Cnotes 2019-2020 College Football Trends-News-Notes-Best Bets & Opinions !

[Cnotes53]

Virginia at Notre Dame
September 27, 2019
By Brian Edwards

Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Venue/Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
Time/TV: Saturday, Sept. 28, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Notre Dame -11.5, Total 48.5

Notre Dame might have lost for the first time this year at Georgia last week, but there?s no doubt that the Fighting Irish earned the respect of many across the country in defeat.

At least they did with this scribe. I had obviously undervalued Brian Kelly?s team, who I moved up from No. 15 to No. 11 in my Power Rankings after dropping a 23-17 decision in Athens.

Notre Dame (2-1 straight up, 2-1 against the spread) returns to South Bend on Saturday to host unbeaten Virginia. As of Friday afternoon, most betting shops had the Fighting Irish installed as a 11-point home favorite with a total of 48.5. The Cavaliers were +350 on the money line (risk $100 to win $350).

Kelly?s team easily covered the spread as a 15.5-point road underdog against UGA in Athens. After a scoreless first quarter, Notre Dame drew first blood on a one-yard touchdown pass from Ian Book to Cole Kmet. UGA answered to knot the game at 7-7 on a three-yard TD run by D?Andre Swift with 2:27 left in the second quarter.

The Fighting Irish went to halftime with a 10-7 advantage, though, thanks to Jonathan Doerer?s 27-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Georgia?s Rodrigo Blankenship tied the game with a 40-yard field goal for the Bulldogs with 8:31 left in the third quarter. Blankenship added a 31-yarder with 4:21 remaining in the third to give UGA its first lead of the game.

Kirby Smart?s club went ahead 20-10 on a Jake Fromm TD pass early in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs took a 13-point lead on Blankenship?s 43-yard FG with 6:54 left. Book found Chase Claypool for a four-yard TD pass with 3:12 remaining to cut the deficit to 23-17.

UGA held on to preserve the victory. The Bulldogs held Notre Dame on a pair of fourth-down attempts and intercepted Book twice. The Fighting Irish were flagged 12 times for 85 yards.

Notre Dame opened the year with a 35-17 win at Louisville as a 19-point road favorite. After an open date, the Fighting Irish destroyed New Mexico 66-14 as a 34.5-point home favorite.

Book has connected on 61.7 percent of his passes for 828 yards with an 8/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The junior signal caller has also run for 145 yards and two TDs, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Tony Jones has run for a team-best 148 yards and one TD, averaging 4.9 YPC. Jones has carried a heavier load since RB Jafar Armstrong went down with a groin injury in the opener. Armstrong isn?t expected back for another week or two. He had seven rushing TDs and a 5.3 YPC average in 2018.

Claypool has a team-high 15 receptions for 256 yards and two TDs. Javon McKinley also has a pair of TD grabs, while Kmet has nine catches for 108 yards and one TD.

Notre Dame is ranked 24th in the country in scoring, averaging 39.3 points per game. The Fighting Irish is holding opponents to an 18.0 PPG average to rank 29th in the nation in scoring ?D.?

Virginia (4-0 SU, 2-1-1 ATS) was my favorite season win total over the summer. I backed the Cavs to go ?over? 7.5 victories and to make the program?s first appearance in the ACC Championship Game. All is well on that front to date, but there are some questions lingering from UVA?s last two results.

Bronco Mendenhall?s squad opened the season in extremely impressive fashion, downing Pittsburgh (where UCF just lost this past Saturday) 30-14 as a 2.5-point road favorite. Then in Week 2, Virginia trounced William & Mary by a 52-17 count and took the cash as a 32-point home ?chalk.?

However, UVA?s last two wins have been a little shaky. First, the Cavs trailed Florida State 14-10 at intermission when hosting the Seminoles two weeks ago. They needed a two-yard touchdown run from Wayne Taulapapa with 2:34 remaining to take the lead. QB Bryce Perkins?s three-yard run for the two-point conversion gave UVA a 31-24 advantage, and the lead stuck when the defense held off FSU?s last-gasp drive.

The two-point conversion run by Mitchell was critical for bettors on the total, as it sent the 55 combined points ?over? the 54-point total. The 31-24 win resulted in a push with UVA closing as a seven-point home favorite.

Mitchell completed 30-of-40 passes for 295 yards and one TD against the ?Noles, but he was intercepted twice. He rushed for 46 yards on 12 attempts, while Taulapapa ran for 53 yards and three TDs on 18 carries. Joe Reed had eight receptions for 83 yards and one TD.

Mendenhall?s bunch fell in a vintage look-ahead scenario last week at home against Old Dominion. Maybe bettors will chalk up UVA?s lackluster effort to the look-ahead factor, but maybe not after considering some of the following factoids.

ODU jumped out to a 17-0 lead and took a 17-7 advantage into halftime. With the ball and a 10-point lead, the Monarchs lost all momentum when Virginia?s Zane Zandier intercepted Stone Smartt and returned the pick 22 yards for a touchdown.

UVA took its first lead at 21-17 on a seven-yard TD run by Taulapapa with 10:16 remaining. Perkins found Reed on a 25-yard scoring strike with 7:33 left to provide the final scoring in a 28-17 victory, but ODU easily covered the number as a 27-point road underdog.

ODU had more first downs (16-14) and total offense (270-244) than the Cavs. Perkins completed 15-of-24 throws for 175 yards and one TD without an interception. He had 35 rushing yards and one TD on 14 carries, while Taulapapa was limited to 33 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

For the season, Perkins has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 843 yards with a 6/4 TD-INT ratio. He?s also rushed for a team-best 193 yards and two TDs. Taulapapa has 152 rushing yards and five TDs, but he?s been limited to 3.9 YPC.

Reed has been Perkins?s favorite target, hauling in 23 catches for 215 yards and three TDs. Hasise Dubois has 16 receptions for 191 yards and one TD, while Terrell Jana has 15 grabs for 174 yards. Reed is also a factor on special teams, returning eight kicks for 302 yards and one TD.

Virginia returned eight starters from a 2018 defense that gave up only 20.1 PPG. This unit is currently ranked 14th in the nation in total defense, 11th at defending the run, 34th in pass defense and 30th in scoring ?D? (18.0 PPG). Zandier leads this group with a team-high 29 tackles.

As a road underdog during Mendenhall?s four-year tenure, UVA has compiled an 8-7 spread record. The Cavs are 4-5 ATS with one outright win (42-23 at Boise State as 13-point ?dogs) in nine games as double-digit ?dogs on Mendenhall?s watch. This is UVA first double-digit underdog spot since taking the money in a 44-28 loss at second-ranked Miami as a 19.5-point puppy in its next-to-last regular season game in 2017.

Totals have been an overall wash (2-2) for UVA to date, but the 44 combined points dipped ?under? the 46-point tally in its lone road assignment at Pitt.

The ?under? is 2-1 for Notre Dame, but the ?over? hit in its only home game vs. UNM when the 80 combined points went North of the 64-point total.

Notre Dame is 22-24-3 ATS in 49 games as home favorite during Kelly?s 10-year tenure. The Irish have won 12 consecutive home games since losing to Georgia in Week 2 of the 2017 campaign.

These schools haven?t met since 2015 when Notre Dame captured a 34-27 win at UVA on Sept. 12 of 2015, but the Cavs covered the spread as 13.5-point home underdogs. The only other meeting was in 1989 when the Irish won 35-13 as an 18.5-point home favorite.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

Bet and Collect Podcast
**B.E.?s Bonus Nuggets**
Note: All spreads mentioned were as of late Friday afternoon.

-- Virginia is looking to become 5-0 for the first time since 2004.

-- Stanford QB K.J. Costello is ?out? at Oregon State due to an undisclosed injury.

-- East Carolina, a three-point underdog at Old Dominion, is mired in a 3-13-1 ATS slump in its 17 games as a road underdog since 2016. The Pirates have won outright just once in their last 18 road assignments.

-- Washington State owns a 16-5 spread record in its past 21 games as a road underdog. The Cougars, who are looking to bounce back from a stunning 67-63 loss to UCLA, are catching six points at Utah. The Utes had their star QB Tyler Huntley (5/0 TD-INT) upgraded to ?probable? on Wednesday, while RB Zack Moss was downgraded to ?doubtful? after leaving last week?s 30-23 loss at USC with a first-half injury. Washington State has won four games in a row over Utah.

-- Northwestern, a 24.5-point underdog at Wisconsin for a noon Eastern kick on ABC, is 24-10 ATS in 34 games as a road underdog since 2009. However, I?m endorsing a play on the Badgers -7 in the first quarter if you can find one.

-- Northwestern QB Hunter Johnson might be the country?s most disappointing player. The former 5-star recruit to Clemson has completed only 48.5 percent of his passes for the Wildcats. Johnson has 308 passing yards and an abysmal ? TD-INT ratio.

-- As of late Friday afternoon, several QBs remained ?questionable? for Saturday?s games, including Purdue?s Elijah Sindelar, Indiana?s Michael Pinix, Ole Miss?s Matt Corral, FSU?s James Blackman and Mississippi State?s Tommy Stevens.

-- Kentucky has won five games in a row over South Carolina, which is a three-point home favorite against the Wildcats for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern kick on the SEC Network. Both team?s QBs ? Ryan Hilinski and Sawyer Smith ? were upgraded to ?probable? earlier this week.

-- Colorado State has already lost QB Collin Hill, who had an 8/2 TD-INT ratio in the Rams? first three games, to a season-ending injury. Now CSU will probably be without two of its other best offensive players for its Mountain West Conference opener Saturday at Utah State. RB Marvin Kinsey and WR Warren Jackson are both listed as ?doubtful.? Kinsey is second in the nation in rushing yards (556) with three TDs and an 8.2 YPC average. He also has 11 receptions for 165 yards and two TDs. Jackson has 31 catches for 327 yards and three TDs.

-- Arkansas State lost starting QB Logan Bonner to season-ending thumb surgery on Wednesday. Bonner had thrown for 1,052 yards with a 10/1 TD-INT ratio for the Red Wolves, who are seven-point underdogs Saturday at Troy. They?ve limped to a 4-8 ATS record in their past 12 games as road underdogs.

-- Similar to my first-quarter bet on Wisconsin, I?m ok with laying -10 on Alabamas vs. Ole Miss in the opening stanza.

-- Tua Tagovailoa remains the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at around a +180 price at most books. The next-shortest odds in the +350 neighborhood belong to LSU?s Joe Burrow, who had 75/1 Heisman odds at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi (an MGM Resorts property) when I was there in August. Burrow has completed 80.6 percent of his passes for 1,520 yards with a 17/2 TD-INT ratio.

-- Boise State lost its leading tackler in last Friday?s 31-19 home win over Air Force. Sophomore LB Ezekiel Noa suffered a broken wrist and tore his ACL against the Falcons. Noa had a team-best 28 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one QB hurry in four games.

-- Kansas State owns an incredible 24-8 spread record as a road underdog since 2010. The unbeaten Wildcats have had two weeks to prepare for Saturday?s game at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are 31-21-2 ATS as home ?chalk? since 2009. Most spots had Mike Gundy?s team as a 4.5-point favorite Friday afternoon.

-- West Virginia offensive guard Josh Sills is out for the year with a shoulder injury. Sills was a second-team All-Big-12 selection in 2018.

-- Norhtern Illinois senior MLB Kyle Pugh is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Pugh was a second-team All-MAC choice last year when he had 106 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL?s. The Huskies are 6.5-point underdogs Saturday at winless Vanderbilt. They collide in Nashville at noon Eastern on the SEC Network.

-- Extra non-CFB Nugget: I LOVE Khalil Rountree as a -120 favorite (at Westgate SuperBook as of Friday afternoon) vs. Ion Cutelaba at Saturday?s UFC Copenhagen show!

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday's Essentials
Tony Mejia

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

Early Starts

Northwestern at Wisconsin (-24/46), 12 p.m. ET, FS1: The Badgers have outscored opponents 100-0 in the first half of games but won?t have the top safeties on their depth chart for the opening 30 minutes since starters Eric Burrell and Reggie Pearson were each suspended for targeting against Michigan. Projected starter Scott Nelson has already been lost for the season and top backup Madison Cone is questionable with a leg injury, so the program?s depth at the position is about to be tested. We?ll see if the Wildcats are able to take shots on the road and take advantage, but new QB Hunter Johnson has really struggled and went for 6-for-17 in his first road game against a Stanford defense nowhere near as good as Wisconsin?s. Northwestern should get WR Bennett Skowronek back but is likely to be without starting corner Trae Williams for a second straight contest. The Wildcats last won in Madison in 2015 (13-7) and won last season?s game 31-17, so Paul Chryst should have no problem motivating the Badgers as he seeks to improve to 3-2 against Pat Fitzgerald.

