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

[Udog]

By: Monty Andrews


Code Red for SMU

The SMU Mustangs need a victory to secure bowl eligibility – but they face a tall task Friday night, as they're 7.5-point underdogs for a home date with the high-flying Memphis Tigers. The Mustangs should have no trouble scoring on the Tigers, who have allowed an average of 46.7 points over their previous three road games. But SMU might not be able to slow down a Memphis team that has scored points on 40 of its 41 red-zone trips this season (33 touchdowns, seven interceptions) – good for a 96.7-percent success rate that ranks as the third-highest in the country.

We like the Tigers to surpass their 41.5-point team total regardless of what the Mustangs do on offense.


Don't Buck These Broncos

There are two compelling reasons to like the Boise State Broncos on Friday as they continue their pursuit of Utah State atop the Mountain West's Mountain Division. The 8-2 Broncos visit the New Mexico Lobos, and will look to improve on a 56.4-percent third-down success rate that ranks tied for first in Division I. The Lobos have allowed teams to extend drives on 43.2 percent of their third-down chances, ranking outside the top 100. Boise State also boasts the No. 13 pass offense in yards per game (313.9), while New Mexico features the No. 121-ranked pass defense (280.9 yards against per game).

By dominating through the air and being able to extend drives, Boise State is a great option to cover at -20.5 and should surpass its team total of 41.5.


Bowman Still on the Sidelines

Texas Tech won't have its starting quarterback for Saturday's Big 12 encounter with host Kansas State. Alan Bowman is still recovering from a collapsed lung suffered back at the end of September, and head coach Kliff Kingsbury says the freshman signal-caller still isn't ready to return. Kingsbury did, however, suggest that Bowman might be able to suit up for the Red Raiders' season finale against Baylor on Nov. 24. Jett Duffey will once against start under center for Texas Tech; Duffey threw for 444 yards and four scores in a 41-34 loss to Texas last time out.

With Duffey having established himself as a legitimate threat, bettors should consider the over on the Texas Tech-Kansas State total of 57. The teams have surpassed the number in nine of their past 10 meetings overall.


Don't Close the Book

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are apparently going to have Ian Book back on the field for this week's marquee showdown with visiting Syracuse. Book missed last week's victory over Florida State due to a rib injury but has had a "good week" of practice, according to Irish head coach Brian Kelly. Book's return should give the Notre Dame offense a boost, though it had no problem putting up 42 points against a sagging Seminoles team even with Brandon Wimbush at the helm. Book has thrown for 1,824 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

Notre Dame will need to win out to guarantee a spot in the College Football Playoff and will be looking to set an example against the highly competitive Orange. Look for the Irish to cover -10 and to surpass their team total of 38.5.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MEM at SMU 09:00 PM
SMU +7.5
O 74.5

BSU at UNM 09:00 PM
BSU -21.0
U 61.0

[StarDust Bum]

Modster has 3 TD catches, No. 23 Broncos top N. Mexico 45-14
November 16, 2018
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Sean Modster caught a career-best three touchdowns passes to lead No. 23 Boise State to a 45-14 victory over New Mexico on Friday night.

The Broncos (9-2, 6-1 Mountain West) took advantage of three turnovers by the Lobos (3-8, 1-6) that they turned into 24 points.

Modster finished with a career-high nine catches for 129 yards. Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien was an efficient 17 for 27 for 222 yards and the three scores, while running back Alexander Mattison added 145 yards and a touchdown.

Boise State limited the Lobos to 262 total yards.

The Broncos took control of the game quickly, going 65 yards in 2:22, with Rypien hitting Modster from 15 yards out. By the end of the first quarter, the lead was up to 14-0, and Boise State led 24-7 at halftime.

THE TAKEAWAY

The Broncos' sixth straight win keeps them on track for a shot at the conference's Mountain Division championship and a berth in the Mountain West title game on Dec. 1.

With a sixth consecutive loss, New Mexico will miss a bowl for a second straight season after two consecutive bowl appearances. All that's left for the Lobos is to try and avoid a second straight, season-ending seven-game losing streak after starting both seasons 3-2.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The win leaves Boise State well-positioned to continue its climb in poll, especially after No. 22 Boston College and No. 20 Kentucky took big falls last week.

UP NEXT

Boise State: Next plays No. 14 Utah (which faces Colorado State on Saturday) on Nov. 24. The winner of that game will advance to the conference championship against either Fresno State or San Diego State.

New Mexico: Finishes its season at home against Wyoming on Nov. 24. The Cowboys enter its Nov. 17 home game against Air Force having won two straight games.


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MEMPHIS 28, SMU 18

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November's Cbb Opinions Record and Best Bets:

DATE .......W-L-T......... % UNITS

11/16/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/15/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/14/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
11/10/2018 28-29-0 49.12% -19.50
11/09/2018 3-1-0 100.00% +10.00
11/08/2018 0-5-0 0.00% -27.50
11/07/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/06/2018 29-22-3 56.86% +24.00

Totals..............67-66-3.....50.37%......-27.50


DATE......................ATS.............UNITS... .............O/U............UNITS............TOTAL

11/16/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50............-1.00
11/15/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50...........-1.00
11/14/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................0 - 2............-11.00.........-11.50
11/10/2018...........10 - 13.........-21.50................3 - 2............+4.00..........-17.50
11/09/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................2 - 0............+10.00........+9.50
11/08/2018............0 - 3............-16.50...............0 - 2.............-11.00.........-27.50
11/07/2018............1 - 0............+5.00................2 - 1............+4.50..........+9.50
11/06/2018............6 - 5............+2.50................1 - 6............-11.50...........-9.00

Totals.................21 - 25.............-32.50...............10 - 15...........-16.00..........-48.50

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Friday’s 6-pack

— Boise State is 8-4-1 vs spread in its last 13 road games.

— Missouri covered only one of its last six road games.

— Oregon State covered one of its last nine Pac-12 games.

— Boston College is 16-3 vs spread in its last 19 regular season games.

— UL-Lafayette covered six of its last seven games.

— Fresno State is 18-4-2 ATS since Tedford became coach.

Quote of the Day
“The word “listen” has the same letters as the word ‘silent’”
Unknown

Friday’s quiz
Where is Gonzaga University located?

Thursday’s quiz
Portland Trailblazers have excellent guards, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum; Lillard went to college at Weber State, McCollum went to Lehigh.

Wednesday’s quiz
LSU’s basketball arena is named after the late Pete Maravich.

