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Washington at Oregon
October 10, 2018
By Bookmaker

By Kyle Markus

NCAA Football Game Preview - Washington Huskies at Oregon Ducks

The Washington Huskies have bounced back from a season-opening loss to Auburn to get themselves back in the College Football Playoff picture. Washington has won five consecutive games, including three in the Pac-12 as it has jumped to the clear favorite in the conference. However, the Huskies’ national title hopes could take a big blow if they are unable to come away with a win this week in a tough matchup against the Oregon Ducks.

Washington has the superior talent but the Ducks have the home field advantage in this contest. The oddsmakers are giving Oregon respect as they believe this one should be a competitive matchup. The Huskies have a lot riding on this game as it is one of the toughest remaining on the schedule.

Oregon only has one loss on the season itself and that came due to a stunning comeback by Stanford in a game the Ducks should have won. Oregon can turn some heads by picking up a victory in this matchup in NCAA football live betting.

This NCAA football game between the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks will be held at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon at 3:30 p.m ET on Saturday, October 13th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.

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

Odds Analysis

The Huskies are listed as 3.5-point favorites in this contest, a line that has gone up a half-point in recent days. Washington is the -165 favorite while Oregon is the +144 underdog on the moneyline. The scoring total is listed at 57.5 points.

In addition to the standard pregame wagers, there will be live betting available for this matchup. The fact that both teams are nationally ranked makes this one a prime showing, which will allow bettors to put in bets as the game is going on. The new availability to bet during games is a boon to those gamblers who have a good eye for trends and who can figure out what is going to happen next based on recent events.

Player To Watch

Justin Herbert -- The Oregon quarterback is getting buzz as possibly the first signal-caller that will be chosen in the NFL draft next spring. For now he is hoping to keep dicing up college defenses. Herbert has been fantastic this season, completing 88-of-136 passes for 1,411 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Herbert has played well on the season but this will be quite the chore against an elite Washington defense. The Huskies are only allowing 13.7 points per game, including only 175 yards per game through the air.

This is a matchup of strength against strength. The side that wins this chess match will have a big leg up in the showdown.

Key Stat

Four. That’s the number of years, including this one, that Jake Browning has been the starting quarterback for Washington. He has a ton of experience and will not be fazed by a road game showdown against a nationally ranked foe. Browning has not been dominant this season but he was great last year as a junior.

If Browning can step up and play well against the Ducks, his team will have a good chance to come out with a hard-fought victory.

Free NCAA Football ATS Picks

The spread moving up a half-point is critical. The Huskies are the pick to win this game, but it should be close from start to finish as both of these teams are impressive. Oregon is the pick to cover the spread, with the “over” the call in a game that should become a shootout. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the live betting options as picking touchdowns on several drives could pay off nicely in NCAA football live gambling.

NCAA Football Pick: Washington Huskies 34, Oregon Ducks 31

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Big 12 Report - Week 7
October 10, 2018
By Joe Williams

2018 BIG 12 STANDINGS

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

Texas Tech at Texas Christian (Thurs. - ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
The Red Raiders and Horned Frogs are each rested after byes, so you can likely expect a high-scoring affair. Texas Tech heads to Fort Worth as a touchdown underdog as of Wednesday morning. Texas Tech is 5-1 ATS in their past six appearances on Thursday, while going 11-5 ATS in the past 16 games after a straight-up loss and 8-3 ATS in the past 11 following a cover. TCU enters just 2-6 ATS in the past eight games overall, while going a dismal 5-16 ATS in the past 21 games at home. They're also 1-5 ATS in the past six against teams with a winning record and 0-4 ATS in the past four league outings. The over has cashed in five of the past six for the Red Raiders, but the under is 4-1 in the past five road contests. For TCU, the under is 4-0 in their past four after a bye, and 21-6 in the past 27 inside the conference.

Oklahoma State at Kansas State (ESPNU, 12:00 p.m.)
The Cowboys look to rebound after suffering their second loss of the season at home against Iowa State, 48-42. Offense wasn't a problem, but the defense couldn't stop anyone. K-State has struggled mightily on offense, the Pokes should be able to make improvements on D. The Wildcats badly need a win or their hopes of bowl eligibility will be in serious jeopardy. The Cowboys are 6-1 ATS in their past seven on the road against teams with a losing home record, but they're just 2-5 ATS in the past seven inside the Big 12. K-State is a solid 4-0 ATS in their past four following a straight-up loss while going 34-16-2 ATS in the past 52 in the month of October. They have also handled their business against the Cowboys, going 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings in Manhattan, and 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings overall. The over is also 11-1 in the past 12 in this series, and 5-1 ATS in the past six at K-State.

Baylor at Texas (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)
The Longhorns officially announced that they are back, topping Oklahoma in a thrilling Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl last season. Can they avoid a hangover against a lesser, but still dangerous, team from Waco? The Bears haven't had a lot of success against the number lately, going 4-9-1 ATS in their past 14 on the road and 1-4-1 ATS in their past six overall. Texas is 8-2-1 ATS in their past 11 against teams with a winning record, while posting an impressive 5-0-1 ATS mark in their past six games in the month of October. The total trends for both of these sides is quite contrasting. It's all about the over, going 6-1 in the past seven for Baylor, and 4-1 in their past five on the road. The under is 11-4 in the past 15 at home for Texas, and 39-14 in their past 53 conference battles. However, the over easily hit last week against Oklahoma. The road team is 14-6 ATS in the past 20 meetings in this series, with Baylor 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to Austin. The under is 5-0 in the past five meetings, too.

West Virginia at Iowa State (FOX Sports 1, 7:00 p.m.)
QB Will Grier leads his Mountaineers into Ames for a primetime battle, and West Virginia finds themselves as just a 6 1/2-point favorite as of Wednesday morning. Is this a trap game? The Cyclones are just 2-3 SU/3-2 ATS, but they won and covered as heavy underdogs at Oklahoma State last week. West Virginia has been hot against the number, going 4-1 ATS in their past five overall, and 14-3 ATS in the past 17 on the road against teams with a losing home record. I-State has also been good against the spread, going 13-3-1 ATS in the past 17 against winning teams, while cashing in four of their past five at home. They're also 21-6-1 ATS in the past 28 overall, and 20-6-1 ATS in their past 27 league games. West Virginia has dominated the series, going 3-0-1 ATS in the past four meetings, and the road team is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six.

Teams On A Bye
Kansas, Oklahoma

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Texas Tech at TCU
October 9, 2018
By Joe Nelson

This week’s Thursday night game is a prominent Big XII clash as Texas Tech and TCU face off. While both teams are closer to the bowl bubble than the Big XII title game at this point in the season, this will be a key game in the conference pecking order not to mention one of the main rivalry games of the season for both squads.

Match-up: Texas Tech Red Raiders at Texas Christian Horned Frogs
Venue: At Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Time/TV: Thursday, October 11, 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Line: TCU -7, Over/Under 62
Last Meeting: 2017, TCU (-7) 27, at Texas Tech 3

This line on this game was released late with questionable quarterback situations for both teams. Since the ‘West Texas Championship’ renewed on an annual basis in 2012 these squad have each won the Saddle Trophy three times with the road team now winning the past three years.

Both TCU and Texas Tech are knotted at 1-1 in league play and while West Virginia and Texas are both 3-0 on top of the standings, those teams will need to face off and both have some difficult hurdles remaining as it is still a wide-open race for a spot in the Big XII title game. The Big XII has Texas back in the national spotlight rising to the top 10 of the polls but the conference as a whole is likely clinging to a long shot 13-0 run for West Virginia in regard to the national playoffs with Oklahoma upset last week.

TCU looked the part of a Big XII contender and possible national sleeper with a 2-0 start and an 8-point lead over Ohio State well into the third quarter in a big mid-September game in Arlington. The Buckeyes scored three touchdowns in four minutes to send TCU’s season spiraling in the other direction. The Frogs lost to the Texas the following week with a combined seven turnovers in those two defeats before getting back on track in late September with a narrow 17-14 victory hosting Iowa State.

A critical sixth season for Kliff Kingsbury coaching his alma mater started poorly with a 24-7 1st quarter deficit against Ole Miss in Houston on the opening Saturday, with starting quarterback McLane Carter injured. Freshman Alan Bowman was handed the offense from there and posted big numbers including leading notable wins over Houston and Oklahoma State. Bowman was seriously injured and hospitalized after taking a hit in the 42-34 loss to West Virginia with the Red Raiders down to sophomore Jett Duffey for the duration of that game. All three quarterbacks may be available for this week’s game.

For TCU sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson has had mixed results with six interceptions in four FBS games but offering big play potential in the air and on the ground. Robinson was injured late in the win over Iowa State with a shoulder issue on his non-throwing arm and while he has been cleared to return, Gary Patterson has hinted that he may not start this week with sophomore Michael Collins likely to play in the game as well. Collins has only thrown 14 passes this season and not in any meaningful moments.

Texas Tech was anticipating being a stronger defensive team this season as after years of being consistently involved in shootouts, the Red Raiders improved dramatically in the defensive numbers last season. This year the positive gains haven’t been there despite an experienced unit led by linebacker and future NFL draft pick Dakota Allen. Texas Tech has allowed nearly 450 yards per game and 31 points per game including allowing 42 or more points in three of four FBS games.

Patterson has a reputation for defense and this year’s team has allowed fewer than 21 points per game, holding three of five foes to 14 or fewer points. Texas and Ohio State combined to score 71 points against the Horned Frogs but a 7-0 turnover deficit in those games contributed significantly. TCU has only surrendered 178 passing yards per game this season and that will be the key matchup against a Red Raiders offense averaging 408 passing yards per game. TCU is 14th nationally allowing only 5.7 yards per pass attempt while Texas Tech has allowed 7.7 yards per pass attempt although opposing quarterbacks have completed below 56 percent of throws against both teams.

With Oklahoma up next this is a critical spot for TCU as a 1-3 Big XII start would be realistic with a loss this week. TCU will still have to play in Morgantown in November as a bowl bid could even be cast into a doubt for a squad that was projected to compete for a Big XII title after being the runner-up last season. The stakes may be higher for Texas Tech who still has Iowa State, Oklahoma, and Texas on the schedule. If the Red Raiders fall to 3-3 overall this week they might be in line for another dramatic run in late November with Kingsbury in danger of missing a bowl game for the third time in six seasons.

Last season: TCU was 8-2 heading to Lubbock last November in the game following a 38-20 loss at Oklahoma. The Horned Frogs turned in a great performance with a 27-3 win on the road. The defense did the heavy lifting as TCU managed only 289 yards of offense and led just 10-3 late in the third quarter. TCU completed only six passes in the game in what was Robinson’s first career start and then added a late defensive score. That loss left Texas Tech at 5-6 but they beat Texas in the season finale to earn a bowl bid. The three-point showing was the lowest output for Texas Tech since losing 12-3 at TCU in 2006.

