The Bum's 2017 College Football Picks-Trends-News Etc. !

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Georgia reminding SEC that defense matters
October 11, 2017

Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn't happy that his Bulldogs finally allowed not one, but two touchdowns against a Southeastern Conference opponent.

In their third league game.

Smart calls that a wake-up call for his fourth-ranked Bulldogs.

''Our defense needed that,'' Smart said. ''They have been told by the media and everyone else that they're the greatest thing ever. ... We didn't play to the standard that we're supposed to. We can get better defensively and coach off of this performance to get their attention.''

The Bulldogs still are the nation's second-stingiest defense in Smart's second season , giving up an average of just 10 points a game this season. They haven't allowed more than 19 in a win at Notre Dame that looks much more impressive as the Fighting Irish's only loss.

Georgia, top-ranked Alabama and No. 10 Auburn are separating themselves in the SEC, even though the Crimson Tide's offense looks methodical at times, the Bulldogs are playing a freshman quarterback and Tigers can have trouble moving the ball.

The one thing the trio does well week in and week out, is play defense. Their defensive squads are among the top six scoring units in the country, and that has them all poised to make a run at the College Football Playoffs.

''Defense wins championships and offense puts people in the seats,'' said Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, who runs his own defense.

That's nothing new, in fact, it's been repeated many times.

But these three teams have taken it to heart.

Alabama has allowed just 22 points in three SEC games. Georgia had a streak of six scoreless quarters before giving up its first touchdowns in league play to Vanderbilt , second set up by a turnover returned to the Georgia 1.

Georgia ranks third nationally allowing 242.7 yards per game followed by Alabama (258.8) in fifth with Auburn (287.5) 13th. Mississippi State and LSU are the only other SEC teams giving up less than 350 yards per game.

Auburn used Gus Malzahn's up-tempo offenses as first coordinator and then head coach to overcome the Tigers' defensive shortcomings in winning the 2010 national championship with Cam Newton and to reach the 2013 title game. Auburn's best scoring defense was ranked 48th in 2013 in those two seasons.

Now Auburn is holding opponents to 13 points per game - sixth-best in the nation.

''Over the history of our league, if you really look, the teams that have a chance to either win championships or have a chance to win championships, they're all playing really good defense,'' Malzahn said. ''That's really, I think, what separates our league from a lot of leagues is the elite defenses. When you play those elite defenses, it's a challenge.''

Arkansas is an example of how costly a shoddy unit can be.

A defense ranked 123rd out of 128 FBS teams giving up an average of 6.75 yards per play led to ugly losses to Missouri and Virginia Tech last season. Switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 has resulted in only marginal improvement. Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC) is giving up 31.4 points per game, better than only Mississippi (37.4) and Missouri (40).

Nick Saban coached Alabama to the SEC championship each of the last three years and four of five leaning on defense with Smart as defensive coordinator until leaving last year to coach his alma mater. This season, the Tide has remained one of the nation's top defenses despite an array of injuries.

Alabama lost linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis for the season in the opener against Florida State with linebackers Rashaan Evans, Anfernee Jennings and Dylan Moses missing games with injuries. So have starting defensive end Da'Shawn Hand and backup cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Five-star defensive end recruit LaBryan Ray appeared headed for a redshirt season but had a sack against Texas A&M with Hand out with a sprained MCL.

Still, Saban wasn't happy giving up 23 points to Colorado State or 19 to Texas A&M , and the standard is such that even Saban's defenders agree they didn't do enough.

''As far as execution, we could've done a lot better,'' Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans said.

That might be a nitpicking, at least to LSU tight end Foster Moreau. Alabama has scored 59 and 66 points in separate games, while Georgia put up 41 in a shutout at Tennessee and 45 in the Bulldogs' win at Vanderbilt. Auburn routed Mississippi State 49-10.

''When you're scoring that much, it's actually harder to hold teams like that,'' Moreau said. ''You just kind of drop back and don't want to give up big plays. ... When you see teams scoring that much and holding teams to that little, that's impressive.''

And in an addendum to that old saying, these defenses are also putting people in the seats.

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Winless Baylor still laying foundation
October 11, 2017

Baylor coach Matt Rhule wants all those people sending him texts, telling him to hang in there and asking if he is OK, to know that he is doing great.

While Rhule certainly doesn't like that the young Bears are still winless in his first season, he believes that a solid foundation is being laid for the future. He has been through this process before, and things turned out pretty good then.

''That's the hard part about freshmen, but it is the exhilarating part,'' Rhule said. ''Because we're teaching young kids that need to be taught, and we're taking them through one of the most adverse times of their life, and we're trying to do it in a really, really positive way, but a really truthful way.''

The Bears, who play Saturday at 14th-ranked Oklahoma State, have already used 21 first-time starters in their first five games. That includes eight true freshmen, plus eight others who have played fresh out of high school.

''It's frustrating now, but you're going to look out there one day and Jalen Pitre is going to know how to do everything right,'' Rhule said.

When Rhule became Baylor's coach last December, after a second consecutive 10-win season and an American Athletic Conference title at Temple, there was only one recruit committed to sign with the Bears in the wake of a sexual assault scandal for the program that had claimed Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014.

That lone commitment was Pitre, who has now started four games at linebacker as a true freshman and has 20 tackles.

After starting the season with home losses to Liberty and UTSA, teams that never before had beaten a Power Five opponent, Baylor has been competitive in its Big 12 games.

The Bears led then-No. 3 Oklahoma late in the third quarter of their conference-opening 49-41 loss. Before their open date last week, they lost 33-20 at Kansas State after the Wildcats kicked two late field goals.

''Do I like losing games? Absolutely not. But we knew this was going to be a process, and I see the process working incrementally,'' athletic director Mack Rhoades said. ''We'll build this on rock. We're in the process of building a program, and not just a team.''

Rhule got a seven-year contract from Baylor after being at Temple for 10 of the previous 11 seasons. He was on the Owls staff from 2006-11, then spent one year with the New York Giants before returning as head coach. Temple was 2-10 with a bunch of youngsters in 2013, but much of that same group was part of the consecutive 10-win seasons.

Baylor is now going through some very similar growing pains.

''You just keep teaching and hope that when they're sophomores and juniors, juniors and seniors, that they win a lot of games,'' he said.

Injuries have also affected the Bears, who lost big-play junior receiver Chris Platt (left knee) and defensive end Xavier Jones (broken bone in foot) to likely season-ending injuries in the Oklahoma game. Graduate transfer quarterback Anu Solomon has been sidelined with concussion symptoms since starting the first two games.

