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

[StarDust Bum]

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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

09/07/2017 0-1-0 0.00% -5.50

09/04/2017 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

09/03/2017 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50

09/02/2017 11-21-0 34.38% -60.50

09/01/2017 6-3-0 66.67% +13.50

08/31/2017 9-4-0 69.23% +23.00

08/26/2017 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50

Totals:............35 - 36........49.29%....-23.00

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAF

Friday, September 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday's NCAAF Game of the Day: Oklahoma State at South Alabama
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oklahoma State Cowboys at South Alabama Jaguars (+28, 67)

With a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and a strong running game, No. 11 Oklahoma State tries to flaunt its newfound balanced attack when it visits South Alabama on Friday night. The Cowboys were 66th nationally in rushing last season at 170.8 yards per game, but gained nearly double that amount (332) in their season-opening 59-24 victory over Tulsa.

Oklahoma State senior quarterback Mason Rudolph, who was 20-for-24 for 303 yards and three touchdowns against the Golden Hurricane after directing the country's No. 8 passing attack in 2016, watched his club pile up 332 yards rushing. Sophomore running back Justice Hill led the way with 132 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries as Cowboys coach Mike Gundy already sees a strong cohesiveness in his offensive unit. "I'm confident that we have good leadership and that there's enough, for lack of a better term, peer pressure to want to perform at a higher level,'' coach Mike Gundy told reporters. "These guys care about each other and we have some great team chemistry early in the season." The Jaguars, picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference, recorded a turnover-free performance and trailed by only three at halftime before succumbing to Ole Miss 47-27 in their opener.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2.

LINE HISTORY: The Cowboys opened as 26.5-point road chalk but that wasn’t large enough for bettors and OSU money pushed that line up to 28. The total hit the betting boards at 66 and has since risen to 67.

INJURY REPORT:

Oklahoma State - No Injuries to Report.

South Alabama - LB Bull Barge (Probable, Knee), DL Tyree Turner (Probable, Ankle), OL Nelson Santiago (Doubtful, Leg), S Neiko Robinson (Out, Leg), WR Jalen Tolbert (Out For Season, Knee), CB Jalen Thompson (Out For Season, Academics).

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U): The Cowboys will attack South Alabama with three running backs that gained at least 92 yards last week, including freshmen J.D. King (six carries, 95 yards, one touchdown) and La'Darren Brown (five, 92, one). “It’s been great,” Rudolph told reporters. “I kind of wanted to see the freshman guys come out and play, and J.D. answered the bell, as well as L.D. getting the first few snaps of his career." Senior wide receiver James Washington, who eclipsed 1,000 yards the last two seasons, should have little trouble getting there in 2017 after recording 145 yards and two touchdowns on six catches last week.

ABOUT SOUTH ALABAMA (0-1 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U): The Jaguars need another strong performance from senior safety Jeremy Reaves, who became the fifth player in school history to record 200 career tackles after registering eight but was part of a defense that yielded more than 400 passing yards (429). Sophomore running back Tra Minter gained 83 yards on 12 carries in his South Alabama debut, spearheading a ground attack that totaled 170 yards. Junior quarterback Cole Garvin threw for one touchdown and rushed for two versus the Rebels.

TRENDS:

* Cowboys are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.

* Jaguars are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.

* Over is 6-0 in Cowboys last 6 vs. S-Belt.

* Over is 13-3 in Cowboys last 16 games on fieldturf.

* Over is 10-2 in Jaguars last 12 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: The Cowboys are picking up 79 percent of the action from users and the Over is picking up 77 percent of the totals wagers.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's Tip Sheet
September 7, 2017

We already had a pair of televised games lined up for Friday night of Week 2. With Hurricane Irma taunting the Sunshine State, a third Friday game was added when UCF’s home game vs. Memphis was moved up a day. Let’s hit on the first two and we’ll break down Memphis at UCF in Bonus Nuggets.

**Oklahoma State at South Alabama**

-- As of early Thursday morning, most betting shops had Oklahoma State (1-0 straight up, 1-0 against the spread) installed as a 28-point favorite with a total of 67 for ‘over/under’ wagers. *** Global and 5Dimes.eu were offering the Jaguars to win outright for a 30/1 payout (risk $100 to win $3,000).

-- Oklahoma State raced out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and coasted to a 59-24 win over Tulsa as a 19.5-point home ‘chalk’ in last Thursday’s season opener. The 83 combined points went ‘over’ the 71-point total. Mason Rudolph connected on 20-of-24 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The senior signal caller also ran for a TD. Justice Hill rushed for a team-best 132 yards and one TD on 15 carries, while true freshman J.D. King had 95 rushing yards and one TD on just six attempts. La’Darren Brown, a redshirt freshman, ran for 92 yards and one TD on five totes. James Washington brought down six catches for 145 yards and two TDs, while senior WR Marcell Ateman finished with four receptions for 75 yards.

-- Oklahoma State’s defense was led by senior safety Tre Flowers vs. Tulsa. Flowers was in on a team-high eight tackles with one pass broken up. Although the Pokies gave up 424 yards of total offense to Tulsa, they forced a pair of turnovers, got one fourth-down stop and allowed only 17 points since one of the Golden Hurricane’s TDs came via special teams. Senior LB Chad Whitener added seven tackles and one QB hurry, while junior LB Kenneth Edison-McGruder produced five tackles, one sack, one pass broken up and one fumble return for an 82-yard TD.

-- Oklahoma State owns an 18-12-2 spread record in 32 games as a road favorite during Mike Gundy’s 13-year tenure. If the line holds at -28, it will be the richest road ‘chalk’ spot for the Cowboys on Gundy’s watch. They’ve been favored by 27.5 at Kansas (20-14 non-covering ‘W’) in 2011, by 27 at UTSA (56-35 non-covering ‘W’) in ’12 and, of course, the -26.5 spot at Iowa State in ’11 (a 37-31 loss) that kept them out of the BCS Championship Game.

-- Keep in mind that Oklahoma State beat Tulsa on Thursday night, while South Alabama played Saturday in Oxford and didn’t get back to Mobile until late Saturday night, if not early Sunday morning.

-- South Alabama (0-1 SU, 1-0 ATS) lost a 47-27 decision at Ole Miss this past Saturday, but it scored back-to-back TDs in the fourth quarter to post a backdoor cover for its backers (like me!) as a 22-point road underdog. The 74 combined points went ‘over’ the 59.5-point total when the Rebels scored early in the fourth quarter. Cole Garvin threw a 30-yard TD pass with 5:09 left in the second quarter to knot the score at 10-10. Ole Miss made a short field goal with 32 ticks remaining to give it a three-point advantage at intermission. The Rebels went on a 34-3 run to start the second half before the Jaguars answered with the final 14 points.