Historical Trends:

Texas Tech is 14-8 S/U and 14-10 ATS in this series since 1980, covering in 13 of the past 19 meetings.

TCU has won S/U in three of the past four games but has lost S/U and ATS in two of the past three home games in the series.

TCU has won S/U in eight consecutive home games since the start of last season but is just 3-12 ATS at home since the start of the 2016 season.

TCU is 1-5 S/U and ATS in six instances since 2016 as a home favorite of 10 or fewer points.

Texas Tech is 22-14 ATS on the road since 2011 including going 8-3 ATS as a road underdog since 2015 with five S/U upsets.

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Georgia prepares to face Top 25 gauntlet
October 9, 2018
By The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) The first half of the season was a breeze for No. 2 Georgia.

No daunting opponents. No game closer than two touchdowns.

Now the real season begins.

The Bulldogs must run a gauntlet of four straight games against Southeastern Conference opponents currently ranked in the Top 25, beginning with Saturday's trip to No. 13 LSU.

''Anytime you go on the road in the SEC, it's an adventure,'' coach Kirby Smart said. ''We're going to play some good teams coming up, absolutely. It's tough everywhere in the SEC. Go talk to Tennessee and ask them the road they're dealing with. Go talk to LSU - they just played Florida . I mean, there's no time to cry about it. Nobody wants to hear that. You gotta get ready to go play.''

Coming off a trip to the national championship game, Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC) has yet to be seriously challenged .

But beating teams like Austin Peay and Vanderbilt by an average of nearly 30 points a game makes this a rather mysterious team. Even this deep into the season, no one is quite sure how the Bulldogs will react when inevitably faced with an opponent that can match up with them physically and hang around well into the second half.

''We just know that from this point going forward we need to be on our A game, because this is our meat of our schedule,'' receiver Terry Godwin said. ''We haven't played our best yet.''

Making this stretch even more challenging: only one game is between the hedges.

After traveling to LSU (5-1, 2-1), Georgia has an off week before heading to Jacksonville for their Cocktail Party game against No. 14 Florida (5-1, 3-1). That's followed by another true road game at No. 18 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1), before the Bulldogs finally return to Sanford Stadium to host No. 21 Auburn (4-2, 1-2).

If the Bulldogs get through all that unscathed, they'll almost surely head to the SEC championship game with a perfect 12-0 record. The final two games are both at home against lowly Massachusetts and state rival Georgia Tech.

''Every week, the team gets better, they get more experience,'' tight end Isaac Nauta said. ''Obviously, we've got a tough stretch up ahead with a lot of good opponents, but our preparation's not going to change. If anything, we're going to push harder because we know the competition's going to get better. It's exciting knowing you're going to go into some of these big games and that's what you want to be a part of being a football player.''

Missouri was the only team to remotely challenge Georgia, hanging within striking distance going to the fourth quarter before losing 43-29. In every other game, the final margin was at least 24 points.

That's made it even more important for the Bulldogs to challenge themselves during the week.

''We've been tested,'' Nauta said. ''We believe that some of the best competition we're going to play is in practice.''

This will be Georgia's first trip to Baton Rouge since 2008. While no one on the roster has played in Death Valley, they all have a sense of what they'll be up against in Tiger Stadium's notoriously raucous atmosphere.

''From everything I've heard, it's supposed to be an electric place to play in and they've really got the home-field advantage,'' Nauta said. ''I'm ready to see what it's like.''

Smart already knows. He played there in 1998 during his senior season at Georgia, spent the 2004 season as an LSU assistant, and returned four more times while serving as Alabama's defensive coordinator.

''They have an incredible environment,'' Smart said. ''Their fan base is really second to none in the atmosphere they create from the time you pull in on the buses to play in the stadium. It's an awesome opportunity for our team to play on a national stage. It's an opportunity for a lot of our guys to play in a venue that a lot of Georgia players never got a chance to play in and some in the future won't get an opportunity to play in. So that part is good.''

In some ways, it feels like a season opener for the Bulldogs.

The beginning of the real season, for sure.

''That's why you come to the SEC,'' Smart said. ''You want to run the gauntlet of challenging teams, unbelievable atmospheres on the road. That's what SEC football is all about.''

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Misfires plaguing Stidham, Auburn
October 9, 2018
By The Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Darius Slayton was sprinting downfield without a Mississippi State defender in the vicinity.

But on a trick play that otherwise worked to perfection, No. 21 Auburn's quarterback Jarrett Stidham badly overthrew his streaking wide receiver.

It's been that kind of year for Stidham, who has struggled at times this season and knows it.

''I've got to make a throw,'' he said Tuesday. ''I can't tell you how many times I've made that throw in practice. And for whatever reason, I just didn't make it.

''Whether it's focusing more, or whatever it needs to be, I've got to make those throws and that's what it comes down to.''

The Tigers head into Saturday's game with Tennessee ranked 11th in the Southeastern Conference in scoring offense and 13th in total yards.

Auburn's offense has sputtered for a variety of reasons, including in that 23-9 loss to the Bulldogs. The offensive line has struggled . The running game hasn't been consistent.

And Stidham hasn't been able to duplicate his second-team All-Southeastern Conference play from last season.

If there's plenty of blame to go around, Stidham isn't shying away from taking his share.

''I'm the one with the ball in my hands every play,'' he said. ''And I've got to play a lot better. I think that's first and foremost. For our offense to be as successful as it's going to be, I've got play a lot better. And I know that, and I'm working as hard as I can to improve every week.''

Even a top 10 defense hasn't been able to compensate for the struggles of Stidham and the offense.

The Tigers dropped 13 spots in the rankings with the loss to the Bulldogs and most likely fell from SEC West contention . Stidham was 19-of-38 passing for 214 yards in that game and only has three touchdown passes in the past four.

''He's pretty tough on himself,'' Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. ''If you ask him, he'd be pretty frustrated too. It's all of the above. It's everything that goes with it.

''It's not just one thing. He's a good quarterback and I really expect him and the offense to get better in the second half'' of the season.

Stidham's numbers have plummeted pretty much across the board from his debut season at Auburn.

- He's 74th in passing yards per game after throwing for the second-highest single-season yardage total in Auburn, 3,158.

- His completion percentage has dropped from 66.5 percent and Top 10 nationally to 60.1 percent, 76th-best.

- He was 19th in pass efficiency last season and is 86th at the midpoint this year.

Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt faced Stidham last season as Alabama's defensive coordinator and pointed out that he's playing behind an inexperienced line. Stidham led the Tigers to the upset in that game against the top-ranked Crimson Tide.

''This guy's got great arm talent,'' Pruitt said. ''He has understanding of what he does, what they want him to do offensively. He's got good guys around him. He can make all the throws.

''He can hurt you with his feet. I think he's a tremendous quarterback and it definitely will be a huge challenge for us.''

Stidham said he mostly avoids social media and the criticism it contains.

Wide receiver Ryan Davis said he has the team's full support.

''I'm behind Jarrett 100 percent,'' Davis said. ''Everybody else is behind Jarrett 100 percent.''

Malzahn opened his Tuesday news conference by acknowledging the frustration of fans, players and coaches. He didn't name Stidham directly but easily could have.

''No one needs to be blaming our players,'' he said. ''Any time a team is not playing at its potential, it's a coaching issue. That's my responsibility.''

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VT defense shows growing pains
October 9, 2018
By The Associated Press

When the Virginia Tech offense gave up a touchdown against Notre Dame, Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster said his defense reacted as though they had come up short.

Late in the first half of Virginia Tech's 45-23 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame , Hokies quarterback Ryan Willis' fumble was scooped up by the Irish's Julian Love and returned for a touchdown.

Foster said when the defense came off the field after the extra point, ''it was like they gave up the touchdown.''

It was another teaching moment for one of the youngest defenses Foster has ever had to start a season.

''I pulled them together and said, `We're playing our tails off right now. Keep your head up. We've got a lot of football left,''' Foster said. ''That's where we've got to have some maturity. Go to the next play.''

Foster's group has at times shown no signs of the inexperience expected with nine new starters. At other times, the defense has looked like a group getting intensive on-the-job training for the Hokies (3-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

They hope they can regroup on Saturday when they play at North Carolina (1-3, 1-1).

In its season-opener, Virginia Tech held Florida State without a touchdown at home for the first time in a decade in a 24-3 victory , but two weeks later, the Hokies were torched for 495 passing yards by a backup quarterback in a 49-35 loss at previously winless Old Dominion .

Notre Dame's point total was the highest for an opponent at Lane Stadium since Houston beat Virginia Tech 49-12 in 1974.

''There are momentum swings,'' Foster said. ''How we handle those swings is where we have to be better.''

The Hokies' youth is partly their own doing. After three starters graduated last season and three others left early for the NFL draft, coach Justin Fuente dismissed three more from the team for various infractions.

Free safety Divine Deablo also missed the game against Notre Dame with a hamstring injury, forcing Tyree Rodgers into more extensive action than he'd seen before. Rodgers was badly beaten on what would have been a 62-yard touchdown pass in the first half, but quarterback Ian Book just as badly overthrew Chris Finke on the play.

On what proved to be the most decisive play of the game, three defenders converged on Book as he scrambled toward the line of scrimmage, leaving Miles Boykin open behind them for an easy flip and a 40-yard scoring play.

''Those things are pretty frustrating from our part, but that's also what we're dealing with - young guys,'' Foster, in his 38th season, said. ''You rep those things in practice and you should be able to do it in a game.''

There were other frustrations from the defensive side, including the offense's failure to punch the ball in on three tries from the 1 yard-line after Reggie Floyd's interception, and two missed field goals.

The mistakes weren't major, Floyd said, but became glaring because the Irish pulled away after halftime.

''The small things, us paying attention to our own assignments, and it kind of got out of hand in the second half,'' Floyd, one of the last returning starters, said. ''We just shot ourselves in the foot.''

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Notre Dame knocking on the door
October 9, 2018
By The Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Brian Kelly has learned to adapt over the years, even when it comes to the postgame music played in the Notre Dame locker room.

''As long as they do their job, I have no problem with having to listen to music that I'm not familiar with and routines that are a little bit different,'' said Kelly, whose musical tastes stop and end with Bruce Springsteen more than Jay-Z, Beyonce, Drake and Travis Scott.

Kelly has had three of his Fighting Irish teams open the season 6-0 and they have all had their differences. The 2012 team reached No. 1 with a 12-0 regular season before getting hammered by Alabama in the national title game. The 2014 team won just two of its final seven games to finish 8-5.

