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The Bum's 2017 College Football Conference Previews !

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  • #16
    GOY Best Bets Update
    August 16, 2017


    We’ve hit on Games of the Year throughout the summer, whether it was ones released at the South Point, The Golden Nugget or the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas or various other offshore shops. One of those books, 5Dimes.eu, has recently released additional GOY that I haven’t seen posted at any other books.

    Let’s hit on a bunch of those, including a pair of Friday night games in Week 2. South Alabama will host a Power Five team for only the third time in school history when Oklahoma State comes to Mobile on Sept. 8. 5Dimes has installed the Cowboys as 27-point road favorites.

    USA lost at home to N.C. State by a 63-13 count two years ago and dropped a 35-3 decision to Dak Prescott and Mississippi State in 2014. However, the Jaguars won outright at Mississippi State in last year’s opener and also blew out then-unbeaten and 19th-ranked San Diego State 42-24 as 19-point home underdogs in ’16.

    OSU will bring an explosive passing game to Ladd-Peebles Stadium featuring QB Mason Rudolph and WRs James Washington and Jalen McCleskey. This trio won’t have to face South Alabama’s premier cover corner Jalen Thompson, who has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2017 campaign. Thompson finished ’16 with 31 tackles, a team-high four interceptions, six passes broken up, one-half sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

    The other game that night is Ohio at Purdue. The Boilermakers are one-point home ‘chalk’ at 5Dimes. They’ll open the Jeff Brohm Era the previous week in Indianapolis where his alma mater (Louisville) will serve as Purdue’s opponent. Ohio opens at home against Hampton.

    Frank Solich’s team finished 8-6 straight up and 7-7 against the spread last season. Ohio returns seven starters on offense and six on defense. The Bobcats have covered in their last three games on the road against Power Five schools. They took the cash in a 2015 loss at Minnesota (27-24) as 10-point underdogs, and then won outright at Kansas (37-21) last year and covered easily in a 28-19 loss at Tennessee. Solich’s club is 5-1 ATS in six games as a road ‘dog over the last two seasons.

    Other Week 2 numbers include Northwestern -2 at Duke, Louisville -6 at North Carolina, Michigan -28 vs. Cincinnati, Boston College pick ‘em vs. Wake Forest, Alabama -42.5 vs. Fresno State, Virginia pick ‘em vs. Indiana, Missouri -1 vs. South Carolina, FSU -41.5 vs. ULM and Mississippi State -4.5 at La. Tech.

    When Mississippi State last visited Ruston in the final season of Sylvester Croom’s tenure (’08), it lost outright by a 22-14 score. Northwestern won 19-10 at Duke two seasons ago and prevailed 24-13 in Evanston last year. We should note that Alabama has limped to a 3-13 spread record in its last 16 spots as a favorite of 35 points or more.

    Since UCLA’s Week 3
    game at Memphis was slotted for a noon Eastern kick several weeks ago, I’ve been talking on radio shows and my Games Galore podcast about how advantageous this game is for the Tigers from a situational standpoint. Obviously, flying East for the Bruins won’t be easy and the early kick will have their body clocks all messed up. In addition, the heat at the Liberty Bowl in mid-September during an early-afternoon game will be brutal compared to the more moderate temperatures UCLA players are accustomed to in Southern California.

    I’ve been saying I like Memphis to win this game for weeks and will like the ‘over’ if the total is 75 points or fewer. 5Dimes has the Bruins favored by 2.5 points, so sign me up for the Tigers, who will have a dynamic offense led by QB Riley Ferguson and WR Anthony Miller.

    One week after venturing to Mobile, Oklahoma State is on the road again to take on Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. 5Dimes has the Cowboys favored by six points. We should note that the star of Pitt’s defense, junior safety Jordan Whitehead, won’t be in uniform due to a three-game suspension that will end after this game. Remember, the Pokies won a 45-38 decision over the Panthers in Stillwater last September.

    Whitehead, who Phil Steele has listed as the third-best strong safety that’s draft eligible for the NFL in 2018, recorded 65 tackles and one interception in nine games last season. Also, Pitt has dismissed senior starting DE Rori Blair from the program. Blair had 22 tackles, 3.5 sacks and five QB hurries in ’16. Therefore, Oklahoma State’s Rudolph will have some good fortune in these back-to-back road contests due to the absences of USA’s Thompson and Pitt’s Whitehead in the secondary. (And hey, we liked OSU to go ‘over’ 9 wins, win the Big 12 and get to the College Football Playoff before learning about Thompson, Whitehead and Blair.)