-- Garvin, a junior who began his career at Marshall and started three games for USA as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, completed 19-of-31 passes for 204 yards and one TD without an interception in Oxford. He also ran for a pair of scores, including a 14-yard run to paydirt and a one-yard TD plunge to secure the backdoor cover. Garvin has a 5/1 TD-INT ratio for his career. Jamarius Way had two catches for 42 yards and one TD, while Sa’Mory Collier hauled in four receptions for 43 yards. Juco transfer RB Tra Minter rushed 12 times for 83 yards and had one catch for 12 yards. Xavier Johnson, a second-team All Sun-Belt selection last year, was limited to 33 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

-- Joey Jones’s squad gave up a kickoff return for a TD to Ole Miss after cutting the deficit to 26-13 in the third quarter. However, other than that, USA played a clean game with zero turnovers and only three penalties. The Jaguars couldn’t close a pair of red-zone opportunities, setting for two 20-yard field goals from Gavin Patterson.

-- South Alabama’s secondary took a big hit in August when junior CB Jalen Thompson was ruled academically ineligible for the season. Thompson had 31 tackles, four interceptions and six passes broken up last year. Now senior safety Neiko Robinson is ‘out’ on Friday due to a leg injury. Robinson recorded 64 tackles and one interception in ’16. The USA secondary still has senior safety Jeremy Reaves, a first-team All Sun-Belt pick last season. Reaves tallied eight tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one PBU at Ole Miss.

-- South Alabama has compiled a 5-8 spread record in 13 games as a home underdog during Jones’s nine-year tenure. The Jaguars went 2-1 ATS in three such spots last season, beating then-unbeaten and 19th-ranked San Diego State by a 42-24 count as 19-point home ‘dogs.

-- This is the first meeting between these schools.

-- Kickoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

**Ohio at Purdue**

-- As of early Thursday morning, most books had Purdue (0-1 SU, 1-0 ATS) listed as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 57. The Bobcats were +150 on the money line (risk $100 to win $165).

-- Purdue nearly started the Jeff Brohm Era with a major upset over his alma mater, but the sixth lead change of the game put Louisville in front with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter and the Cardinals held on for a 35-28 win. Nevertheless, the Boilermakers easily covered the number as 25.5-point underdogs at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 63 combined points slipped ‘under’ the 66-point total.

-- Purdue led U of L 14-10 at halftime thanks to David Blough’s eight-yard TD pass to Richie Worship with 51 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Blough threw his second TD of the game to Brycen Hopkins for two yards midway through the third quarter to put his team in front by a 21-13 count. But U of L’s Reggie Bonnafon would answer with a 10-yard TD run and then Blough was intercepted by Stacy Thomas, who turned it into a 61-yard pick-six to put Bobby Petrino’s bunch ahead, 25-21. The Boilermakers kept fighting, though, and went back in front 28-25 on Elijah Sindelar’s 14-yard scoring strike to Jackson Anthrop. U of L quickly responded with a 20-yard TD pass from Lamar Jackson to Dez Fitzpatrick with 9:01 left in the final stanza. The Cardinals would punch in a field goal and the defense did the reState

-- Blough finished with 18 completions on 26 attempts, but he matched his two TD passes with a pair of interceptions. Sindelar connected on 15-of-31 throws for 118 yards and two TDs with one interception. Anthrop had a team-best seven receptions for 82 yards and two TDs.

-- Purdue junior RB Markell Jones, who led the Boilermakers with a team-high 616 rushing yards and four TDs last season (4.0 YPC), remains out indefinitely with a knee injury. Sophomore DT Lorenzo Neal is suspended for the first half after being flagged for targeting vs. U of L. Neal had 11 tackles, one sack and two TFL’s in ’16. Senior safety C.J. Parker is out for the season with an ACL tear. Parker started five games last year, recording 35 tackles, three TFL’s and one interception. And finally, starting junior CB Tim Cason is listed as ‘questionable’ due to eligibility issues. Cason had 17 tackles and one PBU as a sophomore in ’16.

-- Ohio opened the year with a 59-0 win over Hampton as a 36-point home ‘chalk.’ The 59 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 47-point total. The Bobcats enjoyed a 420-108 advantage in total offense. Sophomore QB Quinton Maxwell completed 7-of-9 passes for 100 yards and one TD with one interception. Nathan Rourke connected on 6-of-10 throws for 72 yards, but he made his biggest impact with his legs. Rourke rushed six times for 50 yards and three TDs. Junior RB A.J. Ouellette ran for 63 yards on 12 attempts, while Dorian Brown ran for 49 yards and one TD on 10 carries. True freshman RB Julian Ross ran for a pair of scores and 27 yards on 11 totes. Junior WR Papi White made three catches for 35 yards and one TD.

-- Ohio will be without three starters due to injury at Purdue. Sophomore WR Elijah Ball, who had 16 catches for 212 yards and two TDs as a freshman in ’16, is out for the year with a knee injury. Senior starting right guard Durrell Wood remains out indefinitely with a back ailment. Wood has 26 career starts for the Bobcats to his credit. Also, sophomore CB Mayne Williams is out indefinitely with a neck injury. Williams started eight games last season, producing 22 tackles, one interception and one PBU. Finally, junior RB Maleek Irons is suspended for the entire ’17 campaign. Irons rushed for 439 yards and five TDs while averaging 4.6 YPC last season. Irons also had 14 catches for 96 yards.

-- Ohio finished last season with an 8-6 SU record and a 7-7 ATS mark, dropping a 28-23 decision to Troy as a 4.5-point underdog at the Dollar General Bowl. The Bobcats brought back seven starters on offense and six on defense but as noted, three of those starters won’t be in uniform Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.

-- Ohio owns a 19-22-1 spread record in 42 games as a road underdog during Frank Solich’s 13-year tenure, but we’ll note that the Bobcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six such spots. They’re 3-0 ATS in their last three outings against Power Five foes, winning outright at Kansas last year and covering the spread in a 28-19 loss at Tennessee.

-- Purdue is 3-0 ATS in its last three games as a home favorite over the last two seasons.

-- Purdue has been victorious in 13 consecutive home openers, but eight of those opponents were FCS schools. The Boilermakers have won all seven head-to-head meetings with Ohio, but these schools haven’t met since 1988.

-- FS1 will have the broadcast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- UCF will take on Memphis in Orlando on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. As of early Thursday morning, most spots had the Knights listed as a three (with extra juice) or 3.5-point home favorite with a total of 69. Bettors could take the Tigers to win outright for a +140 return (risk $100 to win $140). UCF has won nine in a row over Memphis since losing the first meeting in this rivalry in 1990. Scott Frost’s team trounced FIU by a 61-17 count as a 17.5-point home ‘chalk’ in Week 1. The 78 combined points went ‘over’ the 56.5-point tally. Meanwhile, Memphis defeated ULM 37-29 in a game played while heavy rain and wind smothered the Liberty Bowl. The Tigers failed to cover the number as a 28-point home fave.

-- Memphis is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games as a road ‘dog.

-- Alabama has limped to a 3-13 spread record in its last 16 games as a favorite of 35 points or more. The Crimson Tide is favored by 43-44 points for Saturday’s home game vs. Fresno State

-- Due to Hurricane Irma, Florida and FSU have moved their games vs. Northern Colorado and ULM to noon Eastern, respectively.

