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Virginia at Miami, Fl.
Matt Blunt

No. 20 Virginia at Miami, Fl.
Venue/Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Fl.
Time/TV: Friday, Oct. 11 (ESPN, 8:00 p.m. ET)
Line: Miami -2, Total 44

Recent Meetings:

2018: Virginia (+7) vs. Miami, Fl. 13, Under 46.5
2017: Miami, Fl. (-19.5) 44 vs. Virginia 28, Over 49
2016: Miami, Fl. (-9.5) 34 at Virginia, Under 54.5

Two ranked teams are in action on Friday night, but it's the one that's out on the road that I'm looking at today.

Virginia – fresh off their first loss of the year two weeks ago to Notre Dame – head down to Miami to take on a Hurricanes team that's seemingly already underperformed relative the lofty goals the Hurricanes and their fanbase put on the team every year. At 2-3 SU, Miami fans probably figured their team's record would look much better at this point of the year, but that's clearly not the case. Sometimes a football team just isn't as good as many expected them to be, for a myriad of reasons, and that's the question many handicappers are asking themselves about the Miami Hurricanes this week.

Miami did open as a small favorite for this game and saw some early support to bump the spread up a touch. But after narrowly escaping with a win against Central Michigan as 30-point favorites two games ago, Miami lost again – after having two weeks to prepare – as big favorites, this time laying 14 points to Virginia Tech.

So, is Miami being the favorite and getting some early support warranted? Or will this Hurricanes team that's already 0-3 ATS as favorites against FBS competition be a money burner again?

CFB Odds: Virginia vs Miami (-2.5); Total set at 44

Now that conference play is in full swing across the country, I know there will be talk of games like this each week where we've got an unranked squad like Miami laying points to a ranked team. Generally speaking, there is a theory that laying the points in those situations turns out better then not, but that's the problem with talking in generalities when dealing with specifics.

The specifics for this game is that Miami is a struggling team with much less rest, and probably getting considered more for the program's historical reputation then what they've shown on the football field thus far. The Hurricanes hung tough with Florida on opening day back in late-August, but since then it's really been nothing but downhill for this team against the number. Having played last Saturday and now turning around to play on a Friday – against a team that had last week off – isn't a brutal scheduling spot, but it's not great either.

The time off for Virginia likely negates any sort of hangover effect the Cavaliers may have after suffering their first loss of the year, and it probably humbled them to a degree. Working that much harder during two weeks of practice is probably not a bad thing for a Virginia team that's still ranked in the polls and looking to remain there. And given what film study has shown them the past two weeks, chances are they'll have an edge mentally as well for this game.

Taking the line and the total together as one suggests that points will be at a premium in this game, and that we probably won't get anyone coming back from anything like an early two-TD deficit. Given that Virginia's defense holds edges in nearly every category other then rush yards allowed per attempt and per game, and Miami has allowed at least 24 points to all three Power 5 programs they've faced this season, I believe you've got to favor Virginia's prospects offensively in this game as well.

Rest-wise things line up on Virginia's side, record-wise things line up Virginia's way, and the Cavaliers hold the edge in the majority of statistical categories on both sides of the ball as well. Add it all up and then throw in Miami's underperforming nature this year, and you get a game where it may not be one of those “wrong team is favored” contests per se, but the favorite sure has a lot working against them to get a W.

With the underdog 13-2 ATS in the last 15 meetings between these two games – including 8-1 ATS the last nine – and a perfect 4-0 ATS when the line has been single digits in that span, give me the Cavaliers in this game on Friday night.

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Coastal coaster: UVA visits Miami
October 10, 2019
By The Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) The Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division has seven teams, and there's been a different champion in each of the last six seasons.

Virginia is the outlier.

It might be the Cavaliers' turn.

The 20th-ranked Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 ACC) head to Miami (2-3, 0-2) on Friday night in a game where they could remain in full control of this season's division-title chase. It begins a stretch that Virginia coach Bronco Mendendall's staff likened to a roller coaster - in a text chain among the coaches, they even used roller-coaster emojis to underscore the point.

Mendenhall apparently doesn't know what an emoji is (''the little pictures that you put on the text,'' he calls them), but no one needs to explain to him how vital this game could be to the Cavs' Coastal hopes.

''Much like (when) you're at a carnival going into one of the rides, now here is the Coastal ride,'' Mendenhall said. ''And we're going right into five straight Coastal games, and those are more meaningful and they are more impactful. ... And holy cow, you never know what's going to happen when you're on that ride.''

The ride has been bumpy for Miami and first-year coach Manny Diaz, who are trying to avoid starting 0-3 in conference play for the first time ever. It hasn't happened to Miami in the ACC era that goes back to 2004, or its Big East tenure before that.

The Hurricanes are making two major changes this week. N'Kosi Perry is starting at quarterback for the injured Jarren Williams, and Diaz said he'll have more of a role with the defense. He was Miami's defensive coordinator for three seasons prior to becoming head coach, and after giving up 42 points to Virginia Tech last week Diaz has clearly seen enough.

''Ultimately I am responsible for how we play on defense,'' Diaz said. ''There is a culture that was created here back in 2016 that, for some reason, we have not been able to recreate. It is not a coaching issue. It is not a scheme issue.''

Here's some of what to know going into Virginia-Miami:

BRONCO'S BYES

This is the second straight year that Virginia has had a bye week prior to facing Miami, and byes seem to have worked wonders for Mendenhall's teams in recent years. His teams at Virginia and BYU are 4-1 in their last five regular-season games with an extra week to prepare.

POWER STRUGGLE

Miami started 10-0 in 2017, climbing to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll - with the last win in that streak coming against Virginia. It's been all downhill from there. The Hurricanes are 4-12 against teams from Power 5 conferences since (5-0 against all other schools), 4-8 against members of the ACC and 1-4 against ranked teams.

ROAD WOES

Virginia won its lone ACC game away from home so far this season, prevailing in Pittsburgh. Getting two in a row in league play on the road is something no one on the current roster has ever done. The Cavaliers haven't won consecutive road ACC games since winning three straight in 2011. In fact, that was also the last year in which they had more than one ACC road win in an entire season.

BIG MISTAKES

Part of the reason why Diaz is going to have more of a role - whatever that means - in the defense this week is because of that group's penchant for giving up the big play. The longest pass the Hurricanes allowed in 2018 was 45 yards. This year, Miami has allowed a pass of at least 60 yards in three different games and lost every one of those matchups. Virginia's longest pass so far this year: 43 yards.

FRIDAY FUNDAY

Virginia is 2-10 in its last 12 Friday games. Miami has dropped its last two Friday games (at Boston College last year, at Pitt in 2017). While it may seem strange for the Hurricanes to play on Fridays, it used to be the norm. This is 295th time the Hurricanes will play a Friday game (178-105-11 previously), while Virginia is playing its 20th (7-11-1 coming in).

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Big Ten Report - Week 7
October 10, 2019
By ASA


2019 BIG 10 STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Illinois 2-3 0-2 2-3 2-3
Indiana 3-2 0-2 3-2 2-3
Iowa 4-1 1-1 2-3 1-3-1
Maryland 3-2 1-1 3-2 2-3
Michigan 4-1 2-1 2-3 3-2
Michigan State 4-2 2-1 2-4 3-3
Minnesota 5-0 2-0 2-2-1 3-2
Nebraska 4-2 2-1 1-5 2-4
Northwestern 1-4 0-3 2-3 1-4
Ohio State 6-0 3-0 5-1 2-3-1
Penn State 5-0 2-0 3-2 2-3
Purdue 1-4 0-2 2-3 3-2
Rutgers 1-4 0-3 1-4 2-3
Wisconsin 5-0 2-0 4-1 2-3

Week 7 Big Ten Conference Matchups
Michigan (-22, Total 49) at Illiinois
Rutgers at Indiana (-28, Total 49.5)
Maryland (-3, Total 54) at Purdue
Michigan State at Wisconsin (-10.5, Total 40)
Nebraska at Minnesota (-7.5, Total 50.5)
Penn State (-3.5, Total 42) at Iowa

Odds Subject to Change

No. 16 Michigan at Illinois (ABC, 12:00 p.m. ET)
While the Michigan offense was a no show last Saturday, the defense played their best game of the season vs an undefeated Iowa team. The Wolverine defense held the Hawkeyes to one FG and less than 270 yards of total offense in their 10-3 win. Iowa came into the game averaging 217 YPG on the ground and the Wolverines held them to ONE yard rushing on 30 carries! Even if you subtract the 8 Michigan sacks, Iowa still only had 66 yards on the ground. They also forced Iowa into 4 turnovers after the Hawkeyes came into the game with just 1 giveaway on the season. The Michigan offense was ugly. They scored a TD & kicked a field goal in the first quarter and then were shut out for the final 53:33 of the game. They averaged only 4.5 yards per play and QB Shea Patterson continued to struggle completing only 53% of his passes with 0 TD’s and 1 interception. After a very solid season in 2018 with a 65% completion percentage and 22 TD’s, Patterson has regressed this year hitting only 58% of his passes with 6 TD’s and 3 interceptions. He simply doesn’t look confident right now. One has to begin to question new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis hurry up system and play calling. The offensive numbers from last year are down across the board despite Michigan returning their starting QB, much of the offensive line, and a WR group that is among the most talented in the Big 10.

If Michigan can’t get it going against this Illinois defense they might be in trouble. The Illini are off a 40-17 loss @ Minnesota last Saturday. They are now 0-2 in the Big Ten having allowed 82 points and allowed 1,178 yards in those two conference games. The Gophers ran all over Illinois with 333 yards rushing after Nebraska lit them up for 363 yards on the ground in their Big Ten opener. Illinois was actually at least able to make it a game for the first half in Minneapolis trailing just 16-10 at the break. After halftime the Gophers took control scoring 3 TD’s on their first 3 possessions to put the game out of reach. The only two TD’s Illinois was able to put up were both scored by the defense on an interception and a fumble. The offense did next to nothing with 248 total yards on 63 snaps (3.9 YPP). They lost their starting QB Brandon Peters, a Michigan transfer, after a big hit early in the 2nd quarter and he did not return. His status is unknown as of this writing. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Matt Robinson who was 15 of 29 for 125 yards. If Peters cannot go on Saturday, the Illini better figure out a way to run the ball to take some pressure off their inexperienced QB.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: This line opened with Michigan -20.5 and had jumped to -22.5 crossing the key number of 21. The Wolverines are 23-5-2 SU the last 30 games in this series (15-15 ATS). Ten of the last eleven meetings in this series have been decided by double digits. Michigan has been favored in every game in this series since 1984. Since 1990, the Wolverines are 3-8 ATS (27%) as a road favorite of more than 21 points.