    Other Week 3 lines are Notre Dame -7 at Boston College, South Carolina -2.5 vs. Kentucky, Missouri -11.5 vs. Purdue, Baylor -3 at Duke, Virginia Tech -21.5 at East Carolina, Washington State -11 vs. Oregon State, Alabama -28.5 vs. Colorado State, Kansas State -6 at Vanderbilt, Ohio State -30 vs. Army, Ole Miss -3.5 at California, Georgia Tech -6.5 at UCF and Texas Tech -2.5 vs. Arizona State.

    If there’s one game that stands out to me among those in the above paragraph, I’m all about South Carolina -2.5 vs. UK at Williams-Brice Stadium. I’ll also mention that I would lean to Vandy as a home ‘dog vs. K-State. The Commodores are 7-1 ATS in their last eight such spots.

    On a Friday game (9/22) in Week 4, Virginia is listed as a nine-point ‘dog at 5Dimes for its trip to the smurf turf to take on Boise State. UVA not only has to fly West, but it must do so on a short week. This obviously gives BSU a major advantage.

    (Quick Note: These “new” games have double juice both ways (-120 to bet either side). On the flip side, the games that have had numbers on them (like Texas A&M vs Arkansas in Week 4 at Jerry World) have -110 odds either way.)

    Other Week 4 lines include Clemson -25.5 vs. BC, UNC -8 vs. Duke, West Virginia -13 at Kansas, Ohio State -36 vs. UNLV, Maryland -4.5 vs. UCF, Miami -15 vs. Toledo, FSU -19.5 vs. N.C. State, Georgia Tech -2 vs. Pitt, Oregon -3 at Arizona State, Florida -5.5 at Kentucky, Alabama -23 at Vandy, Washington -9 at Colorado, South Carolina -11 vs. La. Tech, LSU -20.5 vs. Syracuse, Georgia -10.5 vs. Mississippi State, Auburn -13 at Missouri, Michigan -22 at Purdue and Appalachian State -3 vs. Wake Forest.

    Keep an eye on Toledo in its trip to South Fla. If the Rockets have their druthers, they certainly want this game to be played at night to alleviate some of the intense heat in Miami. Toledo catches the Hurricanes one week after they play a rivalry game at FSU and before they go on the road to play Duke in a nationally-televised Friday night game. The Rockets have Logan Woodside, who completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,129 passing yards with a 45/9 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year. Since 2011, Toledo is 14-5 ATS as a road ‘dog.

    Florida has won 30 in a row over Kentucky, which is college football’s longest current winning streak in a head-to-head rivalry. Colorado will be looking to avenge the 41-10 beatdown it took from Washington in last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game. If I had to throw out a few leans in these Week 4 tilts, I’d look at Missouri as a double-digit home ‘dog to vs. AU and N.C. State (my ACC sleeper) catching the big number in Tallahassee. I want to add Appalachian State as well, but I want to see how it fares in its opener between the hedges before showing too much confidence in the Mountaineers (although they’re my pick to win the Sun Belt ahead of Troy).

    Moving on to Week 5, Texas is a nine-point ‘chalk’ at Iowa State on Thursday night. There are four games on Friday, including three “new lines:” Miami -11 at Duke, BYU -10.5 at Utah State and Nebraska -10.5 at Illinois. The fourth Friday game is Washington State +10 vs. Southern Cal, and I like the Cougars. They’ll be playing their fifth consecutive home game in Pullman, while the Trojans will be on a short week and on the road again after facing Cal in Berkeley the previous Saturday.

    Other Week 5 lines are N.C. State -10 vs. the ‘Cuse, FSU -19.5 at Wake Forest, Oklahoma State -10 at Texas Tech, PSU -21 vs. IU, Michigan State pick ‘em vs. Iowa, Minnesota -10.5 vs. Maryland, Wisconsin -13.5 vs. Northwestern, Washington -14 at Oregon State, Auburn -14 vs. Mississippi State, Alabama -25 vs. Ole Miss, Texas A&M -6.5 vs. South Carolina, LSU -23 vs. Troy, Florida -14 vs. Vandy and Notre Dame -19.5 vs. Miami (OH.).