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Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) Annual tradition here in not-so-beautiful upstate New York. When it snows outside, and it is snowing now. I get on the Interweb and price condos in Las Vegas, where snow is merely a rumor.

Snow is the only bad part of living here; nothing is quite as much fun as getting up on a step-ladder to sweep the snow off my satellite dish.

12) Last year at this time the Miami Marlins sold off their whole outfield; Stanton, Ozuna and Yelich. Wonder what the odds were that of those three guys, Christian Yelich would be the MVP this season? He had a great year, leading Milwaukee to a playoff berth.

11) San Diego Union-Tribune writer John Maffei is the only one out of 30 voters who didn’t vote for Jacob deGrom for the NL Cy Young Award. Mr Maffei values W-L record as a stat, so deGrom’s 10-9 record for a dismal Mets team didn’t impress him much.

10) UConn 83, Syracuse 76— Huskies made 12-21 behind arc; Syracuse was playing without G Howard; things aren’t as easy when you play away from home.

9) DePaul 72, Penn State 70 OT— Nittany Lions jumped out to 11-0 lead, trailed 36-31 at half, then forced OT, where they missed wide open, game-tying jumper at end of OT. DePaul is 3-0 for first time in ten years.

8) Ohio State 69, Creighton 60— Second quality road win for the young Buckeyes, who won at Cincinnati last week.

7) Seahawks 27, Packers 24— Seattle outrushed Green Bay 173-48; Packers converted only 3-11 third down plays. 46-yard FG Crosby missed when Packers led 7-0 turned out to be painful.

6) Houston Rockets and Carmelo Anthony parted ways after 10 games; who thought this pairing was going to be a good idea? Anthony didn’t want to come off the bench, but when you get older and your skills decline, what did he think was going to happen?

5) Lakers’ G Rajon Rondo broke his hand, is out 3-5 weeks.

4) Former LSU football coach Les Miles took a one-time lump sum payment of $1.5M from the school, reduced from the $6.5M he was scheduled to get over the next five years, but that tells me that Miles is going to be a head coach somewhere else next season. If he took the $6.5M, he would’ve had to stay out of coaching until 2023.

3) Someone on Twitter posted a list of their ten favorite airports, and it started a firestorm of responses; since I only fly to one place, and it is usually a non-stop flight, my list is short:

1) Las Vegas
2) Albany
3) Baltimore (sometimes my flights stop there; they have a Chick-fil-A)

2) Cal Bears postponed their basketball game with Detroit Mercy Thursday night because of poor air quality in the area due to the wild fires. San Francisco also postponed Friday night’s home basketball game with Arizona State.

1) Jim Boeheim has been the basketball coach at Syracuse for 43 years; he played for the Orange, was an assistant coach there before being head coach. Boeheim’s son Buddy is a player for Syracuse now; how the hell do they spell the kid’s last name wrong on his orange jersey?

[StarDust Bum]

The Triple Option: College football Week 12 picks and predictions
Andrew Caley

I jinxed it.

Just one week after complaining about Daylight Savings and fearing the onset of winter, it happened. We got our first significant dumping of snow today.

Snow Day! A day of making snowmen, sledding and getting comfy by a fire drinking hot chocolate, right? WRONG. It means back pain and chills from shovelling wet snow. It means worrying about whether the power will go out. And, since I work for a website it means there are no days off. Which means I somehow have to juggle entertaining a cooped up six-year-old while writing this column. Good luck me!

It has me thinking snow days are overrated. And I’m feeling the same way about Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish currently sit third in the College Football Playoff rankings thanks to their unblemished record to this point, but their schedule has been a little softer than usual. That’s not necessarily their fault, seeing as many of their regular rivals (Stanford, Navy, Florida State etc.) are having down years.

That makes it a little surprising that of all the teams in the nation, that it's Syracuse that could be the one to give Notre Dame its final real challenge of the season.

Dino Babers has changed the football culture at Syracuse and it has been fun to watch. In fact, Syracuse is about two plays away from being undefeated as well.

The Orange offense, led by senior duel-threat quarterback Eric Dungey, is one of the most explosive in the country, ranking 13th in total yards and seventh in points per game. The Orange have topped 40 points seven times this year and in each of their last four games.

Dungey can have problems with accuracy at times but does just enough that teams must respect his arm and that can open things up for him on the ground. He also has a great red-zone target in receiver Jamal Custis.

Notre Dame has a solid defense, but it hasn’t faced a dynamic offense like this all season. But what really makes the Orange interesting in this spot is that they're one of the best teams in the country in taking care of the football with a plus-13 turnover margin.

I don’t know if Syracuse will win, but getting more than 10-points on a neutral site in its home state? Sign me up. Plus, how could you ever pick a team with those hideous Yankee inspired uniforms. Yuck. Give me the points with my guy Dino.

Pick: Syracuse +10.5

West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys (+5.5, 72)

Last week, it was the game after the big game with Texas. This week, it’s the game before the big game with Oklahoma. To West Virginia, it doesn’t matter.

That’s because, 1. The Mountaineers are better than what they’re give credit for. And 2. The College Football Playoff rankings system puts so much weight in every game, (more specifically every loss) that it's almost eliminated spot bet situations for many teams at this point in the season.

To use a cliché: every game matters.

For the Mountaineers, this matchup with Oklahoma State has a very similar feeling to their game earlier in the season when they visited Texas Tech. The Mountaineers are slight road favorites against a very good passing offense, but a porous defense. West Virginia got out to a fast start in that game and ended up winning by eight. The Neers have all the ingredients to produce more of the same here.

For West Virginia, it all starts with Will Grier. The senior signal caller is on fire over the last three games, throwing for 1,042 yards while completing nearly 65 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns to just one interception. He faces a Pokes defense that ranks 103rd in the country in passing yards allowed and 92nd in points allowed.

But what makes the Mountaineers too much for the Cowboys to handle is the number of weapons they have on offense. David Sills, Marcus Simms and Gary Jennings Jr. all have over 600 yards receiving on over 14 yards per reception. Plus, they have three running backs with at least 74 carries for an average of over five yards per rush.

Oklahoma State will score some points, but West Virginia’s bend-don’t-break defense will do just enough. Plus, this game means too much to the Mountaineers. They win by at least a touchdown.

Pick: West Virginia -5.5

Arizona State Sun Devils at Oregon Ducks (-3.5, 64)

It seems like a long time ago when we were making fun of Arizona State for hiring Herm Edwards as its head coach. But did you realize the Sun Devils control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South? No, seriously. They do.