While Baylor players welcomed days off during the open date, coaches were on the road talking to high school coaches, administrators and teachers. Rhule and his assistants couldn't talk to players, but potential recruits can see that the Bears coaches aren't afraid to field young players.

''The response was overwhelming from the coaches in Texas,'' Rhule said. ''A lot of those guys know what we're going through. They know the work that we're putting in. They know that, despite losing, we're still trying to do a great job with their players and their student-athletes, and how we're always putting them first.''

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Swinney: Bryant ready to go for Syracuse
October 11, 2017

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said injured quarterback Kelly Bryant will be ''ready to go'' when the second-ranked Tigers play Syracuse on Friday night.

Bryant came out in the third quarter of last week's 28-14 victory over Wake Forest because of a left ankle sprain. Bryant wore a walking boot in postgame and said he uncertain about his status.

But Swinney said Wednesday that Bryant had practiced and was prepared to play when Clemson (6-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) heads north to play the Orange (3-3, 1-1).

Bryant has hardly missed a beat this season in taking over for two-time Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson. Bryant has passed for 1,259 yards and four touchdowns and run for seven scores to help the Tigers defeat top-15 opponents Auburn, Louisville and Virginia Tech.

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CFB Aug/Sept Best Bets: ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )
BEST BETS & OPINIONS

Aug/SeptTotals:.......154 - 145 - 9.....51.50%....-27.50

Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

Aug/Sept Totals:...........41 -33 - 2...........+30.50...............13 - 18.............- 25.50

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

CFB Ocotber's Best Bets & Opinions ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/11/2017 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
10/07/2017 19-32-1 36.73% -80.50
10/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
10/05/2017 2-0-0 100.00% +1000
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............25 - 36........40.98%.....- 72.50


Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

10/11/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................0 - 1.................-5.50
10/07/2017.....................11 - 15..........- 27.50..................0 - 3................-16.50
10/06/2017......................2 - 1.............+1.75...................3 - 1................+9.50
10/05/2017......................1 - 0.............+5.00...................1 - 0................+5.00
10/04/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................1 - 0................+5.00

Totals..............................14 - 18...........-31.75.................5 - 5.................-2.50

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Thursday’s six-pack

College football trends for this weekend:

— UConn is 8-19-1 in its last 28 games as a road underdog.

— Ohio U covered eight of its last ten true road games.

— Northern Illinois covered 7 of its last 9 games with Buffalo.

— Florida State covered its last six games against Duke.

— Minnesota covered 6 of its last 7 games with Michigan State.

— Northwestern is 5-10-1 vs spread in its last 16 games as a road favorite.

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

13) Red Sox fired John Farrell Wednesday; he went 432-378 as Boston’s manager, winning the World Series in his first season (2013) but winning only one playoff game (1-6) the last four years. Farrell had a health scare with cancer in 2015, but that is behind him now.

If the Red Sox hire Brad Ausmus, who worked with Boston GM Dave Dombrowski in Detroit, then it figures that the GM just thought that Ausmus is a better manager than Farrell.

This Tweet from writer Peter Abraham:
“Dombrowski said Farrell was fired for reasons he won’t disclose and that no level of team success would have prevented that.”

He would’ve fired Farrell even if the Red Sox won the World Series? Hard to believe.

12) Washington 5, Chicago 0- Game 5 is Thursday night at 8 in Washington.
New York 5, Cleveland 2— Indians lost last seven games when they had a chance to wrap up a series. New York-Houston ALCS starts Friday night.

11) New Jersey Giants suspended CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Wednesday when he came to practice and then went home without practicing- it apparently relates to something that happened on the sidelines during Sunday’s game with the Chargers.

10) Giants also lost 3 of their top 4 WR’s for the season in last week’s loss; of those four, only Sterling Shepard will be playing in Denver this weekend.

9) Utah Jazz big guy Rudy Gobert wears number 27 because he was the 27th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Not that he takes it personally or anything.

8) Butler Bulldogs are on their 4th basketball coach in the last six years, and they usually win. Texas Tech is on its 5th coach in eight years. Coaching can be a nomadic profession.

7) Guy named Tony Ressler owns the Atlanta Hawks; he is or was a minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been married to actress Jami Gertz for 29 years— she was in movies like Less Than Zero, Sixteen Candles and Twister.

6) Minnesota Timberwolves have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA- 13 years.

5) Tennessee Vols are changing QB’s for their game with South Carolina this week; redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano gets the start over sophomore Quinten Dormady, who may transfer from Tennessee as a result of this.

4) Revenge in the CFL this week? On July 29, Calgary embarrassed Hamilton 60-1; Ti-Cats changed coaches shortly after that, and are now 4-2 in their last six games under new coach June Jones. Stampeders visit Hamilton this week on a serious roll; they’ve won 10 games in a row (8-1-1 vs spread).

3) South Alabama (+18) 19, Troy 8— Troy’s last game was an upset win at LSU, but teams that turn the ball over four times (-3) don’t win a whole lot.

2) Louisville brought in former Nevada/LSU coach Trent Johnson as an assistant, then fired assistant coach Jordan Fair, as fallout from the SneakerGate scandal continues to unfold.

1) If you have NBA TV and I think just about everyone does, Open Court is a good show to watch; there are two hour-long shows that were filmed this summer in Las Vegas, one with five NBA owners, the other with five coaches. Educational stuff if you like the NBA.

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ACC Report - Week 7
October 11, 2017

2017 ACC STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Boston College 2-4 0-3 3-3 1-5
Clemson 6-0 4-0 4-2 2-4
Duke 4-2 1-2 4-2 2-4
Florida State 1-3 1-2 0-3-1 0-4
Georgia Tech 3-1 2-0 4-0 1-3
Louisville 4-2 1-2 1-5 3-3
Miami (Fla.) 4-0 2-0 3-1 1-3
North Carolina 1-5 0-3 1-5 3-3
North Carolina State 5-1 3-0 2-4 3-3
Pittsburgh 2-4 0-2 1-3-2 1-4-1
Syracuse 3-3 1-1 3-2-1 1-5
Virginia 4-1 1-0 3-2 2-3
Virginia Tech 5-1 1-1 3-3 1-4-1
Wake Forest 4-2 1-2 4-1-1 2-4

Clemson at Syracuse (Fri. - ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET)
The Tigers head to the Carrier Dome for Friday night action, and they're more than a three-touchdown favorite. The Tigers won last week, but failed to cover in a 28-14 win against Wake Forest. After opening 3-0 ATS, the Tigers are just 1-2 ATS over their past two conference tilts. They enter this game at just 2-6 ATS over the past eight on a field turf surface, too. For Syracuse, this is their bowl game, or a bigger game even if they should become eligible for the postseason. The Carrier Dome should be rocking for a rare primetime, national attention game.

