The Bum's October College Football Best Bets-Trends-News-Stats !

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAF

Saturday, October 11


Sloppy conditions in store for Red River Rivalry

Oklahoma and Texas are set to do battle in another chapter in the Red River Rivalry, but conditions will be far from optimal. Starting late Friday night a thunderstorm is set to drop 2-3 inches of rain on the Cotton Bowl.

The clouds and thundershowers are expected to last all-day Saturday and will create messy field conditions for the Sooners and Longhorns.


Bears lone home blemish came against TCU

There has been few teams as dominant at home as Baylor. In the Bears last 22 home games, the team is 21-1 straight up and 19-2 against the spread. Their lone straight-up loss, as well as one of their ATS losses, came against at the hands of TCU in 2012.

The Bears are 8-point home faces Saturday.


ECU's defense quietly producing great numbers

East Carolina has made headlines this year for their high-flying offense, but due to that, their defense has gotten severely overlooked.

The Pirates have only allowed 106.4 rushing yards per game, and have held three of their opponents this season to less than a 2.9 yards per rush average.

East Carolina travels to Tampa for a date with South Florida Saturday. ECU is currently 17-point road faves with a total of 58 for the matchup.


Georgia Tech finding little opposition in Duke

Georgia Tech is ranked for the first time since 2011 and if history is any indication, Duke may not provide a challenge. The Yellow Jackets are 10-0 straight-up and 8-2 against the spread in the past 10 years against the Blue Devils.

Georgia Tech has outscored the Duke 373-161 over that span, an average point differential of 21 points per game.

The Yellow Jackets are 3-point favorites Saturday.


Injuries making Duke's defensive line thin

Not only will the Blue Devils be without DE Dezmond Johnson for the third straight game, they will also be without DL Jamal Wallace. With both those players out, it will leave Duke with a four-man end rotation according to the Charlotte Observer.

Duke's opponent this week, Georgia Tech, is averaging 410.2 yards per game in their spread option attack.


North Carolina seeking its first ATS win

North Carolina has been a terrible spread play this season, going 0-5 ATS in their first five games. The Tar Heels, along with UConn, are the only two teams in the nation yet to cover.

That's a trend that won't inspire much confidence for UNC backers ahead of their Week 6 matchup with No. 5 Notre Dame Saturday.

The Fighting Irish are currently -16.5 faves with the total set at 64.5.


Alabama struggling to cover following a loss

The perennially dominant Alabama Crimson Tide aren't used to dropping games, but when they do, their backers have been losing as well.

After falling 23-17 to Ole Miss in Week 5, Alabama will try to bounce back against Arkansas in Week 7. In their last 15 games following a loss, Bama is just 3-12 against the spread.

Arkansas is currently nine-point home dogs for the matchup. The total is presently 56.


Ole Miss covering after beating Bama

In the wake of Ole Miss' 23-17 Week 5 victory over Alabama, the No. 4 ranked Rebels looked to be in a possible letdown spot this week versus Texas A&M. Recent history shows that may not be the case, however.

Last week marked just the third time since the year 2000 that Mississippi has knocked off the Crimson Tide. In games following those victories which came in 2001 and 2003, the Rebels won straight up and covered the spread in the process.

No. 14 Texas A&M is currently 2.5-point home favorites with the total set at 65.


Auburn in tough for remainder of schedule

The No. 2 ranked Auburn Tigers have started out the college football season on a great note by winning all five of their opening games, but thanks to the schedule makers, things won't be getting any easier for the club.

Many college football pundits believe Auburn has the hardest schedule of any team in the loop, as five of their remaining seven games are against Top 25 teams. The Tigers face off against No. 6 Mississippi State Saturday.

According to ESPN, Auburn has four games remaining on their schedule with a projected winning percentage lower than 60 percent, including their Week 6 clash against the Bulldogs (59.4 percent).