BYU (-2.5/61) at Toledo, 12 p.m ET, BTN: The Rockets failed to win last year?s high-profile home game against Miami but took down Tulsa, Fresno State and Iowa State in succession the previous three years, so BYU must be wary coming into the Glass Bowl favored. Toledo is 17-3 at home under Jason Candle, who just won at Colorado State thanks to RB Bryant Roback?s 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns. BYU has seen better teams than the Rockets all season but will be playing for the fifth time in as many weeks after home games against Utah, USC and Washington and a wild comeback road win at Tennessee the last time it left Provo. With a bye up next, we?re about to see what the Cougars have left in the tank in a critical swing game to their season. BYU ranks 116th in the country in stopping the run and will face a team that uses tempo more than anyone they?ve seen, though Toledo?s use of it against the Cougs? bigger athletes will be predicated on how successful they are on first down. BYU?s defense is down senior LB Zayne Anderson (shoulder) and freshman Keenan Pili while the offense lost speedy South Carolina transfer RB Ty?Son Williams. Rice grad transfer Supe Eskupa is now likely to get more carries.

Rutgers at Michigan (-27.5/49), 12 p.m. ET, ACCN: Jim Harbaugh?s seat is scalding and nothing the Wolverines do here is going to relieve that pressure. Opportunities to rebound start with next week?s homecoming game against Iowa, so this matchup with a heavy underdog that the Wolverines have beaten by a combined margin of 204-37 over the past four years will provide one last chance for younger players on the back end of the roster to get playing time. Turnover-prone Scarlet Knights sophomore Art Sitkowski had some nice moments against Boston College and should again get the start with McLane Carter dealing with a concussion. Wolverines backup QB Dylan McCaffrey took an awful hit against Wisconsin and is doubtful to play, so covering this large a spread may end up in the hands of a run game and redshirt freshman Joe Milton, particularly since starter Shea Patterson has looked banged up. Milton is raw but definitely the most promising QB prospect on the roster. Starting TE Sean McKeon won?t play.

Middle Tennessee at Iowa (-24/51), 12 p.m. ET, FOX: The Blue Raiders haven?t suffered much offensively in years but are struggling to run the ball well while understandably sputtering without all-time leading passer Brent Stockstill, who threw for over 10,000 career yards before graduating. QB Asher O?Hara has accounted for 79 percent of the team?s offense but is more of a runner who should struggle against a physical defense. The Hawkeyes have Michigan game film to watch for next week?s clash and will therefore see a ton of that Week 1 MTSU film so they?ll be well prepared. The Blue Raiders are 0-16 against ranked foes but have covered in each of their last two outings. Iowa?s Kirk Ferentz is just 17-17 coming off a bye.

Northern Illinois at Vanderbilt (-7/52.5), 12 p.m. ET, ESPNU: The Commodores came into the season looking for the first winning season of the Derek Mason era and are dangerously close to having realistically no shot at a second straight bowl bid before September even ends. Holding serve here would definitely help stabilize matters before an important and winnable game at Ole Miss next week. NIU comes off its first bye week under new head coach Thomas Hammock, so expect to see a few wrinkles from a team looking for the program?s second SEC win in 12 tries, having last defeated pre-Nick Saban Alabama in 2003. After a 44-8 loss at Nebraska that featured onside kicks, multiple pooch punts and a fake punt, NIU is certain to change things up and obviously isn?t shy about taking risks. Cal transfer Ross Bowers and returning MAC Championship MVP Marcus Childers are competent QBs, while Ball State grad transfer Riley Neal has shown improvement for Vandy over the past few weeks and has plenty of experience against NIU in MAC play over the past few years.

Kansas at TCU (-14.5/49), 12 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Jayhawks followed their impressive upset of Boston College up by hanging with West Virginia, so Les Miles has at least succeeded in upgrading the quality of play early. We?ll see if Kansas wears down once we get deeper into Big 12 play, but Gary Patterson?s Horned Frogs are going to see a much improved team on tape and should therefore have no excuse to suffer a letdown coming off an upset loss to SMU. Freshman Max Duggan nearly rallied TCU past the Mustangs in last week?s fourth quarter and will continue to start ahead of junior Mike Collins. Kansas stunned TCU in Lawrence 27-26 last season and has a chance to win again with Pooka Williams expected to get more touches, loosening up a Frogs defense for Carter Stanley to try and take advantage. If he plays well, expect the Jayhawks to hang around.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma (-27/70), 12 p.m. ET, ESPN2: The Red Raiders will need Alan Bowman?s backups to do thir part in order to keep this from getting ugly. With Texas Tech?s top passer sidelined, winning a shootout is out the window and new head coach Matt Wells will seek to try and keep Jalen Hurts off the field by moving the chains via dual-threat QB Jett Duffey and Rice transfer Jackson Tyner and the short passing game. It?s a shame we won?t see Bowman but that makes it clear Tech?s hopes of hanging around for more than a half hinge on a defense that has looked improved despite losing key linebacker Dakota Allen to the NFL. Jordyn Brooks is headed there too, but probably needs more help to handle the Sooners. Jalen Hurts is the national leader in QBR but deflected any Heisman talk this week, calling it rat poison. This should be one of those games where he?s able to pad stats if Lincoln Riley plays him deep into the third quarter and it?s not too windy. Thunderstorms could be in the equation for the second half which makes Sooners 1H bets awfully appealing.

Arkansas at Texas A&M (-23/61), 12 p.m. ET, SECN: The Razorbacks come off an embarrassing loss to San Jose State that has them at the low point of the Chad Morris era. That speaks volumes considering they went winless in SEC play last season and have a run of losses in 17 of 18 conference games going, which includes 12 in succession. Left tackle Colton Jackson should be back, so the offensive line play should be better. The Hogs will have a motivated starter going in A&M transfer Nick Starkel, who couldn?t beat out Kellen Bond and couldn?t beat the Spartans last week after throwing five interceptions. We?ll see if he can rebound with the fan base turning on the entire program at this point. Suiting up and performing in front of the 12th Man is therefore less daunting than going out and facing the music in Fayetteville, but Starkel is nonetheless up against a great challenge even with this game being played in Arlington instead of College Station. Texas A&M has defeated the Hogs in seven straight, though four of the last five have been in seven-point games that came down to the final few plays.

Late-night Snacks

Washington State at Utah (-6/56.5), 10 p.m. ET, FS1: The Cougs come off a terrible loss to UCLA in which they gave up 50 second-half points in regulation to lose 67-63, so this is probably the right time to go out on the road as they won?t be back in Pullman for a game until homecoming on Oct. 19. A defense that has a lot of blushes to atone for may not have to deal with top RB Zack Moss, who missed the second half of last week?s disappointing loss to USC. QB Tyler Huntley was also rumored to be leaning toward sitting after suffering a foot injury and limping off against the Trojans but he?s defiantly said he?ll be out there for this one. With a bye on deck for the Utes, expect those that can gut out the game to do so, but head coach Kyle Whittingham isn?t likely to push it with Moss? shoulder. Before you pull the trigger on the ?over? based on last week?s lack of defense from both of these teams, be aware that there could be severe weather to deal with on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

UCLA at Arizona (-6/72), 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: After last week's thrilling comeback victory, the mood around Chip Kelly's football team is far different than it has been after a disappointing 0-3 start. Chip Kelly and his QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, now get a chance to try and get to 3-3 by their Oct. 12 bye week since they'll be favored at home against Oregon State next week. Demetric Felton is looking to emerge as one of the Pac-12's top home run hitters after last week's breakthrough, while Khalil Tate is probably the guy most capable of taking off for 80 yards every time he touches the ball. There have been at least 61 points scored in each of the past four meetings between these schools.

 

[Cnotes53]

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NIU at VAN 12:00 PM
NIU +7.5
O 51.5

NW at WIS 12:00 PM
WIS -23.0

MTU at IOWA 12:00 PM
IOWA -23.5
O 51.0

RUTG at MICH 12:00 PM
RUTG +27.5

KU at TCU 12:00 PM
U 48.0

BYU at TOL 12:00 PM
TOL +2.5

TAM at ARK 12:00 PM
TAM -23.0
U 59.5

TTU at OKLA 12:00 PM
OKLA -27.0
U 69.5

CMU at WMU 12:00 PM
WMU -16.0

BUFF at M-OH 12:00 PM
BUFF -2.5

ISU at BAY 03:30 PM
BAY +2.5

UVA at ND 03:30 PM
UVA +11.0
U 46.5

USC at WASH 03:30 PM
USC +11.0
O 60.5

IND at MSU 03:30 PM
IND +14.0

MINN at PUR 03:30 PM
PUR +1.0

MISS at ALA 03:30 PM
O 62.0

GT at TEM 03:30 PM
TEM -8.5

CC at APP 03:30 PM
CC +15.5

AKR at MASS 03:30 PM
AKR -9.0

FAU at CHAR 03:30 PM
FAU +1.0
O 65.5

CLEM at UNC 03:30 PM
U 60.0

 

[Cnotes53]

EVENING BEST BETS:

CONN at UCF 07:00 PM
CONN +42.5
O 65.0

UTEP at SOMIS 07:00 PM
UTEP +25.5
O 48.5

STAN at ORST 07:00 PM
ORST +3.0
U 56.0

LT at RICE 07:00 PM
RICE +9.0
O 48.5

MSST at AUB 07:00 PM
MSST +7.0
O 47.0

UAB at WKU 07:00 PM
UAB -3.5

USA at ULM 07:00 PM
ULM -14.5

KSU at OKST 07:00 PM
KSU +4.0
U 60.0

UK at SOCAR 07:30 PM
UK +3.5
U 54.0

CSU at USU 07:30 PM
USU -24.0

OSU at NEB 07:30 PM
OSU -17.0

NCST at FSU 07:30 PM
NCST +7.0

FRES at NMSU 08:00 PM
FRES -20.0
U 63.5

HOU at UNT 08:00 PM
UNT -7.5

UNLV at WYO 08:00 PM
WYO -9.5
O 44.5

WSU at UTAH 10:00 PM
WSU +5.0
U 56.5

HAW at NEV 10:30 PM
HAW +2.0
U 64.0

UCLA at ARIZ 10:30 PM
UCLA +6.5
U 72.5

 

[Cnotes53]

AP Top 25 Takeaways: No. 1 Clemson ... but for how long?
September 28, 2019
By The Associated Press

Clemson might relinquish the No. 1 ranking on Sunday when the new AP Top 25 is released, and Trevor Lawrence is probably already out of the Heisman Trophy race.

None of this is a particularly big deal. In fact, it all feels familiar for the Tigers, who held off a late 2-point conversion to win at North Carolina on Saturday in a game where the Tar Heels were about a four-touchdown underdog.

Quibble with coach Mack Brown's decision to go for 2 with 1:17 left if you want. It was the right call. It's never a good idea for a big underdog to play for overtime.

But the story was the defending national champions looking far less than the juggernaut they were expected to be when they were voted preseason No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in the history of the program.

''I know we're supposed to just destroy everybody,'' coach Dabo Swinney told reporters after the game, dismissing that as unrealistic.

Sorry, Dabo, but it's impossible to ignore the disparity between Clemson and the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and not expect the Tigers to have their way every week.

This was the first time Clemson has been remotely challenged, though they haven't been as spectacular as, say, Alabama has with Tua Tagovailoa and his loaded group of receivers.

The crux of the Tigers' problems - if you want to call them that - is Lawrence.

Call it a sophomore slump. Maybe he's pressing. Lawrence came into Saturday ranked 55th in FBS in passer rating (147.92), completing 62% of his passes with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Against North Carolina, Lawrence was a modest 18 for 30 for 206 yards with a touchdown pass that turned out to the game-winner. But he also missed some throws that could have broken the game open and didn't make some smaller player that keep drives going.

Clemson has been here before.

Almost exactly a year ago, Clemson needed a late rally to beat Syracuse in Death Valley. That was the last close game the Tigers played all season. But that game came at the end of a weird week in which Lawrence replaced Kelly Bryant as starter. Then Lawrence was injured against the Orange. This feels more like Clemson's first championship season in 2016, when Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams were supposed to be unstoppable but took a while to get revved up.

The slow start for Lawrence has put him so far behind Tagovailoa, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, LSU's Joe Burrow and Ohio State's Justin Fields in the Heisman race there is likely no coming back. Not when Clemson will be playing North Carolina State, Wake Forest and South Carolina in November.

