The Bum's 2015 College Football All You Need To Know- Trends, Picks, News Etc.

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Morning Dog.............your the #1 411 here................information central..............good luck to you also buddy........

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NCAAF

Sunday, September 6


Top 25 roundup: Henry paces Tide over Badgers

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Third-ranked Alabama broke the game open in the second half with 21 points and began the season with a 35-17 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday night.

Crimson Tide tailback Derrick Henry carried the load with 147 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. Henry's day was over in the third quarter once Alabama went up by 25 points.

Wisconsin running back Corey Clement never got started. Clement totaled 16 yards on eight carries.

Jake Coker started at quarterback for Alabama and played the entire first half and the majority of the third quarter. He finished 16-of-22 passing for 219 yards and a touchdown -- a 17-yard strike to Robert Foster.

Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave completed 14 of 16 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in the first half but cooled off and finished with 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

No. 6 Auburn 31, Louisville 24

ATLANTA -- Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Tigers held off a late Cardinals challenge in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome.

Louisville lost, but after an offseason of uncertainty may have found its quarterback. Freshman Lamar Jackson sparked the Cardinals' offense in the second half, leading three scoring drives to get Louisville back in the game.

Sophomore running back Peyton Barber led the Tigers with 109 yards on the ground. Johnson completed 11-of- 21 passes for 140 yards.

No. 7 Oregon 61, Eastern Washington 42

EUGENE, Ore. - Vernon Adams threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 94 yards to beat his old team as the Ducks opened with a win.

Adams threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns in three seasons at Eastern Washington before transferring to Oregon as a graduate for his senior season. He completed 19 of 25 passes and extended his personal streak of throwing multiple touchdown passes in 27 straight games before leaving late in the fourth when he was injured on a rush attempt.

Oregon running back Royce Freeman ran for a career-high 180 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns.

No. 9 Georgia 51, Louisiana-Monroe 14

ATHENS, Ga. -- Although the Bulldogs weren't perfect and mistakes were made, they simply had too much offensive firepower and used it to roll over the Warhawks.

Georgia sophomore Heisman Trophy candidate Nick Chubb picked up where he left off from last year, rushing 16 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Greyson Lambert made his debut as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback and completed 8 of 12 passes for 144 yards and two scores, including one each to Malcolm Mitchell and Jeb Blazevich.

No. 10 Florida State 59, Texas State 16

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Seminoles began the post-Jameis Winston era with a convincing victory.

Everett Golson -- who joined the Seminoles this offseason by way of Notre Dame -- took over under center and looked every bit as good as Winston did in his Florida State debut two years ago.

Golson went 19-for-25 for 302 yards and four touchdowns for Florida State, while Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook, who saw less than two weeks of practice after returning from suspension, didn't show any rust as he rushed for 156 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns to pace Florida State.

11 Notre Dame 38, Texas 3

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Quarterback Malik Zaire completed 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns as the Fighting Irish crushed the Longhorns.

Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller caught seven passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman running back Josh Adams added two touchdowns on the ground, including a 14-yard score on his first collegiate rushing attempt.

No. 12 Clemson 49, Wofford 10

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Sophomore Deshaun Watson, playing in his first game since suffering a torn ACL in November, got off to a solid start, completing 18 of 22 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in limited action.

Junior wide receiver Mike Williams, who lead Clemson with 1,030 receiving yards last season, suffered a neck injury on the first drive of the game when he caught a 4-yard touchdown pass and collided with the goalpost support.

Williams remained on the ground for approximately 15 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and carted off the field. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

No. 13 UCLA 34, Virginia 16

PASADENA, Calif. -- True freshman Josh Rosen threw three touchdowns as the Bruins cruised past the Cavaliers.

The 18-year-old Rosen completed 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards, connecting with 11 receivers. He was sacked only once and attributed that to himself and not to the Bruins' experienced offensive line.

Rosen was the first Bruins true freshman to start at quarterback since 2002, when Drew Olson started and won against Washington.

No. 14 LSU-McNeese State, postponed

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A series of thunderstorms and lightning strikes forced cancelation of the LSU-McNeese State game.

The teams combined for only 10 plays when the game was suspended at 6:50 p.m. CDT because of lightning in the area.

Both teams went to their locker rooms and never were able to come back on the field.

Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Arizona State 17

HOUSTON -- Freshman receiver Christian Kirk, the best recruit in the state of Arizona, showed up Arizona State and lead Texas A&M to the win.

Kirk, who enrolled at Texas A&M in January and earned a starting spot in August, caught six passes for 106 yards, with a 66-yard zig-zag of a touchdown to break open the game for the Aggies with 3:45 to play.

Kirk also reeled off a 79-yard punt return early in the second quarter to give his team an early 14-0 cushion.

No. 17 Ole Miss 76, UT-Marin 3

OXFORD, Miss. -- Chad Kelly threw two touchdowns in the first half and the Rebels rolled to a convincing win.

Kelly, the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, completed his first touchdown pass to Markell Pack, covering 56 yards.

He finished the first half 6-for-10 for 178 yards and he made up for an interception he threw in the third by running for a score a few minutes later.

No 18 Arkansas 48, Texas-El Paso 13

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Senior quarterback Brandon Allen completed 14 of 18 passes for career-high 308 yards and four touchdowns as the Razorbacks eased past the Miners.

Arkansas, which ranked 99th nationally after averaging 188 yards per game passing last season, scored its first four touchdowns through the air and led 28-10 at the half.

The Razorbacks put the game out of reach with 14 points in the opening 2:03 of the second half.

No. 19 Oklahoma 41, Akron 3

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooners’ return to the Air Raid offense was a slow burn against Akron, but once it got started, Oklahoma put up touchdown after touchdown and turned the game into a rout.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield started off slow but came on strong and finished with 388 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

Mayfield's passing total was the most for an OU quarterback in a season-opener, beating Sam Bradford's 363 yards to start the 2007 season. Mayfield also added a rushing touchdown.

Northwestern 16, No. 21 Stanford

EVANSTON -- The Wildcats got three field goals by Jack Mitchell and a touchdown run by quarterback Clayton Thorson to upset the Cardinal.

