The Bum's 2016 College Football Best Bets,Trends,Stat, News !!

[StarDust Bum]

MID-DAY GAMES


CONN at BC 01:00 PM

BC -8.5

FLA at LSU 01:00 PM

LSU -14.0 *****

U 37.5 *****

ORE at UTAH 02:00 PM

UTAH -13.5 *****

MASS at BYU 02:00 PM

MASS +28.5 *****

MTU at CHAR 02:00 PM

O 58.0

GASO at GSU 02:00 PM

GSU +3.0

ULM at APP 02:30 PM

ULM +25.5

DUKE at PITT 03:00 PM

DUKE +9.0 *****

FSU at SYR 03:30 PM

SYR +23.0

TEM at TULN 03:30 PM

TEM -14.5 *****

SDSU at WYO 03:30 PM

WYO +10.0 *****

U 54.5 *****

NW at MINN 03:30 PM

NW -1.5

IND at MICH 03:30 PM

IND +24.5 *****

WSU at COLO 03:30 PM

WSU +6.0

MIZZ at TENN 03:30 PM

MIZZ +16.5

VT at ND 03:30 PM

ND -2.5

TEX at KU 03:30 PM

KU +23.5 *****

TTU at ISU 03:30 PM

TTU -4.0

BUFF at WMU 03:30 PM

WMU -34.5 *****

[StarDust Bum]

LATE DAY GAMES:

USU at NEV 04:00 PM

USU -7.0

TXST at NMSU 04:00 PM

TXST +9.0 *****

NAVY at ECU 04:00 PM

NAVY -8.5

SOMIS at UNT 05:30 PM

UNT +5.5 *****

STAN at CAL 05:30 PM

STAN -10.5 *****

ODU at FAU 06:00 PM

ODU -8.0 *****

[StarDust Bum]

USF at SMU 07:00 PM

SMU +12.5 *****

HAW at FRES 07:00 PM

FRES +3.5 *****

MRSH at FIU 07:00 PM

MRSH -2.5 *****

ARK at MSST 07:00 PM

MSST -1.5

CHAT at ALA 07:00 PM

ALA -48.5

CLEM at WAKE

WAKE +24.5

PRE at USA 07:00 PM

USA -28.0

ASU at WASH 07:30 PM

ASU +27.0

AAMU at AUB 07:30 PM

AAMU +54.0

[StarDust Bum]

OKLA at WVU 08:00 PM

WVU +3.0 *****

PSU at RUTG 08:00 PM

RUTG +26.0

TLSA at UCF 08:00 PM

TLSA +1.5 *****

MISS at VAN 08:00 PM

VAN +9.5 *****

UNM at CSU 10:15 PM

CSU -7.0 *****

AFA at SJSU 10:30 PM

AFA -11.5

ARIZ at ORST 10:30 PM

ORST -3.5 *****

USC at UCLA 10:30 PM

USC -13.0 *****

[StarDust Bum]

Top 25 Capsules
November 20, 2016

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Mike Weber ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State held off Michigan State 17-16 on Saturday after the Spartans missed a 2-point conversion with 4:41 remaining.

Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) can now move on to next weekend's showdown with rival Michigan, but only after withstanding a spirited challenge from a Michigan State team that derailed the Buckeyes' national title bids in two of the previous three seasons. The Spartans (3-8, 1-7) were down 17-10 when LJ Scott scored on a 1-yard run with 4:41 to play. Michigan State went for the lead, but Tyler O'Connor's pass on the 2-point conversion attempt was intercepted in the end zone.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said he'd planned all week for the Spartans to go for 2 if a situation like that came up.

The Spartans got the ball back one more time, at their own 20 with 2:04 remaining. Tyquan Lewis sacked O'Connor on the first play, and then Gareon Conley intercepted him on the second.

Scott ran for 160 yards and also scored on a 64-yard catch-and-run in the first minute of the game, but the Ohio State defense didn't allow much more after that. J.T. Barrett threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel in the first quarter, and the game was tied at 10 at halftime.

Weber's 4-yard TD run in the third gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.

NO. 1 ALABAMA 31, CHATTANOOGA 3

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Jalen Hurts passed for three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards to help Alabama overcome a slow start against FCS team Chattanooga.

With the offense struggling to get going, the Crimson Tide (11-0) spotted the Mocs (8-3) the game's first three points and didn't really shake them until late in the third quarter. The defense had a more Bama-like performance, and hasn't given up a touchdown in 13 quarters.

Hurts was 15 of 21 for 136 yards a week after torching Mississippi State for 347 yards. He had a 47-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley and added two 1-yarders to Gehrig Dieter, including one in the final minutes that made the score look a little closer to what most expected.

Damien Harris rushed for 91 yards, and a touchdown and Ridley gained 94 yards on seven catches.

NO. 4 MICHIGAN 20, INDIANA 10

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - De'Veon Smith ran for two touchdowns in a 3:33 span late in the third quarter, finishing with a career-high 158 yards rushing, to help Michigan shake off Indiana.

John O'Korn made his first start for Michigan (10-1, 7-1, No. 3 CFP), replacing the injured Wilton Speight, and struggled to lead an offense that was averaging 45 points and 232 yards passing.

O'Korn was 7 of 16 yards for just 59 yards. His best play was a 30-yard run, escaping a collapsed pocket on third down to set up Smith's 34-yeard run that put the Wolverines up 13-10 with 4:02 left in the third. Smith's 39-yard run later in the quarter put them ahead 20-10.

Richard Lagow was 14 of 29 for 191 yards for Indiana (5-6, 3-5).

NO. 5 CLEMSON 35, WAKE FOREST 13

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Deshaun Watson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, and Clemson wrapped up a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.

Wayne Gallman rushed for a season-high 161 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yarder on fourth-and-inches that started the scoring for the Tigers (10-1, 7-1, No. 4 CFP).

Playing with something to prove after a last-second loss to Pittsburgh, Clemson reeled off touchdowns on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead and then essentially went into protection mode while holding the Demon Deacons to 197 yards - its fewest since the opener against Tulane.

Watson was 23 of 33 for 202 yards and sandwiched a pair of short scoring runs around a pretty 15-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, checking out after Gallman's second TD with 10:50 to play.

Cade Carney had a 1-yard touchdown run for Wake Forest (6-5, 3-4).

NO. 6 WISCONSIN 49, PURDUE 20

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - T.J. Watt returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown, and Wisconsin scored 35 points in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the first half.

Alec Ingold and Bradrick Shaw each scored twice during the flurry, helping the Badgers (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP) to their fifth straight win overall and 11th in a row in the series. They can wrap up the West Division title and earn a spot in the conference championship game with a victory next weekend at home against Minnesota. Corey Clement rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown for Wisconsin.

Purdue (3-8, 1-7) closed out its home schedule with a sixth straight loss, five under interim coach Gerad Parker.

NO. 7 WASHINGTON 44, ARIZONA STATE 18

SEATTLE (AP) - Jake Browning overcame a sluggish start to throw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington routed Arizona State to stay in the College Football Playoff mix.

Washington (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 6 CFP) will likely move up in both the AP Top 25 and the CFP ranking after snapping a 10-game losing streak to the Sun Devils (5-6, 2-6).

Browning completed 27 of 44 passes with 12 of those going to John Ross for 95 yards. Myles Gaskin ran for 127 yards and a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Washington's victory sets up one of the biggest Apple Cup games ever Friday in Pullman against rival Washington State, with the winner claiming a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The two are tied atop the Pac-12 North standings after Washington State's 38-24 loss at Colorado on Saturday.

NO. 8 OKLAHOMA 49, NO. 10 WEST VIRGINIA 28

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and Oklahoma scored four times off turnovers to beat West Virginia in the snow.

Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) turned a marquee matchup into a rout from the start, building a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Mountaineers tried a late comeback.

The Sooners kept their long-shot playoff hopes alive and can win the conference title in their regular-season finale in two weeks against Oklahoma State.

West Virginia (8-2, 5-2, No. 14 CFP) was eliminated from the conference race.