Mississippi State is currently listed as 3-point home dogs with a total of 64.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAF

Saturday, October 11

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Game of the Day: Auburn at Mississippi State
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Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (+3, 64)

Another week, another SEC West showdown for No. 6 Mississippi State, which welcomes No. 2 Auburn to Starkville for a clash of undefeated teams. The Bulldogs have climbed to their highest ranking ever with back-to-back wins over top-10 teams LSU (34-29) and Texas A&M (48-31), running their winning streak to eight games. The gauntlet continues against an Auburn team that routed LSU 41-7 a week ago

Each of Mississippi State's opponents this season has entered the game unbeaten and left with a defeat, but the Tigers have won five of the past six meetings and 11 of 13, including a 24-20 victory last year in Auburn. "They will be the best team we've played so far," Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen told reporters. "Their guys know how to win. They've played in big games and know how to play in big games." The Tigers also know how to win conference games — they've won nine straight against SEC opponents and are the defending league champions.

TV: 3:40 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Auburn -3.

LINE HISTORY: The opening line was Auburn -3 then dropped to Auburn -2.5 for a short while before rebounding to the opening spread. The total has jumped a full point, opening at 53 and now sitting at 64.

INJURY REPORT: Auburn - OL Patrick Miller (Ques-Undisclosed) Mississippi State - WR Jameon Lewis (Prob-Leg), K Devon Bell (Prob-Undisclosed)

WEATHER REPORT: Weather for kickoff is calling for clouds with temperatures near the 85°F. Weather for the region is calling for thuunderstorms and rain for Friday as well.

ABOUT AUBURN (5-0, 2-0 SEC): The Tigers continue to roll up impressive offensive numbers with dual-threat quarterback Nick Marshall leading the way. Marshall, who has accounted for 1,147 total yards and 12 TDs, passed for a career-high 339 yards and two TDs in last year's meeting but has relied more on his legs since then. Auburn's defense has been overshadowed, but the Tigers rank ninth in the nation in scoring defense (14.4) and 14th in total defense (306.6).

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (5-0, 2-0): The Bulldogs have established themselves as an offensive powerhouse, as well, racking up over 500 total yards in six straight games dating to last year's Liberty Bowl. Quarterback Dak Prescott has emerged as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, amassing 455 rushing yards and six TDs to go with 1,232 passing yards with 13 TDs and two interceptions. The Bulldogs have been tough against the run — ranking 12th nationally at 98.2 yards per game — but have surrendered a whopping 328.2 passing yards per contest.

TRENDS:

*Tigers are 10-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
*Bulldogs are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
*Over is 9-2 in Tigers last 11 games on grass.
*Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Mississippi State.

CONSENSUS: 55.65 percent of users are on Auburn -3 with 55.2 percent backing the over.

[StarDust Bum]

TCU-Baylor steal Lone Star state spotlight

October 10, 2014


The biggest game in Texas this weekend is nowhere near a Ferris wheel - though there are plenty of places in Waco to stuff yourself with sloppy fried foods if that's what you want.

No. 9 TCU turned the Red River Rivalry into an opening act for the Horned Frogs matchup against No. 5 Baylor, when they upset Oklahoma last week.

Sure, the Sooners and Texas will draw plenty of attention for their annual meeting at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair, but the 110th game between TCU and Baylor - the first when both teams are ranked - will have far more impact on who wins the Big 12.

For Baylor a huge game in their glitzy new on-campus stadium, the first top-10 matchup in Waco since 1956, is another step in the evolution of a program that for years resided in the Big 12 basement.

''It's exactly the stage we want to be where we all kind of want to be, to play the big games and lot on the line for us, as far as nationally, but at the end of the game, it's still just another game,'' Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty said. ''We want to dominate and we want to win. It's good for us as far as we're kind of getting there. We're making steps and making strides. It's just another part of it.''

For TCU, the Oklahoma win represented a rebirth of sort. After years of dominance in this conference and that, the Horned Frogs slipped upon arrival to the Big 12.

Now in Year 3 it seems they are ready to be contenders again.

If TCU can pull off a second straight upset of the Big 12's preseason favorites, the Horned Frogs should make another huge leap in the rankings and grab firm control of the conference race. Quite a turnaround after going 4-8 last season, Gary Patterson's worst in 14 years as TCU coach.

''After beating Oklahoma, it probably put a target on us because they were probably one of the top-ranked teams in the country coming in,'' TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin said. ''Us competing with those guys and having a chance to beat those guys probably put us on the map.''

Some things to watch for when TCU and Baylor - yes, TCU and Baylor - play for first-place in the Big 12.