Rutgers at Indiana (Big Ten, 12:00 p.m. ET)
Well so much for a spark after firing head coach Chris Ash. After their head coach was fired last week following their 52-0 loss vs Michigan, the Scarlet Knights continued their abysmal play losing at home to Maryland 48-7. They have now been outscored 130-7 in their 3 Big Ten games and outgained by 811 yards in those 3 conference losses. Interim head coach Nunzio Campanile implemented the option offense for this game with QB Johnny Langan, who made his first appearance in a collegiate game last Saturday, running the show. Campanile was forced to go with Langan under center when previous starter Art Sitkowski made the decision during the week to hang up his cleats for the season. Sitkowski now plans on redshirting which would not have been possible had he played on Saturday because it would have been his 5th game played this season. Word on whether he’ll transfer or stick with Rutgers is not yet known but with just 5 TD’s and 20 interceptions thus far in his career it may not be a huge loss if he does decide to move on. Rutgers backup tailback Raheem Blackshear also sat out the game and has decided to redshirt as this season continues to derail quickly. The Rutgers defense was shredded by big plays as Maryland scored TD’s on plays of 100, 80, 80, 42, and 23 yards. The Knights are now last in the conference (all games this season) in scoring offense (14.2 PPG) and last in scoring defense (36.2 PPG).

Indiana had last week off after losing @ Michigan State 40-31 a week earlier. The Hoosiers gave MSU all they could handle in that one scoring the 2nd most points and 2nd highest yardage mark the Spartans have allowed this year behind only Ohio State. It was a tie game with just 5 seconds remaining in the game and MSU kicked a FG and then scored a defensive TD as time expired to make the final margin 9 points. Starting QB Michael Penix returned from injury after missing 2 games to perform very well with 286 yards passing and 3 TD’s against the stout Spartan defense. Indiana is 3-0 in non-conference play but 0-2 in the Big 10 having played two of the best teams in the league, Ohio State & Michigan State. With Rutgers coming in running their new option offense, IU will have to be solid against the run. They have been just that for most of the season. If you take out their performance vs Ohio State where they gave up 306 yards rushing, in their other 4 games the Hoosiers have allowed just 86 YPG on 2.7 YPC. Indiana looks fairly healthy coming into this game off their bye week.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: If you take out their season opening win vs a terrible UMass team, Rutgers has been outscored 160-23. This spread is set at IU -28 which is nearly double the highest number so far in this series which was Indiana -14.5 last season. In that game the Hoosiers jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead and held on to win 24-17. This is the first time EVER than Indiana has been favored by 28 or more vs an FBS opponent. Rutgers, on the other hand, have been dogs of 28 or more four times since the start of last season (3-1 ATS).

Maryland at Purdue (Big Ten, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Terps bounced back after consecutive losses to Temple & Penn State by winning easily @ Rutgers 48-7 as a 14-point favorite. The total in that game was set at 55.5 staying under by a half point. Maryland lost QB Josh Jackson to an ankle sprain late in the first half and he did not return. His status is up in the air for Saturday. His backup, Tyrell Pigrome, filled in with 111 yards passing and 22 yards on the ground in the 2nd half. If the Terrapins need to go with Pigrome on Saturday, he has plenty of experience as the junior has attempted 177 career passes and led Maryland to an upset win over Texas as the starter in 2017. Pigrome had actually been taking some first team reps in practice as of late due to Jackson’s recent struggles. The Terps came up with a number of big plays on Saturday including 3 TD’s of 80-yards or more. Their opening offensive play was an 80-yard TD pass from Jackson to Dontay Demis. After that play, the offense struggled their next 4 possessions which were all 3 and outs (4 punts) and totaled a -3 yards. At that point the score was 7-7 nearly midway into the 2nd quarter. After that Maryland scored on 6 of their next 8 possessions to break the game open. The offense has been playing without 3 starting offensive linemen due to injury and they may get 2 back this weekend with center Jordan and RT Minor possibly returning. After allowing 59 points and over 600 yards vs PSU in their previous game, the defense looked better holding Rutgers to just 4.3 YPP. That was to be expected vs a bad Rutgers offense down to their 3rd string QB who had never taken a collegiate snap before last Saturday. Maryland goes to Purdue this week as a favorite hoping to win back to back road games for the first time since September of 2014.

This looks like it could be a battle of back up QB’s. As we stated above Jackson’s status is questionable for Maryland but we know Purdue will be going with freshman Jack Plummer for the 2nd consecutive week after starter Elijah Sindelar broke his collarbone 2 weeks ago. Plummer looked like a freshman last week in the Boilermakers 35-7 loss @ Penn State. He completed only 13 passes for 113 yards. The problem with Purdue’s offense is they relied too heavily on Sindelar when he was healthy and were fairly one dimensional. Now if Plummer doesn’t have a big game, they don’t have a running game to fall back on. Last week Penn State held Purdue to minus 19 yards rushing on 28 carries. They are now averaging only 68 YPG rushing which ranks them 129th out of 130 NCAA teams. That puts a lot of pressure on Plummer to perform and perform very well especially with dynamic WR Rondale Moore still out with a leg injury. Last week they barely had 100 yards of total offense @ Penn State in a game that was more lopsided than the final score indicated. With Plummer barely completing 50% of his passes on the year we would be surprised if head coach Jeff Brohm gives 3rd stringer Aidan O’Connell, who has attempted 1 career pass, a shot on Saturday. A struggling offense added int with a Purdue defense that has allowed 34 points or more in every game but one this season and you can see why this team is just 1-4 on the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: These 2 haven’t met since the 2016 season. The Terps won that game 50-7 as 11 point favorites and it was the only meeting between these two since Maryalnd joined the Big Ten in 2014. Maryland won last week @ Rutgers and they have not won back to back road games since 2014. The Terps are 2-12 ATS following a game in which they win by more than 20 points. Since the start of the 2012 season, the Boilers are just 7-20 ATS as a home underdog.

Michigan State at No. 8 Wisconsin (Big Ten, 3:30 p.m. ET)
This is a tough scheduling spot for MSU who played a night game @ Ohio State last Saturday. Back to back road games vs top 10 teams who both have top 5 defenses is not ideal. The Spartans were the latest victim to fall to the OSU machine last Saturday losing 34-10 in Columbus as 20 point underdogs. The Spartan defense looked very good early holding Ohio State to just 16 yards in the first quarter which included zero yards on the ground. The Buckeye offense looked unstoppable from that point on ripping through a very good Michigan State defense for 513 yards including 323 yards rushing in the final 3 quarters. Heading into their game on Saturday @ OSU, the Spartan defense had allowed 279 total yards rushing on the year in their first 5 games on just 1.8 YPR. On Saturday they gave up 323 yards rushing, the 2nd most in the Mark Dantonio era, on 6.6 YPR to the Buckeyes. After allowing 34 points to the Bucks, this MSU defense has now given up 30+ points in back to back games for the first time since 2016. The offense seemed to find some rhythm at times in the passing game with QB Lewerke completing 20 passes for over 200 yards. The running game was non-existent averaging only 2.5 YPR vs the Buckeyes great run defense (9th nationally). They may have problems again on Saturday with the Wisconsin defense giving up only 45 YPG on the ground (2nd nationally). While the OSU offense was struggling in the first quarter on Saturday, the Spartan offense failed to take advantage and turned the ball over on 2 of their first 4 plays of the game. They had a chance to possibly put Ohio State on their heals for the first time this year but they were unable to as Sparty’s offense remains extremely inconsistent. This weekend they head to Madison for the first time since 2012 with hopes they can somehow find a running game (currently ranked 100th in rushing) and somehow slow down RB Jonathan Taylor. Keep an eye on the potential cold (low 40’s) and windy weather in Madison on Saturday.

Wisconsin comes into this game with a perfect 5-0 record with their only non-cover coming vs Northwestern. Last week they played host to Kent State and buried the Flashes 48-0 outgaining them by 396 yards. The Badgers got off to a quick start scoring a TD on their first drive of the game. They are the only FBS team to score a TD on every opening drive this season, all of the TD’s were scored by RB Jonathan Taylor. On Saturday the Badgers play host to Michigan State in their fifth consecutive home game. Wisconsin has played only one road game this season and that was @ USF back on late August. Offensively this team goes as Taylor goes. If someone finally slows him down, we’re not sure QB Jack Coan is equipped to carry an offense on his back. While Coan has been very efficient, much of that success has come as a result of their strong running game keeping opposing defenses off balance. MSU will be the best rush defense this team has faced this season and we’re pretty sure they’ll stack the line and try to make Coan beat them. Sparty’s run defense was stifling this season until last week when OSU ran all over them. The Wisconsin defense ranks #1 nationally in total defense, pass defense, 3rd down % defense, YPP allowed and #2 in rush defense. They are obviously very good. Are they as good as their rankings? The offenses teams played thus far rank 74th, 93rd, 108th, 111th, and 126th this season in total offense. We’re not sure we’ll get a better feel this weekend as MSU’s offense ranks 81st and isn’t dynamic on that side of the ball. We may not find out until Wisconsin plays @ Ohio State in 2 weeks.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: This is the first time since 2012 that MSU has visited Camp Randall Stadium. The last 10 times Sparty has been a Big 10 road underdog of 13 points or less, they are 8-2 ATS in that spot. The game following MSU’s last 10 regular season SU losses, they are 7-3 ATS. Going back to 1980, Michigan State has been an underdog 10 or more 61 times and they are 37-24 ATS is those games. Since 2004, the dog in his series is 8-1 ATS.

Nebraska at Minnesota (FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET)
The Huskers bounced back last week after their embarrassment on National TV vs Ohio State the week before. They topped Northwestern 13-10 on a FG as time expired by back up kicker Lane McCallum who actually came to Nebraska to play safety. He took over the kicking duties earlier this year when the Huskers actual kicker Isaac Armstrong was injured. Simply another close game between the Huskers & Wildcats as 7 of their 9 meetings have come by a single score. Nebraska picked up the win despite having two of their top offensive players on the sidelines for the 4th quarter. Starting QB Martinez was injured late in the 3rd quarter and did not return. His top WR Spielman also went out in the 3rd and did not return. Head coach Scott Frost said neither injury is serious and they will wait until Saturday to see if either or both can play. We know as of midweek Martinez had not practice and back up QB Vedral was taking snaps with the #1 offense. Frost said that Martinez has obviously had plenty of snaps in his career so his practice time this week isn’t vital. If he can go on Saturday, he’ll go. Vedral, who has some experience with 48 career pass attempts, came in and completed 2 passes in the 4th quarter for 41 yards. He’s not a great passer completing just 37% of his passes since the beginning of last year, but he can do some damage on the ground. He had 33 yards rushing in the 4th quarter last week. The defense looked much better last week after allowing 86 points in their first 2 Big Ten games. While the 10 points and 286 yards allowed last Saturday were impressive, keep in mind Northwestern currently ranks 126th in total offense and 129th (out of 130) in scoring offense. The fact is, Nebraska’s defense has been very poor for 2+ seasons now. Coming into last weeks game, NU had allowed a total of 733 points over their last 20 Big Ten games (36 PPG allowed) dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

The Gophers have been trying all season to getting their running game to at least look formidable. Head coach PJ Fleck felt that was one of their offensive strengths coming into the season and it simply hasn’t been even close to that. In their first 4 games Minnesota had rushed for a total of 463 yards on 176 carries for only 2.6 YPC. Last week the broke out for 332 yards on the ground in a 40-17 win over Illinois. It was against an Illini defense that has allowed nearly 700 yards on the ground in their 2 Big Ten games and ranks 98th nationally at stopping the run. Rodney Smith led the way with 211 yards rushing and Shannon Brooks, who returned 2 weeks ago from injury, has 111 on the ground. After an embarrassing loss last year @ Illinois where the Minnesota defense allowed a ridiculous 430 yards rushing, they were ready to atone for that performance last Saturday. They did just that allowing Illinois only 91 yards on 27 carries. Now facing a Nebraska defense that ranks 81st nationally in rush defense, it looks like Minnesota has a chance to make it back to back games with a successful running game. Weather will definitely be something to keep an eye in here. As of this writing, the forecast for Saturday night in Minneapolis calls for temps in the low 30’s with windy conditions and rain/snow possible.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Nebraska (-4.5) played host to Minnesota last year and rolled the Gophs 53-28 accumulating over 650 yards of offense. Three of the last four meetings between these teams have totaled at least 73 points. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Gophers are 10-24 ATS when favored by more than a TD. Since 1982 these teams have met 11 times with the favorite cashing in at a rate of 7-3-1 ATS.