It won’t be easy, the Sun Devils need two road wins, beginning at the tough Auzten Zoo in Eugene, Oregon before closing the season at rival Arizona.

But first thing's first: the Ducks. They're really struggling, dropping three of their past four games straight up and against the spread while allowing 32.7 points per game. Quarterback Justin Herbert has also been part of the problem. While he has eight touchdowns to one interception in the last four games, he's completing just 55.9 percent of his passes at a rate of just 6.7 yards per attempt.

On the other side of field, the Sun Devils have really opened up the playbook, averaging 35.6 points per game in their last three wins. Their trio of quarterback Manny Wilkins, running back Eno Benjamin and wide receiver K’Neal Harry has made them very balanced. The defense is aggressive but sound and will make life tough on Herbert. They rank 29th in sacks racking up 26 this season.

Herm will have his team motivated in this one and don’t be surprised if the Sun Devils win outright.

Pick: Arizona State +3.5

Last week: 2-1
Season to date:19-14

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Key players might be missing for Ole Miss

The Ole Miss Rebels could be without two of their top offensive weapons for Saturday's matchup with host Vanderbilt. Running back Scottie Phillips will be a game-time decision with an ankle injury; the junior standout has 927 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground so far this season. Rebels wideout Braylon Sanders joins Phillips on the questionable list after missing Wednesday's practice with a bum ankle. Sanders has been inconsistent this season but erupted for 133 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches in a Week 2 win over Southern Illinois.

With neither player expected to be 100 percent, Ole Miss' depth will be tested. Given that the Rebels are just 5-12 ATS in the past 17 meetings, we like the home team to cover the modest -3 spread.


Gaines Out for the Season

The Virginia Tech Hokies will play out the remainder of their schedule without the services of one of their top pass rushers. Junior defensive end Houshun Gaines has been ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in last week's loss to Pittsburgh. Gaines, considered a candidate to go in the early-to-mid-rounds of next year's NFL draft, was enjoying a terrific season with the Hokies, having racked up 22 tackles (five for loss), a team-leading 4 1/2 sacks for 30 lost yards and two forced fumbles in nine games played.

Losing the player responsible for more than a fifth of their total sacks is a significant problem for the Hokies, who are 5.5-point underdogs against visiting Miami on Saturday. The Hurricanes sit near the middle of the pack in sacks allowed per game (2.2) but with one less elite pass rusher to worry about, we like them to cover comfortably.


No More Chillin' for Dillon

Boston College running back A.J. Dillon is inching closer to full health as he prepares to lead the Eagles against the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. Dillon has played each of the past three games despite battling an ankle injury and was able to practice in full Wednesday. Head coach Steve Addazio cautioned against expecting Dillon to be his old self, suggesting that the sophomore star isn't completely healed yet. Dillon has 284 rushing yards and two scores in three games since returning to action but was held to just 39 yards on the ground in last week's 27-7 loss to Clemson.

With the Seminoles boasting one of the worst offenses in the country, Dillon will have every opportunity to rack up the yards – and if he's closer to 100 percent, the Eagles are a great bet to cover at -1.5 while keeping Florida State under their team total of 23.5 as they control the ball, and the clock.


Baylor's Roberts Out for the Half

The Baylor Bears will play the first half of their Big 12 showdown with the visiting TCU Horned Frogs this Saturday without the services of one of their top defensive players. Senior defensive end Greg Roberts has been suspended for the opening half of this weekend's tilt after getting ejected for throwing a punch in the third quarter of last Saturday's 28-14 defeat at the hands of Iowa State. Roberts has been terrific for the Bears so far this season, compiling 30 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and two passes defended through his first eight games.

The Bears and Horned Frogs are a virtual toss-up on the first-half spread, with the Bears listed at -2 for the game. But with Roberts on the sidelines, we like the visitors to have enough of an edge to cover heading into the break.


Cyclones Down a Man

The Bears weren't the only team to come out of last week's tilt with Baylor a man down. Standout running back David Montgomery will sit out the first half of Iowa State's encounter with Texas following his skirmish with Roberts. It's a major blow to a Cyclones team that locked up bowl eligibility with last weekend's victory. Montgomery has been Iowa State's top offensive option so far in 2018, having racked up 765 yards on the ground with eight rushing scores. Montgomery was limited to 53 yards on 11 carries in the victory over Baylor.

Kene Nwangwu will likely replace Montgomery as the starter, but he's averaging just 3.6 yards per carry with a long run of 13 yards. Texas looks like the superior first-half cover play, with the 1H under also a solid option.


Francois the Man for Florida State

Florida State head coach Willie Taggart has confirmed what Deondre Francois already knew: that the junior quarterback will remain the starter for the Seminoles' final two regular-season games. Francois returned to action last week at Notre Dame in place of James Blackman and completed 23 of 47 passes for 216 scoreless yards with an interception in the 42-13 loss to the Fighting Irish. It has been a difficult year for Florida State – and Francois, in particular. He has completed just 59.1 percent of his pass attempts with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Seminoles need to beat Boston College and Florida to be eligible for a bowl game – but with Francois struggling and the Eagles having gone 7-3 SU and ATS this season, we suggest taking the visitors either straight-up (-125) or at -1.5.

[StarDust Bum]

Essentials - Week 12
Tony Mejia

Most of the SEC is snacking on cupcakes this weekend, but there are still a number of games crucial to college football's fortunes. Here are the highlights and what to watch:

Syracuse (-14.5/53) at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC: The Irish must still visit USC next week, but this meeting against the upstart Orange in Yankee Stadium of all places is expected to carry enough juice to ensure that undefeated Notre Dame will remain among college football’s top-four regardless of what happens in December’s conference championship games. To secure a playoff spot, a Fighting Irish defense that has been tremendous all season must rise up against the top dual threat QB it has run up against, Syracuse junior Eric Dungey (14 TD passes, 12 TD runs). Notre Dame hasn’t given up more than 27 points in a single game this season, while the Orange have only scored fewer than 30 once. The anomaly occurred at Clemson in a game where it led into the fourth quarter despite leaving a lot of points on the board. Dino Babers’ team is legit. They’ve averaged over 46 points on this current four-game winning streak that included a 51-41 upset at N.C. State. Syracuse is 3-0 ATS in an underdog role, winning outright twice.