Thorson, a redshirt freshman making his first career start, completed 12 of 24 passes for 105 yards. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback rushed for 68 yards on eight carries, including a 42-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Sophomore Justin Jackson rushed the ball 28 times for 134 yards to lead the Wildcats, while Stanford starting running back Christian McCaffery carried 12 times for 66 yards and fumbled once.

No. 24 Missouri 34, Southeast Missouri 3

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Junior quarterback Maty Mauk threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and senior linebacker Kentrell Brothers led a stingy defense with a career-best 16 tackles, helping the Tigers to an easy victory.

Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Missouri has won 77 games, trailing only Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and LSU during that period.

Mauk finished 12 of 22 for 181 yards and the two scores. He was intercepted once.

No. 25 Tennessee 59, Bowling Green 30

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Running back Jalen Hurd rushed for three touchdowns while quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw for a pair as the Volunteers defeated the Falcons.

Running back Alvin Kamara recorded 144 yards and a pair of scores for the Volunteers, who recorded their 21st straight season-opening victory.

Tennessee answered an early field goal by the Falcons by scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions -- two following dynamic punt returns by Cam Sutton that left the Volunteers with short scoring drives.

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NCAAF

Sunday, September 6


Home dogs were a great bet in Week 1

Home underdogs kicked off the opening weekend of the college football season with a bang, going an impressive 11-2 against the spread.

That is a success rate of a crazy 84.62 percent.

There are just two games left in Week 1 and just one with a home dog,
when Virgina Tech hosts defending champs Ohio State as 14-point pups.

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NCAAF

Sunday, September 6

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Game of the Day: Purdue at Marshall
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Marshall narrowly missed a spot in a New Year’s Day Bowl last season when a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky served as the team’s lone setback in an otherwise stellar campaign.

Purdue Boilermakers at Marshall Thundering Herd (-7.5, 61.5)

Purdue improved from one win to three last season and is hoping for a bigger step forward in 2015. The Boilermakers will get an early preview of how they stack up Sunday when they visit Conference USA power Marshall.

The Thundering Herd narrowly missed a spot in a New Year’s Day Bowl last season when a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky served as the team’s lone setback in an otherwise stellar campaign. While Purdue had trouble scoring down the stretch in 2014, Marshall put up an average of 45.6 points but will be replacing record-setting quarterback Rakeem Cato with Michael Birdsong. The Boilermakers will turn their offense over to junior Austin Appleby, who started seven games last season but marks Purdue’s fifth different starting quarterback in as many season openers. “Nothing changes now,” Appleby told reporters after officially being named the starter last week. “It’s just kind of business is usual. I’m glad it’s official, and now I can focus on getting this team ready to be 1-0.”

TV: 3 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened Marshall -7.5. The total opened at 63 but is down to 61.5.

INJURY REPORT: Purdue - Danny Anthrop (Probable, knee), LB Ja'Whan Bentley (Questionable, back), LB Jimmy Herman (Questionable, hamstring), LB Danny Ezechukwu (Questionable, knee), DE Gelen Robinson (Eligible Sept. 19). Marshall - N/A.

WEATHER: Temperatures in the low-80s under partly cloudy skies. There is a small 22 percent chance of rain.

WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "Marshall only returns 11 starters, and they must replace quarterback Rakeem Cato who threw for 3,903 yards and 40 touchdown passes in 2014. Marshall’s offense averaged 45.6 points per game in 2014, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll repeat that in 2015. Purdue is in their third season under head coach Darrell Hazell, and the Boilermakers return 15 overall starters. Purdue improved on both sides of the ball in 2014, so they should make another forward move in 2015." Covers Expert Steve Merril.

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "The spread has bounced around between the key number and 7.5 since the regular bettors began getting involved this week. The very early, sharper action came in on Purdue, but we're not seeing that as much the last couple of days. The biggest draw for both the smarts and squares is the under as we've dropped the total three points since Monday. We're largely one-sided regarding the total so we'll be rooting for a shootout."

ABOUT PURDUE (2014: 3-9 SU, 6-5-1 ATS, 6-6 O/U): One reason coach Darrell Hazell expects Appleby to have more success in 2015 is consistency along the offensive line, where all five starters return. "I can't tell you how big that is for us," Hazell told reporters of the offensive line. "It's been a blessing. We talk about not being able to evaluate quarterbacks or running backs because we were always breaking down up front. That hasn't been the case." The line should also benefit freshman running back Markell Jones, a top recruit who is expected to see plenty of time in the backfield.

ABOUT MARSHALL (13-1 SU, 9-5 ATS, 8-6 O/U): Birdsong is surrounded by talent at the offensive skill positions, including running back Devon Johnson and senior wide receiver Davonte Allen. Johnson pounded his way to 1,767 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in 2014 and added a pair of receiving scores as a key component of the offense. “I know our guys are ready to go play somebody else, so it’s time to start our preparation and we’ve got to do a great job starting (Sunday),” Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday told reporters after closing training camp.

TRENDS:

* Thundering Herd are 4-0 ATS in their last four non-conference games.
* Over is 5-0 in Thundering Herd last five vs. Big Ten.
* Over is 4-1 in Thundering Herd last five non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Users are split own the middle on this matchup.


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NCAAF

Sunday, September 6


BYU's Taysom Hill out for the season

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill will miss the rest of the season after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his foot in the Cougars' 33-28 victory over Nebraska.

Hill was replaced by backup Tanner Mangum, who went onto complete 7-of-11 passes for 112, including the Hail Mary that won BYU the game.

Next up for BYU is a matchup with Boise State.

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AAC Notebook: Temple highlights opening week with big win

Sep 06, 2015

The American Athletic Conference's first week featured a lot of expected wins against overmatched teams, but one truly impressive victory -- and one crushing defeat.

Temple hadn't beaten Penn State since 1941 and trailed 10-0 early, but surged past the Nittany Lions for a 27-10 victory before a delirious sellout crowd at home.

"The reason I believe we won is because we focused on ourselves and the players bought into that, only worrying about the next play," Temple coach Matt Rhule said. "After the game I said we won -- it's not about Penn State it is about us. For our guys to do that and focus on themselves shows great maturity."

Rhule worked the Owls hard in the preseason, trying to get his team ready for an improved 2015. That effort showed on both sides of the ball. In particular, the Owls made NFL prospect Christian Hackenberg look tentative and uncomfortable after those first two drives.