No. 10 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa (ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET)
After struggling with Pitt in their final non-conference game (17-10 win) the Nittany Lions have absolutely rolled over their first two Big Ten opponents (Purdue & Maryland) to remain a perfect 5-0. After beating Purdue 35-7 last week, they have now outscored their 2 Big Ten opponents 94-7 and outgained them by a whopping 850 yards! Their defense has been ridiculously good in those two games holding a fairly potent Maryland offense to 128 total yards and Purdue to 104 total yards. They have allowed only 4 offensive TD’s through 5 games. We felt that their new starting QB Sean Clifford, who may not have even been the starter had Tommy Stevens not transferred to Mississippi State, had some questions entering Big Ten play. He wasn’t completing a high percentage of his passes in non-conference play but had a number of big plays through the air. He has answered those questions thus far completing 46 of his 60 attempts for 6 TD’s in his 2 Big Ten games. This team ranks 2nd in the NCAA in scoring defense and 5th in scoring offense beating teams by an average of 38 points per game. Are they really that good? We’re not 100% sure as they have yet to play a ranked opponents (until this weekend) and their opponents cumulative record is 12 wins and 16 losses. They’ve also played only one road game so far this season. We’ll find out more on Saturday and in the next few weeks as they face Michigan & Michigan State following this game. If PSU goes into Iowa City and handles the Hawkeyes, they may just be as good as their stats say they are.

Iowa went into Michigan with a 4-0 record and walked out with their first loss of the season 10-3. Entering the game Iowa had committed just one turnover the entire season and they proceeded to cough up 4 turnovers last Saturday. They rely heavily on their running game to open up their passing attack, very similar to Wisconsin. That running game was a no go on Saturday as the Wolverines held them to just 1 yard rushing on 30 carries. That made them fairly one-dimensional offensively which allowed Michigan to tee off on QB Nate Stanley sacking him 8 times. The yardage was close with the Wolverines outgaining the Hawkeyes by 6 yards, however Iowa ran 13 more offensive plays in the game. The Iowa offense has been very inconsistent scoring 30 or more in 3 of their games vs lower level defenses, but struggling with 10 points @ Michigan and 18 points @ Iowa State. They did get all Big Ten LT Jackson back from injury so that should help moving forward. The defense has been great allowing 17 points or less in every game this season. They have allowed only 5 offensive TD’s in their 5 games this season. One could argue the defense might not be as impressive as their stats have played out as 4 of their 5 opponents rank 90th or lower in total offense. However, they did play one very good offense in Iowa State who ranks 15th in total offense and 21st in scoring offense and Iowa held them to only 17 points. ISU’s most recent game they dropped 49 on a TCU defense that had held 3 of their first 4 opponents to 14 points or fewer. We think Iowa’s defense is very solid. We’ll find out this weekend when they face a Penn State offense that has scored nearly 100 points in their first 2 Big Ten games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Since October of 2000, Iowa has been a home underdog 20 times. They are 13-5-2 ATS in those games. Last year PSU was favored by 5.5 points last year at home. Now they are laying nearly the same number (-3.5 or -4) on the road. The host in this Big 10 series has covered 5 of the last 6. Since 1996 Iowa has been a home dog vs PSU three times – the Hawkeyes have covered all three of those games.

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Colorado hoping for repeat at Oregon
October 10, 2019
By The Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) The last time Colorado played the Ducks, Steven Montez was making his first start and a bit of Buffaloes history.

Montez, then a redshirt freshman subbing for injured quarterback Sefo Liufau, threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 135 yards and another score in a 41-38 upset victory over Oregon back in 2016. He was the first Buffalo with as many passing and rushing yards in a single game.

Afterward he said: ''That's the most fun I've had in football in a while.''

Now a senior, Montez said that game is kind of a blur to him. But he remembers enough to compare that team to the No. 13 Ducks of today, especially from a defensive perspective.

''I think they are a lot more talented this year than they were three or four years ago when we played them. I think their front is really good. They don't need to bring a ton of pressure because their front gets enough pressure as it is,'' he said. ''Their DBs are good and they have good linebackers. They also have a real stud at linebacker, Troy Dye, and he's a real good football player.''

Montez and the Buffaloes (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) prepared this week for their first trip back to Autzen Stadium since that 2016 upset to face the Ducks on Friday. Colorado is coming off a 35-30 loss at home to Arizona but is still in the thick of the Pac-12 South race.

Oregon (4-1, 2-0) got by resilient California last week 17-7 but failed to score in the first half. The Ducks are nonetheless still undefeated in Pac-12 play, and they've gotten four straight wins since the season-opening loss to Auburn. Oregon sits atop the standings in the Pac-12 North.

Coach Mario Cristobal is wary of Montez, given his history at Autzen.

''You're looking at a quarterback that's got a ton of experience, has had great success here before as well and he's complemented by some really, really good players and a really good scheme,'' Cristobal said. ''We know that we have to be at our best to play the type of game we want to play on Friday night.''

Montez said he's learned a lot about being a leader since that game three seasons ago.

''I just like to stay calm and keep people level. You lose focus when you get too high and you do things that are uncharacteristic of yourself, and when you get too low you do things that are uncharacteristic of yourself as well,'' he said. ''It's good to just keep everybody right at zero, right at even.''

Other things to consider when the Ducks host the Buffaloes on Friday night:

SHENAULT STATUS: Colorado junior receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. is still considered day-to-day heading into the game. He strained a core muscle against Arizona State on Sept. 21 and missed the loss to the Wildcats. However, he was practicing with the Buffaloes this week. Fellow receiver K.D. Nixon was also day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that forced him to leave the game against Arizona.

QUARTERBACK IMPRESSES: Oregon's Justin Herbert continues to put up impressive numbers in his senior season. He has a streak of 33 games with a touchdown, the longest in the nation among active quarterbacks. He has thrown 15 touchdowns over the last five games, the best stretch in school history, and those TDs tie him for seventh nationally.

''He's one of those players that can do everything. It's going to be hard to find holes in his game when he moves on to the next level,'' Colorado coach Mel Tucker said.

CUMBERLANDER OUT: Oregon defensive end Gus Cumberlander will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury he suffered during the game against California. The loss of Cumberlander likely means a greater role for freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux, a five-star recruit who has nine tackles this season, including 2.5 sacks.

MUTUAL ADMIRATION: Cristobal and Tucker were on Alabama coach Nick Saban's staff when the Crimson Tide won the national championship in 2015. Both speak highly of each other.

''I really like watching Mario coach. He's very, very intense. He's a physically imposing guy, he's got a passion for the game, and he's a very accomplished offensive line coach,'' Tucker said. ''He's got great leadership ability and his guys always play hard for him.''

[StarDust Bum]

College Football Picks: First can't-miss slate of season
October 9, 2019
By The Associated Press

If this college football season was a television series, you could jump right in this weekend without needing to catch up on previous episodes.

The first six weeks have been entertaining, sure, but really not much has happened. No plot twists. No significant new story lines. Take a glance at the Top 25 and your friends can get you up to speed in five minutes.

Week 7 feels like the first of the season you can't miss. A season-high four games match ranked teams, all involving at least one top-10 team. Two more top-10 teams are facing high-profile rivals that have been in turmoil. Pretty much every game is a conference game. Both Death Valleys should be rocking Saturday.

The Red River Rivalry is a good place to start with its noon ET kickoff. No. 11 Texas has emerged from several years of mediocrity to again be a legitimate threat to No. 6 Oklahoma in the Big 12. The Longhorns and Sooners split two games last season, including the Big 12 championship. Final combined score: Oklahoma 84, Texas 75.

The headliner under the lights is No. 7 Florida at No. 5 LSU. The Gators are playing in a second-straight top-10 matchup after a home victory against Auburn. The annual SEC crossover rivalry has been one of the most competitive in the conference in recent years. The last seven meetings have been decided by 11 points or fewer, including six one-possession games.

In between, No. 1 Alabama visits No. 24 Texas A&M; No. 2 Clemson hosts Florida State; No. 10 Penn State is at No. 17 Iowa; and No. 9 Notre Dame faces Southern California.

A note of caution: The odds makers are not forecasting as much drama as the rankings and/or history suggests with most of the marquee matchups. Only one (Penn State-Iowa) has a point spread of less than 10 points as of Wednesday.

The picks:

FRIDAY

Colorado (plus 21) at No. 13 Oregon

QB Justin Herbert has only occasionally looked like a future top-tier NFL draft pick this season, but the Buffs' pass defense has been dreadful (9.5 yards per pass, 126th in the nation) ... OREGON 34-17.

No. 20 Virginia (plus 2) at Miami

This probably won't be much consolation to `Canes fans, but with just a few breaks Miami would be 4-1 ... MIAMI 24-20.

SATURDAY

No. 1 Alabama (minus 16+) at No. 24 Texas A&M

Johnny Manziel isn't walking through that door for the Aggies ... ALABAMA 38-20.

Florida State (plus 27) at No. 2 Clemson

Tigers have won the last two meetings by a combined 90-24 and it feels like Clemson is due to break out after a close call at North Carolina; Or maybe FSU can show it has turned a corner under Willie Taggart and keep things competitive ... CLEMSON 45-21.

South Carolina (plus 24+) at No. 3 Georgia

Bulldogs have won four straight (36-15 average) to flip the rivalry back to its traditional state after the Gamecocks won four of five ... GEORGIA 36-15.

