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

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Iowa State has consecutive Big 12 wins going to Texas Tech
October 19, 2017

Some things to watch during Week 8 of the Big 12 Conference, with a full slate of five games Saturday:

GAME OF THE WEEK

Iowa State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) at Texas Tech (4-2, 1-2). Two of the Big 12's improving teams meet. The Cyclones, under second-year coach Matt Campbell, have won consecutive Big 12 games and already have their most overall wins since going 6-7 in 2012. They followed up their shocking 38-31 upset at then-No. 3 Oklahoma with a 45-0 win over Kansas , and have four wins in their last six conference games after losing the previous 10. Texas Tech was back in the Top 25 for the first time in four seasons before losing last week at West Virginia. The Red Raiders are one win shy of matching last year's overall total, and their defense has improved drastically since losing 66-10 to the Cyclones in Ames last November.

BEST MATCHUP

Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph throwing to WRs James Washington and Marcell Ateman vs. Texas' secondary. Rudolph is the Big 12's leading passer at 395 yards per game, with 19 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Washington leads the league with 147 yards receiving a game, and he and Ateman both have four consecutive 100-yard receiving games. The Longhorns, led by DeShon Elliott's five interceptions, have a Big 12-high nine picks. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield hadn't thrown an interception this season until last week against the Longhorns. But Texas has also given up long TD passes to USC, Kansas State and the Sooners.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

While No. 9 Oklahoma's overall 14-game winning streak ended with a home loss to Iowa State, the Sooners are going for their 14th consecutive true road win when they play at Kansas State. They won 55-0 two years ago in Manhattan, Kansas, where they have won six straight games by at least 10 points. ... Kansas State hasn't beaten a Top 10 team at home since 2006. ... No. 23 West Virginia is 24-24 in Big 12 games since joining the conference in 2012. The Mountaineers play at Baylor on Saturday.

LONG SHOT

Kansas (1-5, 0-3) has never beaten No. 4 TCU in Big 12 play, and the last three games have been decided by a combined 11 points . But the Jayhawks, coming off that 45-0 loss at Iowa State, are more than five-touchdown underdogs going to Fort Worth to play the league's only undefeated team - and the Big 12's top defense.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Oklahoma State sophomore RB Justice Hill took over as the Big 12 rushing leader with his third straight 100-yard rushing game last week against Kansas. He is averaging 105.5 yards per game, about 17 yards more per game than last season. He has four 100-yard games this season and 10 in his career with the Cowboys.

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Syracuse-Miami matchup headlines ACC Week 8
October 19, 2017

Things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 8:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Syracuse at Miami. The eighth-ranked Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0) are the only unbeaten team remaining in the conference, using a most unlikely late rally to beat Georgia Tech . There's little chance they take Syracuse (4-3, 2-1) lightly after the Orange pulled the season's biggest upset by knocking off then-No. 2 Clemson. Miami coach Mark Richt says he ''would hope that we would be ready no matter what, but you can't deny what happened.'' Syracuse QB Eric Dungey, who ranks second in the ACC in total offense (352 ypg), figures to test a Miami defense that's fourth in the league, allowing 4.85 yards per play.

BEST MATCHUP: Boston College rushing offense vs. Virginia defense. BC freshman A.J. Dillon burst onto the scene last week, rushing for 272 yards and four touchdowns in an upset at Louisville . The Cavaliers haven't allowed more than 211 yards rushing in any game this season, and have held four of their six opponents to 168 yards rushing or fewer. Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall says his players ''have to have a stomach for contact in this kind of game.''

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The top-heavy Atlantic Division is showing significantly more depth than in years past. In the previous three seasons, Clemson, Florida State and Louisville combined to go 36-0 against the other four teams in the division - N.C. State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Syracuse. Not this year. N.C. State knocked off the Seminoles and Cardinals before BC beat Louisville and Syracuse stunned the Tigers last week.

LONG SHOT: History suggests Pittsburgh could at least keep things close at Duke. The Panthers - eight-point underdogs - have won three of the four meetings since they joined the ACC in 2013, finding ways to beat both good and poor Duke teams. Both teams are slumping, with Pitt (2-5, 0-3) losing four of five and the Blue Devils (4-3, 1-3) dropping three in a row since their 4-0 start.

IMPACT PLAYER: Miami RB Travis Homer ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for the Hurricanes, who lost top rusher Mark Walton to a season-ending ankle injury. In the process, he went from backup to the ninth-leading rusher in the conference. He'll try to keep going against a Syracuse run defense that held Clemson to just 113 yards rushing.

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Kentucky trying to make push in SEC's Eastern Division
October 19, 2017

Here are some things to watch in Week 8 of the Southeastern Conference season:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Kentucky at Mississippi State. The Wildcats and Bulldogs are often afterthoughts in the SEC, but both have quietly had a solid first half of the season. Kentucky has a 5-1 record and is in second place in the Eastern Division. Mississippi State is 4-2 and undefeated at home, including a 37-7 victory over LSU on Sept. 16.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Mississippi WR A.J. Brown vs. LSU's secondary. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Brown leads the SEC in catches (35), yards receiving (678) and receiving TDs (6). He's the main target in an Ole Miss passing game that's ranked at the top of the league and among the best in the nation. No. 24 LSU will counter with a talented secondary that includes cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Greedy Williams. Williams leads the team with three interceptions.

NUMBERS GAME: No. 1 Alabama is favored by 35 + points against Tennessee. RJ Bell, the founder and CEO of Pregame.com, says Tennessee has never been that much of an underdog in any game since at least 1980. ... Tennessee hasn't scored a touchdown in its last 10 quarters. ... Kentucky's Austin MacGinnis had 16 points in a 40-34 victory over Missouri last week to increase his career total to 314 and become the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer. MacGinnis passed Lones Seiber, who scored 305 points from 2006-09. ... Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald had the 10th 100-yard rushing performance of his career last week in a 35-10 rout of BYU. That's the highest total ever for a Mississippi State quarterback. Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys had nine 100-yard rushing efforts during his Mississippi State career. ... LSU has won 20 of the last 21 times it has scored at least 20 points, the lone exception being a 24-21 loss to Troy on Sept. 30. ... Ole Miss posted its second-highest point total ever in an SEC game last week as the Rebels blasted Vanderbilt 57-35. The Rebels beat Vanderbilt 63-28 in 1979.

UPSET WATCH: It's surprising to see Mississippi State favored by 11 + points over Kentucky since the two teams have similar records and their matchup last season went down to the final play. Kentucky should at least manage to keep this game at a single-digit margin.

IMPACT PERFORMER: Alabama running back Damien Harris needed just nine carries to run for 125 yards last week in a 41-9 blowout of Arkansas. He has delivered 75-yard touchdown runs in each of his last two games. Harris has rushed for 625 yards this season on only 68 carries to average 9.2 yards per attempt.

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No. 19 Michigan seeks big upset of No. 2 Penn State
October 19, 2017

Some things to watch during Week 8 of Big Ten play, with 12 teams in action:

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 19 Michigan (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) at No. 2 Penn State (6-0, 3-0). Forget the playoffs. If Michigan wants to remain a factor in the East division race, it'll almost certainly have to upset the Nittany Lions on the road on Saturday night in Happy Valley. The Wolverines have slipped to fourth in the division, and No. 6 Ohio State remains on their schedule. Penn State features the league's stingiest defense at just nine points allowed per game, while Michigan's middling offense (27.2 points per game) is slotted between Northwestern and Purdue.

BEST MATCHUP

Michigan's front vs. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley. The Wolverines have made life miserable for opposing rushing attacks, allowing just 85.8 yards per game on just 2.6 yards a carry. Barkley is arguably the best back in America and a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, but if Michigan can keep him under wraps, it has a shot. The problem, of course, is that Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley leads the league in passing yards.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Penn State and fifth-ranked Wisconsin are two of just eight FBS teams still unbeaten. The Nittany Lions are 6-0 for the first time since 2008. ... Both Michigan and Ohio State won their 500th Big Ten games last week. The Wolverines improved to 500-203-18 in conference games, while the Buckeyes are 500-173-24. ...Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor ranks third in the country with 164.3 yards rushing per game.