"When you put in so much time and work, to come out with a win in college football -- it's hard to get a win in college football," linebacker Tyler Matakevich said. "All of the hours that we put in, all of the late nights. This week, I was probably there until 10:00 p.m. or 11:00pm at night just watching film. I mean, it's so rewarding to see all your guys do their job and celebrate. At the end, when the clock says zero, you look up at the scoreboard and it says what the score was, I mean that's the greatest feeling in the world."

Last year was a letdown for the Owls, because they came so close to better things. Temple went 6-6, but were shut out of the postseason. Perhaps as a result, the Owls didn't take long to look beyond the opening win.

"It feels good, but as I said at the end of the game, it's one of many victories that will come this year. I'm looking past it already. I'm on to the next game against Cincinnati," quarterback P.J. Walker said.

It's a victory that Rhule hopes pays dividends far beyond 2015.

"To see all the cherry and white it was a big game day atmosphere. This is huge for the program, I am going to get on the recruiting tonight and say look what we are doing. The only way it is bad is if we come out slow next week. That is a true test of what kind of team we are, how we respond next week."

CENTRAL FLORIDA (0-1, 0-0)

Game:

Florida International 15, Central Florida 14. A blocked field goal in the final minute sent the Knights down to a shocking season-opening defeat at home. UCF led 14-3 in the second quarter, but couldn't generate much of anything after intermission.

Takeaway:

Central Florida suffered its first loss in a home opener since 2007, and the reason seemed apparent. As junior defensive back Shaquill Griffin noted after the game, "I feel like we underestimated our opponent today. I feel like we let ourselves play down and we can't have those problems. We have to play full speed and play everybody like they're the best team."

Next: at Stanford, Sept 12.

CINCINNATI (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Cincinnati 52, Alabama A&M 10. Despite a delayed kickoff caused by severe weather in the area, the Bearcats had few problems dispatching an overmatched Bulldogs squad. A 28-point second quarter had UC up 35-7 at the break.

Takeaway:

It's tough to take much from a game like this one, except that the renovated Nippert Stadium looks very nice and that a lot of fans will show up to watch this team play even in terrible weather. Worth noting, however, is that a defense that was a disaster for much of 2014 held the visitors to 246 total yards.

Next: vs. Temple, Sept 12.

CONNECTICUT (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Connecticut 20, Villanova 15. Bryant Shirreffs threw for 202 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Huskies to a narrow victory over the Wildcats. It ends a two-year losing streak for Connecticut in season openers.

Takeaway:

This is a young team that will suffer through some growing pains, but the opener provided some hope for days to come for Bob Diaco. Shirreffs is just a sophomore. So are the three touchdown scorers -- Tommy Myers, Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome.

Next: vs. Army, Sept. 12.

EAST CAROLINA (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

East Carolina 28, Towson 20. Chris Hairston ran for 154 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pirates to victory at home. Though ECU led the whole game, its fans couldn't breathe easily until Terrell Richardson forced a Towson fumble in the final two minutes to end the Tigers' final threat.

Takeaway:

The man everyone was watching, new quarterback Blake Kemp, did a solid job making safe passes and managing the game. He completed 29 of his 37 pass attempts and didn't turn the ball over. But ECU generated just 230 yards through the air and will have to show some more big play ability as the schedule gets tougher in the coming weeks.

Next: at Florida, Sept. 12.

HOUSTON (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Houston 52, Tennessee Tech 24. Greg Ward led an impressive performance from the Cougars offense in giving new coach Tom Herman a positive start to his head coaching career. Houston finished with 627 yards of total offense.

Takeaway:

Ward showed the potential to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the game. He threw for 275 yards and a touchdown, and garnered another 107 yards and two scores.

Next: at Louisville, Sept. 12.

MEMPHIS (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Memphis 63, Tulane 7. Memphis scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a dominating performance at home. Paxton Lynch had a short day of it, throwing for 78 yards and a touchdown in one half of action.

Takeaway:

There are a lot of new faces on the Tigers defense, but the results were the same. Memphis held Missouri State to 125 yards of total offense, including just 18 yards on the ground.

Next: at Kansas, Sept. 12

NAVY (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Navy 48, Colgate 10. The Midshipmen ran all over Colgate in cruising to victory in its home opener. Navy finished with 374 rushing yards, with Chris Swain generating 126 to lead the way.

Takeaway:

The one disappointment in the blowout win was that quarterback Keenan Reynolds didn't gain more ground in pursuit of the NCAA FBS record for touchdowns. He entered the week 14 rushing scores and 20 total touchdowns behind former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, but had only one of the Mids' six touchdowns on the day.

Next: vs. East Carolina, Sept. 19

SOUTHERN METHODIST (0-1, 0-0)

Game:

Baylor 56, Southern Methodist 21. The Mustangs hung with the Bears early, but ultimately didn't have enough to knock off the Bears. SMU did score 21 points, an impressive start compared to the 12 points the team managed through its first four games of 2014.

Takeaway:

Chad Morris probably wouldn't have selected the fourth-ranked team in the country to make his coaching debut, but the Mustangs were competitive with the Bears for a half. The Mustangs trailed 28-21 at the half before Baylor outscored SMU 28-0 after intermission.

Next: vs. North Texas, Sept. 12.

SOUTH FLORIDA (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

South Florida 51, Florida A&M 3. The Bulls dominated on both sides of the ball in an easy victory. South Florida totaled 556 yards of total offense, the seventh-most in program history.

Takeaway:

Beating up on a FCS team doesn't signify much, but both sides of the ball showed reason for optimism. In addition to the offense, the defense held the Rattlers to 182 yards of total offense -- including one first-half first down.

Next: at South Florida, Sept. 12.

TEMPLE (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Temple 27, Penn State 10. The Owls came back from an early 10-0 deficit for a program-changing victory over the Nittany Lions. P.J. Walker's one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the Owls ahead to stay.

Takeaway:

Temple knocked off the Penn State for the first time since 1941, thanks mostly to the performance of its defense. The Nittany Lions scored on their first two drives, but gained just 42 yards on their next nine possessions.

Next: at Cincinnati, Sept. 12.

TULANE (0-1, 0-0)

Game:

Duke 37, Tulane 7. The Green Wave surrendered 530 yards of total offense in getting blasted by the visiting Blue Devils. After the lone Tulane score cut the margin to 23-7 in the fourth quarter, a 95-yard kickoff return for a score by Duke's DeVon Edwards ended any lingering suspense.