No. 7 Florida (plus 13) at No. 5 LSU

This is a huge ask for the Gators to go on the road and pull the upset ... LSU 35-20.

No. 6 Oklahoma (minus 11+) vs. No. 11 Texas at Dallas

The winning quarterback - either OU's Jalen Hurts or UT's Sam Ehlinger - becomes the Big 12's Heisman front-runner ... OKLAHOMA 48-35.

Michigan State (plus 10+) at No. 8 Wisconsin

Badgers star RB Jonathan Taylor, meet Spartans star LB Joe Bachie ... WISCONSIN 28-20.

Southern California (plus 11) at No. 9 Notre Dame

Trojans will get QB Kedon Slovis (concussion) back after he missed most of the last two games ... NOTRE DAME 35-21.

No. 10 Penn State (minus 3+) at No. 17 Iowa

Kinnick Stadium at night and a solid Hawkeyes defense should provide a good test for a Penn State team that hasn't faced many so far ... PENN STATE 27-20.

Hawaii (plus 11+) at No. 14 Boise State

Broncos have won six straight against the Rainbow Warriors, none close ... BOISE STATE 38-24.

No. 15 Utah (minus 14) at Oregon State

Utes should have their hands full with Beavers WR Isaiah Hodgins, second in the nation in yards receiving per game (126.4) and TD catches (nine) ... UTAH 42-31.

No. 16 Michigan (minus 23) at Illinois

Status of former Michigan QB Brandon Peters (upper body injury), who transferred to the Illini, is uncertain ... MICHIGAN 31-14.

Washington State (minus 1) at No. 18 Arizona State

Cougars have lost two straight and have not dropped three straight regular-season games since 2014 ... ARIZONA STATE 31-27.

Louisville (plus 6+) at No. 19 Wake Forest

Demon Deacons trying to go 6-0 for the first time since 1944 ... WAKE FOREST 35-27.

Texas Tech (plus 11) at No. 22 Baylor

Baylor tries to avoid a loss and likely becoming the fourth Big 12 team to spend just one week ranked, joining TCU, Kansas State and Oklahoma State ... BAYLOR 28-20.

No. 23 Memphis (minus 6) at Temple

Start of a season-defining stretch for the Owls: No. 21 SMU next week and UCF after that ... TEMPLE 28-24.

No. 25 Cincinnati (minus 7+) at Houston

What can the Bearcats do to follow-up last week's big victory against UCF? ... HOUSTON 31-27, UPSET SPECIAL.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Nebraska (plus 7+) at Minnesota - (at)mjsayler

Gophers are the only undefeated Power Five team still unranked ... MINNESOTA 30-21.

Iowa State (minus 10+) at West Virginia - (at)PCBounds

Mountaineers hung tough against Texas last week ... IOWA STATE 34-21.

Washington (minus 6) at Arizona - (at)bkbeban

Who would have thought the Wildcats would be better positioned in Pac-12 than the Huskies at this point? ... WASHINGTON 38-33.

Wyoming (plus 3+) at San Diego State - (at)barredindc

Cross-division game that could be pivotal to the Mountain West races ... SAN DIEGO STATE 24-17.

Mississippi (plus 12) at Missouri - (at)ConnorClaxton

Tigers have been steamrolling opponents since they left Wyoming with a surprising opening loss ... MISSOURI 42-21, BEST BET.

---

Last week: 16-5 straight; 10-9-2 against the spread.

Season: 104-33 straight; 74-58-4 against the spread.

Upset specials: 2-4 (straight up).

Best bets: 2-3-1 (against the spread).

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CSU at UNM 08:00 PM
UNM +4.0
U 66.5

UVA at MIA 08:00 PM
MIA -3.0
O 45.0

COLO at ORE 10:00 PM
COLO +22.5
O 60.5

[StarDust Bum]

Perry, Dallas lead Miami to 17-9 win over No. 20 Virginia
October 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) N'Kosi Perry threw for a touchdown on the opening drive and ran for another with 2:31 remaining, and Miami knocked off No. 20 Virginia 17-9 on Friday night.

Deejay Dallas caught the touchdown pass for Miami (3-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), and rushed for 63 yards on 13 carries. Pat Bethel blocked a field goal for Miami and K.J. Osborn caught four passes for 60 yards.

Perry finished 16 of 27 for 182 yards.

Bryce Perkins connected on his first nine passes and finished 24 for 41 for 244 yards for Virginia (4-2, 2-1).

Brian Delaney made three field goals for the Cavaliers, who were looking for their first 3-0 start since 2007. They're now tied with North Carolina for first place in the Coastal Division, and could be joined there by Duke if the Blue Devils beat Georgia Tech on Saturday.

NO. 13 OREGON 45, COLORADO 3

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Justin Herbert threw for 261 yards and extended his streak of games with a touchdown pass to 34 as Oregon won its fifth straight.

Jaylon Redd rushed for a touchdown and caught a pass for another score for the Ducks (5-1, 3-0) who are 3-0 to open Pac-12 play for the first time since 2013. Cyrus Habibi-Likio ran for three touchdowns and CJ Verdell rushed for 171 yards.

Oregon has not dropped a game since the season opener against Auburn.

Steven Montez threw for 131 yards for Colorado (3-3, 1-2) but he was intercepted four times on four consecutive drives. It is the second straight loss for the Buffaloes.

Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. was day-to-day going into the game but he started and finished with four catches for 70 yards.

Herbert was 18 of 32 with two touchdowns, bringing his total to 17 TDs this season.

O'Brien, Jackson lead Colorado State over New Mexico 35-21
October 11, 2019
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Patrick O'Brien and Warren Jackson had career nights as Colorado State beat New Mexico 35-21 on Friday night.

O'Brien threw for a career-high 420 yards and three touchdowns and Jackson had nine catches for a career-high 214 yards and two touchdowns.

Dane Wright added 105 yards receiving for the Rams (2-5, 1-2 Mountain West), who ended a four-game losing streak.

Bryson Carroll had 193 yards rushing for the Lobos (2-3, 0-2), who lost a third straight game.

The Rams jumped out to the early lead on a 42-yard touchdown catch by Trey McBride, but New Mexico scored the next two touchdowns, one coming after Carroll went 56 yards before dropping the ball untouched on the 1-yard line.

Colorado State responded with Jackson's 87-yard touchdown reception, then Marvin Kinsey, who rushed for 85 yards and two TDs, scored his first touchdown five seconds before halftime.

BIG PICTURE

The Rams took a step forward toward achieving bowl eligibility, but they have little room for error, particularly with improving Wyoming and No. 14 Boise State looming as the season's final two games.

The Lobos' slide takes them to the bottom of the conference's Mountain Division and now they hit the difficult portion of the schedule as all six upcoming opponents are above .500.

UP NEXT

Colorado State next pays at Fresno State on Oct. 26.

New Mexico is at Wyoming on Oct. 19.

[StarDust Bum]

CFB OCTOBER OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/11/2019................2-4-0.........33.33%............-12.00
10/10/2019................0-4-0...........0.00%............-22.00
10/09/2019................1-1-0..........50.00%.............-0.50
10/05/2019.............34-31-0..........52.30%.............-0.50
10/04/2019................2-2-0...........50.00%............-1.00
10/03/2019................1-3-0...........25.00%...........-11.50
..

Totals.......................40-45-0.........47.05%............-47.50


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

BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS.............UNITS. ............O/U...............UNITS.............TOTALS

10/11/2019.............1 - 2............-6.00...............0 - 1..............-5.50..............-11.50
10/10/2019.............0 - 2............-11.00..............0 - 2..............-11.00............-22.00
10/09/2019.............0 - 1............-5.50................1 -0..............+5.00..............-0.50
10/05/2019............23 - 21..........-0.50..............12 - 8.............+16.00...........+15.50
10/04/2019.............1 - 1............-0.50................1 - 1..............-0.50..............-1.00
10/03/2019.............0 - 2............-11.00..............1 - 2..............-6.00..............-17.00


Totals....................25 - 29..........-34.50.............15 - 14............-2.00..............-36.50

[Udog]

College football Saturday odds and line moves: Book needs Oklahoma – for now – vs Texas
Patrick Everson

Texas coach Tom Herman can't afford a loss Saturday if he wants his team to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. The Longhorns are 10.5-point neutral-site underdogs vs. Oklahoma.

College football Week 7 features a couple games with potential College Football Playoff implications, one among the first batch of kickoffs, and one in prime time. We check in on the action and odds movement for those contests and several more, with insights from Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US.

No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 11 Texas Longhorns – Open: -10; Move: -10.5; Move: -11; Move: -11.5; Move: -11; Move: -10.5

Oklahoma heads into the Red River Rivalry – a neutral-site game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas – with a 5-0 SU mark (3-2 ATS). The Sooners rolled to a 45-20 victory at Kansas in Week 6, but fell short of cashing as 32-point favorites.

Texas is facing its second top-10 outfit of the season, having fallen to Louisiana State 45-38 as 6.5-point home underdogs in Week 2. Last week, the Longhorns scored 21 points in the fourth quarter at West Virginia to nab a 42-31 win and cover as 10.5-point faves.

“We’re high on Texas,” Bogdanovich said of action on this noon ET kickoff. “But I don’t expect that to be the case at kickoff. I expect a late public push on Oklahoma.”

No. 7 Florida Gators at No. 6 Louisiana State Tigers – Open: -13; Move: -13.5

Florida could make a big impression with the CFP committee if it can notch its second big win in as many weeks. The Gators (6-0 SU, 3-3 ATS) knocked off previously unbeaten Auburn 24-13 as 2.5-point home pups in Week 6.

Beyond the Week 2 win at Texas, LSU hasn’t been challenged much, and Week 6 was no exception. The Tigers (5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS) pounded Utah State 42-6 laying 27 points at home.
William Hill US opened LSU -13 Monday morning and went to -13.5 a few hours later, but the line hasn’t budged since then for this 8 p.m. ET matchup.

“We’re pretty even right now,” Bogdanovich said. “That one might be a small decision, just because both teams are good.”

No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes – Open: +3; Move: +3.5; Move: +4; Move: +4.5; Move: +4; Move: +3.5; Move: +4; Move: +3.5; Move: +3; Move: +3.5

Penn State hopes to keep its seat at the CFP conversation table, currently standing at 5-0 SU (3-2 ATS). In Week 6, the Nittany Lions rumbled past Purdue 35-7, just short of cashing as 28.5-point favorites.

Iowa’s perfect record went by the boards at the Big House in Week 6. The Hawkeyes (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) were never out of it at Michigan, but also never found the end zone, losing 10-3 as 4-point road ‘dogs.

William Hill US now has operations in Iowa, which recently legalized sports betting. But perhaps surprisingly, that hasn’t created much regional bias yet for this 7:30 p.m. ET clash.

“In Nevada, we’re dead even to the game, with good two-way action,” Bogdanovich said. “In Iowa, we’re dead even there, too.”