The latest version is now ranked No. 5 and is coming off impressive second-half performances over Stanford at home and against Virginia Tech on the road. There is plenty of talk about whether the Fighting Irish might be in the mix of the playoff rankings, the first of which comes out Oct. 30.

But there is a lot of football left and the rest of Notre Dame's schedule is no cakewalk.

''(The 2012 team) was constructed differently,'' Kelly recalled. ''It was largely put together on the backs of a great defense and ball-control offense. Small ball, if you will. This one has (been) a much more complementary group in terms of offense, defense and the way they work.''

After this Saturday, Kelly hopes the 2012 and 2018 teams will have something else in common - a victory over long-time nemesis Pittsburgh. The last time the rivals met in Notre Dame Stadium was in that 2012 season. The Irish survived a possible game-winning, 33-yard field goal by Pitt at the end of the second overtime to win 29-26 on quarterback Everett Golson's 1-yard sneak.

''That team was a very mature group with (offensive lineman Nick) Martin and (running back) Theo Martin and (tight end) Tyler Eifert, (linebacker) Manti Te'o - a very professional, older, veteran group,'' Kelly said. ''Not that this is a non-veteran group, but you know, we signed 27 players in our last class (and) 14 of them were on this trip. So this is a younger group that is a little bit looser in that sense, but very focused when it comes to doing their jobs.''

First-year defensive coordinator Clark Lea's unit is led by senior linebackers Te'von Coney and Drue Tranquill, senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and junior cornerback Julian Love.

The defense held down the fort in narrow home victories over Michigan (24-17), Ball State (24-16) and Vanderbilt (22-17). Then offensive coordinator Chip Long and Kelly switched to Ian Book at quarterback, and he distributed the ball to 15 different players in a 56-27 victory at Wake Forest. Book has averaged 291 yards and three touchdowns passing in three victories.

The offense got a further boost when senior Dexter Williams returned from a university-imposed four-game suspension to rush for 161 yards against Stanford, including a 45-yard TD scamper on his first touch of the season, and 178 yards, 97 on a TD carry that ignited the 28-point second-half explosion at Virginia Tech.

The special teams have been solid with accurate senior placekicker Justin Yoon, now the school's all-time leading scorer, and senior punter Tyler Newsome averaging 46.3 yards per kick.

''I don't know if I'm looking forward to playing the No. 5 team in the country because they're awful good,'' Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said after his Panthers evened their record at 3-3 with a 44-37 overtime victory over Syracuse.

Narduzzi's teams have beaten two ranked teams in recent seasons - 43-42 at No. 3 Clemson in 2016 and then knocking off No. 2 Miami 24-14 in Pittsburgh to close out last season at 5-7.

Following Saturday's game, the Irish have an off week with five games against teams with a combined 14-13 record, four of them on the road: Oct. 26 at San Diego against Navy (2-3), Nov. 3 at Northwestern (2-3), Nov. 10 at home against Florida State (3-3), Nov. 17 against Syracuse (4-2) in Yankee Stadium and Nov. 24 at USC (3-2).

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Big Ten Report - Week 7
October 10, 2018
By ASA

2018 BIG 10 STANDINGS

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

Games Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13

Minnesota at Ohio State (-29.5) - (FS1, 12:00 p.m. ET)

MINNESOTA – The Gophers come into this game with a 3-2 record but 4 of those 5 games have been played at home. Their lone road game this year was @ Maryland in a game Minnesota was throttled 42-13. Last Saturday they returned home and lost 48-31 to Iowa as a 7-point underdog. So after allowing just 27 total points in their first 3 games, the Gopher defense has been shredded for 90 points in their 2 Big Ten contests. Now they face an OSU offense that ranks 6th in the nation averaging 49 PPG. There was a positive take on the defense last week and that was they controlled Iowa’s running game holding them to just 106 yards on 40 carries. It was something the Minnesota stop unit focused on during their bye week after allowing Maryland to rush for 315 yards in their most recent game. They did, however, help make Iowa QB Nate Stanley look like Tom Brady with 314 yards passing and 4 TD’s. Losing top safety Antoine Winfield Jr for the season has had a big effect. While they stopped the run on Saturday, running the ball well themselves has been an issue. Losing top RB Rodney Smith was a huge loss now averaging just 90 YPG on the ground in Big Ten play (13th ahead of only Northwestern). Not being able to run the ball is a huge problem for a team starting a freshman walk-on at QB.

OHIO STATE – The Buckeyes were expectedly a little flat last weekend coming off their huge 27-26 win @ Penn State the previous Saturday. They were facing an Indiana team that had played them very tough as of late covering 6 of the last 7 meetings. Make that 7 of 8 as IU hung tough covering the 27-point spread in a 49-26 loss. It was a 35-26 game entering the 4th quarter when OSU shut the door with 2 TD’s to close it out. QB Dwayne Haskins Jr threw for a career high 455 yards and 6 TD’s. He now has 25 TD’s and just 4 interceptions this year. After the game Haskins stated that his team was tired after their win @ PSU and during their week of practice they had a lower energy level than normal. Must be nice to have a week like that and still win by 23 points. If there is one chink in this team’s armor it might be their pass defense. They have allowed 286 and 322 yards through the air in their last 2 Big Ten games. After the game Urban Meyer was a bit concerned. "We've been fine against the run, but the pass has been killing us and that's going to bite us, something we've got to get fixed," Meyer said. Their pass defense may get healthy this week facing a Minnesota team that averages just 187 YPG (105th nationally).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have not met since 2015. Since PJ Fleck took over this Minnesota program last year, the Gophs are only 2-9 ATS vs Big Ten opponents. Fleck has played 5 conference road games since taking over and his Minnesota team is 0-5 SU & 0-4-1 ATS in those games getting outscored by 112 points in those 5 games (average loss of 22 PPG). Buckeyes look a bit overvalued as they have lost 3 of their last 4 to the spread with their only money maker during that stretch coming by just 6 points vs Tulane.

Rutgers at Maryland (-25.5) - (Big Ten, 12:00 p.m. ET)

RUTGERS – The Scarlet Knights had to look at last week’s home game vs Illinois as their best remaining shot at a win. Rutgers mistake prone football again on Saturday shot down that hope once again. The Knights had 3 turnovers which led to 10 of Illinois’ 38 points. They also had 10 penalties for over 100 yards and missed a field goal. Freshman QB Artur Sitkowski threw for a career high 267 yards but also threw 3 interceptions. They are huge underdogs this Saturday @ Maryland, the Terps then host Northwestern before the gauntlet of Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State to end the season. This team is destined for a winless Big Ten season and head coach Chris Ash will firmly be on the hot seat after his 3rd season. Ash currently has a record of 7-23 since taking over at Rutgers. The Knights are currently last in the Big Ten in scoring offense, total offense, rush defense, pass efficiency offense, pass efficiency defense, and 3rd down conversion defense. Simply a season to forget in New Brunswick.

MARYLAND – The Terps looked like they might have a shot @ Michigan last week leading 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Wolverines quickly shot down those hopes scoring an easy 42-21 win. Maryland relies as heavily on their running game as any team in the Big Ten. Their QB’s are not adept passers as Maryland ranks 123rd nationally at just 127 YPG through the air. They’ve only attempted 98 passes in 5 games this season which is ahead of only Army, Air Force, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Navy, and Coastal Carolina – all option based teams. They did OK last week vs Michigan running for 147 yards but with just 73 yards passing that wasn’t enough to get it done or even stay close. Stop Maryland’s running game and they are in big trouble. It doesn’t look like their opponent this week can do that as Rutgers allowed Illinois to rush for 330 yards last week and the Scarlet Knights rank 119th nationally at stopping the run. Maryland had 10 penalties vs Michigan and as with many of the Big Ten teams, that’s been a big problem this year. The Terps are the 4th most penalized team in the nation this year averaging just under 10 per game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Rutgers pulled off a 31-24 home win last year over Maryland as a 4.5 point underdog. The dog has covered 5 of the 6 meetings in this series. Rutgers has played 2 road games this season and been outscored by a combined 107-17 in those games (@ Ohio State & @ Kansas). The Terps have not been a favorite of this magnitude (-24 or more) since 2006 (vs FBS foes). Maryland’s largest spot as a Big Ten favorite before this game was in 2016 at home vs this same Rutgers team. The Terps were laying 15.5 in that game.

Iowa (-5.5) at Indiana - (ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

IOWA – The Hawkeyes bounced back nicely after their tough home loss to Wisconsin with a 48-31 road win @ Minnesota. That win gave Iowa 14 wins in their last 20 meetings with the Gophers. While they struggled to run the ball (just 2.7 YPC), QB Nate Stanley continued his impressive play throwing for 300+ yards and 4 TD’s. In his last 3 games Stanley has thrown for 880 yards and 8 TD’s as Iowa has relied more heavily on their passing game. The Hawks outgained the Gophers by 100 yards but were also helped out by 4 Minnesota interceptions, 3 of those coming on their final 4 possessions. The 17-point margin could have been much worse had Iowa taken better advantage of the turnovers as they led to just 3 points for the Hawkeyes. On the other hand, Iowa’s two turnovers turned into 14 points for the Gophers. While Iowa did have 4 interceptions, they also allowed freshman walk-on QB Zack Annexstad to throw for 218 yards and 3 TD’s. It was the first time he had thrown for over 200 yards since their opener vs New Mexico State. Iowa was forced to start to freshman corners, Jarius Brents & Riley Moss, as their two regular starters were both injured. Starting CB’s Matt Hankins and Michael Ojemudia have both been cleared to practice and may return to the line up on Saturday.

INDIANA – Indiana (+27) gave a valiant effort in their 2nd of back to back road games last week but come up short 49-26 @ Ohio State. The Buckeyes came in flat off their PSU win and the Hoosiers actually held a 17-14 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. From that point on the Buckeyes outscored IU 35-9 and pulled away for the win. QB Peyton Ramsey threw for a career high 322 yards hitting 9 different receivers for over 12 yards per pass attempt. Their running game, however, has been lacking at best as they are averaging only 92 YPG and 2.9 YPC in their 3 Big Ten games. It may improve quickly if they get last year’s leading rusher Morgan Ellison back in the line up at some point. He was indefinitely suspended before the season began but has been cleared by head coach Tom Allen to start practicing with the team. No word on when Allen will let him get back into game action. This is the 2nd straight season the Hoosiers have looked very good during the non-conference slate only to struggle when the Big Ten season opens. They were 4-0 this year only to lose 2 of their first 3 conference games with their only win coming by a TD @ Rutgers. Last year Indiana was also undefeated during the non-conference slate but lost their first 6 Big Ten games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have not met since 2015. Since 1980, the Hawkeyes are 20-9 SU & 17-12 ATS vs Indiana. Iowa has been a big time money maker as a road favorite covering 14 of their last 17 in that spot dating back to 2011 (including last week @ Minnesota). Indiana has failed to cover the last 6 times they’ve been a Big Ten home underdog (including at home vs MSU this year). The Hoosiers are also 0-6 ATS their last 6 games following a SU loss.