Takeaway:

Unless the defense gets much better, it's tough to see this team going anywhere. Tulane was thoroughly dominated. It allowed Duke to run 28 more plays, secure 29 first downs and outgain the home team by more than 250 yards.

Next: at Georgia Tech, Sept. 12

TULSA (1-0, 0-0)

Game:

Tulsa 47, Florida Atlantic 44. Zack Langer's touchdown run in overtime gave the Golden Hurricanes a narrow victory in the season opener. The Golden Hurricane trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 38, allowed a field goal, then tied the game on a 39-yard field goal with three seconds left to force overtime. The defense started the extra session by holding FAU to a field goal, setting the stage for Langer's heroics.

Takeaway:

It wasn't always pretty, but the Golden Hurricane gave Philip Montgomery a victory in his debut as a head coach. The tempo of the offense was faster than it was a year ago, and Montgomery is hoping to speed things up even more by the time conference play starts.

Next: at New Mexico, Sept. 12.

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Syracuse QB Hunt out for season with torn Achilles

Syracuse senior quarterback Terrel Hunt is out for the season with a torn right Achilles, the school said Saturday.

Hunt was injured Friday in Syracuse's 47-0 victory over Rhode Island. He suffered the injury while scrambling for a 2-yard gain midway through the first quarter.

Freshman quarterback Eric Dungey replaced Hunt and threw two touchdown passes to running back Ervin Philips.

It's the second straight season Hunt has been waylaid by injury: He missed the last seven games of 2014 with a broken leg.

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Purdue, Marshall clash

September 5, 2015


PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (0-0) at MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (0-0)

Joan C. Edwards Stadium - Huntington, WV
Kickoff: Sunday, 3:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Marshall -7.5, Total: 63

Purdue tries to erase a dreadful 2014 campaign when it opens the 2015 season on Sunday at C-USA favorite Marshall.

The Boilermakers have been awful since Darrell Hazell took over in 2013, going a combined 4-20 SU (11-13 ATS), but they did manage to post a 7-5 ATS mark last year, including 4-1 ATS away from home. To improve the team's woeful 345 total YPG (108th in FBS), Hazell will have his offense play at a faster pace this season.

The Thundering Herd were 13-1 SU (8-5-1 ATS) last year and had no problems piling up gaudy offensive numbers with 45.6 PPG (3rd in nation) and 559 total YPG (2nd in FBS). But superstar QB Rakeem Cato used up his eligibility, leaving James Madison transfer QB Michael Birdsong as the starting signal caller.

These teams last played in West Lafayette in 2012, which was a 51-41 victory for 17-point-favorite Purdue. The Herd had 534 yards of offense that day, but were done in by four turnovers and eight penalties.

While Marshall has no significant injuries, Purdue will be extremely thin at linebacker, as LB Galen Robinson is suspended two games and the LB trio of Ja'Whan Bentley (back), Jimmy Herman (hamstring) and Danny Ezechukwu (knee) are all questionable. OT J.J. Prince (shoulder) will not play.

Purdue will try to correct its offensive struggles (23.8 PPG, 95th in nation) with junior QB Austin Appleby (1,449 pass yds, 5.3 YPA, 10 TD, 11 INT). The dual-threat Appleby (198 rush yds, 3.2 YPC, 5 TD) stands tall at 6-foot-5, and will frequently target top WR Danny Anthrop (616 rec yds, 16.2 avg, 4 TD). But for Appelby to end a six-start losing skid, he'll need help from his ground game.

Purdue averaged a solid 4.7 yards per carry last year (42nd in FBS), but lost nearly 1,500 rushing yards to graduation. However, sophomore RBs Keyante Green (199 rush yds, 7.4 YPC) and D.J. Knox are both explosive. T

he defense returns six starters to a unit that allowed 35.7 PPG during its season-ending, six-game losing skid. Purdue surrendered 249 rushing YPG during that slide and needs better production from DTs Jake Replogle (40 tackles, 3 sacks) and Ra'Zahn Howard (20 tackles), especially with the multiple injuries to the linebackers.

The Boilermakers were decent in the secondary, holding teams to 6.9 YPA (55th in nation), and bring back star CB Frankie Williams (3 INT, 7 PBU, 74 tackles) to lead the back four.

James Madison transfer QB Michael Birdsong (2,728 pass yds, 7.3 YPA, 22 TD, 15 INT in 2013) is one of five new offensive starters for Marshall.

The 6-foot-5, strong-armed quarterback doesn't have any superstar pass catchers, but his receiving corps is deep with WRs Davonte Allen (544 rec yds, 4 TD), Angelo Jean-Louis (490 rec yds, 6 TD) and Deon-Tay McManus (422 rec yds, 6 TD). But the main engine to this high-octane offense is RB Devon Johnson (1,767 rush yds, 8.6 YPC, 17 TD), a 246-pound converted tight end.

He should have a field day on Sunday against Purdue's injury-riddled linebackers. Marshall's defense brings back only two starters to the front seven, but both are strong senior leaders in DT Jarquez Samuel (30 tackles) and SLB D.J. Hunter (5.5 sacks, 80 tackles, 10 TFL). CB Corey Tindal (12 PBU, 73 tackles) SS Taj Letman (4 INT, 94 tackles) and FS A.J. Leggett (4 INT, 63 tackles) comprise a major portion of an excellent secondary that allowed only 5.9 yards per pass attempt last year (9th in nation).

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College Betting Recap - Week 1

September 6, 2015


Overall Notes

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 RESULTS

Wager Favorites-Underdogs

Straight Up 71-11

Against the Spread 43-36-3

Wager Home-Away

Straight Up 61-17

Against the Spread 47-28-3

Wager Totals (O/U)

Over-Under 16-20

Neutral-site games

Favorites went 4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS with 'over/under' going 2-2

The largest underdog to win straight up

Portland State (+30, ML +6400) at Washington State, 24-17

The largest favorite to cover

Colorado State (-51) vs. Savannah State, 65-13

Top 25 Notes

-- All nine of the teams in the Top 10 in action from Thursday through Saturday were able to win outright, although those teams managed to go just 4-5 ATS. Perhaps the most impressive of all the performances was Alabama's 35-17 victory over Wisconsin at Jerry World. It was the only matchup featuring ranked teams playing each other, and it was not much of a contest in the second half. ... Oregon and Florida State each proved that despite losing Heisman Trophy quarterbacks, they are still contenders. The Ducks posted 61 points in their 61-42 win over Eastern Washington, while the Seminoles made quick work of Texas State in a 59-16 shellacking at the Doak. ... Southern California looks mighty stacked. If you missed the late-night action, USC ran out to a 28-0 halftime lead, making Johnny Public quite happy. A huge majority of the first-half bets were on the Trojans laying anywhere from 16 1/2 to 17 1/2 points. All cashed handily.