Watson did not win a Heisman, either.

The sleepy performance at North Carolina could cost Clemson its top ranking, but the Tigers have shown a tendency to round into form. And their ability to win these close games in recent years is why the term Clemsoning has been retired.

IF NOT CLEMSON, WHO'S NO. 1?

Scouring over resumes five weeks into the season is not going to be much help to determine the best team in the nation heading into October. There haven't been all that many big games played.

It's little more than an eye test at this point but right now Ohio State makes a compelling case. Justin Fields has been as good as advertised and defensive end Chase Young is playing like the lost Bosa brother.

''I give a ton of credit to them and their coaching staff because they're a lot better than they were a year ago,'' Nebraska coach Scott Frost said after the Buckeyes dismantled the Cornhuskers on a big stage.

If Clemson does give up the top ranking, it's more likely that No. 2 Alabama will move up. The Tide are patching things up on defense, but it's hard to notice the flaws because no one can slow down Tua and Co.

No. 6 Oklahoma played some defense on Saturday against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were playing a backup quarterback, but you can see progress for the Sooners.

The team that is starting to demand more attention is Auburn, which hammered Mississippi State. The Tigers had been piecing things together offensively and trying to protect freshman quarterback Bo Nix. Well, Nix passed for 335 yards against the Bulldogs and suddenly Auburn is starting to look like it belongs in the same class as Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU.

Auburn's rise could good news for the Pac-12, which has no unbeaten teams entering October for the first time since expansion in 2011. But at least Oregon's close loss to the Tigers looks like a quality loss. Every little bit helps.

AROUND THE COUNTRY: Unbeaten teams ranked by most surprising: 1, SMU (5-0); 2, Wake Forest (5-0); 3, Minnesota (4-0), which has won its games by a combined total of 20 points; 4, Baylor (4-0). ...

The glimmer of hope for Clay Helton that came with last week's USC victory against Utah was not sustainable. Matt Fink looked like a third-string quarterback and No. 17 Washington outclassed the Trojans in Seattle. USC (3-2) has a week off before visiting No. 10 Notre Dame in a game that feels make or break for a coach fighting for his job. ...

If Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor is going to be considered an early Heisman contender than Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard deserves a little running back love, too. The nation's leading rusher went for 296 yards in a victory against Kansas State. Hubbard now has three 200-yard games ... The three latest additions to the Big Ten (Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers) lost 159-7 this weekend ...

Hurts passed for a career-best 415 yards in another video-game numbers performance, this time against Texas Tech. Clearly, he will be a major player in the Heisman race in as long as he stays healthy. Will be interesting to see if his NFL stock starts rising as well. Remember, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray weren't considered No. 1 overall draft pick material and then they were. ...

Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith, he of the walk-off TD to win the national championship two years ago, had eight catches for 221 yards and four touchdowns in the FIRST HALF against Ole Miss. He finished with school records of five TD catches for 274 yards. Smith is generally regarded as Alabama's third-best receiver. ...

Who's tanking? Houston beat North Texas 46-25 after Cougars QB D'Eriq King announced earlier this week that he was sitting out the rest of the season as a redshirt with the intention to return next year ...

Justin Fuente and Virginia Tech looked like a near perfect marriage in 2016, but the Hokies appear to be in a free fall after Duke handed them their worst home loss in in 45 years.

 

[Cnotes53]

CFB AUGUST/ SEPT. OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

09/28/2019......28-27-3....50.91%.............-8.50
09/27/2019.........5-3-0.....62.50%............+8.50
09/26/2019.........1-1-0.....50.00%.............-0.50
09/21/2019......30-38-1....44.12%..............-59.00
09/20/2019.........5-1-0.....83.33%.............+19.50
09/19/2019.........0-2-0.......0.00%.............-11.00
09/14/2019......28-24-1.....54.00%............+8.00
09/13/2019.........1-5-0......16.67%............-22.50
09/07/2019........26-38-2...40.63%............-79.00
09/06/2019.........0-4-0...... 0.00%.............-22.00
09/02/2019.........1-0-1.... 100.00%...........+5.00
09/01/2019........ 1-0-1 ....100.00%.......... +5.00
08/31/2019........21-24-0... 46.67%........... -27.00
08/30/2019........ 5-8-0 ......38.46%........... -19.00
08/29/2019........ 6-6-0...... 50.00%........... -3.00

Totals...........158-181-4...... 46.60%.......... -205.50


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

BEST BETS:

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

09/28/2019...........10 - 13..........-21.50............10 - 5...............+22.50...........+1.00
09/27/2019............2 - 1.............+4.50.............1 - 1.................-0.50.............+4.00
09/26/2019............1 - 0.............+5.00.............0 - 1.................-5.50..............-0.50
09/21/2019............13 - 20..........-45.00............10 - 6..............+17.00............-28.00
09/20/2019............1 - 1..............-0.50..............2 - 0...............+10.00............+9.50
09/19/2019............0 - 1..............-5.50..............0 - 1................-5.50..............-11.00
09/14/2019...........16 - 7.............+41.50............5 - 6................-8.00.............+33.50
09/13/2019.............0 - 2.............-10.00.............1 - 2................-6.00.............-16.00
09/07/2019.............9 - 15...........-37.50............10 - 12..............-16.00............-53.50
09/06/2019.............0 - 2.............-11.00.............0 - 2................-11.00............-22.00
09/02/2019.............0 - 0.............+0.00..............1 - 0...............+5.00.............+5.00
09/01/2019.............1 - 0.............+5.00..............0 - 0...............+0.00.............+5.00
08/31/2019.............7 - 11...........-25.50..............5 - 9...............-24.50............-50.00
08/30/2019.............2 - 3.............-6.50...............3 - 2...............+4.00.............-2.50
08/29/2019.............1 - 3.............-11.50.............4 - 1...............+14.50...........+3.00

Totals....................63 - 97...........-118.50..........52 - 48..............-4.00..............-122.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday's best
September 28, 2019
By The Associated Press

STARS

-Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State, ran for 296 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and the Cowboys shut down No. 24 Kansas Statein a 26-13 victory.

-DeVonta Smith, Alabama, had 11 catches for school records of 274 yards and five TDs as the No. 2 Crimson Tide ran away from Mississippi 59-31.

-Salvon Ahmed, Washington, rushed for a career-high 153 yards, including an 89-yard TD run in the third quarter, helping the No. 17 Huskies beat No. 21 Southern California 28-14.

-Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma, passed for 415 yards and three TDs, and the No. 6 Sooners rolled past Texas Tech 55-16.

-Tanner Morgan, Minnesota, set school records by passing for 396 yards and four TDs to help the Gophers hold off Purdue 38-31.

-Seth Williams, Auburn, had eight receptions for 161 yards and two TDs in the No. 7 Tigers' 56-23 victory over Mississippi State.

-Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State, passed for 440 yards and four TDs in a 50-43 win over Troy.

-Kevin Davidson, Princeton, threw a school-record seven TD passes to lead the Tigers past Bucknell 56-23.

-Daryl McCleskey Jr., Eastern Kentucky, ran for 202 yards and two TDs in a 42-16 victory over Tennessee State.

-Bailey Fisher, Tennessee Tech, threw a school-record six TD passes in a 40-29 victory over Eastern Illinois.

-Matt Struck, Idaho State, threw for six TDs in a 51-24 victory over Portland State.

-Ailym Ford, Chattanooga, ran for 195 yards and two TDs in a 60-36 win over Western Carolina.

---

NO. 1 CLEMSON SURVIVE

The ball sat on the 3-yard line, forcing top-ranked Clemson into the most unexpected of positions.

Get a stop, or lose the lead late against heavy underdog North Carolina - and maybe the game along with its spot as the front-runner for the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers did it, stuffing the Tar Heels' 2-point conversion attempt with 1:17 left to hold on for a 21-20 victory - narrowly avoiding an upset that would've shaken the national landscape in college football.

The Tigers had trouble all day in trying to extend earn a program-record 20th straight win. They didn't go ahead for good until Trevor Lawrence hit Tee Higgins on a 38-yard touchdown pass with 9:54 left, then came up with the stop after the Tar Heels went for the lead instead of a tie after Javonte Williams' short scoring run.

---

TIDE OF RECORDS

Tua Tagovailoa and DeVonta Smith hooked up for a 74-yard touchdown strike barely a minute into the game.

Turns out they were just getting started.

Tagovailoa and Smith partnered on five touchdown passes and between them set a few school records while No. 2 Alabama ran away from Mississippi 59-31.

The Crimson Tide actually trailed for the first time this season before flexing its muscles against the 37 1/2-point underdogs. The Rebels couldn't even slow down Smith, who sometimes gets overshadowed in a loaded receiving group.

Not this game. Smith had 11 catches for school records of 274 yards and five TDs. He had 221 yards by halftime, and added a 27-yard score for another highlight in the biggest game of any Tide receiver.

---

NUMBERS

8-Sacks by defensive linemen in No. 10 Notre Dame's 35-20 win over No. 18 Virginia.

18-Straight completions by No. 9 Florida's Kyle Trask against Towson, breaking the school record of 17 straight set by Chris Leak against Washington in 2005.

 

[Cnotes53]

Alabama jumps to No. 1 over Clemson
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season, replacing preseason No. 1 Clemson after the Tigers had a close call.

Alabama received 29 of 61 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel as the Tigers' one-point victory at North Carolina gave the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank the first shake-up at the top this season. Clemson slipped to No. 2 and received 18 first-place votes.

The last time a No. 1 team won and dropped was Ohio State on Nov. 7, 2015, after the Buckeyes beat Minnesota 28-14 at home. The No. 1 team has won and dropped in the rankings 90 times since the AP poll started in 1936, including four times when there was a tie for No. 1.

No. 3 Georgia received four first-place votes. Ohio State moved up to No. 4 and received seven first-place votes. LSU was No. 5 and Oklahoma sixth. No. 7 Auburn received three first-place votes.

The last time five or more teams received first-place votes during the regular season was Nov. 1, 2015: No. 1 Ohio State (39); No. 2. Baylor (six); No. 3. Clemson (six); No. 4. LSU (five); No. 5. TCU (four); and No. 7. Alabama (one).

At the other end of the rankings, No. 24 SMU is ranked for the first time since the program received the so-called death penalty for NCAA rules violations in 1987 and did not compete for two seasons.

POLL POINTS

Alabama has now been ranked No. 1 at some point in each of the last 12 seasons, extending its own record. The second-longest streak belongs to Miami, which had a string of seven consecutive seasons with an appearance at No. 1 from 1986-92.

This is the 119th time Alabama has been No. 1, most of any school in poll history, and the 88th time it has been top-ranked under coach Nick Saban since he took over in 2007. Only Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Southern California have more total appearances at No. 1 than Alabama has under Saban.

PONY UP

SMU's appearance in the rankings is historic, considering where that program has been. After returning from the death penalty in 1989, the Mustangs managed one winning season (6-5 in 1997) over the next 20 years.

The program had an uptick under June Jones from 2009-12, going to four straight bowl games and topping out at eight victories. There has been only one winning season since. Under second-year coach Sonny Dykes, the Mustangs are playing their best ball since the Pony Express days of Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the early 1980s.

''Given our history, SMU's history, being a very successful program for a long time like it was in the `70s and `80s, and then obviously having the death penalty, it's just been a long climb back,'' Dykes told the AP on Sunday. ''I think it probably means more to our fanbase and the SMU people than it does to others because it has been a long climb back. I think it gives our program some credibility.''

SMU is not a national championship contender like it was back in its hey-day, but the Mustangs head into the second month of the season looking like a team that should push for an American Athletic Conference crown. An influx of transfers, including quarterback Shane Buechele from Texas and linebacker and leading tackler Richard McBryde from Auburn.

Dykes said SMU has 65 new players, including scholarship freshman, walk-ons and transfers.

''When you have an influx of that many new people, it can mess your culture up a little bit,'' Dykes said. ''That's what I worried about a little bit.''

Things have clicked. The Mustangs (5-0) are off to their best overall start since 1983, are 3-0 on the road and 10-4 in their last 14 games overall.

IN

- No. 22 Wake Forest also ended a long run of being outside the rankings. The Demon Deacons (5-0) of the Atlantic Coast Conference are ranked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2008. Wake's Top 25 drought was the third-longest among Power Five schools, behind Indiana (last ranked in 1994) and Purdue (2007).

The next three longest streaks of being unranked among Power Five conference teams are Kansas (2009), Illinois (2011) and Rutgers (2012).