LONG SHOT

Maryland (3-3, 1-2) vs. Wisconsin (6-0, 3-0). The Terrapins are coming off a 16-point loss at home to Northwestern (3-3, 1-2). The unbeaten Badgers held off Purdue 17-9 last week, but just one of their six opponents has scored more than 17 points.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Maryland WR D.J. Moore. He had the best game of his season last week against Northwestern, hauling in 12 passes for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

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Georgia, Alabama stand out in SEC
October 18, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) The Southeastern Conference has produced upsets, letdowns, blowouts and frantic finishes - and it's only the midway point of the season.

There have been surprises, disappointments and the usual dominance from top-ranked Alabama.

The Tide and No. 3 Georgia are the league's only unbeaten teams and remain popular picks to reach the SEC championship game in early December. Both teams were well represented in midseason voting by Associated Press writers who cover the 14 SEC schools in 11 states.

The results in several categories:

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Coach of the Year: Georgia's Kirby Smart.

Smart has the Bulldogs rolling, notching impressive win after impressive win. And he's not just doing it with defense. In his second season at his alma mater after spending more than a decade working under Nick Saban, Smart has quickly built the Bulldogs into Alabama 2.0. They are recruiting near the top of the league, dominating on both sides of the ball and raising the bar in the watered-down Eastern Division. He has several huge games remaining, beginning next week against rival Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, and continuing two weeks later at Auburn.

Also receiving votes: Saban.

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Offensive Player of the Year: Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts has accounted for 14 touchdowns in seven games: eight passing and six rushing. He ranks second on the Tide with 558 yards on the ground, including three 100-yard games. Although he has topped 200 yards passing just once, against Colorado State, he's doing a much better job of protecting the football. After throwing nine interceptions in 15 games as a freshman in 2016, Hurts has just one this season.

Also receiving votes: Georgia running back Nick Chubb, Alabama running back Damien Harris and Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson.

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Defensive Player of the Year: Alabama cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick.

It's hard to stand out on a defense filled with talent, but Fitzpatrick has this season. He's the leader of the SEC's top unit, which has held opponents to single digits in four of seven games. Fitzpatrick plays his position ''as well as anybody I ever coached,'' Saban said. He has 32 tackles, including 4 1/2 tackles for loss, and five pass breakups. He also has an interception, a blocked kick and a forced fumble.

Also receiving votes: LSU cornerback Donte Jackson, Alabama defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith and LSU linebacker Devin White.

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Freshman of the Year: Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm.

Fromm replaced injured starter Jacob Eason in the season opener and has played well enough since that no one expects the Bulldogs to make a change now that Eason is healthy. Fromm has completed 60 percent of his passes for 836 yards, with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has two rushing scores. Smart said playing a freshman at the all-important position begins with patience and preparation.

''Allow them to grow and develop and teaching him,'' Smart said. ''You don't want to paralyze them with information, but you can't be too simple with the defenses in this league. You have to get better in each game.''

Also receiving votes: Florida running back Malik Davis, Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and LSU cornerback Andraez Williams.

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Most Surprising Team: Georgia.

Even though the Bulldogs were the preseason favorite to win the East, few expected them to have four lopsided victories through four SEC games. Beating Mississippi State 31-3 raised eyebrows. Thumping Tennessee 41-0 on the road made it clear Georgia was no fluke. The last two wins - 41-14 at Vanderbilt and 53-28 against Missouri - simply reinforced outside beliefs that the Bulldogs can play with anyone - maybe even Alabama.

''When you see the scores and the point differential and what looks like really lights-out defensive play, that's what champions are built of,'' former Georgia coach and current Miami coach Mark Richt said.

Also receiving votes: Auburn, Kentucky and South Carolina.

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Most Surprising Player: Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur.

The son of Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Kyle Shurmur has been one of a few bright spots for the Commodores. Although he looked overmatched against Alabama, he's been better since. He has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,331 yards, with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. Only Hurts has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio in the league.

Also receiving votes: Tennessee running back John Kelly, Georgia cornerback J.R. Reed and Alabama cornerback Levi Wallace.

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Most Disappointing Team: Tennessee.

No surprise here. The Volunteers have been the talk of college football much of the year, from the garbage can on the sideline to the team's play on the field and to coach Butch Jones' future. It could get worse, too. Tennessee travels to Alabama on Saturday.

Also receiving votes: Florida.

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Most Disappointing Player (s): LSU running back Derrius Guice and LSU linebacker Arden Key.

Tie goes to LSU. Guice and Key have been equally disappointing for the Tigers this season. At times last year, Guice was just as effective as Leonard Fournette. But Guice ranks 12th in the league in rushing in 2017, averaging 4.3 yards a carry and scoring five touchdowns. Key, widely considered a first-round NFL talent, has been slow to fully recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He did, however, have his best game in LSU's victory against Auburn last week. He finished with six tackles, including a sack that sealed the victory.

Also receiving votes: Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen and Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks.

[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

10/14/2017 36-24-0 60.00% +48.00
10/13/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
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% +10.00
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............61 - 61........50.00%.....- 5.00


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

10/14/2017.....................16- 9.............+30.50.................1 - 1.................-0.50
10/13/2017......................2 - 0.............+10.00.................1 - 1.................-0.50
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..............................32 - 27...........+8.75.................7 - 7.................-3.50

Thurs. Night Parlay: 1Cnote pays 10Cnotes
1. ULL +12
2. Ove 66
3. Memphis +2.5
4. Over 61.5................................0 - 0...............................????




THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ULL at ARST 07:30 PM

ULL +12.0 *****

O 66.0 ******

MEM at HOU 08:00 PM

MEM +2.5 *****

O 61.5 *****

[StarDust Bum]

Rolland-Jones adds to sack record, Arkansas St tops ULL 47-3
October 19, 2017

JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) Justice Hansen had 396 total yards and three touchdowns, Ja'Von Rolland-Jones added to his career Sun Belt record with 2 1/2 sacks, and Arkansas State beat Louisiana 47-3 on Thursday night.

Rolland-Jones forced a fumble on Louisiana's third offensive play of the game and Caleb Caston returned it 24 yards for a 7-0 lead. Rolland-Jones, the NCAA's active FBS leader with 36 career sacks, needs eight more sacks to tie former Arizona State star Terrell Suggs' FBS record.

Hansen passed for 275 yards and two TDS, rushed for a career-high 121 yards and a score, and caught a pass for 34 yards to lead Arkansas State (4-2, 3-0).

Back-to-back plays of 33-plus yards, including a double pass, on Arkansas State's first offensive possession led to Johnston White's 26th career rushing touchdown for a 14-0 lead.

Justin McInnis caught a short pass and raced untouched for a 44-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-3.

Hansen broke several tackles near the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 27-3 and his fake spike in the final seconds before halftime set up McInnis' 6-yard TD grab for a 34-3 advantage.

Louisiana (3-4, 2-2) got on the board with Stevie Artigue's 51-yard field goal in the first quarter.

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Ferguson, Taylor lift Memphis past Houston
October 19, 2017

HOUSTON (AP) Riley Ferguson threw for 471 yards and had a 21-yard TD pass with 1:28 left, Patrick Taylor rushed for a career-high four touchdowns and No. 25 Memphis overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Houston 42-38 on Thursday night.

Ferguson was 33 of 53 and found Sean Dykes to cap an 8-play, 80-yard drive that took 1:49 to give Memphis (6-1, 3-1 American) its only lead. Anthony Miller caught 10 passes for 178 yards, and Tony Pollard had nine catches for 91 yards.

Memphis finished with 501 yards.

Houston (4-3, 2-2) was driving when Kyle Postma fumbled at the Memphis 49, with T.J. Carter recovering with a minute remaining. After Memphis punted, Postma's pass was intercepted by Carter with 24 seconds remaining to end the game.

