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[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

From ESPN.com, six notable wagers in sports books (LV or NJ) on teams to win the Super Bowl:

• $12,000 on Falcons 22-1. Net win: $264K

• $10,000 on Raiders 20-1. Net win: $200K

• $5,000 on Lions 40-1. Net win: $200K

• $4,000 on Titans 50-1. Net win: $200K

• $1,000 on Jets 100-1. Net win: $100K

• $1,000 on Browns 100-1. Net win: $100K

Quote of the Day
“Burt Reynolds was one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever worked with. He took me under his wing when I was first starting out as an actor and offered friendship, advice and guidance. I’ll never forget how much that meant to me.”
Paul Wesley

Friday’s quiz
In the football scenes in The Longest Yard, what number did Burt Reynolds’ character Paul Crewe wear?

Thursday’s quiz
Martin Sheen played President Bartlet in the old TV show, The West Wing.

Wednesday’s quiz
Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker played for the New Jersey Generals in the old USFL.


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

13) Pat O’Hara is the Tennessee Titans’ QB coach; maybe you’ve never heard of him, but chances are, you’ve seen him in the movies or watched him play ball on TV. More likely the movies.

O’Hara’s resume:
1987-90— Played (backup) QB at USC; he was Todd Marinovich’s backup
1991— Backup QB for the Buccaneers
1992— Played for Ohio Glory in the WLAF
1992— Backup QB for the Chargers.
1995-2000— QB for Orlando Predators in the Arena League
2001-02— QB for Toronto Phantoms in the Arena League
2003-06— QB for Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena League.

Since his playing days ended (he was on three Arena Bowl champs), O’Hara has been head coach of four different Arena League teams, and for the last three years, was an assistant coach with the Houston Texans. Now he is with the Titans.

Despite all that, here’s where you’re most likely to have seen Pat O’Hara; he has appeared in five movies; he was Tyler Cherubini in Any Given Sunday, the backup QB who got hurt, which put third-stringer Willie Beamon (Jamie Foxx) into the game.

O’Hara has also been the football consultant on 13 different Hollywood movies, including The Waterboy, Invincible and the remake of The Longest Yard. Interesting career.

12) Monday night in Los Angeles, Mets’ 3B Todd Frazier dove into the stands to try and make a catch— when he produced a baseball to the umpire, the batter was called out, but in the video, you can see a woman pointing to something on the ground.

Turns out she was pointing to the ball that Frazier didn’t catch; the ball Frazier shows the ump was a rubber baseball that was in a bag that Frazier landed on when he dove into the stands.

Weird thing about this is that is was the Mets’ TV crew that uncovered this mistake. Makes the umpires look bad. You wonder if a rule change will result from this, as far as umpires being more aggressive in making sure the player actually caught the ball.

11) Fantasy baseball is usually fun; except when your team gets eliminated from the playoffs, which mine did 10 days ago, mostly because Jose Abreu needed emergency abdominal surgery, and played in only one game that week. Not good.

Turns out the surgery was for “testicular torsion” which involves twisting of the spermatic cord, which has the effect of reducing blood flow to the affected testicle. Ouch.

From Abreu: “It was one of my testicles turned sideways and was strangled. The doctor had to perform emergency surgery to save it. I never thought about it, but it was serious. The doctors they did a very good job and everything is good. They saved the testicle. I’m really glad and thankful like I said before for all the people who helped me and who were there for me. I feel very grateful right now.”

Thankfully he is OK, but why doesn’t stuff like this happen in the offseason?

10) Houston Texans have a different starting QB for the 6th year in a row- DeShaun Watson. The previous five?

Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Schaub.

9) In the last 50 years, there has been only one QB taken in the first round of the NFL Draft who never started a game for the team that drafted him.

Rich Campbell went to college at Cal, wound up lasting four years in the NFL, all with Green Bay (1981-84)— he appeared in seven games, completed 31-68 passes for 3 TD’s, 9 INT’s.

8) Former NFL QB Jay Cutler is a bit player on the reality show Very Cavallari that is on the E! Channel and stars his wife Kristin, a fashion designer who has been on other reality shows and has had small roles in movies.

Cutler has a dry sense of humor; you can see why CBS was going to hire him to analyze NFL games LY before he made a comeback (for $10M) with the Dolphins last year.

7) ESPN’s field mikes are cranked up so loud for Sunday Night Baseball; every time a guy hits a medium fly ball it sounds like a clap of thunder that could wipe out a small city.

6) Baseball oddity; Tuesday night, Marlins walked Phillies’ SS Mike Kingery intentionally his first time up, to get to the pitcher. Next time thru the lineup, they walked Cesar Hernandez on purpose, to get to Kingery. I’m betting that doesn’t happen very often.

5) From ESPN.com:

Over last 15 regular seasons, NFL favorites are 1,859-1,860-11 against the spread
During that time, over is 1,890-1,886-64.
Thursday NFL games; since 2003, favorites are 97-66-5 vs spread.

Looking at odds to win the Super Bowl, defending champ Eagles have the 10th-lowest odds. Not a lot of respect there.

4) RIP Burt Reynolds, 82, one of the biggest TV/movie stars of the 70’s/80’s. My favorite movie of his is the original The Longest Yard.

Back in the day, Reynolds was a running back at Florida State when the QB was Lee Corso; what a combo those two must have been. Bet they had a ton of fun.

RIP, sir.

3) Geno Crandall, a two-time all-Big Sky Conference guard at North Dakota, announced that he would be graduating over the summer, transferring to Gonzaga for his final year of eligibility.

One small problem; Crandall hasn’t graduated from North Dakota yet. To be a graduate transfer, you actually have to graduate.

If it takes him an extra semester to graduate from North Dakota, he could still bolt after the first semester and play for the Zags in the second semester. Crandall scored 28 points in a game for North Dakota AGAINST Gonzaga last season- he scored 16.6 ppg LY.

2) If you don’t think the NFL is still the king of American sports, consider this; in the heat of the baseball pennant race, with Falcons-Eagles the NFL opener Thursday, only four major league games were scheduled. Four out of a possible 15.

1) 2018 major league payrolls:
— Boston $233,752,429
— LA Dodgers $187,318,213
— Bronx $166,111,632
— Oakland $65,985,833

Go figure.

[StarDust Bum]

TCU at SMU
September 5, 2018
By Brian Edwards

Matchup: (16) TCU at SMU
Venue: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Time/TV: Friday, Sept. 7, ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. ET

Southern Methodist will try to shake off a dismal debut to the Sonny Dykes Era on Friday night when it plays host to TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet. As of Wednesday afternoon, most betting shops had the Horned Frogs installed as 22-point road favorites with a total of 58.5. The Mustangs were +1250 on the money line at both 5Dimes.eu and *** Global (risk $100 to win $1,250).

TCU (1-0 straight up, 0-1 against the spread) has won five games in a row over SMU by at least 19 points, including last year’s 56-36 win that resulted in a push as a 20-point home favorite. Gary Patterson’s program has beaten the Mustangs 16 times out of the past 18 meetings in this in-state rivalry.

When these schools collided at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth in 2017, the 92 combined points soared ‘over’ the 65-point total. SMU took a surprising 19-7 lead until TCU woke up midway through the second quarter and scored back-to-back TDs to go ahead, 21-19. The Mustangs responded with their third short field goal of the half to go back in front 22-21 with 17 seconds left until intermission.

However, TCU quarterback Kenny Hill found Jalen Reagor for a 38-yard scoring strike on the last play of the second quarter to put the Frogs back ahead at halftime. It was still a one-possession game (35-29) going into the final stanza, but TCU scored 21 straight points to put the game away.

Hill threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Darius Anderson rushed for 89 yards and two TDs on 14 carries, while KaVontae Turpin had seven receptions for 88 yards and one TD. Reagor had three catches for 79 yards and one TD, and Kenedy Snell scored TDs on a 71-yard reception and a 10-yard scamper.

SMU quarterback Ben Hicks connected on 17-of-37 passes for 305 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Ke’Mon Freeman rushed for 57 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, while James Proche caught three balls for 93 yards and one TD.

TCU returned five starters on offense and six on defense from last season’s team that finished 11-3 SU and 6-7-1 ATS. One of those returning starters on defense was lost to a season-ending injury during camp in August, though. Sophomore nose tackle Ross Blacklock, who was the Big 12’s Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American in ’17, will miss the entire 2018 campaign. Blacklock produced 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last year.

Patterson is the second-longest tenured coach in the FBS behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. The 58-year-old has been offered a slew of jobs to leave, turning down all of them during his 18-year tenure. Patterson has produced 11 seasons with double-digit win totals, winning at least 11 games 10 different times.

He is 161-57 overall and has overseen smooth transitions from the now-defunct WAC to the Mountain West (2005) and then into a Power Five league in the Big 12 (2012). Patterson’s program started slowly in the Big 12, going 4-5 and 2-7 in league action in ’12 and ’13. Since then, however, the Frogs are 26-10 vs. Big 12 foes over the last four seasons.

TCU beat up on FCS foe Southern by a 55-7 count last week, but it failed to cover the number as a 50-point home favorite. True sophomore QB Shawn Robinson made his second career start, completing 17-of-24 passes for 182 yards and three TDs without an interception. He had 45 rushing yards and two TDs on runs of 36 and nine yards on his only attempts.

Turpin produced 108 all-purpose yards on 10 touches, while Reagor had four receptions for 47 yards and one TD. Reagor also had a nine-yard run on his lone carry and a 37-yard kickoff return. Anderson, a third-team All-Big 12 selection when he ran for a team-best 768 yards and eight TDs while averaging 6.0 yards per carry last year, will be fresh for SMU after rushing for 36 yards on merely eight attempts vs. Southern.

Reagor, a sophomore WR, led TCU in TD catches (eight) and receiving yards (576) on 33 catches as a true freshman in ’17. He is a preseason fourth-team All-Big 12 pick in Phil Steele’s preseason magazine. Anderson is a preseason second-team All-Big 12 choice, while junior OT Lucas Niang is a third-team selection and junior OG Cordel Iwuagwu is a fourth-teamer like Reagor.

Steele’s Big 12 Unit Rankings shine a bright light on TCU’s defense. As for the offense? Not so much. The Frogs are ranked seventh (in the 10-team conference) at the QB position, fourth at RB, sixth at WR and seventh on the offensive line.

The defense is a much different deal, as Patterson’s unit is ranked tops in the league on the defensive line, at linebacker, in the secondary and on special teams. Steele’s National Unit rankings have TCU at ninth on both the d-line and at LB, 12th in the secondary and third on special teams.

Turpin is a preseason first-team all-conference choice in Steele’s mag as the kick and punt returner. He averaged 16.2 yards per punt return with one TD last year, in addition to averaging 30.8 yards per kick return with another TD. The dynamic senior had 41 receptions for 394 yards and one TD, and he also ran for 86 yards and a pair of scores on 11 totes for a 7.8 YPC average.

Senior DE Ben Banogu is the star of the defense, garnering first-team All-Big 12 honors last season when he tallied 49 tackles, 8.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, seven QB hurries, three forced fumbles and one pass broken up. Other defensive standouts for the Frogs include senior LB Ty Summers, senior safety Niko Small and junior CB Jeff Gladney.

Summers recorded five tackles, one sack, one TFL and one QB hurry in last week’s opener. He had 64 tackles, five PBU, four sacks, four TFL’s, three QB hurries, one interception and one forced fumble in ’17. Gladney tallied 28 tackles, five PBU and two interceptions for 94 return yards and one TD last year. He had two tackles, one TFL and one PBU vs. Southern.

TCU scored at a 33.6 points-per-game clip in ’17, while its defense surrendered just 19.0 PPG. The Frogs enjoyed a 1,229-yard advantage over their foes in total offense last season, and they were +3 in turnover margin.

