Cnotes 2018 College Football Thru The Bowl Games News- Trends-Stats-Best Bets !

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Saturday's best
September 15, 2018

STARS

--Alan Bowman, Texas Tech, threw for 605 yards and five TDs - three to Antoine Wesley who set a school record with 261 yards receiving - helping the Red Raiders beat Houston 63-49.

--Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic, scored a school-record five rushing TDs in the first half in a 49-28 victory over Bethune-Cookman.

-David Pindell, UConn, accounted for 455 yards and six TDs to help the Huskies beat Rhode Island 56-49.

-JuJuan Lawson, Rhode Island, accounted for 436 yards and six TDs in a 56-49 loss to UConn.

-Travis Etienne, Clemson, ran for 162 yards and two TDs in the No. 2 Tigers' 38-7 win over Georgia Southern.

-Trace McSorley, Penn State, accounted for five TDs and broke the school record for most rushing scores by a quarterback (22) as the No. 11 Nittany Lions routed Kent State 63-10.

-Malik Rosier, Miami, accounted for five TDs and 285 as the No. 21 Hurricanes outlasted upset-minded Toledo 49-24.

-Malcolm Perry, Navy, ran for 223 yards and three TDs as the Midshipmen rolled to a 51-21 victory over Lehigh.

-Aaron Shampklin, Harvard, rushed for 178 yards and four TDs as the Crimson opened their 145th season with a 36-14 victory over San Diego.

-Kyler Murray, Oklahoma State, threw for 348 yards and three TDs to help the No. 5 Cowboys hold off Iowa State 37-27.

-Grant Kraemer, Drake, passed for 359 yards and six TDs in less than three quarters in a 52-12 victory over Division II Missouri S&T.

-Ty Chandler, Tennessee, rushed for 158 yards and had an 81-yard TD as the Vols coasted to a 24-0 victory over UTEP.

-Nehari Crawford, Duquesne, had 11 catches for 223 yards and two scores in a 31-26 win over Dayton.

-Jason Randall, Missouri State, rushed for a career-high 181 yards and a pair of TDs in a 40-8 win over Northern Arizona.

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SEC SHOWDOWN

No. 12 LSU took down No. 7 Auburn in an early SEC showdown.

Cole Tracy kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play to give No. 12 LSU a 22-21 victory over No. 7 Auburn in their Southeastern Conference opener.

Joe Burrow led LSU down the field in the final minutes with clutch plays and two pass interference calls against Auburn. That set up Tracy's field goal that was almost right down the middle and sent LSU players swarming onto the field to celebrate.

It capped a wild fourth quarter in a rivalry that has produced many of them.

Burrow hit Derrick Dillon over the outstretched arms of Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis for a 71-yard touchdown strike with 8:18 left. Burrow's two-point attempt failed, leaving Auburn up 21-19.

The LSU defense held to set up another chance with 5:38 remaining. The result was a 14-play, 52-yard drive.

A pass interference call against Jeremiah Dinson on third-and-11 kept the drive alive. Then Burrow hit Stephen Sullivan for 9 yards on fourth-and-7 to keep the offense on the field.

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COWBOYS TOPPLE BRONCOS

Taylor Cornelius got into a running roll and led No. 24 Oklahoma State to victory over another ranked team.

Cornelius ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to help No. 24 Oklahoma State beat No. 17 Boise State 44-21.

Cornelius, a fifth-year senior who waited his turn behind Mason Rudolph, passed for 243 yards and ran for 41. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Cornelius played well and found a rhythm in his first career start against a ranked opponent.

Justice Hill ran for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Tylan Wallace had five catches for 105 yards for the Cowboys. It was one of the most important nonconference wins in Gundy's 14-year tenure.

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NUMBERS

9-Years since Kansas had consecutive wins over FBS opponents before beating Rutgers and Central Michigan the past two weeks.

11-Touchdowns by Austin Peay in a 78-40 win over Morehead State, setting school records for touchdowns and points.

15-Years since No. 6 Wisconsin lost a nonconference home game before losing 24-21 to BYU.

62-Years since Nebraska started 0-2 before this season.

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TRICKY TD

Keegan Brewer knew all-too well there was a good chance his planned bit of punt-return trickery could backfire and leave him completely exposed to a slew of onrushing SEC defenders.

The North Texas sophomore kept his cool - long enough to have a brief conversation with an Arkansas player on his way to the dramatic 90-yard return for a touchdown in the Mean Green's 44-17 win over Arkansas.

Already ahead 7-0 in the first quarter, Brewer put North Texas up by two scores with his return that started with a bit of cool and trickery.

After a 27-yard punt by Arkansas' Blake Johnson, Brewer calmly caught the ball and walked slowly between Razorbacks defenders Nate Dalton and Grant Morgan. Brewer then sprinted down the left sideline for the touchdown, leaving many in Razorback Stadium wondering if he had called for a fair catch. An official review showed that he hadn't.

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college football best bets aug-sept.

Date w-l-t % units record (ALL PLAYS BEST BETS AND OPINIONS )

09/15/2018 35-26-1 57.38% +32.00
09/14/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
09/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
09/08/2018 31-37-2 45.59% -48.50
09/07/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
09/03/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
09/02/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
09/01/2018 30-22-0 57.69% +29.00
08/31/2018 4-8-0 33.33% -24.00
08/30/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +8.50
08/25/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00

total..............115-100-0.......53.48%.....+25.00

best bets................. ats ...............units.................. o/u..................units..............days total

09/15/2018.............11 - 13..........-16.50...................7 - 6..............+2.00.............18 - 19.......-14.50
09/14/2018.............1 - 0.............+5.00....................1 - 0..............+5.00..............2 - 0.........+10.00
09/13/2018.............1 - 0.............+5.00....................0 - 1 ..............-5.50...............1 - 1.........-0.50
09/08/2018............13 - 14...........-12.00..................12 - 5.............+32.50............25 - 19......+20.50
09/07/2018.............0 - 1..............-5.50....................0 - 1...............-5.50...............0 - 2........-11.00
09/03/2018.............0 - 1..............-5.50....................1 - 0...............+5.00..............1 - 1.........-0.50
09/02/2018.............1 - 0..............+5.00...................1 - 0...............+5.00..............2 - 0........ +10.00
09/01/2018............13 - 6.............+32.00.................5 - 2...............+14.00............18 - 8.......+46.00
08/31/2018.............1 - 3..............-11.50..................2 - 4...............-12.00..............3 - 7.........-23.50
08/30/2018.............2 - 1..............+4.50...................2 -1...............+4.50...............4 - 2.........+9.00
08/25/2018.............2 - 0..............+10.00.................2 - 0..............+10.00..............4 - 0........+20.00

total.....................45 - 39............+10.50.................33 - 20...........+55.00..........78 - 59......+65.50

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Sunday’s six-pack

Top 6 picks in the Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest (3,123 entries)

1) Houston even (1,514)
2) NJ Giants +3 (933)
3) Pittsburgh -4 (910)
4) New England -1 (902)
5) Philadelphia -3.5 (808)
6) LA Chargers -7 (781)
Season record: 4-1-1

Tweet of the Day
“The difference between a night game and a day game at Tiger Stadium is that at night you can smell the bourbon on the field.”
Former LSU football coach Mike Archer

Sunday’s quiz
Where did ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit play college football?

Saturday’s quiz
Mike Sherman was coach of the Packers before Mike McCarthy.

Friday’s quiz
Bill Belichick went 37-45 as coach of the old Cleveland Browns from 1991-95, just before they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens; he won one playoff game, against the Patriots.


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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) Troy 24, Nebraska 19— Cornhuskers are 0-2 for first time since 1957; their QB Martinez sat this game out- walk-on sophomore Bunch played instead.

This is what happens now; when a team has a QB competition in the summer, the player who loses the competition transfers, because no one wants to be a backup, and it leaves the team very thin at QB.

12) Syracuse 30, Florida State 7— This was no fluke; Syracuse outgained them 450-240; FSU was 1-14 on third down conversions- they’re 1-2 and they trailed a I-AA team at halftime in the one game they did win.

Seminoles’ offense is TERRIBLE; their OL doesn’t block much, and their QB didn’t show much of a football IQ at the end of the first half.