- No. 20 Arizona State retuned to the rankings after beating California at home on Friday.

- No. 21 Oklahoma State is ranked for the first time since the final poll of 2017.

OUT

- Cal took a big tumble, from No. 15 to out of the rankings after its first loss.

- USC is out again after losing at Washington.

- Kansas State had a one-week stay, falling out after losing at Oklahoma State.

TIE

Texas A&M is barely hanging on in the rankings. The only two-loss team to be ranked - the Aggies lost to Clemson and Auburn - is tied with Michigan State for the final spot in the rankings.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC - 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 25).

Big Ten - 5 (Nos. 4, 8, 12, 14, 25).

Pac-12 - 4 (Nos. 13, 15, 17, 20).

ACC - 3 (Nos. 2, 22, 23).

Big 12 - 3 (Nos. 6, 11, 21).

American - 2 (Nos. 18, 24).

Mountain West - 1 (No. 16).

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 25 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won their last four games by at least 41 points.

No. 7 Auburn at No. 10 Florida. The SEC has five teams ranked in the top 10 and Auburn still has to play all the rest.

No. 14 Iowa at No. 19 Michigan. The Wolverines can right their season.

 

[Cnotes53]

Betting Recap - Week 5
September 29, 2019
By Joe Williams

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RESULTS

WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 44-11
Against the Spread 25-30

WAGER Home-Away
Straight Up 37-18
Against the Spread 27-28

WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 23-31-1

YEAR TO DATE Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 294-50
Against the Spread 171-166-7

YEAR TO DATE Home-Away
Straight Up 246-94
Against the Spread 159-174-7

YEAR TO DATE Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 161-179-6

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Massachusetts (+8.5, ML +260) vs. Akron, 37-29
Houston (+8, ML +250) at North Texas, 46-25
Arkansas State (+7, ML +230) at Troy, 50-43
Arizona State (+4.5, ML +180) at California, 24-17

The largest favorites to cover
Syracuse (-37.5) vs. Holy Cross, 41-3
Florida (-33) vs. Towson, 38-0
Michigan (-27.5) vs. Rutgers, 52-0
Oklahoma (-27) vs. Texas Tech, 55-16

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (AAC)

-- Memphis topped Navy in an game on Thursday night, 35-23. The Midshipmen were leading the Tigers 20-14 at halftime, but the second half was a different story with the Tigers outscoring the Middles 21-3 in the final 30 minutes. It wasn't what would be called a bad beat, but the Tigers scored a 31-yard touchdown from Brady White to Damonte Coxie with 11:27 left to give the Tigers the cover and hit the number for over bettors. ... Cincinnati smashed Marshall, 52-14, hitting the 'over' (46.5) themselves. Luke Fickell's group is now 3-1 SU/ATS, with the only non-cover that 42-0 whitewashing at Ohio State on Sept. 7. The over was the first in four games for the Bearcats. ... Temple scored a nice win for the conference, topping Georgia Tech, 24-2. It was a little revenge against a Power 5 team, after UCF lost at Pitt, an ACC team, last week. ... SMU has quietly opened 5-0 SU/ATS. They wrecked South Florida by a 48-21 score. The Mustangs have rolled up 37 or more points in each of their five games, cashing the 'over' in all five outings.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE (ACC)

-- Clemson left Kenan Stadium with a 21-20 victory over North Carolina. The Tar Heels scored a late touchdown and elected to go for two, coming up just short. The Tigers were outplayed for most of the game, but most good teams find a way to survive and advance. That's just what they did. ... Duke lost QB Daniel Jones to the NFL this past offseason, and they were expected to be rather middling. Ask Virginia Tech if that's accurate. The Blue Devils humbled the Hokies 45-10 in Blacksburg. Duke is now 3-1 SU/ATS, with their only loss to Alabama in their neutral-site opener. The 'over' has cashed in three in a row, too, as Duke has 41 or more points in each of the outings. ... The Blue Devils will welcome Pittsburgh in their next home game. The Panthers limped to a 17-14 win over FCS Delaware, perhaps a bit of a hangover after a huge win over UCF last week. To be fair, the Blue Hens were ranked No. 19 in the FCS rankings entering the week, so they're no slouch. Still, the Panthers were favored by four touchdowns. ... Those Vegas guys are pretty good sometimes. Syracuse was listed as a 37.5-point favorite over FCS Holy Cross. They ended up winning 41-3. Gordie Lockbaum wasn't walking through that door for the Crusaders today. ... Notre Dame was down at half to Virginia, but they bounced back at Georgia after their loss a week ago. The Irish have now covered three in a row after failing to cover by a point and a half in Louisville on Sept. 2.

BIG TEN

-- Penn State obliterated Maryland by a 59-0 count. Anyone holding an 'over' (59.5) ticket is likely none too pleased with the Terrapins. Since firing out of the box with 142 total points and a 2-0 SU/ATS mark in the first two games, the Terps are 0-2 SU/ATS while being outscored 79-17 in the past two. ... Michigan rebounded from their loss in Madison last week, thumping Rutgers, 52-0. The Wolverines outgained the Scarlet Knights 476-154 in total yards while picking up 28 first downs to 10. ... Wisconsin might have endured a bit of a hangover, too, after their big win over Michigan. The Badgers weren't pretty, especially with those throwback tan pants and 'UW' helmets, but they got it done 24-15 over Northwestern. The Wildcats have been a thorn in the side of Bucky over the years. ... Minnesota went to Ross-Ade Stadium and took care of Purdue by a 38-31 score to move to 4-0 SU. More importantly it was the first cover of the season for the Gophers (1-2-1 ATS). The 'over' has cashed in three in a row for Minny, too. ... Ohio State hammered Nebraska by a 48-7 score, moving to 4-0 ATS over the past four outings. Ohio State has scored 42 or more points in all five of their games.

BIG 12

-- It was a slow week in the Big 12, with a total of just four games, all conference battles, in action. Kansas was back to themselves, and that's not a good thing. TCU roughed up the Jayhawks 51-14, firing out to a 38-0 halftime lead and never looking back. The Horned Frogs are 2-2 ATS and the over/under is 2-2. One consistent thing about the Horned Frogs has been their offense, posting 34 or more points in each outing. They allowed 41 in their loss against SMU on Sept. 21, but they have allowed a total of 34 points in their other thee outings. ... Oklahoma hammered Texas Tech, 55-16. They fired out to a 17-0 start after the first quarter to set the tone early. Oddly enough, with a total of 71, this game pushed at most shops. The Sooners have now covered three in a row. ... Baylor edged Iowa State, 23-21, kicking a last-second field goal for the win. Matt Rhule's bunch is now 4-0 SU/2-2 ATS, covering both home games vs. FBS opponents.

CONFERENCE USA

-- Florida Atlantic hit the road for Charlotte, and they partied like it was 2017. They won 45-27 in the Conference USA road opener, moving to 3-2 SU. The Owls have scored 41 or more points in three consecutive games, too, as the Lane Train is rolling again, halfway to bowl eligibility. ... Middle Tennessee got spanked 48-3 at lowa, as head coach Rick Stockstill is finding life to be difficult after his son graduated. The Blue Raiders were down 24-0 at halftime, and it obviously didn't get much better after that. The Blue Raiders covered the opener at Michigan, but they're 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS over the past three. The 'over' is 3-0-1 in four games for MTSU this season, as they have allowed 40 or more points in three of those contests, all against Power 5 schools, though. ... North Texas fell to Houston 46-25, as the Mean Green fell as six-point favorites at home.

MID-AMERICAN (MAC)

-- Toledo scored a nice win for the conference, topping BYU 28-21 at the Glass Bowl. They entered the fourth quarter down 21-14. It was actually their first win by seven or more points after entering the fourth quarter down by seven or more since Oct. 16, 1971 vs. Western Michigan (down 24-14, won 35-24), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Speaking of Western Michigan, they topped rival Central Michigan 31-15 in Kalamazoo. Officially, this game was a push, as a majority of shops closed at 16. However, some might have gotten this as high as 17.5 and some might have laid just 15. This line differed by as many as two and a half points this week. ... Akron continues to struggle mightily, hitting rock bottom in a 37-29 loss at Massachusetts as 6.5-point favorites. The Zips are now 0-5 SU/ATS, and they have allowed at least 31 points in all five games this season. ... Miami-Ohio booted Buffalo, 34-20, as the 'over' (50) connected. The over is 13-5 in the past 18 for Buffalo, and 8-3 in their past 11 on the road. The over is 5-1 in Miami's past six overall. In this series, the over is 8-1 in the past nine in Oxford, and 6-1 in the past seven battles overall.

MOUNTAIN WEST

-- New Mexico outlasted New Mexico State in a crazy 55-52 victory in Albuquerque. When the Lobos and Aggies hook up there are plenty of points sure to follow. The 'over' is a perfect 3-0 for UNM so far, as they have averaged 36.0 PPG on offense while yielding 46.3 PPG on defense. ... San Jose State scored a huge victory for their program, topping Arkansas by a 31-24 count. It was the first win against a Power 5 opponent since 2006 for the Spartans. The 'under' has cashed in all three games for San Jose State so far, ans they're a respectable 2-1 SU. The cover was their first of the season, too. ... Nevada posted a nice 37-21 road win over UTEP, moving to 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS. The 'over' is also 3-1 in four games for the Wolf Pack. ... Utah State earned the 23-17 victory at San Diego State to move to 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS. ... Boise State remained perfect at 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS after topping Air Force on Friday night by a 30-19 score. After UCF's lost to Pitt, the Broncos are now likely the top Group of Five entrant.

PAC-12

-- There are no more unbeaten teams in the conference after California was tripped up 24-17 in Berkeley by Arizona State. The Bears lost starting QB Chase Garbers (shoulder) in the first half, and backup QB Devon Modster was a train wreck. The Bears will have issues at Oregon next week if Garbers isn't available, and he likely won't be. ... Washington has restored order after their loss to Cal earlier, dropping USC by a 28-14 count. Sure, the Trojans are down to their third-string QB due to injuries, but this one was closer than some thought. USC is 3-0 SU/2-1 ATS at home, and 0-2 SU/ATS on the road. ... UCLA-Arizona was a tussle, as the Bruins lost QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (ankle) to an injury, while the Wildcats were already without QB Khalil Tate (lower body). The Wildcats hung on for the 20-17 win, but the Bruins covered for the second consecutive road game.

SOUTHEASTERN (SEC)

-- Texas A&M edged rivals Arkansas 31-27 in a neutral-site battle in Arlington, Tex. The Razorbacks did a good job after an embarrassing loss at home to San Jose State last week, but the results are the same. The Aggies improved to 3-2 SU, and 1-1 in the SEC, but they have failed to cover in each of the past two. ... Florida stepped out of conference for the 38-0 win over FCS Towson in a tune-up for Auburn next time out. ... Speaking of Auburn, they roughed up Mississipp State, and finally got the pass game going. ... Vanderbilt nipped Northern Illinois, 24-18, as the Huskies officially covered at most shops as a 6.5-point underdog. It was Vandy's first win in four games, but they're 0-4 ATS. ... Alabama paddled Mississippi by a 59-31 count in a high-scoring affair at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Rebels grabbed the cover, just their second in five outings this season. Howver, they're 2-0 ATS against SEC opponents.

SUN BELT

-- Texas State won for the second straight weekend, topping FCS Nicholls State 24-3. That doesn't sound terribly impressive, but Nicholls is ranked in the Top 25. ... Arkansas State outlasted Troy by a 50-43 count in the highest scoring game of the entire FBS weekend. The 'over' has hit in each of the past two games for the Red Wolves. ... Louisiana-Lafayette took care of Georgia Southern by a 37-24 score as the 'over' connected. With a total of 54 points on the board, the Ragin' Cajuns picked up a touchdown to push the total over, 37-23, flipping the total from under to over.

Bad Beats

-- On Friday night, Air Force worked over San Jose State, 41-24. The Spartans were down 41-10 with 7:48 left in regulation. They scored a TD with 3:51 left. Falcons bettors, on the right side all night, saw Air Force go for it on fourth and short and miss inside their own territory. The Spartans took over and backup QB Nick Nash hit TE Derrick Deese Jr. for a score with :52 left for the backdoor cover and bad beat. And under (56.5) bettors thought the TD with 3:51 was a bad beat. Nah. The line change inside the final minute was much worse.