Patterson’s team won its first seven games of ’17 to climb up to No. 4 in the national rankings. TCU’s unbeaten season ended with a 14-7 loss at 25th-ranked Iowa State. After bouncing back to thump Texas 24-7, the Frogs saw their College Football Playoff hopes disappear in a 38-20 defeat at fifth-ranked Oklahoma. They handily won at Texas Tech and vs. Baylor at home to qualify for the Big 12 Championship Game and a rematch with the Sooners, who delivered similar treatment in a 41-17 triumph to clinch a CFP berth.

To its credit, TCU rallied from a big first-half deficit to knock off 15th-ranked Stanford 39-37 at the Alamo Bowl. The Cardinal took the money as a three-point underdog, however.

SMU (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) saw head coach Chad Morris leave to take the Arkansas job after leading the school to its first bowl game since 2012. The Mustangs went 7-6 SU and 6-6-1 ATS last year, dropping a 51-10 decision to La. Tech at the Frisco Bowl. (Dykes served as HC in this game, but he’d only been on the job for about two weeks.)

Dykes’s squad returns six starters on offense and eight on defense. The Mustangs lost just 19 lettermen, but they still took woodshed treatment in a 46-23 loss at North Texas as three-point road underdogs in last week’s opener. The 69 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 71.5-point total.

SMU trailed the Mean Green 20-0 at halftime and 36-0 going into the fourth quarter. North Texas enjoyed an enormous 529-256 advantage in total yards and a 30-9 edge in first downs.

Hicks completed only 12-of-24 throws for 252 yards and two TDs with one interception. He had zero help from the ground game that was limited to four yards on 19 attempts (0.2 YPC). Senior RB Braeden West had a five-yard TD run and caught three passes for 86 yards and one TD. Proche had two receptions for 77 yards and one TD.

Hicks was outstanding as a sophomore in ’17, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 3,569 yards with a 33/12 TD-INT ratio. He has 25 career starts under his belt. Hicks lost a pair of elite WRs in Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton, who combined for 182 catches for 2,321 yards and 25 TD grabs last season.

Proche caught 40 balls for 816 yards and six TDs in ’17. He was a second-team preseason All-AAC selection in Steele’s mag. Junior RB Xavier Jones was a second-team All-AAC pick last year and a preseason first-teamer. However, he was only given two carries that gained just three yards against the Mean Green. Jones had 1,075 rushing yards and nine TDs with a 5.9 YPC average in ’17.

Dykes admitted Monday night on his weekly radio show that Jones wasn’t healthy the last couple of weeks of camp. He called him “probably 85-90 percent” going into the North Texas game. “The good thing is I think he’ll be back this week full go and he’s doing much better,” Dykes told PonyStampeded.com.

Even if Jones can’t go, West and Freeman are excellent back-up options even if the stats didn’t suggest as much vs. North Texas. West rushed for 568 yards and two TDs with a 7.8 YPC average in ’17, while Freeman had 543 rushing yards, 11 TDs and a 4.1 YPC average.

Since 2014, SMU has limped to a 4-11 spread record in 15 games as a home underdog. Meanwhile, TCU has compiled an 8-14 ATS record as a road favorite since 2011, but we should note that the Frogs went 3-1 ATS in four such spots last season.

Two SMU starters are on the injury report. Junior OT Bryce Wilds is ‘questionable’ due to an undisclosed issue and junior DE Tyeson Neals is ‘out’ for the next several weeks with a knee injury. Neals produced 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four TFL’s and two QB hurries last year.

For TCU, senior starting DE L.J. Collier and Blacklock’s back-up nose tackle Joseph Broadnax are both ‘questionable’ due to disciplinary matters. Collier had 18 tackles, four sacks, two QB hurries, one interception and 0.5 TFL’s in ’17, while Broadnax contributed 14 tackles, two TFL’s, 1.5 sacks, one QB hurry and one PBU.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on ESPN2.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- The ‘over’ is 7-2-1 in the past 10 meetings of the TCU-SMU rivalry.

-- Former Georgia Tech RB Dedrick Mills was dismissed from the program by Paul Johnson in August of 2017 for an unspecified violation of team rules. As a freshman in 2016, Mills led the Yellow Jackets in rushing yards (771) and rushing TDs with 12. He’s playing juco ball at Garden City Community College in Kansas but missed most of last year injured. Anyway, he announced on his Twitter account this week that he’s verbally committed to Scott Frost and Nebraska. Mills hopes to get a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for 2017 and if it’s granted, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining at Nebraska starting in 2019 (assuming he sticks to his verbal pledge).

-- North Texas junior QB Mason Fine had himself a day vs. SMU last week. Fine completed 40-of-50 passes for 444 yards and three TDs without an interception.

-- Hawaii QB Cole McDonald has been nothing short of sensational in first two career starts, leading the Warriors to a pair of easy wins as double-digit underdogs. In Week Zero at Colorado State as a 17-point underdog, McDonald had his team up 37-7 late in the third quarter. The Rams rallied to make it interesting but still lost by a 43-34 count. Then in Week 1, Hawaii trounced Navy 59-41 as a 13-point ‘dog. McDonald has completed 71.8 percent of his throws for 846 yards and nine TDs without a pick. He also has a pair of rushing scores.

-- After opening as a 3.5-point home favorite Sunday night for this week’s double-revenge spot vs. USC, Stanford was up to a 5.5-point ‘chalk’ to the Trojans by Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinal will be without starting senior center Jesse Burkett, who is ‘out’ for undisclosed reasons. Burkett has 28 career starts to his credit.

-- Former Alabama and Arizona State QB Blake Barnett made his debut for Charlie Strong’s USF team in its 34-14 home win over Elon last week. Barnett completed 24-of-34 passes for 305 yards and three TDs without an interception. He also ran for 31 yards and one TD on eight attempts. The Bulls play host to Ga. Tech this weekend.

-- Indiana is already without its top RB Morgan Ellison due to an indefinite suspension. The Hoosiers will now be sans RB Cole Gest for the rest of the year after he tore his ACL in the team’s opener vs. FIU. Gest rushed for 428 yards and one TD while averaging 4.6 YPC in ’17.

-- Louisville junior DE Jonathan Greenard is ‘out’ indefinitely with a wrist injury that includes ligament damage. Greenard had 48 tackles, 8.5 TFL’s, seven sacks, eight QB hurries and one PBU for the Cardinals last season.

-- Illinois fifth-year senior WR Mike Dudek sustained a third career season-ending injury in his team’s season-opening win over Kent State. Dudek was a second-team All-Big-Ten selection as a freshman in 2014 when he had 76 receptions for 1,038 yards and six TDs. Best of luck to him in his recovery and his future whether it be on the gridiron or not!

-- Miami, Fl. and Florida State are both 0-1 for the first time since 1975. No wonder I’ve been sleeping like a champ the last two nights!

-- The last time a team lost its season opener and won the national title was Miami in 1983. Who did the Hurricanes lose to? Florida. How do I know? Because I was there. The Gators were up 28-0 in the final seconds as UM moved into UF territory. Former HC Howard Schnellenberger called a timeout with just a few seconds left so his place-kicker could attempt a field goal on the game’s final play. He made the long kick to dodge cream-cheese treatment in the 28-3 loss.

[StarDust Bum]

TCU at SMU
September 5, 2018
By Brian Edwards

Matchup: (16) TCU at SMU
Venue: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Time/TV: Friday, Sept. 7, ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. ET

Southern Methodist will try to shake off a dismal debut to the Sonny Dykes Era on Friday night when it plays host to TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet. As of Wednesday afternoon, most betting shops had the Horned Frogs installed as 22-point road favorites with a total of 58.5. The Mustangs were +1250 on the money line at both 5Dimes.eu and *** Global (risk $100 to win $1,250).

TCU (1-0 straight up, 0-1 against the spread) has won five games in a row over SMU by at least 19 points, including last year’s 56-36 win that resulted in a push as a 20-point home favorite. Gary Patterson’s program has beaten the Mustangs 16 times out of the past 18 meetings in this in-state rivalry.

When these schools collided at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth in 2017, the 92 combined points soared ‘over’ the 65-point total. SMU took a surprising 19-7 lead until TCU woke up midway through the second quarter and scored back-to-back TDs to go ahead, 21-19. The Mustangs responded with their third short field goal of the half to go back in front 22-21 with 17 seconds left until intermission.

However, TCU quarterback Kenny Hill found Jalen Reagor for a 38-yard scoring strike on the last play of the second quarter to put the Frogs back ahead at halftime. It was still a one-possession game (35-29) going into the final stanza, but TCU scored 21 straight points to put the game away.

Hill threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Darius Anderson rushed for 89 yards and two TDs on 14 carries, while KaVontae Turpin had seven receptions for 88 yards and one TD. Reagor had three catches for 79 yards and one TD, and Kenedy Snell scored TDs on a 71-yard reception and a 10-yard scamper.

SMU quarterback Ben Hicks connected on 17-of-37 passes for 305 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Ke’Mon Freeman rushed for 57 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, while James Proche caught three balls for 93 yards and one TD.

TCU returned five starters on offense and six on defense from last season’s team that finished 11-3 SU and 6-7-1 ATS. One of those returning starters on defense was lost to a season-ending injury during camp in August, though. Sophomore nose tackle Ross Blacklock, who was the Big 12’s Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American in ’17, will miss the entire 2018 campaign. Blacklock produced 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last year.

Patterson is the second-longest tenured coach in the FBS behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. The 58-year-old has been offered a slew of jobs to leave, turning down all of them during his 18-year tenure. Patterson has produced 11 seasons with double-digit win totals, winning at least 11 games 10 different times.

He is 161-57 overall and has overseen smooth transitions from the now-defunct WAC to the Mountain West (2005) and then into a Power Five league in the Big 12 (2012). Patterson’s program started slowly in the Big 12, going 4-5 and 2-7 in league action in ’12 and ’13. Since then, however, the Frogs are 26-10 vs. Big 12 foes over the last four seasons.

TCU beat up on FCS foe Southern by a 55-7 count last week, but it failed to cover the number as a 50-point home favorite. True sophomore QB Shawn Robinson made his second career start, completing 17-of-24 passes for 182 yards and three TDs without an interception. He had 45 rushing yards and two TDs on runs of 36 and nine yards on his only attempts.

Turpin produced 108 all-purpose yards on 10 touches, while Reagor had four receptions for 47 yards and one TD. Reagor also had a nine-yard run on his lone carry and a 37-yard kickoff return. Anderson, a third-team All-Big 12 selection when he ran for a team-best 768 yards and eight TDs while averaging 6.0 yards per carry last year, will be fresh for SMU after rushing for 36 yards on merely eight attempts vs. Southern.

Reagor, a sophomore WR, led TCU in TD catches (eight) and receiving yards (576) on 33 catches as a true freshman in ’17. He is a preseason fourth-team All-Big 12 pick in Phil Steele’s preseason magazine. Anderson is a preseason second-team All-Big 12 choice, while junior OT Lucas Niang is a third-team selection and junior OG Cordel Iwuagwu is a fourth-teamer like Reagor.

Steele’s Big 12 Unit Rankings shine a bright light on TCU’s defense. As for the offense? Not so much. The Frogs are ranked seventh (in the 10-team conference) at the QB position, fourth at RB, sixth at WR and seventh on the offensive line.

The defense is a much different deal, as Patterson’s unit is ranked tops in the league on the defensive line, at linebacker, in the secondary and on special teams. Steele’s National Unit rankings have TCU at ninth on both the d-line and at LB, 12th in the secondary and third on special teams.

Turpin is a preseason first-team all-conference choice in Steele’s mag as the kick and punt returner. He averaged 16.2 yards per punt return with one TD last year, in addition to averaging 30.8 yards per kick return with another TD. The dynamic senior had 41 receptions for 394 yards and one TD, and he also ran for 86 yards and a pair of scores on 11 totes for a 7.8 YPC average.

Senior DE Ben Banogu is the star of the defense, garnering first-team All-Big 12 honors last season when he tallied 49 tackles, 8.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, seven QB hurries, three forced fumbles and one pass broken up. Other defensive standouts for the Frogs include senior LB Ty Summers, senior safety Niko Small and junior CB Jeff Gladney.