-- Miami’s game at Arkansas State has been postponed. Since these schools don't share an open date, this game won't be made up and season win total wagers on both teams will be 'no action.'

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MEM at UCF 06:30 PM

UCF -3.5

O 68.0

OHIO at PUR 08:00 PM

PUR -3.0

O 55.0

OKST at USA 08:00 PM

OKST -28.0

U 68.0

[StarDust Bum]

Blough leads Purdue past Ohio for Brohm's 1st program win
September 8, 2017

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) David Blough led Purdue on a 24-0 first-half run and the Boilermakers pulled away for a 44-21 victory over Ohio on Friday night for coach Jeff Brohm's first program victory.

Sophomore Elijah Sindelar started at quarterback and helped Purdue (1-1) take a 10-7 lead. But Blough took over with 11:07 remaining in the second quarter and produced 24 points in four possessions, including a 62-yard touchdown pass to Cole Herdman and a 31-yarder to Anthony Mahoungou.

Blough had six completions in seven attempts for 172 yards in the first half. He added a 5-yard TD pass to Jackson Anthrop in the third and finished 11-for-13 passing for 235 yards and three scores.

Tario Fuller led Purdue with 16 rushes for 142 yards and his first career touchdown. He had just eight carries for 29 yards last week against No. 17 Louisville.

The Bobcats (1-1), who opened the season with a 59-0 victory against Hampton, closed to within 10-7 on A.J. Ouellette's 4-yard run with 27 seconds left in the first quarter, but the second quarter was all Purdue. The Boilermakers ran 35 first-half plays for 360 yards.

A crowd of 45,633 attended Purdue's first night game with the new permanent lights.

TAKEAWAYS

Ohio: Like Purdue, the Bobcats play two quarterbacks, although Nathan Rourke and Quinton Maxwell struggled against a Boilermaker defense that forced two first-half turnovers, leading to 10 Purdue points.

Purdue: Blough appears to have the upper hand to make the start on Sept. 16 at Missouri. Sidelined for two weeks in August with a right shoulder sprain, Blough was precise and in a rhythm.

UP NEXT

Ohio hosts Kansas on Sept. 16.

Purdue plays at Missouri on Sept. 16.

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

Rudolph, No. 11 Oklahoma State rout South Alabama 44-7
September 8, 2017

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) Mason Rudolph passed for 335 yards and three touchdowns, ran for a score and broke Oklahoma State's career passing park in the No. 11 Cowboys' 44-7 victory over South Alabama on Friday night.

Rudolph broke Brandon Weeden's mark of 9,260 yards it late in the second quarter, and finished the night with 9,352. He completed 25 of 38 passes for the Cowboys (2-0) before heading to the sideline late in the third quarter. The 6-foot-5 senior has accounted for eight touchdowns in two games.

Oklahoma State's defense also throttled the Sun Belt Conference's Jaguars (0-2), who lost starting quarterback Cole Garvin to a right ankle injury after one series.

The Cowboys outgained South Alabama 505-175 in total yards and carried a shutout into the final five minutes.

Rudolph completed a 66-yard touchdown pass on a short slant pass-and-run to James Washington and connected on scoring strikes of 4 and 20 yards to Marcell Ateman.

Justin Phillips scored on a 25-yard interception return off a deflection by lineman Darrion Daniels.

THE TAKEAWAY

OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys' offense didn't quite match its 640-yard, 59-point performance against Tulsa, but the defense handled South Alabama most of the way. It didn't matter much that leading rusher Justice Hill had a quiet night with 27 yards on 11 carries. Held South Alabama to 1-of-10 on third down conversions.

SOUTH ALABAMA: Has allowed nearly 800 passing yards against Mississippi and Oklahoma State. Backup quarterback Dallas Davis, a 10-game starter last season, completed 13 of 23 passes for 126 yards. He hit Maaseiah Francis for a late 17-yard touchdown.

TARGETING

Oklahoma State linebacker Calvin Bundage was ejected for targeting on the initial play of the third quarter. He'll miss the first half at Pittsburgh.

SEE YOU LATER

The Cowboys will get two home games against South Alabama in exchange for playing in front of a crowd of 26,487 with a number of empty seats at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Jaguars visit Stillwater next season and in 2023.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State visits Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 16, before opening Big 12 play against TCU.

South Alabama gets a break from Power 5 opponents, facing FCS Alabama A&M.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

— 85-year old Vince Dooley, the former Georgia football coach, threw out the first pitch before the Brewers-Cubs game. Dawgs play Notre Dame Saturday night, so lot of their fans were in Chicago last night to see the Cubs play.

— Indians 5, Orioles 0— Sixteen wins in a row for Cleveland.

— As of 9:30 Friday night, there were 2,649 entries in the Westgate Super Contest, at $1,500 a pop. First place will be over a million bucks.

— Pablo Sandoval homered last night, ending an 0-for-39 slump that was longest hitless streak EVER by a Giants’ position player.

— Miami Dolphins will practice in Los Angeles next week; Jaguars will stay in Houston Sunday nite until they can determine if it is safe to return to Jacksonville.

— New York-Tampa Bay 3-game series scheduled for the Trop next week has been moved to Citi Field in NYC because of Hurricane Irma.

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

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

13) Ohio State went to Norman and whacked Oklahoma 45-24 LY; now the teams meet in the Horseshoe, with two senior QB’s and two experienced offensive lines.

12) Ezekiel Elliott will play; unsure if Odell Beckham (ankle) will, but Giant-Cowboy games are usually fun, which is why they’re always in primetime games together.

11) Louisville plays Clemson next week, but first they visit a North Carolina squad that lost as a double digit home favorite to Cal last week. Trap game for the Cardinals.

10) Browns cut CB Joe Haden couple weeks ago; Steelers gave him $27M for three years about a half hour later. Haden meets up with his old teammates Sunday when Pittsburgh visits Cleveland.

9) Iowa’s offense didn’t look like much last week in a win over Wyoming. Hawkeyes usually beat rival Iowa State, but the Cyclones were 4-1 as a home underdog last year.

8) Super Bowl losers usually struggle the next year, especially in season openers (2-12 vs spread the last 14 years). Falcons are favored in Chicago after their 0-4 preseason. Mike Glennon makes his debut at QB for the Bears.

7) Pittsburgh beat Penn State last year, but the Panthers needed OT to beat I-AA Youngstown last week. Penn State crushed Akron last week. Revenge could be in the cards in Happy Valley.

6) Raiders/Texans both improved a lot last year; then both lost their QB late in the season. Oakland re-tooled its defense a lot in the offseason; this will be a good test for them.

5) Stanford has had the upper hand over USC for the last decade now; Trojans need to win this game to stake their claim to the top of the Pac-12. If you’re a Jet fan, watching this game might be more interesting than the game in Buffalo Sunday, seeing how USC’s QB Sam Darnold figures to be the first QB taken in next spring’s draft.

4) Jacksonville is going to try and play old school football, running ball more to protect its defense and its suspect QB. Houston Texans have obviously had tremendous distractions the last few weeks; for three hours, the Texans and their fans can block all that out, maybe.