-- Also on Friday, Duke scored a touchdown with 3:37 to go, already up 38-10, flipping the total from an under to an over. It wasn't a true 'bad beat', and you probably won't see this one on Scott Van Pelt, but it hurt just the same if you had the under. It looked great all night, with a total of just 27 points on the board with 5:56 to go in the third quarter.

-- In that NIU-Vandy game, with the Huskies down 24-10, the visitors scored a touchdown to make it 24-16, still not covering as 6.5-point underdogs. Much to the delight of side bettors of Northern Illinois, the coach elected to go for two - and got it. If you were laying the 6.5 with Vandy, you likely said a lot of bad words. Still, there was just under 12 minutes to change the result, but that was the final score of the game. Maybe it's not technically a bad beat, but it is a curious decision by the NIU coach at the least, and deserves honorable mention.

 

[Cnotes53]

4th Quarter Covers - Week 5
September 29, 2019
By Joe Nelson

Glancing at the scoreboard won?t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are some of the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the fifth big weekend of the college football season to close September.

Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows.

Memphis (-11) 35, Navy 23: Navy wound up a with a pronounced production edge Thursday night against Memphis and the Midshipmen led 20-7 about halfway through the second quarter. Memphis returned the next kickoff 99 yards to get within six by halftime and in the third quarter the Tigers added 14 points including a 73-yard strike to put Memphis up 28-20. Navy added a field goal early in the fourth to boost the chances for the underdog but Memphis answered quickly to reach its greatest lead of the game up by 12. Navy had two late possessions but wasn?t much of a threat to add points.

Air Force (-19?) 41, San Jose State 24: San Jose State scored on its opening drive looking to back up last week?s win over Arkansas. The Spartans were also stopped on downs in Air Force territory on the next two possessions as they had an opportunity for an even better start. Air Force scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions but had a costly fumble in the red zone just before halftime to lead by only 11 on spread that climbed upward Friday evening. Air Force scored 13 points five minutes into the second half helped by what turned into an accidental wind-aided on-side kick recovery to take a commanding 34-10 edge. After both teams botched scoring opportunities late in the third quarter a lengthy Air Force drive ended in a touchdown to put the Falcons up by 31 about halfway through the fourth quarter. With backup quarterback Nick Nash in the game, the Spartans connected for a 30-yard touchdown pass with fewer than four minutes remaining. Air Force then wound up going for it on 4th-and-short from its own 22 with a 24-point lead and fell short. Handed great field position, Nash put the Spartans into the end zone inside of two minutes to steal the underdog cover.

Arizona State (+4?) 24, California 17: After losing quarterback Chase Garbers just before halftime California managed to take a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter taking advantage of great field position after Jayden Daniels fumbled on a sack. Leaning on the running game Arizona State responded with a lengthy drive to get in front 21-17 with about five minutes to go. Cal failed going for it on 4th down on its next possession but Arizona State only added three to keep the game in play. Devon Modster and the Bears were not able to put together much on a late chance to keep its perfect season going, ultimately winding up with only 245 yards for the game.

Wisconsin (-23) 24, Northwestern 15: The heavy underdog Wildcats hung around vs. Wisconsin but a 68-yard interception return in the fourth quarter suddenly put Wisconsin up by 21 despite the game being just 7-3 late in the third quarter. Northwestern had a 3-and-out to hand the Badgers the ball back with a chance to get past the favorite spread but the punt wasn?t handled as the Wildcats managed to recover the muff and with good field position found the end zone to secure the underdog cover. Northwestern actually adding another touchdown later in the fourth and had a two-point conversion attempt to get back within seven that came up short. It was another cover for the Wildcats in the series, while actually out-gaining Wisconsin and featuring a 21-13 edge in 1st downs but with two Wisconsin defensive scores allowed.

Wake Forest (-4?) 27, Boston College 24: Wake Forest and Boston College were knotted at 17-17 at the break but Wake Forest added a late third quarter field goal and an early fourth quarter touchdown to lead by 10. In that stretch the Demon Deacons survived an interception with a 4th down stop on defense. Boston College climbed back in the game with a touchdown completed from running back David Bailey throwing to get within three and within the underdog spread with just over six minutes to go. Wake Forest used up significant clock on a 12-play drive but couldn?t run it all out as Boston College had a late chance, eventually reaching the midfield on the final play.

Western Michigan (-15?) 31, Central Michigan 15: The spread on this game dipped from as high as -17? to just -15? at some outlets by kickoff. With a 24-0 edge through three quarters it didn?t appear to matter but Central Michigan put up a fourth quarter fight with nine early points. A Western Michigan touchdown with about five minutes to go put the Broncos back past the number but the Chippewas quickly answered with a 34-yard strike to score. Down 16 Central Michigan went for two and came up empty in a critical play for those that waited to play the Saturday prices.

Toledo (+2?) 28, BYU 21: BYU broke a 14-14 tie with a touchdown on a short field following a muffed punt to lead by seven as a slight road favorite. Toledo would answer less than a minute into the fourth quarter to tie the game before the teams traded punts and then empty possessions with BYU stopped on downs and Toledo having a fumble at the BYU 20-yard-line. The momentum swung back quickly as BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was intercepted on 1st down with a return all the way down to the 2-yard-line. Toledo punched in the touchdown on the next play and the defense was able to hold off a drive to the Toledo 32 in the final seconds behind BYU back-up quarterback Jaren Hall after Wilson injured his hand on the decisive interception.

Vanderbilt (-7?) 24, Northern Illinois 18: The Commodores jumped out to a 14-0 lead only about six minutes into the game and that score held through halftime. Northern Illinois managed a field goal and a touchdown early in the second half but Vanderbilt seemed to put the game away with a 38-yard touchdown pass late in third quarter. Another score was on the way early in the fourth but in settling for a short field goal, Vanderbilt kept the door open for the underdog. Northern Illinois would score just two minutes later and down eight opted to go for two, successfully trimming the margin to six points in an unexpected play with huge ramifications relative to the spread that was commonly at 6? before rising to 7?. The six-point margin held with neither side offering much of a scoring threat in the final 10 minutes.

Oklahoma (-27?) 55, Texas Tech 16: Oklahoma?s victory was never in doubt, but the heavy underdog Red Raiders rushed for nearly 200 yards and were in position to cover with the ball back down 32. A fumble near midfield sealed their fate with about nine minutes to go and the Red Raiders came up empty in two late drives that reached well into Oklahoma territory while Oklahoma added one more touchdown to win by 39.

Notre Dame (-10?) 35, Virginia 20: Virginia led 17-14 at halftime and had a significant production edge at that point. In the third quarter the Irish ran 11 plays and the only 1st down they picked up was via a penalty but they wound up with an 11-point lead thanks to three Virginia fumbles, one of which was returned to the two-yard-line and another was brought to the end zone for a defensive score. That margin was right in-between a spread that hit as high as +13 but dropped on game day down to as low as +10. Virginia had two interceptions in the fourth quarter looking to climb back in the game while Notre Dame broke a 30-yard run for a touchdown. Down 18 Virginia opted for a 27-yard field goal with six minutes to go that was of no help to the underdog supporters.

Washington (-12) 28, USC 14: Washington led by 10 at the half and by 14 through three quarters after Michael Pittman had a 44 touchdown to bring USC back in the game. Washington fumbled near midfield to hand USC an opportunity in the fourth quarter but an exchange of punts followed. USC looked likely to earn the underdog cover late reaching 1st-and-goal from the Washington 5-yard-line but the Trojans weren?t able to get in. On its final possession Matt Fink brought USC across midfield and pass interference converted a 4th-and-10 play. The next throw was intercepted however as the Huskies escaped still up 14 after a scoreless final frame.

UCF (-42?) 56, Connecticut 21: The Knights nearly eclipsed this massive spread by halftime with a 42-0 advantage and with nearly six minutes left in the third quarter it was 56-0. The Huskies would score late in the third quarter for the first time and then again in the fourth to get the margin back to 42 and within the hefty underdog number. On its next possession UCF fumbled at the UConn 21-yard-line and then with two minutes remaining the Knights went for it on 4th-and-9 rather than attempting a long field goal. A sack on that play gave the Huskies good field position and Steven Krajewski fired away, getting the Huskies into the end zone with 19 seconds to go to secure the underdog win.

Stanford (-3?) 31, Oregon State 28: Davis Mills led Stanford to an early 21-0 edge but Oregon State made a late charge getting to 21-14 early in the fourth quarter. Stanford would answer to lead by 14 with nine minutes remaining but the Beavers kept the momentum on offense with a six-play touchdown drive to get back within seven with seven minutes to go. Oregon State?s defense forced a 3-and-out and the Beavers went 77 yards to tie the game with fewer than two minutes remaining. It was however enough time for Mills and the Stanford offense thanks to a 43-yard kickoff return as the Cardinal gained 29 more yards and connected from 39 yards for the game-winning field goal, though for many, the Beavers still collected.

Appalachian State (-14?) 56, Coastal Carolina 37: After the big win over North Carolina, Appalachian State found itself in a back-and-forth game with a 21-21 tie late in the second quarter. The Mountaineers managed two touchdowns in the final two minutes before the break to suddenly lead by 14 however. Appalachian State scored first in the second half but by the start of the fourth quarter the 21-point edge had been shrunk to 12. An interception return touchdown put Appalachian State up by 19 and they added another touchdown on a short field with about four minutes remaining. A late Coastal Carolina touchdown wasn?t enough to get back within the number in a game that was much closer in the box score than the scoreboard suggests.

Liberty (-7?) 17, New Mexico 10: Liberty led 17-3 through three quarters and had a significant yardage edge. With a common number of -7 the line did hit -7? by kickoff and late Flames backers had reason for worry. An interception bailed out Liberty following a missed field goal and the defense again got a big stop as New Mexico went for it on 4th-and-8 early in the fourth quarter. The Lobos would not be denied on their final possession however, converting a big third down with 53 seconds to go and then hitting the end zone with 43 seconds to go to climb within seven for the final margin.

UL-Monroe (-14?) 30, South Alabama 17: The Warhawks led by just seven heading into the fourth quarter but back-to-back touchdown drives pushed the margin to 20 points with about seven minutes to go. South Alabama would go 75 yards in the next four minutes however to get back within the number and UL-Monroe did not make a push to add points late.

 

[Cnotes53]

STAT WATCH: Hubbard's torrid run continues for Oklahoma St.
September 30, 2019
By The Associated Press

A year ago, hardly anyone outside the Big 12 had heard of Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard. One month into this season, the rest of the nation must be wondering how that could be.

Hubbard turned in his third 200-yard game over the weekend, running for 296 yards against Kansas State in the top rushing performance of the season.

The sophomore from Canada has 938 rushing yards, the third-best five-game total to open a season since 2010. Only Bryce Love of Stanford (1,088) and Leonard Fournette of LSU (1,022) had more over that span.

Hubbard broke runs of 53, 84 and 44 yards while becoming the first player to rush for at least 200 yards in the first five games of a season for the school that produced Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas.

''I say this to everybody, but anybody could have done what I did today,'' Hubbard said after the 26-13 win. ''There were big holes everywhere. I'm thankful to be in this position, but I just have to go up from here.''

Hubbard is averaging 187.6 yards per game to lead the nation. That's well ahead of second-place Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin, who is running for 139.8 per game.

Hubbard burst onto the scene late last season, taking over as starting running back because of Justin Hill's season-ending injury against Oklahoma on Nov. 10. He averaged 106.3 yards in four games.

This season he owns three of the nation's eight 200-yard games.

BAMA BACKGROUND

All three quarterbacks who passed for 400 yards Saturday were on Alabama's roster last year, Al.com first reported.

Layne Hatcher threw for 440 yards and four touchdowns against Troy in his first start for Arkansas State. He was granted immediate eligibility this season because he was a walk-on at Alabama.

The Crimson Tide's Tua Tagovailoa passed for 418 yards and six TDs against Mississippi. Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts threw for 415 yards and three TDs against Texas Tech.

THE LONG RUN

Savon Scarver of Utah State became the latest player to return a kickoff 100 yards, going the distance against Colorado State . There have been six 100-yard returns through five weeks of the season; there were seven for the entire 2018 season.

RUN, RUN, RUN

Air Force tied Army for most rushing attempts in a game. The Falcons ran 69 times for 382 yards in a win over San Jose State a week after Army carried the same number of times for 403 against Morgan State.

The 69 runs wasn't all that impressive by Air Force standards. Last year, the Falcons ran a season-high 87 times against Utah State.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS

Wake Forest's 17 third-down conversions on 24 attempts against Boston College were the most since Texas Tech converted 20 of 25 against Oklahoma in 2016.