-- Louisiana State was scheduled to host McNeese State, but that game was canceled due to inclement weather. As of now there are no plans to re-schedule the game. It's bad news for the Tigers, who could have used a tune-up before heading to Mississippi State next week.

-- Tennessee is back in the Top 25, and they posted a ton of offense in their win over Bowling Green. The Falcons hung around for those who had them +22, but a 10-0 fourth quarter for the Vols sealed the fate of BGSU and their side bettors. Tennessee will lock horns with fellow Top 25 team Oklahoma next weekend.

-- Georgia managed to post 35 points in the first half against Louisiana-Monroe, and they managed to squeeze out a cover with their 51-14 win over the WarHawks. Georgia hits the road for Vanderbilt next weekend.

-- UCLA had a true freshman quarterback starting with Josh Rosen under center. However, he shined in his first collegiate action, as the Bruins roughed up Virginia 34-16 in the first game of the post-Brett Hundley era. Depending on your shop, and when your wager was placed, this was either a cover for UVA, a push or a cover for UCLA.

-- Mississippi has the highest score of the opening weekend, scorching Tennessee-Martin of the FCS by a 76-3 count. The Rebels will have a much bigger test when Fresno State comes calling to Oxford next weekend.

Big Five Conference Report (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC)

-- The Atlantic Coast Conference didn't get off to the best start. While most ACC teams took care of the patsies in front of them, the ACC took a beating in the marquee games on the slate. North Carolina opened with a sloppy 17-13 loss in Charlotte against South Carolina, while Louisville lost 31-24, but was at least able to cover in their battle against Auburn. And Virginia lost for the second straight season against UCLA, this time in sunny SoCal. We'll get our first conference game of the season when Wake Forest travels to Syracuse next Saturday. Each team coasted to easy victories over FCS opponents.

-- The Jim Harbaugh era is underway at Michigan, and it looks a lot like the Brady Hoke era so far. The Wolverines played their first-ever game in the state of Utah and were dropped 24-17. ... Northwestern showed well with a straight-up win at home against Stanford despite being 10-point underdogs. ... Illinois had its kickoff Friday delayed until Saturday, but it was worth the wait. The Illini smoked Kent State 52-3 for an easy cover.

... Penn State took it on the chin, falling 27-10 at Temple. The Owls picked up their first win against the Nittany Lions since 1941. ... One of the best games of the weekend happened in Lincoln, where Nebraska (and their bettors) were stunned by Brigham Young. See below.

-- Texas Christian started the season ranked No. 2, and they hit the road for Minnesota where they met a game Gophers squad. Trevone Boykin and company didn't come close to covering a 17-point number in their 23-17 victory. ... Baylor might have a new quarterback, but the offense looks as smooth as ever. They hung 56 points on SMU Friday night in a win. Oklahoma also looked good, but Texas took it on the chin at Notre Dame by a 38-3 count. ... Kansas State roughed up South Dakota by a 34-0 score, and their band also made some headlines for its halftime performance. Google it for a laugh. ... Kansas was tripped up at home against South Dakota State of the FCS, 41-38. It looks like it will be a long season in Lawrence.

-- It was a dismal opening weekend in the Evergreen State. Washington's offense looked anemic in Chris Petersen's return to Boise State Friday night. The Huskies were able to pull things together and cover in a 16-13 loss. Washington State was stunned at home against FCS Portland State by a 24-17 count. Stanford added to the Pac-12's misery with an ugly showing in Evanston, and Arizona State did themselves no favors with a 38-17 beating at the hands of Texas A&M. If not for USC, Utah and UCLA, it would have been a disastrous Week 1 out west.

-- The SEC have a successful opening week with Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee looking particularly impressive. Kentucky was involved in one of the more memorable games of the weekend, although the second half is one they likely want to forget. The Wildcats held a 24-7 halftime lead, and were up 33-10 late in the third quarter. However. Louisiana-Lafayette rattled off 23 unanswered points to tie it 33-33 midway through the fourth before the Wildcats eeked out the win in the final minute.

Mid-Major Report

-- One of the better games of the day happened in Tulsa Saturday, as the Golden Hurricane held off Florida Atlantic 47-44 in overtime. The Owls were able to grab the cover for everyone who had them from 5 1/2 to 7 points depending on when the wager was placed. ... Charlotte made its FBS debut with a 23-20 road win Friday at Georgia State. To the 49ers, welcome to the party. ... Middle Tennessee hung 70 points on Jackson State of the FCS and is an offense to watch, as is the Louisiana Tech team led by head coach Skip Holtz. They bagged Southern in a 62-15 romp. Rice piled up 56 points in a win over Wagner.

-- The Mountain West Conference posted a 10-2 SU mark with a 7-5 ATS record. Wyoming had the ugliest loss, getting dropped in Laramie by FCS North Dakota by a 24-13 score. Air Force looked good bagging Morgan State with a 63-point outburst, while New Mexico went for 66 in its shutout win over Mississippi Valley State. Colorado State also hits the 60's in their bloodbath against Savannah State, a team which continues their dismal play while cashing huge paychecks.

-- Temple carried the banner for the American Athletic Conference with a signature win, hiding conference losses by UCF, SMU and Tulane. East Carolina and Connecticut also looked terrible in their opening evaluations. The team to watch in this conference might be Navy, making its debut. They brushed up on Colgate with a 48-10 win. Memphis was also sharp, pilling up 63 points in a win over Missouri State.