SPREAD'EM OUT: TCU's new spread offense is suiting Boykin fine. He leads the Big 12 in total yards per game at 359 and is the Frogs' leading rusher at 65 yards per game. He's blossoming into the player Patterson always hoped he could become. And he's already got a victory at Baylor on his resume. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Boykin passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns in his first-career road start and ran for a touchdown in the 49-21 victory. The Bears have won 12 straight home games since.

BEARS DOWN? Baylor leads the nation in scoring at 51.0 points per game and is No. 2 in total offense at 590.6 yards per game, but the Bears sputtered last week in a 28-7 victory at Texas. Petty was 7 for 22 for only 111 yards and said his head was spinning after the game. What gives?

''That's what I said, but it was just kind of an in the moment kind of quote,'' Petty said. ''Watching tape, everything I saw on tape is what I saw on the field. I guess I was kind of searching for answers I guess after the game. As far as defensively wise, they played a good game, but just as far as the flow of the game it called for more runs. I was more or less disappointed in myself and how I played. I kind of hold myself to a high standard so, not to say you misquoted me because you didn't, but I guess how I said it wasn't the right way to say it.''

BLUE PRINT: The Longhorns forced Baylor to settle for small bites instead of big chunks of yardage. If that's the blue print to slowing down the Bears' warp-speed offense, it looked familiar to Patterson.

''If you want to know the truth about it, I saw similarities to what we've done over the last couple of years, so I'm not sure they were the blueprint,'' he said. ''You've got to be able to stop them, got to be able tackle and you've got to play the run, and you've got to stop them from throwing it over your head and moving the football.''

EATS: Locals will tell you the Crazy Wings at George's, chicken, cheese and jalapeno peppers, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, hold their own against anything you can get at the fair.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Royals 8, Orioles 6 (10)-- KC won last three road games, all on home runs in extra innings- that has to be some kind of a record.

-- Turns out the Chargers don't want LA getting another NFL team.

-- UNLV 30, Fresno State 27-- Rebels' first win over Fresno since 1984, when Randall Cunningham was UNLV's quarterback.

-- Bronx Bombers fired hitting coach Kevin Long, because every lousy season has to have a scapegoat. Somehow, GM Brian Cashman got a 3-year extension.

-- Arizona QB Drew Stanton was cleared to play Sunday, but Carson Palmer is also improving and could start. At least Logan Thomas won't have to play.

-- So where does Florida QB Treon Harris go for an apology? It was headlines when he was accused of sexual assault; now that charges are dropped, the story isn't getting quite as much attention. Go figure.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Michael Vick admitted this week that he was unprepared to play against the Chargers Sunday; he is 34, apparently stealing money as a backup QB, just cashing checks as he tries to replenish the fortune he squandered due to his off-field problems.

How can the Jets possibly keep him? He’s a lousy example for Geno Smith, which is the main reason they should cut his ass, bring their practice squad QB in as the backup, then sign another QB to the practice squad. I mean its October 11 and guys have quit on the season already? Yikes.

12) Somebody had a screenshot of Jon Gruden’s yearbook from his college days at Dayton. One of his career goals: “To be the head (football) coach at Michigan”. In a few short weeks, one phone call might get that done.

11) Cavaliers-Heat don’t play for real until Christmas, but they’re playing an exhibition game this weekend, in Brazil. You get the idea the NBA uses October as a time to sell a lot of jerseys/t-shirts overseas by having teams go there in person.

10) Dicey situation for the Syracuse football program, which demoted its offensive coordinator this week. Problem with that is, the guy is also the recruiting coordinator, so you’ve basically told your recruiting coordinator to go look for another job while he is, you know….still coordinating your recruiting, which is the lifeline of any program. Staff meetings must be a lot of fun there these days.

9) Speaking of Syracuse, wonder what Bills’ head coach (former Syracuse coach) Doug Marrone thought of his players carrying their defensive coordinator off the field on their shoulders after the win in Detroit last week? In Week 5? I know Jim Schwartz used to coach the Lions, but not like he got a raw deal there or anything.

8) Giants won three of four games against the Nationals in the NLDS, despite scoring three or less runs in all four games. Memo to Theo Epstein: pitching is still most important element in baseball, not stockpiling minor league shortstops.

