Cnotes 2015 College Football All You Need To Know- Trends, Picks, News Etc.

[CNOTES]

NCAAF Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds


7:00 PM Akron +33 521 29.01% Oklahoma -33 1275 70.99% View View


8:00 PM Texas State +28 574 32.84% Florida State -28 1174 67.16% View View


11:00 PM Arkansas State +28 606 33.55% Southern California -28 1200 66.45% View View


12:00 PM UL Monroe +35 665 35.71% Georgia -35 1197 64.29% View View


7:30 PM Georgia Southern +17.5 643 36.64% West Virginia -17.5 1112 63.36% View View


3:30 PM Texas El Paso +31.5 692 38.34% Arkansas -31.5 1113 61.66% View View


3:30 PM Florida Atlantic +5 681 39.64% Tulsa -5 1037 60.36% View View


7:00 PM UL Lafayette +16.5 707 39.81% Kentucky -16.5 1069 60.19% View View


4:00 PM Bowling Green +21 755 40.42% Tennessee -21 1113 59.58% View View


7:30 PM New Mexico State +34.5 699 40.81% Florida -34.5 1014 59.19% View View


6:00 PM Troy +26 684 41.38% North Carolina State -26 969 58.62% View View


2:00 PM Kent State +13.5 221 44.11% Illinois -13.5 280 55.89% View View


7:30 PM UNLV +23.5 763 46.50% Northern Illinois -23.5 878 53.50% View View


3:30 PM Louisville +10.5 1000 48.29% Auburn -10.5 1071 51.71% View View


3:30 PM Brigham Young +5.5 990 49.01% Nebraska -5.5 1030 50.99% View View


12:00 PM Norfolk State +36 1 50.00% Rutgers -36 1 50.00% View View


12:00 PM Stanford -10.5 1062 50.28% Northwestern +10.5 1050 49.72% View View


7:30 PM Texas +8.5 1035 51.21% Notre Dame -8.5 986 48.79% View View


3:30 PM Old Dominion -6.5 875 51.81% Eastern Michigan +6.5 814 48.19% View View


3:30 PM Virginia +19 1053 53.29% UCLA -19 923 46.71% View View


8:00 PM Wisconsin +13 1074 53.51% Alabama -13 933 46.49% View View


7:00 PM Arizona State +3 1097 53.62% Texas A&M -3 949 46.38% View View


3:30 PM Penn State -6.5 1254 61.41% Temple +6.5 788 38.59% View View


10:00 PM Mississippi State -20.5 1113 62.25% Southern Mississippi +20.5 675 37.75% View View


12:00 PM South Dakota State +4.5 2 100.00% Kansas -4.5 0 0.00% View View






TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds


12:00 PM South Dakota State 48.5 1 33.33% Kansas 48.5 2 66.67% View View


7:30 PM Texas 49 586 43.15% Notre Dame 49 772 56.85% View View


8:00 PM Wisconsin 47.5 614 43.45% Alabama 47.5 799 56.55% View View


3:30 PM Old Dominion 60.5 554 43.97% Eastern Michigan 60.5 706 56.03% View View


3:30 PM Florida Atlantic 67.5 572 45.58% Tulsa 67.5 683 54.42% View View


3:30 PM Penn State 44 626 46.17% Temple 44 730 53.83% View View


2:00 PM Kent State 53.5 154 46.95% Illinois 53.5 174 53.05% View View


11:00 PM Arkansas State 70.5 626 48.53% Southern California 70.5 664 51.47% View View


3:30 PM Brigham Young 59.5 650 48.80% Nebraska 59.5 682 51.20% View View


4:00 PM Bowling Green 70.5 652 49.17% Tennessee 70.5 674 50.83% View View


12:00 PM Norfolk State 44.5 2 50.00% Rutgers 44.5 2 50.00% View View


10:00 PM Mississippi State 61 622 50.82% Southern Mississippi 61 602 49.18% View View