Dillon Birden finished with 126 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and Duke Catalon rushed for 65 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as Houston built a 17-0 lead at the half.

The Cougars led 38-28 with 6:44 left after Postma found Steven Dunbar for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Taylor cut the lead to three with a 5-yard run with 5:14 left. After Memphis forced a Houston three-and-out, Ferguson capped the comeback.

Postma finished 29 of 40 for 315 yards, and Linell Bonner caught eight passes for 121 yards for Houston. The Cougars had 554 yards.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Memphis: The Tigers should remain ranked for another week and could rise in the rankings following the comeback win.

THE TAKEAWAY

Memphis: The Tigers were out of sync offensively and couldn't complete drives in the first half, going scoreless in the first half for the first time since 2012. Memphis made adjustments at the half and looked much sharper in all three phases in the second half to complete the come back.

Houston: The Cougars proved again they are able to get up for big games against ranked foes, but were unable to play a complete game. After allowing 38 second half points last week against Tulsa, Houston allowed 42 points in the second half Thursday.

UP NEXT

Memphis: The Tigers host Tulane Oct. 27 in the second of three consecutive non-Saturday games.

Houston: Travels to No. 16 South Florida on Oct. 28 for a game that was originally scheduled for Nov. 4 but was moved up to accommodate other schedule changes in the American following Hurricane Irma.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

More NFL trends with Week 7 upon us……..

— Saints are 11-2 vs spread in last 13 games away from home.

— Minnesota is 15-5 vs spread in last 20 home games.

— 49ers covered six of their last eight games.

— Miami is 12-32-1 in last 45 games as a home favorite.

— Washington is 16-8 vs spread in its last 24 games.

— Buffalo is 8-4 vs spread coming off its last 12 byes.

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

13) How tired are the Falcons of hearing about last year’s Super Bowl? Now they get to visit Foxboro the week after blowing a 17-0 halftime lead to Miami. Matt Ryan went to Boston College, so a homecoming of sorts for him.

12) Michigan beat Penn State 49-10 last year; Wolverines are 5-1, but it is a shaky 5-1 and they are playing a backup QB- they needed OT to beat Indiana last week.

11) Brett Hundley gets his first NFL start at home against New Orleans; no pressure, replacing Aaron Rodgers �� Saints are actually a road favorite in this game.

10) Arizona Wildcats ran ball for 882 yards in their last two games; now they’re a road favorite at Cal— Golden Bears upset Washington State last week. Interesting game.

9) First round of rematches this weekend, three of them. Can the Jets sweep Miami? Eagles sweep Washington? Denver sweep the Chargers?

8) USC-Notre Dame is a stellar primetime game Saturday night. Trojans lost their last two visits to South Bend.

7) Cardinals-Rams in England is a big game in NFC West; Adrian Peterson added a running element to the Arizona offense last week. Both teams are a LONG way from home.

6) Think the boosters in Knoxville are happy that Tennessee is a 35-point underdog this week in Tuscaloosa? Hopefully Butch Jones has his resume updated, because he is going to need a job in a few weeks. His bank account will be healthy, though.

5) Giants got their first win last week, now Seattle visits Swamp Stadium coming off its bye. Giants’ young WR’s will have hard time getting open against a stingy Seahawk defense.

4) Texas is 3-3, losing to USC/Oklahoma by total of 8 points; now Oklahoma State comes calling, another tough game. State scored 48 ppg in winning its first three road games this year.

3) Jacksonville is +11 in turnovers in its wins, -1 in its losses; they have a very winnable game in Indy against a Colt team that might be without Andrew Luck for the whole season now. Jacoby Brissett hasn’t played badly, but Indy has been outscored 85-22 in the 4th quarter this year.

2) Louisville beat Florida State 63-20 LY, but Cardinals lost their last two games, allowing 84 points. Seminoles are struggling (2-3) with a true freshman QB who is skinny as hell- their only two wins are over Wake Forest/Duke.

1) Trap game for the Titans, a road game after a Monday night win. Winless Browns are going back to DeShone Kizer at QB; maybe they should’ve drafted Deshaun Watson. Ya think?

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's Tip Sheet
October 19, 2017

Gamblers have four games on college football’s Friday night menu in Week 8. Let’s break down a Conference USA matchup and a Mountain West contest before hitting on the other two games and much more in Bonus Nuggets.

**Marshall at Middle Tennessee**

-- As of early Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had Marshall (5-1 straight up, 5-1 against the spread) installed as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 49 or 49.5. The Blue Raiders were +120 or +125 on the money line at most spots.

-- Marshall is in a first-place tie with Florida Atlantic atop the C-USA East Division standings, as both schools are sporting 2-0 records in league play. Doc Holliday’s program won 10, 13 and 10 games from 2013-2015, only to slump to a 3-9 mark last season. Well, the Thundering Herd can double last year’s win total with a victory Friday night in Murfreesboro.

-- Marshall has captured wins vs. Miami (OH.) (31-26), vs. Kent State (21-0), at Cincinnati (38-21), at Charlotte (14-3) and vs. Old Dominion (35-3). The Herd took its lone defeat at N.C. State by a 37-20 count in Week 2. Nevertheless, they took the cash as 21-point underdogs.

-- Marshall won its fourth consecutive game last week by trouncing ODU and easily covering the number as a 12.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The 38 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 48.5-point tally, providing Marshall with its third ‘under’ in its last four outings. Junior quarterback Chase Litton completed 12-of-23 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Freshman RB Tyler King rushed for a team-best 77 yards and one TD on 13 carries, while Keion Davis produced 73 yards on the ground on 16 attempts. Junior Tyre Brady, a transfer from Miami, had five receptions for 76 yards and two TDs.

-- For the season, Litton has completed 60.2 percent of his throws for 1,382 yards with a 13/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has also run for one TD. After sitting out the 2016 campaign due to transfer rules, Brady has emerged as Litton’s favorite target. The junior wideout has a team-high 34 catches for 571 yards and six TDs. Marcel Williams has 23 receptions for 236 yards and one TD, while Ryan Yurachek has 25 grabs for 229 yards and four TDs.

-- Davis, the junior RB who ran for 469 yards and six scores last year, has shared the bulk of the rushing load with King through six games. Davis has rushed for 393 yards and one TD with a 5.0 yards-per-carry average. King has 277 rushing yards and two TDs while averaging 4.9 YPC.

-- Marshall is ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense (15.0 points per game) and 24th in total defense. This unit is led by junior LB Chase Hancock, who has recorded a team-high 55 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, four passes broken up and two QB hurries. Sophomore DB Malik Gant has 48 tackles, four TFL’s and three PBU.

-- Marshall is 2-1 both SU and ATS on the road this season. However, the Herd failed to cover the number in its only road ‘chalk’ spot, a 14-3 win at Charlotte two weeks ago as a 14-point favorite. During Holliday’s eight-year tenure, Marshall has limped to a 7-14-2 spread record in 23 games as a road favorite.

-- Middle Tennessee (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) has been forced to play most of its season without its two best players, QB Brent Stockstill and WR Richie James. Before injuring his shoulder in the Blue Raiders’ 10th game of 2016, Stockstill threw for 3,233 yards with a 31/7 TD-INT ratio. James earned third-team All-American honors last year by producing 105 receptions for 1,625 yards and 12 TDs. But Stockstill sustained a cracked sternum and broken collarbone in a 30-23 Week 2 win at Syracuse. His father, head coach Rick Stockstill, ruled him ‘out’ vs. Marshall at Monday’s presser. Brent will miss his sixth straight game, but his father confirmed Monday that he does indeed expect his son to return at some points this season. James missed three games with a high-ankle sprain before returning to the field last weekend.

-- Stockstill completed 40-of-67 passes (59.7%) for 435 yards and four TDs with two interceptions before going down this year. James had made 18 receptions for 208 yards and two TDs in the first two games. He was injured early in the first half of a 34-3 loss at Minnesota in Week 3, but he had seven catches for 47 yards in his return at UAB last week. James also had 16 rushing yards on three attempts. For the season, James has 26 catches for 253 yards and two TDs. He has produced 388 all-purpose yards on 43 touches.