Syracuse led 6-0 but FSU had the ball in the SU red zone (orange zone?); Seminoles didn’t have any timeouts left, but the QB threw a pass by the numbers, the receiver got tackled, and the half ended with no points being scored. Throw it in the end zone, or the sidelines, or throw it away, and at least they kick a field goal. No bueno.

11) Not the best day for the Big 14:
— Rutgers lost 55-14 at KANSAS
— Wisconsin lost at home to Brigham Young.
— Northwestern lost at home to Akron.
— Nebraska lost at home to Troy.
— Illinois lost to South Florida before a small crowd at Soldier Field.
— Missouri 40, Purdue 37
— Maryland lost 35-14 at home to Temple; Terps scored zero points on offense; their TD’s were scored by the defense and on a blocked punt.

10) LSU 22, Auburn 21— How much talent does Ohio State have? Buckeyes’ 3rd-string QB transfers to LSU, becomes the starter there and already has a road win at Auburn, and a neutral field win over Miami. LSU chewed up the final 5:38 on the game-winning drive.

Interviews with Ed Orgeron are odd; can’t understand 80% of what the guy is saying.

9) Oklahoma 37, Iowa State 27— Sooners avenged their home loss to Iowa State last year, but Cyclones have a WR named Hakeem Butler who is an NFL player- he had five catches for 174 yards and two TD’s. Very impressive player.

8) Upsets of the Day:
BYU (+21.5) 24, Wisconsin 21
Akron (+21) 39, Nebraska 34
Temple (+17) 35, Maryland 14
Troy (+11) 24, Nebraska 19
LSU (+10.5) 22, Auburn 21
North Texas (+7) 44, Arkansas 17

7) Cleveland Browns cut WR Josh Gordon, who is both talented/troubled, and after six years, obviously became more trouble than he is worth.

6) South Florida 25, Illinois 19— Blake Barnett is USF’s QB; he was Alabama’s starting QB in the 2016 opener, got yanked for Jalen Hurts, then transferred to a junior college, then Arizona State, where he threw only five passes, and now USF— his Bulls are off to a 3-0 start.

In a way Barnett is the poster boy for the “If I ain’t startin’, then I’m departin’” age of college football; he got beat out by Hurts at Alabama and then Manny Wilkins at ASU, and he quickly left both schools.

They said on TV during the USF-Georgia Tech game last week that USF coach Charlie Strong told Barnett that he has to prove to people now that he isn’t a quitter. We’ll see what happens.

5) North Texas 44, Arkansas 17— Razorbacks blew a big lead and lost at Colorado State LW, then got crushed here by a team from Conference USA. When you throw six INT’s in a game, you lose. Think the natives are restless?

Arkansas’ 3rd-string QB threw a pick-6, which normally wouldn’t be news, except the kid is John Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones’ grandson. Rough day all around for Arkansas.

4) Texas Tech 63, Houston 49— Sixteen TD’s, no FGs. one turnover in this touch football game where a total of 192 plays were run, for 1,376 yards. Freshman QB Alan Bowman was 43-59 for 605 yards, five TDs and no INTs.

By way of contrast, the Dallas-Carolina NFL game last week had 118 plays for 525 yards; there is more action in college football, for the most part.

3) Missouri 40, Purdue 37— Boilermakers are 0-3, with three losses by total of eight points. 3-0 Mizzou kicked a FG at the gun to win this game- they host Georgia next week.

2) Ohio State 40, TCU 28— Buckeyes scored 20 points in a 4:01 span of the 3rd quarter, erasing a 21-13 Horned Frog lead, and breaking game open. Up until that point, this was a really good game.

TCU got $5M to move this game from their campus stadium in Fort Worth to Jerry World in Arlington; the return match for next year in Columbus was scrapped.

1) Texas 37, USC 14— Trojans lost 17-3 at Stanford last week, then lost by three TD’s here; college football is one sport where a coach’s job security goes in the ashcan in a matter of eight days.

Texas blocked FG for a TD with 6:25 left to play; a made FG would’ve cut Texas’ lead to 23-17. Trojans’ punter had a rough night; USC’s special teams are screwed up right now.

I’ve said this several times already, but no idea why USC is starting a young man at QB who should still be a senior in high school. He is playing against a lot of guys 4-5 years older than he is.

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Betting Recap - Week 3
September 16, 2018
By Joe Williams

Overall Notes

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 3 RESULTS

WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 50-14
Against the Spread 26-36-2

WAGER Home-Away
Straight Up 45-19
Against the Spread 29-33-2

WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 35-28-1

WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up (neutral site) 1-0

WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under (neutral site) 1-0

The largest underdogs to win straight up
BYU (+23.5, ML +1075) at Wisconsin, 24-21
Akron (+21, ML +900) at Northwestern, 39-34
Temple (+15.5, ML +550) at Maryland, 35-14
LSU (+10, ML +320) at Auburn, 22-21
Troy (+10, ML +300) at Nebraska, 24-19

The largest favorites to cover
Utah State (-47.5) vs. Tennessee Tech, 73-12
Western Michigan (-46.5) vs. Delaware State, 68-0
Cincinnati (-43) vs. Alabama A&M, 63-7
Penn State (-35) vs. Kent State, 63-10
Georgia (-34.5) vs. Middle Tennessee, 49-7

Top 25 Notes

-- There were plenty of takers on Mississippi catching 23 points at home aginst top-ranked Alabama. It wasn't nearly enough, as the Crimson Tide steamrolled the Rebels by a 62-7 score for their third cover in as many outings. 'Bama has been favored by 23 or more points in every outing so far, but they haven't won by less than 37 so far. Alabama is averaging 56.7 points per game (PPG) through three outings with the 'over' going 3-0. ... It was the final game before Urban Meyer is allowed to come back, and Ohio State made sure he returned to a team that is 3-0 SU. The Buckeyes and TCU were locked in a defensive battle at Jerry World, but suddenly Ohio State erupted for 20 points in a four-minute span to pick up the victory. However, the Horned Frogs were able to hang on for the cover at most shops. ... Washington opened the conference slate with a hard-fought and hard-hitting 21-7 victory at Utah. The 'under' is a perfect 3-0 so far this season for the Huskies, as they have allowed an average of just 10.3 PPG.

-- Arizona State arrived in the Top 25 this week and they were subsequently shown the door by San Diego State, 28-21. The Sun Devils struggled on offense until the very end of the game, and their rushing defense struggled mightily. That's not a good sign with Washington looming next time out.

-- Boise State-Oklahoma State was one of the most underrated games on the Week 3 card. After a scoreless first quarter, things started to get away from the Broncos in a hurry, and the Cowboys were able to pick up their second consecutive cover, moving to 2-0 ATS against FBS foes this season. Boise slipped to 2-1 ATS after routing their first two foes.

-- Wisconsin last tasted defeat during the regular season on Oct. 15, 2016 against Ohio State. Not many thought the Badgers would be in danger of that streak coming to an end against Brigham Young, but the Cougars had other plans. The Badgers not only slipped to 0-3 ATS on the season, but they misfired on a field goal in the final minute to lost 24-21 at Camp Randall, making no one want to jump around.

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

-- Duke continues to play well, and they notched another road victory at Baylor, 40-27 to move to 3-0 SU/ATS. ... Georgia Tech headed to Pittsburgh and it was a rough road trip. The Panthers were routed last week, while the Yellow Jackets also suffered defeat. Someone had to bounce back, and it was the Panthers picking up a 24-19 win to drop the Ramblin' Wreck to 0-3 ATS. ... Clemson held on for a 38-7 win against Georgia Southern, ambling through a home outing against a non-Power 5 team. They had a bit of a hangover after their impressive 28-26 nailbiter at Texas A&M. The games wasn't particularly close, but it was the Eagles coming away with another cover to go 3-0 ATS with the 'under' also 3-0. ... Syracuse-Florida State was expected to be a close game, as the Orange were installed as three-point underdogs at home. It didn't turn out that way, as 'Cuse routed FSU 30-7 to give Willie Taggart another lose. Things aren't exactly going to plan under the new regime, as Florida State is 0-3 ATS so far.