The Irish will be tasked with slowing down an offense that operates at a faster tempo than any other team they’ve seen besides Wake Forest, a game that finished 56-27 and remains Notre Dame’s highest-scoring. Six of the last seven games involving the Irish have cleared the posted total, while four of the last five Syracuse games have also gone ‘over.’ Ian Book will be returning for Notre Dame after sitting out last week’s win over Florida State due to a rib injury. Brandon Wimbush was shaky (3 TDs, 2 INTs) against the ‘Noles, so he wouldn’t inspire confidence if pressed into action. Syracuse will have RB Moe Neal available and rank fifth nationally with 32 rushing TDs, so the Irish can’t just key in on the pass against this ‘Cuse offense, which is fortunate to get mild conditions in the Bronx, where temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s with light wind.

Iowa State at Texas (-7/51.5), 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn: Since Oklahoma and West Virginia play each other next weekend, the winner of this one will have a great chance to reach the Big 12 Championship game. The Cyclones are an underdog here but have been riding freshman QB Brock Purdy since October began and own five straight wins as they face their toughest test of the season. Purdy has accounted for 15 touchdowns while throwing just two picks despite being thrown into the fire with limited experience. At some point, will the ride feature a rocky start? Is it coming today? Purdy has hooked up with Hakeem Butler as a favorite target and ranks first in adjusted completion percentage on deep passes among Power Five QBs per Pro Football Focus. An offense that was expected to ride entirely on the legs of All-Big 12 standout David Montgomery now has balance that could trouble a Longhorns defense that has surrendered 34 or more points in four of the last five. Montgomery won't participate until the second half after being ejected for throwing a punch last week.

Texas had a QB controversy to start the season, but it can safely be said that he made the right choice in Sam Ehlinger, who has accounted for 26 touchdowns since his last interception. He’s helped keep the Longhorns alive in their last three games that have produced a 1-2 record despite the offense averaging 39 points. With Collin Johnson (knee) upgraded to probable, Ehlinger will have both top targets available alongside Lil’Jordan Humphrey. RB Keaontay Ingram is also a go after dealing with a hip issue. The Longhorns have won 13 of 15 games in this series and the last three have gone way ‘under’ since the Cyclones have scored a total of just 13 points over the last two meetings and Texas was blanked 24-0 in Ames in ’15.

Cincinnati at UCF (-9/54.5), 8 p.m. ET, ABC: The Longhorns went from leading the Big 12 with an unbeaten conference mark to tasting a loss in Stillwater that now complicates matters considering only one of their remaining four games can be chalked up as a win. The conference race is wide open, but the winner of this one will be in excellent shape. After allowing 260 first-quarter yards at Oklahoma State, Texas is placing a priority on getting off to a strong start as it looks to keep Mountaineers QB Will Grier from finding a rhythm.

The Knights offense is more than just McKenzie Milton, but it helps to have his quick decision making as the key catalyst in ensuring that an attack that operates as fast as UCF’s does remains on schedule. RBs Adrian Killins, Otis Anderson, Taj McGowan and Greg McCrae all get carries and bring different skill sets to the equation, so Cincinnati will earn its upset if its able to keep this ground attack from finding legs. Milton terrorized the Bearcats last season, accounting for five touchdowns in a game that ended up not being graded despite crusing past the posted total since thunderstorms ended the Knights’ dominant 51-23 win prematurely. Perfect weather in the low-to-mid 60s is expected for tonight’s clash.

Arizona at Washington State (-13/54.5), 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: It’s going to be nice in Pullman too, freezing temperatures aside. Wind won’t be a factor amid the 28-degree weather that the Cougars and Wildcats will have to endure. From the standpoint of being more acclimated to the cold, Washington State should benefit from getting out there under the lights in one of Saturday’s late games. A defense that has dominated in wins over Oregon, Cal and Colorado over the past month will do their best to keep Khalil Tate from warming up. Tate dominated last year’s 58-37 win in Tucson as he and RB J.J Taylor combined to run for nearly 300 yards. He’s turned the corner over the past few weeks after getting his ankle healthy and showing a stronger grasp of the Kevin Sumlin/Noel Mazzone offense he was tasked with learning upon their arrival. The Wildcats have won consecutive games by topping the 40-point mark at home against Oregon and Colorado, so we’ll see if their game translates to the road, where they’ve won only once in four tries.

The Cougs beat Arizona 69-7 in 2016 and are hoping for a similarly large cosmetic win considering they’re stuck on the outside looking in due to the lack of strength in the Pac-12 this season. Although an Apple Cup win next Friday over Washington would provide a boost, Washington State will have to hope multiple teams in front of them lose in order to be considered for the CFP semis. QB Gardner Minshew has a much better shot at being invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy and ceremony as he looks to continue a brilliant season by punishing an Arizona defense that has been brutalized for over 600 yards of total offense in each of the last two meetings and typically don’t fare well against the Air Raid. Minshew leads the country with 20 red zone TDs and will have most everyone at Martin Stadium sporting fake mustaches in his honor, so don’t expect him to be slowed down.

Duke at Clemson (-18.5/58.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Duke QB Daniel Jones is experienced and isn’t easily rattled, so there’s that. David Cutcliffe’s prized protégé is healthy enough to play and coming off consecutive wins over Miami and North Carolina after missing time following shoulder surgery. Last week’s win over UNC saw him run for 186 yards as he set a school record for total offense with 547 yards in 42-35 shootout victory in Durham. The Tigers rank second in the nation in total defense (253.6) and have completely shut down the run, surrendering 82.3 yards per game, the third-fewest in the nation. Clemson’s front four is headed to the NFL and contributed to knocking out BC’s Anthony Brown to make last week’s game much easier, so Jones will have to be smart about taking hits in order to see the fourth quarter here to give his team a chance to even cover, much less compete for an upset. Defensively, Duke is hoping standout LB Joe Giles-Harris can return to lend a hand but a knee injury may keep him sidelined. The Blue Devils have already lost top corner Mark Gilbert, safety Dylan Singleton and standout DT Edgar Cerenord.

West Virginia (-6.5/68) at Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC: The Cowboys have cleared star RB Justice Hill to play despite injured ribs, so that should clear up how interested Mike Gundy’s team is in bouncing back from another Bedlam disappointment in last week’s shootout loss to the Sooners. Oklahoma State needs an upset in today’s home finale or a win next Saturday at TCU just to get bowl eligible. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers have continued bouncing back from a tough loss at Iowa State a month ago and will look to enter next week’s crucial home game against Oklahoma with momentum by taking care of business as a road favorite for the fourth time in five tries. QB Will Grier is in the Heisman mix and has thrown nine touchdowns and just one interception on this run of victories over Baylor, Texas and TCU. Dana Holgorsen has lost his last three meetings against OK State, winning in Stillwater last in 2014. The Mountaineers surrendered 50 points in Morgantown last season, so they’ll be looking to rebound by stifling Taylor Cornelius, who has had his ups and downs replacing Mason Rudolph but tasted victory in his most recent home date, quieting critics in an upset of Texas.

