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

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SEMINOLES TAKE HIT

Discipline issues have forced the Florida State Seminoles to be without their top receiving option for the first half of their Saturday afternoon matchup with host N.C. State. Senior wide receiver Nyqwan Murray has been suspended for the opening two quarters against the Wolfpack after throwing punches during last week's loss to Clemson. Florida State head coach Willie Taggart was blunt in his assessment of Murray's actions, calling him "mentally weak." Murray has had a sensational season to date, racking up 40 catches for 536 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.

With Murray out of the lineup, the Wolfpack look like a solid choice to cover both the first-quarter and first-half spreads. N.C. State is also a strong play at -7 on the full-game spread.


DUCKS’ WINGS GET CLIPPED

The Oregon Ducks could be in a whole heap of trouble on the offensive side of the ball this weekend against visiting UCLA. Junior quarterback Justin Herbert missed practice Tuesday as he recovers from a concussion suffered in last weekend's game against the Arizona Wildcats. He was placed in the concussion protocol after the game despite not being removed from the 44-15 loss. Herbert has had an up-and-down campaign in his third year at the helm of the Ducks' offense, completing just 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,069 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games.

Oddsmakers are bracing for Herbert's absence, dropping the line from Oregon -13 all the way down to -7.5. We recommend jumping on the Bruins at this number, which will likely shrink even further if Herbert doesn't show progress in his recovery.

[StarDust Bum]

Tech Trends - Week 10
Bruce Marshall


Wednesday, Oct. 31

BALL STATE at TOLEDO...Ball hasn’t been within single digits of UT the past four years though did cover 2 of those games. Rockets 0-3 vs. MAC at Glass Bowl TY.
Slight to Ball State, based on recent trends.



Thursday, Nov. 1


OHIO at WESTERN MICHIGAN...Solich 8-2 last ten as visiting dog and 13-7 vs. line since LY.
Ohio, based on team trends.


NORTHERN ILLINOIS at AKRON...Zips just 4-10 vs. line last 13 at Infocision. But NIU just 4-7 last 11 as chalk. Huskies have covered first two on MAC road TY.
Slight to NIU, based on team trends.


TEMPLE at UCF...Road team has covered last 3 in series. Owls on 12-4 spread uptick since early 2017, and have covered 8 in a row on road. Also 5-1 last six as dog and covers in last five TY.
Temple, based on team trends.



Friday, Nov. 2

PITT at VIRGINIA...Bronco Mendenhall 7-1 vs. line TY, covers in all four at home. Though Pitt has won last two and covered last three in series. Panthers 6-2 last 8 as road dog.
Slight to Virginia, based on recent trends.


WKU at MTSU...These two have gone into OT in three of past four seasons. Tops 4-7 vs. spread away form home since Sanford took over last season. MTSU 5-1 last six as Murfreesboro chalk.
MTSU, based on team trends.


COLORADO at ARIZONA...Buffs have covered 2 of last 3 vs. Cats. Sumlin 3-2 vs. line at Tucson TY, though UA only 5-8-1 last 14 on board since mid 2017.
Slight to Colorado, based on team trends.



Saturday, Nov. 3

HOUSTON at SMU...SMU has covered 2 of last 3 meetings including big upset at Dallas in 2016. Cougs have covered last two on road TY but just 4-10 vs. spread last 14 away from home.
Slight to SMU, based on team trends.


IOWA at PURDUE... Road team has covered all seven meetings since 2011 (eight in a road for road team back to 2008). Ferentz 12-5 vs. spread last 17 as visitor. Brohm, however, 14-8 vs. line with Purdue.
Slight to Iowa, based on series trends.


TEXAS STATE at GEORGIA STATE... GSU just 1-6 vs. line last seven TY and 2-6 vs. spread at Turner Field (GSU Stadium) since moving in LY.
Slight to Texas State, based on team trends.


SYRACUSE at WAKE FOREST...Clawson has won and covered last two vs. Babers, and Deacs were 10-3-1 as dog entering 2018 (they’re 1-4 in role TY). Cuse only 2 covers last 5 TY.
Slight to Wake Forest, based on team trends.


GEORGIA at KENTUCKY...Ga has covered last five and won last 8 vs. UK. Kirby Smart is 12-3 vs. spread last 15 away from Athens. Stoops just 7-13 last 20 vs. line in reg season.
Georgia, based on series and team trends.


NAVY at CINCINNATI...Mids 2-6 vs. spread in 2016. Navy 0-3 vs. line as visitor after 8-2 mark vs. spread away.
Cincy, based on recent trends.


NEBRASKA at OHIO STATE...Frost has covered last three vs. Big Ten this season. Though Urban won and covered last two vs. Huskers by combined 118-17 score! Nebraska 5-2 as away dog since LY (2-1 Frost). Urban no covers last four this season, just 3-7 vs. points last ten as Big Ten host.
Nebraska, based on recent trends.


GEORGIA TECH at NORTH CAROLINA...Fedora has covered 3 of last 4 vs. Paul Johnson. Heels actually on 8-3 spread run since late 2017.
Slight to UNC, based on series and team trends.


MISSOURI at FLORIDA...Dan Mullen 6-2 vs. line TY, his teams are 14-7 vs. spread last 20 in reg season (MSU & UF). Mizzou 4-7 vs. spread in games with single-digit spread since LY, also no covers last five away from Columbia. Home team has covered eight of last nine Tiger reg season games.
Florida, based on team trends.


DUKE at MIAMI-FLA... Richt 1-4 vs. line last five TY, on 3-9 spread skid since late 2017. Though Canes have won and covered four straight vs. Duke. Cutcliffe has covered five of last six away from Durham.
Slight to Duke, based on team trends.


FLORIDA STATE at NC STATE...NCS has covered last 2 and 3 of last 4 in series, but Wolfpack 1-7 last 8 as Raleigh chalk.
Slight to Florida State, based on team trends.


MEMPHIS at EAST CAROLINA...ECU no covers last four TY, 8-22-1 vs. line since 2016. Tigers 0-3 vs. line on road TY.
Memphis, based on ECU negatives.


BOSTON COLLEGE at VIRGINIA TECH...BC now on 15-2 spread uptick in reg season since early 2017. Addazio has also covered five straight as road dog. VPI just 1-4 vs. spread last five TY.
Boston College, based on team trends.


MICHIGAN STATE at MARYLAND... Terps have covered last two meetings. Dantonio just 2-9 last 11 as visiting chalk since 2015, though Md just 2-7 last 9 as dog.
Maryland, based on team trends.


OKLAHOMA at TEXAS TECH...Home team has covered last five in series. Kingsbury on 5-2 spread run TY.
Slight to Texas Tech, based on series and team trends.


WEST VIRGINIA at TEXAS...Holgorsen 3-9 vs. spread last 12 as dog.
Slight to Texas, based on team trends.


RUTGERS at WISCONSIN...Scarlet Knights on 3-7 spread skid since late LY. Rutgers 0-4 SU and vs. line last 4 away, total score 24-182! Though Badgers only 1-4 vs. line at Camp Randall TY.
Wisconsin, based on Rutgers negatives.