-- Indiana is flying a bit under the radar, but they moved to a perfect 3-0 SU with a 38-10 win over in-state rival Ball State. The Hoosiers picked up their first cover of the season in three tries, while the 'under' connected for the second straight outing, both at home. ... Minnesota earned a third straight win and cover by whitewashing Miami (Ohio) by a 26-3 score. The Golden Gophers have allowed just 9.0 PPG through three games, but things will get a lot more difficult once conference play begins. ... Nebraska joined Wisconsin in the loser's lounge with a disappointing 24-19 setback against Troy. The Cornhuskers are 0-2 with both losses at home for the first time since 1947.

-- Kansas won against Rutgers 55-14, as they have earned back-to-back wins against FBS opponents for the first time since the 2009 season. It makes their opening game setback against FCS Nicholls State even that much more surprising. ... Texas Tech racked up a 63-49 shootout over Houston, as the Red Raiders moved to 3-0 on the 'over' this season. Defense is going to be an issue for this team, as they have allowed 48.0 PPG in two games against FBS foes. ... Texas bounced back with an impressive 37-14 win over USC, a team suddenly in freefall and unable to score on offense. The Longhorns earned their first cover in emphatic fashion and the defense allowed a season-low 14 points. Texas won for the 900th time in school history, joining Ohio State and Michigan as the only FBS schools in the club.

-- It's been a long time since UCLA struggled this badly, and an 0-3 SU/1-2 ATS start isn't exactly what the Bruins faithful had in mind when Chip Kelly was hired. But Fresno State came into the Rose Bowl and dropped the Bruins by a 38-14 score. Not only is it hard to figure a path to bowl eligibility, it's hard to see where UCLA is going to get a win anytime soon. ... Arizona doubled up FCS Southern Utah with a 62-31, and for the first time QB Khalil Tate looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate. That ship might have already sailed, but the Wildcats served notice that they're still a dangerous offense. They earned their first cover in three tries.

-- Tennessee did a good job on defense, shutting out UTEP by a 24-0 count. However, the offense still has a long way to go if they're going to be successful during the SEC gauntlet. ... Vanderbilt left a ton of points on the field in their 22-17 loss at Notre Dame, but they easily covered the 14-point number. The Commodores moved to a perfect 3-0 ATS while the 'under' is also 3-0 for Vandy. ... LSU tossed their hat into the championship contender ring by upending Auburn by a 22-21 score on the Plains. The Tigers are 2-0 ATS in two games away from Death Valley this season. ... Arkansas was dumped at home by North Texas of Conference USA, 44-17. The Razorbacks are 0-2 SU/ATS in two battles against FBS teams this season with the 'under' 2-0 in those games. ... Texas A&M improved to 3-0 ATS with a 48-10 win against Louisiana-Monroe.

Mid-Major Report

-- Temple went into Maryland and picked up an unexpected win after dropping their first two games of the season at home to FCS Villanova and Buffalo. ... Tulsa suffered a home loss against Arkansas State, as the Sun Belt picked up a big win. The 'under' has connected in each of the past two games for the Golden Hurricane. ... Memphis took apart Georgia State, 59-22, picking up their second win, cover and 'over' result in as many outings at the Liberty Bowl. ... Houston is averaging 47.7 PPG through three games, but they needed much more in their 63-49 loss in Lubbock against the Red Raiders. The Cougars slipped to 1-2 ATS.

-- Alabama-Birmingham picked up a nice win as 3 1/2-point underdogs at home against Tulane, 31-24. The Blazers need to tighten up on defense if they're to have further success, as they're allowing 35.5 PPG through two games against FBS foes. ... Middle Tennessee won't be applying for SEC admission anytime soon. They were blasted by Georgia by a 49-7 count, slipping to 0-2 SU/ATS in two games against SEC opponents. ... Western Kentucky suffered a loss to FCS Maine last week, 31-28. They bounced back with a 20-17 cover at Louisville, earning their second cover in two tries against Power 5 teams this season.

-- Northern Illinois picked up a 24-16 win against Central Michigan, failing to cover for the second time in three tries while the 'under' connected for the third time in as many outings. ... Akron made history with their win at Northwestern, earning their first win against a Big Ten opponent since 1894 when the institution was called Buchtel College. The Zips have fired out to a 2-0 SU/1-1 ATS start. ... Bowling Green topped FCS Eastern Kentucky in a surprising 42-35 shootout, failing to cover for a second straight game. ... Ohio failed to cover at Virginia, as the Bobcats slipped to 0-2 ATS on the season.

-- Hawaii made the cross-country trek to Army and the travel apparently caught up to them, as the Black Knights beat them 28-21 for a push at most shops. The Warriors also failed to hit the 'over' for the first time in four tries. ... New Mexico-New Mexico State was a high-scoring battle, with the Lobos posting a 42-25 win. The Lobos dropped the Aggies to 0-4 ATS, while the 'over' has connected in each of their past three outings.

Bad Beats

-- It wasn't a textbook bad beat, but 'over' (59.5) bettors had to feel good with 49 points on the board at halftime of Middle Tennessee-Georgia. The Bulldogs posted seven in the third, and there were 56 points with a full quarter to go. Under bettors lucked out with a scoreless fourth quarter.

-- 'Over' bettors in BYU-Wisconsin (52) were pleased near the end of regulation, as the Badgers were about to boot a game-tying field goal to force overtime. Oops. Wisconsin lost, and so did 'over' bettors.

-- Illinois appeared to be on the way to a win against South Florida, but the Illini folded in the fourth quarter. The Illini led 19-7 heading into the fourth as 14-point underdogs, but the Bulls outscored them 18-0 to come away with a 25-19 victory.

-- 'Over' (71) bettors were liking the way Bama-Ole Miss was shaping up, as there were 56 points on the board at halftime, and 66 points through three quarters. The Tide could only muster up a field goal in the final stanza, as the 'under' held out.

-- The 'under' (68) was looking good in Oregon State-Nevada left, with just 51 points on the board through three quarters after a scoreless third. Oregon State dashed their hopes with a touchdown with 4:40 to go, pushing the total over the finish line late.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s six-pack

Top 6 picks in the Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest (3,123 entries)

1) Houston even (1,514)- L
2) NJ Giants +3 (933)- L
3) Pittsburgh -4 (910)- L
4) New England -1 (902)- L
5) Philadelphia -3.5 (808)- L
6) LA Chargers -7 (781)- W

Season record: 5-6-1

Quote of the Day
“There’s either not a concise plan on both sides of the ball, or their kids haven’t bought in. I wouldn’t be surprised if they fixed it. Their skill players [on offense] and talent on defense is really good. But for whatever reason they don’t look like they’re playing hard.”
An unnamed assistant coach, talking about Florida State’s football team

Monday’s quiz
Which NFL head coach’s son is the starting QB at Vanderbilt this year?

Sunday’s quiz
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was a QB at Ohio State.

Saturday’s quiz
Mike Sherman was coach of the Packers before Mike McCarthy.


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Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday

Chiefs 42, Steelers 37— Don’t think I’ve ever seen this before; Patrick Mahomes threw six TD passes in a game where his offense faced only five 3rd down plays the whole day. More TD passes than 3rd down plays? Doesn’t happen much.

Chiefs led 21-0, it was 21-21 at the half; Pittsburgh scored 58 points in its first two games, but they didn’t win either one of them. And Le’Veon Bell has coughed away $1,760,000 in just two weeks, because…….well, I don’t know why. Guess he doesn’t want to play.

Saints 21, Browns 18— Cleveland outgained Saints by 52 yards, but Browns’ kicker missed two FG’s, two PAT’s, including one with 1:16 left that would’ve given the Browns a 19-18 lead. Don’t scrimp when it comes to paying kickers; they decide who wins close games. Gregg Williams’ defense held Saints to 5.6 yards/play, but it wasn’t good enough.

Vikings 29, Packers 29 OT— Two weeks, two ties; not sure I can remember a kicker missing two FG’s in same OT period, but Vikings’ rookie Carlson was 0-3 in this game, 0-2 in OT. Why do contending teams have rookie kickers?!?!?!?!

Green Bay scored only one offensive TD, tried six FG’s; they scored a TD on a blocked punt on Minnesota’s first series. Total yardage here was 480-351 Vikings, but they didn’t win.

Titans 20, Texans 17— A gentleman in Las Vegas wagered $100,000 on the Texans in this game; imagine having the onions to bet $100K on a team coached by Bill O’Brien?? Total yardage was 437-283 Houston, but Titans got the home win.