-- The Mid-American Conference receives mixed reviews for the first week of action. Western Michigan covered at home against Michigan State Friday night, and Ohio looked like a solid offense from top to bottom in their 45-28 road win and cover at Idaho Thursday. Central Michigan also went toe-to-toe with a solid Oklahoma State team Thursday, losing 24-13 but covering rather handily. However, Northern Illinois didn't look particularly sharp in their non-cover against UNLV, and Eastern Michigan blew it at home against Old Dominion. Northeast Ohio's Akron and Kent State were each outscored by a combined 93-6 score.

Bad Beats

-- UCLA bettors were looking at a cover before Virginia struck for its first touchdown of the game, and the cover, with just 3:29 left on the clock. It was the final score of the game in a 34-16 win for the Bruins. Some UCLA backers still picked up a win, but that late touchdown turned some tickets into pushes or losses.

-- Vanderbilt scored a touchdown with :33 left in regulation to cut the Western Kentucky lead to 14-12. They misses the two-point conversion try, but changed plenty of tickets from winners into pushes with their late score Thursday night.

-- There were numerous result changes on the final play of the Brigham Young-Nebraska game. First, if you had BYU on the moneyline (+180), it was a great result. BYU, using its backup quarterback after losing Taysom Hill to a fractured foot, hit a Hail Mary on the final play to top the Cornhuskers 33-28. Those screams of horror you heard were from those holding 'under' tickets at 60 1/2 or lower. The line opened around 64, but closed at 58.

-- Texas Tech held a 28-point lead over Sam Houston State heading into the fourth quarter before getting outscored by the Bearkats 14-0. The final score with 2:33 to go turned a cover into a push for Red Raiders side bettors.

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Purdue - 3:00 PM ET Marshall -7 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Marshall - Under 60.5 500 *****

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RECAPPING SATURDAY'S ACTION:

cfb: 13 - 13 - 0

college football record:

single play:.......................................4 - 7 - 1
double play:......................................8 - 7
triple play:........................................5 - 3
blow out:..........................................1 - 3
gow:.............................................. ...0 - 0
gom:.............................................. ...0 - 0
goy............................................... ....0 - 0

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RECAPPING SUNDAY'S ACTION:

cfb: 1 - 1 - 0

college football record:

single play:.......................................4 - 8 - 1
double play:......................................8 - 7
triple play:........................................6 - 3
blow out:..........................................1 - 3
gow:.............................................. ...0 - 0
gom:.............................................. ..0 - 0
goy............................................... ..0 - 0

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NCAAF

Monday, September 7

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Game of the Day: Ohio State at Virginia Tech
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Sportsbooks opened the Hokies as 12.5-point underdogs, but that's since been bumped up to +14.

Ohio State at Virginia Tech (+14, 53)

Top-ranked Ohio State starts its quest to repeat as national champion when it visits Virginia Tech on Monday. The Buckeyes will certainly be gunning for the Hokies as their lone defeat of their championship season came when Virginia Tech posted a 35-21 victory at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes haven't decided whether J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones will start but it will be no surprise if both quarterbacks see action. Barrett was Ohio State's signal caller most of last season and passed for 34 touchdowns and ran for 11 more before fracturing an ankle and Jones guided the Buckeyes to their final three wins, including the title-game triumph over Oregon. "We've still got time to decide," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told reporters. "I think a lot of it is going to be in-game, how's it going, and do we need a change." Virginia Tech has been to 22 consecutive bowl games but the program has slid in recent campaigns and is 22-17 over the past three seasons.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN.

LINE HISTORY: Sportsbooks opened the Hokies as 12.5-point underdogs, but that's since been bumped up to +14.

INJURY REPORT: Ohio State - C. Jones (probable), N. Brown (out for season), M. Weber (late September), J. Bosa (eligible), J. Marshall (eligible Sept. 12), C. Smith (eligible Sept. 12), D. Wilson (eligible Sept. 12). Virginia Tech - S. McKenzie (eligible Sept. 12).

WEATHER: The forecast is calling for partly sunny skies with eastern winds of 5-10 mph.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (2014: 14-1): There are no questions at running back with title game MVP Ezekiel Elliott back for his junior campaign. Elliott rushed for 696 yards and eight touchdowns in the Buckeyes' final three contests last season and totaled 1,878 rushing yards - second in school history behind Eddie George's 1,927 in 1995 - and 18 rushing touchdowns. The defense absorbs a hit for the opener due to the suspension of 2014 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Joey Bosa (a junior end who had 13.5 sacks in 2014) but still has plenty of talent in senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington (10.5 tackles for losses), senior weak-side linebacker Joshua Perry (team-best 124 tackles), sophomore strong-side linebacker Darron Lee (7.5 sacks) and sophomore cornerback Eli Apple (three interceptions).

ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (2014: 7-6): Senior quarterback Michael Brewer is striving to be more consistent this season after throwing 15 interceptions to go with 2,692 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Senior running back J.C. Coleman (533 yards in 2014) won the starting gig and injury-prone junior Trey Edmunds will also get some work, while sophomore receiver Isaiah Ford (56 receptions, six touchdowns) and sophomore tight end Bucky Hodges (45 catches, seven touchdowns) are solid targets. The top player on the defense is junior cornerback Kendall Fuller (eight career interceptions), who is on his way to becoming the fourth brother in his family to be selected in the NFL Draft and each of them (Vincent, Corey, Kyle) also starred at Virginia Tech.

TRENDS:

*Hokies are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
*Over is 4-1 in Hokies last 5 home games.
*Buckeyes are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
*Buckeyes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 57 percent of users are backing the reigning champion Buckeyes.

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Ohio State at Virginia Tech

September 5, 2015


Virginia Tech hasn't been a double-digit home underdog in more than a decade. The Hokies have been double-digit home 'dogs just three times in the last 25 years. Nevertheless, Frank Beamer's team will be in that role Monday night when it takes on the defending national champions at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.

As of Saturday afternoon, most betting shops had Ohio State installed as a 14-point favorite with a total of 53.5 for 'over/under' wagers. The Westgate opened the Buckeyes as 13-point 'chalk' and the number was down to 11.5 on Tuesday. However, the line was back to 13 by Wednesday night and got as high as 14.5 late Friday.