NOTRE DAME at NORTHWESTERN...Irish haven’t played at Evanston since 1976. Pat Fitzgerald 3-0 as dog TY and 19-9 in role since 2014.
Northwestern, based on team trends.


MINNESOTA at ILLINOIS...Minny has won SU last three in series but Fleck 1-5-1 vs. line away for Gophers since LY. Lovie just 5-13 vs. points at Champaign-Urbana since 2016.
Slight to Minnesota, based on series trends.


CENTRAL MICHIGAN at EASTERN MICHIGAN...Chips 7-1 vs. line L8 as a visitor. Also 9-5 vs. spread last 14 reg season since mid 2017. EMU however on 23-8-1 spread run since early 2016.
Slight to Eastern Michigan, based on team trends.


AIR FORCE at ARMY...Note Calhoun 16-6-2 as dog since 2014 (3-0 TY) and Falcs have won and covered last two at Michie. Force was 4-0 SU and 3-0-1 vs. line vs. Army prior to ugh 21-0 loss LY. Black Knights 2-5-1 as Michie chalk since LY (1-1-1 TY).
Air Force, based on team and series trends.


TULANE at SOUTH FLORIDA...USF just 3-11 vs. line last 14 reg season games and 1-9 last 10 as reg season chalk.
Tulane, based on team trends.


APP STATE at COASTAL CAROLINA...After covering 9 in row, App has now dropped last 2 vs. spread. Though Mounties have still covered last five away from Boone. Chants 4-1 last four as dog.
Slight to App State, based on team trends.


BYU at BOISE STATE...Boise has actually covered 4 of last 6 as blue carpet chalk, gradually reducing a previous shortcoming. Cougs however have covered 4 of last 6 meetings. Sitake 2-1 as dog TY but was just 2-5 in role a year ago.
Slight to BYU, based on team trends.


SAN DIEGO STATE at NEW MEXICO...Rocky Long back at UNM! Aztecs 12-4 vs. spread last 16 on MW trail. Rocky has also covered last two vs. Lobos. Davie no covers last five in Albuquerque.
San Diego State, based on team trends.


SAN JOSE STATE at WYOMING...SJSU won this game LY at home and have covered all three on road this season. Wyo now on 2-game cover streak but still just 2-6 vs. line TY, 3-8 last 11 reg season.
San Jose State, based on team trends.


CAL at WASHINGTON STATE...Cal 4-1 vs. spread last five away. Leach on 6-game cover streak, and has covered six straight Pac-12 games at Pullman. Big revenge for Cougs from LY 37-3 loss.
Washington State, based on team trends.


MARSHALL at SOUTHERN MISS...Doc 0-2 SU vs. Jay Hopson though Herd covered LY. MU 8-2 vs. line last ten away from home since LY. Hopson just 5-8 as Hattiesburg chalk since 2016.
Marshall, based on team trends.


GEORGIA SOUTHERN at ULM...GS on 7-1 and 9-2 runs vs. spread. Matt Viator on 2-8 spread skid.
Georgia Southern, based on team trends.


UTAH at ARIZONA STATE...Surging Utes have won and covered 4 in a row after UCLA romp, scoring 40 or more in all. Utes 21-9 vs. line last 30 away from Salt Lake City. Also won last 3 and covered last 5 vs. ASU. Herm 3-1 vs. spread at Tempe TY, and Sun Devils 7-2 vs. line last nine at home.
Utah, based on team and series trends.


UCLA at OREGON...Chip returns to Eugene! Bruins beat banged-up no-Herbert Ducks LY. UCLA broke long road losing streak in last away game but is still 2-1 vs. line as visitor TY. And just 7-13-1 last 21 on broad since late 2016. Cristobal just 1-3-1 vs. line at home TY .
Slight to Oregon, based on extended trends.


USC at OREGON STATE...Helton on 6-17 spread skid since late 2016, 3-9 last 12 away from Coliseum, 1-7 last 8 laying DD.
Slight to Oregon State, based on team trends.


STANFORD at WASHINGTON...Revenge for UW after loss at Tree LY. That game was a revenge for Shaw after blowout in 2016. Home team has covered last seven in series. Tree 2-6 last 8 vs. line as visitor (2-1 TY). Shaw 12-5 as dog with Tree. Huskies only 2-8 vs. spread last ten since late LY.
Slight to Stanford, based on team trends.


IOWA STATE at KANSAS... Matt Campbell on a 10-8-1 spread run since early 2016 with ISU. Home team has covered last five meetings.
Iowa State, based on team trends.


TEXAS A&M at AUBURN...Jimbo 6-2 vs. line this season, Malzahn on 20-37-2 spread skid since early 2014. Road team 4-0-1 vs. line last five meetings.
Texas A&M, based on team and series trends.


CHARLOTTE at TENNESSEE..Pruitt 1-3 vs. line at home TY, Vols 2-9 vs. spread at Knoxville since LY.
Slight to Charlotte, based on Vol negatives.


LA TECH at MISSISSIPPI STATE...MSU 9-3 vs. line at Starkville since LY, 4-1 for Moorhead, though Bulldogs SU and spread Ls 3 of last 5 overall TY. Skip Holtz 3-0 as dog TY, 15-5 in role since 2014.
La Tech, based on team trends.


OKLAHOMA STATE at BAYLOR...Baylor just 3-8 vs. spread last 11 at Waco. Though home sides won and covered last 2 in series.
Oklahoma State, based on team trends.


LIBERTY at UMASS...Flames 0-2 as chalk TY (Flames road chalk?), but UMass on 3-7 spread skid since late LY. Minutemen are 4-3 vs. spread last 7 as host however.
Slight to Liberty, based on team trends.


KANSAS STATE at TCU...Bill Snyder 32-15 last 47 as dog. Frogs 2-14-1 vs. spread last 17 at Fort Worth.
Kansas State, based on team trends.


UCONN at TULSA...Ugh! Edsall 1-7-1 vs. line TY, Huskies 6-18-1 vs. points since mid 2016. Though Edsall not-too-bad 4-4-1 as road dog since LY. Tulsa just 2-7 vs. points last 8 as host, 1-5 as chalk since LY.
Slight to Tulsa, based on team trends.


LOUISVILLE at CLEMSON...Petrino 1-7 vs. line TY, 6-19 since late in 2016. Dabo 4-1 vs. line last 5 TY.
Clemson, based on team trends.


PENN STATE at MICHIGAN... Home team has won and covered in romps past two years. Harbaugh has covered last 3 and 4 of last 5 TY, though James Franklin 6-1 as dog since 2016.
Slight to Penn State, based on James Franklin dog marks.


SOUTH CAROLINA at OLE MISS...Muschamp 8-1 vs. spread last nine away from Williams-Brice. Matt Luke on 1-5 spread skid.
South Carolina, based on team trends.


UTEP at RICE...UTEP has covered 4 of its last 6 TY, though Rice won and covered last two series meetings. Owls 2-7 vs. points last nine at home.
Slight to UTEP, based on team trends.