Syracuse is 4-0 ATS over their past four against winning teams, 3-0-1 ATS across their past four outings and 5-1 ATS in their past six home outings against teams with a winning road record. However, they have managed a 1-4-1 ATS mark over their past six home games. If you like totals, you might like the 'under'. While the over is 6-1 in Clemson's past seven road affairs, the under is 4-1 in their past five overall, while the under is 10-1 in Syracuse's past 11 at home, and 13-3 in their past 16 overall, while going 8-1 in their past nine ACC games.

North Carolina State at Pittsburgh (ACC Network, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Wolfpack continue to build their resume, and ever so slightly around Raleigh there are whispers of a potential ACC Championship Game appearance, and possibly a trip to the playoffs. It's not inconceivable if they can continue to tick off signature wins like last weekend against Louisville. And, of course, they must slay the dragon known as Clemson in the Atlantic Division. First things first, though, as they cannot suffer any additional losses along the way. N.C. State enters as a double-digit road favorite at Pitt. The Wolfpack are 4-0 ATS in their past four road games, and 5-2 ATS in the past seven inside the ACC. Pittsburgh enters a dismal 1-5-2 ATS over the past eight, 7-19 ATS in their past 26 at home and 0-4 ATS in their past four at home against a team with a winning road record.

Florida State at Duke (ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)
This is just unchartered territory, as Florida State heads to Durham at just 1-3 SU and 0-3-1 ATS through four games. The loss of Deondre Francois in the opener really hurt the makeup of this club, which has also had their schedule interrupted by Hurricane Irma. The Seminoles were stunned in the final moments by rival Miami last week, and it will be interesting to see how FSU comes out on Saturday. Duke started out 4-0 SU/ATS and they weren't showing many chinks in the armor. However, they were exposed a bit in a 31-6 loss at home to Miami back on Sept. 29, and then Virginia edged them 28-21 last weekend in Charlottesville. One thing that has been consistent for Duke is the 'under', cashing in each of the past four outings. This is the first meeting between these schools on the gridiron since 2013, and FSU enters as a seven-point favorite with heavy public support.

Boston College at Louisville (ACC Network, 12:20 p.m.)
Louisville is looking to bounce back after a trip to N.C. State last Thursday went awry. They'll look to take out their frustrations on a Boston College team which hasn't put up much resistance in the ACC so far. The Eagles are also just 4-9-1 ATS over their past 14 conference games, although they are an impressive 7-1 ATS in their past eight on the road against teams with a winning home record. That includes a solid showing at Clemson earlier in the season before the national champs pulled away late. Louisville hasn't handled themselves well as big favorites, and they're 0-6 ATS in their past six at home while going a dismal 3-12-1 ATS over their past 16 overall. They also seem to play down to the competition, going 3-7 ATS over the past 10 against losing teams and 5-16 ATS over the past 21 home games against a team with a losing road record.

Georgia Tech at Miami-Florida (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
This is a critcial game in the Coastal Division for both sides, and will put either in the driver's seat, or at least keep them in the hunt, for a potential appearance in the ACC Championship Game. That's a position that has eluded Miami ever since joining the league, as they have never won a divisional title in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets enter with an 8-0 ATS run over their past eight dating back to last season, and they're 4-0 ATS in their past four in the conference while going 4-0 ATS in their past four against winning teams. They're also 4-1-1 ATS in the past six on the road. Miami has been no slouch against the number, either, posting an impressive 6-0 ATS mark across their past six ACC games, including stealing one at Florida State last weekend. They're 10-1 ATS in their past 11 following a straight up win, 4-0 ATS in their past four against winning sides and 8-1 ATS in their past nine overall. They've protected their half-filled house well, too, going 4-1 ATS in their past five appearances at Hard Rock Stadium.

Virginia at North Carolina (ACC Network, 3:30 p.m.)
The Cavaliers and Tar Heels lock horns in Chapel Hill, and UVA looks to keep up their winning ways. UNC has been awfully banged up and they continue to search for bodies to fill the voids. Since a 34-17 humbling from Indiana back on Sept. 9, the Cavaliers have rattled off three straight wins and covers, including an impressive 42-23 win at Boise State on Sept. 22, and a seven-point win at home against Duke last weekend despite closing as short 'dogs. The offense is averaging a respectable 36.0 PPG over the past three outings, something the Tar Heels will have to be mindful about. UNC's SID would have an easier job posting who is 'not' injured before each week's games, as they have a laundry list of key guys on the sidelines. They haven't tasted victory since Sept. 16 at Old Dominion, and they have lost their first three ACC games by an average of by an average of 16.0 PPG. They were also thrashed by Notre Dame last weekend, 33-10, despite the fact the Irish were using a backup quarterback.

Bye Week
Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

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Big 12 Report - Week 7
October 12, 2017

2017 BIG 12 STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Baylor 0-5 0-2 2-3 2-3
Iowa State 3-2 1-1 4-1 3-2
Kansas 1-4 0-2 1-4 5-0
Kansas State 3-2 1-1 2-2-1 3-2
Oklahoma 4-1 1-1 3-2 4-1
Oklahoma State 4-1 1-1 3-2 3-2
Texas 3-2 2-0 3-1-1 2-3
Texas Christian 5-0 2-0 2-3 2-3
Texas Tech 4-1 1-1 5-0 2-3
West Virginia 3-2 1-1 3-2 3-1-1

Texas Christian at Kansas State (FOX Sports 1, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Horned Frogs continue their ascent up the rankings, knocking off West Virginia last weekend. Now they face another test against Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are 4-0 ATS over their past four road outings, but just 3-8 ATS in their past 11 conference games, 5-13 ATS in their past 18 overall and they're 2-5 ATS in the past seven against teams with a winning overall mark. The Wildcats are 6-2 ATS in the past eight home games against a team with a winning road mark. Total bettors will find the trends for each team are like night and day. The under is 4-1 over the past five conference games, 6-2 in their past eight road games and 9-3 across the past 13 overall. On the flip side, the over is 5-1 in K-State's past six home outings, 8-3 in their past 11 overall and 5-2 in the past seven league contests.