Urban Meyer has yet to name a starting quarterback, but most think it will be J.T. Barrett. The sophomore earned third-team All-American honors last season despite going down with a season-ending injury in the regular-season finale. Barrett finished the year with a 34/10 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 11 rushing TDs. He threw for 2,834 yards and rushed for 938, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

With Barrett out of the lineup, Ohio State didn't miss a beat. In fact, Meyer's team played its three best games of the season with Cardale Jones under center. However, Jones was admitted to the hospital briefly this week due to migraine headache issues. That development is why I say Barrett is most likely going to start against Virginia Tech.

Jones led Ohio State to wins over Wisconsin (59-0), Alabama (42-35) and Oregon (42-20). He completed 60.9 percent of his throws for 860 yards with a 7/2 TD-INT ratio. He also ran for 296 yards and one TD.

Ohio State returns seven starters on offense and seven on defense. However, the leader of the defense, All-American DE Joey Bosa, won't be in uniform Monday night while serving a one-game suspension. Bosa had 53 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 2014.

Virginia Tech finished last season with a 7-6 straight-up record and a 6-7 against-the-spread ledger. The Hokies lost five one-possession games, but they beat Cincinnati 33-17 at the Military Bowl and also went into The 'Shoe and took out Ohio State by a 35-21 count in Week 2. They pulled the outright upset over the Buckeyes as 11.5-point road underdogs.

Virginia Tech's secondary intercepted Barrett three times, including Donovan Riley's 63-yard pick-six with 46 seconds remaining to put the game on ice. Michael Brewer threw for 199 yards and a pair of TDs, including a 10-yard scoring strike TE Bucky Hodges to put the Hokies in front for good with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter.

Virginia Tech's roster was decimated by injuries last year, including a season-ender for Luther Maddy. The senior DT was an All-ACC performer in 2013 when he had 55 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 16 QB hurries.

Michael Brewer, playing in his first season for Virginia Tech after transferring in from Texas Tech, struggled for the most part last year. He had 18 TD passes but was intercepted 15 times. Those turnovers are going to have to be trimmed down for the Hokies to have a shot Monday night and to contend for an ACC title.

Brewer has weapons on offense returning, including WR Isaiah Ford, who had 56 receptions for 709 yards and six TDs in 2014. Also, Hodges is back after making 45 catches for 526 yards and seven TDs.

Bud Foster's VT defense only allowed 20.2 points per game last season. So clearly, that unit wasn't the issue. A pedestrian offense, one that scored at a meager 24.1 PPG clip, was the downfall of another disappointing team. The Hokies posted eight consecutive double-digit win seasons from 2004-2011, but they've gone 7-6, 8-5 and 7-6 over the last three years.

This year, however, I feel like Virginia Tech will have its best squad since 2011. If Brewer can just cut down on the turnovers, the Hokies are my picks to win the ACC Coastal.

Dadi Nicolas, Kendall Fuller and Ken Ekanem are potential All-American candidates on the defensive side of the ball, along with Maddy. Nicolas had 72 tackles and nine sacks in 2014, while Fuller had a pair of interceptions and 15 passes broken up. Ekanem finished the year with 9.5 sacks and 19 QB hurries. If Virginia Tech can bring lots of pressure to Barrett, it should have an excellent opportunity to hang around and potentially have a chance to win at crunch time.

During Meyer's tenure, Ohio State has been a road favorite nine times, compiling a 4-5 spread record. Virginia Tech is 4-2 ATS in six games as a home underdog going back to 2005.

Kickoff on ABC is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Since Georgia's 51-14 win over ULM saw the game called with 9:54 remaining due to lightning, all wagers on the side and total became no-plays. Games have to be played 55 minutes to become official per Nevada sports betting rules.

-- After back-to-back disappointing seasons, Northwestern got off to a great start to 2015 with Saturday's 16-6 home win over Stanford as a 12-point home underdog. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan remains an enigma. He was awful and didn't get much help. Hogan was terrible in a number of games last season, but he came on strong late in the year and had appeared to have put those struggles behind him.

-- Temple ended the longest active losing streak in college football by snapping a 31-game losing streak with Saturday's 27-10 win over Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls won outright as seven-point underdogs, cashing money-line tickets at a tune of +220ish (risk $100 to win $220). Who saw this coming? Oh, wait, I was calling for this outright upset all summer on radio waves from coast to coaState That's right.

-- Now that Temple is out from under Penn State's foot, it is Florida that owns the longest active winning streak over another opponent with its 28-game stranglehold over Kentucky. However, the Gators have to go to Lexington in Week 3.

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4th Quarter Covers - Week 1

September 7, 2015

Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are some of the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the opening college football weekend. Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows.

South Carolina (-1½) 17, North Carolina 13: The Tar Heels led for most of this game up 7-0 early and then leading 13-10 into the fourth quarter, even with two red zone interceptions to wipe out long drives. In the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks took the lead with a 48-yard run from Shon Carson. On the next South Carolina drive, the Gamecocks were stuffed on third and short at the North Carolina 12-yard line and then opted to go for it on fourth down instead of pushing the lead to seven points with an easy kick. The Tar Heels stepped up getting the stop and with the momentum back the offense went right down the field late in the fourth quarter. On third and goal, Marquise Williams took a sack and the Tar Heels opted to go for the end zone down four with nearly four minutes to go and two timeouts left. Williams was intercepted for the third time and the second time in the end zone as South Carolina escaped with a narrow win and cover.

TCU (-16) 23, Minnesota 17: The Minnesota defense played commendably but couldn’t survive some big mistakes from the offense as well as a missed call on a clear TCU fumble as well as some questionable penalties. While the Frogs did not produce on the scoreboard like they were accustomed to last season, getting the ball back near midfield in the fourth quarter while leading by 13 made the improbable favorite cover look more than possible. Minnesota got the stop it needed by just a yard and then quickly went 91 yards for a touchdown to solidify the underdog cover.

Baylor (-37) 56, SMU 21: The underdog cover looked safe as the SMU offense was able to match Baylor early down just 28-21 in the second quarter. From there, the SMU drives ended in punts and interceptions as the Bears would add four more touchdowns, putting the margin at 35 points early in the fourth quarter. Those on the Bears early wound up with a win or a push but late in the week the line climbed past the five-touchdown margin.