ULL at TROY...Ragin’ Cajuns are flying with 5 covers in a row TY including three straight away. Though Troy on 6-1 spread uptick itself. Trojans 3-0 as home chalk TY after 1-5 mark in role LY.
Slight to ULL, based on team trends.


SOUTH ALABAMA at ARKANSAS STATE...USA just 2-5 vs. spread last seven away, though Jags 6-4 as dog since LY (2-2 TY). Red Wolves on 3-10 spread skid, 1-5 vs. points last 6 at Jonesboro.
Slight to South Alabama, based on team trends.


UTSA at UAB...UAB 17-5-1 last 11 on board for Bill Clark. Blazers also 10-0-1 vs. spread last 11 at Legion Field! UTSA on 3-13 spread skid.
UAB, based on team trends.


FAU at FIU...Lane Kiffin 1-7 vs. line TY, Butch Davis 11-4 last 15 vs. spread in reg season.
FIU, based on recent trends.


ALABAMA at LSU...Saban has covered 4 of last 5 in series and hasn’t lost to Tigers since first 2011 meeting. Oregron however 3-0 as dog TY and has covered last six in role.
Slight to LSU, based on team trends.


FRESNO STATE at UNLV...Tedford 17-3-2 vs. spread since arriving at Fresno and 7-1 TY, though Bulldogs have lost last two vs. Sanchez. Rebs just 4-9 vs. spread last 13 at Sam Boyd, Sanchez 2-5 as home dog.
Fresno State, based on team trends.


UTAH STATE at HAWAII...Utags 6-1-1 vs. line TY, UH 1-6-1 last eight on board. Bows 7-21-1 vs. line at Aloha since mid 2014.
Utah State, based on team trends.

[StarDust Bum]

Temple at Central Florida
Joe Nelson


This week’s Thursday night ESPN game comes out of the American Athletic Conference with a pair teams that have matching 4-0 records in the AAC East.

Temple visits Central Florida in a game that could decide the division title as the Knights host Thursday night football looking to extend a 20-game winning streak.

Match-up: Temple Owls at Central Florida Golden Knights
Venue: Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Time/TV: Thursday, November 1, 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Line: UCF -10½, Over/Under 61
Last Meeting: 2017, UCF (-12) 45, at Temple 19

A spotlight opportunity for Central Florida Thursday will give the team with the nation’s-longest winning streak a chance to make its case for College Football Playoff consideration in front of a larger audience. Going 13-0 last season, UCF is 7-0 this season for 20 consecutive wins since losing in bowl action in December of 2016. The Knights are 13-7 ATS in that span including 7-4 ATS in home games.

It has seemingly been an easy transition for former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel taking over the program after Scott Frost left for Nebraska after just two seasons in Orlando. The Knights needed a big comeback for a 31-30 win at Memphis but that has been the only drama on the field in the 7-0 start with every other win coming by at least 20 points.

UCF is up to #9 in both the AP and Coaches Polls but there is no realistic shot for UCF to get serious national playoff consideration. Not that it would have made a big difference but a road game at North Carolina was cancelled in September to deplete the schedule further as the only power conference win came at home against Pittsburgh. That 45-14 results looks a bit stronger at this point in the season with Pittsburgh looking like an a decent ACC team but unless there is major chaos in the major conferences down the stretch or several upsets on championship Saturday, it seems unlikely that a potential 12-0 UCF team will even be considered for the final four.

Making the assumption that the Knights will run the table is a big leap as the toughest AAC games of the season remain in a stacked November schedule starting this week. Home games with Navy and Cincinnati follow before a road finale at South Florida. UCF would then need to beat the West champion, likely Houston in the AAC title game.

Quarterback McKenzie Milton was a surprise scratch for the last game at East Carolina on October 20. Milton was discussed early in the season as potential Heisman candidate but his numbers this season haven’t come close to matching his great 2017 figures. He is averaging 1.2 fewer yards per pass while posting only 16 touchdowns after throwing 37 last season while not even a third of the way to last season’s rushing total. Information on his injury has been limited and he has been considered day-to-day this week. The Knights threw for just 111 yards without Milton in the win over East Carolina, leaning on the ground game with 316 rushing yards with freshman Daniel Mack taking over at quarterback.

Expectations were high for Temple this season in the second season under Geoff Collins. Losses to FCS Villanova and Buffalo started the season but the Owls have rallied to win five of the last six games with the only loss at Boston College. Wins over Maryland and Navy on the road were impressive and in the last game Temple snuck out a fortunate narrow win over Cincinnati to move to 4-0 in conference play.

Like UCF, Temple still has a tough remaining schedule as even if they win this game there would be no guarantee they could hold on to the division title with Cincinnati and South Florida close behind at 3-1. Temple still plays South Florida in mid-November and will also have a tough crossover game with West leader Houston next week.

Temple is also dealing with key injuries with running back Ryquell Armstead and defensive tackle Freddie Booth-Lloyd question marks this week. Armstead leads the team with 626 rushing yards despite missing the past two games and they have missed his production with the Owls posting only 3.8 yards per rush on the season but Armstead averaging 5.1 yards per carry. UCF is one of the nation’s top rushing teams with 5.8 yards per attempt and 261 yards per game as Armstead would be important in helping the Owls keep pace on the ground.

Temple is the surprise national leader in yards per pass attempt allowed defensively, surrendering only 4.5 yards per pass attempt as even if Milton plays, UCF is likely going to have to lean on the ground game. The Owls have 24 sacks and eight interceptions while allowing only nine passing touchdowns. Only Michigan has held opposing quarterbacks to a lower QB Rating this season.

Against a lighter schedule UCF also has very good numbers defending the pass. Frank Nutile took over at quarterback last season with success for the Owls but after a slow start sophomore Anthony Russo moved into the starting role for Temple. Russo has good size but has been mistake-prone with 10 interceptions in 191 pass attempts this season. Russo has been intercepted at least once in every game he has started but he also has eight passing touchdowns in his last three games while throwing for nearly 800 yards in those three conference wins.

Both teams had close calls in the last games played on October 20. Temple saw a 10-0 lead disappear hosting Cincinnati and trailed 17-10 most of the second half before tying the game in the final minute and winning in overtime. UCF’s 37-10 win over East Carolina was closer than it looked. Playing without Milton UCF led 23-10 through three quarters and caught a few big breaks late as East Carolina fumbled on the goal line with the ball returned for a touchdown the other way turning a potential one-score game into a 20-point lead. The Knights were actually out-gained 496-427 but had a 5-0 turnover advantage and still wound up narrowly covering as a heavy road favorite.

Last Season: After a 3-5 start to the season Temple won back-to-back games to start November before playing as a double-digit home underdog against undefeated UCF. Temple led 10-7 in the second quarter before UCF rattled off 24 straight points before halftime and eventually won 45-19. Temple actually had a 397-384 yardage edge in the game but had a 5-0 turnover deficit. That win moved the Knights to 10-0 before they turned in three straight seven-point wins over South Florida, Memphis, and Auburn to complete the perfect season.