Nebraska at Northwestern (-4) - (ABC, 12:00 p.m. ET)

NEBRASKA – The Huskers (+17.5) fell for the 9th straight time dating back to last season losing @ Wisconsin 41-24. The line on this game opened with Wisconsin north of 21 and dropped to 17.5 (some 18’s) giving Nebraska a tight cover. The defense continued to struggle allowing 40+ points for their 6th straight Big Ten contest dating back to last season. The Badgers dominated the ground game cruising to 370 yards on the ground on nearly 8 YPC. The offense played very well moving the ball consistently through the air vs a banged up Wisconsin secondary. Adrian Martinez threw for almost 400 yards and 2 TD’s. The freshman QB, however, continues to be turnover prone as he fumbled in Badger territory and while he didn’t throw an interception the UW secondary dropped a number of potential picks including 2 on one drive. This team is much better than their 0-5 record but mistakes have taken away whatever opportunities they’ve had to come away with a win. They had 10 penalties for 100 yards at Wisconsin which means the Cornhuskers have been penalized at least 10 times in EVERY GAME this season. With a team like Nebraska who currently has a small margin for error, those mistakes are killers. If they ever eliminate a majority of those mistakes, they will pull an upset. When will that be is the question.

NORTHWESTERN – The Cats come home after pulling off a big upset last week @ Michigan State. Northwestern was a 10.5 point dog and won the game by double digits 29-19. The game was scoreless with under 2:00 minutes to go in the first quarter and the MSU & NW combined for 17 points in a 3:00 minute time frame spanning late first quarter into the second quarter. The Cats led 14-3 just 2:00 minutes into the 2nd quarter and they were up 14-6 at half. The game was still in doubt late when Michigan State, down 22-19, opted to go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 11 yard line with 3:59 remaining in the game. The Cats took over on downs after holding MSU short of the first down and then scored a TD 3 plays later to extend the margin to 29-19 and basically end the game. Northwestern continues to produce almost zero running game but QB Clayton Thorson is rounding into form the last few weeks making this a pass first and sometimes pass only offense. The Cats had just 8 yards on the ground on 20 carries vs MSU. Thorson had 47 pass attempts for 373 yards and 3 TD’s. It was the 2nd time in the last 3 games that Thorson had 47+ pass attempts and threw for 370+ yards. Northwestern now sits 2-1 in the Big Ten and with Nebraska and @ Rutgers on deck, they look to make a move toward the top of the West Division.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Northwestern won this match in OT last year beating Nebraska 31-24 in Lincoln as a 2.5 point favorite. Now the Cats are at home basically laying the same number (currently -3.5 or -4). The road team has won 6 of the 7 meetings outright since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. The Wildcats have covered 70% of the time when favored coming off an outright win as a dog dating back to 2011 (7-3 ATS). Last week was Nebraska’s first cover of the year and they did so by just a half point (+17.5 @ Wisconsin).

Michigan State at Penn State (-13.5) - (Big Ten, 3:30 p.m. ET)

MICHIGAN STATE – The Spartans continue their disappointing season this weekend in Happy Valley. They’ve been favored in every game this year but are just 3-2 on the season and just 1-4 ATS. MSU is banged up on offense right now with their top RB out, top WR out, and a few injuries along the offensive line. It shows as this team is struggling offensively. They couldn’t get their running game going as their two RB’s combined for just 27 yards on 11 carries. Their leading rusher was WR Felton Davis who tallied 50 yards on two end arounds. Because of their lack of a running game, QB Brian Lewerke is having to carry much of the load. He attempted 51 passes last Saturday vs the Wildcats. The defense remains stellar against the run as they held Northwestern to just 8 yards on the ground. Sparty has now allowed only 71 yards on the ground the entire season and they’ve held 8 straight opponents to less than 100 yards. They have been a bit vulnerable to the pass ranking dead last in the Big Ten in pass defense allowing over 300 YPG. After the 2015 season when MSU made the College Playoff they were on a run of 36-5 from 2013 – 2015 and looked like they might be close to breaking into college football’s elite. However, they are just 16-14 since and have obviously taken a step back as a program.

PENN STATE – The Nittany Lions have had two full weeks to try and recover from their disappointing 27-26 home loss to the Buckeyes. It was a game PSU should have won as they dominated the Buckeyes statistically with more first downs, a time of possession edge, and outgaining OSU by 103 yards. The offense was impressive putting up almost 500 yards on the Buckeyes with a great mix of run & pass. The defense was impressive for most of the game as they allowed OSU to gain only 219 yards and score just 14 points on their first 15 offensive possessions. The defensive problems started at that point as OSU gained 171 yards and scored 14 points on their final 2 possessions including the game winning TD with 2:03 remaining in the game. The Lions look pretty healthy heading into this match up and if they can put OSU behind them they should be motivated here after losing at MSU as a 9.5 point favorite last year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – MSU was +9.5 at home last year in this match up and pulled the 27-24 upset. The favorite in this series has covered 6 of the last 7 with the lone outlier being last year Spartan upset. PSU has covered 6 of the last 8 times they’ve been coming off a bye. This line opened -14.5 and dropped to -13.5. If this number goes back to 14 or higher, the Spartans are 21-13 ATS as a dog of two TD’s or more since 1980. Surprisingly, the Nittany Lions are just 1-7 ATS at home coming off a SU home loss.

Purdue (-10.5) at Illinois - (FS1, 3:30 p.m. ET)

PURDUE – Purdue comes off a bye after their big win @ Nebraska two weeks ago. The Boilers picked up the 42-28 win in Lincoln despite being outgained for the first time this season. The defense had trouble slowing down Nebraska as the Huskers tallied 536 total yards. The bend but don’t break defensive game for Purdue worked well when it needed to as the shut out Nebraska on downs 3 times in Boilermaker territory. They have struggled as a whole on that side of the ball all season long ranking 13th in the Big Ten in total defense allowing 447 YPG. Offensively Purdue has been on a nice run since head coach Jeff Brohm decided to stick with QB David Blough and ditch the rotating QB system. In their last 3 games in which Blough has played from start to finish, the Boilers are 2-1 with their lone loss coming by 3-points to Mizzou. They have scored 37, 30, and 42 points in those games and Blough has thrown for 1,196 yards 398 YPG average) and 7 TD’s. Purdue is just 2-3 on the season but they have gained 6.9 YPP while allowing 5.9 YPP for a +1.0 YPP differential.

ILLINOIS – The Illini were a rare road favorite last week @ Rutgers and they took care of business rolling over the Scarlet Knights 38-17. It was the Illini’s first road win since October of 2016 when the beat this same Rutgers team. It also ended a 13 game Big Ten losing streak. Starting QB AJ Bush returned to the line up after missing the previous two games and he made an impact. Bush threw for only 89 yards but ran for 116 yards and 2 TD’s. Illinois only completed 10 passes the entire game but they really didn’t need to do much more through the air as they rushed for 330 yards. This is becoming a very solid running team as they are 3rd in the Big Ten in rushing (260 YPG) and they have topped 200 yards on the ground in every game this season. Defensively the Illini rank in the bottom 3 of the Big Ten in both rush & pass defense and they allowed Rutgers freshman QB Artur Sitkowski to complete 29 passes for 267 yards which was easily the best game of his young career.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Purdue rolled up an easy 29-10 home win vs Illinois last year outgaining the Illini by 185 yards. The Boilers have not been a double digit road favorite since 2007. They are 2-7 ATS their last 9 in that role dating back to 1999. The Illini are just 10-19 ATS their last 29 conference games played at home. The Illini are just 6-17 SU their last 23 games coming off an outright win.

Wisconsin at Michigan (-8) - (ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET)

WISCONSIN – The Badgers opened as 21.5 point favorites last week vs Nebraska however the line dropped throughout the week settling in at -17 to -18 at most spots. The game landed right in that range with Wisconsin winning 41-24. The Badgers dominated the ground game rolling up 370 yards on 48 carries (7.7 YPC). That was 260 yards more than the Huskers could muster on the ground and Jonathan Taylor had 221 yards on 9.2 YPC. However, UW had a very tough time slowing down Nebraska’s passing attack. The Huskers threw for 405 yards with a few big plays in the passing game but many coming on throws to the flat with Wisconsin DB’s playing well off the receivers. The 518 total yards Nebraska tallied were the most on a Wisconsin defense since the 2014 season. The Badger defense continues to struggle putting pressure on the opposing QB as Nebraska freshman signal caller Adrian Martinez often had all day to throw. The only 2 sacks they had came from LB TJ Edwards on the blitz as they young defensive line is not getting much push. We’ll keep an eye on a number of injuries in the defensive backfield for Wisconsin this week as they ended the game last week with 3 back ups in the game, including 2 freshman corners. Starting free safety Scott Nelson will also have to sit the first half here after getting ejected for targeting last Saturday. On top of that, their top DE, Isaiah Lowdermilk, was on crutches at the end of the game which would really hurt an already thin defensive line.

MICHIGAN – The Wolverines (-17.5) got off a slow start last week and trailed Maryland 7-3 at home after the 1st quarter. They then ripped off 24 consecutive points en route to a 42-21 win. It really could have been worse as Michigan was forced to punt only once the entire game and that was on their opening possession. The defense continued to dominate holding Maryland to just 220 total yards and only two offensive TD’s. After rushing for 315 yards in their previous game vs Minnesota, the Terps were held to just 147 on the ground last Saturday. Michigan’s rush defense is now allowing only 96 YPG on 2.6 YPC and will be one of the key match ups of this game vs a Wisconsin team that loves to run the ball. After struggling in their season opener vs Notre Dame, the Michigan offense is peaking scoring 42+ in 4 of their last 5 games. In those 5 games the Wolverines have tallied 2,217 total yards for an average of 443 YPG. In last week’s win they put up 465 yards on 6.8 YPP. Michigan ran some plays from the pistol formation for the first time this season and when asked after the game how much of the playbook has been used thus far this season, QB Shea Patterson said he thought about a quarter was pretty accurate. More new wrinkles are expected this Saturday night at home vs the Badgers.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Wisconsin played host and won last year’s game 24-10 outgaining Michigan by nearly 100 yards. The Badgers have dominated the cash in this series with a 12-3-1 ATS record since 1992. UW is also 5-3 SU in this series since 2004. Badgers are also 17-8 ATS the last 25 times they’ve been an underdog going back to the 2008 season. Barry Alvarez turned this program around in the early 90’s and since 1990 they have been fantastic as a dog of more than a TD going 30-9-1 ATS! Michigan is 6-2-1 ATS their last 9 home meetings vs Wisconsin.