Samaje Perine ran for 160 yards and two TDs, Joe Mixon had 147 yards and a score, and Dede Westbrook had 100 yards receiving, including a 75-yard TD. After Oklahoma's hot start, the Sooners kept the ball mostly on the ground. Mayfield finished 9 of 15 for 169 yards, all season lows.

West Virginia's Justin Crawford rushed for 331 yards, the third-highest total in school history.

NO. 9 PENN STATE 39, RUTGERS 0

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Tyler Davis kicked a career-high four field goals and Penn State stayed in the hunt for a berth in the Big Ten title game.

Saquon Barkley and Andre Robinson scored on short third-quarter runs and the Nittany Lions (9-2, 7-1) limited Rutgers (2-9, 0-8) to 87 yards in total offense in winning their seventh straight game, their longest streak since 2011.

The win kept Penn State tied for first place in the Big Ten East with Ohio State and Michigan, who face each other in Columbus, Ohio. If the Buckeyes win and the Nittany Lions take their home finale against Michigan State, Penn State goes to the title game, having beaten the Buckeyes.

Trace McSorley added a 27-yard scoring pass to Mark Allen, and backup quarterback Tommy Stevens scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter.

OREGON 30, NO. 11 UTAH 28

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Justin Herbert threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Darren Carrington with 2 seconds remaining to lift Oregon past Utah, which was eliminated from the Pac-12 championship race.

Herbert led the Ducks (4-7, 2-6) on a 10-play, 75-yard drive in just over 2 minutes, capping it with the TD pass to Carrington. He was initially called out of bounds, but that call was reversed after a replay showed Carrington got a foot down inbounds.

Herbert passed for 324 yards and three TDs. He also scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The Utes (8-3, 5-3, No. 12 CFP) had taken a 28-24 lead with 2:18 remaining off a Troy Williams 30-yard touchdown pass, but the Ducks then began their comeback drive.

Royce Freeman led the Ducks' ground game with 129 yards.

Joe Williams rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown for Utah.

NO. 12 COLORADO 38, NO. 20 WASHINGTON STATE 24

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Sefo Liufau threw for 345 yards, ran for 108 more and scored three touchdowns in Colorado's victory over Washington State in a matchup of unlikely Pac-12 division leaders.

Phillip Lindsay added 144 yards rushing and two TDs for the Buffaloes (9-2, 7-1, No. 10 CFP), who can wrap up the Pac-12 South and a spot in the conference title game by beating Utah at home next week.

A loss would give the South to No. 15 Southern California.

Liufau briefly left in the fourth quarter only to return and pick up a crucial third-and-short that led to a game-sealing TD run by Lindsay.

Luke Falk threw for 325 yards and three scores for Washington State (8-3, 7-1, No. 22 CFP). The Cougars had won eight in a row.

NO. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE 31, TCU 6

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Mason Rudolph ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, and Oklahoma State earned a Big 12 title shot with its seventh consecutive victory.

The Cowboys (9-2, 7-1, No. 11 CFP) will be conference champions if they beat No. 8 Oklahoma in their regular-season finale after an open date.

Oklahoma State scored on its only two drives in the third quarter to go ahead 24-6. Chris Carson had a bruising 19-yard TD run when he got through three tacklers and Rudolph scored on a 2-yard keeper immediately after a 63-yard catch-and-run by Chris Lacy,

TCU (5-5, 3-4) had a chance to take the lead in the final minute of the first half after a 40-yard run by quarterback Kenny Hill. But Kyle Hicks took direct snaps in a wildcat formation on consecutive plays from the 1, getting stopped short on a third-down run and then overthrowing an open receiver.

Justice Hill had 154 yards rushing on 16 carries for Oklahoma State, and Carson had 146 yards on 17 carries. Lacy had four catches for 109 yards.

NO. 14 WESTERN MICHIGAN 38, BUFFALO 0

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Zach Terrell passed for a career-high 445 yards and four touchdowns, helping Western Michigan remain undefeated.

Corey Davis had 13 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the Mid-American Conference record for career receptions. Davis also holds the MAC records for career yards receiving and touchdown catches.

Michael Henry added six receptions for 121 yards as the Broncos (11-0, 7-0, No. 21 CFP) stayed in contention for a major bowl bid. They need a win against Toledo next week and a victory in the MAC championship to have a chance at the Cotton Bowl.

Jordan Johnson had 95 yards rushing for the Bulls (2-9, 1-6).

NO. 15 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 36, UCLA 14

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Sam Darnold passed for 267 yards and hit De'Quan Hampton for two touchdowns, leading Southern California past UCLA in the Los Angeles rivals' 86th crosstown showdown.

Ronald Jones II rushed for 121 yards and two TDs for the surging Trojans (8-3, 7-2 Pac-12), who won their seventh straight game after a dismal start to the season.

USC claimed the Victory Bell for the second consecutive year, overcoming Darnold's two early interceptions and eventually taking apart UCLA's solid defense for 527 total yards.

Jordan Lasley caught two first-half touchdown passes from Mike Fafaul for UCLA (4-7, 2-6). After five losses in their last six games, the Bruins are assured their first losing season in coach Jim Mora's half-decade in charge.

NO. 21 FLORIDA 16, NO. 16 LSU 10

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Florida stuffed LSU's Derrius Guice on a do-or-die run from the 1 in the final seconds, and the Gators held on to wrap up the Southeastern Conference's East Division.

The stop capped a defensive struggle in which LSU converted a fourth-and-10 play on its final drive, only to get stopped on back-to-back runs from the 1 to end the game.

Florida's Austin Appleby completed only seven passes on 17 attempts, but one of his connections went for a pivotal 98-yard touchdown to Tyrie Cleveland. Eddy Piniero scored the rest of Florida's points on field goals of 36, 24 and 34 yards.

LSU (6-4, 4-3 SEC, No. 16 CFP) controlled most of the game and held considerable statistical advantages, outgaining Florida (8-2, 6-2, No. 23 CFP) 423 yards to 270 and holding possession for 34:02. But on three occasions, the Tigers failed to score after driving inside Florida's 10 - the first time because of Guice's fumble in the first half and the second time because of a botched field goal in the third quarter. The loss likely cost the Tigers a Sugar Bowl bid.

NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE 45, SYRACUSE 14

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Dalvin Cook ran for 225 yards and four touchdowns to become Florida State's career rushing leader.

Cook entered the game needing 19 yards to break Warrick Dunn's 20-year old school record for rushing (3,959) and did so with a 41-yarder in the first quarter. He finished the first half with 104 yards to become just the sixth player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to reach 4,000 yards and the first to do it in three years.

Florida State (8-3, 5-3, No. 17 CFP) won for the fifth time in six games and handed Syracuse (4-7, 2-5) its third straight loss.

Syracuse starting quarterback Eric Dungey again warmed up before the opening kickoff but did not play for the second straight game. The sophomore has been out since suffering a vicious hit to the shoulder-head area in the first quarter against Clemson two weeks ago.

NO. 18 AUBURN 55, ALABAMA A&M 0

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Jeremy Johnson accounted for three touchdowns, and Auburn made the most of its final tuneup before the Iron Bowl with a victory over FCS opponent Alabama A&M.

Starting in place of the injured Sean White, Johnson was 14 of 19 for 147 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more. It was Johnson's first start of the season and the first game he received substantial playing time in since the opener against Clemson.

Kerryon Johnson ran for 108 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries before being lifted for freshman Kam Martin at halftime. Kamryn Pettway, who entered the week leading the SEC in rushing, missed his second consecutive game with a left leg injury. Among the other Tigers to sit out the final home game of the season were running back Stanton Truitt, H-back Chandler Cox and cornerback Carlton Davis.

Auburn (8-3, No. 15 CFP) outgained Alabama A&M (4-7) 598-130, and had its first shutout since the first game of the 2008 season.

NO. 19 NEBRASKA 28, MARYLAND 7

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Terrell Newby ran for a career-high three touchdowns for Nebraska, and Ryker Fyfe passed for 220 yards and a score filling in for injured starter Tommy Armstrong Jr.

