Friday's Afternoon Action
November 26, 2009
Friday might signal the start of the holiday shopping season for some. For other, it?s a chance to make Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa/whatever the hell you celebrate a lot better with more money to spend. We have 13 games on the day after Thanksgiving; let?s take a look at three of the matchups on the card.
Illinois at Cincinnati ? 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC
I?m sure this game looked a lot better on paper when it was scheduled a few years ago, but things do change. Illinois (3-7 straight up, 3-6 against the spread) can attest to that as they play out the string as they fail to make a bowl game for the second straight year.
The Illini have been awful on the attack this year, averaging a Big Ten-worst 20.2 points per game. Part of the reason for that is some inconsistency in Juice Williams under center. The senior quarterback has only completed 57.6 percent of his passes this year and has nearly as many interceptions (5) as he does touchdowns (6).
There has only been one thing worse than the offense for Illinois, and it?s its defense. The Illini have certainly lacked the fight in 2009 as they rank 89th nationally in total defense (400.3 yards per game) and just gave up 305 passing yards last week to Northwestern.
That defense will certainly get a workout against Cincinnati?s (10-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) offense that currently ranks seventh nationally 314.3 YPG through the air. The Bearcats appear that they will be more lethal on the attack with Tony Pike scheduled to be their starting quarterback. Pike has completed 61 percent of his throws for 4,147 yards and 17 scores. He has also only been sacked six times all year. In fact, Cincy?s o-line is ninth in the country by allowing their QB to be sacked nine times.
The sportsbooks are expecting an ugly affair here as the Bearcats are listed as 20-point home favorites with a total of 56 ?. You can expect a big payday if you?re looking to back Illinois to win outright with a plus-1000 return (risk $100 to win $1000).
Normally we can glean something useful from previous matchups between the two schools, but that won?t be a damn thing since this is the first head-to-head meeting. What we can tell you is that Cincy is 1-3 SU, but 3-1 ATS when hosting a team from the Big Ten.
The Bearcats are practically automatic when favored at home, going 9-2. As far as our purposes are concerned, they?re just 5-6 ATS. The ?under? is 7-3-1 in those tilts as well.
Illinois has gone 4-17 SU when playing as a road underdog under Ron Zook. However, they are 10-11 ATS in that stretch and 4-1 ATS run in its last five spots.
Alabama at Auburn ? 2:30 p.m. EST, CBS
It doesn?t seem too long ago that Auburn (7-4 SU, 5-6 ATS) was one of the better teams in the SEC. Now the Tigers are just looking to build on whatever positives there are from Gene Chizik?s first year at the helm.
The Tigers got a much needed week off after playing for 11 straight weeks. That time off helps a team that isn?t all that deep. What the lack in depth, however, they make up for in skill?especially on offense. Auburn currently ranks 16th in the nation with 441.5 YPG on offense this season. The majority of that success is coming from signal caller Chris Todd (59.9 completion percentage, 2,196 yards, 19 touchdowns) and tailback Ben Tate (1,209 yards, eight touchdowns).
Tate will have the toughest challenge going up against Alabama?s (11-0 SU, 7-3 ATS) defense. The Crimson Tide currently owns the second-best rush defense in all the land, allowing only 70.6 YPG on the ground in 2009. Nick Saban?s crew is also keeping teams from moving the chains by allowing opponents to convert just 28.6 percent of their third downs.
Offensively, the Tide are a tad one-sided, but it?s a hell of a side in Mark Ingram. The sophomore running back is the fifth-ranked rusher in the country as he?s picking up 127.2 YPG on the ground to go along with 12 scores in ?09. Ingram is no doubt licking his chops as he?ll face a defense that is giving up 169.7 rushing YPG to rank 88th nationally against the run.
Most sportsbooks have posted the Crimson Tide as 10 ?-point road favorites and a total of 47. Gamblers can get 3/1 on their money should they choose to back Auburn on the money line.
Something will have to give between these two teams as they?re good gambles on both sides. The Tigers have been a great wager to cover as home ?dogs over the last four seasons, as evidenced by a 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS mark. Meanwhile, Alabama is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS since 2005 as a road ?chalk? of 10 ?-points or higher.