7:00 PM UL Lafayette 58 614 51.17% Kentucky 58 586 48.83% View View


6:00 PM Troy 62 638 52.95% North Carolina State 62 567 47.05% View View


12:00 PM Stanford 48.5 757 53.69% Northwestern 48.5 653 46.31% View View


3:30 PM Virginia 53 716 53.83% UCLA 53 614 46.17% View View


3:30 PM Louisville 56 756 54.43% Auburn 56 633 45.57% View View


8:00 PM Texas State 62 670 55.14% Florida State 62 545 44.86% View View


7:30 PM UNLV 62 663 55.30% Northern Illinois 62 536 44.70% View View


7:00 PM Arizona State 70.5 763 56.27% Texas A&M 70.5 593 43.73% View View


7:30 PM New Mexico State 54.5 700 56.59% Florida 54.5 537 43.41% View View


7:30 PM Georgia Southern 56 741 60.39% West Virginia 56 486 39.61% View View


7:00 PM Akron 57.5 780 62.90% Oklahoma 57.5 460 37.10% View View


3:30 PM Texas El Paso 49 900 66.57% Arkansas 49 452 33.43% View View


12:00 PM UL Monroe 54.5 956 68.14% Georgia 54.5 447 31.86% View View

 

[CNOTES]

Team Open Line Movements Current Moneyline Halftime Scores


3:30 PM EDT


161 OLD DOMINION -7 -6 -05 / -6 / -7 -05 -6.5 -05 -260
162 EASTERN MICHIGAN 66.5 61.5 / 61.5u12 / 61 59.5 +210

Time-change to 03:30pm EDT | PARTLY SUNNY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. WEST WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 87, RH 58% HEAT INDEX 93


7:30 PM EDT


163 NEW MEXICO STATE 57.5 54.5 / 55 / 55u12 54.5
164 FLORIDA -36 -33 / -33 -11 / -33 -33.5 -15

Time-change to 07:30pm EDT | FLO-QB-Treon Harris-Probable | TV: SEC, DTV: 611 | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 40% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS EARLY. EAST WIND 3-8. GAME TEMP 79, RH 73% HEAT INDEX 83


3:30 PM EDT


165 PENN STATE -6 -6.5 -15 / -6.5 / -6 -05 -6.5 -270
166 TEMPLE 38.5 43o20 / 44 / 44o11 44 +220

Time-change to 03:30pm EDT | TV: ESPN, DTV: 206 | MOSTLY SUNNY, SOUTHEAST WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 83, RH 47% HEAT INDEX 84


3:30 PM EDT


167 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 62 67 / 67u23 / 66 65 +160
168 TULSA -6 -5 / -4 / -3.5 -07 -3.5 -180

TV: CBSC, DTV: 221 | PARTLY SUNNY, SOUTH WIND 9-14. GAME TEMP 94, RH 47% HEAT INDEX 102


3:30 PM EDT


169 VIRGINIA 54 52.5 / 52 / 52.5 53 +789
170 UCLA -17 -19.5 -15 / -19 / -19.5 -19 -1100

UCL-QB-Josh Rosen-Probable | TV: FOX | PARTLY CLOUDY, WEST WIND 10-15. GAME TEMP 75, RH 53% HEAT INDEX 77


12:00 PM EDT


171 STANFORD -12 -11 -05 / -10 -15 / -9.5 -05 -9.5 -06 -331
FREE
172 NORTHWESTERN 45 48 / 47.5 / 47 48 +266

Time-change to 12:00pm EDT | NOW-QB-Clayton Thorson-OUT | TV: ESPN, DTV: 206 | MOSTLY SUNNY, SOUTH WIND 4-9. GAME TEMP 79, RH 69% HEAT INDEX 82


3:30 PM EDT


173 LOUISVILLE 58 57u11 / 57 / 56 55 +305
174 AUBURN -10.5 -10.5 -03 / -10.5 EVEN / -10.5 -10 -05 -375

AUB-WR-D'haquille Williams-Probable | TV: CBS | Dome


7:00 PM EDT


175 ARIZONA STATE 66 70.5 / 69 / 67.5 68 +110
176 TEXAS AM -3 -2.5 / -2.5 -15 / -3 -05 -2 -130

Time-change to 07:00pm EDT | AM-QB-Kyle Allen-Probable | TV: ESPN, DTV: 206 | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS EARLY. SOUTH WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 86, RH 67% HEAT INDEX 94 (NRG STADIUM ROOF CLOSES IN WET WEATHER)