Texas Tech at West Virginia (ESPNU, 12:00 p.m.)
The Red Raiders and Mountaineers do battle in Morgantown, as both sides try to avoid their second loss inside the league. Texas Tech has managed a 6-0 ATS mark over their past six against teams with a winning overall record, while going 5-1 ATS in their past six road games, 4-1 ATS in the past five league games and 23-9-1 ATS across the past 33 overall. West Virginia hasn't been as fortunate against the number lately, especially against teams with a winning overall mark. They're 5-14 ATS across the past 19 vs. teams with a record better than .500, while going 6-21 ATS in their past 27 at home against teams with a winning road mark. While it might seem the scoreboard operator at Milan Puskar Stadium should be busy, the under is 4-1 over the past five meetings. The over is 6-2 in Texas Tech's past eight road games, and 19-7 across their past 26 road games against a team with a winning home record. The over is 4-1 in West Virginia's past five at home, but the under is 21-7 in their past 28 conference tilts.

Kansas at Iowa State (No National TV, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Cyclones host the Jayhawks looking to build on their huge upset in Norman last weekend. Will Iowa State be able to carry over the momentum or will they have a letdown? That's the big question. Kansas heads to Ames with a 5-1 ATS mark across their past six league games, but they're a dismal 11-31-1 ATS in the past 43 road outings. The Jayhawks are also 6-14 ATS in the past 20 against teams with a winning overall mark. Iowa State is 7-2 ATS in the past nine home games while going 5-1 ATS in their past six at home against a team with a losing road mark. The over is 6-0 in the past six for Kansas, while going 5-1 in their past six conference tilts. For Iowa State, the over is 10-1-1 in their past 12 following a straight-up win, while going 6-2 in their past eight overall and 4-1 in the past five inside the conference. This is the first time Iowa State has been favored by 20 or more since Oct. 3, 2015 when they hosted Kansas.

Oklahoma vs. Texas at Dallas (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET)
It's time for the latest Red River Rivalry battle, and the Sooners are going to be awfully angry after losing last week against Iowa State at home. Quite the opposite, Texas enters feeling pretty good about themselves after an overtime victory against Kansas State. The Longhorns are 3-0-1 ATS over their past four outings, while going 5-1-1 ATS in their past seven against a team with a winning overall mark. Texas is also 4-1 ATS in the past five neutral-site games. The Longhorns have dominated this series lately, especially against the number, going 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings, with the underdog hitting in each of the past four. Texas is an eight-point underdog as of early Thursday morning. Can Texas slow Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma offense? The Sooners have posted at least 30 points in a team-record 15 straight outings.

Baylor at Oklahoma State (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 p.m. ET)
In past seasons this was a marquee game, but this year it's the haves and the have-nots. Baylor heads into the game rested after a bye, but they're also hitless in five games to date. Oklahoma State had their national championship hopes dashed with a loss against Texas Christian on Sept., 23, but they bounced back with an impressive road victory at Texas Tech on Sept. 30. Still, OSU is 0-2 ATS over the past two outings since opening 3-0 ATS. Quite the opposite, Baylor opened 0-3 ATS, but they have covered each of their past two. While Baylor is 4-1 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning mark, they're a dismal 2-7 ATS across their past nine on the road. The favorite has covered 14 of the past 18 in this series, while the Bears are 1-8 ATS in their past nine trips to Stillwater.

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Pac-12 Report - Week 7
October 12, 2017

2017 PAC-12 STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Arizona 3-2 1-1 3-2 3-2
Arizona State 2-3 1-1 2-3 1-4
California 3-3 0-3 3-3 2-4
Colorado 3-3 0-3 2-4 2-4
Oregon 4-2 1-2 3-3 3-3
Oregon State 1-5 0-3 1-5 4-2
Southern California 5-1 3-1 1-5 2-4
Stanford 4-2 3-1 2-3-1 3-3
UCLA 3-2 1-1 1-4 4-1
Utah 4-1 1-1 4-0-1 1-4
Washington 6-0 3-0 4-2 2-4
Washington State 6-0 3-0 4-2 2-4

Washington State at California (Fri. - ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET)
The Cougars look to continue their winning ways against the skidding Bears in Berkeley on a little Pac-12 after dark, Friday style. Washington State proved their upset over USC two weeks ago was no fluke, as they hit the road for Oregon last week and picked up an impressive 33-10 win for their fourth consecutive cover. The Cougars offense has been impressive, posting 30 or more points in all six games this season. Their defense has been an underrated part of their success, as they're yielding just 14.7 PPG over the past three, all 'under' results. Cal opened 3-0 SU over their first three with wins at North Carolina and against Ole Miss, so they were feeling good about themselves. However, a visit from USC, a trip to Oregon and Washington, and suddenly their back to .500 while failing to cover their past two. They have lost their past three games by an average of 20.7 PPG. Washington State has owned this series lately, at least against the number, going 7-1 ATS in their past eight trips to Cal, while going 11-5 ATS in the past 16 overall.

Colorado at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network, 4:00 p.m. ET)
The Buffaloes roll into Corvallis looking to take out their aggressions on the doormat Beavers, who will have a new coach patrolling the sidelines after Gary Andersen walked away from his job after 2 1/2 years. Colorado opened the season 3-0 SU, but they have fallen on hard times with three consecutive losses to fall into the basement in the Pac-12 South. The Buffaloes are 7-1 ATS in the past eight road games, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five against teams with a losing overall mark. However, Colorado is just 1-4 ATS in the past five inside the league. The Beavers are 1-5 ATS in the past six overall, but they have covered eight of their past 11 conference tilts. Total bettors might like the way the under looks. The under is 4-1 in Colorado's past five road games, 6-1 in their past seven against teams with a losing record and 7-2 in their past nine overall. The under is 4-1 over the past five inside the conference for the Beavs.

Utah at Southern California (ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET)
The Utes try to pick themselves up off the mat after a disappointing home loss against Stanford last week at Rice-Eccles. The Trojans try to keep it going in a positive direction after their disappointing loss at Washington State on Sept. 29. USC might be 5-1 SU, but they're a dismal 1-5 ATS overall with just one cover in four tries at the L.A. Coliseum this season. The 'under' has cashed in four in a row for Sam Darnold and company, while the under is 4-1 across the past five for Utah. The Utes are 4-0-1 ATS over their five games this season, but their defense has been a little more leaky lately than earlier in the season. They allowed 15.0 PPG over the first three outings, but they're allowing 23.5 PPG over the past two. The home team has cashed in six straight in this series.