This series has seen the home team go 3-2 SU, but 4-1 ATS. The ?under? has been a wise bet as it has cashed in eight of the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
Pittsburgh at West Virginia ? 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN 2
Pittsburgh (9-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) has its BCS fate its own hands as they play the final two weeks of the season. That might have come into play on Nov. 14 in the Panthers? 27-22 win over Notre Dame as six-point home favorites. Pitt took a 27-9 lead in the fourth quarter of that match, before holding on for the win.
The Panthers have been able to make it this far because of a fantastic ground game, headlined by Dion Lewis. This freshman phenom is the fourth-best runner in the country with 1,291 yards on the ground and 13 scores.
Pitt has also been quite effective through the air with Bill Stull under center. Since the Panthers? loss to N.C. State, Stull has completed 67 percent of his pass attempts for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns.
West Virginia (7-3 SU, 3-6 ATS) enters this contest with hopes of catching the Panthers in a ?look-ahead? spot for them. The Mountaineers have to feel somewhat upbeat for playing Cincy tight in their last game, a 24-21 defeat as 9 ?-point road pups.
Noel Devine has been a big part of the Mountaineers? attack, picking up 1,098 rushing yards and 10 scores this year. Devine, however, has been held to no scores in his last two games and just 144 yards rushing.
It would appear that West Virginia will need to take its offense to the air in order to have a chance in this game. That means Jarrett Brown will be looked to come up big. Brown has connected on 62 percent of his passes for 282 yards and two scores over his last two starts.
The betting shops believe this game is too close to call by posting this game as a pick ?em with a total of 49. Don?t bother on looking for value on the money line as both teams are listed minus-110 (risk $110 to win $100).
Pittsburgh and the ?Neers have split the last 10 meetings, but the Panthers have claimed bragging rights in five of the last nine games. The home team has been the better wager as they are 6-4 ATS in that stretch.
What might sway some gamblers is how West Virginia plays versus Big East foes in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are 15-4 SU over the last five years in conference games at home. However, they are just 5-14 ATS in those same matches. Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU and ATS in its last eight games on the road in Big East play.
November 26, 2009
Friday might signal the start of the holiday shopping season for some. For other, it?s a chance to make Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa/whatever the hell you celebrate a lot better with more money to spend. We have 13 games on the day after Thanksgiving; let?s take a look at three of the matchups on the card.
Illinois at Cincinnati ? 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC
I?m sure this game looked a lot better on paper when it was scheduled a few years ago, but things do change. Illinois (3-7 straight up, 3-6 against the spread) can attest to that as they play out the string as they fail to make a bowl game for the second straight year.
The Illini have been awful on the attack this year, averaging a Big Ten-worst 20.2 points per game. Part of the reason for that is some inconsistency in Juice Williams under center. The senior quarterback has only completed 57.6 percent of his passes this year and has nearly as many interceptions (5) as he does touchdowns (6).
There has only been one thing worse than the offense for Illinois, and it?s its defense. The Illini have certainly lacked the fight in 2009 as they rank 89th nationally in total defense (400.3 yards per game) and just gave up 305 passing yards last week to Northwestern.
That defense will certainly get a workout against Cincinnati?s (10-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) offense that currently ranks seventh nationally 314.3 YPG through the air. The Bearcats appear that they will be more lethal on the attack with Tony Pike scheduled to be their starting quarterback. Pike has completed 61 percent of his throws for 4,147 yards and 17 scores. He has also only been sacked six times all year. In fact, Cincy?s o-line is ninth in the country by allowing their QB to be sacked nine times.
The sportsbooks are expecting an ugly affair here as the Bearcats are listed as 20-point home favorites with a total of 56 ?. You can expect a big payday if you?re looking to back Illinois to win outright with a plus-1000 return (risk $100 to win $1000).
Normally we can glean something useful from previous matchups between the two schools, but that won?t be a damn thing since this is the first head-to-head meeting. What we can tell you is that Cincy is 1-3 SU, but 3-1 ATS when hosting a team from the Big Ten.
The Bearcats are practically automatic when favored at home, going 9-2. As far as our purposes are concerned, they?re just 5-6 ATS. The ?under? is 7-3-1 in those tilts as well.