The Cornhuskers (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) stayed alive in the West Division. They must win at Iowa on Friday and Wisconsin must lose to Minnesota for Nebraska to go to the conference championship game.

Maryland (5-6, 2-6) lost for the sixth time in seven games and has been outscored 149-13 over three weeks. Fyfe prevailed over Max Bortenschlager in a battle of backup quarterbacks.

Armstrong injured his hamstring scoring the winning touchdown in last week's game against Minnesota. He didn't practice this week and was not in uniform Saturday. Perry Hills was dressed but didn't play for the Terrapins because of shoulder problems.

NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 23, UTSA 10

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Jake Hubenak threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, and Myles Garrett had 4 1/2 sacks to help No. 23 Texas A&M get back on track.

The Aggies (8-3) were in desperate need of a victory after consecutive losses to Mississippi State and Mississippi ruined their shot at the College Football Playoff.

The Roadrunners (5-6) cut the lead to three early in the second quarter after a one-handed touchdown grab by Josh Stewart. The Aggies then scored the next 13 points, capped by a 47 yard run by Trayveon Williams to make it 23-7 in the third quarter.

Garrett was finally healthy after missing two games and being limited in several others because of a high ankle sprain. He finished with eight tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble. Instead of limping as he has been in recent weeks, Garrett was harassing UTSA's two quarterbacks all game.

WYOMING 34, NO. 24 SAN DIEGO STATE 33

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, including a 29-yarder to C.J. Johnson with 1:07 left, and Wyoming stopped a 2-point conversion attempt by San Diego State with no time on the clock.

Allen completed 16 of 31 passes for 282 yards and also rushed for 56 yards. Brian Hill added 131 yards on 31 carries and two TDs for the Cowboys (8-3, 6-1 Mountain West). Johnson had five catches for 85 yards.

Christian Chapman completed 15 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two TDs for San Diego State (9-2, 6-1). Chapman's last TD pass was a 23-yard desperation heave that Quest Truxton caught on the rebound with no time left. Aztecs coach Rocky Long elected to go for the win and Chapman's 2-point pass attempt was knocked away by defensive back Antonio Hull.

Rashaad Penny and Juwan Washington both returned kickoffs for touchdowns for the Aztecs. Penny's was 93 yards, and Washington's 92 yards.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

Six most popular picks this week in the Westgate Super Contest:

6) Raiders -5.5 (430)

5) Buccaneers +7.5 (434)

4) Vikings even (400)

3) Titans +3 (509)

2) Dolphins -2.5 (516)

1) Ravens +7 (596)

season record: 17-42-2

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…..

13) Ohio State 17, Michigan State 16— Spartans scored with under 5:00 to go to make it 17-16, then went for 2 points and the lead, letting the Buckeyes off the hook. Spartans are 3-8; I’m just not a fan of going for two when you’re the underdog— all the pressure is on the other guys.

12) Wyoming 34, San Diego State 33— Aztecs had to beg for a replay review on a Hail Mary on the last play of the game, and they won it, making score 34-33 with time expired. Great catch by the San Diego State kid, by the way.

Surprisingly they go for 2 points and the win but it doesn’t work. Wyoming wins. Aztecs were the favorite; no clue why they went for two points; the replay review was pretty long, but they did and they lost. It has been a great year for Wyoming, though.

11) Oregon 30, Utah 28— Ducks scored with 0:02 left on a 17-yard pass play; they’re 4-7 and trailed this game 14-3. Bad loss for 8-3 Utah (are there good losses?)

10) Tennessee 63, Missouri 37— Mizzou ran 110 plays for 743 yards, had 42 first downs (42!!!) and lost by 26.

9) Georgia Tech 31, Virginia 17— Tech had only 8 first downs, ran only 41 plays, but three of them were TD’s of 67-54-60 yards, then they added a defensive TD with 4:03 that covered the spread, so if you wagered on Virginia today, this is a bad beat.

8) Virginia Tech 34, Notre Dame 31— Irish led 24-7 but now they are 4-7 and not going to a bowl. I grew up as a USC fan in a houseful of Notre Dame fans; if this game had been played when I was a little kid, undoubtedly I would’ve been grounded within 10 minutes of the game ending.

7) Oklahoma State 31, TCU 6— Horned Frogs have only eight seniors on scholarship. The scholarship limit is 85, but because so many kids red-shirt, thats divided by five classes, so 17 kids a year would be average. In other words, TCU should be a whole lot better next year than this year (they’re 5-5).

6) Kansas 24, Texas 21— Time for Charlie Strong to…..take a hike. Losing to the Jayhawks is no bueno; Kansas hardly had enough students in the stands to rush the field. Texas is 4-7 and will be hiring a new coach (Tom Herman?) fairly soon.

Iowa State 66, Texas Tech 10— If you coach a team that trails Iowa State 45-3 at halftime, your job is in jeopardy, especially if your team is 4-7. Lot of schools in Texas are going to be looking for new coaches in a few weeks.

5) Alabama 31, Chattanooga 3– At the risk of sounding like Nancy Kerrigan, why are the Crimson Tide playing a I-AA team?

Why? Why? Why? Play a Sun Belt team, play a MAC team, play freakin’ Rutgers, there are plenty of stiffs out there.

4) Florida 16, LSU 10— Gators stopped LSU at the 1-yard line on the last play to preserve the win. Tigers’ RB Leonard Fournette was supposedly hurt, but after he got into a verbal dispute with a Florida coach before the game, he asked to suit up and he did, running ball 12 times for 40 yards.

Fournette is a great talent but he misses a lot of games. If I was an NFL team, I’d be hesitant to spend a high draft pick on him.

3) I have lived in upstate NY my whole life; I despise snow, even on TV. Watching it snow in Michigan, West Virginia today made me put a sweatshirt on in my house. Terrible stuff, snow. Very cold.

I’m wondering if there were kids playing for Oklahoma (or freshmen on West Virginia who might be from Florida) who have never seen snow before, or at least never played in it.

2) Old Dominion 42, Florida Atlantic 24- Monarchs are 8-3 and heading to their first bowl game; they were 7-17 in their first two years in I-A football. Good for them; it ain’t easy to build up a football program— takes lot of bodies, a lot of work.

1— I’m writing this tonight with a heavy heart; my friend Joe passed away this week, way too young at age 53. I found out today; I knew he was ill, but didn’t know how serious it was.

A good guy, a regular guy despite being a boss at work, Joe and I met a year before my retirement and bonded over our mutual love of sports. I’d duck into his office and we’d talk/laugh a little bit each day.

A good ballplayer and a basketball ref, Joe was respected by all; a big man with a big heart. He will be missed. RIP, my friend.

[StarDust Bum]

Who's in, who's out?
November 20, 2016

(STATS) - Who's in, who's out?

Eight teams have distinguished themselves for seeds and first-round byes in the 24-team FCS playoffs. But plenty of teams will be on edge leading into the ESPNU selection show on Sunday (11 a.m. ET).

After having five teams in the field each of the past two seasons, it would be bizarre for the Missouri Valley Football Conference if three other conferences - the Big Sky Conference, CAA Football and Southern Conference - have more teams. It's possible if at-large hopeful Illinois State's bubble is burst.

On an odd final full weekend of the regular season, so many teams in contention for an at-large bid lost their game, including Liberty, Maine, Montana, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Samford and Western Illinois.

So there are a good seven teams in contention for the final spots. We'll go Maine, New Hampshire, Samford and Weber State over Illinois State, Fordham and Southeastern Louisiana.