    I like Miami (OH.) catching the big number in South Bend. The RedHawks started ’16 by losing their first six games (three one-possession L’s) mainly because QB Gus Ragland wasn’t fully healthy yet. Ragland returned to the starting lineup and promptly led his team on a six-game winning streak to earn a postseason bid.

    In the St. Petersburg Bowl, Miami (OH.) had a potential game-winning field goal blocked on the final play of a 17-16 loss to Mississippi State. Nevertheless, Ragland finished the year with 17 TD passes compared to only one interception. He has a 20/1 career TD-INT ratio and gets back both of his top WRs and the three leading rushers. The RedHawks return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. They also have their five leading tacklers back. Don’t be shocked if Ragland has Miami (OH.) in this game against the Fighting Irish for four quarters.

    Another team to keep an eye on in a non-conference clash is Troy for its trip to Baton Rouge. LSU will have a huge revenge game on deck at Florida, meaning it will fall into a vintage look-ahead scenario. The Trojans finished last season 10-3, losing by only six on the road in the other Death Valley against the eventual national champs (Clemson obviously).

    Neal Brown's Troy team returns eight starters on offense and six on defense. QB Brandon Silvers has a 54/22 career TD-INT ratio and was the first-team All Sun Belt QB in '16. Silvers has all of his skill players of note returning, including RB Jordan Chunn (1,288 rushing yards & 16 TDs), WR Emanuel Thompson (80 catches, 820 yards & 6 TDs) and WR Deondre Douglas (60/740 & 6 TDs).

    Furthermore, Troy has covered the number in five consecutive games as a double-digit underdog. The Trojans are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 as double-digit 'dogs, and they're 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 outings as road puppies.

    In Week 6, we have new numbers for these contests: Notre Dame -2 at UNC, Clemson -21.5 vs. Wake Forest, Duke -1 at UVA, Texas Tech -7 at KU, Washington -23 vs. Cal, Oregon -2.5 vs. Washington State, Stanford -4 at Utah, South Carolina -1.5 vs. Arkansas, UGA -7.5 at Vandy, UK -5.5 vs. Missouri, Auburn -14 vs. Ole Miss, PSU -7 at Northwestern and Ohio State -28.5 vs. Maryland.

    None of those Week 6 games are screaming at me, but I'll mention slight leans to Missouri +5.5 and Auburn -14.

    5Dimes has Miami as a 7.5-point home favorite vs. Georgia Tech in a Thursday game during Week 7. On Friday, Clemson is favored by 17 points for its game at the Carrier Dome against the ‘Cuse. Other Week 7 lines include FSU -18.5 at Duke, U of L -17.5 vs. BC, UNC -13 vs. UVA, Pitt -3 vs. N.C. State, Iowa State -12 vs. KU, Oklahoma State -8.5 vs. Baylor, WVU -7 vs. Texas Tech, Minnesota -4 vs. Sparty, UCLA -4.5 at Arizona, Colorado -1.5 at Oregon State, Washington -14 at Arizona State, Mississippi State -3 vs. BYU, UGA -14.5 vs. Missouri, Tennessee -10.5 vs. South Carolina, Ole Miss -6 vs. Vandy and Michigan -13.5 at IU.

    I have several matchups I like in Week 7 such as South Carolina +10.5, West Virginia -7, Oklahoma State -8.5 and Mississippi State -3.

    New Week 8 spreads include a pivotal AAC game that falls on a Thursday in Houston, where the Cougars are favored by four vs. Memphis. Other lines for Oct. 21 are Pitt -3 at Duke, Georgia Tech -7 vs. Wake Forest, Miami -17 vs. Syracuse, UVA -2 vs. BC, Virginia Tech -7.5 vs. UNC, Texas Tech -4.5 vs. Iowa State, TCU -20 vs. KU, Northwestern -3 vs. Iowa, Cal -3 vs. Arizona, Utah -6.5 vs. ASU, Mississippi State -3 vs. UK, LSU -10 at Ole Miss and Sparty -4 vs. IU.