Summers recorded five tackles, one sack, one TFL and one QB hurry in last week’s opener. He had 64 tackles, five PBU, four sacks, four TFL’s, three QB hurries, one interception and one forced fumble in ’17. Gladney tallied 28 tackles, five PBU and two interceptions for 94 return yards and one TD last year. He had two tackles, one TFL and one PBU vs. Southern.

TCU scored at a 33.6 points-per-game clip in ’17, while its defense surrendered just 19.0 PPG. The Frogs enjoyed a 1,229-yard advantage over their foes in total offense last season, and they were +3 in turnover margin.

Patterson’s team won its first seven games of ’17 to climb up to No. 4 in the national rankings. TCU’s unbeaten season ended with a 14-7 loss at 25th-ranked Iowa State. After bouncing back to thump Texas 24-7, the Frogs saw their College Football Playoff hopes disappear in a 38-20 defeat at fifth-ranked Oklahoma. They handily won at Texas Tech and vs. Baylor at home to qualify for the Big 12 Championship Game and a rematch with the Sooners, who delivered similar treatment in a 41-17 triumph to clinch a CFP berth.

To its credit, TCU rallied from a big first-half deficit to knock off 15th-ranked Stanford 39-37 at the Alamo Bowl. The Cardinal took the money as a three-point underdog, however.

SMU (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) saw head coach Chad Morris leave to take the Arkansas job after leading the school to its first bowl game since 2012. The Mustangs went 7-6 SU and 6-6-1 ATS last year, dropping a 51-10 decision to La. Tech at the Frisco Bowl. (Dykes served as HC in this game, but he’d only been on the job for about two weeks.)

Dykes’s squad returns six starters on offense and eight on defense. The Mustangs lost just 19 lettermen, but they still took woodshed treatment in a 46-23 loss at North Texas as three-point road underdogs in last week’s opener. The 69 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 71.5-point total.

SMU trailed the Mean Green 20-0 at halftime and 36-0 going into the fourth quarter. North Texas enjoyed an enormous 529-256 advantage in total yards and a 30-9 edge in first downs.

Hicks completed only 12-of-24 throws for 252 yards and two TDs with one interception. He had zero help from the ground game that was limited to four yards on 19 attempts (0.2 YPC). Senior RB Braeden West had a five-yard TD run and caught three passes for 86 yards and one TD. Proche had two receptions for 77 yards and one TD.

Hicks was outstanding as a sophomore in ’17, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 3,569 yards with a 33/12 TD-INT ratio. He has 25 career starts under his belt. Hicks lost a pair of elite WRs in Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton, who combined for 182 catches for 2,321 yards and 25 TD grabs last season.

Proche caught 40 balls for 816 yards and six TDs in ’17. He was a second-team preseason All-AAC selection in Steele’s mag. Junior RB Xavier Jones was a second-team All-AAC pick last year and a preseason first-teamer. However, he was only given two carries that gained just three yards against the Mean Green. Jones had 1,075 rushing yards and nine TDs with a 5.9 YPC average in ’17.

Dykes admitted Monday night on his weekly radio show that Jones wasn’t healthy the last couple of weeks of camp. He called him “probably 85-90 percent” going into the North Texas game. “The good thing is I think he’ll be back this week full go and he’s doing much better,” Dykes told PonyStampeded.com.

Even if Jones can’t go, West and Freeman are excellent back-up options even if the stats didn’t suggest as much vs. North Texas. West rushed for 568 yards and two TDs with a 7.8 YPC average in ’17, while Freeman had 543 rushing yards, 11 TDs and a 4.1 YPC average.

Since 2014, SMU has limped to a 4-11 spread record in 15 games as a home underdog. Meanwhile, TCU has compiled an 8-14 ATS record as a road favorite since 2011, but we should note that the Frogs went 3-1 ATS in four such spots last season.

Two SMU starters are on the injury report. Junior OT Bryce Wilds is ‘questionable’ due to an undisclosed issue and junior DE Tyeson Neals is ‘out’ for the next several weeks with a knee injury. Neals produced 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four TFL’s and two QB hurries last year.

For TCU, senior starting DE L.J. Collier and Blacklock’s back-up nose tackle Joseph Broadnax are both ‘questionable’ due to disciplinary matters. Collier had 18 tackles, four sacks, two QB hurries, one interception and 0.5 TFL’s in ’17, while Broadnax contributed 14 tackles, two TFL’s, 1.5 sacks, one QB hurry and one PBU.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on ESPN2.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- The ‘over’ is 7-2-1 in the past 10 meetings of the TCU-SMU rivalry.

-- Former Georgia Tech RB Dedrick Mills was dismissed from the program by Paul Johnson in August of 2017 for an unspecified violation of team rules. As a freshman in 2016, Mills led the Yellow Jackets in rushing yards (771) and rushing TDs with 12. He’s playing juco ball at Garden City Community College in Kansas but missed most of last year injured. Anyway, he announced on his Twitter account this week that he’s verbally committed to Scott Frost and Nebraska. Mills hopes to get a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for 2017 and if it’s granted, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining at Nebraska starting in 2019 (assuming he sticks to his verbal pledge).

-- North Texas junior QB Mason Fine had himself a day vs. SMU last week. Fine completed 40-of-50 passes for 444 yards and three TDs without an interception.

-- Hawaii QB Cole McDonald has been nothing short of sensational in first two career starts, leading the Warriors to a pair of easy wins as double-digit underdogs. In Week Zero at Colorado State as a 17-point underdog, McDonald had his team up 37-7 late in the third quarter. The Rams rallied to make it interesting but still lost by a 43-34 count. Then in Week 1, Hawaii trounced Navy 59-41 as a 13-point ‘dog. McDonald has completed 71.8 percent of his throws for 846 yards and nine TDs without a pick. He also has a pair of rushing scores.

-- After opening as a 3.5-point home favorite Sunday night for this week’s double-revenge spot vs. USC, Stanford was up to a 5.5-point ‘chalk’ to the Trojans by Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinal will be without starting senior center Jesse Burkett, who is ‘out’ for undisclosed reasons. Burkett has 28 career starts to his credit.

-- Former Alabama and Arizona State QB Blake Barnett made his debut for Charlie Strong’s USF team in its 34-14 home win over Elon last week. Barnett completed 24-of-34 passes for 305 yards and three TDs without an interception. He also ran for 31 yards and one TD on eight attempts. The Bulls play host to Ga. Tech this weekend.

-- Indiana is already without its top RB Morgan Ellison due to an indefinite suspension. The Hoosiers will now be sans RB Cole Gest for the rest of the year after he tore his ACL in the team’s opener vs. FIU. Gest rushed for 428 yards and one TD while averaging 4.6 YPC in ’17.

-- Louisville junior DE Jonathan Greenard is ‘out’ indefinitely with a wrist injury that includes ligament damage. Greenard had 48 tackles, 8.5 TFL’s, seven sacks, eight QB hurries and one PBU for the Cardinals last season.

-- Illinois fifth-year senior WR Mike Dudek sustained a third career season-ending injury in his team’s season-opening win over Kent State. Dudek was a second-team All-Big-Ten selection as a freshman in 2014 when he had 76 receptions for 1,038 yards and six TDs. Best of luck to him in his recovery and his future whether it be on the gridiron or not!

-- Miami, Fl. and Florida State are both 0-1 for the first time since 1975. No wonder I’ve been sleeping like a champ the last two nights!

-- The last time a team lost its season opener and won the national title was Miami in 1983. Who did the Hurricanes lose to? Florida. How do I know? Because I was there. The Gators were up 28-0 in the final seconds as UM moved into UF territory. Former HC Howard Schnellenberger called a timeout with just a few seconds left so his place-kicker could attempt a field goal on the game’s final play. He made the long kick to dodge cream-cheese treatment in the 28-3 loss.

[Udog]

The Triple Option: College football Week 2 picks, predictions
Andrew Caley

Well, that was interesting.

Week 1 of the college football season is always full of surprises. And at the same time, it isn’t.

Texas lost its opener to Maryland for the second straight season and Chip Kelly suffered an embarrassing loss at home in his debut for UCLA, while teams like Penn State and Michigan State barely survived upset bids as huge favorites.

But meanwhile, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Oklahoma all won and by a massive average margin of 41.5 points. Unfortunately, these big boys only went 3-3 against the spread. To be fair though, they faced an average spread of -45 and failed to cover by less than one score.

Another thing that stayed the same was the SEC’s dominance. The conference went 13-1 straight up (c’mon Tennessee!) and 10-3-1 against the spread, despite seeing an average chalk of about -22.5.

How about something that’s kind of the same, but different? Week 2 has got you covered.

Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Sweeney will meet for the ninth time as head coaches this Saturday. But this time with Fisher at the helm of Texas A&M. The two have split those contests down the middle, so they probably don’t have many surprises left for each other.

Luckily, for Sweeney and Clemson, that may not matter. The Tigers defensive line is going to make life miserable for Aggies’ sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond, whom has a career competition mark of just 53.2 percent. Expect Clemson to force Mond to throw and the Tigers’ experience and talent will be enough for them to pull away from Texas A&M by the end of this one.

Pick: Clemson -12

Michigan State Spartans at Arizona State Sun Devils (+6.5, 54)

Here’s something that was a little surprising: Herm Edwards’ debut at Arizona State. Edwards had his Sun Devils flying all over the field in his first game. His defense limited USTA to just 221 total yards, including just three - count ‘em on one hand - three rushing yards, while racking up nine sacks in Arizona State’s impressive 49-7 win over the Roadrunners.

The Sun Devils also deployed a balanced attack on offense. Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins was an efficient 16 for 24 for 237 yards and four touchdowns, while sophomore running back Eno Benjamin added 146 total yards and two scores.

Meanwhile, Michigan State’s defense was porous in it’s opener against Utah State, allowing the Aggies to torch them for 319 yards through the air. But what’s worse for the Spartans was their offensive line play. They allowed the Aggies to put pressure on QB Brian Lewerke all game resulting in three sacks and were only able to manage 3.9 yards per carry for the ground game.

Throw in a rough road trip to Arizona, and a late start (10:45 p.m. ET) and the Sun Devils will have an opportunity to put the Spartans on upset alert for the second straight week.

Pick: Arizona State +6.5

Rice Owls at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-17, 71.5)

Here’s something that won’t change: the fact most seasoned college football bettors (some call us degenerates) spend too much time following the Rainbow Warriors and usually for the wrong reasons. But we’re hoping this week is different. Instead of chasing losses in Hawaii’s midnight kickoffs, we think we’ll just be rounding out a perfect Week 2 with some late-night action.

But something that might change is the way we perceive the Rainbow Warriors in 2018. Hawaii has come flying out of the gate, winning both games outright as a double-digit underdog and thanks to a revamped offense and the play of sophomore quarterback Cole McDonald, the Bows have their sights on their first winning season since 2010.

McDonald has been a revelation for the Rainbow Warriors’ run-and-shoot offense, completing 56 of 78 pass attempts (71.8 percent) for 846 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions. And now they get to face a Rice team that hasn’t looked up to snuff in its first two games.

The Owls squeaked out a 31-28 win as 23-point home faves against FCS Prairie View A&M (yeah, I’ve never heard of them either) and followed that up with a 45-27 home loss against Houston as 25.5-point underdogs (which they did cover), allowing an average of 439 total yards (292 passing) per game.

This time it’s Hawaii which is the double-digit favorite and for good reason. Rice, on the road in Hawaii, is clearly an inferior team (at least compared to the Bows’ first two opponents) that doesn’t look capable of stopping the Rainbow Warriors’ offense. There’s no reason to think the Bows don’t keep rolling here.

Pick: Hawaii -17

Last week: 2-1
Season: 2-1

Heisman Odds Update

It’s all about Tua. Officially named the starter for Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa didn’t disappoint. The sophomore quarterback played only the first half of Alabama’s win over Louisville, but still threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing, while adding another major on the ground.

And as a result, Tagovailoa’s Heisman odds continue to climb even though he was already the favorite. Tagovailoa now sits at 3/1 to win the award for the most outstanding player in college football. As noted last week, the sophomore gunslinger is the Westgate LV Superbook’s biggest liability in the Heisman market.