Others to watch: Northwestern at Minnesota, Boston College at Florida State, Indiana at Michigan, Miami at Virginia Tech, Wisconsin at Purdue, Utah at Colorado, Pittsburgh at Wake Forest, Ohio State at Maryland, USC at UCLA, South Florida at Temple, Middle Tennessee at Kentucky, Michigan State at Nebraska, Missouri at Tennessee, Pittsburgh at Wake Forest, Arkansas at Mississippi State, Texas Tech at Kansas State, N.C. State at Louisville, UAB at Texas A&M, Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, TCU at Baylor, Kansas at Oklahoma

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

NFL trends for Week 11:

— Tennessee covered eight of its last 11 games.

— Atlanta is 11-20 in last 31 games as a home favorite.

— Buccaneers covered once in their last nine games.

— Arizona is 5-1-1 vs spread in its last seven games.

— Oakland is 2-10-2 vs spread in its last 14 games.

— Detroit is 4-11-1 in its last 16 games as a home dog.


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Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind……

13) Today’s Cal-Stanford football game was moved to December 1, due to poor air quality in the Berkeley area because of the wildfires in northern California.

12) Monday is always one of my favorite sports days of the year; first day of the Maui Classic, plus Monday Night Football, but this year should be even better.

Rams-Chiefs is obviously a possible Super Bowl preview, plus the Maui Classic this year has an amazing field, eight good-to-great teams.

First round Maui matchups:
Game 1: Auburn vs. Xavier, 2:30 on ESPN2
Game 2: Duke vs. San Diego State, 5:00 on ESPN2
Game 3: Arizona vs. Iowa State, 9:00 on ESPNU
Game 4: Gonzaga vs. Illinois, 11:30 on ESPN2

Not a bad day; I’m guessing there will also be pizza involved.

11) The record for most 3-pointers made in a D-I basketball game is 15; the record has been tied twice this week, first by Furman’s Jordan Lyons, and then by Josh Williams of Robert Morris.

Lyons was 15-34 on the arc in a 107-67 win over North Georgia; Williams was 15-25 in a 104-57 win over Mt Aloysius- both of those opponents are obviously not D-I opponents, but still…….

10) It is funny how TV people change their mind: 15-20 years ago, when John Chaney had his Temple Owls rolling, he helped popularize the idea that when one of your players got two fouls in the first half, he sat for the rest of the half. It became almost an unwritten rule, and guys on TV religiously adhered to that. Keep the player out of foul trouble so he can play hard later on.

Nowadays, coaches don’t do that as much; with thinner rosters due to more transfers and early jumps to the NBA, coaches try to steal minutes here and there when a guy has two fouls in the first half, and yes, the TV guys are now saying that THIS is the right way to coach. Go figure.

9) University of Houston DT Ed Oliver, projected as a first round pick in next April’s NFL Draft, missed his 4th straight game Thursday; apparently there is tension between Oliver and the Houston coaching staff on that issue- Cougars lost two of their last three games.

Oliver and coach Major Applewhite had a heated exchange as the team walked off the field at halftime Thursday; Oliver didn’t return to the sidelines for the second half.

8) Worse news for Houston is that their QB, D’Eriq King, tore up his knee Thursday and is done for the season.

7) Green Bay Packers were trailing Seattle 27-24 Thursday night and had a 4th-and-2 from their own 33 with around 4:30 left; they punted, despite having only one timeout left and having Aaron Rodgers as their QB. Green Bay never got the ball back and coach Mike McCarthy took a ton of grief for it Friday.

Winning only Super Bowl in 13 years when your QB’s were Brett Favre and Rodgers might get McCarthy shown the door after this season.

6) Packers’ TE Jimmy Graham broke his thumb Thursday; not sure how long he is out for.

5) NFL teams who have the fewest draft picks playing somewhere in the NFL:
— 31 Giants
— 32 Jets
— 34 Falcons, Chargers
— 35 Titans, Bears
— 37 Saints

4) A 27-year-old Georgia man and his 54-year-old mother were arrested Tuesday at an IHOP restaurant in Newnan, GA after the man escaped prison, but then stopped at IHOP for pancakes, and also to meet with his children. Unfortunately the mother ran a stop sign on her way to the IHOP, which was her undoing.

The man had been slated for work release; now he’s charged with felony escape and his mother is charged with aiding and abetting.

3) Iowa 91, UConn 72— Huskies had an emotional win over Syracuse Thursday, then were flat as a pancake here, and got squashed here by the Hawkeyes.

2) Loyola Marymount 65, Georgetown 52— Lions are 4-0; Mike Dunlap is a really good coach- he used to be a head coach in the NBA and he won a national title in D-2 ball. LMU is trying to play like Virginia this year and so far, it is working.

1) RIP William Goldman, 87, who wrote All The President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; he also worked on the script for A Few Good Men and had a great writing career that included Marathon Man, The Princess Bride, The Stepford Wives, The Great Waldo Pepper, A Bridge Too Far, Chaplin and Misery.

RIP, sir.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MTU at UK 12:00 PM
MTU +16.5
O 47.0