3:30 PM EDT
177 BYU 65 60 / 60u21 / 59.5 59 +185
178 NEBRASKA -6 -7 / -6.5 -05 / -6 -05 -5 -215


BYU-RB-Jamaal Williams-OUT | TV: ABC | PARTLY SUNNY, SOUTH WIND 10-20, GUSTY. GAME TEMP 93, RH 46% HEAT INDEX 100


6:00 PM EDT


179 TROY 59.5 60.5 / 61.5 / 62.5 62 +1501
180 NORTH CAROLINA STATE -25 -26 / -25 / -26 -11 -26 -2900

NCS-RB-Shadrach Thornton-OUT | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 40% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS EARLY. NORTHEAST WIND 7-12. GAME TEMP 77, RH 73% HEAT INDEX 80


7:30 PM EDT


181 UNLV 61.5 61.5 / 62.5 / 62 60.5 +800
182 NORTHERN ILLINOIS -20.5 -23 / -23.5 / -23 -15 -21.5 -1200

Time-change to 07:30pm EDT | TV: CBSC, DTV: 221 | MOSTLY FAIR, SOUTH WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 87, RH 56% HEAT INDEX 93


7:00 PM EDT


183 AKRON 55.5o17 57 / 57.5 / 56.5 57.5
184 OKLAHOMA -30.5 -31.5 / -32 / -33 -31.5 +03

PARTLY CLOUDY, SOUTH WIND 8-13. GAME TEMP 90, RH 49% HEAT INDEX 96


4:00 PM EDT


185 BOWLING GREEN 60o21 69.5 / 69.5o12 / 70 68 +900
186 TENNESSEE U -21 -20.5 / -21 / -20.5 -15 -21 -15 -1600

Time-change to 04:00pm EDT | TEN-WR-Alton Howard-OUT | TV: SEC, DTV: 611 | MOSTLY SUNNY, EAST WIND 6-11. GAME TEMP 93, RH 36% HEAT INDEX 96




12:00 PM EDT


189 UL - MONROE 54 53.5 / 54 / 54o11 54
190 GEORGIA -35 -35 -05 / -35.5 -15 / -35 -15 -34.5

Time-change to 12:00pm EDT | GEO-QB-Greyson Lambert-Probable | TV: SEC, DTV: 611 | MOSTLY SUNNY, EAST WIND 6-11. GAME TEMP 81, RH 64% HEAT INDEX 84

 

[CNOTES]

7:00 PM EDT


191 UL - LAFAYETTE 59 59.5 / 59 / 59.5 58 +600
192 KENTUCKY -13.5 -17 / -17 -15 / -17 -16 -900


TV: ESPNU, DTV: 208 | FAIR, EAST WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 84, RH 56% HEAT INDEX 87


3:30 PM EDT
193 UTEP 50.5 50.5 / 49.5 / 50 48.5
194 ARKANSAS -33 -33 / -32.5 / -33 -32.5

Time-change to 03:30pm EDT | ARK-RB-Jonathan Williams-OUT | TV: ESPNU, DTV: 208 | MOSTLY SUNNY, SOUTH WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 91, RH 46% HEAT INDEX 96
FREE MATCH UP5-STAR PICKSTOP POWER LINESVEGAS ODDSFREE PICKSBOX SCORERECAPBET NOW
7:30 PM EDT


195 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 60 56 / 56u11 / 55.5 56 +650
196 WEST VIRGINIA -19 -19 / -17.5 / -17.5 -05 -17 -05 -950

GSO-QB-Kevin Ellison-OUT | TV: FSN, DTV: 668 | MOSTLY FAIR, EAST WIND 4-9. GAME TEMP 79, RH 60% HEAT INDEX 81


7:30 PM EDT


197 TEXAS 53.5 50.5 / 49.5 / 49 48.5 +285
198 NOTRE DAME -8.5 -10 -05 / -9.5 / -8 -05 -8.5 -11 -350

TEX-QB-Tyrone Swoopes-Probable | TV: NBC | PARTLY CLOUDY, SOUTH WIND 3-8. GAME TEMP 83, RH 62% HEAT INDEX 87