It looks like Tagovailoa’s biggest challenge for the Heisman Trophy, will come from West Virginia quarterback Will Grier. The Mountaineers’ signal-caller shredded the Tennessee secondary last week, throwing for 429 yards on 25-of-34 passing (73.5 percent) with five touchdowns. He is now the clear No. 2 behind Tagovailoa at 6/1.

The two leaders are followed by a trio of players at 12/1. Stanford running back Bryce Love, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor and UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton. Another guy worth watching is Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray a 20/1.

Right now, it feels like Grier is the one worth backing, as he and West Virginia are primed to have a huge year in the Big 12, but a regular season finale at home versus the Sooners could decide a lot.

[Udog]

Week 2 Upset Alerts

The debut of this weekly piece a week ago held it's own as the three underdogs finished with a 2-1 against the spread and 1-2 straight up record. Rice was able to get it going in the right direction by taking a 24-17 lead at halftime as +25.5-point underdogs to easily get the cover, while the smallest dog SMU got blown out from start to finish against North Texas.

But it was the play of the Cincinnati Bearcats (and depending how you look at it, the play of UCLA) that capped off the day. Cincinnati never looked in trouble in that game after a sloppy first quarter found them down 10-0, as UCLA appears as though they've got a long way to go in the Chip Kelly era to be competitive. UCLA is catching +30 on the road against Oklahoma this week and that says a lot. But it was a great start to Year 2 under coach Fickell in Cincinnati and they'll probably have a few more underdog wins in them this year.

Yet, it's on to Week 2 now and that means it can be classic overreaction week. Whether it's in the perception or the actual betting lines themselves, Week 2 brings classic reactions and overreactions to what they saw a week ago and let them too heavily influence their handicapping process. But there's a good chunk of teams who won't look anything like the team they were in Week 1 by season's end, so keep your preseason projections for every team weighed heavier than the 60 minutes of action last week.

Hopefully we can take advantage of a few of those potentially inflated underdog numbers this week. So let's get right to it:

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

YTD: 0-1 SU; 0-1 ATS

Nevada +9 over Vanderbilt

This is a line that immediately jumped off the board to me because Vanderbilt seems to be getting way too much respect for a strong Week 1 performance. That and Nevada took some time before blowing out a FCS team last week. Put it all together and a week after Vandy got no respect from bettors – Vandy line went from -6 to -3 before they won 35-7 – it seems like now they are getting way too much respect.

Without question Vanderbilt will be a big step up for a Nevada team that looks to be on the rise, but 70+ points is still 70+ points and they won't even need half of that to potentially come out of Vandy with an outright victory. We shouldn't see this Wolfpack attack get stifled by Vandy's defense in a similar fashion to Middle Tennessee did a week ago, and Vandy's offense didn't exactly do a whole lot of impressing either in that win.

But drastically outperforming the line and clearly the consensus opinion as well Vanderbilt forced oddsmakers to overadjust here and I'll gladly take the points with Nevada and dash a bit on the ML as well. Vandy's not a school you can trust laying chalk – as so many bettors believed a week ago with that line move – and sticking with that line of thought should pay off here.


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

YTD: 1-0 SU; 1-0 ATS

Bowling Green +16 over Maryland

Bowling Green isn't likely to be a great team this year and the fact that they got run over by Oregon last week doesn't really do them any favors. But this play is more about fading a Maryland team that probably played well over their heads last week in their own big outright upset (+13.5) over Texas. There really is nowhere to go but down for Maryland from here given all they've got going on regarding the program, and laying this many points on the road could end up being disastrous.

For one, if Maryland did indeed play well over their heads, then there is going to be a “coming down” part naturally on the field. But even just the mental and emotional preparation and intensity has to drop a bit for a multitude of reasons. The hype of it being the first game of a trying off-season is now gone, there's no added hype of being up against a big name program at home on national television, and now it's actually you guys who are the hunted and in hostile territory. Not a good recipe for a successful meal at all.

Secondly, Bowling Green may have lost 58-24 in Oregon last week, but who really goes there as a non-Power 5 road team and really has a chance. The Falcons are true to their identity of being in the MAC though as they aren't shy about putting up points when they can – they did score 24 vs Oregon – and can you really trust Maryland's defense on the road?

This game just feels like it's going to be a huge letdown/disaster for Maryland and like the Cincinnati/UCLA game in this spot a week ago, a Bowling Green SU victory would not be surprising at all.


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

YTD: 1-0 ATS

Ball State +34.5 vs Notre Dame

Speaking of MAC teams catching points against an opponent in a tougher spot, we've got Ball State catching 30+ against the Fighting Irish, just six days after they beat up on Michigan in one of the biggest games of the weekend.

Notre Dame definitely got done what they needed to in that Michigan game to remain in the national championship picture as an Independent, but being an Independent team can also put you in some tougher scheduling spots because everyone wants to boost their resume (if they can) by playing you. This week they host a Ball State squad that would love to raise the name of their own brand against an Irish team in a classic letdown spot.

Coming down from the euphoric emotions after that Michigan win is going to be tough, especially knowing you've got another upstart team from another Power 5 conference that's looking to make a name off your brand next week as well; the aforementioned Vanderbilt Commodores. There is no looking ahead for Notre Dame here though, but the perception of this team has risen drastically since beating Michigan and this looks to be a few too many points.

Ball State got the monkey of a nine-game losing streak entering the year off their back with a dominant win against FCS play, but for as insignificant as a win like that may seem to most, it probably wasn't that insignificant for the players. First off, it gave them their confidence back that they could win again, and growing confidence is never a bad thing when you're going into try and shock the entire college football world.

Secondly, it allowed Ball State's offense to sense and feel what a highly successful offensive game looks and feels like. Moving the ball against Notre Dame's defense will be a completely different story, but the Cardinals likely only have to score on a couple of possessions against a less interested Irish defense to keep it within this number. Ball State won't win this game but they'll keep the margin of defeat within the 20's.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TCU at SMU 08:00 PM
SMU +22.5
O 59.0

[StarDust Bum]

Aggies look for big upset
September 6, 2018

By Kyle Markus

College Football Preview - Clemson Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies

The Clemson Tigers have transformed into one of the most powerful college football programs in the country, perennially in the hunt for the national championship. They have a great team once again in 2018, but the margin for error is thin. Clemson has added a challenging non-conference game to the schedule this year as it faces off against the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 2.

Texas A&M will be the underdog but gets this game at home, so if everything goes perfectly a big-time upset is possible. The Aggies aren’t in the same class as Clemson this season but would love to put a scare into the Tigers.

If Clemson can win this one convincingly it will be a good sign for its College Football Playoff chances in NCAA football betting.

The Clemson Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies will face off on Saturday, September 8th, 2018 at 7 p.m. ET at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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

Odds Analysis

The Aggies are listed as 12-point underdogs in this matchup. Clemson is the sizable road favorite and is still getting more than 62 percent of the action to cover the spread. The Tigers are -450 favorites on the moneyline, while Texas A&M is the +351 underdog. The Aggies are getting the majority of the action on the moneyline.

The scoring total is listed at 54 points, with the “under” the more popular pick in NCAA football gambling.

Last Time Out

Clemson had no issues in its opener, which isn’t a surprise considering it played an inferior Furman team. The Tigers grabbed a 41-0 lead after three quarters and cruised to the 48-7 victory. The Clemson rushing attack was impressive, led by Lyn-J Dixon, who had six carries for 89 yards. The Tigers play two quarterbacks and both were solid. Kelly Bryant was 10-of-16 for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Trevor Lawrence was 9-of-15 for 137 yards and three touchdowns.

Texas A&M was equally impressive, dominating Northwestern State 59-7 to begin the season with a bang. The Aggies scored 28 points in the second quarter to take full control. Quarterback Kellen Mond was 17-of-25 for 184 yards and a pair of touchdown. Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams was absolutely dominant, carrying the ball 20 times for 240 yards and three touchdowns.

Both teams had offenses that rolled and defenses that clamped down, but this will be a much tougher level of competition for each in Week 2.

Key Stat

40. That’s the number of wins, against only four losses, that Clemson has posted the past three seasons. The Tigers have been ranked No. 1 at some point in each of those campaigns, and have a national title as well as a runner-up finish.

Clemson is now ranked No. 2 in the country and should be right in the thick of the national title chase. The Tigers have a bunch of talent on defense and a pair of nice options at quarterback. Texas A&M is an above average team but not quite in the same stratosphere as the Tigers.

Free College Football ATS Picks

The Aggies showed their offensive firepower in the opener, but going against Clemson is a different animal. The Tigers will make Texas A&M work for every point it scores. That being said, this spread is too high considering the Aggies are at home. Clemson is going to come away with a nice road win to continue its dominance but Texas A&M is the pick to cover the spread in NCAA football wagering.

College Football ATS Pick: Clemson Tigers 33, Texas A&M Aggies 24

[StarDust Bum]

Turpin ignites No. 16 TCU in rainy 42-12 win over rival SMU
September 7, 2018

DALLAS (AP) If No. 16 TCU was looking ahead to a showdown with Ohio State, KaVontae Turpin snapped his fellow Horned Frogs back into the present with another speedy dash to the end zone.

Turpin ignited a sluggish team by returning a punt 78 yards for a touchdown before adding a 42-yard scoring catch, and the Horned Frogs pulled away for a delayed and rain-soaked 42-12 victory over Dallas-Fort Worth rival SMU that ended early Saturday morning.

The start of the game Friday night between former Southwest Conference foes was held up nearly two hours by lightning, and a steady rain fell until halftime.

The Horned Frogs (2-0) finally secured their first seven-game winning streak in the 98-game Iron Skillet series after midnight, winning comfortably after struggling early for the third straight year. TCU has outscored SMU 83-14 in the second half the past three meetings.

Perhaps looking ahead to the fourth-ranked Buckeyes next week, TCU squandered its first two chances to take control by committing turnovers before Alec Dunham picked up a fumble by SMU quarterback Ben Hicks in stride and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

''We understand the next ballgame here Ohio State is not SMU,'' coach Gary Patterson said. ''Not in any aspect whatsoever. But I think our kids will know that too.''

The Mustangs (0-2) led 9-0 early in the first home game for coach Sonny Dykes, but had just 167 yards total offense after Braeden West's 51-yard scoring run on the fifth play of the game.

''I'm disappointed that we didn't play better in the second half,'' Dykes said. ''We're just not very good at the details right now. That's what's biting us in the rear end.''

Two plays before Dunham's score, Mustangs linebacker Shaine Hailey had an open field in front of him on Shawn Robinson's first career interception but was quickly dragged down by an alert Turpin.

The speedy receiver/returner pointed toward the punter looking for a block on TCU's first score, but easily ran past an unblocked Jamie Sackville anyway.

The sealing TD came when Turpin caught a short pass, ran through the middle of the secondary and split three defenders near the goal line. Turpin, who set school records with his fifth career special teams TD and fourth on a punt return, finished with 176 all-purpose yards.

SLOWER START

A week after throwing for three touchdowns and running for two scores in the first half of a 55-7 rout of Southern University, Robinson finally found the end zone on an 18-yard run in the third quarter. That gave TCU, a three-touchdown favorite, its first comfortable lead at 28-12.

CITY SLICKERS

The rainy first half had its zany moments. TCU punter Adam Nunez fumbled without getting touched while running after a bad snap, and the ball rolled out of bounds near the pylon for what was ruled a safety, giving SMU its 9-0 lead.

The Horned Frogs went ahead for the first time at 14-9 when receiver Jaelen Austin fell on the ball in the end zone after running back Sewo Olonilua had it knocked loose around the 10.

THE TAKEAWAY

TCU: On the short 40-mile trip from their Fort Worth campus, the Horned Frogs drove by AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and site of their battle with the Buckeyes. There's little question the Horned Frogs were caught looking ahead, although the long delay probably was a factor as well in leading just 14-12 into the third quarter.