Historical Trends:

-- These schools have met each of the last five years with UCF going 3-2 S/U and ATS.

-- Temple won the last meeting in Orlando with a 26-25 win in 2016 as a slight underdog.

-- Temple is 28-14 ATS since 2007 as a road underdog including going 2-0 ATS this season and 8-3 ATS since 2015.

-- UCF is 30-18 ATS as a home favorite since 2010, including going 22-13 ATS as a double-digit home favorite, with a 3-1 ATS mark in that role this season.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday, October 31

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BALL ST (3 - 6) at TOLEDO (4 - 4) - 10/31/2018, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TOLEDO is 1-1 against the spread versus BALL ST over the last 3 seasons
TOLEDO is 2-0 straight up against BALL ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Wednesday, October 31

Ball State @ Toledo
Ball State
Ball State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toledo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ball State's last 6 games when playing Toledo

Toledo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toledo's last 6 games when playing Ball State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toledo's last 6 games when playing at home against Ball State

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Wednesday’s game

Toledo is 4-4; they’ve allowed 432+ TY in six of seven I-A games. Under Candle, Rockets are 7-8 vs spread as home favorites. Ball State lost three of last four games, losing last game 52-14 at Ohio U Thursday; Cardinals are 3-7 in last 10 games as road underdogs, 2-2 this year. Toledo won its last four games with Ball State; road teams covered all four games, with Cardinals losing 37-19/34-23 in last two visits here. Over is 5-2 in Toledo games, 3-2 in last five Ball State games.


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College Football Best Bets For October

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

10/30/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
10/27/2018 28-23-2 54.90% +13.50
10/26/2018 7-3-0 70.00% +18.50
10/25/2018 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
10/23/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
10/20/2018 25-35-1 41.67% -67.50
10/19/2018 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
10/18/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
10/13/2018 23-39-1 37.10% -99.50
10/12/2018 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
10/11/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
10/09/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
10/06/2018 32-39-0 45.07% -54.50
10/05/2018 1-5-0 16.66% -22.50
10/04/2018 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00

Totals.........137-163-0......45.66%.....-211.50

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

10/30/2018............0 - 2..............-11.00..............1 - 1................-0.50...............-11.50
10/27/2018............11 - 12...........-11.00..............7 - 5................+7.50..............-3.50
10/26/2018............4 - 0..............+20.00.............2 - 0................+10.00............+30.00
10/25/2018............1 - 2...............-6.00...............3 - 1................+9.50..............+3.50
10/23/2018............1 -0...............+5.00...............1 - 0...............+5.00..............+10.00
10/20/2018............8 - 9...............-9.50...............6 - 5................-2.50...............-12.00
10/19/2018............1 - 1...............-0.50..............2 - 0...............+10.00.............+9.50
10/18/2018............0 - 2..............-11.00..............0 - 2...............-11.00..............-22.00
10/13/2018...........12 - 15............-22.50..............5 - 9...............-24.50..............-47.00
10/12/2018............3 -0................+15.00............2 - 1...............+5.50...............+20.50
10/11/2018............0 - 2................-11.00............1 - 1................-0.50................-11.50
10/09/2018............0 - 1................-5.50..............0 - 1................-5.50................-11.00
10/06/2018............6 - 18..............-49.50.............8 - 6...............+7.00...............-42.50
10/05/2018............0 - 3...............-16.50..............1 - 2..............-6.00.................-22.50
10/04/2018............2 - 0...............+10.00.............2 - 0..............+10.00..............+20.00

Totals..................49 - 67.............-104.50............41 - 34.............+14.00...............-90.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Nevada casinos’ net profit in September:

$32.7M— crap tables

$40.0M— roulette

$56.3M— sports betting

$70.4M— baccarat

$92.0M— blackjack

$281.7M— penny slots


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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) Hard to believe that Sunday night’s Packer-Patriot game will be only second time that Aaron Rodgers-Tom Brady have faced each other in a regular season game. Green Bay won the first meeting, 26-21 at home four years ago.

12) Giants’ backup QB Kyle Lauletta was arrested in New Jersey Tuesday morning for a third-degree offense of eluding police as well as obstructing justice and resisting arrest. Lauletta has a history of dangerous driving, according to the Weehawken PD in New Jersey.

The kid hasn’t taken an NFL snap, but drives a Jaguar and apparently not very well; he wasn’t at practice Tuesday, so doubtful he replaces Eli Manning anytime soon.

11) Ben Roethlisberger is playing thru a broken LEFT index finger; non-throwing hand makes it whole lot better, but I’m sure that taking snaps from center still hurts like hell.

10) NFL trades at the deadline Tuesday:

— Broncos traded WR DeMaryus Thomas to the Texans, who they play Sunday.
— Rams acquired pass rusher Dante Fowler from Jacksonville.
— Eagles acquired WR Golden Tate from Detroit.
— Packers traded RB Ty Montgomery to Houston.

9) Buffalo Bills’ QB Derek Anderson (concussion) is out Sunday, meaning that Nathan Peterman gets another start. Line opened at 8.5, is up to 9.5 as I type this (10 at the Wynn), By kickoff on Sunday, line could get to 11 or 12— not lot of support for Peterman out there.

Matt Barkley was signed to be Buffalo’s backup QB; Terrelle Pryor was also signed; he could be a wildcat QB, seeing how he once played QB for the Raiders, before moving to WR. Going to be a long couple months for Bills coaches/fans.

8) Denver QB Case Keenum was with the Texans in 2014; apparently that year coach Bill O’Brien told Keenum that he “would never be more than a 3rd string NFL QB.”

Now that Keenum is making $18M a year playing for the Broncos, wonder what he’ll say to O’Brien Sunday when the Texans visit Denver?

7) A college football player at Maryland passed away during off-season workouts; the coach was suspended, but Tuesday DJ Durkin got his job back, and not everyone is happy about it.

When Durkin addressed the players for the first time, several players walked out, including some starters. Saturday’s home game with Michigan State should be interesting.

6) Marlins’ catcher JT Realmuto has let it be known that he wants to be traded, and will not sign a long-term deal with Miami. He is by far their best player, should bring back a pretty good haul. Good catchers are hard to find.

5) Chicago White Sox turned down P James Shields’ 2019 option, paid him $2M to go away; same thing for Milwaukee with Mike Moustakas, Joakim Soria ($1M each).

4) This isn’t a criticism or a complaint, just a statement of fact: 41.9% of runs scored this in postseason scored on home runs; during the season, 40.3% of runs scored via taters.

3) I don’t think Stephen Curry is getting enough credit for how much he has helped basketball, as a whole; kids see how great a shooter he is and they work more on their games, and now shooting has become so much better. Skilled basketball players are way more fun to watch.

Curry isn’t a dunker; he isn’t huge (6-3, 190), but he is incredibly skilled because he works his butt off on those skills, and that has caught on all over the country. Good for him.

2) Klay Thompson was 14-24 from the arc Monday night in Golden State’s 149-124 win over the Bulls, who are not good. 14 treys is one game is an all-time NBA record. Coming into the game, Thompson was 5-36 from the arc for the season.