    My Week 8 likes are Mississippi State -3, Houston -4 and Northwestern -3.

    On Thursday in Week 9, 5Dimes has Stanford installed as a 9.5-point favorite for its Thursday trip to Corvallis to face Oregon State Then on Friday, FSU will probably have a cold-weather game at BC as a 22-point road ‘chalk.’

    The spreads on Oct. 28 look like this: Miami -5 at UNC, Pitt -12 vs. UVA, Virginia Tech -14 vs. Duke, U of L -8 at Wake Forest, TCU -6.5 at Iowa State, K-State -17 at KU, Oklahoma -23 vs. Texas Tech, Iowa -4.5 vs. Minnesota, Nebraska -11.5 at Purdue, Washington State -6 at Arizona, USC -15 at ASU, Colorado -10.5 vs. Cal, Ole Miss -3 vs. Arkansas, Texas A&M -6.5 vs. Mississippi State, Tennessee -3 at Kentucky, South Carolina -4 vs. Vandy, Northwestern -7.5 vs. Sparty and Notre Dame -4.5 vs. N.C. State.

    The Week 9 leans for me are Arkansas +3 and Florida +2 vs. Georgia.

    In Week 10, we have new lines for games like FSU -25.5 vs. Syracuse, Georgia Tech -6.5 at UVA, K-State -6 at Texas Tech, Baylor -12 at KU, WVU -15.5 vs. Iowa State, Maryland -3 at Rutgers (Yankee Stadium), Michigan -14.5 vs. Minnesota, Nebraska -3 vs. Northwestern, Wisconsin -15.5 at IU, Cal pick ‘em vs. Oregon State, ASU -1 vs. CU, Auburn -7 at Texas A&M, Florida -9.5 at Missouri, Mississippi State -22.5 vs. UMass, UK -2 vs. Ole Miss and Tennessee -21 vs. Southern Miss.

    I’ll be on Mark Stoops’s Kentucky squad if its laying three or fewer against the Rebels. The line on my Gators at 9.5 looks a tad rich for their trip to Missouri. I say that because I think QB Drew Lock and WR J’Mon Moore are poised for huge seasons. Also, UF be facing the Tigers one week after a crucial game vs. UGA, leaving the Gators in potential letdown mode.

    As for Weeks 11, 12 and 13
    , 5Dimes has a lot of new games listed on its board, but the offshore shop hasn’t lined those games as of yet.
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

    Comment


    • #17
      Saturday's Early Tips
      August 22, 2017

      Finally, the 2017 college football season has arrived! The year gets started Saturday with five lined games, so let’s take a look at a pair of those contests now.

      **Oregon State at Colorado State**

      -- Gary Andersen is entering his third season of a rebuild job in Corvallis after he left Wisconsin to replace Mike Riley at Oregon State. The Beavers went 2-10 straight up and 3-9 against the spread in his first year, improving to 4-8 SU and 8-4 versus the number last season. They finished 2016 on a tear for our purposes, compiling a 7-1 spread record in their last eight games, winning outright in their last two outings at home vs. Arizona (42-17) and Oregon (34-24).

      -- Andersen named juco transfer Jake Luton his starting quarterback in mid-August, prompting Marcus McMaryion to leave the program for Fresno State as a grad transfer. McMaryion started the last six games for the Beavers in 2016. For the season, he completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,286 yards with a 10/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

      -- Oregon State returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense. OSU is loaded in the backfield with running back Ryan Nall returning. Nall rushed for 951 yards and 13 TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. RB Artavis Pierce had a solid true freshman season in ’16, rushing for 523 yards and four TDs with a 5.3 YPC average. Andersen landed a pair of grad transfers for depth, including Trevorris Johnson from TCU and Oregon’s Thomas Tyner, who is a former 5-star recruit but hasn’t played since 2014 due to injuries. Nall also had 22 catches for 214 yards and two TDs last year, while Pierce had 21 receptions for 132 yards and one TD.

      -- Oregon State junior WR Seth Collins is ‘out’ against the Rams due to a finger injury that could keep him sidelined into September. Collins, who started seven games at QB in 2015 before logging nine starts at WR last season, had 36 receptions for 418 yards and one TD in 2016.