SMU: The Mustangs waited a long time for a bright spot with Dykes, who chose to coach in the Frisco Bowl last year after Chad Morris left for the Arkansas job. SMU fell behind 42-3 in the first half of that season finale and trailed 36-0 in the fourth quarter of last week's 46-23 opening loss to North Texas, another Dallas-area school. Hanging with a Big 12 title contender for a half gives the Mustangs some hope.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Horned Frogs aren't likely to move up much, and might be at risk of dropping a spot or two because of the early struggles against an overmatched opponent.

UP NEXT

TCU: The Horned Frogs can't get too caught up in the Ohio State game next Saturday because the Big 12 opener is a week later at Texas, their biggest rival.

SMU: At No. 21 Michigan next Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s six-pack

— Bad news for the White Sox: Michael Kopech needs Tommy John surgery.

— Julio Jones was targeted 19 times by Matt Ryan Thursday night.

— Average number of points in NFL games LY: 43.4, a four-year low.

— Since 2010, rookie NFL QB’s making their first career road start are 15-30.

— Three NFL teams have started a season 0-2 and went on to win the Super Bowl: ’92 Cowboys, ’01 Patriots and ’07 Giants.

— Pointspreads were invented in the early 40’s by math teacher-turned-bookmaker Charles McNeil.

Quote of the Day
“I played for a tough sucker, and I was afraid of him, and we played our ass off for him because we feared him. I don’t see that with this guy. He’s chest bumping and all that. I’m the head of the corporation, I’m the CEO, I’m the chairman of the board, I’m talking to the stockholders telling them here’s how we’re going to do at the end of the quarter. I’m selling this thing. And I’m not delivering the goods, which is championships. You’ve got to face the criticism. I’m sorry, but he’s not my kind of coach. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.”
Terry Bradshaw, talking about Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin

Saturday’s quiz
Who won the first Super Bowl, and who did they beat?

Friday’s quiz
In the football scenes in The Longest Yard, Burt Reynolds’ character Paul Crewe wore number 22, one of the numbers he wore as a running back at Florida State.

Thursday’s quiz
Martin Sheen played President Bartlet in the old TV show, The West Wing.


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


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

13) Chiefs were +45 in turnovers the last three years, in large part because Alex Smith doesn’t turn the ball over very much, but now Smith plays for the Redskins and Patrick Mahomes is the starter, with only one NFL start under his belt.

Chiefs @ Chargers might be the most interesting matchup in NFL’s Week 1.

12) Kansas State had to rally from down 24-12 in 4th quarter vs I-AA South Dakota LW, now they’re a home underdog to Mississippi State. K-State has traditionally been profitable as a home underdog under Bill Snyder- interesting noon game.

11) Bills made the playoffs for the first time in 19 years LY, then traded their QB away and drafted Josh Allen, who isn’t the starter yet. Buffalo has the lowest over/under win total in Las Vegas for this season- there are low expectations for their opener in Baltimore.

10) Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic squad was pummeled by Oklahoma LW; now they’re a home favorite against Air Force and its option attack— how will the Owls bounce back?

9) Tyrod Taylor is that QB Buffalo traded away; he’s the starter in Cleveland now— the Browns have been bet down by the public. Steelers opened at -7; now they’re -4. Cleveland turned the ball over 41 times LY; if Taylor can cut that number in half, Browns will be a vastly improved team this season.

8) Chip Kelly’s UCLA team lost as a 14-point home favorite last week; now they’re a 30-point underdog at Oklahoma. Plus, UCLA’s QB got hurt LW; thats no bueno.

7) Sportsbooks in New Jersey are taking lot of Super Bowl bets on the Giants, so their opener with Jacksonville will be interesting.

Jaguars are 3-17 vs spread in their last 20 games vs NFC teams, but they made the playoffs LY, while the Giants were going 3-13.

6) Detroit Tigers’ two TV announcers apparently got into a fight after Tuesday night’s game and were not on the air for Wednesday’s game. Imagine if that had happened during the game? Will these guys ever work together again? They might’ve ruined both of their careers.

5) Jets’ rookie Sam Darnold will become the youngest player in Super Bowl era to start at QB in a Week 1 game. New Lions’ coach Matt Patricia went to college at RPI, near where I live, in Troy, NY. Patricia’s defenses in New England stopped the Jets; how will his Detroit defense do?

4) USC at Stanford is an interesting game in the Pac-12; Trojans are starting a true freshman QB who left high school a year early, so he should really still be in HS. Awful young to be a starter.

3) Jameis Winston is suspended for the first three games this season, so the Buccaneers head to New Orleans with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting QB. Biggest spread of Week 1; can the Bucs hang with their division rival with their backup QB starting?

2) Herm Edwards started his Arizona State tenure with a 49-7 win over Texas-San Antonio (the Roadrunners!!!) last week; now Michigan State is coming to town. Big jump in class.

Supposed to be 107 in Tempe Saturday night; will conditioning be a factor?

1) Norv Turner is Carolina’s new offensive coordinator; Turner coaching Cam Newton’s offense promises to be fascinating. Having the Cowboys in town for the opener and the 4:25 FOX game adds to the build-up.

Enjoy the games this weekend!!!!

[StarDust Bum]

Michigan State at ASU
September 6, 2018

By Kyle Markus

College Football Game Preview - Michigan State at Arizona State

The Michigan State Spartans are ranked in the top-25, but if they play like they did last week, it might not last long. The Spartans had trouble shaking an inferior Utah State team in their season opener before holding on for a close victory. The competition level will ramp up this week when they hit the road to face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 2.

Arizona State has a new coach in Herm Edwards and expectations aren’t high, but the team looked sharp in its debut against UT-San Antonio. The Sun Devils get this one at home, and while they are the underdogs, another strong performance could result in the upset victory.

Matchups between the Big Ten and Pac-12 are always an interesting clash in styles and it will be intriguing to see how this one develops. Michigan State can get back on track with a win but this seems to be trending toward a competitive showdown in college football gambling.

The Michigan State Spartans and Arizona State Sun Devils will face off on Saturday, September 8th, 2018 at 10:45 p.m. ET at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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

Odds Analysis

The Spartans must make the cross country trip but is the 5.5-point favorite to come away with the victory. The Spartans are getting more than 55 percent of the action to cover that spread. Michigan State is the -225 favorite on the moneyline and the Sun Devils are the +188 underdogs. Arizona State is receiving more of the action on the moneyline.

The scoring total is listed at 54 points, and the “under”is the more popular choice in NCAA football gambling.

Last Time Out

The Spartans did not open as expected, struggling to a 38-31 win over Utah State. Michigan State needed a late score to finally take control and the win wasn’t clinched until a last-minute interception. The Spartans’ offensive line did not play well and will need to improve. Brian Lewerke finished the contest 23-of-33 for 287 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and he needs to have a big game against the Sun Devils. Lewerke is from Arizona and hopes to impress in front of family and friends.

Arizona State cruised to a 49-7 win over UT-San Antonio. The Sun Devils scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters. Arizona State had to replace a pair of productive running backs from a season ago but Eno Benjamin filled in nicely, carrying the ball 16 times for 131 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Manny Wilkins went 16-of-24 passing for 237 yards and four touchdowns.

Player To Watch

N’Keal Harry -- The Arizona State wide receiver is projected to be a top pick in the NFL draft and flexed his muscle in the opener. Harry caught six passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which came when he sneaked away from five defenders in his area and reversed field for the score.

Harry is a big target with more strength than defensive backs, so he will be a handful for the Spartans to cover. They seem likely to dedicate their game plan to slowing him down and forcing other Arizona State receivers to beat them.

Free College Football ATS Picks

Michigan State is hoping to show that the first game isn’t a warning sign of things to come. This is not an easy game as the Sun Devils have a veteran quarterback and a team that looked good on both sides of the ball in the opener, albeit against an inferior foe.

The Spartans may be the better team but this is a tough matchup. Michigan State will travel a long way and it’s a late start for a team used to the central time zone. Arizona State is a solid upset pick in NCAA football odds.

College Football ATS Pick: Arizona State Sun Devils 27, Michigan State Spartans 24

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Power 5 Best Bets - Week 2
September 6, 2018
By YouWager.eu

College Football Week 2 Power 5 Conference Best Bets

The opening week of the college football season was incredibly exciting, with some great games and stunning upsets delivered over the course of the weekend. Most of the action in Week 2 falls on Saturday, as it traditionally does, which means there are a lot of games to pick through.

We have decided to look at the Power 5 Conferences and narrow our picks down to one for each, so let’s get right to the picks and the best bets and remember YouWager.eu offers you the largest list of betting odds as well as futures and props for all the games in the schedule.

ACC
Penn State Nittany Lions at Pitt Panthers (OVER 56)
If you want to talk about great escapes in Week 1 of the season, look no further than Penn State, as they needed a late TD strike and OT to get past Appalachian State. Over 80 points were scored in that game, which makes the 56-point total this week look very small in comparison. The Nittany Lions have now seen 7 of their last 8 games go OVER and I think we are looking at that again this week, as I expect Penn State to come out and try to be better from the start, so as to avoid another panicky 4th quarter situation.

Big Ten
Michigan Wolverines (-28) over Western Michigan Broncos
No team in college football needs a bigger performance than the Michigan Wolverines do. Sure, they had a tough opener on the road versus Notre Dame in Week 1, but the nature of their loss there is what is causing problems. They looked very poor offensively, so you know that they will have been working on correcting that all this week. I think they come out and go for the jugular against Western Michigan, which is why I like the Wolverines to cover the 28-point spread.

Big 12
Oklahoma Sooners (-30) over UCLA Bruins
We were all a little excited to see what Chip Kelly would do with the Bruins offense in Week 1, but it ended up being a mammoth letdown, as UCLA were stunned by the Cincinnati Bearcats at home. Now they have to go on the road to face an Oklahoma team that picked up right where they left off last season, running up the score in a blowout win in their opener. I’m not usually a fan of these bigger spreads, but the Sooners look like money here.

PAC 12
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal (UNDER 56 ½)
This looks to be one of the better match-ups on the schedule this weekend, with a pair of ranked teams going head to head. Both of these teams got off to winning starts in Week 1, although USC were made to work a whole lot harder than expected for their win. Stanford has the edge in SU wins in the last 10 meetings between these two, but it is the UNDER that stands out here, with 4 of the last 6 meetings in Stanford going UNDER.

SEC
Georgia Bulldogs (-10) over South Carolina Gamecocks
While these two teams are viewed as the best in the SEC East, there is still a big talent gap between the Bulldogs and the Gamecocks. Both had comfortable wins in Week 1, but the Dawgs rolled out a bunch of different guys, all of whom seemed to step up and deliver. I think that Georgia comes out and controls this game from the opening kick on their way to a double-digit win.

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Saturday's Best Bets
September 6, 2018
By BetDSI

Saturday College Football Best Bets

Week 2 of both college and NFL action can often be fun simply because everyone wants to react and overreact to what they saw the week prior. It's why you can sometimes get some very “soft” betting lines out there simply because the perception and reality of a team don't always mesh after a single week. So it's always important to not be afraid to dive deep into the betting board in Week 2's in an attempt to find those mismatched lines.

Hopefully I've done that here this week as there are a couple of games I couldn't pass up.

Best Bet #1: Penn State (-9)

The perception of Penn State after one week is nearly as low as it could get after avoiding outright disaster with a home loss to App State. The Nittany Lions needed to convert a 4th and 2 in the final minute just to keep their chance at a tie alive, and while they squeaked it out in OT, the majority of bettors want nothing to do with Penn State right now.

That's more than fine with me as now we get a line with Penn State laying less than double digits against a Pittsburgh team that were +19 in this game a year ago. Yes, that game was in Penn State and not Pitt like this year's, and yes there is no Saquon Barkley in the backfield anymore for Penn State, but it's not like their offense really had anything to do with last week's scare. It was Penn State's defense who lost their minds in the 4th quarter of that game to allow App State to score 28 in the frame. Offensively, there really is not a whole lot to worry about with Penn State at the moment.