7) Speaking of the Giants, will the wild pitch Washington threw on the intentional walk Tuesday have an impact on baseball’s wanting to institute a pitchless intentional walk? It technically wasn’t a wild pitch, since Posey got thrown out at the plate, but it was one of the most interesting plays of the whole game.

6) Former Northwestern/Colorado coach Gary Barnett threw his hat in the ring for the vacant Kansas job; Barnett was the coach who revived the Northwestern program when it had been a joke for years—current Wildcat coach Pat Fitzgerald played linebacker for the Rose Bowl team Barnett coached.

But Kansas? No way Barnett gets that job; Jayhawks ain’t hiring a Missouri alum to be their coach, and Barnett went to college in Columbia.

5) Colts owner Jim Irsay’s suspension ended after Thursday night’s game in Houston, but what exactly does a team owner do anyway? Will Irsay start tweeting again? Will he bring donuts in? Sit in coach’s meetings? You wonder if his absence for six games had any tangible impact at all.

4) Former Florida Gulf Coast big man Eric McKnight wanted to transfer to Tennessee to play as a graduate student for new coach Donnie Tyndall, but the admissions people at Tennessee put the kibosh on him, for whatever reason; there are varying reports of why he left FGCU and there are some doubts if he’s good enough to make a difference at Tennessee anyway.

McKnight has surfaced at Long Beach State, where he will definitely help plug the hole in the middle of the 49ers’ defense in the Big West, which is way closer to Atlantic Sun’s level of play than the SEC is.

3) Definitely a pleasure to watch Warriors-Clippers the other night and hear the friendly voice of Ralph Lawler, who does Clipper games with Mike Smith. Lawler suffered for a long time broadcasting terrible Clipper teams; its good to hear him have some fun broadcasting these days.

2) Media picks/chooses who they praise and who they trash. New Marquette coach Steve Wojciehowski signed a top recruit this week, at least in part because he had signed the kid’s older brother as a transfer from Minnesota earlier this summer. It is definitely legal, but in an ethical gray area.

If John Calipari or Scott Drew does that, the media trashes them and implies all kinds of chicanery; a Dukie does it, then he’s a brilliant recruiter who knows how to exploit the rules to his advantage. Go figure.

1) Thru the first five weeks of the NFL season, 15 touchdowns had been called back by penalty, compared to 11 at this time last year. Doesn’t seem like much of a difference, four, but it is a 36.4% increase, which is a lot.

NFL is ridiculously over-officiated, the refs have become potential TV stars; their jobs are so micro-managed it has to be very difficult to do the job well. Whatever happened to the old axiom that the best officials are the ones you never notice?

[StarDust Bum]

CFB > (153) AUBURN@ (154) MISSISSIPPI ST | 10/11/2014 - 03:30 PM

Play ON AUBURN using the against the spread off a win against a conference rival
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+9 units)

CFB > (147) TCU@ (148) BAYLOR | 10/11/2014 - 03:30 PM

Play ON BAYLOR using the against the spread in home games
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+9 units)

CFB > (197) CONNECTICUT@ (198) TULANE | 10/11/2014 - 08:00 PM

Play ON TULANE using the against the spread against conference opponents
The record is 8 Wins and 0 Losses for the last three seasons (+8 units)

CFB > (195) OLD DOMINION@ (196) UTEP | 10/11/2014 - 08:00 PM

Play AGAINST UTEP using the against the spread after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses
The record is 1 Wins and 10 Losses for the last three seasons (-10 units)

CFB > (129) ILLINOIS@ (130) WISCONSIN | 10/11/2014 - 12:00 PM

Play AGAINST ILLINOIS using the against the spread in road games
The record is 1 Wins and 10 Losses for the last three seasons (-10 units)

CFB > (159) ALABAMA@ (160) ARKANSAS | 10/11/2014 - 06:00 PM

Play ON ARKANSAS using the against the spread in a home game where the total is between 52.5 and 56
The record is 15 Wins and 3 Losses for the since 1992 (+11.7 units)

CFB > (123) MASSACHUSETTS@ (124) KENT ST | 10/11/2014 - 02:00 PM

Play AGAINST KENT ST using the against the spread in home games
The record is 0 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (-7.7 units)

CFB > (121) MIDDLE TENN ST@ (122) MARSHALL | 10/11/2014 - 12:00 PM

Play ON MARSHALL using the against the spread in home games
The record is 7 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+7 units)