Illinois has gone 4-17 SU when playing as a road underdog under Ron Zook. However, they are 10-11 ATS in that stretch and 4-1 ATS run in its last five spots.
Alabama at Auburn ? 2:30 p.m. EST, CBS
It doesn?t seem too long ago that Auburn (7-4 SU, 5-6 ATS) was one of the better teams in the SEC. Now the Tigers are just looking to build on whatever positives there are from Gene Chizik?s first year at the helm.
The Tigers got a much needed week off after playing for 11 straight weeks. That time off helps a team that isn?t all that deep. What the lack in depth, however, they make up for in skill?especially on offense. Auburn currently ranks 16th in the nation with 441.5 YPG on offense this season. The majority of that success is coming from signal caller Chris Todd (59.9 completion percentage, 2,196 yards, 19 touchdowns) and tailback Ben Tate (1,209 yards, eight touchdowns).
Tate will have the toughest challenge going up against Alabama?s (11-0 SU, 7-3 ATS) defense. The Crimson Tide currently owns the second-best rush defense in all the land, allowing only 70.6 YPG on the ground in 2009. Nick Saban?s crew is also keeping teams from moving the chains by allowing opponents to convert just 28.6 percent of their third downs.
Offensively, the Tide are a tad one-sided, but it?s a hell of a side in Mark Ingram. The sophomore running back is the fifth-ranked rusher in the country as he?s picking up 127.2 YPG on the ground to go along with 12 scores in ?09. Ingram is no doubt licking his chops as he?ll face a defense that is giving up 169.7 rushing YPG to rank 88th nationally against the run.
Most sportsbooks have posted the Crimson Tide as 10 ?-point road favorites and a total of 47. Gamblers can get 3/1 on their money should they choose to back Auburn on the money line.
Something will have to give between these two teams as they?re good gambles on both sides. The Tigers have been a great wager to cover as home ?dogs over the last four seasons, as evidenced by a 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS mark. Meanwhile, Alabama is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS since 2005 as a road ?chalk? of 10 ?-points or higher.
This series has seen the home team go 3-2 SU, but 4-1 ATS. The ?under? has been a wise bet as it has cashed in eight of the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
Pittsburgh at West Virginia ? 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN 2
Pittsburgh (9-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) has its BCS fate its own hands as they play the final two weeks of the season. That might have come into play on Nov. 14 in the Panthers? 27-22 win over Notre Dame as six-point home favorites. Pitt took a 27-9 lead in the fourth quarter of that match, before holding on for the win.
The Panthers have been able to make it this far because of a fantastic ground game, headlined by Dion Lewis. This freshman phenom is the fourth-best runner in the country with 1,291 yards on the ground and 13 scores.
Pitt has also been quite effective through the air with Bill Stull under center. Since the Panthers? loss to N.C. State, Stull has completed 67 percent of his pass attempts for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns.
West Virginia (7-3 SU, 3-6 ATS) enters this contest with hopes of catching the Panthers in a ?look-ahead? spot for them. The Mountaineers have to feel somewhat upbeat for playing Cincy tight in their last game, a 24-21 defeat as 9 ?-point road pups.
Noel Devine has been a big part of the Mountaineers? attack, picking up 1,098 rushing yards and 10 scores this year. Devine, however, has been held to no scores in his last two games and just 144 yards rushing.
It would appear that West Virginia will need to take its offense to the air in order to have a chance in this game. That means Jarrett Brown will be looked to come up big. Brown has connected on 62 percent of his passes for 282 yards and two scores over his last two starts.
The betting shops believe this game is too close to call by posting this game as a pick ?em with a total of 49. Don?t bother on looking for value on the money line as both teams are listed minus-110 (risk $110 to win $100).
Pittsburgh and the ?Neers have split the last 10 meetings, but the Panthers have claimed bragging rights in five of the last nine games. The home team has been the better wager as they are 6-4 ATS in that stretch.
What might sway some gamblers is how West Virginia plays versus Big East foes in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are 15-4 SU over the last five years in conference games at home. However, they are just 5-14 ATS in those same matches. Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU and ATS in its last eight games on the road in Big East play.