UCLA at Arizona (Pac-12 Network, 9:00 p.m. ET)
After a bye week, UCLA hopes they are a bit healthier and ready for a stretch run after some tumultuous times during the early going. It all started with a loss at Memphis, followed by a trampling from Bryce Love and Stanford on 'The Farm'. The Bruins are a dismal 1-4 ATS overall, and they're 0-2 SU/ATS in two road trips. So can they take down the Wildcats for their first road success of the season? The Bruins are 2-8 ATS across their past 10 road games and 0-4 ATS in their past four league outings. They're also an awful 7-18-1 ATS over the past 26 on a grass surface while going 3-8 ATS over their past 11 against teams with a winning overall mark. Arizona is 5-14 ATS in their past 19 overall, so they haven't exactly been lighting the world afire, either. UCLA has covered five in a row in this series, and the favorite is 9-1 ATS over the past 10 meetings.

Washington at Arizona State (ESPN, 10:45 p.m. ET)
The playoff-hopefull Huskies look to keep the train rolling in Tempe against the Sun Devils, and Vegas feels they'll easily be able to stay on track. As of Thursday morning Washington is a 17 1/2-point favorite. They have outscored Pac-12 competition by a combined 117-24, covering all three outings while posting a 3-0 'under' mark. Washington has also scored at least 37 points in each of the past five contests. They powered past Arizona State by a 44-16 count last season in Seattle. Arizona State has won just one of the past four, but that victory was an impressive 37-35 victory against Oregon on Sept. 23. They have covered two in a row, while the 'under' has hit in four of five this season. The favorite is 9-2 ATS in the past 11 meetings in this series, although Washington is a dismal 2-14-2 ATS in the past 18 in this series while going 0-6 ATS in their past six trips to Tempe.

Oregon at Stanford (Pac-12 Network, 11:00 p.m. ET)
The Ducks head to Palo Alto looking to avoid another loss. A third conference loss would mean all of the good feelings from earlier in the season are gone. The Cardinals have picked up the pace after two early-season losses at USC and at San Diego State, and they have found a superstar along the way. Bryce Love is a beast and no one has been able to stop him lately. Stanford has won three in a row, averaging 38.3 PPG. That's good news, too, because the defense has struggled, allowing 20 or more points in five in a row. The Ducks are just 3-7-1 ATS over their past 11 against teams with a winning record, while going 3-10 ATS in the past 13 conference tilts. Something's gotta give, as the Cardinal are just 1-5-1 ATS in theri past seven against winning teams, while going 1-5 ATS in their past six at home. Oregon has covered five of their past seven trips to Palo Alto, while the over is 5-1 in the past six at Stanford. The over has hit in 10 of the past 12 meetings overall.

[StarDust Bum]

Big Ten Report - Week 7
October 10, 2017

2017 BIG 10 STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Illinois 2-3 0-2 1-4 2-3
Indiana 3-2 0-2 2-3 2-3
Iowa 4-2 1-2 3-3 2-4
Maryland 3-2 1-1 3-2 4-1
Michigan 4-1 1-1 2-3 1-3-1
Michigan State 4-1 2-0 4-1 1-4
Minnesota 3-2 0-2 2-3 3-2
Nebraska 3-3 2-2 2-4 3-3
Northwestern 2-3 0-2 2-3 2-2-1
Ohio State 5-1 3-0 3-3 4-2
Penn State 6-0 3-0 4-1-1 1-5
Purdue 3-2 1-1 4-1 2-3
Rutgers 1-4 0-2 3-2 2-3
Wisconsin 5-0 2-0 3-2 4-1

Purdue at Wisconsin (-16.5) – (BTN, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The Boilers coming off a bye picked up a big home win last Saturday over Minnesota. While the final score was 31-17, it was much closer than that. Purdue actually trailed 17-16 with under 2:00 minutes remaining in the game. A 12-yard TD run with just over 1:00 minute remaining (plus 2-point conversion) and a 76-yard pick-six with just 10 seconds left made it a 14-point final margin. It was a game that saw an hour and 28 minute weather delay in the fourth quarter. It was also a game that was dominated by Purdue on the stat sheet. They had 4 more first downs, outgained the Gophers by 111 yards despite running 7 fewer offensive plays.

It was amazing the Boilermakers were down only 14-6 at half after turning the ball over on 4 of their first 5 possessions. They were happy to get starting RB Markell Jones back on the field for the first time this year as he finished with 52 yards on 12 carries. Defensively this could be a tough match up for Purdue as they allowed Minnesota to rush for 227 yards last week and now they face a Wisconsin team that ranks first in the Big Ten averaging 257 YPG on the ground.

The Badgers walked into Memorial Stadium last Saturday and put an end to the Huskers 20-game winning streak in night home games. The game turned very early on Nebraska’s first offensive possession. The Huskers took the ball 58 yards in five plays inside the Wisconsin 20-yard line and their opening drive looking promising. A tipped pass and Badger 78-yard interception for a TD took a potential Nebraska lead and turned it into a Wisconsin 7-0 score just 2:30 into the game. UW started fairly slow again as they were outgained at halftime and minus the pick-six played even on the scoreboard (17-10 halftime lead).

In their second drive after halftime, Wisconsin QB Hornibrook threw an interception for a TD and the game was tied at 17. After that the Badgers absolutely dominated. Hornibrook threw the pick-six with 10:43 to go in the third quarter and Wisconsin passed the ball a grand total of TWO times after that. From that point on they outscored Nebraska 21-0 and ran the ball 29 times for 177 yards en route to their 38-17 win. They finished with 353 yards rushing led by freshman RB Jonathan Taylor who had 249 yards on 25 carries. Taylor now leads the Big Ten in rushing averaging 153 YPG a mile ahead of Ohio State’s JK Dobbins, who is second averaging 111 YPG. The Badgers continue to excel in the second half outscoring opponents, 119-21.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two met last year in West Lafayette and Wisconsin was favored by 27.5 points. The Badgers covered a tight one winning, 49-20. Wisky has absolutely dominated this series as of late winning 11 straight (10-1 ATS). The average score in those 11 Badger wins was 36-12. Bucky has covered just 2 of the last 9 times they’ve been a double digit home Big Ten favorite. This is just the second time this season Purdue is on the road (won at Mizzou). The Boilers are 13-3 ATS their last 16 road tilts.