[StarDust Bum]

ACC Report - Week 7
October 10, 2018
By Joe Williams

2018 ACC STANDINGS

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Boston College 4-2 1-1 4-2 4-2
Clemson 6-0 3-0 2-4 3-3
Florida State 3-3 1-3 2-4 4-2
Louisville 2-4 0-3 1-5 3-3
North Carolina State 5-0 2-0 3-2 2-3
Syracuse 4-2 1-2 4-1-1 3-3
Wake Forest 3-3 0-2 1-5 5-1

COASTAL DIVISION

Duke 4-1 0-1 3-2 3-2
Georgia Tech 3-3 1-2 2-4 4-2
Miami-Florida 5-1 2-0 3-3 5-1
North Carolina 1-3 1-1 1-2-1 3-1
Pittsburgh 3-3 2-1 2-4 3-3
Virginia 3-2 1-1 4-1 3-2
Virginia Tech 3-2 2-0 3-2 3-2

Duke at Georgia Tech (ACC Network, 12:20 p.m. ET)

The Blue Devils hit the road for Atlanta looking to slow down the Yellow Jackets' rushing attack. Georgia Tech has rolled up 64.5 points per game over the past two outings against Bowling Green and Louisville, running the ball at will. The Blue Devils head to Atlanta with a 4-0 ATS mark over their past four road games and 6-2 ATS in the past eight overall. However, they're just 2-5-1 ATS in the past eight ACC battles and 0-3-1 ATS in their past four games in the month of October. The Ramblin' Wreck is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 at home, but just 2-6 ATS in their past eight overall and 1-4-1 ATS in their past six tries against winning teams. In this series, Duke, the underdog in each of the past four meetings, is 4-0 ATS with the under going 4-1 ATS in the past five battles in Atlanta.

Louisville at Boston College (ACC Network, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Louisville has opened the conference slate with three straight setbacks and they're heavily favored to suffer a fourth loss in Chestnut Hill on Saturday. The Cardinals hit the road with an 8-20-1 ATS mark ove rtheir ;ast 29 games, 1-4 ATS in the past five road games and a dismal 2-10 ATS mark across their past 12 contests against winning teams. The Eagles hve posted a 9-1-1 ATS record in the past 11 conference games, while going 12-3-1 ATS in the past 16 overall. BC is also 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight home games, 10-3-1 ATS in the past 14 home outings against a team with a losing road mark and 5-1 ATS in the past six against losing squads. However, the road team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings in this series.

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame (NBC, 2:30 p.m. ET)

The Panthers head into South Bend in a rivalry game, although Vegas isn't expecting much resistance from Pittsburgh. Playoff-hopeful Notre Dame is installed as a three-touchdown favorite heading into Saturday afternoon. Pitt has posted a 5-2 ATS mark in their past seven against teams with a winning record, but they're 6-19-1 ATS in the past 26 non-conference battles. Notre Dame is 5-2 ATS in the past seven games overall and 5-2 ATS in their past seven against the ACC. The under has been popular for both sides lately, going 7-1 in Pitt's past eight road games, and 6-2 in their past eight against independents. The under is also 13-5-1 in the past 19 overall. The under is also 4-1 in Notre Dame's past five home games and 7-3 in their past 10 overall. In this series, the Panthers are 3-0-1 ATS in the past four meetings in South Bend, while the underdog is 8-1-1 ATS in the past 10 in this series. The road team is also 7-2-1 ATS in the past 10 meetings.

Miami-Florida at Virginia (ESPN2, 7:00 p.m.)

Miami arrives with a lot of confidence after erasing a 27-7 deficit at home last week against Florida State to pick up a one-point win against their rivals. Now, will there be any kind of hangover? The Hurricanes have held steady as a favorite in the neighborhood of 6 to 6 1/2 points this week. However, Miami is just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 overall, 1-4 ATS in their past five ACC games and 1-4 ATS in the past five road games while going 1-5 ATS in the past six against winning teams. Conversely, UVA is 4-1 ATS in their past five home games while going 8-3 ATS in the past 11 against winning teams. They're also rested, and they're 9-2 ATS in their past 11 coming off a bye week. The underdog is 12-2 ATS in the past 14 meetings in this series, while the road team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven in this series. Miami has cashed in just one of the past five in this series.

Virginia Tech at North Carolina (ESPNU, 7:00 p.m.)

The Hokies will be angry after failing a huge national test last week at home against Notre Dame. Now, they look to take out their anger on the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, a team which has won just once in four tries overall this season. Virginia Tech is 2-9 ATS in the past 11 road games against teams with a losing home record, while UNC is 21-7 ATS in the past 28 at home against teams with a winning road record. The Tar Heels are an impressive 4-1 ATS in the past five ACC games, too, while going 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight overall. Va. Tech has dominated this series in the recent past, at least against the number, going 5-0 ATS in the past five and 5-1 ATS in the past six trips to Kenan Stadium. The 'under' is 9-2 in the past 11 meetings in this series, while going 4-1 in the past five in Chapel Hill.

Teams On A Bye
Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Wake Forest

[StarDust Bum]

Pac-12 Report - Week 7
October 10, 2018
By Joe Williams

2018 PAC-12 STANDINGS

NORTH DIVISION

Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
California 3-2 0-2 1-3-1 2-3
Oregon 4-1 1-1 1-4 3-2
Oregon State 1-5 0-3 2-4 5-1
Stanford 4-2 2-1 3-3 3-3
Washington 5-1 3-0 2-4 1-5
Washington State 5-1 2-1 6-0 5-1

SOUTH DIVISION

Arizona 3-3 2-1 3-3 1-5
Arizona State 3-3 1-2 4-2 3-3
Colorado 5-0 2-0 4-1 1-4
Southern California 3-2 2-1 1-4 3-2
UCLA 0-5 0-2 2-3 3-2
Utah 3-2 1-2 2-3 3-2

Arizona at Utah (Fri. - ESPN, 10:00 p.m. ET)

It's Friday Night Lights at Rice-Eccles in Salt Lake City, as the Wildcats and Utes tangle. It's an important game for both, too, as the Utes can ill afford a third loss in the conference if they're to have any hopes of representing the Pac-12 South in the Championship game, while the Wildcats do not need a fourth loss if they want to be bowl eligible. The Wildcats are just 3-13 ATS in the past 16 road games, while going 1-5 ATS in the past six road outings against a team with a winning home record. They're also 4-9 ATS in the past 13 games against teams with a winning record. Utah picked up a win at Stanford last week, but they're just 1-3-1 ATS in their past five following a straight-up victory. Arizona has posted a 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings in Salt Lake City.

Washington at Oregon (ABC or ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)

The Huskies and Ducks lock horns in a rivalry game, and it's a huge test for Washington. They're pretty much carrying the flag for the conference if the Pac-12 is going to have any hopes of a playoff team this season. Washington is 2-5 ATS in the past seven games overall, while going 1-5 ATS in the past six games on the road. Oregon hasn't been much better, however, going 1-5 ATS in the past six games overall while being blanked in their past five at home against the spread. However, they are an impressive 4-1 ATS in the past five outings following a bye week. Total bettors might like the fact the over has cashed in each of the past four meetings in this series, however the under is 7-3-1 in Washington's past 11 on the road and 4-0 in their past four against teams with a winning record. Oregon has dominated this series, at least against the number, going 11-2-1 ATS in the past 14 meetings, including 6-1-1 ATS in the past eight in Eugene.

UCLA at California (Pac-12 Network, 7:00 p.m.)

The winless Bruins head to Berkeley desperate for their first win of the season. While they didn't pull off the upset, they have plenty of positives after putting a scare into Washington in last weekend's cover at home. It was a rare cover, as UCLA is just 4-9 ATS in the past 13 Pac-12 battles, while going 2-5 ATS in the past seven overall. They're also a dismal 2-7 ATS in the past nine in this series. Cal is 4-1 ATS in the past five against teams with a losing record, while going 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight at home. They have also dominated this series against the spread, going 7-3 ATS in the past 10 meetings, including a perfect 5-0 ATS in the past five in Berkeley. The underdog is 15-6-1 ATS in the past 22, however, although the home team has cashed in seven of the past eight. The under is also 5-0 in the past five in this series.

Colorado at Southern California (FOX Sports 1, 10:30 p.m.)

The Buffaloes put their unblemished record on the line against the Trojans in #Pac12AfterDark. Colorado, in the ranks inside the Top 20, might look very attractive as a touchdown underdog against the Trojans, who are just 3-2 SU. The Buffs are 4-1 ATS in the past five overall, but they're just 1-4-1 ATS in the past six agains teams with a winning record. USC hasn't done very well against the number lately, however, failing to cover in four in a row at home, and they're also winless in four straight against the number vs. teams with a winning overall mark. So something has to give between these two as far as that trend is concerned. USC is just 5-15-1 ATS in the past 21 games overall, and 1-4-1 ATS in their past six inside the league. Bettors might like Colorado, since they're 3-1-1 ATS in the past five meetings and the underdog is also 3-1-1 ATS in the past five in the series. However, the home team is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six battles.

Teams On A Bye
Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State

[StarDust Bum]

College Football Picks: Why Pac-12 needs Washington to win
October 10, 2018
By The Associated Press

If the Pac-12 wants to maximize its damaged hopes of placing a team in the College Football Playoff, No. 7 Washington needs to beat No. 17 Oregon on Saturday.

The Huskies (5-1, 3-0) and Ducks (4-1, 1-1) meet in Eugene, Oregon, in a game that could go a long way to determining which team wins the Pac-12 North. After years of dominance by the Ducks, the Huskies flipped the rivalry the last two seasons, winning both games by a combined 108-24.

The Ducks' lone loss this season was a heart-breaking giveaway to Stanford. The Huskies have not lost since the opener against Auburn in Atlanta.

The best either team can do is ''12-1 Pac-12 champion,'' but Washington's resume would look much better than Oregon's. The Ducks, thanks to Texas A&M bailing on a series, were stuck with one of the weakest nonconference schedules in the country. They also, by luck of the draw, have a Pac-12 schedule that has neither Southern California nor No. 19 Colorado. Good for racking up wins, but not necessarily for impressing the selection committee.

The Huskies, meanwhile, host unbeaten Colorado next week and have already won at Utah. The Auburn game was a loss, but traveling cross-country and playing a Top 25 team (for now) in its backyard is probably better than beating up a cupcake at home - which is all the Ducks have to show. The Huskies could also get a little boost from their win over BYU if the Cougars finish out the season strong.