-- Middle Tennessee dropped a 25-23 decision to the Blazers at Legion Field in Birmingham, losing outright as a 4.5-point road favorite. Sophomore QB John Urzua connected on 23-of-42 passes for 268 yards with one TD pass, but he was intercepted twice. Brad Anderson rushed 15 times for 81 yards, and he also brought down nine catches for 137 yards and one TD.

-- Anderson has rushed for a team-best 367 yards with a 6.0 YPC average. The true freshman also has 28 catches for 303 yards and three TDs. He has a pair of 100-yard efforts to his credit, rushing for 104 yards vs. Bowling Green and 112 yards vs. FIU.

-- Middle Tennessee has wins at Syracuse (30-23), vs. Bowling Green (24-13) and vs. Florida International (37-17). The Blue Raiders defeats have come vs. Vandy (28-6), at Minnesota (34-3), at Florida Atlantic (38-20) and at UAB, as previously noted. They’re 2-1 both SU and ATS in three home games. The loss came in their lone spot as home ‘dogs this year (+3) vs. the Commodores. During Stockstill’s 12-year tenure, Middle Tennessee owns a 5-9 spread record in 14 games as a home underdog.

-- As a redshirt freshman in ’16, Urzua completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 816 yards with an 8/8 TD-INT ratio. He actually made his first career start at Marshall, finding 25 of his targets on 37 pass attempts for 220 yards and one TD, but he was intercepted twice in a 42-17 loss. So far this season, Urzua has connected on 64.2 percent of his throws for 1,302 yards with a 6/8 TD-INT ratio. Ty Lee has been his favorite target. The true sophomore garnered Freshman All-American honors in ’16 when he had 63 receptions for 699 and nine TDs, in addition to 107 rushing yards and one TD on just six attempts. Lee has 39 catches for 436 yards and three TDs through seven games this year. He’s also rushed for 109 yards and one TD on 35 totes.

-- Without Stockstill for five games and James for three, it’s been a struggle for the Middle Tennessee offense. This unit is ranked No. 115 of 130 FBS teams in points scored with a meager 20.4 PPG average. The Blue Raiders are ranked No. 110 in rushing offense.

-- Totals have been an overall wash (3-3) for Marshall, but the ‘over’ is 2-1 in its three previous road assignments. The Herd has seen its games average combined scores of 41.5 PPG.

-- The ‘under’ is 6-0-1 for Middle Tennessee, 2-0-1 in its home games. The Blue Raiders have seen their games average combined scores of 45.9 PPG.

-- Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

**Colorado State at New Mexico**

-- As of early Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had Colorado State (5-2 SU, 4-3 ATS) listed as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 58.5. The Lobos were +245 on the money line (risk $100 to win $245).

-- Colorado State is atop of Mountain West Conference’s Mountain Division standings with a one-half game lead over both Wyoming and Boise St., both of whom are 2-0 in league play. CSU owns a 3-0 record in MWC games.

-- CSU has won three in a row since losing 41-23 at Alabama in Week 3, but its three-game winning streak ATS was snapped in last week’s 44-42 win over Nevada as a 25-point home favorite. The 86 combined points soared ‘over’ the 65.5-point total. The Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Wolf Pack kept answering, tying the score three times at 14-14, 21-21 and 28-28. Nevada took its first lead (35-28) on a 65-yard TD pass from Ty Gangi to Wyatt Demps with 9:04 left in the third quarter. After CSU countered with a field goal, Gangi found Brendan O’Leary-Orange for a 55-yard scoring strike to give the Wolf Pack a 42-31 advantage with 3:13 remaining in the third. CSU’s Dalyn Dawkins ripped off a 59-yard TD run on his team’s next possession, and Nick Stevens hooked up with Michael Gallup on a 17-yard TD pass to close out the scoring with 12:08 left. Stevens hit 26-of-37 pass attempts for 384 yards and four TDs without an interception. Dawkins ran for 191 yards and one TD on just 17 attempts, while Gallup hauled in 13 receptions for 263 yards and three TDs.

-- CSU has collected wins vs. Oregon State (58-27), vs. Abilene Christian (38-10), at Hawaii (51-21), at Utah State (27-14) and vs. Nevada. The defeats have come vs. Colorado (17-3 in Denver) and at Alabama (41-23).

-- CSU is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS on the road this year, going 2-0 ATS in a pair of road ‘chalk’ situations. The Rams are 4-2 ATS in six games as road favorites during Mike Bobo’s three-year tenure. Bobo played at Georgia in the 1990s and then served as offensive coordinator on Mark Richt’s UGA staff for eights years. He was on that UGA staff for a total of 14 season before accepting his first head-coaching gig in Ft. Collins.

-- For the season, Stevens has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,260 yards with an 18/6 TD-INT ratio. The senior signal caller has rushed for 77 yards and one TD on 20 attempts. Gallup leads the nation in receiving yards (948) and is second in receptions with 59. He has five TD catches. Dawkins has rushed for 684 yards and four TDs with a 6.5 YPC average. Izzy Matthews has 419 yards rushing and five TDs, averaging 4.9 YPC. Both players can catch it coming out of the backfield as well. Dawkins has 12 receptions for 151 yards and one TD, while Matthews has 11 catches for 118 yards and one TD. Detrich Clark is Stevens’s second-favorite target. The senior WR has 27 grabs for 355 yards and four TDs.

-- CSU is ranked ninth in the nation in total offense and 12th in passing yards. The Rams are scoring at a 34.9 PPG clip. On the flip side, they are struggling mightily on the other side of the ball. CSU is 94th in the country in total defense, giving up 418.7 yards per game. Even worse, the Rams are ranked No. 124 out of 130 FBS teams at defending the pass.

-- New Mexico (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) has won two of its three home games, but it is 1-2 versus the number in those contests. Bob Davie’s team captured its wins vs. Abilene Christian (38-14), at Tulsa (16-13) and vs. Air Force (56-38). The Lobos’ defeats have come vs. New Mexico State (30-28), at Boise State (28-14) and at Fresno State (38-0).

-- UNM is off its worst outing of the season last week, as it was dealt woodshed treatment by the Bulldogs despite having two weeks to prepare of the MWC showdown. The Lobos were clobbered by Fresno State as 2.5-point road ‘chalk.’

-- New Mexico had covered the number in three straight before its ill-fated trip to Fresno. In the win over Air Force two weeks ago, UNM trailed 21-14 at intermission before outscoring the Falcons 21-3 in the third quarter. Richard McQuarley’s five-yard TD run with 14:25 remaining in the fourth put his team up 42-24 and the Lobos coasted from there. Senior QB Lamar Jordan completed 4-of-9 passes for 146 yards and two TDs without an interception. He also ran for 68 yards on 10 attempts. McQuarley, who is listed as ‘questionable’ vs. CSU due to a wrist injury, torched Air Force for 179 rushing yards and five TDs on just 11 carries.

-- Davie has used three QBs this year. In addition to Jordan, redshirt freshman Tevaka Tuioti and junior Coltin Gerhart have seen significant playing time. However, Gerhart hasn’t played since the Week 4 win at Tulsa due to a shoulder injury that him listed as ‘questionable’ vs. CSU. Jordan has connected on 28-of-53 passes (52.8%) for 487 yards with a 3/2 TD-INT ratio. He has also run for 132 yards with a 3.9 YPC average. Tuioti has connected on 24-of-44 throws (54.5%) for 360 yards with a 2/1 TD-INT ratio. He the running threat that Jordan Gerhart are, evidenced by his 22 rushing yards on only seven totes. Gerhart has completed 16-of-27 passes (59.3%) for 175 yards with one TD pass and a pair of interceptions. He has 205 rushing yards and one TD with a 6.4 YPC average.