Michigan State (-16½) 37, Western Michigan 24: The underdog attracted some interest in this matchup with the line falling throughout the week, but Michigan State had a hot start with a 27-7 lead in the second quarter with a return touchdown the only score for the Broncos. Western Michigan would add a field goal before the half and the teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter for a 17-point margin heading into the fourth quarter. With an early fourth quarter touchdown, Western Michigan climbed within 10 and with Michigan State on the doorstep to score on the next drive, the Broncos held the Spartans to a spread-saving field goal. Western Michigan looked in position with a long drive late in the game, but an interception ended the threat as the Broncos wound up with substantial yardage production though a lot of came with the game mostly out of hand.

Boise State (-13) 16, Washington 13: Boise State completely dominated the first half of this game, but a turnover and a failed fourth down attempt left the score at just 16-0 when it could have been substantially greater. The Broncos went conservative in the second half and special teams proved to be a big problem area as Washington climbed back into the game with three scores despite only a total of 21 offensive yards on those three drives to earn the underdog cover despite a massive yardage edge for the favorite.

Florida (-34) 61, New Mexico State 13: While the Gators took control of this game early, they were not on pace to cover the nearly five-touchdown spread much of the way. It was a 15-point game late in the second quarter and late into the third quarter, the Gators were only up by 24. Leading by 34 heading into the fourth, Florida would add two more late touchdowns to pad the margin as the Aggies were held to negative net yards in the second half.

UCLA (-18) 34, Virginia 16: The Cavaliers played a great first half and were only down five with less than two minutes to go before the Bruins engineered a field goal drive in the final seconds. With two touchdowns late in the third quarter, UCLA took control of the game leading by 22 after taking advantage of a Virginia interception, getting past the heavy favorite spread that reached as high as 20 points at times during the week. The next two scoring opportunities for the Bruins featured a pair of field goal attempts with only one success as the lead stretched to 25 points in the fourth quarter. Virginia was stopped on downs in UCLA territory on its previous drive but they completed a touchdown drive with fewer than four minutes on the clock for the backdoor cover score to bring the final margin to 18 points and an underdog win for the vast majority of players. Virginia had a massive time of possession edge, but UCLA was very efficient on third downs with freshman quarterback Josh Rosen impressing.

Auburn (-10) 31, Louisville 24: Auburn appeared to be in control of this big opening game with a 24-0 lead early in the second half and that lead was still 21 points early in the fourth quarter. Louisville scored two touchdowns in a less than four-minute span in the fourth quarter to trim the margin to seven points for the underdog cover and there was some controversy as Bobby Petrino burned his final timeout in the final minute after an Auburn penalty that should have meant a clock stoppage as the Cardinals would have been able to get the ball back. Auburn had some good fortune early with its first two scores off turnovers with only 26 yards of offense on those drives as Louisville dominated the statistics in the game, but Auburn cashed in its turnovers while Louisville did not.

Texas A&M (-3) 38, Arizona State 17: This marquee game in Houston was much tighter than the final scored indicated as it was a three-point game well into the fourth quarter. Kyle Allen then led two long touchdown drives in quick order to put the game away for the Aggies and with another late score, Texas A&M wound up with a 21-point win with 21 points in the final nine minutes.

BYU (+5) 33, Nebraska 28 (57): The spread outcome was set with BYU in position for the underdog cover against Nebraska nearly the entire game, but the incredible final second Hail Mary completion did shift the total result for those that played the game late in the weekend. The total opened as high as 65 before taking a consistent dive throughout the week to close at 57 and the final touchdown put the score at 61, right in the middle.

NC State (-25) 49, Troy 21: Troy attracted little wagering interest, but the Trojans trailed by just 14 points late in the third quarter in this matchup with NC State. The Wolfpack added two late touchdowns and could have scored more as they took a sack going for it on fourth and short in the fourth quarter in Troy territory on another drive.

Tennessee (-22½) 59, Bowling Green 30: This was a one-score game in the second half despite the lopsided final margin as the Falcons trailed by eight after an early third quarter score. A great kickoff return put the Volunteers in business to build on that lead, but Bowling Green still answered that touchdown with a field goal and stopped Tennessee on the next possession. Tennessee broke a 56-yard run in the final seconds of the third quarter to take a 19-point lead into the fourth and Bowling Green fumbled on the Tennessee three-yard line to spoil what looked like a clear underdog win most of the way as Tennessee tacked on 10 more points late.

Georgia (-35) 51, UL-Monroe 14 (57): Georgia led 35-7 at the half as they could have named their score, but with a five-touchdown spread, the second half would prove to be tight with that number as UL-Monroe scored on its opening drive. After getting a safety in the third quarter, a 13-play, 93-yard drive in the fourth quarter would prove to be the difference as Georgia took the lead from 30 points to 37 points. It wound up not mattering however with the game called before the 55-minutes required by books with the most painful loss to those on the ‘over’ that was already in the bag.

Kentucky (-17½) 40, Louisiana-Lafayette 33: Kentucky needed a touchdown in the final minute and a late interception to seal the win in this game, but much of the way the game was not on pace for a frantic finish. Kentucky led by 17 at the half and was ahead of the spread with a 24-point lead late in the third quarter with a missed extra-point looking potentially critical for those on the favorite. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored three touchdowns before the halfway point of the fourth quarter to tie the game and set up the tense finish as UL-Lafayette wound up with more yards and a huge time of possession edge but also four turnovers.

Arkansas (-31½) 48, UTEP 13: Arkansas dominated, but the lead was only 32 heading into the fourth quarter on a spread that was around 33 most of the week. UTEP would fumble on a punt return in the latter half of the fourth to set up Arkansas for a short field goal which proved to be the difference.

Florida State (-27½) 59, Texas State 16: This was a four-point game late in the second quarter as getting past the nearly four-touchdown spread seemed unlikely for the Seminoles. Heading into the fourth quarter, the lead was 25-points and the Seminoles did not let up with 24-fourth quarter points to ensure a clear victory.

Marshall (-7) 41, Purdue 31: Purdue led by four at the half and by one entering the fourth quarter. The Boilermakers had to settle for a 22-yard field goal to push the lead back to four points after 15-play drive to open the final quarter to leave the door open. Marshall eventually answered with an 84-yard touchdown drive after trading punts and with Purdue driving Tiquan Lang picked up his second interception return touchdown of the game with just over a minute to go to give the Herd an improbable favorite cover.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Ohio State - 8:00 PM ET Virginia Tech +14 500 *****

Virginia Tech - Over 53.5 500 *****