      -- As of Aug. 18, most betting shops had Colorado State installed as a 3.5-point favorite. One offshore book opened the total at 62 on Aug. 13, but it moved down to 61 a day later and remained there on Aug. 18. By Tuesday of this week (8/22), the total was at 58.5 or 59 at most spots, while the Rams remained 3.5-point home ‘chalk’ (with a couple of shops at four). Gamblers can take the Beavers on the money line for a +155 return (risk $100 to win $155).

      -- Oregon State owns a 5-6 spread record as a road underdog during Anderson’s brief tenure. The Beavers are winless in those 11 road assignments, but we’ll point out that they did take the cash in last year’s season-opening loss at Minnesota by a 30-23 count as 13-point ‘dogs.

      -- Colorado State has finished 7-6 in both of its first two seasons under Mike Bobo, the former QB and long-time offensive coordinator at Georgia before getting his first head-coaching gig at CSU. The Rams were an impressive 9-4 ATS last year, going 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS at home. They have compiled a 5-2 spread record in seven games as home favorites on Bobo’s watch.

      -- CSU brings back six starters on offense and eight on defense. Bobo’s team returns its top four rushers, two excellent QBs and three of its top four WRs. Nick Stevens completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,936 yards with a 19/5 TD-INT ratio in ’16. He also ran for a pair of scores. Stevens has a 41/17 career TD-INT ratio in 21 career starts, but he was intercepted only three times in his last seven starts of last season. He was a second-team All-MWC selection in ’15.

      -- As a true freshman in ’16, CSU’s Collin Hill was named the starting QB in Week 3. He would go 2-2 in four starts before going down with a season-ending injury in a 31-24 home win over Utah State Before the injury, Hill connected on 58.1 percent of his throws for 1,096 yards with an 8/2 TD-INT ratio. Stevens has been named the starter, but Hill is healthy and ready to go.

      -- Stevens has one of the best wideouts in the Mountain West Conference in senior Michael Gallup, who earned first-team All-MWC honors after catching 76 balls for 1,272 yards and 14 TDs in ’16. Olabisi Johnson had 28 receptions for 613 yards and four TDs last season, averaging 21.9 yards per catch.

      -- Colorado State’s offensive line is anchored by center Jake Bennett, a second-team All-MWC selection last year who has 29 career starts to his credit. The only other o-line starter that’s back is senior OT Zack Golditch, who has made 25 career starts. This unit will look to pave holes for Dalyn Dawkins, Izzy Matthews, Marvin Kinsey and Detrich Clark, who combined to rush for nearly 2,300 yards and 27 rushing TDs last year.

      -- Kinsey rushed for a team-best 919 yards and four TDs with a 5.7 YPC average last season. Matthews rushed for 734 yards and a team-high 13 TDs while averaging 4.8 YPC. Kinsey, who is listed as ‘questionable’ vs. OSU with a knee injury, rushed for 546 yards and seven TDs with a 5.9 YPC average. Clark has moved to WR after rushing for 247 yards and three TDs on 36 attempts (6.9 YPC).

      -- CSU junior DB Braylin Scott is out indefinitely due to legal issues. Scott recorded 39 tackles and three interceptions last year. Senior LB Deonte Clyburn, a likely starter if he can get back to 100-percent health remained out indefinitely due to blood clots. Clyburn redshirted last season for a similar issue, but he registered 74 tackles and seven tackles for loss in ’15.

      -- These schools have met twice before, splitting a pair of meetings, but they haven’t faced each other since 1975. This is OSU’s first trip to Ft. Collins and it is only the fourth time a Power Five opponent has come here since 2004. Andersen went 1-1 against the Rams when he was the head coach at Utah State prior to leaving for Wisconsin.

      -- Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Eastern on the CBS Sports College Network.

      **Hawaii at Massachusetts**


      -- As of Aug. 18, this game was a pick ‘em at many spots, while others had either team favored by one point. One offshore shop opened the total at 64, but it went up to 64.5 the next day and that’s where it remained as of Aug. 18. By Tuesday of this week (8/22), most books had UMass favored by 1.5 or two with the total down to 62.5 points.