CFB > (135) BUFFALO@ (136) E MICHIGAN | 10/11/2014 - 01:00 PM

Play ON BUFFALO using the against the spread when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 7 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+7 units)

CFB > (119) TULSA@ (120) TEMPLE | 10/11/2014 - 12:00 PM

Play AGAINST TULSA using the against the spread when playing on a Saturday
The record is 2 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (-10.1 units)

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECORD:

12- 3 - 1........................*****

7 - 5..............................DOUBLE PLAY

5- 9...............................TRIPLE PLAY

1 - 5........................LIGHTS OUT :-((


RATED PLAYS AND OPINIONS

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/10/14 1-*5-*0 16.67% -*2250 Detail

10/09/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

10/04/14 27-*22-*2 55.10% +*1400 Detail

10/03/14 3-*3-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/02/14 4-*2-*0 66.67% +*900 Detail

Totals 37-*32-*2 53.62% +900



Saturday, October 11

Game Score Status Pick Amount

UL Monroe - 12:00 PM ET UL Monroe +21 500
Kentucky -

Northwestern - 12:00 PM ET Northwestern +3.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Minnesota -

Georgia - 12:00 PM ET Georgia -3 500 *****
Missouri -

Florida State - 12:00 PM ET Florida State -23 500
Syracuse -

Texas - 12:00 PM ET Oklahoma -17 500
Oklahoma -

Tulsa - 12:00 PM ET Temple -17 500 LIGHTS OUT
Temple -

Illinois - 12:00 PM ET Wisconsin -26 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Wisconsin -

Middle Tennessee - 12:00 PM ET Marshall -23.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Marshall -


Indiana - 12:00 PM ET Indiana +3.5 500 *****
Iowa -

Cincinnati - 12:00 PM ET Miami -17.5 500
Miami -

West Virginia - 12:00 PM ET West Virginia -6 500 *****
Texas Tech -

Rice - 12:00 PM ET Army +2.5 500 *****
Army -

Duke - 12:30 PM ET Georgia Tech -3 500 *****
Georgia Tech -

[Kaptain]

gl My BRUDDA..........thanks

[StarDust Bum]

Late Afternoon Games:


Buffalo - 1:00 PM ET Buffalo -14.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Eastern Michigan -

Bowling Green - 2:00 PM ET Ohio +1 500
Ohio -

Miami (Ohio) - 2:00 PM ET Akron -16.5 500
Akron -

Arkansas State - 2:00 PM ET Georgia State +10 500
Georgia State -

Massachusetts - 2:00 PM ET Massachusetts +3 500 *****
Kent State -

Western Michigan - 3:00 PM ET Western Michigan -1 500 *****
Ball State -

New Mexico State - 3:00 PM ET New Mexico State +7 500
Troy -

North Texas - 3:30 PM ET Alabama-Birmingham -6.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Alabama-Birmingham -

Oregon - 3:30 PM ET UCLA +2 500 TRIPLE PLAY
UCLA -

Toledo - 3:30 PM ET Toledo +3.5 500
Iowa State -

Boston College - 3:30 PM ET North Carolina State -3 500 LIGHTS OUT
North Carolina State -

Louisville - 3:30 PM ET Louisville +9.5 500 *****
Clemson -

Texas Christian - 3:30 PM ET Baylor -7 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Baylor -

Auburn - 3:30 PM ET Mississippi State +2.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Mississippi State -

Michigan State - 3:30 PM ET Michigan State -22 500 LIGHTS OUT
Purdue -

North Carolina - 3:30 PM ET Notre Dame -17 500
Notre Dame -

Oklahoma State - 4:00 PM ET Kansas +20.5 500
Kansas -

Central Michigan - 5:00 PM ET Northern Illinois -9.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Northern Illinois -

Alabama - 6:00 PM ET Alabama -9.5 500 *****
Arkansas -

Washington - 6:00 PM ET California -3.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
California -

Idaho - 6:00 PM ET Georgia Southern -24.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Georgia Southern -

[Udog]

Good luck today, Bum! Have fun!

[StarDust Bum]

Good Luck to you also buddy.........

[KazDog]

Good luck today SDB! Nice looking card!