Tennessee led 14-0 early behind backup QB Gabbert, but Houston rallied to lead 17-14 early in 4th quarter, before Titans kicked FG’s on their last two drives to win the game.

Falcons 31, Panthers 24— Falcons have now won five of last six series games, with all five wins by 7+ points; Carolina lost its last four visits here. Atlanta is 13-2 vs spread in its last 15 home openers. Total yardage was 442-439, Atlanta averaged 9.7 yards/pass attempt. Cam Newton took a vicious shot to the head as he slid after a run; the tackler was ejected.

Rams 34, Cardinals 0— Arizona needs to play rookie QB Rosen now, because Sam Bradford isn’t competing; he dumps the ball off quick as hell so he won’t get hit. If Rosen isn’t ready, then play Mike Glennon, because the defense got depressed in this game. They know they have no shot.

Cardinals had five first downs, 137 total yards, and lost field position by 20 yards, in a game where Rams’ kicker Greg Zeurlein strained a groin muscle before the game. Punter Johnny Hekker kicker a FG and a PAT- Rams went for two the other times they scored.

Chargers 31, Bills 20— Buffalo trailed 26-0/28-6 at halftime of its two games, but at least now rookie QB Allen is getting needed experience that hopefully will pay off down the road (can you hear us, Arizona?). Chargers scored 59 points in splitting their first two games; they visit the Rams in the LA Coliseum next week.

Dolphins 20, Jets 12— First-place 2-0 Miami ran out to a 20-0 lead, won field position by 10 yards- two of their three TD drives were less than 50 yards- they held Jets to 42 rushing yards. Dolphins covered four of their last five road openers; under is 20-5 in their last 25 road openers.

NFL Network has Jets-Browns on this Thursday night; huge game for both teams. Winner will either be 2-1 or 1-1-1 after three weeks, a big improvement.

Buccaneers 27, Eagles 21— Ryan Fitzpatrick is 48-61 for 819 yards in two wins; Jameis Winston ain’t getting his job back after his suspension ends next week, at least not right away. Bucs had two drives of one play, 75 yards each- they averaged 11.2 yards/pass attempt.

49ers 30, Lions 27— Underdogs were 10-4 against spread Sunday, including this back-door cover by Detroit, which scored two TD’s in last 8:40 to beat the number.

Matthew Stafford threw 53 passes, Lions ran ball only 18 times; he may make $9M a year more than Tom Brady, but Stafford’s career record is 60-67, his playoff record is 0-3. Matt Patricia is learning the hard way that winning without Brady ain’t so easy.

Guess who the Lions play next week? Brady and the Patriots, on Sunday night.

Jaguars 31, Patriots 20— Jax’ville avenged their loss in LY’s AFC title game; they converted 10-14 on third down, held Gronkowski to two catches for 15 yards and overcame a -2 turnover ratio. Yardage was 481-302 Jaguars; people have to stop riding Blake Bortles, he’s winning lot of games lately.

Broncos 20, Raiders 19— Oakland led 12-0 at halftime, 19-7 with 3:00 left in third quarter, but Denver scored on all four second half possessions (two TD’s, two FG”s), kicking winning FG with 0:06 left, giving them two home wins, by total of four points. Raiders converted only 3 of 10 third down plays and fell to 0-2.

Colts 21, Redskins 9— Indy converted 9 of 16 on 3rd down, scored 21 points on three red zone drives. Redskins kicked FG’s on both their red zone drives, ran ball for only 65 yards- they were 5-15 on third down. Colts are 9-4 in their last 13 games vs NFC teams. Redskins have now lost six of their last seven home openers;

Cowboys 20, Giants 13— Dallas held rookie RB Barkley to 28 rushing yards, sacked immobile QB Manning six times, and won a game that took well under 3:00 to play, shortest NFL game I can remember in long time. Barkley did catch 14 passes for 80 yards; Beckham was held to four catches, 51 yards.

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LSU jumps to No. 6 in latest AP Top 25
September 16, 2018
By The Associated Press

LSU surged to No. 6 in The Associated Press college football poll after its second victory of September against a highly ranked team, and Wisconsin tumbled to No. 18 after becoming the first top-10 team to be upset by an unranked team.

Top-ranked Alabama strengthened its hold on No. 1 on Sunday , receiving a season-high 58 first-place votes from the media panel. Clemson slipped out of the No. 2 spot for the first time this season. Georgia moved up a spot to second behind the Crimson Tide, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the ranking. Clemson is third with three first-place votes, followed by No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Oklahoma.

LSU has now gone from No. 25 to start the season to No. 6 in three weeks.

The Tigers beat Miami, the preseason No. 8, in Week 1 in Arlington, Texas, and then knocked off Auburn on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn slipped from No. 7 to No. 9.

Wisconsin's loss to BYU was Saturday's most surprising result. The Badgers were three-touchdown favorites but missed a last-second field goal to tie and lost 24-21 in Madison. The Big Ten had five teams in the top 14 to begin the seasons and three (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin) have already lost.

BYU's reward was being ranked No. 25.

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PAC-12 SLOP

The Big Ten drew a lot of attention for having a rough Saturday, with half the league losing nonconference games. The Pac-12, more specifically the Pac-12 South, also had a rough one - though much of the damage was done after a lot of East of the Mississippi bedtimes.

Southern California fell out of the ranking after its second straight loss, a thumping at Texas. The Trojans have now been outscored 54-17 the last two weeks. Arizona State also fell from the ranking when it could not back up its nice home win against Michigan State, losing at San Diego State.

Within the conference, Utah was beaten at home by Pac-12 North power No. 10 Washington, thwarting the Utes' chances of being ranked. UCLA dropped to 0-3 under Chip Kelly and Arizona finally managed to get coach Kevin Sumlin a victory - by beating Southern Utah of the FCS.

Colorado is the lone unbeaten Pac-12 South team. Looks bleak, but just two seasons ago the landscape was similar for the division. After opening-week losses by USC and UCLA to start 2016, the Pac-12 South had no ranked teams. Ultimately, Colorado, the eventual Pac-12 South champ, and Utah moved into the ranking and finished in the Top 25. USC made a late-season surge behind Sam Darnold, too.

UP

The other big mover in the right direction this week was Oklahoma State. The Cowboys jumped nine spots to No. 15 after an impressive 44-21 victory against Boise State, which tumbled out of the rankings after being No. 17.

Oklahoma State began the season unranked after being ranked at the end of the last three seasons.

IN

Three teams moved into the ranking for the first time this season, with Boston College making its return to the Top 25 for the first time since 2008.

The Eagles beat Wake Forest on Thursday night to improve to 3-0 behind a dynamic offense led by running back A.J. Dillon and blossoming quarterback Anthony Brown. BC has not won more than seven games since 2009. The 2008 team won nine and the ACC Atlantic Division but was last ranked on Nov. 30 of that year.

- No. 22 Texas A&M is ranked for the first time since November 2016.

- No. 25 BYU is ranked for the first time since September 2015.

CONFERENCE CALL

The SEC has the top two teams in the AP poll for the 23rd time since 2006. Alabama was either No. 1 or 2 in all of those. The conference with the next most 1-2 appearances in the poll since 2006 is the Big Ten with eight.

SEC - 6.

Big Ten - 5.

Big 12 - 4.

ACC - 4.

Pac-12 - 3.

Independent - 2.

American - 1.

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama. First ranked opponent for the Crimson Tide.

No. 7 Stanford at No. 20 Oregon. First Power Five opponent for the Ducks.

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FBS

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Auburn
10. Penn State
10. Washington
12. West Virginia
13. Virginia Tech
14. Mississippi State
15. Oklahoma State
16. UCF
17. TCU
18. Wisconsin
19. Michigan
20. Oregon
21. Miami (FL)
22. Texas A&M
23. Boston College
24. Michigan State
25. BYU

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College football odds, lines, schedule for Week 4: Stanford opens as road favorite vs. Oregon

It's never too early to look ahead to a big Week 4 in college football

Highlights from an eventful Week 3 in college football are still fresh on our minds, but it's never too early to take a peek at what Week 4 has in store. Let's take a look at some of the early lines for the coming week.

Lines you need to know

No. 7 Stanford at No. 20 Oregon (+1): The critical Pac-12 North battle between the Cardinal and the Ducks is expected to be a tight affair. Stanford running back Bryce Love may be back after sitting out the UC-Davis game, and Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert could prove how good he really is against a stout defense.