-- McQuarley averaged 3.6 YPC or less in each of the team’s first four games before exploding against Air Force. He was held to 20 rushing yards on five carries at Fresno State last week. Nevertheless, he has run for a team-best 321 yards and five TDs with a 5.7 YPC average. Tyrone Owens is UNM’s second-leading rusher with 276 yards, two TDs and a 4.4 YPC average. The Lobos don’t pass much but when they do, there are three main targets. Delane Hart-Johnson has 10 receptions for 248 yards and one TD, while Chris Davis Jr. has 18 catches for 222 yards and one TD. Jay Griffin IV has 12 grabs for 222 yards and a team-best three TDs.

-- CSU has won seven straight head-to-head meetings with UNM, posting a 5-1-1 spread record in those contests. The Rams covered for the fourth consecutive time in this rivalry with last season’s 49-31 win as seven-point home favorites. Stevens threw two TD passes without an interception and also ran for a pair of scores. Matthews had 107 rushing yards and one TD on 14 carries, while Dawkins ran for 102 yards on merely 10 attempts. Gallup had five receptions for 116 yards and one TD. The ‘over’ has hit in three of the last four encounters, easily cashing last year with the 80 combined points flying ‘over’ the 61.5-point tally.

-- The ‘over’ is 4-3 overall for CSU, 2-1 in its three true road assignments. The Rams have seen their games average combined scores of 59.4 PPG.

-- The ‘under’ is 5-1 overall for the Lobos, 2-1 in their home games. They’ve seen their games average combined scores of 52.2 PPG.

-- ESPN2 will provide the telecast during the ‘feel-good hours’ starting at 10:15 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- The earliest of the Friday games is a 6:00 p.m. Eastern kick on the CBS Sports Network. This is a C-USA matchup with Old Dominion hosting Western Kentucky. As of early Thursday afternoon, the Hilltoppers were favored by 10 points with a total of 47.5. ODU was +300 on the money line. Western Ky. won back-to-back C-USA titles and collected 23 victories in the final two years of Jeff Brohm’s three-year tenure. When Brohm bolted to take the Purdue job, Mike Sanford Jr. was named as his successor. WKU (4-2 SU, 1-4-1 ATS) has won three in a row, but it didn’t pick up its first spread cover until last week’s 45-14 win over Charlotte as an 18-point home favorite. The Hilltoppers are 0-2 ATS on the road this season and 0-3 versus the number in three games as double-digit favorites. They’ve seen the ‘under’ go 4-2 overall, 2-0 in their road outings. Since starting 2-0 with a home win over Albany (31-17) and a 17-7 triumph at UMass, ODU(2-4 SU, 1-5 ATS) has dropped four consecutive games by margins of 30, 38, 30 and 32 points. The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Monarchs, but the ‘over’ is 2-1 in their home contests.

-- In another MWC affair, Air Force is favored by seven points at Nevada for a 9:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff in Reno on the CBS Sports Network. The Falcons have been horrible in the first half and fantastic in the second half of their last two games. Trailing 28-10 at Navy to start the third quarter two weeks ago, they rallied to take the lead 45-41 late in the fourth quarter. However, the Midshipmen got a TD pass late in the final stanza to win a 48-45 decision, although Air Forced covered the spread as an 8.5-point underdog. Then at home last week vs. UNLV, Air Force faced a 27-7 deficit at halftime. When I noticed the surprising score at intermission, I quickly checked the second-half line that had the Falcons only favored by 4.5 points (+15.5 adjusted since they trailed by 20, which was 25.5 points of value compared to closing line of -10). I pounced and cashed an easy winner when Troy Calhoun’s team rallied to win outright by a 34-30 count. The win over the Rebels snapped a four-game losing streak for Air Force, which is 2-4 SU and 3-3 ATS. The ‘over’ is 4-2 overall for the Falcons, 2-1 in their road games. Nevada (1-6 SU, 3-4 ATS) lost its first five games and the four defeats against FBS foes (it lost 30-28 to FCS opponent, Idaho St.) came by margins of 11 points or more. Jay Norvell’s squad picked up its first win two weeks ago vs. Hawaii by a 35-21 count. The Wolf Pack won outright as a five-point home underdog. Then last week as noted above, they easily covered (by 23 points) in the 44-42 setback at CSU. The ‘under’ cashed in Nevada’s first four games, but the ‘over’ is 2-1 in its last three contests.

-- Washington State won’t have its top WR for Saturday’s home game vs. Colorado. Sophomore Tavares Martin was given a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules. Martin has 37 receptions for 502 yards and seven TDs. His seven TD grabs is the third-most nationally. Martin’s father told the Seattle Times that his son was disciplined for “immature behavior” and a “selfish attitude,” but he has apologized to head coach Mike Leach and his teammates.

-- Sportsbook.ag’s updated odds to win the College Football Playoff have Alabama as the -110 favorite. The next-shortest odds belong to Ohio State (+475, risk $100 to win $475), Penn State (10/1), Clemson (10/1), Georgia (12/1) and Wisconsin (18/1).

-- West Virginia is getting zero love in the this week’s updated Games of the Year spreads. I like WVU in all four games in which it’s listed: +7 vs. Oklahoma St., +3 at Kansas St., -1.5 vs. Texas and +17 at Oklahoma. I believe the Mountaineers are extremely undervalued, as I have them No. 13 in my Power Rankings this week.

-- Sportsbook.ag has Ohio State as a nine-point home favorite next week vs. Penn State. Also, Georgia is a 13.5-point favorite for its showdown vs. Florida in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs haven't beaten UF by 14 points or more since a 37-17 victory in 1997 when Robert Edwards ran for four TDs.

[StarDust Bum]

Big Ten Report - Week 8
October 19, 2017

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

Iowa (-1.5) at Northwestern – (ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The Hawkeyes enter this game off a bye. It’s a revenger for Iowa who lost at home to Northwestern 38-31 last year as an 11 point favorite. The Cats outgained the Hawkeyes by 80 yards in the game and outrushed them 198 to 79. This will be Iowa’s 3rd road game of the season after beating Iowa State in overtime 44-41 and losing at Michigan State 17-10. Their most recent game two weeks ago was an “easy” 45-16 win over Illinois who now rates as the worst team in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes were actually outgained in that game 446 to 441 and led by just 8 points entering the 4th quarter.

Another concern in that game was the Illini came into the contest with the worst rushing attack in the Big Ten and proceeded to rack up 200 yards on the ground. On the season, Iowa is -32 YPG ranking 10th in the conference in total offense (356 YPG) and 10th in total defense (388 YPG). The Hawks are set up to potentially sweep the board in October if they can win here with a home game vs Minnesota looming next Saturday. That would get them to bowl eligible before hosting Ohio State and traveling to Wisconsin to open up November.

A struggling Northwestern offense finally got on track last Saturday with a 37-21 win at Maryland. In their first two Big Ten Games, vs Wisconsin & Penn State, the Cats tallied only 31 total points on 509 total yards. They topped both of those numbers last week at Maryland scoring 37 points on 531 yards. NW’s running game has been subpar at best this year with All American candidate Justin Jackson putting up only 339 yards on the ground through their first 5 games (67 YPG). Last week Jackson finally broke out and rolled up 171 yards rushing and in the process became the school’s all time leading rusher.

Defensively the Cats shut down a Maryland running game that had been among the best in the Big Ten. Terp RB Ty Johnson came into the game averaging 8 YPC and was held to just 20 yards on 10 carries. The Cats finally looked like a team that thought they could contend in the Big Ten West. After playing their two toughest Big Ten opponents right out of the gate, Wisconsin & Penn State, the Wildcats slate now looks very manageable from here on out. The next two weeks vs Iowa & Michigan State at home are key. If they win those, they could run the table.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – The favorite in this series had covered 5 straight before the Cats topped Iowa as an 11-point dog last year. Iowa won every game in this series from 1980 – 1994. Since they the Hawks are just 9-11 SU the last 20 meetings with Northwestern. Iowa is an impressive 11-1 ATS the last 12 times they’ve been a conference road favorite. Since 2008, the Cats are just 7-15 ATS as a Big Ten home dog.