3) Mike Riley used to be Oregon State’s coach; he didn’t do that well vs rival Oregon, but now he brings his Nebraska Cornhuskers to Eugene. There have been wildfires in Oregon this week that messed with the air quality in Eugene; the Ducks moved their practices closer to the ocean.

2) Can’t wait to see how Jared Goff looks after being coached this summer; Rams-Colts game is a little weird. LA doesn’t have Aaron Donald, its best defensive player. Indy doesn’t have its QB Andrew Luck, or its center.

1) Kansas hasn’t been 2-0 in football since 2011; they host a Central Michigan squad here that needed OT last week to beat a I-AA team. Jayhawks are favored to get to that 2-0 mark.

[StarDust Bum]

Auburn at Clemson
September 8, 2017

In a dandy Week 2 showdown between SEC and ACC powers, Clemson (1-0 straight up, 1-0 against the spread) will welcome Auburn to Death Valley on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.. As of early Friday afternoon, most betting shops had Dabo Swinney’s club installed as a 5.5-point home favorite with a total of 55 or 55.5. Gamblers could take Auburn on the money line for a +180 return (risk $100 to win $180).

Clemson cruised to a 56-3 win over Kent State as a 38-point home favorite in its opener, looking every bit the part of a legit national title contender again. My only question about Clemson coming into the season was its quarterback play and inexperience at the position. But junior Kelly Bryant was outstanding in his first career start, completing 16-of-22 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Bryant rushed seven times for 77 yards and one TD.

After watching Bryant and coming to the conclusion that Clemson is going to get solid (perhaps elite) QB play, I bumped it up from sixth in my preseason Power Rankings to No. 2.

The 59 combined points went ‘over’ the 52-point total. Clemson enjoyed a 678-120 advantage over Kent State in total offense. True freshman running back Travis Etienne rushed for a game-high 81 yards and one TD on eight attempts. Tavien Feaster ran six times for 69 yards and one TD, while C.J. Fuller finished with 51 rushing yards and two TDs on seven carries. Junior wide receiver Deon Cain had a pair of receptions for 70 yards and one TD.

The win improved Clemson’s record to 32-2 in its last 34 games, and 21 of those victories have come by double-digit margins. During Swinney’s 10-year tenure, CU owns a 31-22-1 spread record in 54 games as a home favorite. It hasn’t been a single-digit home ‘chalk’ since beating Ga. Tech by a 43-24 count as a 7.5-point favorite early in the 2015 campaign. Clemson has covered the number in three straight games as a single-digit home favorite.

I’ve often said that the best move of Swinney’s career was hiring away defensive coordinator Brent Venables from Oklahoma after Geno Smith and West Virginia put up a 70-spot on CU at the 2012 Orange Bowl. In the years since then, Clemson’s defense from 2012-16 has given up 24.8. 22.2, 16.7, 21.7 and 18.0 points per game. In other words, this unit has been extremely salty and was one of the best in the country in ’14 and ’16.

This year’s version brought back seven starters, including sophomore DT Dexter Lawrence, a second-team All-ACC pick as a true freshman when he recorded 78 tackles, seven sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, six QB hurries and one pass broken up. Junior LB Kendall Joseph was a third-team All-ACC selection in ’16 as he racked up 124 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 TFL’s, one interception and five hurries. Also, there’s junior safety Van Smith, who had 114 tackles, two interceptions, two PBU and 5.5 TFL’s last year. Unfortunately for CU, Smith is listed as ‘questionable’ vs. AU with a knee injury.

Auburn (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) opened Gus Malzahn’s fifth season as head coach with a 41-7 win over Ga. Southern as a 34.5-point home favorite. The line closed at 34.5 at most spots, but it was at -35 for a good chunk of the summer. However, for late Thursday and most of Friday, the number dipped south of 34 and actually spent some time at 33, but it was back up to at least 34 for nearly all of Saturday and was 34.5 or 35 in the last hour or two of wagering. Therefore, bettors either won our lost for our purposes based on when they made a bet. The 48 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 59-point tally.

Auburn enjoyed a 535-78 advantage in total offense over Ga. Southern. The Eagles got a scoop-and-score fumble return for their lone TD.

Malzahn did a good of keeping secret three suspensions for Week 1. Kamryn Pettway, a first-team All-SEC RB last year, didn’t dress along with former starter and current back-up QB Sean White. Also, WR Kyle Davis served a one-game suspension. Davis and Pettway will play Saturday at Clemson, but White’s suspension will last at least one more game.

Kerryon Johnson, who along with UGA’s Sony Michel and multiple Alabama players is one of the SEC’s premier back-up RBs, rushed for 136 yards and one TD on 16 carries. But Johnson left the game early with a hamstring issue that has him listed as ‘doubtful’ this week. Sophomore RB Kam Martin stepped up in his absence, running for 136 yards and one TD on two fewer attempts.

In his Auburn debut, Baylor transfer QB Jarrett Stidham hit on 14-of-24 passes for 185 yards and two TDs with one interception. Junior WR Will Hasting brought down four catches for 68 yards and one TD.

Although this will only be Stidham’s fifth career start, gamblers shouldn’t think that this stage is going to overwhelm him. That’s because as a true freshman in his first career start two years ago on an unbeaten and second-ranked Baylor team, Stidham led the Bears to a 31-24 win at Kansas State by throwing for 419 yards and three TDs without an interception. Two weeks later, he led the Bears to a 44-34 win at then-unbeaten (in November!) and fourth-ranked Oklahoma State.

Clemson is vying for its fourth consecutive win over Auburn in this rivalry that dates back to 1899 and has featured 50 all-time meetings. CU has never won four in a row over AU.

When these schools met at Jordan-Hare Stadium in last season’s opener on The Plains, Clemson collected a 19-13 win over Auburn. Malzahn’s team couldn’t hit on two Hail Mary passes from CU’s 40 in the final seconds, but AU covered the spread as an eight-point home underdog. The 32 combined points went ‘under’ the 62.5-point total.

Pettway didn’t play in that game, nor did Stidham while sitting out his transfer year. Johnson rushed for 94 yards and one TD on 23 totes. His nine-yard run to paydirt with 3:22 remaining made it a one-possession game.

As a road underdog since Malzahn took over as HC in ’13, Auburn has compiled a 4-5 spread record in nine such spots.

ESPN will provide the broadcast.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Games cancelled due to Hurricane Irma include Memphis at UCF, Miami at Arkansas State, No. Colorado at Florida, ULM at FSU and South Florida at UConn.

-- Louisville junior CB Jaire Alexander is listed as ‘doubtful’ at North Carolina due to a leg injury. Alexander garnered fourth-team All-American honors in ’16 when he recorded 38 tackles, five interceptions, nine PBU, three QB hurries and one TFL. The Cardinals were favored by 9.5 points late Friday afternoon. They won a 35-28 decision vs. Purdue in Indianapolis last week, while UNC dropped a 35-30 decision to California as a double-digit home favorite.