SACK SOIREE

SMU's 10 sacks against South Florida obliterated the school record of five. Ten players contributed to the double-digit takedowns of two USF quarterbacks. The 10 sacks matched the season high set by Florida against Miami last month.

SMU's 25 sacks lead the nation. USF's five sacks allowed per game ranks last in the nation.

 

[Cnotes53]

Leach cuts loose, rips up WSU players
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Washington State coach Mike Leach has never been one to hold his thoughts.

After two tough losses, including a 38-13 thrashing by No. 19 Utah on Saturday night, Leach let loose on his feelings about his team and its performances, describing the Cougars as ''fat, dumb, happy, and entitled.''

Washington State entered its conference game against the Utes (4-1 overall, 1-1 Pac-12) as the No. 1 passing team in the country. After WSU failed to play like a No. 1-ranked passing team, Leach said the Cougars (3-2, 0-2) believed they were better than they actually are.

''We're a very soft team,'' Leach said. ''We get a lot of good press. We like to read it a lot. We like to pat ourselves on the back and if we get any resistance, we fold.''

The postgame outburst was similar to the last time his Cougars lost to Utah in 2012. WSU lost 49-6 that day and Leach sent his entire offensive line to the postgame press conference to answer questions.

He wasn't any kinder this time around.

''I think we've got a bunch of free agents running around there that think they're pretty special and then as soon as something doesn't go their way, they want to pout,'' Leach said.

A week ago, WSU disintegrated in a 67-63 loss to UCLA in which they squandered a 32-point, third-quarter lead. On Saturday, the Cougars surrendered 526 yards to a Utah team that didn't even throw a pass in the fourth quarter.

''We weren't even close,'' Leach said. ''I think that at some point they have to embrace the effort themselves.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Fear of 'slip-ups' continuing to fuel Bucks
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) It's been pounded into the heads of Ohio State players since the winter, how losses to unranked opponents from the Big Ten West ended bids for the College Football Playoff the last two years.

The Buckeyes seem to have received the message. Their domination of Nebraska in a 48-7 win on Saturday night showed as much.

''If you look in the past, we've been here before,'' cornerback Jeff Okudah said. ''We've been 4-0 and 5-0 before, so I think the goal now is to have a complete season and don't make any slip-ups. If we take it week-by-week and don't look ahead past anybody, I think that we'll be just fine.''

The Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) might be more than just fine. They moved from No. 5 to No. 4 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, received a season-high seven first-place votes and are coming off a performance suggesting this might be the most complete Ohio State team since the 2014 national championship season.

Up next is another Saturday game in prime time, this one at home against No. 25 Michigan State (4-1, 2-0).

Ohio State remains in prove-it mode despite having outscored its first five opponents by a combined 262-43. The Spartans will be the Buckeyes' first ranked opponent.

''I still feel like we've got a lot of people doubting us,'' safety Jordan Fuller said, ''but that's out of our control. All we can do is control how we play on Saturdays and, so far, we've done a pretty good job of that. We always work so hard during the week, so I always say that Saturdays are paydays, and we definitely collected a check.''

Justin Fields strengthened his Heisman Trophy candidacy, throwing for 212 yards and three touchdowns and running for 72 yards and another TD. J.K. Dobbins rushed for 177 yards, his third straight 100-yard game against Nebraska, and the Buckeyes finished with 580 yards.

Michigan State should provide Fields & Co. their biggest challenge to date. The Spartans are seventh nationally in total defense and are giving up 15 points per game, though they allowed twice that in a 40-31 win over Indiana.

The Spartans, who have had some of the nation's best defenses under Mark Dantonio, don't figure to be intimidated.

''Nothing makes me worried,'' MSU safety David Dowell said. ''Just as a football player, it's about mentality. They have elite players pound-for-pound. It's about being able to match up and play our physical brand of football.''

Defensively, the Buckeyes sacked Nebraska's Adrian Martinez four times, with Chase Young recording his nation-leading eighth of the season, and they held the Cornhuskers under 100 total yards until late in the third quarter. Okudah had two interceptions and Fuller had one as the Buckeyes got out to a 38-0 halftime lead.

''The country saw what we were echoing in the locker room before the game: We are who we think we are, because we put in the work and then we also put it on film,'' Okudah said. ''So I know everyone was kind of like doubting the schedule, but I think we were able to show what we're capable of doing.''

Capable is the key word there. Always in the back of the Buckeyes' minds is how they were on the outside looking in when the four CFP teams were selected. In 2017, they were No. 6 in the CFP ratings the first week of November when they lost 55-24 at Iowa. Last year, they were unbeaten and No. 2 in the AP poll the third week of October when they lost 49-20 at Purdue.

Since then, the Buckeyes have won 11 straight. Only Clemson's 20-game win streak is longer.

Asked if his team sent a message to the country with its convincing win over Nebraska, coach Ryan Day said no.

''We still have a long way to go,'' he said. ''This doesn't mean anything if we don't keep it going.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Swinney knows Clemson must improve
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Clemson is still unbeaten, still on course to claim another Atlantic Coast Conference championship along with a trip to the College Football Playoff.

That doesn't mean the now-No. 2 and reigning national champion Tigers are playing anything near flawless football.

Clemson's shortcomings were all on display Saturday at North Carolina. The Tigers committed too many penalties. They lost the turnover battle. Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence again didn't have the big numbers everyone thought would be routine this season. And they had to stop a late 2-point conversion to survive in a game the Tigers were favored to win by four touchdowns.

The close call ultimately cost Clemson the No. 1 ranking it has held since the preseason as Alabama jumped over the Tigers in the AP Top 25 Sunday.

Yet coach Dabo Swinney had a different takeaway: His Tigers had plenty to learn from a close September win, just like they did last year on the way to a second national championship in three seasons.

''We don't get defined by one game, whether it's good or bad,'' Swinney said after the 21-20 victory. ''We just move on. You learn from each one. Sometimes people say, `Oh well, sometimes it's good to lose a game.' I'm like, `Well, why do we got to lose to learn?' I like learning when we win. It's a lot better.''

That's why Swinney was promising a ''nice little film session on Monday'' to start the Tigers' open week.

Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) was flagged for five false starts and a substitution penalty. The Tigers committed a turnover when Travis Etienne's first-half fumble set up a UNC touchdown drive while failing to record a takeaway of their own. And their offense never looked close to its high-scoring form of a year ago, finishing with 331 yards and 21 points in the lowest outputs of their program-record 20-game winning streak.

They faced their biggest deficit of the season when the Tar Heels went ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter, and they didn't lead until Lawrence's touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 9:54 left in the fourth.

''We kept encouraging each other and never started to point the finger or anything like that,'' Lawrence said. ''We were obviously frustrated in ourselves, but it was never like blaming anyone for anything. We just stuck together and found a way to win.''

In this case, that meant taking down UNC quarterback Sam Howell on an option keeper on the conversion try with 1:17 left, surviving against a team that had gone 2-14 in league play over the past two seasons.

''It's not easy to win,'' Swinney said. ''I know that we're supposed to just destroy everybody, like nobody else has scholarships, nobody else has coaches. ... We're not perfect, we don't coach perfect. Unfortunately we don't play perfect every down, every game. But we found a way to win kind of an ugly game in a lot of ways.''

Clemson might not need much more to claim a fifth straight ACC championship considering its recent domination of the league. Clemson is 37-2 against ACC opponents since the start of the 2015 season, with the last loss coming nearly two years ago and most wins by lopsided margins.

An unbeaten run, regardless of whether the Tigers are ranked No. 1, would likely put them back in the four-team playoff. Yet the Tigers will certainly have to play better if they want to win another national title.

The Tigers were in similar position almost exactly a year ago, when they barely beat Syracuse after Lawrence was knocked from the game only days after former starting QB Kelly Bryant had decided to transfer. Clemson rallied to win 27-23 and reach 5-0, and then didn't play another game closer than 20 points.

''We're going to be all right,'' Swinney said.

''Last year, we were a team that went to the playoffs and won one game by 27, another one by 28,'' Swinney said. ''And it was the same team that, we barely beat Syracuse. ... We barely beat Texas A&M, remember? What's wrong with us? Ain't nothing wrong with us. It's just college football, we're just trying to get better, one week at a time and try to find a win.

''That's what we did. We've got a lot we've got to improve. But I like the guys we've got, wouldn't trade them for anybody.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Mullen rips O-line; Gators prep for Auburn
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Florida coach Dan Mullen protected, even defended, his young offensive line for much of the first month of the season.

After another sluggish performance, this one against lower-division Towson on Saturday, Mullen had seen enough.

Mullen ripped his O-line following the 38-0 victory for failing to create much push or open many holes against another team from the Football Championship Subdivision.

''That has got to improve,'' Mullen said. ''The mental toughness of the offensive line in their preparation has got to improve as we move forward. ... They're young guys. They go, `Coach, I'm working.' No, you're not, obviously not, because if you were working, we wouldn't have missed assignments. So what you're doing is not enough. They need to do more.''

His timing was obvious: the 10th-ranked Gators (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) host No. 7 Auburn (5-0, 2-0) and its vaunted defensive front next Saturday.

Florida's line, which features four new starters, will have its hands full trying to block Auburn standouts Marlon Davidson , Derrick Brown and Big Kat Bryant.

''When it comes to better competition and getting into SEC play, you have to take it to another level,'' center Nick Buchanan said. ''And we're prepared for the challenge.''

Mullen doesn't sound as certain.

The Gators ran 16 times for 60 yards in the first half against Towson, which entered giving up more than 200 yards a game on the ground. Florida was expected to impose its will on a defense that was seemingly at a disadvantage in terms of size, speed, strength and depth.

Instead, the Gators did little until Mullen's halftime talk, which he said ''wasn't super friendly.''

The coach was still unimpressed after the game. Florida finished with 32 carries for 160 yards, with 63 of those coming on two runs in the final 21 minutes.

''If you want to keep doing the same thing over and over again, you're not going to improve,'' Mullen said. ''What are you doing at night? Are you walking it through in the dorm at night? Are you drawing it? Are you watching film?

''Everybody learns in a different way, OK. And guys have got to learn what's the best way they learn, what's the best way they can improve at processing information as they get going. They got to do it. And if they don't, then they're not going to get better and then we got to find somebody that can.''

It was an about-face for Mullen, who shielded his line from criticism after similar performances against Miami, Kentucky and Tennessee. Florida's first-half rushing totals in those: 17 carries for 40 yards against the Hurricanes, 14 carries for 20 yards at the Wildcats and 19 carries for 46 yards versus the Volunteers.

The Gators played better after the break against Kentucky and Tennessee, but all those lackluster starts proved to be red flags.

''Taking it to the next level is when we don't have to go to halftime to make those adjustments in the first place,'' running back Dameon Pierce said.

Florida has survived its run-game woes so far. But with unbeaten Auburn, fifth-ranked LSU, improving South Carolina and No. 3 Georgia on tap over the next five weeks, the Gators know they have to improve to have any chance of staying unbeaten and in contention for a championship.

For now, Mullen has put it all on the line.

Last year's unit helped produce the 10th-best rushing offense in school history. The Gators average 213.2 yards a game on the ground and allowed 18 sacks, which ranked 20th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. But three guys were selected in the NFL draft, leaving huge holes to fill.

Those still remain. The question now is whether Florida's can prevent them from being exploited by Auburn.

''We've got plenty of gears that we can kick into,'' Pierce said. ''We try to take another step, another step, and eventually, hopefully, the outcome will be winning games.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Rutgers fires coach Ash after 8-win tenure
September 29, 2019
By The Associated Press

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) Chris Ash's tenure as Rutgers coach is over after three-plus seasons that resulted in only three Big Ten victories.

Athletic director Pat Hobbs announced Sunday that Ash had been fired four games into his fourth season, with the Scarlet Knights showing little progress. Rutgers (1-3, 0-2 Big Ten) was embarrassed 52-0 by Michigan on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights went 1-11 last season and have not won a Big Ten game since 2017, losing 14 straight to conference foes and 16 in a row to Power Five teams.

The 45-year-old Ash posted an 8-32 record, including a 3-26 mark in the conference Rutgers joined in 2014, two years before Ash was hired.

''We appreciate Chris's dedicated efforts on behalf of our football program, our department and our University,'' Hobbs said in a statement released by the school on Sunday afternoon. ''This change is especially difficult because of the steadfast commitment that Chris and his family have made to our student-athletes. Progress has been achieved in many areas, but, unfortunately, that progress has not been realized in the field of play. As such, it is in the best interest of the program to make a change.''