And that Big 10 defense will be able to turn things around just seven days later. They know that this in-state rivalry game with Pitt has grown in meaning the past few years and they aren't about to let the Panthers offense clown them late in the same fashion App State did last week.

Penn State is still a highly ranked and respected football team this year and if the only thing many can point to as a reason not to lay this single-digit number when it's loaded with value is because of last week's scare, well then, chances are the overreactions of Week 2 have probably caught them before.

Best Bet #2: Kansas State +8.5

As one of the big games on in the early kickoff slot on Saturday, this Mississippi State/Kansas State game is going to get a lot of attention and it already has. This spread was quickly bet up from an opener of +7.5 to as high as +10 and since coming back down. A difference of opinion on a game is never a bad thing, but even without it being the best of the number, this might be too many points to give K-State at home here.

Similar to Penn State, Kansas State had their struggles with a South Dakota team that took them to the wire. K-State was laying 24 points in that game last week and they actually found themselves down 24-12 to start the 4th quarter. Two TD's in the first half of that frame gave K-State the final result they were looking for, but it didn't give them any sort of respect in the betting market overall.

Bettors were quick to pound a Mississippi State team that looked great in Week 1 and don't want to be the ones to step in front of them (after one week) because of that performance. But sometimes these struggles by teams like Kansas State and Penn State could be a product of those teams potentially looking ahead to bigger Week 2 matchups.

And while there are a lot of people in this industry who aren't shy about calling this game or that game a potential “look-ahead trap” for a certain team, they quickly forget all about it after the week and don't even consider how that team will/could react when in that game they spent all the week prior looking ahead too? Don't you think that extra week of some level of focus which was a negative last week would be a huge positive this week?

That's what we've got here regarding Kansas State in this spot, and you can never really count out Bill Synder's teams as home underdogs. That's always been Synder's most successful role in the ATS market and thanks to last week's nail-biting win, Snyder and his team have a few more points to work with to ultimately pick up the cover.

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Saturday's Best Bets
September 6, 2018
By BetDSI

Saturday College Football Best Bets

Week 2 of both college and NFL action can often be fun simply because everyone wants to react and overreact to what they saw the week prior. It's why you can sometimes get some very “soft” betting lines out there simply because the perception and reality of a team don't always mesh after a single week. So it's always important to not be afraid to dive deep into the betting board in Week 2's in an attempt to find those mismatched lines.

Hopefully I've done that here this week as there are a couple of games I couldn't pass up.

Best Bet #1: Penn State (-9)

The perception of Penn State after one week is nearly as low as it could get after avoiding outright disaster with a home loss to App State. The Nittany Lions needed to convert a 4th and 2 in the final minute just to keep their chance at a tie alive, and while they squeaked it out in OT, the majority of bettors want nothing to do with Penn State right now.

That's more than fine with me as now we get a line with Penn State laying less than double digits against a Pittsburgh team that were +19 in this game a year ago. Yes, that game was in Penn State and not Pitt like this year's, and yes there is no Saquon Barkley in the backfield anymore for Penn State, but it's not like their offense really had anything to do with last week's scare. It was Penn State's defense who lost their minds in the 4th quarter of that game to allow App State to score 28 in the frame. Offensively, there really is not a whole lot to worry about with Penn State at the moment.

And that Big 10 defense will be able to turn things around just seven days later. They know that this in-state rivalry game with Pitt has grown in meaning the past few years and they aren't about to let the Panthers offense clown them late in the same fashion App State did last week.

Penn State is still a highly ranked and respected football team this year and if the only thing many can point to as a reason not to lay this single-digit number when it's loaded with value is because of last week's scare, well then, chances are the overreactions of Week 2 have probably caught them before.

Best Bet #2: Kansas State +8.5

As one of the big games on in the early kickoff slot on Saturday, this Mississippi State/Kansas State game is going to get a lot of attention and it already has. This spread was quickly bet up from an opener of +7.5 to as high as +10 and since coming back down. A difference of opinion on a game is never a bad thing, but even without it being the best of the number, this might be too many points to give K-State at home here.

Similar to Penn State, Kansas State had their struggles with a South Dakota team that took them to the wire. K-State was laying 24 points in that game last week and they actually found themselves down 24-12 to start the 4th quarter. Two TD's in the first half of that frame gave K-State the final result they were looking for, but it didn't give them any sort of respect in the betting market overall.

Bettors were quick to pound a Mississippi State team that looked great in Week 1 and don't want to be the ones to step in front of them (after one week) because of that performance. But sometimes these struggles by teams like Kansas State and Penn State could be a product of those teams potentially looking ahead to bigger Week 2 matchups.

And while there are a lot of people in this industry who aren't shy about calling this game or that game a potential “look-ahead trap” for a certain team, they quickly forget all about it after the week and don't even consider how that team will/could react when in that game they spent all the week prior looking ahead too? Don't you think that extra week of some level of focus which was a negative last week would be a huge positive this week?

That's what we've got here regarding Kansas State in this spot, and you can never really count out Bill Synder's teams as home underdogs. That's always been Synder's most successful role in the ATS market and thanks to last week's nail-biting win, Snyder and his team have a few more points to work with to ultimately pick up the cover.

[StarDust Bum]

Big Ten Report - Week 2
September 5, 2018
By ASA

2018 BIG 10 STANDINGS

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

Games Scheduled for Saturday

Duke at Northwestern (-3) - (ESPNU, 12:00 p.m. ET)

DUKE – The Blue Devils had an impressive revenge win last weekend beating Army 34-14. After the Cadets topped Duke 21-16 last year, the Devils put a heavy emphasis on this game and played well. Most impressive was their rush defense as they held Army to just 168 yards rushing on 47 carries (just 3.6 YPC). What made the defensive effort even more imposing was the fact that Army led the nation in rushing last year averaging 362 YPG. Duke pushed ahead 17-0 by halftime forcing a non-passing team in Army to throw the ball a whopping 21 times. To put that in context, the Cadets attempted 65 passes the entire year in 2017! Army did throw for almost 200 yards which has to be a bit concerning as they do not emphasize the passing game yet looked good throwing against the Devils. Duke QB Daniel Jones led a balanced attack (197 passing & 184 rushing) throwing for just under 200 yards and rushing for 43.

NORTHWESTERN – The Wildcats were outplayed in the stat sheet last week at Purdue but came away with the 31-27 win. They were outgained by 70+ yards but benefitted from 3 Boiler QB interceptions which directly led to 21 points for Northwestern. Starting QB Clayton Thorson was returning from ACL surgery and split time with junior TJ Green. Thorson looked great on his first 2 drives leading the Cats to TD’s in each. He took 50 snaps under center while Green took 29. After listening to head coach Pat Fitzgerald after the game it sounds like he’ll continue the 2 QB system at least in the immediate future saying he wants to keep Thorson on a “series count” because he is returning from a serious injury. The Cats may have also found a replacement for all time leading rusher Justin Jackson who is now with the Chargers. Sophomore Jeremy Larkin ran for 143 yards on 26 carries in the first start of his career. The run defense, however, looks like it might be a concern as they allowed Purdue to rush for over 200 yards on 8.1 YPC.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – The Cats were destroyed at Duke last year 41-17. The score could have been worse as the Devils gashed Northwestern for 538 yards while holding the Cats to just 191. These two have met 13 times since the start of the 1996 season with Northwestern winning 10 of those meetings (7-6 ATS). The underdog in this series has covered 6 of the last 7 meetings.

Western Michigan at Michigan (-27.5) - (FS1, 12:00 p.m. ET)

WESTERN MICHIGAN – The Broncos opened the season as a 5-point underdog at home vs Syracuse. WMU hadn’t played host to a Power 5 team since 2015 so it was a great opportunity for their program to start the season with a huge win. The Broncos fell behind 34-7 at half as Syracuse scored on 6 of their first 7 possessions. Western come out after halftime and scored TD’s on 4 of their first 5 possessions to cut the lead to 41-35 late in the 3rd quarter. The Orange pulled away a bit in the 4th quarter en route to a 55-42 win. WMU actually outgained the Cuse 621 yards to 560 as neither defense could slow down the opposing offense. What was even more impressive about WMU’s offensive performance is the fact they ran 27 fewer plays than Syracuse. The Broncos ran the ball extremely well against their Power 5 opponent rolling up 242 yards on a whopping 8.6 yards per carry. The problem was, the Western defense couldn’t stop the Orange on the ground as they racked up 334 yards rushing with QB Eric Dungey leading the way with 200 yards.

MICHIGAN – It will be interesting to see how the Wolverines respond after losing at Notre Dame 24-17 last Saturday night. After the line bounced around during the week with each side favored by 1 to 1.5 points at different times, Michigan went off as a 3-point favorite at many places. There were months of hype leading into their game vs the Irish and the loss could linger into this week’s contest against a team that played very well offensively last week. Speaking of offense, that was Michigan’s weakness last season and looks like it might be again this year. While they did average 25 PPG a year ago, against the top teams in the Big Ten (OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, and Michigan State) the Wolverines only put up 13 PPG. The struggles continued against the Irish last Saturday with Michigan averaging only 4.4 yards per play (307 total yards) and scored only one offensive TD. New QB Shea Patterson, a transfer from Ole Miss, had a non-descript opener passing for 227 yards, no TD’s and 1 interception. His offensive line struggled to keep him clean in the pocket as the Irish had 3 sacks and 6 QB hurries. The Michigan defense was as advertised holding Notre Dame to just 302 total yards. The Wolverines really locked down in the 2nd half limiting the Irish to only 69 total yards and just 3 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS - Michigan is a perfect 4-0 both SU & ATS (since 2000) in this in-state series winning by an average margin of 24 PPG. These two last met in 2011 with Michigan winning that game 34-10. Since 1987, the Wolverines are just 2-11 ATS when coming off a loss and favored by 21 points or more. Since 1999, WMU is 10-4-1 ATS when tabbed an underdog of 24 or more.

Eastern Michigan at Purdue (-16.5) - (Big Ten,12:00 p.m. ET)

EASTERN MICHIGAN – The Eagles had an impressive opener jumping out to a 30-3 halftime lead before finishing off Monmouth 51-17. While a win over an FCS opponent may not move the needle for most, Monmouth was a solid 9-3 a year ago and made the FCS playoffs so it was a decent win. EMU’s offense looked solid scoring 4 TD’s on their first 6 possessions and had 473 total yards on 7.1 yards per play. The Eagle defense was solid early holding Monmouth to just 73 total yards on their first 5 possessions. The Hawks did end up with 386 total yards but much of that came late with the game already out of hand. Eastern Michigan played one Big Ten foe last year upsetting Rutgers on the road 16-13 and will try to do the same on Saturday.

PURDUE – The Boilers opened at home vs Northwestern in one of their more anticipated home games in years. Northwestern rolled up 31 points by halftime and led 31-17. However, 21 of their 31 points were the direct result of 3 Purdue interceptions. After a shoddy first half, the Purdue didn’t have a turnover in the 2nd half and the defense held the Wildcats scoreless. It was to little too late as Purdue, who went off as a 1-point favorite, came up 4 points short. There were some definite positives as the Boiler running game shredded a Northwestern defense for over 200 yards on 8.1 yards per carry. That was against a Wildcat defense that allowed just 96 YPG rushing in conference games last season. Elijah Sindelar and David Blough split time at QB, just as they did last year, and combined for 270 yards through the air. Purdue outgained Northwestern by 71 total yards despite running 8 fewer plays. The Boilers played last Thursday so they did have a few extra days to recover from their tough home loss to the Wildcats.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have met just twice with Purdue winning both by a combined score of 103-19. Their most recent meeting was in 2012 with the Boilers rolling over EMU 54-16. Surprisingly, the Boilers are just 5-5 SU their last 10 meetings vs MAC opponents.