PSU at RUTG 12:00 PM
RUTG +28.5
O 51.5

MSU at NEB 12:00 PM
MSU +0.0

NW at MINN 12:00 PM
NW +3.0

USF at TEM 12:00 PM
TEM -14.0

PITT at WAKE 12:00 PM
PITT -6.0
U 62.5

ARK at MSST 12:00 PM
ARK +23.0
U 47.0

TCU at BAY 12:00 PM
BAY +1.5

OSU at MD 12:00 PM
OSU -13.5

NCST at LOU 12:20 PM
NCST -15.0

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

UTAH at COLO 01:30 PM
UTAH -7.0
U 45.0

USU at CSU 02:00 PM
USU -29.0

FIU at CHAR 02:00 PM
FIU -3.5

SYR at ND 02:30 PM
ND -10.5

UTSA at MRSH 02:30 PM
UTSA +28.0
O 47.5

GSU at APP 02:30 PM
GSU +27.5

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

NEV at SJSU 03:00 PM
NEV -15.0

ULM at ARST 03:00 PM
ARST -7.0

TLSA at NAVY 03:30 PM
NAVY -6.0

UVA at GT 03:30 PM
UVA +5.5
U 52.0

LT at SOMIS 03:30 PM
SOMIS -2.5
O 45.5

IOWA at ILL 03:30 PM
IOWA -15.0
U 60.0

WVU at OKST 03:30 PM
WVU -6.5
O 73.5

WIS at PUR 03:30 PM
PUR -3.5

USC at UCLA 03:30 PM
UCLA +2.5

MIZZ at TENN 03:30 PM
TENN +6.5

TTU at KSU 03:30 PM
TTU -6.0
O 55.0

TXST at TROY 03:30 PM
TROY -22.0

BGSU at AKR 03:30 PM
AKR -6.5

BC at FSU 03:30 PM
BC +0.0
U 49.5

MIA at VT 03:30 PM
MIA -7.0
U 54.0

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

AFA at WYO 04:00 PM
WYO -2.5

IND at MICH 04:00 PM
MICH -28.5

MASS at UGA 04:00 PM
MASS +41.5
O 66.5

LIB at AUB 04:00 PM
AUB -29.5
U 63.5

ORST at WASH 04:30 PM
ORST +33.5

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

USA at ULL 05:00 PM
ULL -20.0

GASO at CC 05:00 PM
GASO -8.0

[StarDust Bum]

CFB EVENING BEST BETS:

UAB at TAM 07:00 PM
UAB +17.0

DUKE at CLEM 07:00 PM
DUKE +29.5

RICE at LSU 07:30 PM
U 52.5

UTEP at WKU 07:30 PM
O 47.5

MISS at VAN 07:30 PM
VAN -3.0

KU at OKLA 07:30 PM
U 69.5

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

ISU at TEX 08:00 PM
TEX -2.5
U 49.5

CIN at UCF 08:00 PM
UCF -7.5

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

NMSU at BYU 10:15 PM
O 57.5

SDSU at FRES 10:30 PM
FRES -13.0

ASU at ORE 10:30 PM
O 64.0

ARIZ at WSU 10:30 PM
ARIZ +10.5

UNLV at HAW 11:00 PM
HAW -6.0
O 71.0

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's best
November 17, 2018
By The Associated Press

STARS

-Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, rushed for a career-high 321 yards and scored three times, including the decisive 17-yard run in triple overtime, to give the Badgers a 47-44 comeback victory at Purdue.

-Joshua Kelley, UCLA, ran for 289 yards on 40 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Bruins past USC 34-27.

-Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, passed for 340 yards and three TDs to help the No. 1 Crimson Tide pull away from The Citadel for a 50-17 victory.

-Jalen Morton, Prairie Vew A&M, accounted for 486 yards and six TDs in a 66-13 win over Alabama State.

-Colin McGovern, Stetson, threw for school records of 498 yards and six TDs in a 45-31 win over Valparaiso.

-John Lovett, Princeton, passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 123 yards and a score in a 42-14 victory over Pennsylvania that clinched its first perfect season since 1964.

-Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State, ran for 253 yards and three TDs on 17 carries to lead the Jackrabbits to a 49-27 victory over South Dakota.

-Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh, threw for career-highs of 316 yards and three TDs as the Panthers beat Wake Forest 34-13 to clinch their first berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

-Kenji Bahar, Monmouth, threw for a career-high 407 yards and five TDs in a 56-42 victory over Gardner-Webb.

-Jake Maier, UC Davis, threw for 478 yards and four TDs, and the Aggies claimed a share of its first Big Sky Conference title with a 56-13 victory over Sacramento State.

-Harris Roberts, Furman, threw five TD passes in a 35-30 victory over Mercer on Saturday to clinch a share of the Southern Conference title.

---

BUCKEYES RALLY

Relentlessly zipping up and down the field, ninth-ranked Ohio State and upstart Maryland were racking up yards and points at a dizzying pace.

Finally, the Terrapins were presented with the chance to end it - one way or another.

A gutsy decision by Maryland interim coach Matt Canada did not achieve the desired results, and the Buckeyes avoided one of the most stunning upsets in this college football season by squeezing out a 52-51 victory in overtime.

After a 5-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Haskins gave the Buckeyes a seven-point lead to start overtime, Tayon Fleet-Davis scored for the Terrapins. Canada opted to keep his offense on the field to attempt a 2-point conversion, and Tyrrell Pigrome's pass to Jeshaun Jones was off target.

Favored by 14 1/2 points, Ohio State trailed by two touchdowns in the third quarter and 45-38 with under two minutes left before rallying.

The victory kept the Buckeyes in the hunt for the Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State concludes the regular season next week in a game against Michigan that will decide the Big Ten East winner.

---

NUMBERS

10-Years since Auburn's last FBS shutout before beating Liberty 53-0.

56-Years since Columbia had consecutive winning seasons before this year.

72-Points scored between Harvard and Yale, most in the 143-year history of The Game.

122-Years since Illinois set the all-time mark for margin of defeat, matched by its 63-0 loss to Iowa.

14,584-Career passing yards by Samford's Devlin Hodges to surpass Steve McNair's all-time FCS record.

---

TIDE SLOW ROLLS

No. 1 Alabama finally found a team that could play toe to toe with the Crimson Tide, at least until halftime.

The surprise twist: It was The Citadel, an FCS team, not a Southeastern Conference rival.

Tua Tagovailoa passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but the Tide struggled for 30-plus minutes before putting away The Citadel in a 50-17 victory.

Alabama, which had coasted against SEC opponents, went into halftime tied at 10 with the Bulldogs. It wasn't until `Bama scored two touchdowns in a 12-second span on its way to a 27-point third quarter that the Tide could rest easy.