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PROJECTED BIDS BY CONFERENCE

*- automatic qualifier

Big Sky (4): Cal Poly (7-4), *Eastern Washington (10-1), North Dakota (9-2), Weber State (7-4)

Big South (1): *Charleston Southern (7-3)

CAA (5): Albany (7-4), *James Madison (10-1), New Hampshire (7-4), Richmond (8-3), Villanova (8-3)

MEAC (1): North Carolina A&T (9-2)

Missouri Valley (3): North Dakota State (10-1), *South Dakota State (8-3), Youngstown State (8-3)

NEC (1): *Saint Francis (7-4)

OVC (1): *Jacksonville State (10-1)

Patriot (1): *Lehigh (9-2)

Pioneer (1): *San Diego (9-1)

Southern (4): Chattanooga (9-2), Samford (7-4), *The Citadel (10-1), Wofford (8-3)

Southland (2): *Sam Houston State (11-0), Central Arkansas (9-2)

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STATS PROJECTED PAIRINGS

Top 8 seeds have first-round byes

San Diego-Weber State winner at No. 1 seed North Dakota State

Saint Francis-Villanova winner at No. 8 seed North Dakota

Samford-Richmond winner at No. 5 seed Sam Houston State

Chattanooga-North Carolina A&T winner at No. 4 seed James Madison

Lehigh-New Hampshire winner at No. 7 seed South Dakota State

Albany-Youngstown State winner at No. 2 seed Eastern Washington

Cal Poly-Central Arkansas winner at No. 3 seed Jacksonville State

Charleston Southern-Wofford winner at No. 6 seed The Citadel

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's best
November 19, 2016


STARS

-Christian McCaffrey, Stanford, ran for 284 yards and three TDs in a 45-31 win over California.

-Sefo Liufau, Colorado, threw for 345 yards, rushed for 108 more and scored three TDs to help the No. 12 Buffaloes beat No. 20 Washington State 38-24.

-Dalvin Cook, Florida State, ran for 225 yards and four TDs to become the Seminoles' career rushing leader, and the 17th-ranked Seminoles beat Syracuse 45-14.

-Zach Terrell, Western Michigan, passed for a career-high 445 yards and four TDs to help No. 14 Broncos remain undefeated with a 38-0 victory over Buffalo.

-Joel Lanning, Iowa State, tied a school record with five rushing TDs and ran for 171 yards to help the Cyclones clobber Texas Tech 66-10.

- Jalen Hurts, Alaba,a, passed for three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards to help No. 1 Alabama rout FCS team Chattanooga 31-3.

-Deshaun Watson, Clemson, ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score and No. 5 Clemson wrapped up a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game with a 35-13 win over Wake Forest.

- Jake Browning, Washington, overcame a sluggish start to throw for 338 yards and two touchdowns in No. 7 Washington's 44-18 victory over Arizona State.

-Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, accounted for five TDs and 413 yards in a 63-37 victory over Missouri.

-Will Worth, Navy, rushed for 159 yards and four TDs in a 66-31 win over East Carolina.

-Rico Dowdle, South Carolina, ran for 226 yards and TDs in a 44-31 victory over Western Carolina.

-Trey Green, Prairie View, threw for 400 yards and five TDs in a 57-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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BUCKEYES HOLD ON

Before Ohio State could move on to next weekend's showdown with Michigan, the Buckeyes had to deal with a different nemesis.

As usual, Michigan State gave Urban Meyer's team all it could handle.

Mike Weber ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State held off Michigan State 17-16 after the upset-minded Spartans missed a 2-point conversion with 4:41 remaining.

Ohio State can now focus on Michigan, but only after withstanding a spirited challenge from a Michigan State team that derailed the Buckeyes' national title bids in two of the previous three seasons.

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LONG-TIME COMING

Matthew Wyman may have booted Charlie Strong right out of Texas.

The senior kicker for Kansas knocked through a field goal to force overtime, then drilled a 25-yarder in the extra session to send the Jayhawks to a 24-21 victory over the Longhorns - one that just might end Strong's disappointing tenure on the 40 acres.

The moment Wyman's field goal went through the uprights, the Jayhawks poured off the sideline and into a jubilant pile with thousands of students. The win snapped a nine-game skid, a 19-game losing streak in Big 12 play and was their first over Texas since 1938.

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NUMBERS

5-Career punt returns for touchdowns by Georgia's Isaiah McKenzie , breaking the school record. He also has a school-record six TDs on kick returns.

50-Rushing touchdowns by Pittsburgh's James Conner , breaking the previous mark set by N.C. State's Ted Brown between 1975 and 1978. Conner now has 53 touchdowns in all, eclipsing the old ACC mark of 52 set by Wali Lundy of Virginia from 2002-05.

51-Age of South Carolina State's Joe Thomas Sr ., believed to be the oldest player to appear in a game in Division I history.

69-Receptions by Tennessee Tech's Dontez Byrd, breaking the school single-season record .

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YALE TRICKERY

A fake field goal. A surprise onside kick. Even some naked revelers in the Yale student section attempting to distract archrival Harvard.

And the biggest trick of all from Yale in the 133rd edition of The Game : A 21-14 upset over the Crimson to end a nine-year losing streak in one of the oldest rivalries in sports and spoil Harvard's chances of an unprecedented fourth straight Ivy League title.

Harvard (7-3, 5-2 Ivy) needed a victory to clinch a share of the conference championship. The Bulldogs had little to play for except a chance to spoil Harvard's season.

That's exactly what they did.

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BEST BETS:

11/01/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/02/2016 1-1-0 50.00% -50
11/03/2016 3-3-0 50.00% -150
11/04/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/05/2016 26-34-0 43.33% -5700
11/08/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/09/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/10/2016 1-5-0 16.67% -2250
11/11/2016 0-2-0 0.00% -1100
11/12/2016 23-28-1 45.10% -3900
11/15/2016 1-1-0 50.00% -50
11/16/2016 3-1-0 75.00% +950
11/17/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/18/2016 2-2-0 50.00% -100
11/19/2016 33-25-0 56.90% +2750

TRIPLE PLAYS RECORD: 103 - 84- 8 *****

BIG TEN GOY................0 - 1 ( IOWA BIG LOSER TO WISCONSIN )
MT. WEST GOY..............1 - 0 ( WYOMING ROLLS BIG OVER UTAH ST. )
MAC UNDERDOG GOY.....1 - 0 ( KENT ST. + 21 W.MICHIGAN 37 )
ACC BLOW OUT.............0 - 1 ( CLEMSON -21.5 42 - 43 PITT )
MAC FAVORITE .............1 - 0 ( MIA-OHIO - 10 OVER BUFFALO 35 -24)
SEC BLOW OUT..............1 - 0 ( BAMA -28.5 OVER MISS ST. 51 - 3 )
PAC 12 GOY...................0 - 1 ( USC UPSETS WASHINGTON 26-13 )
BIG 10 DOG..................0 - 1 ( MINNESOTA + 6 LOSES TO NEBRASKA 17 -24 )
PAC 12 BLOW OUT .........1 - 0 ( COLORADO - 17.5 CRUSHES ARIZONA 49 - 24 )
THURS. NIGHT GOY.........0 - 1 ( HOUSTON UPSETS LOUISVILLE 36 -10 )
FRIDAY NIGHT DOG........1 - 0 ( NEVADA 25 + 29 BOISE ST 42 )
FRIDAY NIGHT TOTAL......1 - 0 ( NEVADA /BOISE OVER 64 )

WLT PCT UNITS

ATS Picks 319-310-12 50.72% -11000

O/U Picks 108-113-4 48.87% -8150

[StarDust Bum]

Betting Recap - Week 12
November 20, 2016


Overall Notes

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 12 RESULTS

WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 47-19
Against the Spread 32-34

WAGER Home-Away
Straight Up 40-26
Against the Spread 33-33

WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 28-37-1

The largest underdogs to win straight up

Kansas (+23.5, ML +1075) vs. Texas, 24-21 (OT)
Houston (+17, ML +650) vs. Louisville, 36-10
Florida (+13.5, ML +400) at Louisiana State, 16-10
Oregon (+13, ML +350) at Utah, 30-28
Arkansas State (+10, ML +350) at Troy, 35-3

The largest favorites to cover

Auburn (-54) vs. Alabama A&M, 55-0
Western Michigan (-35) vs. Buffalo, 38-0
Brigham Young (-28) vs. Massachusetts, 51-9
Wisconsin (-27.5) at Purdue, 49-20
North Carolina (-23.5) vs. The Citadel, 41-7

Top 25 Notes

-- Florida played Louisiana State after their originally scheduled game Oct. 8 was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew. Since LSU would have closed the 2016 season with three straight road games, it appears they insisted on the game being moved to Baton Rouge while changing the 2017 game to Gainesville. The Gators, perhaps playing with a chip on their shoulder and feeling a bit disrespected, held on a goal-line stand late to earn a hard-fought 16-10 win as the third-largest underdog to win outright. The Gators improved to 3-1-1 ATS over their past four, and the 'under' is 4-0 in their previous four. ... Oklahoma State rolled to a 31-6 win at Texas Christian, winning for the seventh straight game while improving to 5-2 ATS during the span. ... Western Michigan continued to row that boat to a potential New Year's Day bowl game. They started slow against Buffalo, but scored double-digit points in the final three quarters for a 38-0 win as 35-point favorites. The Broncos are 11-0 SU heading into the season finale against Toledo. WMU has alternated covers and non-covers over their past seven.