Colorado is the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 but, again, the schedule gods did the Buffaloes no favors. Rival Colorado State is mediocre at best and their big nonconference opponent, Nebraska, is in the midst of a historically bad season. Colorado probably needs to run the table to get serious playoff consideration, and it would probably bolster the Buffs' case if Washington was as good as possible.

Many wanted to bury the Pac-12 as soon as the Huskies lost to Auburn. That was premature. Even now there are enough twists and turns possible to pave the way for the conference to put its champion in the playoff - but the chances are much better if that champion is Washington.

The picks:

FRIDAY

No. 23 South Florida (minus 7+) at Tulsa

Charlie Strong is 15-2 coaching the Bulls ... USF 28-21.

SATURDAY

Missouri (plus 28+) at No. 1 Alabama

Will this be the week Tua Tagovialoa throws his first fourth-quarter pass? ... ALABAMA 56-24.

No. 2 Georgia (minus 7+) at No. 13 LSU.

Tigers will need to conjure up the turnover magic they had during a 5-0 start to keep up with the Bulldogs ... GEORGIA 28-17.

Minnesota (plus 29+) at No. 3 Ohio State

Much talk about the Buckeyes' leaky defense, but the running game has been spotty, too ... OHIO STATE 45-20.

Pittsburgh (plus 21) at No. 5 Notre Dame

On Saturday, the Fighting Irish will play their second-to-last home game of the season ... NOTRE DAME 42-17.

No. 6 West Virginia (minus 6) at Iowa State

Mountaineers are 5-1 against the Cyclones since moving to the Big 12 ... WEST VIRGINIA 31-23.

No. 7 Washington (minus 3) at No. 17 Oregon

Huskies face star QB Justin Herbert with a pass rush that has generated just eight sacks, six from defensive backs ... OREGON 27-24.

Michigan State (plus 13+) at No. 8 Penn State

Spartans can't run (3.42 yards per carry) or stop the pass (64.5 completion rate against). Otherwise, everything is great ... PENN STATE 38-21.

Baylor (plus 14) at No. 9 Texas

After a big victory, the Longhorns better beware of improving Bears ... TEXAS 41-21.

No. 10 UCF (minus 4+) at Memphis

Knights and Tigers played a crazy AAC title game last season at UCF; Memphis looking for payback ... UCF 38-31.

No. 15 Wisconsin (plus 7+) at No. 12 Michigan

The winner brushes off its playoff hopes ... MICHIGAN 28-17

No. 14 Florida (minus 7) at Vanderbilt

Gators have lost to the Commodores just once since 1989 ... FLORIDA 27-17.

No. 16 Miami (minus 6) at Virginia

Hurricanes are still working that Turnover Chain, with a plus-five margin and 14 takeaways ... MIAMI 34-24.

No. 19 Colorado (plus 7) at Southern California

Virginia Tech grad transfer Travon McMillan is powering the Buffs' running game with 528 yards and 6.29 yards per carry ... COLORADO 34-28, UPSET SPECIAL.

Tennessee (plus 14+) at No. 21 Auburn

Can Tigers' stalled offense find some traction against the worst run defense in the SEC? ... AUBURN 27-7, BEST BET.

No. 22 Texas A&M (minus 2+) at South Carolina

Gamecocks expect to have QB Jake Bentley (left knee) back in the starting lineup ... TEXAS A&M 27-21.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Texas Tech (plus 7) at TCU, Thursday - (at)tbaum15

The Big 12 race promises to be entertaining and messy ... TCU 31-28.

Nebraska (plus 3) at Northwestern - (at)GBR1995

Cornhuskers trying to snap a school-record nine-game losing streak ... NORTHWESTERN 27-25.

Mississippi (minus 6+) at Arkansas - (at)WhiteCitrus-

Rebels and Razorbacks have played a lot of wild games lately; Arkansas has won four straight and six of eight, average margin 34-29 ... ARKANSAS 34-29.

Duke (plus 3) at Georgia Tech - (at)russomatty

Blue Devils have won three of the last four meetings ... DUKE 23-21.

---

Last week: 16-9 straight; 13-11-1 against the spread.

Season: 105-31 straight; 72-62-2 against the spread.

Upset specials: 4-2 (straight up).

Best bets: 2-4 (against the spread).

[StarDust Bum]

Week 7 Upset Alerts
October 10, 2018
By Sportsbetting.ag

NCAAF Week 7 Upset Alerts

Last week's piece here kept the pattern of basically this entire season as the small underdogs continue to no-show for me, while the exact opposite is true for the 20+ underdogs. Those big dogs are now a perfect 6-0 ATS for me this year, but the joy of that mark is subdued with a 1-6 ATS record on underdogs +9 or less.

In the middle we've got those mid-range dogs and we nearly got another SU winner there last week with Florida State, but as projected, that game was tight throughout and never really in danger of not covering that two-TD number. Wins are wins though and I'll gladly take them, so let's get right to this week's plays:

Odds per - Sportsbetting.ag

Upset Alert #1: Underdogs in the +1 to +9 range

YTD: 1-6 SU; 1-6 ATS

Oregon Ducks +3 over Washington

The Oregon Ducks were able to bounce back from that embarrassing collapse vs Stanford with a big win over California the next week, and now they've got a bigger mountain to climb in hosting Washington. A win here would put the Ducks right back in the conversation for a Pac-12 North crown, and considering they are the ones having just had a week off, the situation sits in Oregon's favor as well.

There are no excuses for that Stanford collapse, but the beginning of the end for Oregon in that game was a brutal overturned TD call on the basis of their guy being out of bounds. It was a bad call overall and Oregon would have been up 31-7 at that point, all but icing the game. Yet, the Ducks still had their opportunities to punch it in on the play(s) after – one that ended up turning into a fumble, scoop and score for Stanford – so the Ducks aren't void of blame either. Remember, that was the last time the Ducks played at home and I'm sure there is still some bitterness in the mouths of that team right now.

It's been a rare thing for Oregon to lose more than once at home over the past decade or so, and given that this team led by QB Justin Herbert is the best the Ducks have had since QB Marcus Mariota left, I'm banking on the idea that the Ducks aren't going to lose two games at home this year. The extra week of prep time to prepare for this Washington team that's smoked Oregon the last two years (38-3 and 70-21) is always a bonus, and the fact that Washington may have shown some of their weaknesses a week ago against UCLA – a game no doubt Washington was looking past – will help the Ducks as well.

There is the concern of a team like Washington, who was so clearly looking ahead to this game last week, being much sharper as teams who get “caught” looking ahead tend to play well when that lookahead spot arrives, but this Oregon team is ready to make waves again in the Pac-12 and it starts with an outright win this week. The last time the spread in this rivalry didn't have a double-digit favorite (seven of last eight have had lines of -10 or greater) it was Oregon catching about a FG on the road back in 2015 and it was the Ducks who left with the 26-20 victory. It should be a similar story this week, although, the Ducks will get to celebrate in front of their home crowd this time around.

Odds per - Sportsbetting.ag

Upset Alert #2: Underdogs in the +10 to +19 range

YTD: 1-5 SU; 4-2 ATS

Wyoming +18 over Fresno State

Over in the Mountain West, the Wyoming Cowboys are learning that life can be tough when you lose a NFL-caliber QB from your program, as a 1-4 SU and 0-5 ATS run in their last five games has bettors wanting no part of Wyoming these days. However, there comes a point in all bad runs (and good ATS runs for that matter) where the line becomes too inflated one way or another, based on recent good/bad results and the perception of the two teams. Well, that appears to be what we've got here as Fresno State's been a great ATS wager all year (4-1 ATS, 3-0 ATS last three) and are coming off three straight wins where they won each by at least 18 points.

Runs like that from both teams are why you get this number at it's current range, but let me point out it didn't open up there. This number actually opened up as Fresno State -19.5/20, and despite nearly 70% of the action on the Bulldogs at home, this number has moved in Wyoming's favor. That suggests to me that this line is one where Fresno's value is a little overinflated at the moment, and when you combine that with a low opinion of Wyoming in the betting markets because of their money-burning ways, you do get a number that is probably a few points too high.

It's a move I've got to side with here because I don't believe that Wyoming is as bad as they've shown at times this season, nor do I think Fresno State is that great. The Cowboys – despite being 0-2 SU and ATS – in their last two weeks, haven't exactly had the easiest go of things in hosting Boise State and making a trip to the island to face Hawaii, but the fact that their defense was able to hold Hawaii to just 17 points on their own field was a big step forward for this 2018 team.

Wyoming probably isn't going to get the SU win here as those struggles should continue, but this game should stay within two TD's here as Wyoming's offense should be able to score 17+ here and not allow more than 30. Fresno's defense may look good off a 21-3 win over Nevada, but they've allowed 14 or fewer points three times now in 2018, and in the two games played following those efforts, they have given up at least 21 points. With the total just in the mid-40's, a Wyoming scoreboard that shows 21+ should be a very easy ATS win if Fresno's defense holds true to form.

Odds per - Sportsbetting.ag

Upset Alert #3: Underdogs in the +20 and above range

YTD: 6-0 ATS

Minnesota +29.5 vs Ohio State

Admittedly, these big underdogs are going to get harder and harder to pick in the coming weeks because with all those “cupcake” games gone from the schedules of Power 5 programs, there are fewer games out there being lined with these big spreads. This week there are only five games to choose from in this range and two of them are Big 10 battles. And while my initial reaction was to back Rutgers against Maryland because I don't believe Maryland should be laying that big of a number, after doing some digging, it's actually the other Big 10 game I like more.

Stepping in front of Ohio State at home is not usually ideal, especially if you're not an offensive-minded team and can put up 24+ points in order to keep up with a Buckeyes team that typically scored 40+. Ohio State has scored 40 or more in all of their games but the battle with Penn State, and will probably hit that mark again this week against the Gophers. That means that Minnesota is going to need at least 20 points scored here to have a chance at staying within this number, and I do think that's quite attainable.

For one, Minnesota freshman QB Zack Annexstad has settled into his role as the #1 guy for the program, and while he still needs plenty of work on his accuracy (52.1 completion percentage in 2018), his leading of the offense a week ago was impressive. Minnesota ended up losing 48-31 to Iowa, but hanging 30+ on an Iowa team that's always known for great defense is no joke. Granted, that was a Minnesota home game and this one is at the Horseshoe, but Annexstad already got those hostile environment nerves out of the way when he and Minnesota laid an egg @ Maryland. That was a game oddsmakers thought the Golden Gophers had a legitimate shot to win (closed +2.5) and it was just never meant to be.

But this week, Minnesota is given no shot at winning SU (rightfully so), but that should actually help Annexstad play loose right from the beginning. If he and the Gophers go out and take some shots early and they don't connect or end up being turnovers, well, that's what everyone expected and then we've got to look for a backdoor ATS cover down the line; after all it's still basically 30 points they are getting.