[StarDust Bum]

Evening Rated Plays:


East Carolina - 7:00 PM ET South Florida +16.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
South Florida -

Houston - 7:00 PM ET Memphis -7.5 500 LIGHTS OUT
Memphis -

Florida International - 7:00 PM ET Florida International +9.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas-San Antonio -

Penn State - 7:00 PM ET Michigan -2.5 500
Michigan -

Louisiana State - 7:30 PM ET Florida -1 500
Florida -

Charleston Southern - 7:30 PM ET Charleston Southern +19.5 500
Vanderbilt -

Connecticut - 8:00 PM ET Tulane -3.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Tulane -

Old Dominion - 8:00 PM ET Old Dominion +3 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Texas El Paso -

Mississippi - 9:00 PM ET Mississippi +3 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas A&M -

Air Force - 10:15 PM ET Air Force +7 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Utah State -

Southern California - 10:30 PM ET Arizona +2 500 *****
Arizona -

Colorado State - 10:30 PM ET Nevada +2.5 500
Nevada -

Wyoming - 11:59 PM ET Hawaii -6.5 500 *****
Hawaii -

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.......

13) USC 28, Arizona 26-- Pressure does strange things to people; Arizona's kicker shanked a 36-yard FG with 0:13 left, saving USC from a monumental collapse and its third loss of the year. Arizona scored a TD but missed on 2-point play, before recovering an onside kick that set up the final sequence.

12) Baylor 61, TCU 58-- Horned Frogs led 58-37 with 11:38 left but lost, as Petty passed for 510 yards and six TDs to keep Baylor unbeaten. Bears gained 782 total yards in this game- only time they led was at final gun.

11) Minnesota 24, Northwestern 17-- Wildcats tied game with 7:32 left, Gophers ran ensuing kick back for winning TD.

Oklahoma State 27, Kansas 20-- Jayhawks tied game with 6:55 left, Cowboys ran the ensuing kickoff back for winning TD.

10) Oklahoma 31, Texas 26-- Sooners led 17-13 at half despite being outgained by Texas, 278-29- they scored TDs on defense/special teams.Teams are now 1-57 this season when they're outgained by 200+ yards in first half. Texas is 1-5, their worst start since 1956, the year before Darrell Royal took over.

9) Oregon 42, UCLA 30-- Misleading final score, as Bruins scored last 20 points; Ducks averaged over six yards a rush. Oregon goes for two after their first TD of almost every game-- don't teams know this? It always seems to work. .

8) Alabana 14, Arkansas 13-- Old-time football. Teams huddled and played solid defense. Razorbacks outgained Bama by 107 yards, but missed PAT. Nick Saban did not look terribly happy with his offens; actually, he looked mad, even angrier than usual.

7) Washington Wizards lost Bradley Beal for 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist.

6) Clemson 23, Louisville 17-- Teams combined to convert 3 of 33 on third down; Tigers lost QB Watson (broken hand), but scored TDs on defense, special teams.

5) Marshall 49, Middle Tennessee 24-- Rakeem Cato threw TD pass in his 38th straight game, tying Russell Wilson's I-A record. Marshall lost to MTSU on last play of game last year, but had no such problem this year- they're very good.

4) Royals 6, Orioles 4-- KC won its last four road games in its final at-bat; in 12 of the 19 playoff games so far, the winning run scored from 7th inning on.

3) West Virginia 37, Texas Tech 34-- Wild day in Big X; Mountaineers scored 17 points in last 5:55, to beat Tech squad that had scored 86 points in winning last two series games. Mountaineers converted 12-22 on third down.

2) LSU 30, Florida 27-- Week of distractions ended badly for Gators. LSU gutted out a road win a week after losing 41-7 at Auburn, kicking a 50-yard FG with 0:03 left. At least Florida gets its freshman QB Harris back this week, but they dropped a TD pass that would've put them up 31-27 with 2:00 left- costly drop.

1) Ole Miss 35, Texas A&M 20-- Impressive showing by Rebels, who dismantled Aggies in front of the biggest crowd in SEC history. Ole Miss scored two defensive TDs, QB Wallace ran for couple of key first downs when Aggies threatened to make game close in third quarter.