      -- Hawaii went 7-7 SU and 5-8-1 ATS last season, going to its first bowl game since 2010 in its first year under head coach Nick Rolovich. The Warriors thumped Middle Tennessee by a 52-35 count as seven-point home underdog in the Hawaii Bowl. However, we should note that the Blue Raiders were without their star QB Brent Stockstill.

      -- During Norm Chow’s dismal tenure at Hawaii from 2012-2015, the Warriors lost 23 of 24 road games. However, they went 3-3 on the road last year under Rolovich, winning outright at San Jose State, at Air Force (in double overtime as 16.5-point ‘dogs) and at Fresno State

      -- Hawaii returns eight starters on offense and six on defense. The offense is led by sophomore QB Dru Brown, who took over as the starter after the Warriors lost three of their first four games last season. Brown completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 2,488 yards with a 19/7 TD-INT ratio. He loses his favorite target Marcus Kemp, but the team has plenty of depth and experience at the WR position. As a redshirt freshman in ’16, John Ursua hauled in 53 receptions for 652 yards and three TDs. Dylan Collie added 33 catches for 322 yards and four TDs.

      -- Hawaii RB Diocemy Saint Juste rushed for a team-high 1,006 yards and three TDs last year, averaging 6.1 YPC in the process. He also had eight catches for 56 yards and one TD.

      -- Hawaii’s defense is led by All-American candidate Jahlani Tavai, a junior LB who garnered first-team All-MWC honors after tallying 129 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four QB hurries, two forced fumbles, two passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one interception in ’16. Senior safety Trayvon Henderson is another standout, recording 90 tackles, 8.5 TFL’s, two sacks, seven PBU, one QB hurry, one blocked kick and three interceptions, including one pick-six. This unit gave up 37.3 points per game in ’16 and has a new coordinator in Legi Suiaunoa, who has been a d-line coach at Montana (’11-’15) and Hawaii since 2011.

      -- UMass finished ’16 with a 2-10 SU record and a 7-5 ATS mark. Although the Minutemen are an abysmal 8-28 SU since HC Mark Whipple took over for his second stint here in ’14, they have been decent for our purposes with a 19-17 ATS record.

      -- UMass lost three one-possession games last season and picked up its wins at home vs. FIU (21-13) and vs. Wagner (34-10). The Minutemen faced three SEC opponents, going 3-0 ATS in losses at Florida (24-7), vs. Mississippi State (47-35) and at South Carolina (34-28). They bring back six starters on offense and nine on defense.

      -- Junior QB Andrew Ford started nine of 12 games last year, throwing for 2,665 yards with a 26/14 TD-INT ratio. He also ran for a pair of scores. Ford has one of the nation’s best tight ends, former five-star recruit Adam Breneman who signed with Penn State out of high school and was prep teammates with Ford. In his first season with UMass, Breneman made 70 catches for 808 yards and eight TDs. Junior WR Andy Isabella is off an excellent sophomore year when he brought down 62 balls for 801 yards and seven TDs. UMass also returns leading rusher Marquis Young, who had 898 rushing yards and four TDs with a 4.6 YPC average in ’16.

      -- When these teams met in the regular-season finale last season at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii captured a 46-40 win but the Minutemen took the money as a 7.5-point road underdog. The 86 combined points soared ‘over’ the 57-point total. Trailing 40-26 with less than seven minutes remaining, UMass scored a pair of TDs in less than 90 seconds to pull even. However, Brown would find Kellan Ewaliko on a 56-yard scoring strike with 3:52 left to provide the winning points. For bettors who might’ve bought the hook to seven from 7.5 with a Hawaii wager, they were left furious (& push-less) when the extra-point kick was missed.

      -- This is a non-televised game that will kick at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

      **B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

      -- BYU will square off with FCS opponent Portland State in Provo on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. This game did not have a spread as of Tuesday, but some books will probably throw up a number by later Friday afternoon. Most games between FBS and FCS teams eventually get a line, but the books usually don’t release it until late Friday or early Saturday.

      -- Georgia Tech took a big loss late last week when sophomore RB Dedrick Mills was kicked off the team for undisclosed reasons. Mills led the Yellow Jackets in rushing as a true freshman, gaining 771 yards and scoring 12 TDs with a 5.1 YPC average. They open at the new Mercedes Dome in Atlanta against Tennessee in Week 1.