No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama (-26): The Tua Tagovailoa show returns home to Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on the Aggies, who undoubtedly will want to take the next step and notch a big upset in Jimbo Fisher's first season at the helm. The Crimson Tide offense looks unbeatable at the moment, so Aggies sophomore quarterback will have to have his best day.

No. 17 TCU at Texas (+2.5): The Horned Frogs gave Ohio State a fight on Saturday, and head to Austin to take on a Longhorns team that throttled USC last week. If Texas wants to really make a statement and prove to the Big 12 that it's at least a threat, a win over one of the best in the conference would go a long way.

No. 18 Wisconsin at Iowa (+3): With College Football Playoff hopes likely dashed, it will be interesting to see how the Badgers respond in a critical division game against a stout Hawkeyes defense. If the hangover is real, this could be the game that decides the Big Ten West championship at the end of the season.

More games of note

No. 2 Georgia at Missouri (+14.5): The Georgia defense has looked rock solid through three games, but will get its toughest test of the year against Tigers quarterback Drew Lock and his high-flying aerial attack. This might be one of those point-per-minute games, but that doesn't mean it favors Mizzou. Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm has been fantastic through three games, and is as composed as any quarterback in the country.

No. 3 Clemson at Georgia Tech (+16): The Yellow Jackets have lost two straight and don't look like they'll be competitive in the ACC this year. But not long ago, this was one of those weird rivalries when you had to expect the unexpected. It will be fun to watch the vaunted Clemson defense take on the triple option.

Tulane at No. 4 Ohio State (-34): Normally, this game wouldn't even be worth writing a small blurb about. But in his first game back on the sideline, will Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer want to make some kind of statement by putting on an offensive show in front of the home crowd? He could. So bet at your own peril.

No. 8 Notre Dame at Wake Forest (+7): Fresh off a nail-biter against Vanderbilt, the Fighting Irish will hit the road to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest. Which Brandon Wimbush will show up at quarterback? If it's the one who played vs. Ball State and Vanderbilt, the Demon Deacons might have a chance.

Arizona State at No. 10 Washington (-18.5): The Huskies navigated through a tricky game with Utah last week, and now face a Sun Devil team that was stunned at San Diego State last weekend. Watching this Huskies defense square off against Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins and wide receiver N'Keal Harry will be worth the price of admission.

No. 14 Mississippi State at Kentucky (+10.5): The Wildcats will look to make another statement, two weeks after breaking a 31-year curse against Florida. But the Bulldogs have shown through three games that the defensive front is top-notch, the running game led by Kylin HIll and Aeris Williams is stellar and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is back to his old form. But can they cover a double-digit spread on the road?

No. 23 Boston College at Purdue (+7.5): Purdue lost a heart-breaker to Missouri last weekend to fall to 0-3, and now gets an Eagles crew that showed last week that it's a complete team that can win through the air and on the ground. For those who haven't watched the dudes at B.C., it's a fun crew.

No. 24 Michigan State at Indiana (+4.5): After falling at Arizona State two weeks ago, the Spartans hit the reset button during the bye week last week. Can the offense -- which was non-existent in the desert against the Sun Devils -- re-emerge against the Hoosiers? Oddsmakers don't seem to think so.

Florida at Tennessee (+6): The Gators got back on the right track last week with a win over Colorado State, and the Volunteers shutout UTEP in an extremely sloppy affair. With so much uncertainty on both sides, it's hard to gauge what the smart play is in this SEC East rivalry.

Best of the rest

Army at No. 5 Oklahoma (-31.5)

Louisiana Tech at No. 6 LSU (-21.5)

Arkansas at No. 9 Auburn (-27.5)

No. 10 Penn State at Illinois (+27.5)

Kansas State at No. 12 West Virginia (-14.5)

No. 13 Virginia Tech at Old Dominion (+28.5)

Texas Tech at No. 15 Oklahoma State (-12)

Florida Atlantic at No. 16 UCF (-13)

Nebraska at No. 19 Michigan (OFF)

Florida International at No. 21 Miami (-28)

Northern Illinois at Florida State (-10.5)

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Monday’s six-pack

Top 6 picks in the Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest (3,123 entries)

1) Houston even (1,514)- L
2) NJ Giants +3 (933)- L
3) Pittsburgh -4 (910)- L
4) New England -1 (902)- L
5) Philadelphia -3.5 (808)- L
6) LA Chargers -7 (781)- W

Season record: 5-6-1

Quote of the Day
“There’s either not a concise plan on both sides of the ball, or their kids haven’t bought in. I wouldn’t be surprised if they fixed it. Their skill players [on offense] and talent on defense is really good. But for whatever reason they don’t look like they’re playing hard.”
An unnamed assistant coach, talking about Florida State’s football team

Monday’s quiz
Which NFL head coach’s son is the starting QB at Vanderbilt this year?

Sunday’s quiz
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was a QB at Ohio State.

Saturday’s quiz
Mike Sherman was coach of the Packers before Mike McCarthy.


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Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday

Chiefs 42, Steelers 37— Don’t think I’ve ever seen this before; Patrick Mahomes threw six TD passes in a game where his offense faced only five 3rd down plays the whole day. More TD passes than 3rd down plays? Doesn’t happen much.

Chiefs led 21-0, it was 21-21 at the half; Pittsburgh scored 58 points in its first two games, but they didn’t win either one of them. And Le’Veon Bell has coughed away $1,760,000 in just two weeks, because…….well, I don’t know why. Guess he doesn’t want to play.

Saints 21, Browns 18— Cleveland outgained Saints by 52 yards, but Browns’ kicker missed two FG’s, two PAT’s, including one with 1:16 left that would’ve given the Browns a 19-18 lead. Don’t scrimp when it comes to paying kickers; they decide who wins close games. Gregg Williams’ defense held Saints to 5.6 yards/play, but it wasn’t good enough.

Vikings 29, Packers 29 OT— Two weeks, two ties; not sure I can remember a kicker missing two FG’s in same OT period, but Vikings’ rookie Carlson was 0-3 in this game, 0-2 in OT. Why do contending teams have rookie kickers?!?!?!?!

Green Bay scored only one offensive TD, tried six FG’s; they scored a TD on a blocked punt on Minnesota’s first series. Total yardage here was 480-351 Vikings, but they didn’t win.

Titans 20, Texans 17— A gentleman in Las Vegas wagered $100,000 on the Texans in this game; imagine having the onions to bet $100K on a team coached by Bill O’Brien?? Total yardage was 437-283 Houston, but Titans got the home win.

Tennessee led 14-0 early behind backup QB Gabbert, but Houston rallied to lead 17-14 early in 4th quarter, before Titans kicked FG’s on their last two drives to win the game.

Falcons 31, Panthers 24— Falcons have now won five of last six series games, with all five wins by 7+ points; Carolina lost its last four visits here. Atlanta is 13-2 vs spread in its last 15 home openers. Total yardage was 442-439, Atlanta averaged 9.7 yards/pass attempt. Cam Newton took a vicious shot to the head as he slid after a run; the tackler was ejected.

Rams 34, Cardinals 0— Arizona needs to play rookie QB Rosen now, because Sam Bradford isn’t competing; he dumps the ball off quick as hell so he won’t get hit. If Rosen isn’t ready, then play Mike Glennon, because the defense got depressed in this game. They know they have no shot.

Cardinals had five first downs, 137 total yards, and lost field position by 20 yards, in a game where Rams’ kicker Greg Zeurlein strained a groin muscle before the game. Punter Johnny Hekker kicker a FG and a PAT- Rams went for two the other times they scored.

Chargers 31, Bills 20— Buffalo trailed 26-0/28-6 at halftime of its two games, but at least now rookie QB Allen is getting needed experience that hopefully will pay off down the road (can you hear us, Arizona?). Chargers scored 59 points in splitting their first two games; they visit the Rams in the LA Coliseum next week.

Dolphins 20, Jets 12— First-place 2-0 Miami ran out to a 20-0 lead, won field position by 10 yards- two of their three TD drives were less than 50 yards- they held Jets to 42 rushing yards. Dolphins covered four of their last five road openers; under is 20-5 in their last 25 road openers.

NFL Network has Jets-Browns on this Thursday night; huge game for both teams. Winner will either be 2-1 or 1-1-1 after three weeks, a big improvement.