New Mexico at Wisconsin (-34.5) - (Big Ten, 12:00 p.m. ET)

NEW MEXICO – After beating Incarnate Word last week 62-30, the Lobos and head coach Bob Davie take a huge step up in competition this week facing #4 Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. The Lobos has relied very heavily on their running game over the last few seasons and it looks like they will again this year under new offensive coordinator Calvin Magee (came from Arizona). Last Saturday they ran the ball 66 times for 319 yards. We’ll see how they fare against a Wisconsin defense that finished 3rd nationally last year in rush defense allowing only 98 YPG and gave up just 25 yards on 25 carries to Western Kentucky last Friday. New Mexico looked good in their new run-based spread offense putting up 680 total yards. Defensively they were poor at best. They allowed Incarnate Word, an FCS team that was 1-10 a year ago, to put up 566 yards on a ridiculous 7.7 yards per play. For comparison, Incarnate Word played only one FBS team last year vs Fresno State and they lost that game 66-0.

WISCONSIN – The Badgers opened the season rolling over Western Kentucky 34-3 on Friday Night. They missed the cover by a few points as Wisconsin went off as a 36 point chalk. The offense was extremely balanced with 257 yards passing and 234 yards rushing. QB Alex Hornibrook was an efficient 17 of 29 with 7 different receivers catching a pass. All American RB Jonathan Taylor had 145 yards on 18 carries. The defense, which ranked 2nd nationally last year allowing just 262 YPG, allowed WKU to top 300 yards (305). That may not seem like much but this UW defense allowed only 4 of their 14 opponents last year to top 300 total yards. They are replacing both defensive ends and their two corners are both very inexperienced. That being said, they did hold WKU scoreless on just 58 total yards in the first half. The Hilltoppers did move the ball in the 2nd half but the game was already out of reach with Wisconsin up 24-0 at the break. The Badgers put their 40 game home non-conference winning streak on the line again this Saturday. The last time they lost a non-conference game at home was back in 2003.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – This is the first time these two schools have faced off on the football field. Since Barry Alvarez’s 2nd season in Madison (1991) the Badgers are an impressive 92-73 ATS at Camp Randall Stadium. However, since 2014 the Badgers are just 1-6 ATS when favored by 28 or more at home.

Rutgers at Ohio State (-34.5) - (Big Ten, 3:30 p.m. ET)

RUTGERS – The Scarlet Knights rolled over Texas State last week 35-7 outgaining the Bobcats by 247 yards. It actually could have been worse as Rutgers turned the ball over 4 times. One was one a pick 6 which was turned into the points Texas State was able to score and another an interception in the endzone going in to score. Both were thrown true freshman QB Arthur Sitkowski who threw for 205 yards but also threw 3 interceptions in his collegiate debut. The Knights also ran for over 200 yards keeping their offense very balanced in game one. Defensively they held Texas State to just 123 total yards on 55 offensive plays. While it was an impressive opener for Rutgers, keep in mind Texas State was 2-10 last year and ranked 107th in total offense.

OHIO STATE – The Buckeyes were extremely impressive in their season opener crushing Oregon State 77-31. With head coach Urban Meyer serving the first of his three game suspension, the offense looked unstoppable scoring TD’s on 11 of their 13 offensive possessions. The Bucks only non-scoring drives ended in a punt and a fumble. They gashed the Beavers for 721 yards and new starting QB Dwayne Haskins looked very good throwing for 313 yards and 5 TD’s. OSU does look like they may have some concerns on the defensive side of the ball. They allowed Oregon State, a team that averaged just 20 PPG a year ago, to post 31 points on nearly 400 yards. The Beavers were able to hit some big gains against the Buckeye defense with 7 plays of 20 or more yards. Oregon State did much of their offensive damage with their back up QB Colin Blount as starter Jake Luton went out just 6 plays into the game with a potential concussion.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Ohio State is a perfect 4-0 both SU & ATS vs Rutgers since the Knights joined the Big Ten in 2014. The average margin of victory for OSU in those 4 meetings is 46 points and they’ve held Rutgers scoreless in each of the last 2 meetings. The Buckeyes have scored at least 49 points in all four meetings vs the Scarlet Knight while Rutgers has scored just 24 points combined in their four match ups.

Colorado at Nebraska (-4.5) - (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)

COLORADO – The Buffs offense looked in mid-season form last weekend racking up almost 600 yards and 45 points vs in-state rival Colorado State (45-13 win). However, while CU’s offense, led by QB Steven Montez, could be very good this year, we’ll take a wait and see approach. That’s because CSU’s defense has looked horrendous over their first two outings (vs Colorado & Hawaii) allowing a combined 88 points on over 1,200 yards. Montez, who now has 16 career starts under his belt, had a near flawless performance completing his first 12 passes of the game en route to a 22 for 25 and 4 TD outing. Defensively the Buffalos held a good CSU offense, which had 653 yards a week earlier vs Hawaii, to just 284 yards in 3.8 yards per play.

NEBRASKA – While Colorado comes in with an experienced QB, the Huskers are working with a true freshman under center. New head coach Scott Frost was hoping to get new QB Adrian Gonzalez some much needed experience last week vs Akron, it wasn’t meant to be as the game was cancelled due to weather. They tried to reschedule the game for Sunday but Akron was unable to accommodate the request and flew home late Saturday night. The schools have discussed the possibility of making up the game in week 14 of the season should either team need the game to become bowl eligible. Thus the Huskers will open their season this Saturday vs Colorado.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two, once rivals in the Big 12, have not met since the Huskers left for the Big Ten in 2011. When they were both in the Big 12, Nebraska covered 11 of the last 15 meetings between 1996 – 2010. The Huskers have been favored in 26 of the last 31 meetings vs Colorado dating back to the 1980 season.

Iowa State at Iowa (-4) - (FOX, 5:00 p.m. ET)

IOWA STATE – The Cyclones are coming off one of their most successful seasons in decades going 8-5 including two wins over top 5 teams (Oklahoma & TCU) and winning their bowl game. Last week’s home game vs South Dakota State got off to a fast start with ISU scoring a TD on their opening drive of the game. That’s where everything came to a screeching halt as the game was cancelled just four minutes in due to poor weather. So now ISU will officially open their season on the road at in-state rival Iowa this Saturday. It’s a game they’ve been pointing to after blowing a 38-31 lead late in the game last year and losing 44-41 in overtime.

IOWA – Iowa came away with what looked like a comfortable 33-7 win last Saturday vs Northern Illinois but it wasn’t as easy as the final score may have indicated. The Hawkeyes led just 3-0 at half but held NIU to -2 yards in the third quarter and pushed to a 17-0 lead after 3. The offense, despite scoring 33 points, wasn’t overly impressive gaining 352 total yards on 73 plays (just 4.8 YPP). QB Nate Stanley threw for only 108 yards on 11 completions. Defensively this team looks like they’ll be very solid especially up front. The Huskies came in with high hopes offensively after averaging 29 PPG last year and returning most of their starters on that side of the ball including QB Marcus Childers. The Hawkeye defense held them to just 211 total yards and the Huskies were just 3 of 14 on 3rd & 4th down. Their only score came on a TD with just over 2:00 remaining in the game. NIU was only able to cross midfield once in the 2nd half as Iowa pulled away.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Iowa was favored by 3.5 points last year at Iowa State in their 44-41 win in OT. They are laying basically that same number this Saturday but are now playing in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have been a double digit favorite vs ISU in 6 of the last 7 meetings in Iowa City. The Cyclones are 11-4 ATS their last 15 visits to Iowa City.

Maryland (-16) at Bowling Green - (ESPN+, 6:00 p.m. ET)

MARYLAND – The Terps pulled off a huge upset last week vs revenge minded Texas winning 34-29 as 13.5 point underdog. Not only were they nearly a 2 TD underdog, there is also the major distraction of having their head coach DJ Durkin suspended indefinitely shortly before the season began. On top of that, the man that is now leading this team in the interim, Matt Canada, wasn’t even with the team last year as he was the offensive coordinator at LSU. Despite all of that, Maryland jumped out to a 24-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Even when it looked like Maryland had a chance to fold under pressure after the Horns came back and took a 29-24 lead late in the 3rd quarter, this team responded with what ended up being the game winning TD drive on their next possession. While the yardage was nearly dead even both passing and rushing, Maryland was +3 in turnovers as Texas gave it away on each of their final 3 possessions. Now after the emotion of winning their first game under touch circumstances we’ll see how they respond in their first road game.

BOWLING GREEN – The Falcons traveled west last Saturday and were blasted 58-24 by the Oregon Ducks. The offense looked solid putting up almost 400 yards and returning starting QB Jarret Doege threw for 252 yards and 3 TD’s. He also threw a pick 6 which contributed to the Ducks 58 points. While the offense looked decent, the defense did not. New defensive coordinator Carl Pelini stated before the season it would probably take a full season for his team to fully grasp all of his schemes and it looks like he was correct. Oregon put over 500 yards on the stat sheet while only having to complete 11 passes the entire game. Those 11 completions did go for almost 300 yards which was the theme for this BG defense. Too many big plays allowed including TD’s of 83, 48, 40, and 33 yards. Now the Falcons come home to host a Big Ten team for the first time since 2014.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two have met just one time since 1980 – that was a 48-27 road win by Bowling Green win in 2015. The Terps have been road favorites of more than 2 TD’s just 9 times since the start of the 1980 season (9-0 SU & 5-4 ATS). However, Maryland is only 16-24 ATS as a road favorite since 1987.

Virginia at Indiana (-7) - (Big Ten, 7:30 p.m. ET)

VIRGINIA – Last Saturday UVA fell in a 7-0 hole early vs FCS foe Richmond after new QB Bryce Perkins threw a 72-yard pick 6 midway through the first quarter. From that point on the Cavs outscored Richmond 42-6 the rest of the way for an easy 42-13 win. Both teams threw for the exact same 191 yards but the Cavaliers dominated the ground game with 301 rushing yards to just 34 for the Spiders. Minus his pick 6, Perkins was very good for Virginia throwing for 185 yards while rushing for 108. The junior college transfer became the first Cav QB to rush for over 100 since 2009. While Virginia looked good against an FCS opponent, we’ll see how this young roster, 11 players made their collegiate debut last week, does on the road where they are 4-26 SU their last 30 away from home.

INDIANA – IU opened the season on the road and pulled off a solid 38-28 win at Florida International. The Hoosiers dominated the stat sheet and were very balanced on offense with 252 yards passing and 213 rushing. There was a QB battle heading into the fall and veteran Peyton Ramsey won out getting the start. However, highly touted freshman QB Michael Penix Jr got some time as well and performed well completing 8 of his 10 passes for 96 yards and a TD. The was OK but showed some vulnerability vs the run as FIU rushed for 170 yards. That could be problem this week vs a UVA team that looks like it can run the ball well and has a dual threat QB. The defense is young with only 3 starters back and we’ll have a better read on that side of the ball after this weekend.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – These two met in Virginia last year and the Hoosiers pulled off the big 34-17 win as a 3.5 point favorite. Despite the 17-point margin, the yardage was almost dead even in the game. UVA has a 3-24 SU record over their last 27 road games. All but 5 of those 24 losses have come by at least a TD.

Fresno State at Minnesota (-2.5) - (FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET)

FRESNO STATE – The Bulldogs have high expectations this year bringing 15 starters back from a team that went 10-4 last year and topped a solid Houston team in their bowl game. They started the 2018 season with a huge 79-13 win over Idaho. While Fresno was impressive and they did obviously dominate the game, the score was a bit deceiving. That’s because 21 of their 79 points came on a 74-yard blocked FG return, a 71-yard blocked FG return and a 39-yard interception return. Idaho had 7 turnovers in the game while the Bulldogs 0 giveaways. Fresno “only” outgained Idaho by 179 total yards despite the 66-point win. This team isn’t afraid to go on the road and test themselves as they played both Alabama & Washington on the road last year (losing to both by wide margins).