-- Wisconsin continues to tick off wins and covers. They throttled Purdue at Ross-Ade by a 49-20 count, picking up their third consecutive cover. They improved to 3-1 ATS in games this season as more than a three-touchdown favorite. They'll wrap up the season against Minnesota while battling for Paul Bunyan's Ax. The Gophers covered Saturday, but have yet to cover back-to-back games all season. Remember that next week.

-- Texas A&M didn't seem to have a lot of fight in an uninspiring 23-10 over Texas-San Antonio in College Station. After opening the season 4-0 SU/ATS, the Aggies are just 4-3 SU and 0-7 ATS over their past seven games heading into their Thanksgiving Day showdown against LSU.

-- Southern California is a team no one wants to see right now. They ran roughshod over Washington last week in Seattle, and treated rival UCLA rather rudely in the Rose Bowl, easily covering a 13-point number in their 36-14 victory. USC has rattled off seven stragiht victories, and they're 6-1 ATS during the span, including five straight covers. The 'under' is also a perfect 7-0 during the span heading into next weekend's rivalry game with Notre Dame.


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

-- Boston College isn't going quietly into the night, pounding Connecticut 30-0 for their fifth victory of the season. They can become bowl eligible with a win at Wake Forest next Saturday. The last time the Eagles ventured into the Tar Heel State they came away with a 21-14 win at North Carolina State Oct. 29. ... Speaking of the Demon Deacons, they fell 35-13 at home against Clemson. The Deacs have covered three in a row, and five of the past six. ... N.C. State recorded its fourth straight 'under' result, and sixth in the past seven outings. They'll square off with North Carolina in Chapel Hill Friday. The Heels are 4-1 ATS over their past five outings.

-- Michigan posted a 20-10 win over Indiana with backup QB John O'Korn at the helm. They overcame the loss of Wilton Speight last week, and a dusting of snow at the Big House. The Wolverines slipped to 1-4 ATS over their past five games heading into their rivalry game in Columbus next week. ... Ohio State hosts 'That School Up North' in the Horseshoe next week, and they'll need to play much better than they did against Michigan State. The Buckeyes were sleepwalking through a 17-16 win in East Lansing, slipping to 2-5 ATS over their past seven outings. Perhaps they were looking ahead, but they almost were dealt an embarrassing and playoff-derailing upset.

-- Kansas likely hammered the final nail in Texas head coach Charlie Strong's coffin, topping the visiting Longhorns 24-21 in overtime. The Jayhawks snapped a 19-game losing streak in league games and 23-game skid against FBS opponents. It was their first win over Texas since 1938. ... Oklahoma doubled up West Virginia in a testy game at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown in the snow. The Sooners have posted 34 or more points in eight straight games since their setback against Ohio State Sept. 17. The Sooners have covered three of their past four games heading into Bedlam next weekend.

-- Washington rebounded with a 44-18 victory over visiting Arizona State, although the Sun Devils were able to hang on for the cover. The Huskies head to the Apple Cup rivalry against Washington State having covered just once in the past five games. ... Speaking of the Cougars, they had their eight-game winning streak snapped at Colorado, who covered for the 10th time in 11 games heading into their series final against Utah. ... As far as the Utes are concerned, they'll be coming to Boulder looking to bounce back after a stunning loss against Oregon. The Utes had covered three in a row, and six of the past eight, but were beaten in the closing seconds on an amazing TD in the back corner of the end zone.

-- Missouri and Tennessee combined for 100 total points, as the Volunteers smoked the Tigers 63-37. They were likely taking out a little frustration after the Gators won at LSU to clinch the SEC East, leaving Tennessee out of the mix. ... Kentucky fell behind 13-0 to FCS Austin Peay at Commonwealth Stadiuim, but rattled off 49 unanswered points for the victory. After a five-game cover streak the Wildcats are 1-2 SU/ATS over their past three.

Mid-Major Report

-- Houston shook up the College Football Playoff picture with a 36-10 pounding of Louisville Thursday night as 17-point underdogs. It was even more stunning considering the fact the Cougars entered 0-5 ATS in their past five outings. ... Memphis routed Cincinnati 34-7 in a road game Friday, and they'll host the Cougars in the season finale Friday night. The Tigers have dropped their past two at home, and they're 0-3 ATS in their past three at home. ... Tulsa hit the road for a 35-20 victory against UCF. The Golden Hurricane have covered six straight games heading into Friday's season finale against the Bearcats.

-- OId Dominion rolled up a 42-24 road victory at Florida Atlantic for their fourth straight win and cover, improving to 7-1 SU/ATS over the past eight outings. They'll host Florida International in their season finale next Saturday. ... FIU won't be a pushover for that game against ODU. The Golden Panthers topped Marshall 31-14 and they have now covered each of hteir past three games. ... Rice has won back-to-back games for the first time this season while improving to 4-2-1 ATS over the past seven. They'll step out of conference for a road game at Stanford in the regular season finale for both sides.

-- Ohio slipped up 27-20 Tuesday night at Central Michigan, failing to nail down a spot in the MAC Championship Game. They have been a friend to bettors at the window, however, as the 'under' is 9-0-1 in their past 10 games heading into their Tuesday night season finale against Akron. ... Bowling Green earned a 42-7 win against Kent State, as the Falcons look to finish on a high note and build toward next year. The Falcons are 4-2 ATS in their past six games after opening 0-5 ATS, and they'll face Buffalo in their finale Friday. The Bulls are 0-3 ATS in their past three, and 3-8 ATS overall.

-- Wyoming rebounded nicely after last week's disappointment at UNLV, nipping San Diego State 34-33 as 9 1/2-point underdogs. The Cowboys improved to 6-1 ATS over the past seven, and the 'over' is also 6-1 during the seven-game span. ... San Jose State fell 41-38 against Air Force, but they showed tremendous fight as 11 1/2-point 'dogs. The Spartans are just 3-8 SU overall, but they have covered three in a row and five of the past seven. ... Colorado State stayed hot against the number with a 49-31 win against New Mexico, covering for the sixth straight game and ninth time in the past 10.

-- Appalachian State posted a 42-17 win, but Louisiana-Monroe hung on for the cover. The Mountaineers are 0-3 ATS over their past three, and 0-4 ATS in their past four as favorites of 19 or more points. ... Arkansas State continued their postseason push with a resounding 35-3 win at Troy Thursday night. The Red Wolves opened the season 0-4 SU/ATS, but they are now 6-0 SU/ATS over their past six with two left to go.

Bad Beats

-- 'Under' (63.5) bettors suffered a tough loss Friday night in UNLV-Boise State. With 1:41 to go the Runnin' Rebels posted a touchdown and two-point conversion to push the total well over.

-- There were a total of just 42 points halfway through the fourth quarter in KansasState-Baylor with a total of 59. However, the Bears struck with 7:28 to go, K-State answered with a TD at 5:30 to go and the Wildcats found the end zone again with 3:08 to go to push the total 'over' the finish line. Tough one for 'under' bettors.