Golden State led the Bulls 92-50 at halftime…..at HALFTIME!!!!!

How about competing? Chicago has an awful team…..embarrassing.

1) On NBA.TV, Isiah Thomas was killing the Bulls at halftime; Chicago’s own PR people put out a tweet mocking the team’s first half. No bueno.

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BALL at TOL 07:30 PM

BALL +19.5

O 64.0

[StarDust Bum]

Toledo routs Ball State, 45-13
October 31, 2018
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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) Bryant Koback had two first-half touchdown runs and Toledo beat Ball State 45-13 on Wednesday night in a game that saw each team commit five turnovers.

The Rockets (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American) scored 21 points in less than 2 1/2 minutes in the first quarter.

Koback opened the scoring with a 19-yard run, seven plays after Willie Ross recovered a fumble.

Ball State (3-7, 2-4) then went three-and-out and the Rockets drove 77 yards in just 45 seconds with the help of a 51-yard pass play. Art Thompkins capped the drive with a 1-yard run.

Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Drew Plitt was strip-sacked by Terrance Taylor with Tuzar Skipper racing to the end zone to dive on the ball for a 21-0 lead.

Plitt threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Riley Miller, who had 101 yards receiving, early in the second quarter but soon the Rockets made it 28-7 on Koback's 3-yard run that came 10 plays after Zachary Ford intercepted Plitt.

Jameson Vest added his school-record 69th career field goal for a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter.

Peters, starting in place of injured Mitchell Guadagni, threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns but tossed four of Toledo's five interceptions. Diontae Johnson had 100 yards receiving for Toledo.

The teams combined for 968 yards offense.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Betting favorites for the PGA tournament in Las Vegas this weekend:

10-1— Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler

11-1— Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth

12-1— Webb Simpson

16-1— Patrick Cantlay

18-1— Gary Woodland

25-1— Aaron Wise

Tweet of the Day
“Who do you think you’re dealing with? Nothing costs nothing.”
Andy Garcia, in Oceans Twelve

Thursday’s quiz
What fine actor played the President of the United States in the old TV show The West Wing?

Wednesday’s quiz
Shaquille O’Neal played his college basketball at LSU.

Tuesday’s quiz
Terry Francona and John Farrell both won World Series managing the Red Sox; Bobby Valentine managed the Red Sox for one season, in between Francona and Farrell.


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Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) Packers traded RB Ty Montgomery to Houston Tuesday, less than 48 hours after he fumbled a kickoff that cost the Packers a chance to rally in the last 2:00 of a 29-27 loss in LA.

Green Bay coaches apparently told Montgomery NOT to run the ball out of the end zone, but he was annoyed because he hadn’t played as much as he thought he should earlier in the game, so he took matters into his own hands, but then the ball was knocked out of his hands.

Now Montgomery plays for Houston.

12) If you like basketball and you haven’t seen ESPN’s historical basketball series that runs on Tuesday nights, you should— lot of great history.

Interviews, clips with the guys we’ve been watching on TV for decades— good stuff.

11) One of the clips was an exhibition game between a bunch of college all-stars and some NBA all-stars in Phoenix. Michael Jordan/Patrick Ewing were on the college team; one of the other players on the college team was Leon Wood from Cal State-Fullerton, who wound up playing parts of seven years in the NBA— for the last 22 years, Wood has been an NBA referee.

10) My all-time starting five for NBA players:
C- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
F- Bill Russell
F- Lebron James
G- Michael Jordan
G- Magic Johnson

Coming up with a second team could start a lot of arguments……..

9) So far in the NFL this season, an average of 48.2 points/game have been scored, teams have thrown for an average of 252.5 yards/game and averaged 5.7 yards per pay, all-time highs thru eight games for any season ever.

Despite all that, over is 60-60-1 in NFL games this season.

8) NFL suspended Seattle LB Mychal Hendricks until Week 14 for off-field issues that revolve around insider trading in the stock market.

7) Big 14 Conference hasn’t won a national title in basketball since Michigan State in 2000.

6) Big Sky Conference was the most improved basketball conference in the country LY; their RPI jumped from 28th to 17th. Lot of good, experienced teams; can they maintain their ranking this winter?

5) Iona released one of its basketball players who got into a scuffle with an assistant coach and sent the coach to the hospital- the kid averaged 11 points, five rebounds a game LY, so it’ll be a pretty big loss for the Gaels.

4) Milwaukee Brewers had a terrific season, but they’ve already lost three coaches since the season ended; their pitching coach, hitting coach and bullpen coach have all either quit or been fired, which seems odd for a team that did so well this season.

3) This from football expert Warren Sharp: Cleveland Browns are +11 in turnover ratio with a 2-5-1 record; since 2006, there have been 38 teams whose turnover ratio was +8 or better after eight games- none of the 38 teams had a losing record.

Since 1975, 71 teams had a +11 or better turnover ratio thru eight games; none of the 71 teams had a losing record.

2) With Hue Jackson getting fired, this is the 4th year in a row that the team drafting the first QB in the NFL Draft fired its coach during that year or just after the season.

2015: Lovie Smith/Jameis Winston
2016: Jeff Fisher/Jared Goff
2017: John Fox/Mitch Trubisky
2018: Hue Jackson/Baker Mayfield

1) RIP to the great Willie McCovey, who passed away Monday at age 80. McCovey hit 521 home runs homers in his Hall of Fame career- he led the NL in homers in 1968 and 1969.

RIP, sir.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday, November 1

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OHIO U (5 - 3) at W MICHIGAN (6 - 3) - 11/1/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OHIO U is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) in road games in November games since 1992.
OHIO U is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) in road games in weeks 10 through 13 since 1992.
OHIO U is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after playing a conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OHIO U is 1-0 against the spread versus W MICHIGAN over the last 3 seasons
W MICHIGAN is 1-0 straight up against OHIO U over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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N ILLINOIS (5 - 3) at AKRON (4 - 3) - 11/1/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
N ILLINOIS is 75-46 ATS (+24.4 Units) in road games since 1992.
N ILLINOIS is 75-46 ATS (+24.4 Units) in road lined games since 1992.
N ILLINOIS is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) in road games in November games since 1992.
N ILLINOIS is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) in road games in weeks 10 through 13 since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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TEMPLE (5 - 3) at UCF (7 - 0) - 11/1/2018, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
UCF is 1-1 against the spread versus TEMPLE over the last 3 seasons
UCF is 1-1 straight up against TEMPLE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Thursday, November 1

Northern Illinois @ Akron
Northern Illinois
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Northern Illinois's last 8 games
Northern Illinois is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

Akron
Akron is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Akron's last 5 games

Ohio @ Western Michigan
Ohio
Ohio is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ohio's last 5 games when playing Western Michigan

Western Michigan
Western Michigan is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Western Michigan is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Ohio

Temple @ Central Florida
Temple
Temple is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Temple is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

Central Florida
Central Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Central Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games


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Thursday’s games

Western Michigan won last three games with Ohio U by 6-35-21 points; teams last met in MAC title game two years ago. Bobcats scored 101 points in winning last two games, but they’re 1-3 on road, with only win by a point (-12) over hapless Kent State. Broncos had 6-game win streak snapped by Toledo LW, when Rockets ran all for 268 yards; WMU gave up 49-55-51 points in its three losses this year. Three of last four Ohio games stayed under total.