MINNESOTA – The Gophs started slow last week and were tied 7-7 with New Mexico State after one quarter. Minnesota then scored on every 2nd quarter possession to take a 35-7 lead into half in their 48-10 win. After gaining just 54 yards on their first 5 possessions, the Gopher offense kicked it into gear and accumulated 468 yards and 41 points over the final 3 quarters. They outgained the Aggies 522 to 271. They went with true freshman Zack Annexstad and he played well throwing for over 220 yards and did not commit a turnover. The defense held NMSU to only 38 yards on the ground on 20 carries. We will temper our enthusiasm however as New Mexico State lost 29-7 at Wyoming a week earlier and only gained 135 total yards in that game. They take a big step up in competition this week vs a solid Fresno State team.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – This is the first meeting between these two schools. Minnesota is 17-1 SU their last 18 at home vs non-conference opponents. Fresno is 8-1-1 ATS their last 10 road games. However the Bulldogs are just 7-20 SU their last 27 away from home.

Penn State (-8.5) at Pittsburgh - (ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET)

PENN STATE – The Nittany Lions got a serious scare last week squeaking by Appalachian State in OT as a 23 point favorite. App State actually had a chance to win in regulation but missed a 56 yard FG with 15 seconds remaining. The Mountaineers played PSU toe to toe the entire game and actually outgained the Nits 451 to 434. While we had a good idea the PSU offense would again be very solid despite the loss of Saquon Barkley, we have some solid contacts in Happy Valley that told us the defense is a big time work in progress. They lost 8 of their 11 defensive starters and 7 of their 8 top tacklers from a year ago. The defensive work in progress definitely looks to be the case after App State averaged almost 6 YPP. To put that in perspective, only Washington, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Iowa averaged 6 YPP or more vs PSU last year.

PITTSBURGH – Pitt got the 2018 season started with a bang as they returned the opening kick for a TD last Saturday vs Albany. The Panthers never looked back and rolled up an easy 33-7 win. The game could have been much worse as Pitt scored TD’s on their first 5 possessions (including kick return to open the game) and led 33-7 at half. They took their foot off the pedal and went fairly conservative in the 2nd half running the ball 19 times with just 10 pass attempts. The offense and new QB Kenny Pickett looked very good in the first half racking up 270 total yards and 33 points. However, they did lose a number of key players on that side of the ball including 3/5 of their offensive line. Dominating an FCS team that was 4-7 last year was expected. The defense should be the strength of this team with 8 of their top 9 tacklers back from last year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – PSU cashed Pitt in Happy Valley last year but just barely. The Nittany Lions were favored by 18.5 in the game and won 33-14 getting the half point cover. Looking at the offensive plays run, it’s amazing that PSU won the game at all much less by 19 points. Pitt ran 86 offensive plays to just 52 for the Lions. The favorite is just 2-7 ATS the last 9 meetings in this PA rivalry.

Michigan State (-7) at Arizona State - (ESPN, 10:45 p.m. ET)

MICHIGAN STATE – MSU rolled into last week’s home game vs Utah State as a 23.5 point favorite and they were pushed to the limit in the 38-31 win. It took a come from behind Spartan TD and 2-point conversion with only 2:00 minutes remaining to pull out the win. MSU’s defense looked very similar to last season when they dominated vs the run (USU had just 25 yards rushing) and struggled at times vs the pass (USU had 319 yards passing). One concern offensive is MSU is a run first team which sets up their QB Brian Lewerke to have success in the pass game. They were only able to run for 3.9 yards per carry on Saturday vs a Utah State team that allowed 217 YPG rushing a year ago. The offensive line needs to get better in order for this team to play up to their #11 pre-season rankings.

ARIZONA STATE – The Sun Devils opened the Herm Edwards era with a resounding 49-7 win over UT San Antonio. ASU jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and led 49-0 before UTSA scored late in the game for their only points. Third year starting QB Manny Wilkins, whose thrown for over 5,500 yards in his career, was solid with 237 yards passing, 4 TD’s and no turnovers. He should be able to do some damage against an MSU defense that at times struggles vs the pass as we stated above. Defensively Edwards had implemented a new 3-3-5 swarming scheme that looked very good in week one. They held the Roadrunners to just 220 yards and had 9 sacks. The offense should again be solid as it has been for years (7 straight years averaging 30+ points). If Edwards can turn around the defense which allowed a whopping 450 YPG last season, ASU will be a formidable team in 2018. Could the late start (10:45 PM ET) and heat be an advantage for the Devils?

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – MSU is an impressive 31-18 SU in road games over the last decade. They are 17-11 ATS as a road favorite during that stretch. Dating back to 2005, Arizona State is 12-5 ATS as a home underdog winning 6 of those games outright. Since the start of the 1997 season, ASU has been a non-conference home dog of 7 or more only one time. That was vs Georgia in 2008 a game the Devils lost 27-10 as an 8-point dog.

[StarDust Bum]

ACC Report - Week 2
September 6, 2018
By Joe Williams

2018 ACC STANDINGS

ATLANTIC DIVISION
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Boston College 1-0 0-0 1-0 1-0
Clemson 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Florida State 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1
Louisville 0-1 0-0 0-1 1-0
North Carolina State 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Syracuse 1-0 0-0 1-0 1-0
Wake Forest 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1

COASTAL DIVISION
Duke 1-0 0-0 1-0 1-0
Georgia Tech 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Miami-Florida 0-1 0-0 0-1 1-0
North Carolina 0-1 0-0 0-0-1 0-1
Pittsburgh 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
Virginia 1-0 0-0 1-0 1-0
Virginia Tech 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1

Duke at Northwestern (ESPNU, 12:00 p.m. ET)
These two institutions are starting to build a history together on the gridiron. This is the fourth consecutive season these teams have met each, with Duke winning last season's installment by a 41-17 count in Durham. These teams met in Evanston in 2016 and it was the Wildcats coming out on top 24-13 to cover a four-point number. Northwestern covered the first two meetings, limiting Duke to 11.5 points per game (PPG). The Wildcats have had difficulty scoring against the Blue Devils, though, posting just 20.0 PPG in their three meetings. The 'under' is 2-1 in the three meetings since 2015, with Northwestern holding a 2-1 SU/ATS edge. The Blue Devils are an impressive 21-6-1 ATS over their past 28 non-conference tilts, including last week's win over Army. The Wildcats are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 outside of the Big Ten.

Georgia Tech at South Florida (ABC -or- ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Blue Jackets and Bulls will hook up at the Ray Jay, and it should be a hot one. Both of these teams rolled over FCS foes last weekend, with the Ramblin' Wreck spanking Alcorn State 41-0, and the Bulls taking care of Elon 34-14. The Bulls offense was quite prolific with 515 yards in their win, but they will obviously see a step up in competition. Ga. Tech has rushed for at least 400 yards five times over their past 12 games, but it might be tough sledding against an underrated USF D. Georgia Tech ia 7-2-1 ATS in their past 10 against teams with a winning record, 6-2 ATS in their past eight outside of the conference and 6-1-1 ATS in their past eight following a straight-up win. The Bulls are no slouch against winning teams, either, going 6-1 ATS in their past seven. However, they're also 2-5 ATS in their past seven outside of the AAC and 2-5 ATS in their past seven games overall, too.

Georgia State at North Carolina State (ACC Network, 12:30 p.m. ET)
The Wolfpack opened up with a narrow 24-13 victory over James Madison of the FCS, which surprised many casual fans. But the Dukes are no joke, ranking No. 2 in the FCS. In fact, James Madison and their suffocating defense might have been a more stern test than the Panthers of Georgia State, despite their FBS status. Vegas seems to agree, as N.C. State was favored by just 15 last week and they're favored by 24 against GSU. The Panthers have rallied together on the road, going 22-8 ATS in their past 30 outside of Atlanta, and they're 5-2 ATS in the past seven non-confernce tilts. N.C. State is just 1-5 ATS in their past six stepping outside of the ACC, and only 2-7 ATS in the past nine home games and 1-5 ATS in the past six games played in the month of September.

North Carolina at East Carolina (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.)
Someone is going to notch their first win of the season, and someone will leave the field with a disappointing 0-2 mark. The Tar Heels and Pirates meet at Dowdy Ficklen on Saturday looking to right the ship. UNC opened at California last weekend, losing 24-17 to earn a backdoor push. Their offense struggled all day, but they actually did come within an eyelash of making things interesting. In the final minute, they appeared to recover an onside kick. Instant replay determined there was a penalty during the kick, negating the recovery and forcing a rekick. The Golden Bears pounced on it the second time, and the Heels came up short. The Pirates were dumped at home by North Carolina A&T, their second straight season with a loss to an FCS foe. Head coach Scottie Montgomery definitely needs a signature win badly to avoid the hot seat from getting any hotter. These two sides last met on Sept. 20, 2014, and the Pirates hung a 70-burger on the Heels in their 70-41 victory as the 'over' obviously cashed. It was halcyon times for the East Carolina offense under Ruffin McNeil. It's a new regime, but it's likely something the UNC coaching staff is using for motivation.

Clemson at Texas A&M (ESPN, 7:00 p.m.)
The ACC slate isn't terribly attractive this week, but the Clemson Tigers have an attractive matchup as they travel to College Station for an ACC-SEC showdown. The Tigers opened with a ho-hum win over FCS Furman last week, but it's all hands on deck this week against the Aggies. A&M pasted FCS Northwestern State by a 59-7 count, covering 46 1/2 points along the way, but this week will obviously be much more challenging. The Aggies have won 29 straight non-conference tilts, but the task to push it to 30 will be rather daunting since they're double-digit underdogs at home. Clemson is 8-2 ATS in their past 10 non-conference battles and 7-3-1 ATS in their past 11 against winning sides. They're also 4-1 ATS in the past five against the SEC and 6-2 ATS in the past eight in September, although they did fail to cover a big number against the Paladins a week ago. The Aggies are 5-2-1 ATS in their past eight in front of the 12th man, but just 1-5 ATS in their past six tries against ACC foes.

Virginia at Indiana (Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.)
An underrated game on the slate this week might be UVA and IU. The Hoos exacted a little revenge on FCS Richmond, squishing the Spiders 42-13 to easily cover a 14 1/2-point number. While a trip to Florida International isn't viewed as a tough battle, facing the South Florida heat and humidity while opening on the road is impressive. The Hoosiers won it 38-28, but a score with 6:04 to go by FIU gave the Golden Panthers the cover. IU did roll up 465 total yards of offense, including 213 yards on the ground. Virginia will be looking to return the favor after losing on their home field to the Hoosiers last season, 34-17. The Cavs are 5-2 ATS in their past seven against winning sides, and 13-6-1 ATS in their past 20 on the road against teams with a winning home mark. The Hoosiers have managed just a 2-5-1 ATS in their past eight games at 'The Rock', while going 1-8-1 ATS over the past 10 overall.

Penn State at Pittsburgh (ABC, 8:00 p.m.)
The Nittany Lions and Panthers claw at each other in the Steel City in one of the better rivalries in college football. Penn State nearly entered this game 0-1 with an embarrassing loss, holding off giant-killer Appalachian State in overtime last weekend in Happy Valley. Everyone left the stadium relieved, but a little surprised and stressed out. The Panthers humped up on FCS Albany by a 33-7 score, narrowly failing to cover on a 26 1/2-point number. The defense was good, but the offense needs to be better to hang with Penn State. The Lions are 10-2-2 ATS in the past 14 against teams with a winning record, 4-1-1 ATS in their past six outside of the conference (although that loss was last week) and 3-1-1 ATS in the past five against ACC clubs. They're also 7-2 ATS in the past nine on the road. Pitt is 4-0 ATS in the past four against winning teams, but a dismal 8-20 ATS in the past 28 at home and 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven against the Big Ten. In this series, however, the underdog is 5-0-1 ATS in the past six, with Penn State just 1-4-1 ATS in the past six meetings.

Other Games
Towson at Wake Forest (ACC, 12:00 p.m.)
Holy Cross at Boston College (ACC, 1:00 p.m.)
William & Mary at Virginia Tech (ACC, 2:00 p.m.)
Wagner at Syracuse (ACC, 3:30 p.m.)
Savannah State at Miami-Florida (ACC, 6:00 p.m.)
Indiana State at Louisville (ACC, 7:00 p.m.)
Samford at Florida State (ACC, 7:20 p.m.)