Maryland at Wisconsin (-24.5) - (FOX, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The Terps have really been all over the board this season. They have some really nice wins beating Texas & Minnesota both on the road. They also have a few bad losses getting whipped by Northwestern and UCF at home and Ohio State on the road. In those three losses, Maryland was outgained by a whopping 940 or an average of 313 YPG. Last week they struggled to slow down a NW running game that had been below average at best coming into that game. The Cats rolled up 238 yards on the ground in their 37-21 win over Maryland. That’s a bad omen facing a Wisconsin rushing attack that leads the Big Ten averaging 264 YPG. The Terps have struggled on that side of the ball all season long ranking dead last in the conference in total defense allowing 439 YPG. If you narrow that down to their Big Ten games only, Maryland is allowing 475 YPG including giving up over 1,100 combined yards in their last two games alone (vs Ohio State & Northwestern).

Offensively they have relied heavily on their running game to take some pressure of 3rd straight QB and now starter Max Bortenschlager. That running game rolled up huge numbers their first two games of the season (over 600 yards) but has fallen off drastically as of late. Last week NW shut them down to just 85 yards on 31 carries. It was actually the 3rd time in their last 4 games the Maryland rushing attack has been held to 85 yards or less.

Wisconsin had a bit of a scare last weekend beating Purdue 17-9. The Boilers easily covered as a 17-point dog but the game wasn’t as close as the final score says it may have been. The 6-0 Badgers were plagued by three turnovers and a blocked punt. The fact is Wisconsin outgained Purdue 494 to 221 including 295 to 66 on the ground. Those numbers more often than not would result in a blowout. To give you another example of how lopsided this game was despite the tight score, with 10:00 minutes remaining in the game and Wisconsin clinging to an 8-point lead, the Badgers had 417 yards while Purdue had only 167.

RB Jonathan Taylor continued to rack up huge numbers on the ground. He exited this one with 219 yards on 30 carries. He is now just 14 yards short of 1,000 on the season and had he picked up those 14 extra yards vs Purdue, he would have been the first freshman in the history of college football to top 1,000 yards in his first 6 games. On the other side of the ball Wisconsin is again ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense. They are currently 6th in the country allowing only 265 YPG. They have been in the top 10 nationally in total defense each of the last 4 seasons.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have met twice since Maryland joined the Big Ten with Wisconsin winning 52-7 at home in 2014 and 31-24 at Maryland in 2015. This will be the fourth time already this year the Terps have been an underdog of 13 or more. They are 2-1 ATS so far in those games with both covers coming as outright wins over Texas & Minnesota. The Badgers have been a Big Ten favorite of 24 or more just 11 times since 1981. They are 8-3 ATS in those games. The Terps have been a 3 TD underdog or more 29 times since 1987. They are 1-28 SU in those games & 11-18 ATS.

Purdue (-9.5) at Rutgers (Big Ten, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Purdue was able to take Wisconsin to the wire last week in a 17-9 loss at Camp Randall despite getting outgained by 277 yards. Despite giving up nearly 500 yards to the Badgers, the Boilers were able to keep the scoreboard in check allowing only 17 points as we mentioned. They have consistently done just that this season as the Purdue defense is allowing only 20 PPG. That ranks them 33rd nationally in scoring defense compared to last season when they ranked 117th. Coming into this year, the Boilermaker defense had allowed 31 PPG or more in 5 straight seasons.

They were poor on offense last week but much of that had to do with their opponent. Purdue has faced two top 10 defenses this year (Wisconsin & Michigan) and they’ve totaled just 19 points in those two games. Against everyone else they are averaging 34.5 PPG. Purdue had won only 9 total games over their previous 4 seasons. This year they are already 3-3 and will be most likely favored in each of their next 3 games. Win those 3 and this team will make just it’s 3rd bowl game since 2007.

Rutgers won! The Scarlet Knights entered last week’s road game at Illinois having lost 16 straight Big Ten games. You can throw that out the window after their 35-24 win over the Illini. They did nearly all of their offensive damage on the ground with 274 yards on 47 carries. It was the first time they topped 200 yards rushing in a game since October 15th of last year when they had 203 yards on the ground vs this same Illinois team. Head coach Chris Ash benched starting QB Bolin and went with Giovanni Rescigno. In his first start this season, Rescigno wasn’t called on to do much but hand the ball off as he completed just 5 passes the entire game. Their 35 points was the most in a conference game since 2015.

Coming into the game, Rutgers had averaged just 9 PPG their previous 11 Big Ten games. On defense they’ve been fairly stout. Throwing out their 56-0 loss to Ohio State, the defense has allowed just 19 PPG in their other 5 games. If you throw out their blowout loss to Ohio State and their easy win vs FCS Morgan State, Rutgers has actually been fairly competitive with a point differential of -18 in their other 4 games. That included a 30-14 home loss to Washington, a top 10 team.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Purdue has been a Big Ten road favorite just 6 times since the start of the 2007 season. They are 1-5 ATS in those games. The Boilers have been a recent money maker in road games going 14-3 ATS their last 17 – including 3-0 ATS this season. This is the first meeting between these two teams.

Illinois at Minnesota (-14) - (Big Ten, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The Illini officially gained the title of the Big Ten’s worst last weekend with a home loss to Rutgers. Those two teams were considered by most, including us, as the two worst teams in the conference and when the Scarlet Knights topped Illinois on the road 35-24 the Illini took hold of the unwanted title. The Illinois defense which looked like it would be the strength of their team early in the season have since allowed 47, 28, 45, and 35 points their last 4 games. The overall yardage was close but Rutgers dominated the ground game with nearly 200 more yards rushing. The Illini continue to have problems at QB.

They switched from Chayce Crouch to Jeff George Jr a few weeks ago and while George gives them a better passing attack, he’s also a turnover machine. George threw 2 more interceptions last Saturday and now has 12 in his career in just 7 games. Not only are the Illini demoralized after losing at home to Rutgers, the Knights first Big Ten win in their last 17 conference games, they are also banged up. Their linebacking corps has a number of key contributors questionable or doubtful for this game. On top of that, their top RB Mike Epstein (346 yards rushing) injured his foot and did not play vs Rutgers and is now most likely out for the season.

We felt Minnesota had a great opportunity to get their first Big Ten win last weekend at home vs Michigan State. It was a tough spot for Sparty coming off an emotional win at Michigan in a 2nd half monsoon a week earlier. Despite the Spartans potential letdown, they dominated the game. The final score of 30-27 was a bit deceiving as MSU rolled out to a 23-6 lead and still led 30-13 midway through the 4th quarter. Sparty crushed Minnesota on the ground rushing for 245 yards to just 74 for the Gophers. After starting the season 3-0, Minny has now dropped 3 straight and they sit at 0-3 in conference play. Their 3-0 start is looking a bit fraudulent as they played 3 poor teams (Buffalo, MTSU, and Oregon State). It’s not as if they’ve started conference play vs the top teams in the league thus why they are winless. Two of their three Big Ten losses came at the hands of Maryland & Purdue.

The Gophers do have a QB controversy on their hands. Starter Conor Rhoda struggled last week and was replaced in the middle of the 2nd quarter by Demry Croft. Rhoda and Croft were rotating at the QB position early in the year and then head coach PJ Fleck suspended Croft for an off-field issue. He sat out 3 games and came back last week. Under his direction Minnesota, who hadn’t scored an offensive TD since the 2nd quarter of their game at Purdue, put up 3 TD’s in the 4th quarter to make a late run. Fleck is evaluating the QB’s in practice this week before making a decision as to who starts this game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Last year Minnesota was favored by 8 at Illinois and won 40-17. A look at the stat sheet would tell us the score shouldn’t have been that lopsided as Minny outgained the Illini by just 38 yards. The Gophers have dominated this series over the last 20+ seasons going 12-4 SU (11-5 ATS) since 1996. Their average margin of victory in those 12 wins is 19.5 points. Minnesota is laying 14 in this game which is their third highest pointspread number vs Illinois since 1980. Illinois is 0-3 ATS in Big Ten play this year and they are now 5-13 ATS in their last 18 conference games.