Buccaneers 27, Eagles 21— Ryan Fitzpatrick is 48-61 for 819 yards in two wins; Jameis Winston ain’t getting his job back after his suspension ends next week, at least not right away. Bucs had two drives of one play, 75 yards each- they averaged 11.2 yards/pass attempt.

49ers 30, Lions 27— Underdogs were 10-4 against spread Sunday, including this back-door cover by Detroit, which scored two TD’s in last 8:40 to beat the number.

Matthew Stafford threw 53 passes, Lions ran ball only 18 times; he may make $9M a year more than Tom Brady, but Stafford’s career record is 60-67, his playoff record is 0-3. Matt Patricia is learning the hard way that winning without Brady ain’t so easy.

Guess who the Lions play next week? Brady and the Patriots, on Sunday night.

Jaguars 31, Patriots 20— Jax’ville avenged their loss in LY’s AFC title game; they converted 10-14 on third down, held Gronkowski to two catches for 15 yards and overcame a -2 turnover ratio. Yardage was 481-302 Jaguars; people have to stop riding Blake Bortles, he’s winning lot of games lately.

Broncos 20, Raiders 19— Oakland led 12-0 at halftime, 19-7 with 3:00 left in third quarter, but Denver scored on all four second half possessions (two TD’s, two FG”s), kicking winning FG with 0:06 left, giving them two home wins, by total of four points. Raiders converted only 3 of 10 third down plays and fell to 0-2.

Colts 21, Redskins 9— Indy converted 9 of 16 on 3rd down, scored 21 points on three red zone drives. Redskins kicked FG’s on both their red zone drives, ran ball for only 65 yards- they were 5-15 on third down. Colts are 9-4 in their last 13 games vs NFC teams. Redskins have now lost six of their last seven home openers;

Cowboys 20, Giants 13— Dallas held rookie RB Barkley to 28 rushing yards, sacked immobile QB Manning six times, and won a game that took well under 3:00 to play, shortest NFL game I can remember in long time. Barkley did catch 14 passes for 80 yards; Beckham was held to four catches, 51 yards.

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Games to Watch - Week 4
September 17, 2018
By YouWager.eu

College Football Week 4: Games to Watch

The current college football season may only be three weeks old, but it has already delivered a ton of very surprising results. There are a few teams who are delivering exactly what we expected from them, with the Alabama Crimson Tide at the top of that list, while others are seeing their season sink like a stone in the very early going.

Some clear favorites have already emerged, with a gap already starting to open between the Top 4 teams and the rest of the chasing pack.

Week 4 is going to deliver another great batch of games, so let’s take a closer look at just some of the big matchups set for this coming Saturday, as well, all the betting odds, props and futures provided by YouWager.eu.

No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs at Missouri Tigers

There were some concerns that Georgia might see a bit of a drop off this year after losing so many players to the NFL draft, but they may actually be better now than they were at this stage last season. They have a bit of a tricky one ahead of them on Saturday, as they head to Missouri to face an unbeaten Tigers team who know how to put points on the board, it will be up to the Georgia defense to slow down the Tigers and prevent turning this thing into a shootout. This is a potential trap game for the Bulldogs that will require them to be totally focused.

No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

The defending champions have been in devastating form through the first two weeks of the season, with that potential quarterback controversy now looking totally foolish. Tua Tagovailoa has made the position his own, tearing up the opposition in rather devastating style. The Crimson Tide are very much the favorites to win it all again this season, but this is a game that they will need to be careful of. The Aggies gave the Clemson Tigers a real scare a couple of weeks back, so let’s not totally sleep on this team.

No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Longhorns

An in-state rivalry game is always fun to watch and this one is shaping up to be a beauty. TCU are coming into this one after taking their first loss of the season at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Longhorns are riding a bit of a high after laying a beating on the USC Trojans in Week 3. A win here for Texas would likely get them back into the top 25. While that is not reason for an all-out celebration, it would certainly be a step in the right direction for a rebuilding program.

No. 7 Stanford Cardinal at No. 20 Oregon Ducks

This is a crucial Pac-12 North Division battle, with both teams coming into Week 3 with a perfect 3-0 record. This will be the first conference game of the season for the Ducks, while it will be the second for Stanford. Given that the Cardinal have already played and won a conference game, this one takes on a higher level of importance, as the Ducks would suddenly find themselves very much behind the 8-ball with a loss to Stanford. This looks to be one of the best match-ups on the Week 3 college football calendar.

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Washington State at USC
September 17, 2018

By Kyle Markus

NCAA Football Game Preview - Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans

The USC Trojans’ offense is struggling after the departure of quarterback Sam Darnold to the NFL, and it needs to rebound if this team wants to capture the Pac-12 South title. USC lost its first conference game to Stanford when it mustered a lone field goal in the contest and will face off against Washington State in Week 4.

The Trojans are just 1-2 on the season and need to get things straightened out. Washington State is 3-0 but had an easy non-conference schedule. The Cougars should learn much more about themselves in this one as it won’t be easy on the road against USC.

The Pac-12 conference play is hitting high gear and this is one of several key games over the next few weeks in college football wagering.

The Washington State Cougars and USC Trojans will face off on Friday, September 21st, 2018 at 10:30 p.m. ET at L.A. Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

We'll have college football odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NCAA football season.

Odds Analysis

USC is listed as the 3.5-point favorite in this one, which is lower than one would have presumed when the season began. The scoring total has not yet been released but keep an eye on that one. Washington State is known for its high-scoring affairs, so even though USC has struggled on offense this season, the total could still be pretty high for this one in NCAA football betting.

Last Time Out

USC faced off against Texas last time out and fell 37-14. The Trojans led 14-3 after one quarter but the Longhorns systematically diced them up the rest of the way. The USC running game was awful, as the team’s top rusher was Stephen Carr with only 13 yards on six carries. Quarterback J.T. Daniels threw for 322 yards but it took him 48 attempts and he had no touchdowns and an interception.

Washington State beat Eastern Washington 59-24 in its most recent contest. The Cougars only led by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter but outscored Eastern Washington 24-0 in the final frame to cruise to the win. Quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for 470 yards and two touchdowns, with Davontavean Martin catching 13 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Thompson, Jahad Woods and Darrien Molton each had interceptions on defense.

Player To Watch

Minshew -- If Washington State is able to pull the upset, it will be on the right arm of its new quarterback. Minshew transferred in from East Carolina and has been impressive in his first three games.

He has thrown for 1,203 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions in three games, completing more than 70 percent of his passes. Even though USC gave up a lot of points last time out, the pass defense wasn’t the issue. Martin is a key target and the Trojans will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on him throughout the contest.

This matchup will be a key one to watch and it could determine the outcome.

Free College Football ATS Picks

USC is the home team and it has more pedigree but the Trojans are going through some growing pains. Washington State has to prove it can hang with higher competition and will do so in this one. The Cougars are the pick to not only cover the spread but spring the upset in NCAA football gambling.

USC has struggled on offense but Washington State’s defense can be suspect. The scoring total could be high in this one. Check on that number this week as the “over” could be a play if the oddsmakers don’t put enough stock in the type of shootout this one could become.

College Football ATS Pick: Washington State 38, USC 34

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STAT WATCH: Freshman Alan Bowman next big arm at Texas Tech
September 17, 2018
By The Associated Press

Alan Bowman looks to be next in line on the list of prolific passers who have come through Texas Tech.

The true freshman sits No. 2 on the national passing chart this week after throwing for 605 yards and five touchdowns in the Red Raiders' 63-49 win over Houston on Saturday. Bowman's total was the highest nationally since former Tech and current Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 734 yards against Oklahoma in 2016.

Bowman broke the Big 12 freshman record of 598 yards set by Mahomes against Baylor in 2014, and his five TDs were most by a Tech quarterback since Nic Shimonek's six against Arizona State last season.

Bowman completed 43 of 59 passes, with 13 of them to Antoine Wesley, who set a school record with 261 receiving yards.

A three-star recruit from Grapevine, Texas, Bowman is proving to be a perfect fit in the ''Air Raid'' offense that Kliff Kingsbury learned when he played for Mike Leach at Tech.

Bowman lost the preseason competition to McLane Carter, but hasn't come out since Carter was injured in the first quarter of the opener.