-- Northwestern fifth-year senior Keith Watkins is 'out' for the season for a second straight year. This is a devastating blow for the Wildcats and especially Watkins, who was a fourth-team preseason All Big Ten selection in Phil Steele’s magazine. Pat Fitzgerald’s team will be missing two other defensive starters in Durham as well, senior DE Xavier Washington and DB Trae Williams. Washington, who had 48 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three TFL’s and four QB hurries last year, is suspended indefinitely. Williams is out indefinitely with an Achilles injury. Williams produced 42 tackles, one interception, seven PBU and one TFL.

-- Northwestern is a short favorite (2.5 or 3 as of early Friday afternoon) Saturday at Duke, which will be looking to avenge a 24-13 loss in Evanston last season. The Blue Devils will likely be without starting redshirt freshman WR Scott Bracey, who is ‘doubtful’ with a lower-body injury. Bracey was the prize of David Cutcliffe’s 2016 recruiting haul, as he was rated as a four-star athlete and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Virginia. He made his debut in last week’s 60-7 home win over NC Central, catching two balls for 27 yards receiving.

-- Ohio State coach Urban Meyer verbally attacked both Texas HC Tom Herman and South Carolina HC Will Muschamp during an interview this week, saying he is “driven insane” when first-year coaches make excuses. The part about Muschamp involved the former UF coach’s quote at his final presser after a gut-wrenching loss at FSU. When Muschamp asked the media boys if they had any more questions, one responded with, “How would like to be remembered at Florida?” Muschamp replied, “we were asked to clean up the program and change the culture. We did that.” Meyer is obviously bitter about that remark, but he has a very convenient memory. Clearly he forgets that any bad blood between Meyer and Muschamp was started by Meyer, who turned Muschamp and Florida into the NCAA for alleged violations stemming from a player that both the Gators and Buckeyes were hotly pursuing. As it turned out, the NCAA launched an investigation and found ZERO wrongdoing. In other words, Meyer falsely accused his former school that he quit on (twice!) and attacked the integrity and character of Muschamp. I could go on a rant and write a novel about how many integrity and character issues Meyer has, but we’ll just allow him to keep making an ass of himself on his own.

[StarDust Bum]

Week 2 Best Bets
September 8, 2017

The opening week of full college football action brought plenty of surprises, some shocking upsets, and the repetitive refrain of it looking like Alabama is the team to beat once again. The Crimson Tide steamrolled #3 Florida State in the 2nd half of that game and we will likely see Nick Saban's program atop the polls for weeks to come.

Alabama's got a “cupcake” game this week as 44-point home favorites vs. Fresno State, but there are still plenty of huge games elsewhere on the betting board in Week 2. #2 Ohio State hosts #5 Oklahoma in the national spotlight on Saturday night, while ranked foes from Auburn and Clemson do battle, as will Georgia/Notre Dame, and Stanford/USC. These are the games that will get the bulk of the attention from bettors this weekend and it's two of them that I've definitely decided to include as bigger wagers this week. Let's get right to this week's breakdowns:

Sportsbetting.ag Best Bet #1: Oklahoma/Ohio State Under 63.5

The 'over' for this huge game has already gotten plenty of action as VegasInsider.com reports that more than 80% of the wagers on this total have come on the high side already. That's not surprising given that both programs put up at least 49 points each in their Week 1 victories and did so in dominant fashion. Oklahoma pulled most of their starters by halftime in a 56-7 victory, and after a slow start, Ohio State obliterated an overmatched Indiana team in the second half, en route to scoring 36 of their 49 points in the final two frames.

Yet, points shouldn't come anywhere near as easy for either side now that they are matched up against one another. Elite teams in games like this tend to not look to get into shootouts because it puts tremendous pressure on an offense to execute every single time they have the ball.

When Oklahoma or Ohio State are favorites by 20+ points there is a sense of freedom in the sizable mismatch they enjoy on offense and even with some struggles (Ohio State last week), over the course of 60 minutes the better talent typically lights up the scoreboard eventually. But match elite talent with elite talent on every possession and points all of a sudden start to be at a premium.

The Sooners defense is going to be tested a lot more then they were against UTEP last week, but they do have some film to watch from Indiana's first half successes vs. Ohio State a week ago to help them succeed here. Oklahoma also hasn't forgotten about last year's 45-24 loss to the Buckeyes a year ago and the brutal start they got off to that basically ended that game early.

Ohio State scored 35 first half points that day and basically crushed any chance Oklahoma had. However, the second half finished with 17 combined points from the two teams and I'm expecting each half to follow a similar script here. We might see 21-24 points combined each half, but that's still well below this inflated total.

Finally, even with the majority of bets being placed on the 'over' so far, this number has already dropped a full point since opening at 64.5. With Oklahoma on a 1-4 O/U run after scoring 40+, and Ohio State on a 4-10 O/U run after a win by 20+ points, expect the defenses to show up in this one.

Sportsbetting.ag Best Bet #2: USC -5.5

USC's 49-31 victory over Western Michigan is quite deceiving if you just look at the final score as that game was tight until the final five minutes or so. The Trojans really struggled with WMU in a game where an outright upset was a strong possibility for awhile. Eventually USC stepped up and closed the door late, but you can't help but wonder if their lackadaisical first three quarters were in part because they were looking ahead to this big game with Stanford this week.

Stanford has been off for a week after getting their season started two weeks ago with a 62-7 win over Rice. The Cardinal were impressive in that one now that the Christian McCaffrey era is over, and all week the program has been reminded about their historic upset over USC 10 years ago as 40-point underdogs. ESPN's website even had a defacto oral history on that game earlier this week as they try to stoke the flames of this rivalry even more.

However, chances are that story only irked USC even more then they already were after a disappointing performance in their opener. The Trojans have also lost to Stanford three straight times (twice in 2015) and that can't sit well to anyone involved with the USC program. USC is on a 5-1 ATS run as conference favorites of less than 7 points, and if they were looking ahead to this Stanford game, this is when they get to shine.

VegasInsider.com shows that 80%+ of the ML bets have come on Stanford so far, with just less than 80% taking the points with the Cardinal on the spread. To me that appears like many bought into the story of the 10-year anniversary of Stanford's big upset over USC that ESPN put out earlier this week and public underdogs are ones I want no part of. Throw in some revenge, a better team from top to bottom on paper, and home field advantage, and I've got no problem laying this chalk with the Trojans.

[StarDust Bum]

No. 4 Penn State worried about Panthers, not revenge
September 8, 2017

Penn State and Pittsburgh renew a series that dates back to 1893 on Saturday when the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions welcome the Panthers to Beaver Stadium.

Coach James Franklin spoke nearly 7,000 words this week about the showdown. The number of times Franklin used the words ''rival'' or ''rivalry'' equaled the number of points Penn State allowed in an opening win over Akron.

That would be zero.

That doesn't mean the 98th iteration of the series isn't a big deal. It is. At least this week. Franklin and Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi tried to outdo each other in downplaying how the outcome will resonate beyond Saturday.