Hobbs also announced offensive coordinator John McNulty has been fired and tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Rutgers will host Maryland on Saturday.

A national search for the next coach will begin immediately, Hobbs said. Even before the move to let go Ash, there was speculation that former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano would be a candidate to return to the school.

Schiano was Rutgers coach from 2001-11, leading a massive rebuild that took the program from the bottom of major college football to six bowl appearances in seven seasons. Schiano left to become Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach after the 2011 season, but lasted only two seasons. He spent three seasons as Ohio State defensive coordinator before parting ways with the program after last season. He took a job in February as defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and friend Bill Belichick, but resigned the post about a month later, saying he wanted to spend more time with family.

Schiano had been all but officially hired by Tennessee after the 2017 regular season, but a fan mutiny led the university to back out of that deal.

Rutgers hired Ash as a first-time head coach in 2016, fresh off a stint at the Ohio State's defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer. He helped the Buckeyes win the 2014 national championship.

Ash took over a program mired in off the field issues, including several arrests and an academic scandal involving former coach Kyle Flood.

As part of his buyout, Rutgers will owe Ash approximately $8.47 million, with part of his $2.3 million salary from this year still to be paid and the $7.5 million he's owed through the 2022 season.

McNulty's departure erases some long-awaited stability at offensive coordinator. The only offensive coordinator to coach for more than one season at Rutgers since he did it during his first stint in Piscataway from 2007-2008, McNulty has another year left on a three-year deal that pays him $625,000 this season. He is owed about $900,000.

Ash and McNulty's buyouts will be paid for by athletic department-generated funds, according to Rutgers.

Campanile is relatively new to college coaching, coming to Rutgers as Ash's running backs coach in February of 2018 after building Bergen Catholic into a New Jersey parochial football power from 2010-2017.

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Payrolls for the 10 playoff teams in baseball:

New York $203,897,446
Washington $197,203,691
LA Dodgers $196,279,677
St Louis $162,620,267
Houston $158,053,000
Milwaukee $122,530,400
Minnesota $119,651,933
Atlanta $115,247,089
A?s $92,178,833
Tampa Bay $60,084,133


**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but??

13) Three years ago, the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years; Sunday, they fired manager Joe Maddon, who led them to that title.

When he was in Boston, Cubs GM Theo Epstein fired manager Terry Francona after the 2011 season; Francona won two World Series in eight years with the Red Sox, Boston?s first World Series titles in 86 years.

Not a lot of loyalty there, in either case.

Maddon is 65 years old and made $6M this year; his successor will be younger and a lot cheaper.

12) The analytics crowd in baseball doesn?t value the field manager as much as they should; teams live/travel together for 7+ months. Having the right manager makes all the difference.

If you read this site, you know I love numbers, but those guys aren?t playing fantasy baseball, managers have to deal with fragile egos and huge egos and convince guys to accept what is best for the team- they have to have real life people skills. You think major league players like to be platooned constantly?

My point is this; maybe it isn?t Joe Maddon?s fault the Cubs faded down the stretch; maybe the roster Theo Epstein gave him just wasn?t good enough.

11) Angels fired manager Brad Ausmus after only one season, a year where one of their starting pitchers was found dead in his hotel room on a road trip; not exactly an ideal scenario.

Popular wisdom is that the Angels will go after former Angel coach Maddon to be their next manager.

10) Pirates fired manager Clint Hurdle, who was 735-720 in nine years managing the Pirates, with three playoff appearances. From 2013-15, Pirates were 280-206, and made the playoffs all three years. He also led the Rockies to a World Series; pretty strong resume.

9) Cleveland Indians won 93 games this year, the most by any non-playoff team since 2000, when the Mets went 94-68 but missed the playoffs by a game.

8) Pete Alonso hit 53 homers for the Mets this year; 31 of them came with the bases empty.

7) Friday night against the Dodgers, San Francisco became the first team since the 1950 Cardinals to score 2 or less runs in a game, while stranding 17+ runners on base.

6) Monthly sports betting handle:
May: Nevada $317.3M, New Jersey $318.9M
June: Nevada $322.5M, New Jersey $317.3M
July: Nevada $235M, New Jersey $251M
August: Nevada $287.7M, New Jersey $293.5M (Pennsylvania $109M)

5) Early in his career, Dodger SS Corey Seager irritated LA officials with the number of swings he took before, during and after games; they thought he overdid it. Seager was obsessed with perfecting his swing; when he had to miss 2018 with elbow/hip injuries, he became more coachable this year and had a solid 2019, hitting .272 with 84 RBI.

4) 10 years ago, the under-18 U.S. national baseball team had Tony Wolters, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado on it, as well as pitchers Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray and Jameson Taillon. Pretty good team; half of the 20 players made the major leagues.

3) Rutgers fired football coach Chris Ash before baseball season ended, which is unusual. Not a lot of college football coaches get the boot before Columbus Day.

2) Steelers 27, Bengals 3:
? This was a bad football game; the Bengals? offensive line was terrible.
? Andy Dalton was sacked eight times; he averaged 2.3 yards/pass attempt.
? Two of Pittsburgh?s three TD?s were on drives of less than 50 yards.

1) I know he is just an actor and he isn?t the characters he portrays, but I would still be queasy if Robert DeNiro was mad at me.

 

[Cnotes53]

This report may update as gamedays get closer....


NCAAF
Long Sheet

Thursday, October 3

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GA SOUTHERN (1 - 3) at S ALABAMA (1 - 4) - 10/3/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
S ALABAMA is 20-35 ATS (-18.5 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
S ALABAMA is 18-33 ATS (-18.3 Units) after playing a conference game since 1992.
S ALABAMA is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) off a loss against a conference rival since 1992.
S ALABAMA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
GA SOUTHERN is 2-0 against the spread versus S ALABAMA over the last 3 seasons
GA SOUTHERN is 2-0 straight up against S ALABAMA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TEMPLE (3 - 1) at E CAROLINA (3 - 2) - 10/3/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEMPLE is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points over the last 3 seasons.
TEMPLE is 107-77 ATS (+22.3 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
TEMPLE is 64-38 ATS (+22.2 Units) in October games since 1992.
TEMPLE is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 over the last 3 seasons.
E CAROLINA is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
E CAROLINA is 9-20 ATS (-13.0 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
E CAROLINA is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
E CAROLINA is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in home games when playing on a Thursday since 1992.
E CAROLINA is 26-43 ATS (-21.3 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins since 1992.
E CAROLINA is 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

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

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Friday, October 4

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UCF (4 - 1) at CINCINNATI (3 - 1) - 10/4/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UCF is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
UCF is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
UCF is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.

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

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NEW MEXICO (2 - 2) at SAN JOSE ST (2 - 2) - 10/4/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE ST is 27-10 ATS (+16.0 Units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points since 1992.
NEW MEXICO is 45-27 ATS (+15.3 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points since 1992.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 5

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S FLORIDA (1 - 3) at CONNECTICUT (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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BOSTON COLLEGE (3 - 2) at LOUISVILLE (2 - 2) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N CAROLINA (2 - 3) at GEORGIA TECH (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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TEXAS (3 - 1) at W VIRGINIA (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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PURDUE (1 - 3) at PENN ST (4 - 0) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PENN ST is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
PENN ST is 40-22 ATS (+15.8 Units) in home games off a win against a conference rival since 1992.

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

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BALL ST (1 - 3) at N ILLINOIS (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
N ILLINOIS is 104-75 ATS (+21.5 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
N ILLINOIS is 58-36 ATS (+18.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1992.
N ILLINOIS is 59-37 ATS (+18.3 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 since 1992.

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

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TULANE (3 - 1) at ARMY (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARMY is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games against American Athletic conference opponents since 1992.
ARMY is 20-37 ATS (-20.7 Units) when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest since 1992.
ARMY is 16-36 ATS (-23.6 Units) after a bye week since 1992.

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

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PITTSBURGH (3 - 2) at DUKE (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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BAYLOR (4 - 0) at KANSAS ST (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS ST is 94-67 ATS (+20.3 Units) in home games since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 94-67 ATS (+20.3 Units) in home lined games since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 127-93 ATS (+24.7 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 160-122 ATS (+25.8 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 132-99 ATS (+23.1 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 125-90 ATS (+26.0 Units) after playing a conference game since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 94-67 ATS (+20.3 Units) in home games in games played on turf since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 67-42 ATS (+20.8 Units) in October games since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 55-32 ATS (+19.8 Units) off a loss against a conference rival since 1992.
KANSAS ST is 72-46 ATS (+21.4 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 since 1992.

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

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MARYLAND (2 - 2) at RUTGERS (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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OKLAHOMA ST (4 - 1) at TEXAS TECH (2 - 2) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS TECH is 87-57 ATS (+24.3 Units) in home games since 1992.
TEXAS TECH is 87-57 ATS (+24.3 Units) in home lined games since 1992.
TEXAS TECH is 84-55 ATS (+23.5 Units) in home games when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
TEXAS TECH is 128-92 ATS (+26.8 Units) in games played on turf since 1992.
OKLAHOMA ST is 94-67 ATS (+20.3 Units) as a favorite since 1992.

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

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KENT ST (2 - 2) at WISCONSIN (4 - 0) - 10/5/2019, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WISCONSIN is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.

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

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W MICHIGAN (3 - 2) at TOLEDO (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TOLEDO is 88-63 ATS (+18.7 Units) as a favorite since 1992.
TOLEDO is 52-31 ATS (+17.9 Units) in home games when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
TOLEDO is 48-29 ATS (+16.1 Units) in home games when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.
TOLEDO is 63-42 ATS (+16.8 Units) in home games in games played on turf since 1992.

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

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OKLAHOMA (4 - 0) at KANSAS (2 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS is 133-171 ATS (-55.1 Units) in all games since 1992.
KANSAS is 133-171 ATS (-55.1 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
KANSAS is 84-120 ATS (-48.0 Units) as an underdog since 1992.
KANSAS is 94-126 ATS (-44.6 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
KANSAS is 123-162 ATS (-55.2 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
KANSAS is 104-135 ATS (-44.5 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.
KANSAS is 86-121 ATS (-47.1 Units) after playing a conference game since 1992.
KANSAS is 59-90 ATS (-40.0 Units) off a loss against a conference rival since 1992.
KANSAS is 58-88 ATS (-38.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.

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

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OHIO U (1 - 3) at BUFFALO (2 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in home games against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
BUFFALO is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games after playing a conference game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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TCU (3 - 1) at IOWA ST (2 - 2) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IOWA ST is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) when playing on a Saturday over the last 3 seasons.
IOWA ST is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in October games over the last 3 seasons.

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

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VANDERBILT (1 - 3) at OLE MISS (2 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANDERBILT is 45-66 ATS (-27.6 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 since 1992.

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

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MARSHALL (2 - 2) at MIDDLE TENN ST (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MARSHALL is 20-35 ATS (-18.5 Units) as a road favorite since 1992.
MARSHALL is 49-72 ATS (-30.2 Units) in road games since 1992.
MARSHALL is 49-72 ATS (-30.2 Units) in road lined games since 1992.
MARSHALL is 32-51 ATS (-24.1 Units) in road games against conference opponents since 1992.

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

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BOWLING GREEN (1 - 3) at NOTRE DAME (3 - 1) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOWLING GREEN is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
BOWLING GREEN is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
BOWLING GREEN is 6-18 ATS (-13.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
BOWLING GREEN is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) when playing on a Saturday over the last 3 seasons.
BOWLING GREEN is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
NOTRE DAME is 59-38 ATS (+17.2 Units) in October games since 1992.
NOTRE DAME is 66-44 ATS (+17.6 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 since 1992.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARKANSAS ST (3 - 2) at GEORGIA ST (2 - 2) - 10/5/2019, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GEORGIA ST is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
GEORGIA ST is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) after playing a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
GEORGIA ST is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
GEORGIA ST is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) off a loss against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.

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

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W KENTUCKY (2 - 2) at OLD DOMINION (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
W KENTUCKY is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
W KENTUCKY is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games after playing a conference game over the last 3 seasons.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUBURN (5 - 0) at FLORIDA (5 - 0) - 10/5/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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MASSACHUSETTS (1 - 4) at FLA INTERNATIONAL (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MASSACHUSETTS is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MASSACHUSETTS is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in games played on turf over the last 3 seasons.