Ohio State (-24) at Nebraska – (FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET)

OSU just continues to roll over their opponents. Last week, they faced a formidable Maryland team that has road wins this season over Texas and Minnesota. The Terps didn’t look formidable at the Horseshoe as Ohio State throttled them 62-14, while outgaining Maryland by a ridiculous 518 yards. The OSU defense played great allowing just one offensive TD on paltry 66 total yards. That was the fewest yards allowed by a Buckeye defense since the 1960 season. Maryland completed just three passes the entire game and averaged only 1.2 YPP in the game.

On the other side of the ball, the Buckeye offense is now officially clicking under new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. After a slow start their first two games of the season, they have now outscored their last four opponents, 210-42 outgaining them by a combined 1,645 yards or 411 YPG! They now lead the Big Ten in total offense and are the only team in the conference putting up more than 7 YPP (7.4). The only low point for the game was when the Bucks lost starting right guard Brandon Bowen for the season with a broken leg.

It will be interesting to see how Nebraska responds after last Saturday’s huge home game vs Wisconsin. The Huskers actually played well in the first half outgaining the Badgers. If not for a Wisconsin pick-six on the Huskers first drive of the game, the score would have been 10-10 at half. The Huskers were run into the ground in the second half and could be a bit demoralized and gassed after allowing Wisconsin to run for 353 yards on over 7 YPC. Offensively, they were actually pretty good putting up 381 yards on 6.2 YPP vs a very good Wisconsin defense.

The Huskers simply couldn’t capitalize and they had plenty of chances getting into Badger territory on six of their seven first half drives and coming away with only 10 points. How is this team going to get back up and attempt to slow down an OSU offense that has been absolutely unstoppable as of late? They could use the pointspread as a motivator as this is officially the largest home underdog number in the history of Nebraska football. The largest before this weekend was last weekend when they were +11.5 vs Wisconsin. Not only that, they’ve only been a dog of 24 or more (home or away) only one time EVER. That was in 2004 at Oklahoma where the Huskers were +30 and covered losing, 30-3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – OSU is favored by a full TD+ higher than they were at home vs the Huskers last year. Last year, the Buckeyes (-17) rolled over Nebraska 62-3. Nebraska has been a dog of 21 or more only twice in their HISTORY (both road games). They are 1-1 ATS in those games. The Bucks have been a conference road favorite of 21 or more 28 times since 1980. They are 28-0 SU and 18-10 ATS in those games. The Huskers are just 4-8 ATS as a double digit dog dating back to the 2006 season.

Michigan (-6) at Indiana – (ABC, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Michigan was upset by arch-rival MSU last weekend, 14-10 in a game that was played in heavy rain and wind during the second half. It was the eighth time in the last 10 seasons that the Spartans have topped the Wolverines. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is now 1-4 against rivals MSU and Ohio State. Michigan had more first downs, more total yardage, but were -5 in turnover ratio in the game. Their first turnover led directly to a Spartan TD. On top of that, one of their two fumbles came at the MSU 1-yard line as the Wolves were going in to score. The other 3 turnovers were all in their own territory and the Michigan defense stood strong and held Michigan State scoreless after those mistakes.

The defenses dominated allowing a combined total of just 552 yards and an average of only 4.0 YPP. Of the 29 offensive possessions in the game, 23 either ended in a punt (18) or a turnover (5). The Wolverines went into halftime down 14-3 and the defense did their part after the break holding MSU scoreless on just 34 yards of offense. John O’Korn took over at QB for an injured Wilton Speight at struggled big time with three picks and just a 45% completion rate. Speight is out again this week and will most likely be sidelined for a few more if not longer due to a back injury.

Indiana had a non-conference home game last week against Charleston Southern. The Hoosiers dominated by rolling to a 27-0 win, while outgaining the Buccaneers by over 300 yards. The defense was dominant holding CS to 134 total yards on 54 plays (2.48 YPP). The Bucs didn’t complete a pass the entire game (0 for 10)! Offensively, the Hoosiers made a change at QB starting true freshman Peyton Ramsey (first career start) in place of senior Richard Lagow. Ramsey has thrown 89 career passes and 41 of those came last week against Charleston Southern. He was great last week completing nearly 80% of his pass attempts for 321 yards and two TD’s. However putting up those numbers against Southern and facing the Michigan defense are two entirely different situations.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Since Harbaugh took over at Michigan in 2015, the Wolverines have won four of their five games SU following an outright loss. Since 1980, these two Big Ten foes have met 29 times. Michigan has won 28 of those games (17-12 ATS). The last time IU topped Michigan was back in 1987. Going back even further, Michigan has won 36 of the last 37 meetings dating back to 1968! Our ATS database goes back to 1980 and Michigan has been favored in all 29 games vs IU since then. This current spread of Michigan -5.5 is the lowest number in the last 30 meetings.

Michigan State (-4) at Minnesota – (BTN, 8:00 PM ET)

MSU pulled the upset at Michigan last week but it wasn’t without help. The Wolverines actually outgained Sparty but they also turned the ball over a whopping five times (0 for MSU). One of those turnovers led to a MSU touchdown and another basically took away a Michigan TD with a fumble at the Spartans 1-yard line. Michigan State took a 14-3 lead into halftime and then came out to a monsoon in the second half with heavy wind and rain. They did next to nothing offensively in the second half with their initial first down after halftime coming with just 2:25 remaining in the game.

They did hold on to win 14-10 despite gaining barely 30 yards the entire second half. It was MSU’s 8th win in the last 10 years over their arch rival. While the offense struggled, the defense played great again holding Michigan to 300 total yards, their lowest output of the year, on 4.0 YPP. The Spartans now rank second in the Big Ten in total defense allowing only 258 YPG. MSU is now off three huge games (Notre Dame, Iowa, and Michigan) and we’ll see how they respond on the road this weekend.

The P.J. Fleck era started with a bang as the Gophs won their first 3 games of the season. The problem was, none of those wins were against a significant opponent. Those three victories came against Buffalo, Oregon State, and Middle Tennessee State who rank 104th, 110th, and 107th respectively in the Football Outsiders efficiency ratings. Minny has since plummeted back to earth quickly with two straight losses to start the Big Ten season. They were beaten at home by Maryland two weeks ago and then lost 31-17 at Purdue last Saturday. The game was much closer than that as Minnesota actually led 17-16 with under 1:30 remaining in the game.