''People kind of keep asking me about this game,'' Franklin said. ''And I understand the significance of this game, and I understand the importance of this game. But I'm also a huge believer that this is the most important game on our schedule because it's the one we play this week.''

And one that could have a significant ripple effect on how the season is viewed for both teams. The largest crowd to watch a sporting event in Pittsburgh history showed up at Heinz Field last fall as the Panthers held on in a 42-39 classic , preserving the victory when Ryan Lewis picked off Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley in the end zone in the final moments as the Nittany Lions' late rally fell short.

The triumph provided Narduzzi with his first signature win with the Panthers. It also served as a spring board of sorts for Penn State. The Nittany Lions went 10-2 the rest of the way, capturing the Big Ten title and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl. In hindsight, falling to the Panthers may have kept Penn State out of the College Football Playoff.

''I think it left kind of a bitter taste in everyone's mouth, but you know, last year is last year,'' senior safety Troy Apke said.

The evidence was on display for the Panthers in a bumpy 28-21 overtime win last Saturday against Youngstown State. Pitt blew a three-touchdown halftime lead and needed Jester Weah's leaping grab to avoid the upset. It was telling for the Panthers and Narduzzi, who often points out that teams make their biggest strides between Week 1 and Week 2. If Pitt wants to keep up with McSorely and Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley, the Panthers don't really have much of a choice.

The way Narduzzi figures it, there's enough to worry about without amping up the stakes by trying to inject animosity that just isn't there, at least in locker rooms populated by players who weren't born the last time Pitt won at Penn State 29 years ago.

''We're just going to play football,'' Narduzzi said.

Some other things to watch for as the Nittany Lions try to gain the upper hand in game with the Panthers for the first time since 1999.

MUTE BUTTON: Though Narduzzi stressed this is just another game week, he did take the unusual step of making his players off limits to the media. Narduzzi said he just wanted the Panthers ''locked in'' and not because he was concerned about them providing bulletin board material.

''It's just a matter of focus on what we're doing,'' Narduzzi said.

STOPPING SAQUON: Barkley lit up the Panthers for 130 total yards and five touchdowns last fall. A year later the junior could give a potential Heisman Trophy campaign a serious jolt with a repeat performance. He's already off to a good start, putting up 246 all-purpose yards in last week's romp over the Zips. Pitt had serious issues covering Youngstown State running backs in the passing game in the opener, and Penn State loves to find ways to get Barkley the ball in space. The Panthers will be without safety Jordan Whitehead, suspended for the first three games for a violation of team rules.

READY, SET, GO: Penn State's offense had trouble getting going early in games last season. That wasn't a problem last week, when the Nittany Lions put up five touchdowns in the first half. Jumping on a young Pitt team early in a hostile environment is a priority.

''If you can get a fast start, come out, be productive, get points on the board as an offense, force three-and-outs and turnovers and chaos on the defensive side of the ball, then you'll be much better off throughout the rest of the game,'' McSorely said.

LUCKY UNDIES?: Narduzzi admits he's a little superstitious, but within reason. Asked if there's anything he's trying to repeat before their staggering upset of eventual national champion Clemson in Death Valley last year, Narduzzi just laughed.

''I don't know which underwear I wore for that game for the superstitious part,'' he said.

[StarDust Bum]

No. 1 Alabama goes from Florida State to Fresno State
September 8, 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Alabama and Fresno State are both making big leaps in competition, just in different directions.

The top-ranked Crimson Tide goes from a Top-5 matchup with Florida State back to Bryant-Denny Stadium as 44-point favorites over Fresno State on Saturday.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, just got through rolling over fledgling FCS program Incarnate Word and now face one of college football's juggernauts.

Oh my Incarnate Word.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said Fresno State has come a long way since going 1-11 last season. First-year coach Jeff Tedford is a former Fresno State quarterback who led the California program for a decade.

Saban said Tedford is one of the best offensive coaches in the country.

''This is going to be a different kind of challenge for us,'' Saban said. ''Something that our players have to respond to because this is a much, much improved team.''

So far, the Bulldogs have only had a 66-0 win over Incarnate Word as evidence, and that program has only been around since starting out in Division II in 2009.

Alabama, meanwhile, topped then-No. 3 Florida State 24-7 in Atlanta.

Linebacker Keith Holcombe said Tide players have watched film from Tedford's days at Cal.

''We know what kind of offense they are - spread it out, fast, up-tempo -so we're working on that,'' Holcombe said. ''But really, we're looking at film like that, but we can't freak ourselves out. We have to settle in and do what we're capable of doing, making calls, making the right adjustments. We've all practiced this in camp leading up to this, so we know what to expect.''

No matter what the oddsmakers say, Saban has never tolerated talk from media of using an apparent mismatch to get young backups experience, but that could be a goal here. Two of Alabama's top recruits are freshmen Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback and Najee Harris at tailback.

---

Some things to watch in the game:

LINEBACKER WHO? Alabama's going to have to dip into some of its considerable linebacker depth. Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis are both out for the season with injuries. Starters Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings are expected to miss the game also. There are a number of backups with game experience, and a few five-star recruits, to choose from.

TUA TIME: Tagovailoa figures to get his first career snaps if this game goes remotely close to the way most would expect. The five-star recruit from Hawaii enrolled in January and went through spring practices. Tight end Hale Hentges said Tagovailoa had ''a really great camp'' and has earned the confidence of both Saban and the team.

''We all see leadership from him that's uncharacteristic, much like Jalen (Hurts) had last year and still has, that is hard to see from freshmen a lot,'' Hentges said. ''Having that and obviously the great passer he is, the great runner and just overall being a field general really instills confidence in him from everyone on the team. So I think he's absolutely ready.''

MIKE LOCKSLEY: Alabama wide receivers coach Mike Locksley is expected to coach in the game. His 25-year-old son, Meiko, was shot and killed Sunday night in Maryland. ''He said, `It's helpful for me to be here, it kind of gets my mind off of things,''' Saban said, adding that funeral services are Monday and he expects Locksley to fly out after the game.

STREAKS: Saban has won 16 consecutive home openers dating back to his tenure at Michigan State, and 65 consecutive games against unranked teams.

NAJEE HARRIS: Harris got a few carries against the Seminoles and could get more with the status of Josh Jacobs remaining uncertain with a hamstring injury. Harrris was the nation's No. 3 overall prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

[StarDust Bum]

Jackson, No. 17 Cardinals open ACC play against Tar Heels
September 8, 2017

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Louisville is off to a better start in protecting Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. That could make things even tougher for North Carolina's mistake-prone defense to slow the 17th-ranked Cardinals on Saturday.

The Cardinals (1-0) enter their Atlantic Coast Conference opener after allowing no sacks in the season-opening win against Purdue. Jackson thrived with 485 yards of total offense, giving the quarterback a good start in his bid - even if he says it isn't his focus - to become only the second two-time Heisman winner.

''I was proud about all the other things he did,'' coach Bobby Petrino said, ''understanding what coverages there were, there even one time where he checked a protection and we weren't really in the right protection.