-- 'Over' (66) bettors felt confident with 56 total points heading into the fourth quarter of the FSU-Syracuse game. However, the Seminoles could muster only a field goal, and the Orange were blanked, as 'under' bettors certainly appreciated the defense.

-- 'Under' (54) bettors also felt pretty good in UMass-BYU, sitting at 50 points with 5:30 to play. However, BYU struck for 10 points in the final 5:22.

-- Plenty of 'under' (59) bettors who wagered early in the week were fine in Arizona-Oregon State, but those who bet Saturday saw a win turn into a push with 90 seconds remaining. The Beavers scored on a 10-yard pass to push their lead to 42-17, crushing those with late under tickets.

[StarDust Bum]

4th Quarter Covers - Week 12
November 21, 2016


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 12th college football weekend. There were several teams that covered despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows.

Central Michigan (-1½) 27, Ohio 20: By kickoff, Central Michigan flipped from a slight underdog to a slight favorite and the host got off to a hot start with a 17-0 lead although Ohio was able to get on the board with a field goal in the final seconds of the first half. Ohio rallied with a pair of third quarter scoring drives while holding Central Michigan to a short field goal and early in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats struck with a big play and tied the game at 20-20. After an exchange of punts, Central Michigan took the lead back with about six minutes remaining after a 43-yard touchdown drive. The Bobcats threatened to answer, but fumbled in Central Michigan territory going for it on fourth-and-5. A few plays later, the Chippewas handed the ball right back with a fumble of their own and Ohio was in position to tie the game with a new set of downs from the Central Michigan 12-yard line with just over a minute to go. The Bobcats took a third down sack and faced fourth-and-13, winding up throwing an interception to end the game.

Toledo (-20) 37, Ball State 19: The Rockets jumped out to a 17-0 lead with the help of a punt return touchdown, but Ball State stayed in the game with 10 second quarter points. Toledo had two long pass play touchdowns in the third quarter to lead 37-13, slipping past the heavy home favorite spread. Ball State appeared poised to answer with a 10-play drive, but sitting at the edge of field goal range, the Cardinals went for it on fourth-and-5 and fell short. Toledo was in position to seal the favorite cover, but an interception in Ball State territory gave the Cardinals another opportunity and they were able to go 80 yards for backdoor cover score with about four minutes to go.

Northern Illinois (-1) 31, Eastern Michigan 24: The Eagles had a 21-0 edge at halftime, but some big plays in the third quarter put the Huskies within four points heading into the final frame and just over a minute into the fourth quarter Northern Illinois took a 24-21 lead. A 53-yard drive for the Eagles looking to answer ended in an interception, but the Huskies left the door open with a missed field goal. Eastern Michigan delivered a great final drive with a new set of downs form the Northern Illinois 10-yard line with just over a minute to go. Ultimately the Huskies held and Eastern Michigan kicked a short field goal to send the game to overtime. Going first in the extra session, Northern Illinois scored seven and Eastern Michigan failed on a fourth-and-2 rush as the Huskies picked up their fourth MAC win.

Middle Tennessee State (-4½) 38, Charlotte 31: The Blue Raiders seemed to be in control with a 24-6 edge at the half getting a decent showing from backup quarterback John Urzua. Charlotte chipped away to hang within 15 by the start of the fourth quarter and then after closing to within eight the 49ers seemed poised to score again only to fail going for it on fourth-and-2 from the 3-yard line. A second chance was granted as the 49ers got an interception three plays later to sit on the 8-yard line and on first down Charlotte scored and then converted for two and the tie with about five minutes to go in the game. The game looked headed towards overtime with an exchange of punts before Middle Tennessee State running back Ty Lee broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown run that proved to be the winning score.

BYU (-28) 51, Massachusetts 9: Despite an over four-touchdown favorite spread most of the week, Massachusetts led 9-7 before a late second quarter touchdown put BYU up by five at halftime. The Minutemen continued to hang around holding the Cougars to a pair of field goals with the second three-pointer coming after just a two-yard drive following a blocked punt. Down 11, Massachusetts fumbled on the kickoff return and BYU scored a touchdown on a 17-yard field and then three plays later a Massachusetts interception was returned for a touchdown as suddenly BYU had a 25-point advantage without doing hardly a thing on offense. With the big deficit, Massachusetts went for it on fourth down on its next possession to hand BYU another short field and the Cougars were past the heavy favorite spread early in the fourth quarter with a 41-9 advantage. A fourth quarter interception handed BYU another touchdown and then a fumble set up another field goal despite very little offensive production from BYU and even going 59 yards on its final drive, Massachusetts failed to add points in a 42-point defeat despite fairly even yardage as BYU scored seven different times in the second half without a drive longer than 54 yards.

Georgia (-21½) 35, UL-Lafayette 21: The Bulldogs led throughout with the help of an early punt return touchdown and pulled away with a 35-7 edge with about 10 minutes to go in the game. Former LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings would score on two touchdown runs in the final five minutes with the outcome in hand to make the final margin just 14 points.

Virginia Tech (+1) 34, Notre Dame 31: With the Irish needing to win out to make a bowl game, they had a 31-21 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech had a strong 12-play drive bridging the final two quarters, but ultimately settled for a 23-yard field goal to remain down by seven. The Hokies stepped up defensively to force a punt and with good field position, Virginia Tech had a touchdown drive to tie the game with still over nine minutes to go. The Irish punted again and the Hokies took the lead on another very short field goal with about four minutes to go and after the teams traded punts Notre Dame had one last chance. Starting from their own 10-yard line, Notre Dame went 57 yards in the final minute, but ultimately couldn’t get close enough as Notre Dame’s season won’t extend past next week’s finale with USC.

Georgia Tech (-11) 31, Virginia 17: This game wound up with a puzzling box score as Virginia had a significant yardage edge and an incredible 25-8 edge in first downs. The Cavaliers led 10-7 at the half, but Georgia Tech had a pair of long touchdown plays late in the third quarter to take a 21-10 edge. A field goal following a turnover put the Yellow Jackets past the number with a 24-10 edge early in the fourth quarter, but Virginia eventually completed a 14-play drive to get back within seven. With about four minutes to go, an interception was returned for a spread saving touchdown for Georgia Tech and a serious late threat from Virginia ended with another interception in Georgia Tech territory as for the second straight week second half turnovers doomed the Cavaliers.

Colorado (-6) 38, Washington State 24: The Cougars led 24-21 in Boulder until Colorado completed a 75-yard touchdown drive with a scramble from the quarterback in the final minute of the third quarter. With a spread that climbed from -3½ to as high as -6½, the four-point edge wasn’t quite enough for most. Washington State opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 well within field goal range early in the fourth quarter, coming up short and leading to a Colorado field goal four minutes later for a seven-point margin. Washington had a negative drive and punted on its next possession and Colorado took control with a 63-yard touchdown drive to lead by 14. The next two drives for Washington State ended in turnovers as Colorado leads the Pac-12 South and could face Washington State again in the championship if the Cougars beat Washington next week.

Western Michigan (-35) 38, Buffalo 0: With elevated stakes and attention, Western Michigan had a bit of a slow start with a scoreless game nearly 22 minutes in before the Broncos found the end zone. The five-touchdown spread seemed like a long shot with just a 14-0 halftime advantage, but the Broncos dominated the production and those on the ugly underdog were burned late as Western Michigan eclipsed the spread with the game comfortably in hand in the final two minutes.

Tennessee (-17) 63, Missouri 37: The Volunteers scored a rather fortunate home favorite cover as they allowed over 700 yards against Missouri in a game that proved far less meaningful after Florida upset LSU Saturday in the early afternoon. Tennessee led by just five after a Missouri field goal early in the fourth quarter, but a pair of quick touchdown drives put the Volunteers briefly in front by 19 before Missouri answered to get back within the number with a 12-point margin with about eight minutes to go. Tennessee was back in the end zone just four plays later with neither defense offering great resistance and Tennessee put the game away with an interception return touchdown with fewer than five minutes remaining.