Southern California Trojans at No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Open: -11; Move: -11.5; Move: -11; Move: -10.5

Arguably Notre Dame’s best game this season was also its only loss, 23-17 at Georgia catching 15.5 points in Week 4. The Fighting Irish (4-1 SU and ATS) boatraced Bowling Green 52-0 as massive 45.5-point home favorites in Week 6.

Southern Cal will have true freshman Kedon Slovis back under center, as he returns from a concussion suffered in a Week 3 overtime loss at Brigham Young. The Trojans (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS) are coming off a bye, after losing at Washington 28-14 getting 12.5 points in Week 5.

“We’re gonna need USC,” Bogdanovich said of another big late kick, a 7:30 p.m. ET start. “Straight bets, not so much, but parlays, moneyline parlays and teasers will all be on Notre Dame.”

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Indiana Hoosiers – Open: -26; Move: -27; Move: -27.5; Move: -28; Move: -28.5; Move: -28; Move: -27.5; Move: -28

This Big Ten contest wouldn’t even be on the radar, except that three Vegas sportsbook operators – William Hill US, MGM Resorts and CG Technology – took multiple significant wagers on Indiana. The Hoosiers (3-2 SU and ATS) are coming off a bye, after losing to Michigan State 40-31 as 14-point Week 5 road pups.

Rutgers (1-4 SU and ATS) won and cashed against FBS independent Massachusetts in Week 1, but is 0-4 SU and ATS since then. In three Big Ten games this season, the Scarlet Knights have just seven total points, and those came in last week’s 48-7 loss to Maryland as 14-point home underdogs.

On Monday, a bettor placed three $55,000 bets on Indiana at William Hill US, at -27, -27.5 and -28.

“That’s all we’ve got on the game really, is those three bets,” Bogdanovich said of a noon ET kickoff. “A bunch of parlays on Indiana, too. We need Rutgers, for sure.”

Other noteworthy games:

• No. 1 Alabama at No. 21 Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. ET: The Crimson Tide opened at -17.5, dipped to -16.5 early in the week, then went back to -17 Thursday. “We’ll need A&M, but I don’t think real big. On parlays and teasers, yes, but straight bets will be pretty even,” Bogdanovich said.

• No. 16 Michigan at Illinois, noon ET: The Wolverines opened at -20.5 and reached -23.5 by Friday night. “A bunch of parlays, moneyline parlays and teasers to Michigan,” Bogdanovich said. “It’s a square game. We’ll need Illinois, for sure.”

• No. 20 Memphis at Temple, noon ET: Memphis moved from -4 to -6, then dialed back to -5 by Friday. “We’re dead even to the game.”

• Washington State at No. 24 Arizona State, 3: 30 p.m. ET: The Sun Devils opened at -3 and dropped all the way to pick, but ASU is still getting its share of wagers. “Good handle, and we’re dead even,” Bogdanovich said.

[Udog]

Saturday's Essentials - Week 7
Tony Mejia

Here’s a look at what must be considered before wagering on Saturday's slate in key FBS vs. FBS matchups:

Early Starts

Oklahoma vs. (-10/75.5) vs. Texas, 12 p.m. ET, ABC: Sooners QB Jalen Hurts cited playing in the Iron Bowl as providing him rivalry-game experience that has him well prepared for this one. The Longhorns defeated Kyler Murray-led OU 48-45 in last year’s regular-season meeting before faltering in the Big 12 Championship, so this will be the fourth time Tom Herman gets a crack at counterpart Lincoln Riley. The two highly-regarded offensive minds produced the highest-scoring Red River Rivalry game in history last season and are again capable of lighting up the scoreboard with standouts Hurts and Sam Ehlinger slinging it. The higher-ranked team is 14-3 in the last 17 matchups between these schools. It sounds like Texas will be reasonably equipped to pull off an upset since WR Collin Johnson and RB Keontay Ingram are both expected to be healthy enough to play their key roles alongside Ehlinger.

Memphis (-4.5/50.5) at Temple, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN2: The Tigers have a chance to be the top team in the American’s West Division since they avoid UCF and get to host SMU and Cincinnati, which on paper should be their toughest games. This one might be their trickiest remaining home game given that the Owls have beaten Maryland and Georgia Tech at the Linc already and have legitimate aspirations of dethroning UCF and current co-leader Cincinnati. Temple freshman Re’Mahn Davis is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and has been explosive and makes life easier for junior QB Anthony Russo, who has a number of solid receivers that will test a Memphis defense surrendering just 19.2 points. The Owls have allowed just 17.2 points for the season and just over 10 at home. Memphis will likely still be without leading rusher Patrick Taylor, Jr. (ankle) but have seen redshirt freshman Kenneth Gainwell emerge. He leads the conference with 620 rushing yards after breaking off 209 on just 14 carries in last week’s win over ULM.

Maryland (-3.5/53.5) at Purdue, 12 p.m. ET, BTN: The Boilermakers are still missing explosive receiver/returner Rondale Moore, who they’re hoping to have back by month’s end. QB Elijah Sindelar is likely out the rest of the season after suffering a broken collarbone, so redshirt freshman Jack Plummer is likely to gain plenty of on-the-job experience. The Terps are likely salivating at getting after Plummer, who was sacked 10 times by Penn State last week. They’re looking to build on a 48-7 rout at Rutgers after bouncing back from an embarrassing 59-0 home loss at Penn State. Mike Locksley is looking for his first road win since taking over the Maryland program and isn’t likely to have a better opportunity than this to get one since they’ll be ‘dogs in Minneapolis, Columbus and East Lansing. If Locksley is going to snap a two-year bowl drought, he’ll need to secure a win here. Starting QB Josh Jackson is likely out with a high ankle sprain, which means Tyrrell Pigrome will start and the Terps will be heavily reliant on running the ball with Anthony McFarland. Weather in West Lafayette should be sunny but windy.

South Carolina at Georgia (-21.5/52.5), 12 p.m ET, ESPN: The Gamecocks have already played Alabama and have to deal with Clemson at the end of every season, so one thing Will Muschamp’s team shouldn’t be coming off a bye is surprised by what they’re about to see. Being overwhelmed is still a possibility given the youth on the offensive front but the South Carolina defense has been pretty good most of the season outside of surrendering 47 to Alabama. RB Rico Dowdle, WR Randrecous Davis and true freshman QB Dakereon Joyner all practiced and are available, though freshman Ryan Hilinski is getting another start under center. Look for South Carolina to try and hang around by controlling possession via Dowdle and Clemson transfer RB Tavien Feaster, who has impressed the past few weeks. It’s going to be difficult to keep the Dawgs from coming after South Carolina’s young QBs since center Hank Manos and tackle Dylan Wonnum are both sidelined. Georgia has lost to South Carolina three times since 2010 but has lost the last four meetings by an average margin of 21 points.

Afternoon Delights

Washington State at Arizona State (PK/60.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12: The Cougars followed up their brutal collapse against UCLA by getting squashed at Utah, finishing with just 13 points, the school’s lowest-scoring output since a 37-3 loss at Cal in 2017. Mike Leach has had a bye week to get his guys back on track and come up with an effective game plan for Herm Edwards’ effective Arizona State defense. ASU comes off its second outright upset on the road, shutting down Cal two weeks after winning at Michigan State. The Sun Devils will be taking the field in Tempe for the first time since losing to Colorado and have the 11th-ranked scoring defense in the nation (14.4 ppg), looking to pick up where the Utes left off in frustrating Cougs’ QB Anthony Gordon, who is the only QB in the country with over 2,000 passing yards. Leach is just 5-9 off bye weeks at Washington State and is 13-18 throughout his career. He’s got new defensive leadership with Tracey Claeys departing and hasn’t lost three straight games since closing out 2016 with a third consecutive setback in the Holiday Bowl. This could be a big day for freshman QB Jaylen Daniels given Washington State’s issues in the secondary and the need to gain confidence since Utah’s defense is on deck.

Cincinnati (-7/51) at Houston, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2: The Bearcats look to avoid an upset against a Cougars offense that scored a season-high 46 points in an upset of North Texas after news came down that QB D’Eriq King was redshirting alongside other seniors given the chance to improve and be part of a better effort next season. Clayton Tune, a backup who got into games as a true freshman, helped light up the Mean Green but will have a much tougher challenge against a talented Cincinnati defense. After an upset of American juggernaut UCF, the Bearcats have to make sure they’re recharged enough to pass a tough road test. QB Desmond Ridder has had issues with consistency but clearly has weapons around him with RB Michael Warren helping take the pressure off the offense. LB Terrance Edgeston remains out for Houston, which has won two straight in the series, last falling in 2014.

Michigan State at Wisconsin (-10/40.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN: The Spartans will fall to 4-3 unless they’re able to pull off an upset. With Penn State in East Lansing next week, it’s looking like Mark Dantonio is on the hook for another tough season unless something changes offensively. Ohio State posted a 34-10 win last week, so both sides of the ball fell apart for Michigan State. The Badgers posted their third shutout of 2019 in crushing Kent State 48-0 last week and will be playing the final of five consecutive home games before trips to Illinois and Ohio State. Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor is up to 12 rushing touchdowns for the season and enters the day tied for third in the country in rushing yardage, which is bad news for a Sparty run defense that surrendered 323 yards to the Buckeyes last week despite coming into the game surrendering just 55.8 on the ground per game. Wisconsin has allowed 5.8 points per game and hasn’t given up more than 15 in a single outing. They’re first in the country in scoring defense, passing yards allowed per game (131.0) and third down conversion percentage defense (15.9). QB Brian Lewerke continues to struggle with accuracy and Michigan State turned it over three times in Columbus. Wisconsin won the last meeting between the schools 30-6 in ’16 but lost at home the last time State came through town in ’12. Showers could be in the mix in the second half on a cold, windy day in Madison.

Alabama (17/61) at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS: On paper, this is the Crimson Tide’s toughest test of the season thus far and will serve as such until LSU comes to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 9. Only South Carolina has been less than a four-touchdown underdog against ‘Bama to date and came within 24 points to cover in what’s been the team’s “closest” game thus far. The last team that has been made an underdog of 17 or fewer points against Alabama in the regular season was aforementioned LSU, who the Tide defeated 29-0 to open last November. Nick Saban’s team will be going on the road without their center since Chris Owens will be sidelined, moving right tackle Landon Dickerson into that spot. Deonte Brown returns from suspension to start for Dickerson. Jimbo Fisher has said the key to victory A&M will be to rattle Tua Tagovailoa, so count on an aggressive defensive game plan testing Alabama’s rebuilt line. The Tide has won 19 of their last 20 SEC road games. Aggies QB Kellen Mond is 35-for-62 for 433 yards in his two career losses against ‘Bama, rushing for 112 yards while throwing for two scores and running for two more. He’s thrown three interceptions.