Indiana at Michigan State (-7) - (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Indiana had a huge home game last week vs Michigan. The vastly improved Hoosiers took the Wolverines to overtime for the second time in the last three seasons and came up short again losing 27-20. Their defense was very solid holding Michigan to under 5.0 YPP. This team was known for offense under former head coach Kevin Wilson, now the OC at Ohio State. Now under new head man Tom Allen, the IU defense has taken center stage. Minus their games vs Penn State & Ohio State, two of the best offenses in the country, this Hoosier defense has been very good holding all other opponents to 20 points or less (in regulation). They are holding opponents to just 4.8 YPP this year and that factors in their games vs OSU & PSU, the two best offenses they will see this season. To put that in perspective, the last time and Indiana defense held their opponents to 5 YPP or less for a full season was back in 1996!

Their loss to Michigan dropped them to 0-3 in league play (3-3 overall) but their 3 losses have come at the hands of PSU, OSU, and Michigan, all ranked opponents. It gets a bit easier from here on out as just 2 of their final 6 Big Ten foes are currently ranked (Michigan State & Wisconsin). Offensively they are still inconsistent and their starting QB is a true freshman, Peyton Ramsey. They are one of only two Big Ten teams currently averaging less than 5 YPP (Rutgers is the other). Their rushing attack is averaging only 3.5 YPC which ranks last in the Big Ten. Their tough schedule to date definitely has something to do with that.

Michigan State was in a bad spot last weekend at Minnesota and played very well. Coming off three huge games (ND, Iowa, and Michigan) including a down to the wire win over their arch rival Wolverines, MSU was due for a bit of a letdown last Saturday. It didn’t happen. While the game ended up being fairly tight with MSU winning 30-27, they were in control from the starting taking a 23-6 lead into the 4th quarter. The Gophers scored 3 TD’s in the final stanza including 2 in the last 5:20 of the game to make the final score close and pick up the back door cover. Sparty completed only 9 passes the entire game but really didn’t need to throw the ball as they finally were able to get their ground game going with 245 yards on 50 carries.

RB LJ Scott led the way with a much needed 194 yards (career high) on the ground. It was the first time this season that the Spartans had a back go over 100 yards. In fact, their QB Brian Lewerke had been their leading rusher in 3 of their first five games this season. The defense held a decent Minnesota ground game to just 74 yards on 2.7 YPC. They continue to play very well on that side of the ball ranking 2nd in the Big Ten in total defense just behind Michigan and 5th nationally. The Spartans had won 7 straight games in this series before last year’s 24-21 overtime loss at Indiana. MSU tied that game at 21 with a TD with just 11 seconds remaining before losing in OT.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS - MSU has dominated this Big Ten series winning 25 of the last 32 meetings. Sparty has covered 10 of the last 13 and 13 of the last 18 meetings. The last 6 games played in East Lansing have all been lopsided with MSU covering all 6. The Spartan margins of victory in those 6 games were 26, 14, 52, 25, 31, and 28 points. The last time IU won at Michigan State was in 2001 and they’ve only won in East Lansing twice since 1980, a span of 16 games.

Michigan at Penn State (-10) – (ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Michigan’s offense continues to sputter as they tallied only 329 total yards vs Indiana last week and that was in a game that went to OT! Take away the 25-yards they had in OT and the Wolverines put up only 304 yards on 63 plays (4.8 yards per play) in their 27-20 win over Indiana. They haven’t topped 360 yards of total offense in a game since facing Cincinnati way back on September 9th. Since John O’Korn took over as the starting QB for an injured Wilton Speights, his two starts have resulted in 26 completed passes in 55 attempts (47%) with 0 TD’s and 3 interceptions. The Wolverines explosive plays are almost non-existent right now. Versus Indiana they had a grand total of 5 plays that went 15 or more yards and only 2 that topped 20 yards. Both of those plays topping 20 yards were runs by RB Karan Higdon. They had just one play of over 20 yards in their previous game vs MSU. Last week Michigan ran 65 total plays in the game and relied heavily on their running game with 45 rush attempts and just 20 pass attempts.

Defensively they were very good again. They held the Hoosier offense to only 3.8 YPP. The Wolverines have allowed only 8 offensive TD’s in their 6 games this year and they continue to lead the nation in total defense giving up only 223 YPG on 3.6 YPP. They are allowing just 89 YPG on the ground in their 3 Big Ten tilts. On top of that they are allowing opposing Big Ten QB’s to complete only 47% of their passes. Now only if their offense was better!

Penn State sits in a good spot here as they are coming off a bye. It’s a revenge game for the Nittany Lions who were destroyed at Michigan last year 49-10. The potent PSU offense was completely stifled in that game with just 191 total yards and 12 first downs. All American RB Saquon Barkley had just 59 yards rushing in that blowout loss. Penn State was outrushed 326 to 70 in that loss. Michigan was a 15.5 point favorite in that game and now they sit at a 10 point dog. A huge 25.5 point swing from just one year ago and the first time Harbaugh has been a double digit underdog since taking over at Michigan. Some say that embarrassing loss turned the Penn State program back in the right direction as they are 15-1 since then, their only setback a 3-point loss coming in the Rose Bowl to USC.

The Nits come into this game with a perfect 6-0 mark but have yet to be tested by a top notch team. All of their wins have come by at least 19 points with the exception of their game at Iowa which was a 21-19 come from behind win. They rank 2nd in the Big Ten in scoring offense (39 PPG) and 3rd in total offense (456 YPG) but the best defense they have faced this year is Indiana who ranks 39th nationally in total defense. We’ll find out if PSU is again for real in the next two weeks as they travel to Ohio State after their match up with the Wolverines.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS - Michigan has only been a double digit underdog FOUR times since 1980 vs teams not named Ohio State. They are just 1-3 ATS in those games. Surprisingly, the Wolverines are just 12-22 ATS the last 34 times they’ve been an underdog dating back to the 2008 season. However, dating back to 2003, Michigan is 13-2 ATS in their 2nd of back to back road games. Money making PSU is an amazing 13-1-1 ATS their last 15 games. The Lions are also 13-6-1 their last 20 as a double digit home favorite.

[StarDust Bum]

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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/19/2017 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
10/14/2017 36-24-0 60.00% +48.00
10/13/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
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% +10.00
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............63 - 63........50.00%.....- 6.00


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

10/19/2017......................1 - 1.............-0.50....................1 - 1.................-0.50
10/14/2017.....................16- 9.............+30.50.................1 - 1.................-0.50
10/13/2017......................2 - 0.............+10.00.................1 - 1.................-0.50
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..............................33 - 28...........+8.25.................8 - 8.................-4.00

[StarDust Bum]

Week 8 Preview: Next 3 games to show Penn St. playoff mettle
October 20, 2017

Of the teams contending for the four spots in the College Football Playoff, none face a more treacherous stretch than Penn State over the next three weeks.

Elbowed out of last year's playoff despite winning the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions are well positioned right now as the No. 2 team in The Associated Press poll.

For the first time since 2004, they face three straight games against ranked opponents. They host No. 19 Michigan on Saturday night and play No. 3 Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan State in back-to-back road games.

One loss won't slam the door on Penn State's playoff hopes. Two losses more than likely would.

Things to know about Week 8 of the college football season.

BEST GAME

No. 11 Southern California at No. 13 Notre Dame.

In this 89th game in what's billed as college football's greatest intersectional rivalry, the winner gets the jeweled Shillelagh and stays alive for the playoff. Notre Dame has beaten the Trojans four times since 2010 and two straight in South Bend.