After those two losses to start the conference season, this obviously becomes a huge home game for Minny. The defense, which looked very good after their first 3 games, has now allowed back to back 400+ yard games in league play. They may get a reprieve here facing an MSU offense that has scored 18, 17, and 14 points there last three games. Offensively they can run the ball (190 YPG). However, if they are forced to pass we’re not sure first year starting QB Rhoda can be a guy that carries them as Minnesota ranks 12th in the Big Ten in passing yardage. The Gophs are banged up at WR and in the secondary where they enter this game with only 2 healthy scholarship cornerbacks.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Minnesota has covered 11 of the last 15 meetings in this Big Ten battle dating back to 1995. However, the Gophers have only won six of the 26 meetings SU since 1980. Since 1997, MSU has been favored 9 times in this series going just 1-8 ATS in those contests. Minny is 19-10 ATS overall the last 29 games they’ve been tabbed a home underdog.

Northwestern (-3) at Maryland – (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Northwestern has faced off against two of the Big Ten’s and country’s best to start the conference season losing to both Wisconsin and Penn State. Last week, they played host to the Nittany Lions as a 14-point home dog and were walloped 31-7. The Wildcats continue to struggle running the ball which they considered a probable strength entering the season. After rushing for just 25 yards on 34 attempts vs Wisconsin two weeks ago, the Cats ran for just 67 yards on 30 carries last week vs PSU. Thus, in their two Big Ten games, NW has a total of 92 yards rushing on 64 attempts (1.4 YPC). For the entire season, they sit dead last in the conference in rushing (114 YPG), a full 10 yards per game behind 13th-place Illinois.

Defensively they’ve played quite well. While they did allow 33 points to Wisconsin and 31 to PSU, they held both in check on the stat sheet. Last week the Lions had just 381 yards on 4.8 YPP. The Cats rush defense in particular has been outstanding holding PSU to just 95 yards rushing and Wisconsin to only 109 yards on the ground a week earlier. Those are two of the better rushing teams with two of the top RB’s (Barkley & Taylor) in the country. Now they face another top notch rushing attack as Maryland ranks third in the Big Ten in rushing offense.

The Terps have had a roller coaster week to say the least. After beating Minnesota on the road two weeks ago they turned around and were absolutely destroyed at Ohio State last week. The Buckeyes rolled to a 62-14 win and outgained Maryland by over 500 yards! The offense literally couldn’t do anything last Saturday putting up 66 TOTAL yards on 55 offensive plays. Starting QB Bortenschlager, who played so well in his first start at Minnesota, completed THREE passes the entire game for 16 yards. He also had -43 yards rushing (sacks included) thus Bortenschlager accounted for -27 yards in the game. Maryland was held to less than 10 yards in 9 of their 14 offensive possessions.

Before hitting a wall last Saturday, the Terps rushing attack had been very good. Even after last week’s debacle, they still rank third in the Big Ten in rushing and Ty Johnson (102 YPG rushing) remains one of the top backs in the conference. They now face a NW defense that has shut down two of the top rushing attacks in the country the last few weeks so this one may fall on Bortenschlager and the Terp defense which ranks 13th in the conference allowing 420 YPG.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – This is the first meeting between these two since Maryland joined the Big Ten a few years ago. Northwestern has been a road favorite in the Big Ten only 17 times over the last 38 seasons (10-7 ATS). Of the last 21 times Maryland has been a home underdog, they’ve lost 19 of those games outright pulling only 2 upsets. The Cats have been a road favorite already once this season losing at Duke 41-17 as a 2-point favorite.

Rutgers at Illinois (-2.5) – (BTN, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Rutgers is coming into this game off a bye week. They are 0-2 in the Big Ten with losses at Nebraska and at home vs Ohio State. While they look like they are improved with more playmakers offensively and simply better athletes than they’ve had across the board, they are still potentially the worst team in the Big Ten. If it’s not them, it’s Illinois so we’ll find out who will most likely bring up the conference rear after this game. Rutgers has been outgained in every game this year with the exception of FCS Morgan State. That just happens to be their only win in the last 13 months! In fact, if you throw out FCS competition, the Scarlet Knights are just 2-19 SU their last 21 games. They have lost 16 consecutive Big Ten games.

For the season, Rutgers is getting outgained by 61 YPG and 1.0 YPP. Along with Illinois, their opponent this weekend, Rutgers ranks dead last in the Big Ten in total offense at 303 YPG. They hope to have one of their top offensively playmakers back for this game as WR Janarion Grant has missed the last few weeks with headaches and concussion like symptoms. If he plays, who will be throwing to Grant? We don’t know. Head coach Chris Ash said this week he is opening up the QB competition for this week’s game vs Illinois. While Kyle Bolin has started every game thus far, Ash is also open to freshman Johnathan Lewis or Gio Rescigno taking the snaps on Saturday.

Illinois has been outscored 73-22 in their two Big Ten games this season, losses to Nebraska and Iowa. While Rutgers is winless in their last 16 Big Ten games, the Illini have won just 3 of their last 18 conference games. Last week’s final score at Iowa (45-16 loss) was a bit deceiving. It was a one score game going into the fourth quarter with Iowa leading 24-16. The Hawkeyes scored TD’s on three of their first four drives in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach. Even with the wide margin win, the stats were surprisingly quite close with both teams accumulating 20 first downs and Iowa outgaining the Illini by just 5 yards.

Illinois did have four turnovers which led to 17 of Iowa’s 45 points. New starting QB Jeff George, Jr. struggled throwing three interceptions and 0 TD’s. QB play has been a huge issue for Illinois as neither Chayce Crouch nor Jeff George has been very good. Those two have combined to throw just two TD passes and nine interceptions through the first five games. Illinois currently ranks last in total offense in the Big Ten (tied with Rutgers) and they also are dead last in total defense.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Last year Illinois traveled to Rutgers as a 4-point favorite and beat the Scarlet Knights 24-7. Since 2011, Illinois has been a Big Ten favorite only 12 times. They are 3-9 ATS in those contests. The Illini are just 18-27 ATS their last 45 as a home favorite overall. Rutgers is surprisingly 26-16-1 ATS the last 43 times they’ve been an underdog of seven points or less.