8:00 PM EDT


199 TEXAS STATE 59.5 64u14 / 64u15 / 63.5 62
200 FLORIDA STATE -29.5 -28 -15 / -29 / -29.5 -28

FLS-QB-Everett Golson-Probable | FLS-RB-Dalvin Cook-Probable | TV: ESPNN, DTV: 207 | PARTLY CLOUDY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. EAST WIND 3-8. GAME TEMP 84, RH 67% HEAT INDEX 90


8:00 PM EDT


201 WISCONSIN 52.5 48.5 / 48 / 47.5 48 +355
202 ALABAMA -9.5 -13 / -13 -15 / -12.5 -05 -10.5 -15 -450

TV: ABC | MOSTLY FAIR, SOUTHEAST WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 94, RH 42% HEAT INDEX 100 (A T and T STADIUM ROOF MAY CLOSE IN HOT WEATHER)


10:00 PM EDT


203 MISSISSIPPI STATE -23 -20.5 / -21 / -21 -05 -21 -1500
204 SOUTHERN MISS 56.5 58 / 59.5 / 60.5 61 +900

TV: FS-1, DTV: 219 | PARTLY CLOUDY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. NORTH WIND 2-7. GAME TEMP 79, RH 79% HEAT INDEX 84


11:00 PM EDT


205 ARKANSAS STATE 66 69.5o15 / 70 / 70.5 70 +1847
206 USC -28 -27 / -27.5 / -28 -05 -27 -4400

TV: Pac-12 | MOSTLY FAIR, WEST WIND 7-12. GAME TEMP 69, RH 70%


2:00 PM EDT


211 KENT STATE 53 53 53.5 +400
212 ILLINOIS -13.5 -08 -13.5 -08 -13.5 -05 -520


ILL-WR-Mike Dudek-OUT


12:00 PM EDT


325 SOUTH DAKOTA ST
326 KANSAS -3.5 -3.5 / -4.5 -3

TV: FSN, DTV: 668 | PARTLY CLOUDY, SOUTH WIND 9-14. GAME TEMP 89, RH 51% HEAT INDEX 94


12:00 PM EDT


327 NORFOLK ST
328 RUTGERS -35.5 -35.5

RUT-QB-Hayden Rettig-Probable | RUT-WR-Leonte Carroo-OUT | TV: ESPNN, DTV: 207 | PARTLY CLOUDY, SOUTHEAST WIND 6-11. GAME TEMP 78, RH 50% HEAT INDEX 79


12:00 PM EDT


329 ILLINOIS ST
330 IOWA -10.5 -10.5 / -11 -9.5

TV: BTN, DTV: 610 | MOSTLY SUNNY, SOUTH WIND 7-12. GAME TEMP 84, RH 60% HEAT INDEX 88


12:00 PM EDT


331 RICHMOND
332 MARYLAND -19 -19

TV: ESPNU, DTV: 208 | PARTLY SUNNY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. EAST WIND 6-11. GAME TEMP 78, RH 59% HEAT INDEX 80


12:00 PM EDT


333 COLGATE
334 NAVY -27 -27 -26.5

TV: CBSC, DTV: 221 | PARTLY SUNNY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. EAST WIND 5-10. GAME TEMP 76, RH 73% HEAT INDEX 79


12:00 PM EDT


335 TENNESSEE MARTIN
336 MISSISSIPPI -38.5 -38.5 -39

MIS-QB-Chad Kelly-Probable | TV: SEC, DTV: 611 | MOSTLY SUNNY, EAST WIND 4-9. GAME TEMP 91, RH 43% HEAT INDEX 95


12:30 PM EDT


337 WOFFORD
338 CLEMSON -38 -38

TV: ESPN3.com | PARTLY CLOUDY, NORTHEAST WIND 7-12. GAME TEMP 81, RH 69% HEAT INDEX 85


1:00 PM EDT


339 YOUNGSTOWN ST
340 PITTSBURGH -15.5

PIU-WR-Tyler Boyd-OUT | TV: ESPN3.com | PARTLY SUNNY, SOUTHEAST WIND 4-9. GAME TEMP 83, RH 54% HEAT INDEX 85


1:00 PM EDT


341 MAINE
342 BOSTON COLLEGE -26.5

TV: ESPN3.com | MOSTLY SUNNY, SOUTHEAST WIND 6-11. GAME TEMP 73, RH 51% HEAT INDEX 74


2:00 PM EDT


343 PORTLAND ST
344 WASHINGTON STATE -30

TV: Pac-12 Network | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 40% CHANCE SHOWERS. WEST WIND 9-14. GAME TEMP 58, RH 59%