''But he had the right reason to check the protection - they blew the coverage completely. He did the right thing.''

The 35-28 win against Purdue wasn't perfect, marred by three lost fumbles and 16 penalties for 110 yards. But avoiding sacks after ranking 124th out of 128 Bowl Subdivision programs last year by allowing 47 last year made things easier on Jackson.

''I was just trying to get the ball out of my hand on time and trying to get it to easy targets and make positive plays instead of negative plays,'' Jackson said.

Things could come easier against the Tar Heels (0-1), who surrendered 363 yards passing to a first-time starting quarterback during last weekend's 35-30 home loss to California. The unit also surrendered two touchdowns of at least 50 yards and managed just one sack.

Junior linebacker Andre Smith called Jackson the nation's best player while also offering confidence that UNC's defense could slow him.

''We definitely don't want it to be a Lamar Jackson show,'' Smith said. ''So if he's able to beat us with his arm then - well, he's not going to beat us at all, I take that back. He's not going to beat us. We're just going to stop anything that he tries to do.

''He's not going to be able to run on us. We have everything solidified with that. And we're going to cover downfield. If the receivers go up and make a good play . then it is what it is. We've got to come back next play and do the same thing.''

[StarDust Bum]

Steele, No. 13 Auburn looking to knock off No. 3 Clemson
September 8, 2017

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Kevin Steele brought Auburn's bid to make another run at a national championship to an early halt six years ago as Clemson's defensive coordinator.

Now, he's hoping to do the same thing again - this time standing on Auburn's sideline.

Steele been the defensive coordinate at Auburn the past two seasons. He'll try and slow down No. 3 Clemson's young, productive offense when the teams meet Saturday night.

It was in 2011, Auburn's second game of the season, as the reigning national champs when the Tigers played at Clemson - which was coming off a losing season. But without Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, Auburn struggled on offense in Clemson's surprise 38-24 win.

Steele's defense held Auburn to 10 points the final three quarters to end that team's 17-game win streak.

Now, Steele's locked in to slowing Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant , the successor to two-time Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson. Clemson put up 665 yards - 313 of them by Bryant - in a 56-3 victory over Kent State last week.

''Obviously their old quarterback was a first-round draft pick and one of the best to play in modern times,'' Steele said. ''But their quarterback (now) is a very good football player and has a bright future in this game.''

No. 13 Auburn defense held Georgia Southern to a touchdown in a 41-7 opening-game victory.

Steele led Clemson's defense from 2009-2011, helping the Tigers win their first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 20 years his final year. But Clemson was routed by West Virginia, 70-33, in the Orange Bowl that season and coach Dabo Swinney let Steele go shortly after.

''This has nothing to do with me or coach Steele,'' Swinney said of the matchup. ''It's all about the guys on the field. He's done a great job. He did a great job here for us.''

---

Some other things to watch for when Auburn faces Clemson:

NEW AUBURN QB: Auburn has a new starting quarterback, too, in Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham . Stidham passed for two TDs and ran for another in the Tigers' win. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 185. Stidham understands the challenge this week and that he must take a step forward. ''I was thrilled to be back out there,'' he said. ''I've got to get a lot better personally and as an offense collectively.''

IRMA WATCH: Any projections for Hurricane Irma in the state of South Carolina are for early next week. Clemson said in a statement it was monitoring the situation and work with authorities if any action was required. Two years ago, Clemson defatted Notre Dame 24-22 in the face of a historic rainstorm that led to catastrophic flooding throughout much of the state.

NO TOE WORRIES: Clemson's massive defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence showed no ill effects from offseason toe surgery, playing a unit high 23 snaps in last Saturday's win. Lawrence, 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds, said the toe has not given him much problems and he expects to play all game against Auburn.

STREAKY SERIES: Clemson has won the past three from Auburn, including a 19-13 victory there to start last season where Auburn was throwing into the end zone for a potential winning score last week. Before Clemson's recent run, Auburn has won 14 in a row stretching from 1951 to 2010.

JOHNSON'S STATUS: Auburn tailback Kerryon Johnson suffered an apparent leg injury against Georgia Southern and did not practice this past Sunday. Tigers coach Gus Malzahn was ''hopeful'' that Johnson would be able to play against Clemson. Kamryn Pettway returns for Auburn after serving a one-game suspension during the win over Georgia Southern.

[StarDust Bum]

New-look Arkansas defense to be tested against No. 23 TCU
September 8, 2017

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) When Arkansas coach Bret Bielema made the decision to switch to a 3-4 defense following last season, he did so with the idea of getting his best athletes on the field more often.

Bielema also did so with the hope of slowing someone exactly like TCU quarterback Kenny Hill, who the Razorbacks (1-0) will face for a third time when they host the No. 23 Horned Frogs (1-0) on Saturday.

Hill first played against Arkansas while with Texas A&M in 2014, leading the Aggies to a victory. He was at this best a year ago, decimating the Razorbacks defense while accounting for nearly 500 yards of total offense.

Arkansas won that game 41-38 in double overtime, thanks to a breakout quarterback performance of its own from Austin Allen.

This time around, Bielema would prefer not having to rely on Allen so heavily to defeat their former Southwest Conference rival.

''The fact that we've changed schemes will hopefully allow our guys to line up at a little better pace,'' Bielema said. ''We know they love to go tempo, and they'll go as fast as they possible can.''

Arkansas was one of the worst defenses in the country a year ago, allowing an average of 6.75 yards per play and 39 rushing touchdowns - both worst in the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks weren't challenged defensively in an opening 49-7 win over Florida A&M, but Saturday is expected to be another story entirely.

Hill threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 63-0 win over Jackson State , two of which were to Desmon White. The Horned Frogs gained 542 yards of total offense in the win, but TCU coach Gary Patterson expects a better challenge this week against Arkansas.

''They have guys that can run around on defense,'' Patterson said. ''They like it for the people they'll get to play as far as far as lot of the passing groups ... They have good players to go along with it.''

Some things to watch as Arkansas tries to sweep the home-and-home series with the Horned Frogs:

PULLEY OUT

One area of Arkansas' new-look defense that could be problematic is the secondary. Starting cornerback Ryan Pulley is out for what Bielema said is a ''significant'' amount of time after surgery following a pectoral muscle injury he suffered in last week's win. Pulley led the Razorbacks with 13 pass breakups last season.

HICKS' RETURN

Patterson said he'd be very surprised if running back Kyle Hicks doesn't play. The senior, who led the Horned Frogs in rushing and receptions last season, missed last week's opener with a leg issue.

''We have to be smart about it, take care of him,'' Patterson said. ''It's a long season and we're short (on) running backs.''

FABULOUS FRESHMAN

Arkansas received a backfield boost in its opener from talented freshman Chase Hayden. The 18-year-old son of former Tennessee running back Aaron Hayden led the Razorbacks with 120 yards rushing on 14 carries - giving them another rushing option to go with lead back Devwah Whaley and former South Carolina transfer David Williams.