Northern Illinois won its last four games, three by 3 or fewer points; they won last game 7-6 at BYU Saturday, despite gaining only 204 yards. Under Carey, Huskies are 15-6 as road favorites, 1-0 this year. NIU won its last four games with Akron, by average score of 35-13; teams haven’t met since 2013. Zips won its last two games; they split two home games; under Bowden, Akron is 4-13 vs spread as home underdogs. Under is 4-1 in last five Akron games.

Central Florida is 7-0 with one win by less than 20 points (31-30 at Memphis); Knights are 9-4-1 in last 14 games as a home favorite. UCF is 3-2 in its last five games with Temple; underdogs are 3-2 vs spread in those games- they split two meetings here. Temple won its last three games, allowing 10 ppg, after a 2-3 start; since ’14, Owls are 11-2 vs spread as road underdogs, 2-0 this year. Under is 4-2 in last six Temple games, 4-0 in UCF’s last four. Knights allowed 490-496 TY in their last two games.


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Temple at Central Florida
Joe Nelson


This week’s Thursday night ESPN game comes out of the American Athletic Conference with a pair teams that have matching 4-0 records in the AAC East.

Temple visits Central Florida in a game that could decide the division title as the Knights host Thursday night football looking to extend a 20-game winning streak.

Match-up: Temple Owls at Central Florida Golden Knights
Venue: Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Time/TV: Thursday, November 1, 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Line: UCF -10½, Over/Under 61
Last Meeting: 2017, UCF (-12) 45, at Temple 19

A spotlight opportunity for Central Florida Thursday will give the team with the nation’s-longest winning streak a chance to make its case for College Football Playoff consideration in front of a larger audience. Going 13-0 last season, UCF is 7-0 this season for 20 consecutive wins since losing in bowl action in December of 2016. The Knights are 13-7 ATS in that span including 7-4 ATS in home games.

It has seemingly been an easy transition for former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel taking over the program after Scott Frost left for Nebraska after just two seasons in Orlando. The Knights needed a big comeback for a 31-30 win at Memphis but that has been the only drama on the field in the 7-0 start with every other win coming by at least 20 points.

UCF is up to #9 in both the AP and Coaches Polls but there is no realistic shot for UCF to get serious national playoff consideration. Not that it would have made a big difference but a road game at North Carolina was cancelled in September to deplete the schedule further as the only power conference win came at home against Pittsburgh. That 45-14 results looks a bit stronger at this point in the season with Pittsburgh looking like an a decent ACC team but unless there is major chaos in the major conferences down the stretch or several upsets on championship Saturday, it seems unlikely that a potential 12-0 UCF team will even be considered for the final four.

Making the assumption that the Knights will run the table is a big leap as the toughest AAC games of the season remain in a stacked November schedule starting this week. Home games with Navy and Cincinnati follow before a road finale at South Florida. UCF would then need to beat the West champion, likely Houston in the AAC title game.

Quarterback McKenzie Milton was a surprise scratch for the last game at East Carolina on October 20. Milton was discussed early in the season as potential Heisman candidate but his numbers this season haven’t come close to matching his great 2017 figures. He is averaging 1.2 fewer yards per pass while posting only 16 touchdowns after throwing 37 last season while not even a third of the way to last season’s rushing total. Information on his injury has been limited and he has been considered day-to-day this week. The Knights threw for just 111 yards without Milton in the win over East Carolina, leaning on the ground game with 316 rushing yards with freshman Daniel Mack taking over at quarterback.

Expectations were high for Temple this season in the second season under Geoff Collins. Losses to FCS Villanova and Buffalo started the season but the Owls have rallied to win five of the last six games with the only loss at Boston College. Wins over Maryland and Navy on the road were impressive and in the last game Temple snuck out a fortunate narrow win over Cincinnati to move to 4-0 in conference play.

Like UCF, Temple still has a tough remaining schedule as even if they win this game there would be no guarantee they could hold on to the division title with Cincinnati and South Florida close behind at 3-1. Temple still plays South Florida in mid-November and will also have a tough crossover game with West leader Houston next week.

Temple is also dealing with key injuries with running back Ryquell Armstead and defensive tackle Freddie Booth-Lloyd question marks this week. Armstead leads the team with 626 rushing yards despite missing the past two games and they have missed his production with the Owls posting only 3.8 yards per rush on the season but Armstead averaging 5.1 yards per carry. UCF is one of the nation’s top rushing teams with 5.8 yards per attempt and 261 yards per game as Armstead would be important in helping the Owls keep pace on the ground.

Temple is the surprise national leader in yards per pass attempt allowed defensively, surrendering only 4.5 yards per pass attempt as even if Milton plays, UCF is likely going to have to lean on the ground game. The Owls have 24 sacks and eight interceptions while allowing only nine passing touchdowns. Only Michigan has held opposing quarterbacks to a lower QB Rating this season.

Against a lighter schedule UCF also has very good numbers defending the pass. Frank Nutile took over at quarterback last season with success for the Owls but after a slow start sophomore Anthony Russo moved into the starting role for Temple. Russo has good size but has been mistake-prone with 10 interceptions in 191 pass attempts this season. Russo has been intercepted at least once in every game he has started but he also has eight passing touchdowns in his last three games while throwing for nearly 800 yards in those three conference wins.

Both teams had close calls in the last games played on October 20. Temple saw a 10-0 lead disappear hosting Cincinnati and trailed 17-10 most of the second half before tying the game in the final minute and winning in overtime. UCF’s 37-10 win over East Carolina was closer than it looked. Playing without Milton UCF led 23-10 through three quarters and caught a few big breaks late as East Carolina fumbled on the goal line with the ball returned for a touchdown the other way turning a potential one-score game into a 20-point lead. The Knights were actually out-gained 496-427 but had a 5-0 turnover advantage and still wound up narrowly covering as a heavy road favorite.

Last Season: After a 3-5 start to the season Temple won back-to-back games to start November before playing as a double-digit home underdog against undefeated UCF. Temple led 10-7 in the second quarter before UCF rattled off 24 straight points before halftime and eventually won 45-19. Temple actually had a 397-384 yardage edge in the game but had a 5-0 turnover deficit. That win moved the Knights to 10-0 before they turned in three straight seven-point wins over South Florida, Memphis, and Auburn to complete the perfect season.

Historical Trends:

-- These schools have met each of the last five years with UCF going 3-2 S/U and ATS.

-- Temple won the last meeting in Orlando with a 26-25 win in 2016 as a slight underdog.

-- Temple is 28-14 ATS since 2007 as a road underdog including going 2-0 ATS this season and 8-3 ATS since 2015.