He averages 386.7 yards per game to rank second to Gardner Minshew, who's passing for 401 yards per game for Leach at Washington State. Bowman has completed 70.7 percent of his passes (94 of 133) and has eight touchdowns against no interceptions.

THE 200 CLUB

Darrell Henderson of Memphis turned in the top rushing performance of the week, going for 233 yards on 14 carries against Georgia State. That outing came after he ran for 212 yards on 13 carries the previous week.

The only other 200-yard game over the weekend belonged to Navy's Malcolm Perry, who had 223 yards on 19 runs against Lehigh.

WAY TO START CAREER

Freshman receiver Daniel George couldn't have envisioned starting his Penn State career the way he did. In his first appearance, he caught a 95-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Sean Clifford in the fourth quarter against Kent State. It was the longest play from scrimmage in program history by 3 yards.

THE LONG RUN

TCU's Darius Anderson broke the nation's longest run when he went 93 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State. Not only was it the longest rushing play in Horned Frogs' history, it was the longest play from scrimmage ever allowed by the Buckeyes.

HE WENT ALL THE WAY

Washington State's Travell Harris became the fourth player this season to return a kickoff 100 yards when he did it against Eastern Washington. Others who have done it are Utah State's Savon Scarver, Appalachian State's Darrynton Evans and Ohio's DL Knock. Fourteen players had 100-yard returns last season.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Davidson set a Football Championship Subdivision record with 964 total yards in a 91-61 win over Guilford on Thursday. A caveat: Guilford is a Division III team that was playing two levels up.

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Anxiety rises at high-pedigree programs
September 16, 2018
By The Associated Press

Misery loves company, and there's plenty to go around for first-year coaches at some of the high-pedigree programs in college football.

Chip Kelly is 0-3 at UCLA, Scott Frost is 0-2 at Nebraska, Willie Taggart hasn't beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent at Florida State and neither has Kevin Sumlin at Arizona.

Dan Mullen has the distinction of being the first Florida coach since 1986 to lose to Kentucky and the first to do it at home since 1979. Arkansas' Chad Morris lost to lowly Colorado State and watched his punt coverage unit fooled by that faux fair catch sparking a 90-yard return for a touchdown in a 27-point home loss to North Texas.

Turnarounds? These things take time, and fans don't like waiting. But there's a reason these jobs were open in the first place. All these programs were struggling.

Kelly was the splashiest hire of all. An innovator known for his offensive wizardry at Oregon, he got fired by two NFL teams and took last year off before signing on with UCLA. He took over a program that's been in decline since 2015.

The young Bruins have lost twice at home to Group of Five teams, most recently 38-14 to Fresno State on Saturday. In between was the 49-21 loss at top-10 Oklahoma. It gets no easier. Pac-12 crossover games against Washington, Oregon and Stanford - all ranked - are looming.

Kelly wouldn't go there when asked if the Bruins took a step backward with their penalty-filled loss to Fresno State.

''You can take a macro look at what your season looks like - forward, backward, all those things,'' he said. ''If I say it's forward or backward, that doesn't mean anything. What do we do wrong, how do we improve upon that and learn from it and grow? That's what our whole process is with these guys.''

Frost, Kelly's protege at Oregon, might not have known how big an undertaking Nebraska would be when he returned home after his splendid two-year run at Central Florida. That much is apparent after a 24-19 home loss to Troy. Never mind a walk-on quarterback started in place of the injured true freshman Adrian Martinez. Special team gaffes, defensive breakdowns and untimely penalties were the overriding reasons for the loss.

The Huskers didn't look much different than they did while going 4-8 under Mike Riley last year. The no-huddle up-tempo offense Frost learned from Kelly has been hit and miss so far, and now the Huskers sit 0-2 for the first time since 1957. A loss at Michigan this week would make them 0-3 for the first time since 1945.

Frost's position as a native son who quarterbacked the Huskers to a share of the 1997 national championship earned him a long leash. He has a seven-year, $35 million contract.

''We have a tough game next week, and this will get worse before it gets better, but it's always darkest before the dawn,'' Frost said.

Unlike Frost, Florida State's Taggart is on the clock with the fans. Taggart professed the Seminoles were his ''dream job,'' but he had no previous ties to FSU and took a sub-.500 coaching record with him to Tallahassee, though he was 25-12 the last three seasons (two at USF, one at Oregon).

The Seminoles have been nothing short of awful on offense, outscored a combined 54-10 by Virginia Tech and Syracuse, and they had to come from behind to beat Samford of the Football Championship Subdivision.

The 30-7 loss at Syracuse on Saturday - the Seminoles converted 1 of 14 first downs - sent the media scurrying to look up Taggart's contract terms. It would cost $21 million to buy him out after the season.

The Seminoles' drop-off has been sudden. Remember, it was just two seasons ago that they went to the Orange Bowl and beat Michigan in a thriller. Last year, they sneaked into a bowl but only after making up and winning a previously canceled game against Louisiana-Monroe. The spiral continues.

''We're not playing like we should be playing,'' Taggart said. ''Our fans should be upset. Coaches. We all should be. We're not living up to expectations.''

Sumlin got his first win at Arizona with a 62-31 victory over Southern Utah of the FCS. The season-opening 28-23 home loss to BYU looks a smidge better in the wake of the Cougars' win over top-10 Wisconsin on the road Saturday. The 45-18 loss at Houston still smarts and prompted a defensive lineup overhaul for the Southern Utah game.

The Wildcat faithful were pumped about the hiring of Sumlin, hoping he would be able to do with preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Khalil Tate what he did with Case Keenum at Houston and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M.

The Arizona staff has tried to transform Tate from freelancing playmaker to a quarterback capable of making all the reads and passing from the pocket. Tate got out to a slow start, and an ankle injury didn't help matters. A feel-good 349-yard, five-touchdown passing game against Southern Utah means little in the big picture.

''Anytime you win, it's always good, right?'' Sumlin said. ''Your first win is something that you always remember. For us, we've been through a lot the last couple of weeks. You can take a deep breath right now, but it's back to work tomorrow.''

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4th Quarter Covers - Week 3
September 17, 2018
By Joe Nelson

Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are some of the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the third big college football weekend.

Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows.

Boston College (-6) 41, Wake Forest 34: This game got moved up to a late afternoon start on Thursday and Wake Forest took a 24-21 lead as a home underdog in the third quarter. Boston College answered quickly to lead by four heading into the fourth quarter with a spread that climbed from -4 to -6. The key sequence in the game was likely a late third quarter possession for Wake Forest that reached the Boston College 8-yard-line. Down four Wake Forest opted to go for it on 4th-and-2 and fell short with an incomplete pass. Boston College went 92 yards in five plays to go up by 10, missing an extra-point that looked like a potential problem for those on the Eagles. Wake Forest settled for a short field goal after again getting inside the Boston College 10-yard-line, to trail by seven. Boston College put the game away with another quick touchdown drive to go up by 14 as a Demon Deacons touchdown with just over a minute to go didn’t impact the spread result.

Charlotte (+1) 28, Old Dominion 25: This Conference USA game was moved up to Thursday afternoon and it proved to be a competitive contest with a one-point game at the half. Old Dominion led 18-13 briefly in the third quarter before Charlotte completed a 13-play touchdown drive and added a two-point conversion to lead by three as a slight home underdog. Charlotte went up by 10 in the fourth but Old Dominion scored with three minutes remaining to trim the margin to three points, a touchdown that pushed the total ‘over’ as well. Charlotte secured the on-side kick attempt and got the first down they needed to run out the clock.

Miami, FL (-12) 49, Toledo 24: The Rockets fell behind 21-0 after failing going for it on a 4th down in Miami territory and also missing a field goal. The Rockets climbed to within seven points in the second half and trailed by just 11 into the fourth quarter to sit just inside the underdog spread. Miami delivered a five-play touchdown drive and then intercepted the next Toledo pass to pull away for a more convincing final score.

LSU (+10½) 22, Auburn 19: Auburn was in position for a big win in the SEC opener leading 21-10 well into the third quarter, sitting just past the favorite spread. In an eerily familiar finish to last season’s meeting LSU stormed back, getting a field goal late in the third quarter to close to within eight points while connecting on a 71-yard pass play to have a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion failed but Auburn had to punt and LSU was able to climb into range for a 42-yard game-winning kick in the final seconds. Settling for the field goal also kept the total just ‘under’ as well.