Nevada (+7) 38, Utah State 37: In a season filled with tough losses, this game takes the cake for Utah State as the Aggies had a 13-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. After the defense forced a punt disaster struck with a fumble on the return brought back for a touchdown as Nevada was within six. The Aggies couldn’t answer as Nevada got the ball back and converted two fourth downs on a touchdown drive with the score coming with just five seconds remaining on the clock to steal the outright win with a successful extra point.

Stanford (-10) 45, California 31: The Bears trailed by just seven heading into the fourth quarter, but Stanford got another touchdown from Christian McCaffrey a few minutes into the final frame to go up by 14. Cal had a lot of production against Stanford’s defense, but the Cardinal held Cal on the next possession and added another touchdown with about four minutes to go to seal the win and a late Cal touchdown only brought the margin back to 14 points.

Penn State (-25) 39, Rutgers 0: While Rutgers wasn’t much of a threat to score, Penn State only led 9-0 at the half and was even with the spread with a 25-0 edge through three quarters. The Nittany Lions scored two more touchdowns in the final eight minutes to make the final result a bit more convincing and in line with the dominant production numbers.

Washington (-27) 44, Arizona State 18: Washington led 30-0 late in the third quarter, but Arizona State made a run to make it a 19-point game with just over 10 minutes to go. Myles Gaskin broke a long run to put the Huskies back up by 26, though that was short of the number for many. Arizona State turned in a 12-play touchdown drive to get back to within 19 before Washington returned the on-side kick attempt 45 yards for a touchdown for a 26-point final that only the very earliest Washington backers were able to claim a win on.

[StarDust Bum]

Opening Line Report - Week 13
November 21, 2016

Neither Michigan nor Ohio State has much momentum coming into Saturday’s Big Ten clash, but John Avello, executive director of race and sport at the Wynn Las Vegas, isn’t giving a lot of weight to what he calls “lethargic” performances last week by the Wolverines and Buckeyes.

Michigan beat Indiana 20-10, while Ohio State survived at Michigan State, 17-16.

“I’m going to throw out those games for both teams,” Avello said. “They were looking ahead. The look-ahead doesn’t always work, but this week it did. And there were moves on both dogs in those games, reflecting that they may play that way, and they did.”

Michigan’s current situation may be cause for greater concern for bettors. The uninspiring effort against Indiana followed the Wolverines’ first loss of the season, 14-13 at Iowa two weeks ago. Starting quarterback Wilton Speight was injured in the loss, and backup John O’Korn was unimpressive against the Hoosiers. On Monday, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said Speight’s health is improving but that he’s still considered day-to-day.

Avello suspects Speight will play against Ohio State and priced the game accordingly. Avello usually waits to post a game if there is uncertainty about a quarterback’s status, but he wanted to get this game on his board and made Ohio State the 6-point favorite.

“I put it up thinking he is going to play and that there’s going to be Ohio State money,” Avello said. “That’s kind of what my feeling was and I ended up using the 6. I was thinking lower late last week, but after looking at the performance of Michigan more so than Ohio State, I took it up a little bit.”

Opinions about how big a dropoff there is form Speight to O’Korn vary among oddsmakers.

“I think it means a lot to them. It’s really important to have that kid back,” said Avello, who sees the line getting to 7 or 7.5 should Speight be ruled out.

Over at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, though, Ed Salmons isn’t sure there’s much of difference between the two signal callers.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal the way Michigan plays,” he said. “It’s not like (Speight) is a great passer.”

No matter who is under center, Salmons has a feeling about the style of play Michigan will try to employ.

“I’m sure Michigan’s goal is to muck this game up the way Michigan State did last year when they went up to Ohio State,” he said. “Ohio State essentially played to Michigan State’s tempo. (The Spartans) went up there with a backup quarterback and tried to play real conservative and run the ball and shorten the game, and Ohio State played the same way – and Michigan State got lucky and won the game (17-14). I’m sure that’s exactly what Michigan is going to try to do. Ohio State should not get caught in the trap.”

Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading at William Hill U.S., sees it similarly.

“It’s going to be brutally physical, and I think it’s going to be very low scoring, depending on weather,” he said.

About 18 hours after wagering opened at his shop, Avello said he booked more action on Ohio State than Michigan: “Nothing overwhelming, but mostly Ohio State money.”

CG Technology vice president of risk Jason Simbal said his book opened Ohio State -7 and moved to -6.5 after taking a sharp bet on the dog.

Nebraska at Iowa (-2.5)

Friday’s Big Ten West battle drew more action than any other Week 13 college football game at CG on Sunday, which opened Iowa -2.5 and moved to -3 after sharp action on the home favorite Hawkeyes, Simbal said. The Wynn opened 2.5 on Sunday and moved to -3 Monday.

Nebraska’s top two QBs, Ryker Fyfe and Tommy Armstrong, are both dealing with injuries, and it’s uncertain who will start for the Cornhuskers on Friday.

Auburn at Alabama (-17.5)

CG opened Alabama -18.5 on Sunday and moved to -20 after a bettor laid the points, before reopening at the market price of 17.5 on Monday. The Wynn hung 17 and moved to 17.5 about an hour after wagering opened. While there are 18.5s available for dog bettors, Avello doesn’t see this line running too much higher.

If Bogdanovich was on the other side of the counter, he’d be giving serious consideration to Auburn plus the points.

“If Auburn is healthy enough, they can pull it off,” Bogdanovich said. “I don’t think Alabama’s invincible like everybody else. ... I think the dog’s the play”

Florida at Florida State (-7)

Florida is coming off an upset win at LSU and faces Alabama next week in the SEC championship game. Is it possible for a rivalry game to be a look-ahead spot also?

The look-ahead mentality could play into Florida’s mindset, Salmons said, but he added, “They have no chance against Alabama, so maybe this is a game they’ll play hard. Their defense can keep them in the game. It’s a top-five defense in the country, and Florida State’s nothing to write home about.”

While the line was bet down at CG from Florida State -8 to -7 on Sunday, William Hill opened the game 6.5.

Utah at Colorado (-10.5)

With a win here, Colorado is in the Pac-12 championship game. If the Buffs lose, USC gets in. Bettors tend to back teams with this sort of motivation.

“Players will like to bet Colorado in this spot,” Avello said. “I don’t know how much Utah money there’s going to be.”

While win-and-they’re-in is one reason this number opened in double digits, more important is the way these two teams have been playing in recent weeks.

“The Utah team is not playing that well,” Avello said. “UCLA with a second-string quarterback was going up and down the field at will (against them). This team was always built on defense. If you go back and look at the team last year, they kept their opponents’ scores down quite a bit. They can’t do that this year. It looks like offenses can really rule them, and Colorado has one of the most prolific offenses in football. They have no problem moving the football every week. … They can score when they need to.”

The Westgate’s Salmons added of Utah’s 30-28 loss at home to Oregon this past Saturday, “You can line up 11 high school kids against Oregon and score 30 points. For Utah to not score, I don’t know what they were doing in that game. That’s embarrassing.”

Washington (-5.5) at Washington State

The Wynn opened Washington -5 and moved to -5.5 on Monday, but most shops are dealing 6s.

Bogdanovich’s outlook on the game may entice underdog bettors.

“I think it’s going to be a wild-and-woolly affair, and whoever has the ball last may win,” he said.

Virginia at Virginia Tech (-17.5)

Virginia Tech clinches a spot in the ACC title game with a win, and Virginia has two wins all season, yet early money was on the dog, pushing the Wynn’s opening number from 19.5 to 17.5.

Avello wasn’t necessarily surprised. Virginia hasn’t been winning games, but they’ve performed relatively well against solid competition like Pitt, North Carolina, Louisville and Miami.

“They’re playing better even though they’re not showing the reward of the W,” Avello said.

Also, while the Cavaliers have lost to the Hokies 12-straight years, the last four meetings have been close, Virginia Tech winning by margins of 3, 4, 10 and 3.

Bettors taking the points are looking for a closer-than-expected rivalry game.

“This is all about tradition and history,” Avello said of the early move.