Odds Subject to Change

[StarDust Bum]

CFB Aug/Sept Best Bets: ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )
BEST BETS & OPINIONS

Aug/SeptTotals:.......154 - 145 - 9.....51.50%....-27.50

Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

Aug/Sept Totals:...........41 -33 - 2...........+30.50...............13 - 18.............- 25.50

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CFB Ocotber's Best Bets & Opinions ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/11/2017 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
10/07/2017 19-32-1 36.73% -80.50
10/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
10/05/2017 2-0-0 100.00% +1000
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............25 - 36........40.98%.....- 72.50


Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

10/11/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................0 - 1.................-5.50
10/07/2017.....................11 - 15..........- 27.50..................0 - 3................-16.50
10/06/2017......................2 - 1.............+1.75...................3 - 1................+9.50
10/05/2017......................1 - 0.............+5.00...................1 - 0................+5.00
10/04/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................1 - 0................+5.00

Totals..............................14 - 18...........-31.75.................5 - 5.................-2.50


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TXST at ULL 07:30 PM

ULL -13.5

U 55.0

[StarDust Bum]

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[StarDust Bum]

Nunez leads Louisiana by Texas State 24-7 in 1st start
October 12, 2017

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) Andre Nunez threw for 232 yards and a touchdown in his first start for Louisiana, and the Ragin' Cajuns beat Texas State 24-7 on Thursday night.

Nunez, a junior walk-on from Iowa Western Community College, threw a lofted pass to Keenan Barnes in the corner of the end zone for an 8-yard score to cap the scoring with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Trey Ragas rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns for Louisiana (3-3, 2-1 Sun Belt).

Ragas opened the scoring on Louisiana's first possession of the game by breaking two tackles on an 11-yard run up the middle. Two plays later, LaLaf Damar'ren Mitchell recovered a Texas State fumble near midfield and Ragas powered it in from the 2 for a 14-0 lead.

Chaiziere Malbrue's strip-sack and recovery led to Stevie Artigue's short field goal late in the third for a 17-7 lead.

Texas State (1-6, 0-3) backup quarterback Willie Jones III threw for 197 yards and added 58 yards on the ground.

The Bobcats' scoring drive in the third was setup by Jones' pass to Thurman Morbley for a 49-yard gain. Anthony D. Taylor capped it with a 1-yard run.

[StarDust Bum]

CFB Aug/Sept Best Bets: ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )
BEST BETS & OPINIONS

Aug/SeptTotals:.......154 - 145 - 9.....51.50%....-27.50

Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

Aug/Sept Totals:...........41 -33 - 2...........+30.50...............13 - 18.............- 25.50

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

CFB Ocotber's Best Bets & Opinions ( All Best Bets Based On 5 Units Per Play )

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/12/2017 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
10/11/2017 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
10/07/2017 19-32-1 36.73% -80.50
10/06/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
10/05/2017 2-0-0 100.00% +1000
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............27 - 36........42.85%.....- 62.50


Best Bets:*****
Best Bets :........................ATS............TOTALS.... .............O/U................TOTALS

10/11/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................0 - 1.................-5.50
10/07/2017.....................11 - 15..........- 27.50..................0 - 3................-16.50
10/06/2017......................2 - 1.............+1.75...................3 - 1................+9.50
10/05/2017......................1 - 0.............+5.00...................1 - 0................+5.00
10/04/2017......................0 - 1..............-5.50...................1 - 0................+5.00

Totals..............................14 - 18...........-31.75.................5 - 5.................-2.50

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

NFL trends for this weekend:

— Cleveland is 3-12 vs spread in its last fifteen games.

— Chiefs covered 10 of their last 11 games.

— Denver is 6-1 vs spread in game after its last seven byes.

— Falcons are 10-20 vs spread in last 30 games as a favorite.

— Arizona is 3-13 vs spread in its last 16 games.

— Houston is 8-1 in last nine games as a non-divisional home favorite.

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Friday’s List of 13: Things I’m looking for this weekend……

Things I’m looking for this weekend……
13) 49ers are playing on road for third week in row; since 1997, underdogs are 23-34-1 vs spread if they’re on road for the 3rd week in a row.

12) LSU is honoring the 2007 national champs Saturday night, which means Les Miles will be in the house. Maybe if they ask him really nice, he’ll come back and coach the Bayou Bengals, who already have a 37-7 loss at Miss State and a home loss to Troy this season.

11) Dolphins are 2-2, despite scoring three offensive TD’s in four games; their OL coach being fired for alleged drug use, and their having played one home game so far. Miami visits Atlanta this week, a Falcon team coming off a bye— Falcons are 6-2 after their last eight byes.

10) TCU is the last unbeaten team in the Big X; Kansas State covered 9 of its last 11 tries as a home underdog, but they’re coming off an OT loss to Texas.

9) Giants lost 3 of their top 4 WR’s to injury last week, then suspended one of their best DB’s for four weeks after a sideline confrontation with the coach LW. Giants are a double digit underdog in Denver this week; an 0-6 start would have people calling for more heads to roll.

8) Coming off of wins over USC/Oregon, Washington State has a trap game in Berkeley, where the Golden Bears are 8-16 vs spread in last 24 games as a home underdog.

7) Chiefs are rolling at 5-0, but they lost twice to Pittsburgh LY. Roethlisberger is coming off one of the worst games of his career (5 INT’s vs Jaguars). Can Steelers bounce back here?

6) Last three Oklahoma-Texas games were all decided by 7 or less points, with Longhorns 4-0 vs spread in last four series games. Texas State Fair is the backdrop for this historic rivalry, with Sooners coming off a loss to Iowa State. when they were favored by 31 points.

5) It is Week 6 and Bills-Patriots-Jets are all tied atop AFC East, at 3-2. Buffalo has the week off, so winning of Patriot-Jet game is atop AFC East by himself. Jets won their last three games, but can their offense put up points against a struggling New England defense?

4) San Diego State is 6-0 and Boise State is in the rare situation of being a road underdog in a Mountain West game. Broncos are 37-18 vs spread in last 55 road games, but they were favored in vast majority of those games. Aztecs are 29-13-1 vs spread in their last 43 conference games.

3) Cleveland Browns passed on Deshaun Watson not once, but twice in LY’s draft; you think he remembers (undoubtedly, he does)? Texans scored 124 points in their last three games. Browns were held to 18 or less points in four of their five games.

2) Florida State is 1-6 for the first time since 1976, when I was a senior in HS and Bobby Bowden was in his first year as the Seminoles’ coach. FSU lost to Miami last week for the first time in eight years— can they win here and get their season jumpstarted?

1) Minnesota is 14-5 vs spread in its last 19 home games they beat Packers in Green Bay’s first visits to the Vikings’ new dome LY. Packers are playing their third dome game in six weeks to start the season; they’re 8-3 vs spread in their last 11 games.