South Florida (-14) 25, Illinois 19: This spread moved dramatically all week with an opening line as low as -7½ for the Bulls in Chicago. It didn’t appear to matter as Illinois kept adding points, going from an early 7-7 tie to a 19-7 advantage through three quarters with four consecutive field goals. Settling for three prove costly however as a productive Bulls offense started to finish drives after missed opportunities earlier in the game. South Florida scored 18 unanswered points in the final frame and while it wasn’t enough to get quite past the spread it was quite a dramatic turn of events as a 3-0 start was spoiled for the Illini with +400 moneyline tickets spoiled as well.

UAB (+4) 31, Tulane 24: The Blazers saw a 14-point halftime lead slip away in the third quarter as Tulane tied the game at 24-24 with about 10 minutes remaining, settling for a field goal when a touchdown could have put the Wave right even with the closing spread or past a spread that bounced down to -3½ at times. UAB was pinned deep with a penalty on the kick return but managed to go 93 yards for the go-ahead touchdown including a big 4th-and-1 conversion. Tulane was a threat to tie the game late but Jonathan Banks fumbled inside UAB territory and then ran out of time in the final seconds after again crossing midfield.

Florida (-21) 48, Colorado State 10: The Gators led 27-0 after a blocked punt return touchdown but Colorado State climbed back in the game in the third quarter, trailing by just 17 to sit in position for an underdog cover. Special teams came through again with an 85-yard punt return for the Gators, one of three fourth quarter touchdowns that helped pad the final margin as Florida had 48 points on only 341 yards of offense.

Nevada (-4) 37, Oregon State 35: The Wolf Pack used a few big plays to take a commanding 30-7 lead hosting Oregon State but the Beavers scored twice in the final five minutes of the first half to trail by nine. Despite 51 points at halftime, neither team scored in the third quarter. The Beavers were within two early in the fourth quarter but Nevada quickly answered and got the ball right back after a missed field goal, leading by nine. With a chance to put the game away Ty Gangi was intercepted near the red zone with a return across midfield and Oregon State scored four plays later to trail by only two. The Beavers forced a 3-and-out and had a shot at the outright underdog win but a 34-yard field goal was missed as time expired.

Missouri (-5½) 40, Purdue 37: Missouri jumped out to a 27-10 lead early in this revenge game but Purdue closed the score to 27-24 by halftime and tied the game in the third quarter. Missouri built up a 10-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter but David Blough led a two-play touchdown drive to put the Boilermakers in position to cover, down by three after earlier missing a field goal late in the third quarter. Drew Lock was intercepted in the red zone and Purdue managed to complete a 12-play drive with a field goal to tie the game with a 26-yard kick. Missouri led a methodical drive with several first downs to run out the remaining clock before settling for a 25-yard field goal rather than finding the end zone with favorite backers falling just short.

Texas A&M (-28) 48, UL-Monroe 10: The Aggies led just 24-10 at halftime and were short of the spread with a 34-10 lead well into the fourth quarter. A touchdown with eight minutes to go put Texas A&M past the number and a UL-Monroe interception followed as the Aggies added another late score to pad the final numbers.

Ohio State (-12) 40, TCU 28: TCU seemed to have control of the big Saturday night game with a 21-13 lead into the second half. Ohio State connected on a 63-yard touchdown and opted to go for two and the tie but came up short to trail by two. It didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to go in front with an interception return touchdown and then shortly thereafter Ohio State scored again after a blocked punt for three touchdowns in about four minutes of game clock, suddenly shifting the momentum completely and the likely spread result. TCU would hit a 51-yard pass play to get back within five heading into the fourth quarter before bettors had a nervous final frame depending on the number with a spread that fluctuated from -10 up to -14. Ohio State would complete a long drive early in the fourth quarter to wrap up the victory with both teams punting on the next possessions. Down 12 Shawn Robinson threw an interception with just over two minutes to go and the Buckeyes were a threat to add a late touchdown for the clear favorite cover with J.K. Dobbins breaking tackles for a 17-yard gain before being brought down inside the 10-yard-line and the Buckeyes were able to take a knee from there.

South Alabama (-10) 41, Texas State 31: The Jaguars trailed 31-16 well into the third quarter as Texas State looked poised for an upset. A 55-yard interception return touchdown sparked a South Alabama comeback and a field goal early in the fourth quarter put the Jaguars within five. After an exchange of punts South Alabama went 80 yards in less than two minutes to lead by three with two minutes to go and an interception set-up another score to win by 10 even with the common closing spread for a 25-0 run to finish the game.

Washington (-4) 21, Utah 7: There was no scoring in the fourth quarter of this late night Pac-12 contest as Washington held on for a 14-point win but Utah had plenty of opportunities. After a pair of third quarter fumbles Utah got a break with lineman Pita Tonga intercepting a desperate Jake Browing heave and he had a clear path down the sideline. Without contact from an opponent Tonga fumbled the ball out of bounds at the 11-yard line. Utah didn’t score, coming up short on 4th-and-1 near the goal line. The Utes forced a quick punt and quickly had the ball back deep in Washington territory before again coming up empty. Utah failed on 4th down in Washington territory a third time in the fourth quarter in the final minute as the score held.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s six-pack

Six interesting college games this weekend:

— Washington State @ USC (-4)- Friday night

— Stanford (-1.5) @ Oregon

— Florida (-4.5) @ Tennessee

— Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State (-13)— Listed total is 79.

— TCU (-3) @ Texas

— Wisconsin (-3.5) @ Iowa

Quote of the Day
“Look, coach (Chip) Kelly, if you wish to call him this is 4 and 26 for his last offensively called football games… Dorian has only played in 3 of the last 30 games… Can you say duped!”
Michael Robinson, whose son is UCLA’s QB.

Tuesday’s quiz
Who was the Chicago Bears’ coach last time they were in the Super Bowl?

Monday’s quiz
Giant coach Pat Shurmur’s son is the starting QB at Vanderbilt this year.

Sunday’s quiz
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was a QB at Ohio State.


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Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) Cleveland Browns were going to cut WR Josh Gordon over the weekend, but they traded him instead, to New England; they got a 5th-round draft pick in exchange.

12) It is too bad HBO’s Hard Knocks ends when the final rosters are named in training camp; seeing all that drama play out behind closed doors would’ve been good TV.

11) I know Nebraska is 0-2 for the first time since 1957 and they lost to Troy State Saturday, but ragging on Troy is a mistake- Trojans also won at LSU last year- they’re 24-6 in their last 30 games, and are favored to win the Sun Belt this season.

10) USC didn’t score a touchdown at Stanford two weeks ago; they didn’t score a point on their last nine drives at Texas- those two losses should have some Trojan coaches nervous, and since the head coach is signed up thru 2023, I’m talking about assistants on offensive side of the ball.

9) Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys for $154M in 1989; they’re worth right around $5B now. Not the best GM of a football team, but a damn good businessman.

8) Last two years, San Francisco Giants are 2-17 at Coors Field in Denver.

7) Defensive tackle David Onyemata of the Saints got fined $40,108 for two hits in the Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. Problem is, Onyemata’s game check was $39,375- he lost $700 by playing in the game.

6) Florida State is 1-2 this season, and has looked awful in all three games.

In coach Willie Taggart’s previous head coaching stops, he went 11-25 in his first season at those schools; this is his third stop in three years, which is weird for a head coach, and his system is a lot different than Jimbo Fisher’s. If panic set in and FSU wanted to fire Taggart, it would cost the school around $21M, so that probably ain’t happening. At least this season.

5) Former NBA player Brent Barry got a job in San Antonio Spurs’ front office, which takes him off TV and that is a loss for those of us who watch NBA games on TV- he was a good analyst.

4) Mets won their season series with the Phillies the last seven years, their longest streak of that kind over any opponent, ever.

3) Seattle Seahawks have played 33 Monday Night Football games; last night was only their 10th such game on the road.

2) Eagles get starting QB Carson Wentz back this weekend, for first time since he got hurt out in LA last December. Philly split its first two games this season.

1) One of the best lines I’ve heard in Hard Knocks over the years was from Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien, who called the NFL “…..the most competitive business in the world” while talking to his team after the final roster had been determined.

Pretty accurate statement; there is such a fine line between success and failure.