      -- Mark Richt named junior Malik Rosier as Miami’s starting QB on Aug. 22. Rosier threw for 272 yards in his only career start in ’15 when the Hurricanes won at Duke on the wild and controversial finish with laterals galore on the kick return as time expired.

      -- Kentucky senior WR Dorian Baker is out for an indefinite period of time with an ankle injury, and there’s speculation he could done for the entire season. Baker has started 23 career games, producing 88 receptions for 1,015 yards and six TDs. He had a team-best 55 catches in ’15.

      -- Rutgers has named ex-Louisville QB Kyle Bolin as its starter for the opener vs. Washington.

      -- Florida landed a transfer on Monday when Texas offensive lineman Jean Delance decided to become a Gator. Delance was a four-star recruit for the Longhorns in the ’16 class. He’ll sit out this year per transfer rules and then have three years of eligibility for UF.
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

      Comment


      • #18
        College football notebook: Darnold, Barkley head preseason All-American list
        August 22, 2017

        USC quarterback Sam Darnold and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley highlight the first preseason All-America team in the history of The Associated Press.

        The two gave college football fans a thrill at the Rose Bowl last season, with Darnold passing for 453 yards and five touchdowns in the Trojans' 52-49 victory over the Nittany Lions. Barkley rushed for 194 and had three scores in the contest.

        Darnold was voted to the first team by a panel of 51 voters. He slipped past Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville, who is the second-team quarterback on the teams released Tuesday.

        LSU's Derrius Guice joins Darnold and Barkley in the backfield on the first team. Washington State guard Cody O'Connell and Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky were selected to the first team after being All-Americans last year.

        The first-team defense is led by two players who were postseason All-Americans in 2016 in Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Florida State's secondary was well represented with cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and safety Derwin James, who missed most of last year with a knee injury.

        --Miami
        , needing to replace departed junior Brad Kaaya, will go with redshirt junior Malik Rosier as the starting quarterback when the Hurricanes face Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2, the school announced.

        Rosier, who has one career start in a 2015 win over Duke, beat out redshirt sophomore Evan Shirreffs and two true freshmen. Rosier has 370 career passing yards.

        --North Carolina State dismissed two football players and suspended three others after an investigation into an on-campus party last month.

        Freshmen Antoine Thompson and Kevince Brown were booted off the squad, while freshmen Isaiah Moore, Erin Collins and Xavier Lyas were suspended for violation of football rules in addition to the school's student-athlete code of conduct.

        The investigation began after a sexual assault charge was reported on July 22, one day following the party. The school said Tuesday's penalties were related to alcohol and marijuana being present at the party and were not associated with the sexual assault.

        Three different sexual assaults were reported in the days following the party.
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

        Comment


        • #19
          NC State dismisses 2 players, suspends 3
          August 22, 2017


          RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren has dismissed two players from the team and suspended three others for violating athletics department and team rules pertaining to marijuana and alcohol.

          The team announced the dismissals and suspensions Tuesday. The school issued a separate release saying the violations were discovered amid an ongoing investigation by university police into allegations of sexual assault during a campus party last month.

          Athletic director Debbie Yow said the disciplinary actions taken against the five players were ''not regarding allegations of sexual assault.''

          Freshmen Kevince Brown and Antoine Thompson were dismissed from the team, and Yow says they were no longer enrolled in school.

          Three other freshmen - Erin Collins, Xavier Lyas and Isaiah Moore - were suspended, and Yow said they also faced ''other discipline.''

          In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, university police chief Jack Moorman declined to talk about specifics in the ongoing criminal investigation. He did say the party took place at the residence of a football player, though he didn't specify which football player.

          Moorman said ''under a dozen'' people attended what the school's release described as a ''gathering'' on July 21.

          ''There were five football players, there were our three sexual-assault complainants and then there were some other people who came in and out throughout the course of the day,'' Moorman said. ''But at this point, we have no evidence that any of the other individuals were involved in the drug and alcohol component.''

          The school said the police investigation is ''nearly concluded'' and that university police have provided evidence to the Wake County district attorney's office. It also states the school is conducting a Title IX investigation into whether anyone violated the code of student conduct.

          In a statement, Doeren said the five players were disciplined for ''poor decisions that don't align with the values of our program.''