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

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MEMPHIS (4 - 0) at LA MONROE (2 - 2) - 10/5/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MEMPHIS is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points over the last 3 seasons.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MICHIGAN ST (4 - 1) at OHIO ST (5 - 0) - 10/5/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OHIO ST is 194-148 ATS (+31.2 Units) in all games since 1992.
OHIO ST is 194-148 ATS (+31.2 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
OHIO ST is 126-96 ATS (+20.4 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
OHIO ST is 176-133 ATS (+29.7 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1992.
OHIO ST is 97-71 ATS (+18.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UTAH ST (3 - 1) at LSU (4 - 0) - 10/5/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH ST is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
UTAH ST is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
UTAH ST is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UTSA (1 - 3) at UTEP (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTSA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
UTSA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
UTSA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing on a Saturday over the last 3 seasons.
UTSA is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in games played on turf over the last 3 seasons.
UTEP is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
UTEP is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
UTEP is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home games when playing on a Saturday over the last 3 seasons.
UTEP is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in home games in games played on turf over the last 3 seasons.
UTEP is 19-36 ATS (-20.6 Units) in home games after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses since 1992.
UTEP is 41-64 ATS (-29.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1992.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOISE ST (4 - 0) at UNLV (1 - 3) - 10/5/2019, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

 

[Cnotes53]

NCAAF

Week 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, October 3

Georgia Southern @ South Alabama
Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing South Alabama
Georgia Southern is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing South Alabama
South Alabama
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Alabama's last 5 games
South Alabama is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

Temple @ East Carolina
Temple
Temple is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing East Carolina
Temple is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing East Carolina
East Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of East Carolina's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of East Carolina's last 5 games when playing Temple


Friday, October 4

Central Florida @ Cincinnati
Central Florida
Central Florida is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games
Central Florida is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Cincinnati is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

New Mexico @ San Jose State
New Mexico
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Mexico's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Mexico's last 9 games
San Jose State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose State's last 6 games
San Jose State is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games


Saturday, October 5

Utah State @ Louisiana State
Utah State
Utah State is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
Utah State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Louisiana State
Louisiana State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisiana State's last 5 games

Tulane @ Army
Tulane
Tulane is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Tulane is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Army
Army is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Army is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games

Texas Christian @ Iowa State
Texas Christian
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas Christian's last 5 games when playing Iowa State
Texas Christian is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Iowa State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Iowa State's last 5 games when playing Texas Christian
Iowa State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

Oklahoma @ Kansas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas
Oklahoma is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas
Kansas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas's last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma

Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Oklahoma State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Texas Tech
Texas Tech
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas Tech's last 6 games
Texas Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma State

Iowa @ Michigan
Iowa
Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Iowa's last 9 games on the road
Michigan
Michigan is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Michigan's last 6 games

Maryland @ Rutgers
Maryland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Maryland's last 7 games on the road
Maryland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Rutgers
Rutgers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Rutgers's last 10 games

Purdue @ Penn State
Purdue
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Purdue's last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Purdue's last 5 games
Penn State
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Purdue
Penn State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Purdue

Kent State @ Wisconsin
Kent State
Kent State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Kent State is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Wisconsin is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home

South Florida @ Connecticut
South Florida
South Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of South Florida's last 7 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games

Boston College @ Louisville
Boston College
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston College's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston College's last 5 games when playing Louisville
Louisville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisville's last 5 games when playing Boston College
Louisville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston College

Eastern Michigan @ Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Eastern Michigan's last 6 games when playing on the road against Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan is 18-4 ATS in its last 22 games on the road
Central Michigan
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Central Michigan's last 6 games when playing at home against Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Eastern Michigan

Auburn @ Florida
Auburn
Auburn is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Auburn is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Florida
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

Baylor @ Kansas State
Baylor
Baylor is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Baylor is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Kansas State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home

Virginia Tech @ Miami-FL
Virginia Tech
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Virginia Tech's last 8 games when playing on the road against Miami-FL
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia Tech's last 5 games when playing Miami-FL
Miami-FL
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Miami-FL's last 8 games when playing at home against Virginia Tech
Miami-FL is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games at home

Texas @ West Virginia
Texas
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
West Virginia
West Virginia is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of West Virginia's last 10 games

Illinois @ Minnesota
Illinois
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Illinois's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Illinois's last 10 games
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

Air Force @ Navy
Air Force
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Air Force's last 7 games when playing Navy
Air Force is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Navy
Navy
Navy is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Air Force
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Navy's last 7 games when playing Air Force

Marshall @ Middle Tennessee
Marshall
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Marshall's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Marshall's last 6 games on the road
Middle Tennessee
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Middle Tennessee's last 6 games
Middle Tennessee is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home

Ohio @ Buffalo
Ohio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio's last 6 games on the road
Ohio is 15-8 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Buffalo is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Ohio

Ball State @ Northern Illinois
Ball State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ball State's last 5 games when playing on the road against Northern Illinois
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ball State's last 8 games on the road
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Ball State
Northern Illinois is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ball State

Western Michigan @ Toledo
Western Michigan
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Western Michigan's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Western Michigan's last 7 games when playing on the road against Toledo
Toledo
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toledo's last 7 games when playing at home against Western Michigan
Toledo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Arkansas State @ Georgia State
Arkansas State
Arkansas State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Georgia State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arkansas State's last 6 games on the road
Georgia State
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Georgia State's last 11 games
Georgia State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

Bowling Green @ Notre Dame
Bowling Green
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Bowling Green's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Bowling Green's last 5 games on the road
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Notre Dame is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games

Memphis @ Louisiana-Monroe
Memphis
Memphis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Memphis is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Monroe is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisiana-Monroe's last 5 games at home

Troy @ Missouri
Troy
Troy is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Troy is 10-1-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Missouri
Missouri is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Missouri's last 5 games at home

North Carolina @ Georgia Tech
North Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 5 of North Carolina's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 5 games when playing Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against North Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Georgia Tech's last 6 games at home

Northwestern @ Nebraska
Northwestern
Northwestern is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Northwestern is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Nebraska
Nebraska is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nebraska's last 6 games at home

Arizona @ Colorado
Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Arizona's last 8 games when playing Colorado
Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Colorado's last 8 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games

Western Kentucky @ Old Dominion
Western Kentucky
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Kentucky's last 5 games when playing Old Dominion
Western Kentucky is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Old Dominion
Old Dominion
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Old Dominion's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Old Dominion's last 5 games when playing Western Kentucky

Georgia @ Tennessee
Georgia
Georgia is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Georgia is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games
Tennessee
Tennessee is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Georgia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tennessee's last 7 games when playing Georgia

Massachusetts @ Florida International
Massachusetts
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 6 games on the road
Florida International
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Florida International's last 10 games
Florida International is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games at home

Rice @ Alabama-Birmingham
Rice
Rice is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Rice is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Alabama-Birmingham
Alabama-Birmingham is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Alabama-Birmingham is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

Vanderbilt @ Mississippi
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Mississippi
Vanderbilt is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Mississippi
Mississippi
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Mississippi's last 13 games when playing Vanderbilt
Mississippi is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vanderbilt

Michigan State @ Ohio State
Michigan State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan State's last 5 games when playing Ohio State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan State's last 5 games on the road
Ohio State
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Tulsa @ Southern Methodist
Tulsa
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tulsa's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Tulsa's last 11 games on the road
Southern Methodist
Southern Methodist is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Southern Methodist is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

California @ Oregon
California
California is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of California's last 9 games when playing on the road against Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Oregon is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against California

Pittsburgh @ Duke
Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games
Duke
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Duke's last 6 games
Duke is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

Liberty @ New Mexico State
Liberty
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Liberty's last 5 games
Liberty is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
New Mexico State
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of New Mexico State's last 16 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Mexico State's last 7 games

Texas-San Antonio @ Texas El Paso
Texas-San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas-San Antonio's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas-San Antonio's last 16 games on the road
Texas El Paso
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas El Paso's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas El Paso's last 8 games

Oregon State @ California-Los Angeles
Oregon State
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Oregon State's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oregon State's last 7 games when playing California-Los Angeles
California-Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of California-Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing Oregon State
California-Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Oregon State

San Diego State @ Colorado State
San Diego State
San Diego State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego State's last 5 games
Colorado State
Colorado State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado State's last 8 games at home

Washington @ Stanford
Washington
Washington is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Stanford
Stanford is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Stanford is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games at home

Boise State @ Nevada-Las Vegas
Boise State
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boise State is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
Nevada-Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Nevada-Las Vegas's last 25 games at home
Nevada-Las Vegas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

Appalachian State @ Louisiana-Lafayette
Appalachian State
Appalachian State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Louisiana-Lafayette
Appalachian State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Lafayette is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 6 games

 

[Cnotes53]

College football Week 6 odds: Early bettors back Auburn in SEC battle vs Florida
Patrick Everson

College football heads into October with Week 6, which features a big battle of unbeatens in the Southeastern Conference. We check in on the opening odds and early action, with insights from Matt Chaprales, head of content for PointsBet USA.

No. 7 Auburn Tigers at No. 8 Florida Gators (+2)

Auburn has been outstanding not only on the field, but against the oddsmakers through the first five weeks, at a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS. In Week 5, the Tigers drubbed Mississippi State 56-23 as 7.5-point home favorites.

Florida hasn?t been as good for bettors, but still enters this Saturday afternoon clash at 5-0 SU (2-3 ATS). The Gators got an easy tuneup in Week 5, rolling over FCS foe Towson State 38-0 while failing to cash as 40-point home faves.

?A pivotal October game, both in terms of the SEC and the College Football Playoff picture, as both teams are staring at minefields for upcoming schedules,? Chaprales said. ?Early action landed on Auburn, pushing an opener of -2 up to -3. At that point, there was some buyback on Florida +3. The number will probably bounce around the key number throughout the week.?

No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 18 Michigan Wolverines (-5.5)

Michigan finally found a way to cover the number, but needed to face a Big Ten doormat to do so. The Wolverines (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) rebounded from a drubbing at Wisconsin by bashing Rutgers 52-0 as 27.5 point Week 5 home favorites.

Iowa heads into this key Saturday contest with a perfect 4-0 SU mark (2-2 ATS). The Hawkeyes blasted Middle Tennessee State 48-3 laying 23.5 points at home in Week 5.

Michigan opened -5.5 and ticked down to -4.5, then back to -5. However, by Monday afternoon, the number dipped to -4. PointsBet USA?s primary operation is as a mobile operator in New Jersey, but it also has a new brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Catfish Bend Casino in Iowa, which will certainly impact action on this game.

?Michigan got the complete effort it needed on Saturday, tuning up with Rutgers,? Chaprales said. ?But the Wolverines will face a tough test in an Iowa squad that?s looked good so far, albeit against uninspiring competition. A small adjustment off the opener, and I?m sure more Iowa money will start to flow in at our Catfish Bend property throughout the week ? and specifically on game day.?

No. 19 Central Florida Knights at Cincinnati Bearcats (+3)

Central Florida?s 27-game regular-season win streak ? and 19-7-1 ATS tear ? is in the rearview mirror after a stunning Week 4 outright loss at Pittsburgh. The Knights (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) bounced back in Week 5 by crushing Connecticut 56-21, but fell short as 42-point home favorites.

Cincinnati took a Week 2 beating at Ohio State, losing 42-0, but followed by winning and cashing its next two games. The Bearcats (3-1 SU and ATS) went to Marshall as 4-point faves Saturday and exited with a 52-14 blowout victory.

The Knights won and cashed the last three in this American Athletic Conference rivalry, by margins of 21 points or more each time out.

?Central Florida has dominated this series the past few years, and early action is reflective of that, with a rapid move through 3,? Chaprales said of a line that?s already up to Knights -4.5. ?It?s a stand-alone game under the lights on Friday, and we?re going to need Cincinnati. It?s just a matter of how big of a decision it?s going to be.?

No. 16 California Golden Bears at No. 13 Oregon Ducks (+18)

Oregon was dealt a painful Week 1 neutral-site loss to Auburn, in a game the Ducks led for all but the final nine seconds. But Oregon (3-1 SU and ATS) won and cashed three straight since then, including a 21-6 victory at Stanford giving 13 points in Week 4. Oregon had a bye in Week 5.

California was the surprise team of the first month, going unbeaten while posting road victories over Washington and Mississippi. However, the Golden Bears (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) crashed back to earth in Week 5, losing at home to Arizona State 24-17 as 4-point favorites. Cal lost quarterback Chase Garbers to a shoulder injury late in the first half.

?This game is currently off the board due to Garbers? status,? Chaprales said early Monday morning. ?Without Garbers, an already shaky Cal offense is in big trouble.?

By Monday afternoon, PointsBet USA went up with Oregon a hefty 18-point favorite on the assumption that Garbers will not play for Cal.