-- UCF is 30-18 ATS as a home favorite since 2010, including going 22-13 ATS as a double-digit home favorite, with a 3-1 ATS mark in that role this season.


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Thursday, Nov. 1


OHIO at WESTERN MICHIGAN...Solich 8-2 last ten as visiting dog and 13-7 vs. line since LY.
Ohio, based on team trends.


NORTHERN ILLINOIS at AKRON...Zips just 4-10 vs. line last 13 at Infocision. But NIU just 4-7 last 11 as chalk. Huskies have covered first two on MAC road TY.
Slight to NIU, based on team trends.


TEMPLE at UCF...Road team has covered last 3 in series. Owls on 12-4 spread uptick since early 2017, and have covered 8 in a row on road. Also 5-1 last six as dog and covers in last five TY.
Temple, based on team trends.


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UCF faces Temple in key AAC matchup
October 31, 2018
By The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Josh Heupel, whose ninth-ranked UCF Knights have the nation's longest winning streak, calmly answered another question about whether he feels the American Athletic Conference is underappreciated.

The defending AAC champions have won a league-record 20 straight games, but many discount the success because of the strength of their schedule.

''Absolutely, this conference deserves a ton of respect for the way it plays during the course of the season,'' the first-year coach said ahead of Thursday night's nationally televised test against surging Temple.

''In this league, you have to come ready to play every single week. `There's great players, there's great coaching in this league.''

UCF (7-0, 4-0 AAC) is No. 12 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released this week and looking to remain in consideration for one of four CFP berths awarded in December.

Temple (5-3, 4-0), Navy, Cincinnati and South Florida stand between the Knights and another unbeaten regular season.

Cincinnati was ranked in the AP Top 25 until losing in overtime at Temple two weeks ago. South Florida tumbled out of the poll after falling last week at Houston, which in turn vaulted into the current Top 25.

Temple, meanwhile, has won five of six, including three straight, following an 0-2 start. The Owls enter Thursday night tied with UCF atop the AAC East Division standings.

''I think at the end of the year, when all the dust settles, I hope and believe this conference is going to get the recognition it deserves,'' Heupel said.

The Knights and Owls are both coming off bye weeks that provided extra time to prepare for a matchup between one of the nation's more potent offenses and one of the conference's stingier defenses.

Some things to know about UCF and Temple, who are meeting for the sixth time. The Knights lead the series 3-2, including a 45-19 victory in Philadelphia last season.

UCF QBs

It remains unclear if McKenzie Milton, eighth in Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago, will return at quarterback for UCF after sitting out the Knights' 27-point victory at East Carolina on Oct. 20 due to an undisclosed injury.

Heupel said it'll be a game-time decision. Darriel Mack Jr., who made his first college start against East Carolina, will play if Milton isn't available.

''We've got to be prepared for both avenues,'' Temple coach Geoff Collins said, adding that Milton, who's thrown for 1,797 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions, is ''as dynamic a player as there is in college football.

SURGING OWLS

Temple quarterback Anthony Russo is 5-1 since taking over the starting job following an 0-2 start. He's thrown for 1,410 yards and nine touchdowns, including a game-tying TD pass in the final minute of regulation and a game-winner in overtime to knock Cincinnati out of the Top 25.

GAMETIME DECISIONS

Like Milton, a decision on whether Temple running back Ryquell Armstead will play may not be made shortly before kickoff. Armstead has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. He's the Owls' leading rusher with 626 yards and six TDs. There's also a chance defensive tackle Freddie Booth-Lloyd could return for Temple after missing one game with an injured foot.

---

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NIU at AKR 07:00 PM
NIU -6.0
U 37.0

OHIO at WMU 07:00 PM
OHIO -3.0
U 65.0

TEM at UCF 07:30 PM
TEM +10.5
U 58.5

[StarDust Bum]

more later

[StarDust Bum]

Milton lifts UCF past Temple, 52-40
November 1, 2018
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) No. 9 UCF only knows one way to answer questions about where it stands among the elite teams in college football - keep winning.

The defending American Athletic Conference champions remained unbeaten Thursday night, pulling away from Temple late for a 52-40 victory that extended the nation's longest winning streak and gave the Knights (8-0, 5-0) sole possession of first place in the AAC East Division.

Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame are only other undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. They're among the front-runners in the race for spots in the four-team College Football Playoff, while UCF remains a longshot despite a sparkling record dating to last season.

''I'm not even concerned about that right now,'' coach Josh Heupel said. ''Our job is to go 1-0 every week. ... If you do that, you probably deserve to go play for something special at the end of the year.''

McKenzie Milton threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, Greg McCrae rushed for 188 yards and one TD, and the Knights defense forced two turnovers and held Temple to six points after halftime.

Anthony Russo completed 31 of 52 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns for Temple (5-4, 4-1), which had a three-game winning streak snapped despite gaining 670 yards on a night the teams combined to gain exactly 1,300.

Taj McGowan scored on runs of 1 and 10 yards for UCF, the latter finishing a long drive that put the Knights up 49-40 after Temple (5-4, 4-1) nearly rallied to tie it.

Milton, returning to the lineup after missing a game with an undisclosed injury, finished 17 of 33 with one interception. Dredrick Snelson scored on a 19-yard reception and Michael Colubiale had TD catches of 9 and 19 yards.

Ventell Bryant had seven receptions for 107 yards and two TDs for the Owls. Russo completed passes to 11 different receivers, including Branden Mack and Randle Jones, who scored while building a 34-28 halftime that lasted less than a minute into the third quarter.

UCF took a 42-34 lead into the fourth quarter and stopped a potential tying two-point conversion before pulling away for good.

''Down at halftime, the kids were calm and came out and kept playing,'' Heupel said. ''I told them at halftime champions love playing in environments like this, in situations like this.''

CFP RANKING

In addition to staying on top of the East Division standings, UCF remained on course to be part of the discussion about which teams deserve to be part of this year's CFP.

The Knights, denied a spot in the playoff field a year ago despite finishing as the only undefeated team in the FBS, were 12th in the initial CFP rankings released this week.

LOTS OF OFFENSE

In the first half alone, the teams combined for 808 yards - 510 passing and 298 rushing - with Russo throwing for 277 and three TDs and Milton countering with 233 yards and two TDs. Both quarterbacks had a rushing TD in the second quarter, Russo scoring on a 5-yard run on a fake field goal play.

THE TAKEAWAY

Temple: The Owls are 5-2 since Russo took over at quarterback following losses to Villanova and Buffalo to begin the season. Armstead returned from missing two games with an ankle injury, immediately making his presence felt with a 33-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage. The senior running back finished with 142 yards on 27 carries.

UCF: Milton had another big night, however the Knights kept the nation's longest winning streak alive by running for 318 yards and doing a good job defensively of keeping Temple out of the end zone in the second half.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

One of the knocks on UCF's success is the Knights' strength of schedule. Temple is the only team the defending AAC champions have beaten this season that currently has a winning record. With the Owls entering Thursday night as double-digit underdogs, the Knights will need outside help to move upward.