[StarDust Bum]

November's Cbb Opinions Record and Best Bets:

DATE .......W-L-T......... % UNITS

11/17/2018 36-32-0 52.94% +4.00
11/16/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/15/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/14/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
11/10/2018 28-29-0 49.12% -19.50
11/09/2018 3-1-0 100.00% +10.00
11/08/2018 0-5-0 0.00% -27.50
11/07/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
11/06/2018 29-22-3 56.86% +24.00

Totals............103-98-3.....51.24%......-23.50


DATE......................ATS.............UNITS... .............O/U............UNITS............TOTAL

11/17/2018...........11 - 12.........-11.00...............4 - 4............-2.00............-13.00
11/16/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50............-1.00
11/15/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50...........-1.00
11/14/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................0 - 2............-11.00.........-11.50
11/10/2018...........10 - 13.........-21.50................3 - 2............+4.00..........-17.50
11/09/2018............1 - 1............-0.50.................2 - 0............+10.00........+9.50
11/08/2018............0 - 3............-16.50...............0 - 2.............-11.00.........-27.50
11/07/2018............1 - 0............+5.00................2 - 1............+4.50..........+9.50
11/06/2018............6 - 5............+2.50................1 - 6............-11.50...........-9.00

Totals.................32 - 37..........-43.50...............14 - 19...........-18.00..........-61.50

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s 6-pack

Top 6 picks in Week 11 of Westgate SuperBook NFL handicapping contest (3,123 entries)

1) Chiefs +3.5 (1,332)

2) Vikings +2.5 (1,283)

3) Panthers -4 (920)

4) Texans -3 (890)

5) Colts -2 (841)

6) Eagles +8.5 (823)

Season record: 32-25-3

Quote of the Day
“So much more fun to play with these guys… Everybody wants to win and when somebody messes up, you talk to them, they don’t take it personal and they do their job.”
Jimmy Butler, after his first home game with the 76ers

Sunday’s quiz
Duke football coach David Cutcliffe used to be the head coach at which SEC school?

Saturday’s quiz
Paul Westhead was basketball coach at Loyola Marymount when they made the Elite 8 of the NCAA’s in 1990; he also coached the Lakers and Nuggets in the NBA.

Friday’s quiz
Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, WA.


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


Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a college sports Saturday

13) Ohio State 52, Maryland 51 OT— This was the strangest of games……..
— Maryland’s QB tore his knee up last week, is out for the year; they gained 535 yards in a game where their backup QB played the whole game.
— Terps had TD runs of 81-75 yards, just in the first quarter- they ran the ball for 339 freakin’ yards, which we’ll get back to later.
— Urban Meyer looks stressed out on sidelines, like he could keel over for good at any minute.
— Buckeyes have allowed 31+ points in three of their last four games.
— Maryland scores in OT to make score 52-51; did we mention they ran the ball for 339 yards? They go for 2 points and the win, but they throw a pass with their backup QB. No bueno.
— 47 of their first 61 plays were runs, but they threw a pass with the game on the line.

I was thoroughly entertained by this game, but the end just ticked me off. Do what you do best!!!! Run the damn ball. Maryland wins this game, and the interim coach might become the full-time coach. Now? Good luck interviewing for jobs this winter.

12) Oklahoma State 45, West Virginia 41— Not everyone who plays college football is going to the NFL; senior QB Tyler Cornelius threw a total of 24 passes in his first three years at OSU, but he is the starter this year and this was a big day for him on Senior Day, going 30-46 for 338 yards and three TD’s as they upset West Virginia.

Here are the distances between West Virginia and their Big X rivals:
— Iowa State 872 miles; Kansas 902, Kansas State 983
— Oklahoma State 1,086, Oklahoma 1,137, TCU 1,238
— Baylor, 1,299, Texas 1,401, Texas Tech 1,467

Why the bleep is West Virginia in this league and not the Big 14 or the ACC?

11) UCLA 34, USC 27— Joshua Kelley ran ball 40 times for 289 yards, the most yards for any UCLA RB since 2004; Bruins are 3-8, USC is 5-6. Last time both of these schools finished with losing records was 1958, before I was born. Trojans have to upset Notre Dame next week to get to 6-6 and be bowl eligible— ain’t gonna happen.

Where does USC look for a new coach? Would they dare consider Lane Kiffin again? How about John Harbaugh or Mike Leach?

USC has had three former football players (Garrett, Haden, Swann) as AD’s; how about hiring an experienced administrator and running things the right way?

10) Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6
— Neither team scored a TD, or completed half their passes.
— Total yardage was 289-248 MSU
— Spartans converted 9-20 on 3rd down, but only scored three points?
— Nebraska won four of its last five games after an 0-6 start.
— This is first time Nebraska had won a game without scoring a TD since a 3-0 victory over Kansas State in 1937.

9) Utah 30, Colorado 7— When I was in Las Vegas last month, my only college football bet was Colorado over Arizona State; the Buffs won/covered, but they haven’t won since, turning a 5-0 start into a 5-6 debacle. Colorado blew a 31-3 lead in an awful home loss to Oregon State late last month, and they haven’t recovered from that.

In their last five games, Buffaloes were outscored 101-20 in the 2nd half.

8) Wisconsin 47, Purdue 44 OT— Boilermakers led 27:13 with 7:00 left in game, but they let game slip away and lost to the Badgers for 7th time in a row. Wisconsin had 13 penalties for 171 yards, but ran the ball for 385 yards.

Purdue is 5-6, with four losses by 4 or fewer points; they need a win at Indiana next week to go to a bowl game.

7) Upsets of the Week:
— Ball State (+9.5) 42, Western Michigan 41 OT
— Bowling Green (+7) 21, Akron 6
— Kansas State (+6.5) 21, Texas Tech 6
— Miami OH (+6.5) 13, Northern Illinois 7
— Oklahoma State (+5) 45, West Virginia 41

6) Utah State 29, Colorado State 24— Aggies were a 27-point road favorite, but host Rams scored with 1:36 left to take a 24-23 lead. Utah State then drove 71 yards on six plays for the GW TD, scoring on a 33-yard pass with 0:43 left to play.

Colorado State appeared to score a TD on a Hail Mary on the last play of the game, but the kid who caught the ball had stepped out of bounds running down the field, so he was ineligible to touch the ball first, so that nullified the TD, luckily for 10-1 Utah State.

5) Temple 27, South Florida 17— USF led this game 17-0 at halftime; their last two scores came on a punt return with 10:35 left and then a defensive score with 1:37 left.

4) Florida State 22, Boston College 21— Seminoles hit on a 74-yard pass with 1:49 left to snap a 3-game skid and stay bowl eligible; they play the Florida Gators next week.

In itself, going to a bowl isn’t that big a deal, especially a minor bowl, but the practices teams have before those bowls are important— it helps coaches develop their younger players who might be starters next year. Also, it appeases the boosters, at least a little bit.

The 3-4 hours the bowl is on TV also helps for recruiting; it is free advertising for the program.

3) Furman 76, Villanova 68 OT— Paladins were a 16-point underdog; looks like the defending national champs might be in for a tough year. Wildcats took 44 3-pointers, only 27 2-point shots against a Southern League team, which doesn’t bode well for Big East play.