But if those aggressive shots end up paying off for Minnesota early – and Ohio State's defense has been had by suspect teams this year (Oregon State scored 31 on them) – well, then we've got a game, at least relative to the spread and shouldn't have to sweat this number much. Either way, a 30-point win for Ohio State seems like a bit much in this spot for the Buckeyes.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's Best Bets
October 10, 2018
By BetDSI

College Football Best Bets – Week 7

After the month of September treated these CFB Best Bets very well, the same can't be said for the start of October as last week's selections failed to provide a winner. Both Missouri and California couldn't get the job done in hostile territory as small road favorites and those results definitely put a damper on my day. But losing days will always happen in this business and you've just go to make sure they don't crush your bankroll (overextending yourself on a play) and move on to the next week/game. There is always going to be another game.

Which brings me to Week 7 as mid-October has basically arrived and that means we are just a few weeks away from the first playoff field being announced by the selection committee.

There are big matchups sprinkled all over this week's card and it's two teams that were in the playoffs a year ago, and would be playoff bound this year as of now that I'm siding with this week.

Odds per - BetDSI.eu

Best Bet #1: Alabama -28

It's been an interesting couple of weeks for Nick Saban and his Alabama team as they've outscored their opponents 121 to 45 the past two weeks, yet Saban has not come to his post-game press conferences a happy man. Two weeks ago it was about taking shots at an “entitled” Alabama student fan base who didn't pack the stadium against Louisiana-Lafayette, and then last week it was about his defense letting up for the 3rd week in a row in the second half. Saban is really just battling himself and his program's success, but with this week being the first time they are back at home since his rant about the fans, and a week after calling out his defense (and team) publicly, all I can say is I feel very sorry for Missouri and what QB Drew Lock will be facing this week.

I can understand Saban's rant about the lack of attendance because as a coach he wants to see his program supported blindly every week, but entitled or not, that week at Alabama was also Parents Weekend and you've got to give your student body a break with Louisiana-Lafayette – as a 49-point underdog – in town just to collect their massive paycheck from Alabama for beating them up on the gridiron. Yet, I'm sure the message got across through the Crimson Tide's campus and the home field advantage Alabama already enjoys should probably be bumped up another point or two.

Secondly, it's the public shaming of his defense that has me liking all this chalk with Alabama this weekend and put me over the top on this play.

Saban is never going to be happy when his team allows 30+ points to anyone so that's in play as well here, but for a guy like Saban who's constantly battling his own success within his program, I'd make a sizable wager that Saban is fully aware of these point spreads oddsmakers are lacing him with each week and uses those as a great barometer for his team's play/level of improvement. Well, if that's the case, an 0-3 ATS mark the past three weeks is probably behind some of these post-game rants from Saban, especially when you consider that Alabama has been outscored 7-0, 14-0, and 17-14 in the 4th quarters of those three games as well. Those backdoor covers by Alabama foes has got to be a big part of why Saban is feisty already in October, and I wouldn't expect it to happen this week -whether he leaves starters in or not – because Saban's always been a guy about “finishing” and that's something Alabama just hasn't done well of late.

If Saban does use point spreads as a great way to evaluate his team, this week of practice at Bama likely hasn't been a fun one. Considering Alabama's offensive reserves weren't shy about pouring on the scores in the 4th quarter last week, those 17 points in the final frame suggest to me that covering that spread was something Saban really wanted to see from his team. The fact that the defense allowed a TD run in the final minute to lose ATS had to have been the thing to set him off on the defense just minutes later, and like I said earlier, I feel sorry for Drew Lock and his Missouri team because they are going to be the ones to feel all of that Alabama wrath.

Three straight ATS losses in backdoor fashion has also forced oddsmakers to knock a bit of that “Alabama tax” off this line as it sits right at the four-TD range here. We all know the Crimson Tide's offense should have no problem scoring here, and with the tongue lashing the Alabama defense got, I'd be surprised to see Missouri score more than 10 points here.

There will be no backdoor ATS covers possible for an Alabama foe this week as they storm out to that big lead as they always do and shut this thing down as tight as ever afterwards. This has all the makings of a 47-10 type blowout here, and with Missouri just 4-10 ATS in their last 14 on the road, I'll gladly lay this chalk.

Odds per - BetDSI.eu

Best Bet #2: Georgia -7.5

With most of my plays this year (and basically every week) being more underdog centric, it was surprising to see both the #1 and #2 teams in the country pop up as play-on teams for me this week. But that's precisely what I'm doing, as Georgia goes into LSU this week and puts another stake in LSU's hopes of 2018 being a possible playoff campaign for the program.

First off, I don't talk about this much, but I do suggest buying a half-point to get a flat -7 on this line just from a pure numbers standpoint. I don't believe it will matter in the end, but it never hurts to get into (and keep) a routine of using smart betting practices and taking strong numbers.

Getting to the game though, LSU's perfect season was snapped in Florida a week ago, and fading teams after first losses in October for CFB teams is always something I like to do each year. All those hopes and dreams for the Tigers regarding the CFB playoff, a perfect campaign etc etc are all basically squashed now, as they are left to play the role of spoiler, hopefully doing that highly successfully and getting a few breaks along the way. But with Alabama and Georgia still left on the schedule for LSU, that was always going to be a tough task. Getting Georgia the first week after that reality set in is just a horrible spot for the home side here.

Georgia still has all of their national title dreams in tact at 6-0 SU, and they know just how important and tough this game will be for them. I expect the Bulldogs to be intensely focused for this game – they did know this showdown was coming for a few weeks now – and their talent on both sides of the ball will simply be too much for LSU here. Georgia is 6-1 ATS in their last seven against a winning team, 14-3 ATS in their last 17 on the road against a team with a winning record at home, and 19-7 ATS on the road overall the past few years.

Going into LSU and quieting that crowd down early shouldn't be that difficult a task for Georgia against this deflated LSU squad, and come the 2nd half, Georgia's dynamic ground attack and defense will salt away this two-TD win for the visitors.

[StarDust Bum]

T-Tech-TCU pits offense vs. defense
October 10, 2018
By The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) TCU defensive guru Gary Patterson and Texas Tech offensive mastermind Kliff Kingsbury both express admiration for how the other coach excels at his specialty.

''Coach Kingsbury is probably one of the brightest offensive minds in college football, and really anywhere,'' Patterson said.

Said Kingsbury of the Horned Frogs: ''No team is more prepared defensively. Year in and year out as the pieces change, the consistency on that side of the football stays the same. He is a phenomenal defensive coach.''

The two head coaches will be on opposite sides of the field Thursday night when Texas Tech (3-2, 1-1 Big 12), with the nation's top-ranked offense at 591 yards and 48 points a game, plays at TCU (3-2, 1-1). The Horned Frogs have the Big 12's best defense.

It was unclear who will take the snaps, with both teams playing for the first time in 12 days. Both starting quarterbacks got hurt when they last played Sept. 29.

TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson was helped off the field and to the locker room in the final minute of TCU's game against Iowa State after taking a hit to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Red Raiders true freshman Alan Bowman was the nation's top passer before a crushing blow against West Virginia left him with a partially collapsed lung and led to a short hospital stay.

Bowman has already returned to practice and Kingsbury said he could be available to play, along with junior McLane Carter, whose high left ankle sprain in the first quarter of the season opener set up Bowman's early debut. They also have dual-threat player Jett Duffey.

''If you don't know who you're going to play, then you've got to prepare for a guy like Duffey that can run all over the place ... and you also have to have a game plan where you're playing the dropback guy,'' Patterson said. ''They're always hard to defend anyway.''

The Frogs have allowed only 304 yards and 21 points a game this season. They held Texas Tech to three points last year.

Patterson promised this week that Robinson, whose first start was a 27-3 victory as a freshman at Texas Tech last November, will play. But the coach was talking even before that injury about backup and former Penn transfer Michael Collins being more involved.

''We're going to have plans for both guys. Shawn is a tremendous athlete. The other kid, we haven't seen a ton of, but it sounds like he's a very talented player as well,'' said Kingsbury, expecting TCU offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, like him a former Red Raiders quarterback, to have both ready to play.

LOT OF EXTRA TIME, LOT OF POINTS

The Red Raiders are 2-1 in Fort Worth since TCU joined them in the Big 12. Both of those were extended wins: 27-24 in double overtime two years ago, and 56-53 in three overtimes in 2012. The Frogs won 82-27 at home in 2014, then a year later in Lubbock won 55-52 on a fourth-down catch of a tipped pass in the back of the end zone in the final minute.

EARLY BLOWS

One concern for Patterson is the extra time Kingsbury had to add something to the playbook.

''We've got to handle the knockout punches of the new plays,'' Patterson said. ''We've got to get ready to handle the first 25 (plays). You've got to get ready to slow them down.''

GOOD TIMING

While anxious to get back on the field after a loss in their last game, Kingsbury felt the break came a good time for the Red Raiders.

''About the midseason point where we could heal up, we could address some of our slow starts that have hurt us in our two losses,'' Kingsbury said. ''Our focus is starting faster, getting healthy and then getting those quarterbacks ready to go.''

EXTRA POINTS

Texas Tech junior receiver Antoine Wesley is second nationally at 124.2 yards receiving per game. He had only 12 catches for 146 yards in his first two seasons. ... TCU has an eight-game home winning streak. ... The Saddle Trophy was reinstated for the series last year after a replica was created. The original trophy was lost after the teams had played for it from 1961-70.

