense in a long time. They completely clamped down on Michigan State last week, defeating them 20-3. QB Everett Golson has been a surprise, throwing for 611 yards, while RB Theo Reddick leads with 190 yards. Michigan will need another huge game from Robinson and for their defense to step up. Michigan is 5-15-1 ATS L21 road games. Notre Dame is a 6-point favorite with a total of 49.