Early line moves

These Week 13 games have seen the point spread move at least two points in the favorite’s direction in the first 23 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

Buffalo vs. Bowling Green
Opening line: BGSU -10.5
After 23 hours: BGSU -13.5

Arkansas vs. Missouri
Opening line: Arkansas -7
After 23 hours: Arkansas -9.5

Cincinnati vs. Tulsa
Opening line: Tulsa -18.5
After 23 hours: Tulsa -22

Texas Tech vs. Baylor (neutral)
Opening line: Baylor -3
After 23 hours: Baylor -5

East Carolina vs. Temple
Opening line: Temple -18.5
After 23 hours: Temple -20.5

Purdue vs. Indiana
Opening line: Indiana -15.5
After 23 hours: Indiana -20

Kansas vs. Kansas State
Opening line: Kansas State -24.5
After 23 hours: Kansas State -27

So. Alabama vs. Idaho
Opening line: Idaho -3.5
After 23 hours: Idaho -5.5

Wyoming vs. New Mexico
Opening line: Wyoming -1
After 23 hours: Wyoming -3

These Week 13 games have seen the point spread move at least two points in the underdog’s direction in the first 23 hours of wagering at the Wynn.

UCLA vs. Cal
Opening line: Cal +6
After 23 hours: Cal +3

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt
Opening line: Vandy +10.5
After 23 hours: Vandy +8.5

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRENDS

ATS

11:00 pm 11/26/2016
(227) MASSACHUSETTS @(228) HAWAII
Play AGAINST HAWAII against the spread in Home games after playing a conference game.
The record is 0 Wins and 11 Losses for the last three seasons (-12.1 units)
BET NOW!

11:00 pm 11/26/2016
(227) MASSACHUSETTS @(228) HAWAII
Play AGAINST HAWAII against the spread in Home games when playing with 6 or less days rest.
The record is 0 Wins and 9 Losses for the last two seasons (-9.9 units)
BET NOW!

7:30 pm 11/26/2016
(193) UTAH @(194) COLORADO
Play ON COLORADO against the spread in All games in all games.
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses this season (+8.9 units)
BET NOW!

7:30 pm 11/26/2016
(145) E CAROLINA @(146) TEMPLE
Play ON TEMPLE against the spread in All games in all games.
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses this season (+8.9 units)
BET NOW!

7:30 pm 11/26/2016
(145) E CAROLINA @(146) TEMPLE
Play ON TEMPLE against the spread in All games in all lined games.
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses this season (+8.9 units)
BET NOW!

7:30 pm 11/26/2016
(193) UTAH @(194) COLORADO
Play ON COLORADO against the spread in All games when playing on a Saturday.
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses this season (+9 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(219) S ALABAMA @(220) IDAHO
Play AGAINST S ALABAMA against the spread in All games in weeks 10 through 13.
The record is 2 Wins and 15 Losses since 1992 (-14.5 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(183) FLA INTERNATIONAL @(184) OLD DOMINION
Play ON OLD DOMINION against the spread in All games as a favorite.
The record is 8 Wins and 0 Losses this season (+8 units)
BET NOW!

9:30 pm 11/25/2016
(141) ARIZONA ST @(142) ARIZONA
Play AGAINST ARIZONA against the spread in All games in all games.
The record is 1 Wins and 10 Losses this season (-10 units)
BET NOW!

9:30 pm 11/25/2016
(141) ARIZONA ST @(142) ARIZONA
Play AGAINST ARIZONA against the spread in All games in all lined games.
The record is 1 Wins and 10 Losses this season (-10 units)
BET NOW!

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRENDS

Money Line

7:30 pm 11/26/2016
(143) S CAROLINA @(144) CLEMSON
Play ON CLEMSON using the money line in All games off a win against a conference rival.
The record is 13 Wins and 1 Losses for the last three seasons (+12.35 units)
BET NOW!

7:00 pm 11/26/2016
(203) CHARLOTTE @(204) UTSA
Play AGAINST CHARLOTTE using the money line in All games when playing with 6 or less days rest.
The record is 1 Wins and 13 Losses for the last three seasons (-13.9 units)
BET NOW!

5:30 pm 11/26/2016
(191) FLA ATLANTIC @(192) MIDDLE TENN ST
Play AGAINST MIDDLE TENN ST using the money line in Home games off a win against a conference rival.
The record is 11 Wins and 11 Losses since 1992 (-31.1 units)
BET NOW!

4:00 pm 11/26/2016
(179) NEVADA @(180) UNLV
Play AGAINST UNLV using the money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record.
The record is 2 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.95 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(159) MICHIGAN ST @(160) PENN ST
Play ON PENN ST using the money line in All games when playing on a Saturday.
The record is 7 Wins and 2 Losses this season (+12.2 units)
BET NOW!

9:30 pm 11/25/2016
(141) ARIZONA ST @(142) ARIZONA
Play ON ARIZONA using the money line in All games in a home game where the total is between 63.5 and 70.
The record is 12 Wins and 5 Losses since 1992 (+19.45 units)
BET NOW!

4:00 pm 11/25/2016
(131) LOUISIANA TECH @(132) SOUTHERN MISS
Play ON SOUTHERN MISS using the money line in All games in games played on turf.
The record is 8 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (-28.35 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/25/2016
(137) WASHINGTON @(138) WASHINGTON ST
Play ON WASHINGTON ST using the money line in All games in games played on turf.
The record is 12 Wins and 4 Losses for the last two seasons (+15.25 units)
BET NOW!

7:00 pm 11/22/2016
(103) BALL ST @(104) MIAMI OHIO
Play AGAINST BALL ST using the money line in All games when playing with 6 or less days rest.
The record is 8 Wins and 15 Losses for the last three seasons (-24.75 units)
BET NOW!

7:00 pm 11/22/2016
(103) BALL ST @(104) MIAMI OHIO
Play ON BALL ST using the money line in All games in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56.
The record is 13 Wins and 7 Losses since 1992 (+22.4 units)
BET NOW!

[StarDust Bum]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRENDS

Half Time

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(219) S ALABAMA @(220) IDAHO
Play ON IDAHO in the first half in All games after playing a conference game.
The record is 11 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+9.9 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(217) NOTRE DAME @(218) USC
Play ON USC in the first half in All games after playing a conference game.
The record is 8 Wins and 0 Losses this season (+8 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(181) SAN JOSE ST @(182) FRESNO ST
Play ON FRESNO ST in the first half in Home games in November games.
The record is 36 Wins and 10 Losses since 1992 (+25 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(197) NAVY @(198) SMU
Play ON NAVY in the first half in All games when playing on a Saturday.
The record is 16 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+12.7 units)
BET NOW!

3:30 pm 11/26/2016
(181) SAN JOSE ST @(182) FRESNO ST
Play ON FRESNO ST in the first half in Home games in games played on turf.
The record is 24 Wins and 5 Losses since 1992 (+18.5 units)
BET NOW!

12:00 pm 11/26/2016
(175) KENTUCKY @(176) LOUISVILLE
Play ON LOUISVILLE in the first half in All games as a favorite of 12 to 17.5 vs. the first half line.
The record is 23 Wins and 5 Losses since 1992 (+17.5 units)
BET NOW!

12:00 pm 11/26/2016
(163) KANSAS @(164) KANSAS ST
Play AGAINST KANSAS in the first half in All games versus the 1rst half line in road games.
The record is 2 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (-13.4 units)
BET NOW!

12:00 pm 11/26/2016
(155) ILLINOIS @(156) NORTHWESTERN
Play AGAINST ILLINOIS in the first half in All games as an underdog vs. the 1rst half line.
The record is 2 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.4 units)
BET NOW!

6:00 pm 11/25/2016
(139) TEXAS TECH @(140) BAYLOR
Play ON TEXAS TECH in the first half in All games in games played on turf.
The record is 16 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+12.7 units)
BET NOW!

2:30 pm 11/25/2016
(115) BUFFALO @(116) BOWLING GREEN
Play ON BOWLING GREEN in the first half in All games as a favorite vs. the 1rst half line.
The record is 11 Wins and 1 Losses for the last two seasons (+9.9 units)
BET NOW!