Florida State at Clemson (-18.5/58.5), 3:30 p.m ET, ABC: Wake Forest has elevated its game to emerge as the Tigers’ chief competition in the Atlantic Division this season, but that role is typically filled by the ‘Noles. For that reason, it will be interesting to see how the defending national champions respond coming off a bye, especially considering it is coming off a 21-20 squeaker of a win in Chapel Hill despite being a 27.5-point favorite at North Carolina. Trevor Lawrence has been off all season, likely ending his Heisman Trophy candidacy before it truly ever got off the ground. RB Travis Etienne has been the Tigers’ most valuable player on the offensive side of the ball. FSU is expected to have guard Cole Minshew and tackle Jauan Williams available after injury-related absences, so they’ve got a shot to be better up front. QB James Blackman and RB Cam Akers have experience against the Tigers, who have won the past four meetings between the schools. Safety Jaiden Woodbey is out for the season and won’t have DE Janarius Robinson for the first half of this one due to a targeting suspension.

Primetime Matchups

Penn State (-3.5/43) at Iowa, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC: Inclement weather is typically a threat in Iowa City, but the forecast calls for a windy day to grow increasingly milder as kickoff approaches and rain should stay away for this high-profile Big Ten clash. James Franklin has helped continue a run of five straight wins over Iowa that dates back to Joe Paterno’s final season and is the longest streak in the series since 1971-75. This is the smallest spread in this game since the Hawkeyes were favored in ’12, so Kirk Ferentz is hopeful his team can bounce back from last week’s 10-3 loss at Michigan. Iowa is going to be wearing bright yellow against Penn State on Saturday night and Franklin is 0-6 on the road against ranked opponents, so at least one streak figures to end on Saturday night. Look for KJ Hamler’s ability to create plays against the Hawkeyes’ banged-up secondary to play a large role here.

USC at Notre Dame (-6.5/55), 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC: The Irish have won the last five times they’ve been favored against USC, which includes last season’s 24-17 win in L.A. Brian Kelly’s team has covered in four of the games, falling short last year after falling behind 10-0 and rallying to win. A slow start here would probably be related to an inability to limit big plays from the Trojans, but you would imagine Notre Dame would have an edge in dealing with the cooler weather since temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s throughout this game, with steady winds making it feel even colder. That would likely benefit Ian Book and the ND offense, especially with USC welcoming back true freshman starter Kedon Slovis from concussion protocol. RB Vavae Malepeai and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown are banged up, which might mean more touches for speedy RB Markese Stepp in his homecoming. Safety Talanoa Hufanaga and CB Olaijah Griffin are also expected to play. Notre Dame gets back RB Jamar Armstrong, who tore his abdomen in the season opener. The Irish will have more playmakers available for this rivalry game than they’ve had all season.

Florida at LSU (-14/55), 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Gators have ridden Kyle Trask on a winning streak that includes last week’s Homecoming conquest of Auburn, but the former career backup got his knee twisted up in the second quarter before returning to finish off the Tigers. He’ll start here, but we’ll see if there are any lingering effects. LSU QB Joe Burrow has crashed the Heisman race by ranking first in the SEC in yards per game, completions and completion percentage while ranking second in rating and touchdown passes behind Tagovailoa. The offense has looked championship-caliber for the first time in years and the defense has made strides The Tigers have won four of six in the series but lost last year’s contest 27-19 in the Swamp, making this a revenge game for Ed Orgeron’s team. The Gators have injury concerns in the secondary that could limit their depth here, which isn’t ideal given how effective Tigers’ receivers have been all season.

Late-night Snack

Washington (-6/60) at Arizona, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Huskies have already dropped two Pac-12 games, matching the amount they’ve lost in two of the last three years. A third conference title in four years doesn’t appear to be in the cards, although their three toughest games (Oregon, Utah, Washington State) will all be played in Seattle. They may not get to those games with a chance to battle back if they fail to handle business in Tucson against the only team besides the Ducks that is currently perfect in league play. After beating Texas Tech, UCLA and Colorado in consecutive games, this will be the toughest test yet for Kevin Sumlin’s Wildcats, who haven’t lost since opening the season by falling short at Hawai’i.[/size]

[Udog]

OU-Texas showdown to affect Big 12
Associated Press

Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the few people who won't make a big deal about Saturday's showdown with Texas.

This whole big game business is nothing new to Hurts. As Alabama's quarterback, he played in three national championship games and the annual Iron Bowl against Auburn. The graduate transfer sees Saturday's opponent as simply the next one.

''It's all external factors,'' he said. ''Nobody's going to change the way I think about something, what I tell my teammates or how we're going to approach it. We're going to continue to approach it by trying to go 1-0 every week.''

Everyone else is fired up over a game that will affect the Big 12 and College Football Playoff races. The sixth-ranked Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) and 11th-ranked Longhorns (4-1, 2-0) probably can't afford a loss in Dallas if they want a shot at a national title.

Even without all the added stakes, this is a game that always gets circled on the calendar.

''What I am not is not one to downplay a rivalry game,'' Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. ''To ignore the implications, I think, is naive as a coach and is make-believe. I also will say that my thrill in terms of a Saturday is not limited to rivalry games either. But I have a great appreciation for the opponent, what it means to this university.''

The game also will likely affect the Heisman Trophy race since Hurts is among the likely contenders and Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger could push his way into the conversation.

Texas won last year's regular-season matchup , but Oklahoma won the rematch 39-27 in the Big 12 title game.

Longhorns left tackle Sam Cosmi said Texas has unfinished business with the Sooners. And though Oklahoma enters the game ranked No. 1 nationally in total offense and No. 2 in scoring offense, the Longhorns believe they have the answers.

''They have a really explosive offense and are a really good team overall. I won't take that away from them,'' Cosmi said. ''But I don't think they've played anyone like us.''

HITTING HURTS

Hurts leads all quarterbacks nationally with 99.8 yards rushing per game. Texas defensive back B.J. Foster said keys to stopping Oklahoma include forcing Hurts to throw - and getting a lick on him when he tries to run.

''From what I've seen, he doesn't like to slide, so he's going to engage contact with you,'' Foster said. ''He's not dumb. He's going to have to slide, or it's not going to be good for him.''

Oklahoma averages 288.4 yards rushing per game, while Texas allows just 116.8.

''We're sound on the run game. He's going to have to pass the ball,'' Foster said.

Texas might not want Hurts to pass - the Longhorns are allowing 325 yards per game through the air.

TRICK PLAYS

Texas has been using them the last two games. A double-pitch pass to tight end Cade Brewer led to a touchdown against Oklahoma State. Then Texas unveiled a cross-field lateral to Cosmi, who rumbled for a touchdown at West Virginia. Both were critical second-half scores. Texas also used a receiver pass for a touchdown against the Sooners last year. Ehlinger said all three scoring plays were put in the week of the game.

''We don't like kicking field goals in the red zone,'' Texas coach Tom Herman said. ''So we are going to pull out all the stops to score touchdowns down there.''

BURT AGAIN

Texas senior wide receiver John Burt has certainly seen his share of games in this border rivalry - Saturday will be his sixth time playing against the Sooners. Burt played against the Sooners twice last season, but because he played in only four games he was able to redshirt for 2018. He led the team in catches as a freshman, but his playing time has been reduced each year since as he pursued a track career. His touchdown catch last week against West Virginia was his first since 2017.

DICKER THE KICKER

Texas sophomore kicker Cameron Dicker became an internet meme last season when television cameras showed him giving a teammate a head nod and a wink before kicking the game-winning field against the Sooners. Dicker has made four of six field goal attempts this season but missed his only one last week at West Virginia. He booted a career-long 57-yarder earlier this season against Rice.

EHLINGER'S RESPECT

Ehlinger has had issues with both of Oklahoma's past two quarterbacks, Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. He said he has nothing but admiration for Hurts: ''Following his story and understanding what he's persevered through, unbelievable respect for him and what he's been able to do at the college level. I extremely excited to get out there Saturday and compete against him because he's such a respectable guy.''

[Udog]

Florida at LSU
Brian Edwards

No. 7 Florida Gators at No. 5 LSU Tigers
Venue/Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
Time/TV: Saturday, Oct. 12, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: LSU -14, Total 55.5

When you think about college football, it doesn’t get much better than a pair of unbeaten teams battling it out in Redstick at Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in October.

That’s exactly what’s on the menu in Week 7 when Louisiana State (5-0 straight up, 4-1 against the spread) plays host to Florida in an SEC showdown at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

As of late Friday afternoon, most betting shops had LSU installed as a 13.5-point favorite with a total of 56. The Gators were +425 on the money line at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

This is the annual crossover game for both schools against a team from the other SEC division. It’s always been a great rivalry, but certainly one in which each program saves more vitriol for other bigger rivals. For instance, LSU’s biggest rival is Alabama, followed by Texas A&M, Auburn and maybe even Ole Miss ahead of UF. On the flip side, FSU, Georgia and Tennessee are the Gators’ biggest rivals.

However, all of that changed in a matter of days three years ago, when former LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva made an unabashed fool of himself by pushing a ridiculously false narrative about Florida.

Hurricane Matthew was closing in on the Sunshine State in October of 2016. The forecasts on Monday and Tuesday predicted that the storm, one that had 110 mph winds and left one million Florida residents without power, would move up the Florida coast through Friday. In these situations, the Governor declares a state of emergency and politicians make decisions about cancelling events like football games.

LSU was – by far – the biggest home game for UF in 2016. Therefore, nearly all of Florida’s top recruiting targets were taking their official visits to Gainesville that weekend. And, as we all know, these forecasts for hurricanes can change by the hour, so the Gators didn’t want to move or postpone the game until it became clear that there was no other choice.

Tuesday wasn’t the time to make that decision. Alleva had just fired Les Miles when LSU dropped an 18-13 decision at Auburn. Nevertheless, with a win over Florida, the Tigers’ path to get to a home game vs. Alabama with only one SEC loss – and thus, the ability to control their own destiny to win the SEC West if they beat ‘Bama – was relatively easy with just two SEC home games vs. Missouri and Ole Miss prior to the Crimson Tide’s trip to Baton Rouge.

Sensing the opportunity to get the UF game moved to Tiger Stadium, Alleva started a campaign to get that done at whatever cost necessary. In a watered-down SEC East, Florida had a great chance to get back to Atlanta by winning the division for a second straight season. The school was considering all sorts of options for the game, including moving it to other venues or playing it Sunday. Obviously, Baton Rouge was understandably the last place where UF wanted the game to be played.

As conversations between Florida, LSU and the SEC offices were taking place, Alleva issued a deadline to the Gators and the conference. If the game was going to be moved to Baton Rouge, Alleva had to know by early Wednesday evening in order to get the stadium ready and ensure that security and concessions, etc. were in order.

Florida and the SEC weren't going to take mandates and deadlines from Alleva and rightfully so. The game ended up getting postponed but since its result was going to impact the division races, it had to be played. Since the schools didn't share an open date but did have a weekend in common whend both were playing non-conference games, LSU bought out of its game with South Alabama and UF did the same with a home date vs. Presbyterian.