 

[CNOTES]

College Cram Session: Alabama bettors fear no team in Week 1

On Saturday evening at AT&T Stadium, the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will commence their football season with an opening-week matchup against a Power Five opponent for the sixth time in the last eight years.

Alabama’s approach to early-season scheduling is as refreshing as it is aggressive in that the Crimson Tide provide college football fans with exactly what they so desperately want to see following eight months away from the sport: marquee showdowns against upper-class competition as opposed to glorified scrimmages against FCS opponents.

Of course, this approach is not without its potentially lethal pitfalls, as a Week 1 loss can wreak havoc on a contender’s chances of qualifying for college football’s four-team playoff. Still, you would be hard-pressed to find a fan of the sport willing to go on the record with a preference of 40-point spreads over Top-25 showdowns.

Saturday night’s headliner between Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide and Wisconsin first-year boss Paul Chryst opened with Alabama assuming the role of a 10-point favorite before a slew of action forced an adjustment to as high as Alabama -12 at the Wynn Race & Sports Book in Las Vegas.

Perhaps even more important is the fact that the total for this matchup was hit even harder, with sharp action steaming an opening total of 55.5 points all the way down to as low as 48.5 at the MGM Mirage Race & Sports Book approximately one mile south of the Wynn.

Neither line move should come as a surprise, as the Crimson Tide have made it a habit of breaking from the gate in aggressive fashion.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Power Five opponents in Week 1 since 2008

*All games played at a neutral site location.

2014: 33-23 win over West Virginia (failed to cover as 22-point favorites)
2013: 35-10 win over Virginia Tech (covered as 21.5-point favorites)
2012: 41-14 win over Michigan (covered as 13-point favorites)
2009: 34-24 win over Virginia Tech (covered as 6-point favorites)
2008: 34-10 win over Clemson (covered as 4-point underdogs)

In opening-week tilts against Power Five opponents since 2008, the Tide boast a perfect 5-0 record straight-up and profitable 4-1 mark against the pointspread. Granted, college football rosters change nearly as frequently as America’s House of Representatives, but if there’s one important element to take away from the above information it is this: Nick Saban, who took over in Tuscaloosa in 2007, always has his team ready to play in Week 1 no matter the opponent.

The 63-year-old four-time national champion head coach begins his ninth season in Alabama once again feeling the love from sharp bettors around the globe.

SHARP VS. PUBLIC: BEHIND THE COUNTER

Each and every week this column will converse with a Las Vegas insider in an effort to provide you, our loyal and dedicated readers, with all the inside information possible to make more educated and informed wagers. This week we speak with Jeff Sherman, who serves as assistant manager of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Follow Jeff on Twitter @golfodds.

*Pointspreads current as of Thursday evening.

Sharp sides: Georgia State (-7.5 vs. Charlotte), Western Michigan (+18 vs. Michigan State), Boise State (-13 vs. Washington), Northern Illinois (-22 vs. UNLV), Tennessee (-21 vs. Bowling Green), Texas (+10 at Notre Dame), Arkansas State (+28 at USC).

Public sides: Baylor (-37 at SMU), UCLA (-19 vs. Virginia), Texas A&M (-3 vs. Arizona State), Alabama (-11 vs. Wisconsin), Ohio State (-13 at Virginia Tech).

Sharp totals: Old Dominion/Eastern Michigan UNDER (64), Penn State/Temple OVER (43), Florida Atlantic/Tulsa OVER (67), BYU/Nebraska UNDER (61), Bowling Green/Tennessee OVER (68.5).

Public totals: Arizona State/Texas A&M OVER (69.5), Texas State/Florida State OVER (63).