USC quarterback Sam Darnold likely is out of the Heisman Trophy race, but he holds the key to keeping the Trojans - and the Pac-12 - in the playoff discussion. He threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns in last year's 45-27 win over the Irish in Los Angeles and is 15-2 as a starter.

Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush has been declared healthy after missing the game against North Carolina two weeks ago because of a right foot injury.

HEISMAN WATCH

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Taylor probably is a long shot, but he deserves to be in the conversation because he's a big reason Wisconsin is a top-five team. He ran for 219 yards in a hard-earned win over Purdue last week and has gone over 200 three times in six games. He leads all freshmen with 164.3 yards per game and 10 touchdowns, and he's the No. 3 rusher overall. He faces three of the Big Ten's four worst rushing defenses the next three games, so more big numbers are coming.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

14 - Since entering the Big 12 in 2012, TCU has won all five meetings with lowly Kansas but never by more than 14 points. The Horned Frogs won 24-23 in Lawrence last year. They're favored by 38 at home.

23 - The number of consecutive games South Florida has scored 30 or more points, tied with Oregon (2011-12) for longest streak since 1936.

28 - Total points allowed by LSU in the fourth quarter. The Tigers have held their last two opponents, Florida and Auburn, to a combined zero points, 71 yards and three first downs over the last 15 minutes.

52 - The number of rungs Washington State has ascended on the national total defense chart since last season, from No. 62 to No. 10. Don't be fooled by the 37-3 loss to California. The Cougars turned over the ball seven times, and Cal started four of its scoring drives at the WSU 20, 23, 38 and 26. The Cougars are allowing 288 yards a game and their 23 sacks are tied for fourth nationally.

76-0 - The margin by which Penn State is outscoring opponents in the first quarter.

UNDER THE RADAR

Iowa State at Texas Tech

Second-year coach Matt Campbell has the Cyclones (4-2, 2-1) tied for second in the Big 12 and bidding for a fourth straight road win for the first time since 1960-61. Iowa State followed its upset at Oklahoma with a 45-0 win over Kansas last week, holding the Jayhawks to 106 total yards.

Texas Tech (4-2, 1-2) needs this one. Bowl eligibility isn't assured with Oklahoma, Kansas State, TCU and Texas still on the schedule.

HOT SEAT WATCH

Jim Mora, UCLA

The Bruins (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) enter their home game against Oregon off losses in three of their last four, including last week's 47-30 defeat at Arizona in which Khalil Tate shredded UCLA's defense for 230 yards rushing and 148 yards passing. The Bruins are touchdown favorites in this one, but it gets no easier after this for Mora, who's 7-11 the last two seasons. The next two games are on the road at Washington and Utah.

[StarDust Bum]

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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/19/2017 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
10/14/2017 36-24-0 60.00% +48.00
10/13/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
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% +10.00
10/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Total..............63 - 63........50.00%.....- 6.00


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

10/19/2017......................1 - 1.............-0.50....................1 - 1.................-0.50
10/14/2017.....................16- 9.............+30.50.................1 - 1.................-0.50
10/13/2017......................2 - 0.............+10.00.................1 - 1.................-0.50
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..............................33 - 28...........+8.25.................8 - 8.................-4.00

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WKU at ODU 06:00 PM

WKU -7.5

O 48.5 *****

MRSH at MTU 07:00 PM

MRSH -1.5 *****

O 49.5 *****

AFA at NEV 09:30 PM

AFA -7.0

U 66.5

CSU at UNM 10:15 PM

UNM +7.5 *****

O 59.5 *****

[StarDust Bum]

White throws for 5 TDs again, WKU rallies past ODU 35-31
October 20, 2017

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Mike White threw five touchdown passes for the second straight game and Western Kentucky scored 14 straight points in the fourth quarter to rally past Old Dominion 35-31 on Friday night.

WKU pulled to 31-28 on Nacarius Fant's 9-yard touchdown catch with 9:03 left in the fourth. On Old Dominion's next offensive play, Drell Greene returned an interception 13 yards, and Quin Jernighan scored on a 30-yard touchdown grab for a four-point lead.

ODU's Ray Lawry fumbled with 2:21 remaining on fourth-and-1, but the Monarchs got the ball back near midfield with 35 seconds left. Steven Williams' Hail Mary attempt as time expired was intercepted by Leverick Johnson in the end zone.

White was 24 of 34 for 304 yards and Jernighan had a team-high 81 yards receiving for Western Kentucky (5-2, 3-1 Conference USA). Cameron Echols-Luper, Deon Yelder and Jacquez Sloan also scored on passes from White.

Williams, a 17-year-old, was intercepted three times in the fifth straight loss for Old Dominion (2-5, 0-3). Lawry, who missed four games with an injury, ran for a season-high 166 yards and three touchdowns.

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Marshall runs for 4 TDs in 38-10 win over Middle Tennessee
October 20, 2017

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) Tyler King and Keion Davis each scored two rushing touchdowns to help Marshall beat Middle Tennessee 38-10 on Friday night.

King ran for 129 yards and Davis added 40 yards on 10 carries. It was Marshall's first game with four rushing scores since Nov. 8, 2014, at Southern Mississippi.

Marshall opened the scoring on the first possession of the game as King ran for a 15-yard touchdown. It was 14-3 after Marshall linebacker Ty Tyler disrupted John Urzua's pass and Artis Johnson returned an interception 17 yards for a score. On Middle Tennessee's next offensive play, C.J. Windham fumbled it and Marshall scored three plays later on Davis' 9-yard untouched run.

Davis put Marshall up 28-10 on a short run and the Thundering Herd had a 21-point lead at halftime.

Chase Litton was 16-of-24 passing for 168 yards for Marshall (6-1, 3-0 Conference USA). His streak of 27 straight games with a passing touchdown came to an end. It was the second longest active streak among FBS quarterbacks.

Urzua threw for 220 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Middle Tennessee (3-5, 1-3), which was held to 53 yards rushing.

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Strebel kicks game-winner, Air Force runs past Nevada 45-42
October 20, 2017

RENO, Nev. (AP) Timothy McVey led three Air Force rushers with 100-plus yards and Luke Strebel kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to help Air Force beat Nevada 45-42 on Friday night.

McVey rushed for 139 yards, Ronald Cleveland had 118 yards on eight carries and Taven Birdow added 100 yards for Air Force (3-4, 2-2 Mountain West). Each player scored a rushing touchdown and Arion Worthman added 92 yards and two TDs. The Falcons gained 550 yards on 91 carries.

''We were moving the ball and if it came down to a last second score, (we knew) it was going to be us, and we weren't going to let them score,'' Cleveland said.

Air Force's dominant rushing game helped hold the ball for 41 minutes, 20 seconds, including a 20-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes in the second half.

''For us, being able to move the sticks helps us stay on the field,'' Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. ''We got to execute better. We had a number of balls on the ground and our perimeter execution has to be better. But we found a way.''

Ty Gangi went 17 of 33 for 239 passing yards and Kelton Moore rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown for Nevada (1-7, 1-3). Gangi has totaled 925 yards in his last three games.

''They executed well,'' Nevada coach Jay Norvell said. ''It's a very unique style of offense that you don't play very often. They did a great job of executing it without throwing the ball very much.''

THE TAKEAWAY

Nevada hasn't surrendered more than 500 rushing yards in a game in two decades.

UP NEXT

Air Force plays at Colorado State next Saturday for its fourth road match in five games. The Falcons play three of their last four games at home.

Following a bye week, Nevada plays at Boise State on Nov. 4. Since beating then-No. 3 Boise State in 2010, Nevada has lost four straight against the Broncos.

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[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

College football trends with Week 7 upon us……..

— Texas Tech is 6-0-1 vs spread in last 7 games as a home favorite.

— Florida Atlantic is 3-12-1 vs spread in its last 16 home games.

— Eastern Michigan covered 16 of its last 20 games.

— Tulsa is 14-5 vs spread in its last 19 road games.

— Michigan State covered 10 of its last 13 games with Indiana.

— Pittsburgh is 8-4 in its last 12 games as a road underdog.