The SEC decided to play the game in Baton Rouge but in doing so, forced the Tigers to go to Gainesville in both 2017 and '18. Neither side was really happy with the outcome at that time, and it cranked up the animosity between these adversaries about 10-15 notches. (We'll get into the '16 result and the rivalry since then down below...)

LSU has captured wins vs. Georgia Southern (55-3), at Texas (45-38), vs. Northwestern State (65-14), at Vanderbilt (66-38) and vs. Utah State (42-6). The only non-cover came by one-half point when the Tigers beat the Demons by 51 as 51.5-point home ‘chalk.’

Ed Orgeron’s team thumped the Aggies 42-6 as a 27.5-point home favorite last week. The 48 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 73-point total. After Joe Burrow connected with Derrick Dillon for a seven-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter, Utah State answered with a pair of field goal and cashed tickets for first-quarter bets.

However, Burrow added a TD run and a 25-yard TD pass to Ja’Marr Chase to give the Tigers a 21-6 halftime advantage. Burrow added three more TD passes in the second half, including a pair to Justin Jefferson. LSU held Utah State to 28 rushing yards on 21 attempts (1.3 yards per carry), and it enjoyed huge leads in first downs (32-10) and total offense (601-168 yards).

Burrow completed 27-of-38 passes for 344 yards and five TDs with one interception. He also ran for 42 yards and one score on 10 carries. Jefferson had nine receptions for 155 yards and two TDs, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for a team-high 72 yards on 14 totes.

For the season, Burrow has produced incredible numbers. The senior signal caller leads the nation in completion percentage, is second in TD passes and passing yards and third in QB rating (216.16). He has connected on 78.4 percent of his throws for 1,864 yards with a 22/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Burrow, who transferred to LSU after failing to win the QB job from Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State prior to the 2018 campaign, also has a pair of rushing scores and a 15-3 record in 18 career starts.

Jefferson leads the SEC in receiving yards (547), is second in TD catches (seven) and fifth in receptions with 30. Chase has 23 catches for 451 yards and six TDs, while Terrace Marshall has 20 receptions for 304 yards and six TDs. However, Marshall broke his foot in the Sept. 21 win at Vandy. He returned to non-contact practice on Monday but was downgraded to ‘doubtful’ vs. UF when he didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice in pads.

Edwards-Helaire has 360 rushing yards, five TDs and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average. John Emery Jr, the true freshman who was a five-star recruit, has 114 rushing yards and two TDs with a 4.4 YPC average.

LSU is ranked second in the country in total offense and passing yards, but its 54.6 points-per-game average is No. 1 in the nation. As for the LSU defense led by one of America’s trop defensive coordinators, Dave Aranda, it is ranked 19th nationally in total defense, No. 52 versus the pass, No. 9 against the run and 30th in scoring ‘D’ (19.8 PPG).

Three starters on LSU’s defense – senior DE Rashard Lawrence, senior LB Michael Divinity and junior DE Glen Logan – have each missed three games in a row due to injuries, but Lawrence (ankle) and Divinity (knee) have been upgraded to ‘probable’ against the Gators. Logan remains ‘questionable’ with a foot injury. This trio for 154 tackles, 13 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, 15 QB hurries, six passes broken up and one interception in 2018.

Florida (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) opened the season with a non-covering 24-20 win over Miami in Orlando as a seven-point favorite. After thumping UT-Martin 45-0 in Week 2, Dan Mullen’s team went to Lexington to face Kentucky. The Gators hadn’t lost at UK since 1986, but they went into the fourth quarter trailing 21-10. Also, starting QB Feleipe Franks had been carted off the field in the third after dislocating his ankle.

Nevertheless, with junior back-up QB Kyle Trask under center, the Texas native sparked UF to a 29-21 win by leading three TD drives in the final stanza. Trask’s four-yard TD run on a QB draw with 4:11 remaining put Florida in front 22-21.

When UK missed a short field goal on its next drive, Florida put the game away on Josh Hammond’s 76-yard TD run on a third-and-six play with 33 ticks left. The 29-21 triumph wasn’t enough to cover the number with the Gators closing as 9.5-point road favorites.

In Week 4 vs. Tennessee, Trask was given his first starting nod since he was a freshman in high school. He had played his entire prep career as a second-stringer behind Houston star D’Eriq King. Trask responded by leading UF to a 34-3 win over Tennessee as a 12.5-point home favorite. He threw for 293 yards, more than Franks had passed for in any of the 16 games he started for Mullen.

After a 38-0 win over Towson, UF hosted previously-undefeated Auburn at The Swamp last Saturday. It was the toughest ticket in Gainesville since the Tim Tebow Era ended in 2009, as the Tigers came to Gainesville as 2.5-point road favorites.

Despite fumbling away three turnovers in the first quarter alone, UF never trailed and won 24-13 in front of a raucous crowd that was on its feet from start to finish. The Gators enjoyed advantages in first downs (19-12), total offense (398-269) and time of possession (33:41-26:19). They overcame four lost fumbles and two failed fourth-down attempts, including a fake punt that gave Auburn a short field that it turned into its only TD of the game.

Other than the three lost fumbles that were partly on him and partly due to poor pass protection, Trask played well. He completed 19-of-31 throws for 234 yards and two TDs without an interception. Senior WR Freddie Swain had six receptions for 146 yard and one TD, a 64-yard scoring grab that opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game.

With 9:04 remaining and Auburn trailing 17-13, Florida senior RB Lamical Perine broke a tackle, put a slick move on a defender and raced 88 yards into the end zone for the game-sealing score. UF’s defense did the rest, with Marco Wilson’s interception putting the game on ice. The Gators intercepted Auburn true freshman QB Bo Nix three times to bring its season total to 12, which leads the nation.

Perine rushed for 130 yards on 14 attempts and had four catches for 15 yards. Sophomore Kyle Pitts continued to show that he’s one of UF’s most improved players and one of the SEC’s top tight ends, hauling in eight receptions for 65 yards. Hammond had two catches for 23 yards and one TD. Wilson, Donovan Stiner and Shawn Davis had interceptions.

Trask has completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 881 yards with a 7/2 TD-INT ratio. He's also run for a pair of TDs. Perine has 328 rushing yards, four TDs and a 4.8 YPC average. He also has 18 receptions for 93 yards and one TD.

Sophomore RB Dameon Pierce has 161 rushing yards and two TDs on 28 attempts for a 5.8 YPC average. However, he got popped on his only carry last week against Auburn, losing a fumble and leaving the game with a head injury. Pierce is 'questionable' at LSU.

UF has one of the deepest sets of WRs in the nation even without Kadarius Toney, who suffered a wrist injury in Week 2 that's expected to keep him out until the Nov. 2 showdown vs. Georgia in Jacksonville.

Swain has 14 receptions for 280 yards and three TDs, while Van Jefferson has 19 catches for 258 yards and one TD. Pitts has 25 grabs for 254 yards and three TDs. Trevon Grimes (16 catches, 235 yards, 0 TDs), Hammond (16-199-1), Tyrie Cleveland (12-166-1) and Jacob Copeland (7-67-1) are also factors in UF's aerial attack.

UF’s defense is ranked No. 13 in the nation in total defense, No. 19 in both pass and run defense and No. 5 in scoring ‘D’ (9.5 PPG). This unit is led by senior MLB David Reese, who leads the SEC in tackles (49), has one TFL and one sack.

The Gators lead the SEC and rank in a third-place tie nationally in sacks with 26. Seven different UF defenders have at least two sacks, with Louisville transfer Jonathan Greenard leading the way with four. Greenard has recorded 28 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, seven QB hurries, three PBU, one forced fumble and one interception.

Florida senior DE Jabari Zuniga was a preseason All-American who had three sacks in UF’s first three games. However, he left the win at Kentucky with a sprained ankle in the third quarter and has missed three games in a row. Zuniga was expected to play against Auburn and did dress out, but he never touched the field. All indications are that he’ll start at LSU.

The ‘over’ is 4-1 overall for the Tigers, 2-1 in their home games. Their games are averaging combined scores of 74.4 PPG. This is the second-lowest total of the season for LSU, as its tally was 51 in the opener vs. Ga. Southern.

The ‘under’ is 5-1 for UF overall, but the ‘over’ hit in its lone road contest. The Gators’ games have averaged combined scores of 41.8 PPG.

Florida is 4-1 both SU and ATS in five games as an underdog since Mullen took over. Meanwhile, LSU is 9-8 ATS in 17 contests as a home favorite on Orgeron's watch.

When the 2016 game was moved to Baton Rouge, Florida came to Tiger Stadium needing a win to clinch the SEC East. The Gators, who were 14-point underdogs, captured a 16-10 win thanks to an epic goal-line stand in the game's final minute. Austin Appleby hit Cleveland, a true freshman at the time, with a 98-yard scoring strike for UF's lone TD of the game midway through the third quarter.

The rematch in Gainesville in '17 went to LSU by a 17-16 count, with UF kicker Eddy Pineiro missing an extra point late in the third quarter. The Gators still covered the number, though, as 1.5-point home underdogs.

When they collided at The Swamp on Oct. 6 of last season, Brad Stewart's interception of Joe Burrow that he returned 25 yards for a TD put a wrap on a 27-19 UF win as a one-point home underdog. Perine rushed 17 times for 85 yards and two TDs, while Hammond had three catches for 85 yards.

Burrow completed 19-of-34 throws for 192 yards, but he didn't throw a TD pass and was intercepted twice. He was limited to 22 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Jefferson had three receptions for 51 yards, while Edwards-Helaire had 55 rushing yards on 13 carries.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- In the last 10 UF-LSU head-to-head meetings, the highest total has been 49.5 points. The second-highest was 45.5 in 2009. The Tigers and Gators have played five consecutive one-possession games that have been decided by 25 combined points.

-- LSU has beaten Florida by double digits just twice since 2003. The Tigers won 17-6 in 2013 and 41-11 in '11 when UF had to start its third-string QB who had never taken a collegiate snap until walking on the field in Tiger Stadium against top-ranked LSU as a true freshman.

-- Florida junior safety Shawn Davis has a team-best three interceptions for 111 return yards.

-- According to PFF College, Trask has completed 38-of-49 throws on non-play-action passes for 451 yards and four TDs. That ranks ninth in the nation among qualified QBs.

-- Illinois QB Brandon Peters is ‘questionable’ for Saturday’s home game against his former team, Michigan, which was favored by 22.5 points as of late Friday afternoon. Peters has a 10/4 TD-INT ratio. The Illini are 5-10 ATS as a home underdog during Lovie Smith’s tenure, while Michigan is 6-9 ATS as a road favorite under Jim Harbaugh.