FANTASTIC FROGS

TCU's defense allowed only 65 yards of total offense last week while posting its first shutout since 2014. The Horned Frogs also scored twice on defense, with Ridwan Issahaku returning an interception 53 yards for a touchdown and Arico Evans returning a fumble 32 yards for a score.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Arkansas will play at home despite an ongoing $160 million renovation to Razorback Stadium. The project, which will increase the stadium's capacity to more than 75,000, is expected to be completed by the beginning of next season. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said construction will be halted during games, and Bielema said the stadium has already seen an increase in volume thanks to the north end zone being enclosed by the new construction.

[StarDust Bum]

Duke hosts Northwestern in an ACC-Big Ten matchup
September 8, 2017

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) In a decade under coach David Cutcliffe, Duke has finally started to defeat some of the teams that would regularly beat the Blue Devils.

Northwestern is not one of them.

The Wildcats (1-0) visit Durham on Saturday hoping to extend one of the Blue Devils' more puzzling losing streaks: They haven't beaten Northwestern since 2007, the year before Cutcliffe took over.

Cutcliffe said this shapes up as one of his team's biggest challenges.

''This might be the best Northwestern team we've played,'' Cutcliffe said.

These programs have plenty in common - both are elite academic institutions with football teams that have transformed from one-time laughingstocks to respectable programs that are at least annually in the bowl conversation.

The Blue Devils (1-0) snapped a 22-game losing streak in 2007 by beating the Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois. Cutcliffe took over after that season but hasn't been able to solve Northwestern - losing in 2008, 2015 and last year.

''As I look at the tape, I see d�j� vu, but I'm also seeing a better team,'' Cutcliffe said.

Clayton Thorson threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns in that most recent victory . Thorson's first road start came at Duke in 2015, when he threw for just 70 yards and was intercepted twice but eked out a 19-10 win.

Thorson threw for 352 yards and two late scores in beating Nevada 31-20 last week, while Duke hung 60 points on an outmanned North Carolina Central team.

''Duke is going to present a lot of problems defensively,'' coach Pat Fitzgerals said. ''He's going to have his challenges, without a doubt, this week, and those guys on the perimeter have got to step up for him.''

---

Some things to know about the Northwestern-Duke game:

SMOOTH JONES: Duke QB Daniel Jones enters having thrown 198 consecutive passes without an interception, the longest such streak in the nation. He's eight passes shy of matching Thaddeus Lewis' 9-year-old school record. His last pick came at Georgia Tech last Oct. 29, and he's coming off a 213-yard, two-touchdown day against North Carolina Central. ''One of the first things a quarterback does well is make the other 10 people on the field do better because of the way he does his job,'' Cutcliffe said. ''If we do that, we'll be competitive in this game.''

ACTION JACKSON: Northwestern RB Justin Jackson had his third straight 100-yard performance, rushing for 109 against the Wolf Pack. He's the No. 2 active rusher in the FBS with 4,238 yards, trailing Royce Freeman of Oregon (4,296). Northwestern is 17-4 when he reaches the 100-yard mark.

RUNNING DEVILS: Duke feels pretty good about its situation in the backfield, too. Redshirt freshman RB Brittain Brown (120 yards rushing) is the first Duke player since Desmond Scott in 2009 to crack triple digits in his debut. And starter Shaun Wilson, who has four 50-yard touchdown runs during his career, is the only player in the nation with 80-yard TDs on rushes, receptions and returns.

LET THE KIDS PLAY: The teams combined to play 19 first-year freshmen in their opener. Duke's 10 were its most in Cutcliffe's 10 seasons, surpassing the nine that played in 2012, and included starting DE Victor Dimukeje. Nine of them saw the field for Northwestern, including LT Rashawn Slater, the first freshman offensive lineman to play for the Wildcats since 2009 (Patrick Ward).

[StarDust Bum]

Brett Rypien leads Boise St against No. 20 Washington St
September 8, 2017

Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien is no stranger to Washington State's Martin Stadium.

He attended many games in Pullman when he was growing up in nearby Spokane and knows what the atmosphere is like.

He'll get to experience it from a different perspective Saturday when he leads Boise State against No. 20 Washington State.

''It's wild, especially when the Cougars start winning,'' Rypien said.

The Cougars (1-0) have been winning quite a bit the past two years, going to bowl games after each of the last two seasons.

Boise State (1-0) has been winning consistently for some two decades. Rypien, the nephew of great Washington State quarterback Mark Rypien, picked the Broncos over the Cougars because he wanted to try something new.

''It's going to be different for sure, being back home,'' the junior said. ''But I'm looking forward to it.''

Rypien led Boise State to a 31-28 win over Washington State last season in Boise, the Broncos' first win over the Cougars after four losses.

While Rypien is expected to start Saturday, the Boise State quarterback situation got a little murky in the season opener against Troy last weekend when backup Montell Cozart played some decisive minutes in leading the Broncos to a 24-13 win.

Cozart, a former starter at Kansas, may play again if the Cougars defense is roughing up Rypien like the Troy defense did.

''It really wasn't that hard for me,'' Rypien said of watching Cozart play. ''I want to win championships, first and foremost, and after not getting it done the first two years here, it's something I'm really looking forward to.''

Washington State coach Mike Leach said Rypien played well against the Cougars last year. He is not a fan of rotating quarterbacks.

''I always worry it makes the team disjointed,'' Leach said. ''I've never done it that way.''

Leach said the Cougars will prepare to face both quarterbacks. He noted that Boise State often presents coaching challenges.

''They've always had some gadgets and shifts and motions that have worked out good for them,'' Leach said.

Other things to watch when Washington State hosts Boise State:

WELCOME TO THE PAC-12: Boise State is regularly one of the Mountain West's top teams but the Broncos are pretty good playing out of conference as well. The Broncos are 4-0 against Pac-12 teams dating to 2014, including wins over Washington State and Oregon State last year. ''They are able to zero in'' when they play teams from the Power Five conferences, Leach said. ''Pac-12 teams play a lot of good teams.'' These two programs, located about 300 air miles apart, have played only five times in their history.

FALK'S MILESTONES: Washington State QB Luke Falk continues to pile up passing records. He needs just 101 passing yards to break Connor Halliday's team record of 11,304 career yards, and is stalking a whole bunch of other team and Pac-12 records. Most important, he has led the Cougars to 19 victories, second-best in program history behind Jason Gesser's 24 wins. ''He's good at featuring the talents of the players around him,'' Leach said.

RUN AND CATCH: Washington State's James Williams set team running back records last weekend with 13 receptions for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 45 yards. ''James is really explosive with the ball in his hands,'' Leach said.

GOOD COMPANY: Boise State's football winning percentage of .725 since becoming a four-year college ranks third in history, after Michigan (.731) and Notre Dame (.729). The Broncos also have made 15 consecutive bowl appearances and have appeared in the AP Top 25 at least once a season for the past 15 years.

GRAY AIR: The air in eastern Washington has been smoky all week because of wildfires, with air quality often dropping into the ''hazardous'' category. But the weather forecast calls for much of the smoke to clear out by game time Saturday night.