UP NEXT

Temple: at Houston, Nov. 10

UCF: Remain home vs. Navy, Nov. 10

[StarDust Bum]

Ohio destroys Western Michigan, 59-14
November 1, 2018
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) Nathan Rourke threw three touchdown passes, rushed for two scores and Ohio used six turnovers to ease past Western Michigan 59-14 on Thursday night.

Ohio led 45-0 at halftime after Western Michigan turned it over five times. Rourke scored on a 6-yard sneak and he found Papi White in the back of the end zone less than three minutes later. DL Knock blocked a punt and Alvin Floyd returned it 13 yards for a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

In the second quarter, Jarren Hampton's interception led to Rourke's 13-yard rush for a 28-0 lead. Western Michigan fumbled it on its next two possessions, leading to a field goal and Rourke's 8-yard TD pass to Adam Luehrman. After Western Michigan's four-and-out, Rourke passed it to Isiah Cox for a 10-yard score with 47 seconds left in the half.

Rourke was 12-of-14 passing for 149 yards and he carried it nine times for 68 yards for Ohio (6-3, 4-1 Mid-American Conference), which is bowl eligible for the 10th straight season.

Western Michigan (6-4, 4-2) was held to 119 yards in the first half, with four fumbles and an interception.


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NIU takes care of Akron on road
November 1, 2018
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AKRON, Ohio (AP) Tre Harbison rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown, Jalen McKie scored on a 23-yard interception return for the only fourth-quarter points and Northern Illinois held off Akron 36-26 on Thursday night.

After Akron scored two touchdowns less than two minutes apart to pull to 27-26, the extra point attempt was blocked and McKie returned it for a three-point lead. McKie sealed it with another interception with 1:05 remaining.

Marcus Childers was 21-of-28 passing for 188 yards and one touchdown for Northern Illinois (6-3, 5-0 Mid-American Conference).

Childers hit tight end Corey Lersch for a 19-yard touchdown to open the scoring. After Akron tied it, NIU went on a 10-play, 75-yard drive to retake the lead on Harbison's short run. Spencer Tears also had short touchdown run in the second quarter to extend NIU's lead to 24-10.

Kato Nelson passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns for Akron (4-4, 2-3).

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

— Louisiana Tech covered eight of last 10 games vs SEC teams.

— Cal Bears covered four of their last five road games.

— Air Force covered eight of its last nine visits to West Point.

— Home side covered last five Iowa State-Kansas games.

— Over is 7-1 in South Alabama’s last eight games.

— Navy is 7-3-1 in last 11 games as a double digit underdog.

Quote of the Day
“First of all, if you can’t play hungover you probably shouldn’t be in the league.”
NHL player Ryan Reaves

Friday’s quiz
Who was the Raiders’ QB the first time they won a Super Bowl?

Thursday’s quiz
Martin Sheen played the President of the United States in the old TV show The West Wing.

Wednesday’s quiz
Shaquille O’Neal played his college basketball at LSU.


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

13) 49ers 34, Raiders 3— Last Battle of the Bay with Raiders moving to Las Vegas in two years; in his first NFL start, 49ers QB Nick Mullens looked like Daryle Lamonica, completing 16-22 passes for 262 yards and three TD’s- not a bad debut.

So if the 49ers put Mullens on the market today after that impressive display Thursday, what kind of draft pick could they get for him? He appears to be better than anyone Buffalo has, and he did break some of Brett Favre’s records at Southern Miss.

As for the Raiders, not a great effort- you could make a strong argument that they’ve quit.

12) We read about coaches making huge money in the NFL and in college ball, but lot of guys at lower levels struggle like hell to get to the top, or just to make a living where they are.

Back when he started out as a coach, from 1989-91, Mike Leach was an assistant coach at Iowa Wesleyan, making $12,000 a year. Leach was the team’s SID, video coordinator and the equipment coordinator- he also taught history and criminal law classes.

From there it was on to Valdosta State and Kentucky with Hal Mumme, then Oklahoma for a while before he landed the head coaching job at Texas Tech.

Now Leach makes a couple million a year, but he’s earned his way to this spot.

11) Four players who were teammates of both Michael Jordan and Lebron James:

Brendan Haywood, Larry Hughes, Jerry Stackhouse and Scott Williams.

Would be fun to see an hour TV show where those four guys tell some stories.

10) Someday in 5-6 years, Eli Manning is going to come up for a vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he has won two Super Bowls, but his career record is 120-114, counting playoff games. His regular season record: 112-110.

If he starts every game the rest of the year, chances are his regular season record will wind up under .500, which isn’t very Hall of Fame-ish.

Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls, had a 72-72 regular season record with an 8-2 playoff record but is nowhere near the Hall of Fame. Manning’s career is better than that, but not all that much better, just that he played in New Jersey and his brother/father are also famous.

9) Gonzaga’s big man Killian Tillie will be out around eight weeks after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his ankle. He averaged 12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg LY and made 47% of his 3’s.

8) CBSSports.com ran an article Thursday on how Jordan Spieth didn’t win a tournament last year and what was wrong with his game?

Spieth earned $2,793,536 last year, not counting endorements; we should all struggle like that.

7) Mariano Rivera is part-owner of a Japanese company that recycles broken baseball bats into chopsticks; I’m not nearly creative enough to make that up.

6) Thru seven games, Steelers’ RB James Conner is averaging 5.8 yards/touch on 22.6 touches per game; last year thru seven games, Le’Veon Bell averaged 4.4 yards/touch on 28.9 touches per game, which may be part of why Bell is still sitting on the sidelines this year, and isn’t getting his $855,000 weekly salary.

5) In 37 states, you can vote before Election Day; this seems like a better way to do things.

4) Evidence that we might have too many TV channels, or not enough quality programming to fill those channels: The first National College Cornhole Championship, for $25,000 in scholarship money, will take place in Myrtle Beach on Dec. 29-30- it will be broadcast live on ESPN & ESPN2.

3) Winnipeg Jets beat Florida Panthers 4-2 in an NHL regular season games played Thursday over in Finland. Long road trip.

2) Marv Albert compared Thursday’s Bucks-Celtics game to an old ABA game, and he wasn’t being critical, just stating his opinion. Fast-paced, lot of 3’s, not a lot go great defense.

1) Handicapping 101- You like to wager on college football; how do you handicap the Michigan State-Maryland game Saturday?

Maryland had a player die during off-season trailing; as a result, the coach was suspended, but he was re-instated this week and he held his first practice Tuesday. The coach was re-instated even though a player DIED under his watch- not everyone was happy about this.

Around 6:30pm Tuesday, Maryland bowed to public pressure (and maybe internal pressure) and fired that coach, something that probably should’ve happened a while ago.

It is a horribly sad story, but if you’re in the handicapping business, how do you deal with this game? Michigan State is -2.5 at Maryland Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

College Football Best Bets and Opinions

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

11/01/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -12.00



Best Bets:

Best Bets For November

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

11/01/2018..............2 - 1..................+4.50...................0 - 3................-16.50..............-12.00