-- Purdue, a 3.5-point home underdog vs. Maryland, probably won’t have star WR Rondale Moore. The first-team All-American as a true freshman in 2018 injured his leg in a 38-31 home loss to Minnesota two weeks ago. Moore practiced some this week, but he’s listed as ‘doubtful’ against the Terrapins. Maryland will start Tyrrell Pigrome at QB with Josh Jackson ‘out’ injured.

-- Auburn RB JaTarvious Whitlow is out for the next 4-6 weeks with a knee injury sustained at UF last weekend. Whitlow is second in the SEC in rushing yards (544) and leads the league in TD runs with seven.

-- South Carolina, a 23-point road underdog at Georgia, is 6-1 ATS in its past seven games as a road underdog. In 10 games as double-digit underdogs during Will Muschamp’s tenure, the Gamecocks are 6-4 ATS with one outright victory.

-- Less than a week shy of the four-year anniversary of when Will Grier was suspended by the NCAA for testing positive for a banned substance when he was QB at Florida and the Gators were 6-0 in Jim McElwain’s first season at the helm, McElwain’s Central Michigan QB David Moore was suspended Tuesday by the NCAA for testing positive for a banned substance. CMU is appealing the suspension, but Moore won’t play Saturday vs. New Mexico State.

-- In our first Wednesday game of the season earlier this week, Appalachian State beat Louisiana by a 17-7 count as a two-point road underdog. The Mountaineers have now beaten the Ragin’ Cajuns by double-digit margins in all seven games of the rivalry since entering the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. Eliah Drinkwitz’s Appalachian State squad remains undefeated. Louisiana was the last remaining unbeaten team ATS, but that’s over now.

-- USC, a 10.5-point underdog at Notre Dame, is 1-9 ATS in 10 games as a road underdog during Clay Helton’s tenure. Helton will start true freshman Kedon Slovis at QB in South Bend.

-- TCU junior WR Dylan Thomas had season-ending leg surgery on Monday. Thomas had eight catches for 121 yards and one TD this year.

-- Houston, a 7.5-point home underdog vs. Cincinnati, has had two weeks to prep for the Bearcats, who fall into a vintage letdown spot after last Friday’s huge home win over Central Florida. The Cougars are 3-0 ATS as home ‘dogs since 2013. If we count a pair of games as home ‘dogs played at NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, they’re 5-0 ATS with an outright win over Oklahoma and a spread cover in a 31-24 loss to Washington State. earlier this season. With King out for the rest of the season to take a redshirt, back-up UH signal caller Clayton Tune completed 16-of-20 passes for 124 yards and one TD without an interception in a 46-25 win at North Texas two weeks ago. Tune, who had an 8/2 TD-INT ratio in two starts last year, also rushed for 100 yards on nine carries against the Mean Green.

-- Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez and WR JD Spielman remain ‘questionable’ for Saturday’s Big Ten showdown at Minnesota. The unbeaten Gophers were favored by 7.5 points as of late Friday afternoon. During my appearance on Severe and Benning on 1620 The Zone in Omaha on Wednesday morning, Severe told me that Spielman, a two-time second-team All-Big-Ten selection, is “going to play.” Minnesota is 5-6 ATS as a home favorite during PJ Fleck’s three-year tenure, while the Cornhuskers are 4-1 ATS as road underdogs on Scott Frost’s watch. In fact, Nebraska is 13-5-1 ATS in 19 games as a road ‘dog since 2013.

-- Kentucky had failed to cover the spread in 10 straight games as a home favorite coming into this season. The Wildcats took the cash in their first two such spots this year, however, and they’re seven-point ‘chalk’ vs. Arkansas this week. Kentucky QB Sawyer Smith has been upgraded to ‘probable’ against the Razorbacks, who are 0-4 ATS as road underdogs since Chad Morris took over as head coach.

-- Duke, a 17 or 17.5-point home favorite vs. Georgia Tech, is 0-9 ATS in its last nine ACC games as a favorite.

-- The ‘under’ is 5-0 for the Old Dominion Monarchs, who are looking at a 47-point total for Saturday’s C-USA game at Marshall.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

RUTG at IND 12:00 PM
O 50.0

MEM at TEM 12:00 PM
TEM +4.5

MICH at ILL 12:00 PM
MICH -24.5

MD at PUR 12:00 PM
PUR +3.5
O 53.5

SOCAR at UGA 12:00 PM
SOCAR +21.5

MSST at TENN 12:00 PM
TENN +6.5

OKLA at TEX 12:00 PM
OKLA -10.5

TOL at BGSU 12:00 PM
O 65.0

M-OH at WMU 12:00 PM
M-OH +12.0
U 56.5

GT at DUKE 12:30 PM
GT +17.5
O 47.5

BALL at EMU 02:00 PM
BALL +2.0

ODU at MRSH 02:30 PM
ODU +14.5

CIN at HOU 03:30 PM
CIN -7.0
U 50.5

MSU at WIS 03:30 PM
MSU +10.0
U 41.0

WSU at ASU 03:30 PM
WSU -1.0

ALA at TAM 03:30 PM
ALA -17.0

NIU at OHIO 03:30 PM
NIU +6.5

KENT at AKR 03:30 PM
KENT -14.5
O 56.5

FSU at CLEM 03:30 PM
CLEM -27.5

CONN at TULN 03:45 PM
TULN -33.5

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY EVENING BEST BETS:

MASS at LT 07:00 PM
O 63.5

FRES at AFA 07:00 PM
FRES +3.0
U 50.5

UNT at SOMIS 07:00 PM
SOMIS -3.0

MISS at MIZZ 07:00 PM
MISS +12.0

CHAR at FIU 07:00 PM
CHAR +5.5
O 59.5

ARMY at WKU 07:00 PM
WKU +5.0
O 43.5

LOU at WAKE 07:30 PM
WAKE -7.0

NAVY at TLSA 07:30 PM
TLSA +1.5
O 52.0

PSU at IOWA 07:30 PM
PSU -3.5

NEB at MINN 07:30 PM
MINN -7.0

USC at ND 07:30 PM
USC +10.5

ARK at UK 07:30 PM
ARK +5.0

UTAH at ORST 08:00 PM
ORST +14.5
U 58.5

FLA at LSU 08:00 PM
FLA +13.5

HAW at BSU 10:15 PM
HAW +12.5
O 60.5

WYO at SDSU 10:30 PM
WYO +3.5

WASH at ARIZ 11:00 PM
ARIZ +6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's best
October 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

STARS

-Israel Mukuamu, South Caolina, returned the first of his three interceptions 53 yards for a TD and the Gamecocks took advantage of Jake Fromm's four turnovers to beat No. 3 Georgia 17-10 in double overtime.

-Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame, rushed for a career-high 176 yards as the No. 9 Irish beat USC 30-27 in the 91st meeting of the longtime rivals.

-Jayden Daniels, Arizona State, scored on a 17-yard scramble with 34 seconds left and threw three touchdown passes to ailing Brandon Aiyuk, leading the No. 18 Sun Devils to a 38-34 comeback victory over Washington State.

-Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, threw four TDs and the Crimson Tide's offense kept rolling in the Tide's first game at No. 1 this season with a 47-28 victory over No. 24 Texas A&M.

-Joe Burrow, LSU, passed for 293 yards and three TDs, and the fifth-ranked Tigers scored three straight touchdowns after falling behind early in the second half to emerge with a 42-28 victory over No. 7 Florida.

-Matt Struck, Idaho State, threw for 396 yards and five TDs in a 55-20 win over North Dakota.

-Jordan Cronkrite, South Florida, ran for 158 yards and two TDs to help the Bulls rally in the fourth quarter to beat BYU 27-23.

-Juwan Carter, Norfolk State, accounted for 441 yards and five TDs in a 49-21 victory over Howard.

-Brandon Rainey, The Citadel, completed three passes - all for touchdowns - and ran for two more and the Catamounts beat Western Carolina 35-17.

-Kevin Thomson, Sacramento State, threw three TD passes and ran for two scores as the Hornets beat Montana State 34-21.

-Felix Harper, Alcorn State, threw five TDs in a 42-17 win over Savannah State.

-Reid Sinnett, San Diego, threw five TD passes and the Toreros pushed their conference win streak to 31 games with a 37-17 over Davidson.

-John Bachus III, UT Martin, threw for 331 yards and five TDs in a 55-14 win over Tennessee Tech.

-Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi, caught eight passes for 198 yards and a score in a 45-27 win over North Texas.

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GAMECOCKS UPSET BULLDOGS

Jake Fromm knew better than to blame Georgia's first loss on Rodrigo Blankenship's missed 42-yard field goal that ended the game.

It was four turnovers - on the usually rock-solid Fromm's three interceptions and lost fumble - that put a big dent in the Bulldogs' championship hopes.

Israel Mukuamu returned the first of his three interceptions 53 yards for a touchdown and South Carolina took advantage of the turnovers to beat No. 3 Georgia 20-17 in double overtime.

Parker White's 23-yard field goal in the second overtime proved to be enough when Blankenship was wide left from 42 yards. Blankenship's second miss of the game sent South Carolina players charging onto the field to celebrate the upset.

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TIGERS RALLY PAST GATORS

LSU survived a big SEC test.

Joe Burrow passed for 293 yards and three touchdowns, and the fifth-ranked Tigers scored three straight touchdowns after falling behind early in the second half to emerge with a 42-28 victory over No. 7 Florida.

Facing a Florida defense that came in leading the nation in interceptions and leading the Southeastern Conference in sacks, the Tigers totaled 511 yards without giving up a sack or committing a turnover.

The few times LSU's line was breached, Burrow escaped and finished with 43 yards rushing.

Ja'Marr Chase had 127 yards receiving and the last of his two touchdowns was a 54-yarder to give LSU a two-score lead with 5:43 left. Justin Jefferson caught 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.

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RED RIVER RIVARLY

Jalen Hurts tried the Golden Hat on for size and gave a half-hearted ''horns down'' sign in a group photo with the cheerleaders while celebrating the way Kyler Murray couldn't in the Red River rivalry a year ago.

Now the Oklahoma quarterback will try to get the Sooners back to where Baker Mayfield and Murray took them the past two years, and where he's been himself three times at Alabama: the College Football Playoff.

Hurts threw three touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb after two big mistakes early, Oklahoma's defense sacked Sam Ehlinger nine times and the No. 6 Sooners never trailed in a 34-27 victory over 11th-ranked Texas on Saturday.

A year after a Murray-led comeback fell short in a 48-45 loss in the Red River rivalry that led to the firing of their defensive coordinator, the Sooners harassed Ehlinger into minus-9 yards rushing.

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NUMBERS

3-Wins by the Mountain West Conference in five games against the Southeastern Conference this season.

9-Sacks by No. 6 Oklahoma in its 34-37 win over No. 11 Texas.

29-Points allowed by No. 8 Wisconsin this season after a 38-0 win over Michigan State. The Badgers have four shutouts for the first time since 1930.

100-Career wins by Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevins after a 42-10 win over Yale.