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECORD:

16- 10 - 1........................*****

11 - 10..............................DOUBLE PLAY

9- 12...............................TRIPLE PLAY

1 - 9........................LIGHTS OUT :-((


Rated and Overall Opinons

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/11/14 16-*30-*1 34.78% -*8500 Detail

10/10/14 1-*5-*0 16.67% -*2250 Detail

10/09/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

10/04/14 27-*22-*2 55.10% +*1400 Detail

10/03/14 3-*3-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/02/14 4-*2-*0 66.67% +*900 Detail

Totals 53-*62-*3 46.09% -*7600 :-{{

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAF opening line report: Hard to trust Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Yes, we’re heading into Week 8 of the 2014 college football season. But this week, we’re gonna party like its 1993.

Notre Dame at Florida State (-12.5)

Back then, unbeaten and top-ranked Florida State faced unbeaten and second-ranked Notre Dame in a late-season battle that the host fighting Irish won, 31-24. Notre Dame faltered a week later, though, losing to Boston College, while the Seminoles rebounded and ultimately won the national title.

Twenty-one years later, both are unbeaten again, and defending national champion Florida State will get to host Notre Dame this Saturday. The winner keeps alive hopes to reach the four-team playoff, and the loser is on the outside looking in. The No. 2 ‘Noles (6-0 SU) have been awful against the number, at 1-5 ATS, failing to cover as 23-point chalks in a 38-20 win at Syracuse last weekend. The fifth-ranked Irish (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) struggled Saturday, holding on for a 50-43 win over North Carolina as a 16.5-point favorite.

John Lester, senior lines manager for bookmaker.eu, is wary of both sides – but more so Notre Dame.

“We still haven’t seen that convincing, marquee win from Florida State. Perhaps they’ve just been going through the motions,” Lester said. “This could be the week, as Notre Dame isn’t nearly as deep from a talent perspective. The Irish always have their supporters, but they’re tough to trust right now, from a sharp standpoint.”

Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide (-12.5)

Another week, another key clash in the Southeastern Conference, which continues to eat its own – with the exception of Mississippi State and Mississippi, whom A&M has lost to over the past two weekends to soil its season. On Saturday, the Aggies got drubbed at home by Ole Miss 35-20 as a 2.5-point fave.

Alabama bounced back from its loss at Mississippi by narrowly outlasting Arkansas 14-13, falling well short as a 9-point road chalk.

“Going back to last week, I called for the Aggies to get upset at home (by Mississippi,)” Lester said. “The Johnny Manziel hype is over; this is a bad defense with a decent offense. The Tide is poised for a breakout game, and this should be it. The Alabama offense will find its footing here.”

Kansas State Wildcats at Oklahoma Sooners (-9.5)

Oklahoma (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) has proven vulnerable the past two weekends, losing outright 37-33 at Texas Christian laying 3.5 points, then struggling to hold off overmatched Texas in a 31-26 win as a 16.5-point fave in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. Kansas State (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS, coming off a bye, suffered its only loss against Auburn (20-14 catching 7 points at home last month). The Wildcats have cashed their last three in a row, most recently a 45-13 beatdown of Texas Tech giving 14 points at home.

“Is the blueprint out on Oklahoma?” Lester said. “Granted, it’s seen two very sound defenses recently, but Kansas State brings another one to the table, and Bill Snyder does a fine job getting his kids ready with extra preparation. The Wildcats aren’t the sexy team in this matchup, but I bet they keep it very close.”

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Christian Horned Frogs (-9.5)

TCU (4-1 SU) is the only team in the nation with a perfect ATS mark, cashing in all five of its games – though Mississippi and Virginia are both 5-0-1. After upending Oklahoma 37-33 getting 3.5 points two weekends ago, the Horned Frogs blew a big lead and lost a shootout at No. 3 Baylor 61-58, but covered as a 7-point underdog.

Since losing its season opener at home to Florida State, Oklahoma State (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) has peeled off five consecutive SU wins. But the Cowboys have alternated ATS wins and losses all season, winning 27-20 at Kansas on Saturday, well short of covering as 19.5-point chalks.

“You always know what you’re going to get with Gary Patterson’s (TCU) squads – sound defense and sound special teams,” Lester said. “But the offense goes as the quarterback goes, and Trevone Boykin is erratic. This is the Cowboys’ first test since their opener against Florida State, so we will certainly see what they’re made of.”