          ''Although I've disciplined these players for violations of the Student Athlete Code of Conduct, I want to make it clear that I respect due process in the university and legal proceedings,'' Doeren said. ''Our players understand that I'm going be firm, but fair when it comes to discipline.''
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • #20
            Thursday’s six-pack

            — In last 30 years, Nevada sportsbooks haven’t had a losing September in college football.

            — New England Patriots are favored in every game from Week 1-Week 16; spreads for Week 17 games are not posted in the summer.

            — Nick Saban is 31-2 in SEC games against the current 13 coaches at other SEC schools.

            — A’s traded Rajai Davis to Boston, for an 18-year old OF prospect who is playing in the Dominican Summer League.

            — Raiders’ LT Donald Penn ended his holdout. practiced on Wednesday.

            — Mitchell Robinson, a 5-star prospect and top-10 recruit this past spring, is not expected to play college basketball after he left Western Kentucky in July. Good luck there; hopefully the kid goes overseas for a year and at least plays SOMEWHERE.

            ***************************

            Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud…….

            13) Long time ago, the Dallas Cowboys had a very fast WR named Bob Hayes; this is in the 60’s, when the Cowboys first got really good. Bullet Bob Hayes was a sprinter— Dallas picked him in the 7th round of the 1964 Draft, with the 88th pick. Great pick— Hayes caught 371 passes in the NFL— 71 of them were touchdowns.

            Detroit had the 89th pick that year; they took a lineman from Wichita State that you may have heard of, even though he didn’t play in the NFL.

            Guy named Bill Parcells, whose 76th birthday was this week.

            12) Baseball is terrific because odd things can happen at any time; LA’s Rich Hill had a perfect game thru 8 innings last night in Pittsburgh, but his 3B made an error in the 9th inning- the game remained scoreless thru nine innings. Hill stayed in the game, even though his blister issues usually mean he comes out before he gets to 100 pitches.

            In the bottom of the 10th inning, Josh Harrison got the Pirates’ first hit, a walk-off homer that ended a great pitching duel. He hit Hill’s 99th pitch over the fence, ending a great game.

            11) Doug Fister allowed a leadoff homer Tuesday night, then didn’t allow another hit in a 9-1 Red Sox win in Cleveland. It was Fister’s first complete game since 2014.

            10) According to ESPN.com, underdogs covered 52.5% of college football games last year, the best year for underdogs in the last 12.

            9) Anthony Rizzo played some 3B Tuesday night, the first lefty to do so in a major league game in 20 years.

            8) Atlanta Falcons will leave a day earlier than usual on their five non-divisional road trips this season; they feel it helps with team bonding.

            7) Louisville QB Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy LY; he tried hard to gain weight in the offseason, and is seven pounds heavier than last year, 30 pounds heavier than when he was a freshman.

            6) Good news for NBA’s TV partners, with Cavaliers-Celtics playing on Opening Night. Kyrie Irving t-shirts were 75% off at the Cavaliers’ team store Wednesday.

            5) Indians put Salazar/Miller on the DL Tuesday; they put Jason Kipnis on the DL yesterday. If you’re involved in fantasy baseball, you realize this: baseball players get hurt a lot.

            Red Sox put Jackie Bradley Jr (thumb) on the DL.

            4) Scott Blumstein won the World Series of Poker this summer; before the event, four of his friends gave him $60 each towards the $10,000 entry fee— those four friends will each come away with $40,750 before taxes, after Blumstein won the $8.15M first prize.

            3) Since 1994, the Philadelphia Eagles have had 119 pass plays of 50+ yards, most in the NFL, two more than the Packers, three more than New Orleans.

            Defensively, Atlanta has allowed 127 pass plays of 50+ yards, 20 more than any other team.

            2) Since 2012, Temple (39-24) is the best team in the country against the spread, but Matt Rhule is the coach at Baylor now— we’ll see if Temple can keep up with their successful ways.

            Over the last five years, UConn (18-40) is the worst team in America against the spread.

            1) On August 15, a guy in Las Vegas bet $500 on BYU to win the national title, at 300-1, which would net him $150,000 if the Cougars won the national championship. There was another $200 bet on BYU back in June, at 500-1. Someone like BYU this season.
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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