[Udog]

NCAAF
Dunkel

Week 7


Thursday, October 11

Texas Tech @ TCU

Game 105-106
October 11, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas Tech
93.205
TCU
103.318
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
TCU
by 10
54
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
TCU
by 7
61
Dunkel Pick:
TCU
(-7); Under

Georgia Southern @ Texas State

Game 107-108
October 11, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Georgia Southern
76.733
Texas State
61.289
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Georgia Southern
by 15 1/2
52
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Georgia Southern
by 17 1/2
49
Dunkel Pick:
Texas State
(+17 1/2); Over


Friday, October 12

South Florida @ Tulsa

Game 109-110
October 12, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
South Florida
83.525
Tulsa
79.356
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
South Florida
by 4
67
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
South Florida
by 7 1/2
61 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tulsa
(+7 1/2); Over

Arizona @ Utah

Game 111-112
October 12, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
91.377
Utah
95.627
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah
by 4 1/2
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah
by 13 1/2
51 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(+13 1/2); Under

Air Force @ San Diego St

Game 113-114
October 12, 2018 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Air Force
84.133
San Diego St
93.028
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego St
by 9
40
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Diego St
by 11 1/2
44
Dunkel Pick:
Air Force
(+11 1/2); Under


Saturday, October 13

Louisville @ Boston College

Game 115-116
October 13, 2018 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Louisville
76.784
Boston College
94.377
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston College
by 17 1/2
64
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston College
by 13 1/2
61
Dunkel Pick:
Boston College
(-13 1/2); Over

Miami-FL @ Virginia

Game 117-118
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Miami-FL
100.900
Virginia
91.011
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami-FL
by 10
51
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami-FL
by 6 1/2
48 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami-FL
(-6 1/2); Over

Toledo @ Eastern Michigan

Game 119-120
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toledo
82.246
Eastern Michigan
78.504
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toledo
by 3 1/2
71
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toledo
by 1
63 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toledo
(-1); Over

Texas A&M @ South Carolina

Game 121-122
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas A&M
99.667
South Carolina
95.248
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas A&M
by 4 1/2
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas A&M
by 2
52
Dunkel Pick:
Texas A&M
(-2); Over

LA-Monroe @ Coastal Carolina

Game 123-124
October 13, 2018 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA-Monroe
57.992
Coastal Carolina
70.694
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Coastal Carolina
by 12 1/2
71
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Coastal Carolina
by 6 1/2
65 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Coastal Carolina
(-6 1/2); Over

Purdue @ Illinois

Game 125-126
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Purdue
95.456
Illinois
81.240
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Purdue
by 14
59
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Purdue
by 10
62
Dunkel Pick:
Purdue
(-10); Under

Ball State @ Central Michigan

Game 127-128
October 13, 2018 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ball State
71.441
Central Michigan
72.943
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Central Michigan
by 1 1/2
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Central Michigan
by 3
53 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ball State
(+3); Under

Duke @ Georgia Tech

Game 129-130
October 13, 2018 @ 12:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Duke
91.028
Georgia Tech
92.112
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Georgia Tech
by 1
47
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Georgia Tech
by 3
54 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Duke
(+3); Under

Rutgers @ Maryland

Game 131-132
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Rutgers
66.222
Maryland
86.283
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Maryland
by 20
57
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Maryland
by 25 1/2
52 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Rutgers
(+25 1/2); Over

Virginia Tech @ North Carolina

Game 133-134
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Virginia Tech
88.768
North Carolina
85.453
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Virginia Tech
by 3 1/2
60
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Virginia Tech
by 5 1/2
57 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
North Carolina
(+5 1/2); Over

Western Kentucky @ Charlotte

Game 135-136
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Western Kentucky
73.554
Charlotte
55.628
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Western Kentucky
by 18
52
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Western Kentucky
by 7 1/2
43 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Western Kentucky
(-7 1/2); Over

Houston @ East Carolina

Game 137-138
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
93.461
East Carolina
68.623
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 25
77
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
by 16
69
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(-16); Over

Akron @ Buffalo

Game 139-140
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Akron
69.691
Buffalo
86.146
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Buffalo
by 16 1/2
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Buffalo
by 12
53 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Buffalo
(-12); Over

Marshall @ Old Dominion

Game 141-142
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Marshall
75.608
Old Dominion
69.733
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Marshall
by 6
52
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Marshall
by 3 1/2
59 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Marshall
(-3 1/2); Under

Middle Tennessee St @ FIU

Game 143-144
October 13, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Middle Tennessee
81.182
FIU
78.212
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Middle Tennessee
by 3
64
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
FIU
by 2
56 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Middle Tennessee
(+2); Over

Kent State @ Miami of Ohio

Game 145-146
October 13, 2018 @ 2:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Kent State
69.036
Miami of Ohio
73.833
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami of Ohio
by 5
57
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami of Ohio
by 11 1/2
59
Dunkel Pick:
Kent State
(+11 1/2); Under

UNLV @ Utah State

Game 147-148
October 13, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
UNLV
68.523
Utah State
93.196
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Utah State
by 24 1/2
69
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Utah State
by 27 1/2
63 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
UNLV
(+27 1/2); Over

New Mexico @ Colorado State

Game 149-150
October 13, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Mexico
73.640
Colorado State
69.694
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Mexico
by 4
63
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Mexico
Pick
66
Dunkel Pick:
New Mexico
Under

Troy @ Liberty

Game 151-152
October 13, 2018 @ 2:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Troy
86.461
Liberty
66.471
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Troy
by 20
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Troy
by 9
63 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Troy
(-9); Under

Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame

Game 153-154
October 13, 2018 @ 2:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
85.626
Notre Dame
10.8.981
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Notre Dame
by 23 1/2
64
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Notre Dame
by 20 1/2
55 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Notre Dame
(-20 1/2); Over

Colorado @ USC

Game 155-156
October 13, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
93.116
USC
91.986
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
53
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
USC
by 7
57
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+7); Under

Army @ San Jose St

Game 157-158
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Army
85.784
San Jose St
72.657
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Army
by 13
49
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Army
by 15
52 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose St
(+15); Under

Washington @ Oregon

Game 159-160
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
103.714
Oregon
93.540
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 10
67
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 3
58
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-3); Over

Ohio @ Northern Illinois

Game 161-162
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ohio
74.191
Northern Illinois
81.106
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Northern Illinois
by 7
49
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Northern Illinois
by 4
52
Dunkel Pick:
Northern Illinois
(-4); Under

Louisiana Tech @ TX-San Antonio

Game 163-164
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Louisiana Tech
80.585
TX-San Antonio
67.105
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Louisiana Tech
by 13 1/2
40
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Louisiana Tech
by 11 1/2
45
Dunkel Pick:
Louisiana Tech
(-11 1/2); Under

Western Michigan @ Bowling Green

Game 165-166
October 13, 2018 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Western Michigan
78.799
Bowling Green
60.014
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Western Michigan
by 19
77
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Western Michigan
by 14 1/2
72
Dunkel Pick:
Western Michigan
(-14 1/2); Over

Mississippi @ Arkansas

Game 167-168
October 13, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Mississippi
85.460
Arkansas
83.638
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Mississippi
by 2
75
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Mississippi
by 7
70
Dunkel Pick:
Arkansas
(+7); Over

Wisconsin @ Michigan

Game 169-170
October 13, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Wisconsin
100.896
Michigan
102.441
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Michigan
by 1 1/2
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Michigan
by 9
47
Dunkel Pick:
Wisconsin
(+9); Over

Minnesota @ Ohio State

Game 171-172
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
86.109
Ohio State
110.889
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ohio State
by 25
65
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Ohio State
by 30
59 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+30); Over

Temple @ Navy

Game 173-174
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Temple
85.005
Navy
81.144
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Temple
by 4
59
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Temple
by 7
49
Dunkel Pick:
Navy
(+7); Over

West Virginia @ Iowa State

Game 175-176
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
West Virginia
106.848
Iowa State
94.010
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
West Virginia
by 13
56
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
West Virginia
by 6
56
Dunkel Pick:
West Virginia
(-6); Under

Southern Miss @ North Texas

Game 177-178
October 13, 2018 @ 2:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Southern Miss
73.112
North Texas
88.063
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
North Texas
by 15
51
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
North Texas
by 8 1/2
58 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
North Texas
(-8 1/2); Under

Nebraska @ Northwestern

Game 179-180
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nebraska
84.945
Northwestern
86.707
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Northwestern
by 2
64
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Northwestern
by 4
59
Dunkel Pick:
Nebraska
(+4); Over

Iowa @ Indiana

Game 181-182
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Iowa
92.498
Indiana
91.882
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Iowa
by 1
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Iowa
by 5 1/2
53
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+5 1/2); Over

Central Florida @ Memphis

Game 183-184
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Central Florida
102.931
Memphis
88.295
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Central Florida
by 14 1/2
72
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Central Florida
by 4
81
Dunkel Pick:
Central Florida
(-4); Under

Tennessee @ Auburn

Game 185-186
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tennessee
77.290
Auburn
95.930
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Auburn
by 18 1/2
52
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Auburn
by 14 1/2
47
Dunkel Pick:
Auburn
(-14 1/2); Over

Baylor @ Texas

Game 187-188
October 13, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Baylor
91.918
Texas
99.341
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 7 1/2
63
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
by 14 1/2
60 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Baylor
(+14 1/2); Over

Missouri @ Alabama

Game 189-190
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Missouri
96.200
Alabama
120.680
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Alabama
by 24 1/2
77
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Alabama
by 28
73 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Missouri
(+28); Over

Florida @ Vanderbilt

Game 191-192
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
99.420
Vanderbilt
81.132
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 18
53
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
by 7
50 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
(-7); Over

Oklahoma State @ Kansas State

Game 193-194
October 13, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Oklahoma State
95.027
Kansas State
87.188
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Oklahoma State
by 8
72
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Oklahoma State
by 6 1/2
62
Dunkel Pick:
Oklahoma State
(-6 1/2); Over

UAB @ Rice

Game 195-196
October 13, 2018 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
UAB
79.782
Rice
57.707
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
UAB
by 22
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
UAB
by 16
52
Dunkel Pick:
UAB
(-16); Over

Georgia @ LSU

Game 197-198
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Georgia
111.248
LSU
100.750
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Georgia
by 10 1/2
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Georgia
by 7
50 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Georgia
(-7); Under

New Mexico St @ LA-Lafayette

Game 199-200
October 13, 2018 @ 5:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Mexico St
63.102
LA-Lafayette
69.317
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA-Lafayette
by 6
67
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA-Lafayette
by 9
68 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New Mexico St
(+9); Under

Michigan State @ Penn State

Game 201-202
October 13, 2018 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Michigan State
98.242
Penn State
108.764
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Penn State
by 10 1/2
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Penn State
by 13 1/2
54
Dunkel Pick:
Michigan State
(+13 1/2); Under

Hawaii @ Brigham Young

Game 203-204
October 13, 2018 @ 10:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Hawaii
77.452
Brigham Young
85.120
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Brigham Young
by 7 1/2
48
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Brigham Young
by 12
56 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Hawaii
(+12); Under

UCLA @ California

Game 205-206
October 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
UCLA
80.252
California
83.920
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
California
by 3 1/2
50
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
California
by 7 1/2
52 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
UCLA
(+7 1/2); Under

Wyoming @ Fresno State

Game 207-208
October 13, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Wyoming
76.820
Fresno State
97.636
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Fresno State
by 21
39
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Fresno State
by 18
45 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Fresno State
(-18); Under

Boise State @ Wyoming

Game 209-210
October 13, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boise State
98.851
Wyoming
73.298
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boise State
by 25 1/2
55
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boise State
by 17
62 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boise State
(-17); Over

Alabama St @ South Alabama

Game 211-212
October 13, 2018 @ 5:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Alabama St
34.205
South Alabama
67.512
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
South Alabama
by 33 1/2
50
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
South Alabama
by 27 1/2
55 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
South Alabama
(-27 1/2); Under