Villanova is the first defending national champ since 1996 to start the next season 2-2 or worse.

It is November 18 and Furman has already beaten two of last year’s Final Four teams; they won at the buzzer at Loyola, Chi earlier this month.

2) Clemson 35, Duke 6— These teams are in same league, but since 2009, Clemson has had 52 players drafted by NFL teams; Duke has had four. David Cutcliffe is doing an excellent job of keeping the Blue Devils going to bowl games with lesser talent.

1) Vanderbilt 36, Ole Miss 29 OT— This was a fun game to watch; a sketchy replay reversal nullified the Rebels’ tying TD in OT. Vandy plays Tennessee next week; the winner will be bowl eligible.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wrapping up a college sports Saturday

13) Ohio State 52, Maryland 51 OT— This was the strangest of games……..
— Maryland’s QB tore his knee up last week, is out for the year; they gained 535 yards in a game where their backup QB played the whole game.
— Terps had TD runs of 81-75 yards, just in the first quarter- they ran the ball for 339 freakin’ yards, which we’ll get back to later.
— Urban Meyer looks stressed out on sidelines, like he could keel over for good at any minute.
— Buckeyes have allowed 31+ points in three of their last four games.
— Maryland scores in OT to make score 52-51; did we mention they ran the ball for 339 yards? They go for 2 points and the win, but they throw a pass with their backup QB. No bueno.
— 47 of their first 61 plays were runs, but they threw a pass with the game on the line.

I was thoroughly entertained by this game, but the end just ticked me off. Do what you do best!!!! Run the damn ball. Maryland wins this game, and the interim coach might become the full-time coach. Now? Good luck interviewing for jobs this winter.

12) Oklahoma State 45, West Virginia 41— Not everyone who plays college football is going to the NFL; senior QB Tyler Cornelius threw a total of 24 passes in his first three years at OSU, but he is the starter this year and this was a big day for him on Senior Day, going 30-46 for 338 yards and three TD’s as they upset West Virginia.

Here are the distances between West Virginia and their Big X rivals:
— Iowa State 872 miles; Kansas 902, Kansas State 983
— Oklahoma State 1,086, Oklahoma 1,137, TCU 1,238
— Baylor, 1,299, Texas 1,401, Texas Tech 1,467

Why the bleep is West Virginia in this league and not the Big 14 or the ACC?

11) UCLA 34, USC 27— Joshua Kelley ran ball 40 times for 289 yards, the most yards for any UCLA RB since 2004; Bruins are 3-8, USC is 5-6. Last time both of these schools finished with losing records was 1958, before I was born. Trojans have to upset Notre Dame next week to get to 6-6 and be bowl eligible— ain’t gonna happen.

Where does USC look for a new coach? Would they dare consider Lane Kiffin again? How about John Harbaugh or Mike Leach?

USC has had three former football players (Garrett, Haden, Swann) as AD’s; how about hiring an experienced administrator and running things the right way?

10) Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6
— Neither team scored a TD, or completed half their passes.
— Total yardage was 289-248 MSU
— Spartans converted 9-20 on 3rd down, but only scored three points?
— Nebraska won four of its last five games after an 0-6 start.
— This is first time Nebraska had won a game without scoring a TD since a 3-0 victory over Kansas State in 1937.

9) Utah 30, Colorado 7— When I was in Las Vegas last month, my only college football bet was Colorado over Arizona State; the Buffs won/covered, but they haven’t won since, turning a 5-0 start into a 5-6 debacle. Colorado blew a 31-3 lead in an awful home loss to Oregon State late last month, and they haven’t recovered from that.

In their last five games, Buffaloes were outscored 101-20 in the 2nd half.

8) Wisconsin 47, Purdue 44 OT— Boilermakers led 27:13 with 7:00 left in game, but they let game slip away and lost to the Badgers for 7th time in a row. Wisconsin had 13 penalties for 171 yards, but ran the ball for 385 yards.

Purdue is 5-6, with four losses by 4 or fewer points; they need a win at Indiana next week to go to a bowl game.

7) Upsets of the Week:
— Ball State (+9.5) 42, Western Michigan 41 OT
— Bowling Green (+7) 21, Akron 6
— Kansas State (+6.5) 21, Texas Tech 6
— Miami OH (+6.5) 13, Northern Illinois 7
— Oklahoma State (+5) 45, West Virginia 41

6) Utah State 29, Colorado State 24— Aggies were a 27-point road favorite, but host Rams scored with 1:36 left to take a 24-23 lead. Utah State then drove 71 yards on six plays for the GW TD, scoring on a 33-yard pass with 0:43 left to play.

Colorado State appeared to score a TD on a Hail Mary on the last play of the game, but the kid who caught the ball had stepped out of bounds running down the field, so he was ineligible to touch the ball first, so that nullified the TD, luckily for 10-1 Utah State.

5) Temple 27, South Florida 17— USF led this game 17-0 at halftime; Owls’ last two scores came on a punt return with 10:35 left and then a defensive score with 1:37 left.

4) Florida State 22, Boston College 21— Seminoles hit on a 74-yard pass with 1:49 left to snap a 3-game skid and stay bowl eligible; they play the Florida Gators next week. FSU needs to win that game to get to 6-6.

In itself, going to a bowl isn’t that big a deal, especially a minor bowl, but the practices teams have before those bowls are important— it helps coaches develop their younger players who might be starters next year. Also, it appeases the boosters, at least a little bit.

The 3-4 hours the bowl is on TV also helps for recruiting; it is free advertising for the program.

3) Furman 76, Villanova 68 OT— Paladins were a 16-point underdog; looks like the defending national champs might be in for a tough year. Wildcats took 44 3-pointers, only 27 2-point shots against a Southern League team, which doesn’t bode well for Big East play.

Villanova is the first defending national champ since 1996 to start the next season 2-2 or worse.

It is November 18 and Furman has already beaten two of last year’s Final Four teams; they won at the buzzer at Loyola, Chi earlier this month.

2) Clemson 35, Duke 6— These teams are in same league, but since 2009, Clemson has had 52 players drafted by NFL teams; Duke has had four. David Cutcliffe is doing an excellent job of keeping the Blue Devils going to bowl games with lesser talent.

1) Vanderbilt 36, Ole Miss 29 OT— This was a fun game to watch; a sketchy replay reversal nullified the Rebels’ tying TD in OT. Vandy plays Tennessee next week; the winner will be bowl eligible.