Biggest Westgate Las Vegas line movements since opening: Georgia State vs. Charlotte (side), Tennessee vs. Bowling Green (total).

Game experiencing the most action: Alabama vs. Wisconsin (Arlington, Texas)

HOT TRENDS: TOP 25 POLL

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (-13 at Virginia Tech): 36-15-1 ATS over last 52 road games.
2. TCU Horned Frogs: failed to cover -17 in 23-17 win over Minnesota Thursday.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (-12 vs. Wisconsin): 9-4 ATS over last 13 neutral-site games.
4. Baylor Bears (-36 at SMU): 7-2 ATS over last nine non-conference games.
5. Michigan State Spartans (-17.5 at Western Michigan): 20-7-1 ATS over last 28 road games.
6. Auburn Tigers (-10.5 vs. Louisville): 5-2 ATS over last seven neutral-site games.
7. Oregon Ducks (-34.5 vs. Eastern Washington): 9-1 ATS in last 10 games overall.
8. USC Trojans (-27 vs. Arkansas State): Over 4-0-1 in last five non-conference games.
9. Georgia Bulldogs (-35 vs. UL Monroe): 4-1 ATS over last five non-conference games.
10. Florida State Seminoles (-30 vs. Texas State): Under 8-0 in last eight home games.
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-9.5 vs. Texas): Over 5-0 in last five non-conference games.
12. Clemson Tigers (-39.5 vs. Wofford): Under 6-0 in last six home games.
13. UCLA Bruins (-19 vs. Virginia): 7-3 ATS over last 10 played in September.
14. LSU Tigers (-36.5 vs. McNeese State): 4-1 ATS in last five non-conference games.
15. Arizona State Sun Devils (+3 at Texas A&M): Over 6-1 in last seven neutral-site games.
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Won 69-6 vs. Alcorn State Thursday.
17. Ole Miss Rebels (-40.5 vs. Tennessee-Martin): Under 13-3 in last 16 games.
18. Arkansas Razorbacks (-32.5 vs. UTEP): 6-1 ATS last seven home games.
19. Oklahoma Sooners (-31.5 vs. Akron): 5-0 ATS last five games played in September.
20. Wisconsin Badgers (+12 vs. Alabama): Over 3-0-1 in last four neutral-site games.
21. Stanford Cardinal (-12 at Northwestern): 14-6 ATS over last 20 non-conference games.
22. Arizona Wildcats: Beat UTSA 42-32 but failed to cover as 32.5-point favorites.
23. Boise State Broncos (-13 vs. Washington): 19-9 ATS over last 28 games played on Friday.
24. Missouri Tigers (-41.5 vs. SE Missouri State): Under 6-1 in last seven home games.
25. Tennessee Volunteers (-21.5 vs. Bowling Green): Over 4-0 in last four neutral-site games.

TALES FROM THE ROAD

I spent three years living in Las Vegas prior to taking a new job in San Francisco last December. At the conclusion of summer in 2012, I flew from McCarran Airport in Sin City to Philadelphia to stand up in the wedding of one of my best friends from grade school. The only problem was that this jibroni decided to get married on the first Saturday of the college football season.

The mission was simple: Keep the alcohol intake and gambling in check just enough to avoid suspicion from the dozens of family members and friends who gathered at a nearby church that Saturday afternoon. After all, I was in a rented tuxedo and needed to exhibit some level of class and sophistication to suit the event.

The problem, however, was that I received one of those few-and-far-between Vegas insider tips that suggested I lay a small fortune (by my standards) on Troy -6.5 vs. Alabama-Birmingham a few days prior to flying back east. Naturally, I shared this information with the groom and four other individuals who were chosen to stand by his side on that most monumental of occasions.

What we failed to account for was that the game would be entering the latter stages of the fourth quarter as we were required to usher guests to their seats in the church.

Long story short, don’t get married on a significant college football Saturday unless you want your groomsmen walking grandma to her seat with their left hands while constantly, yet stealthily, hitting “refresh” on their phones with their right hands, as it may send the wrong message to the hundreds of guests in attendance.

Sure, a few guests may somewhat understand that you’re tracking a college football score, but most will shake their heads in disgust when they find out that it’s Troy vs. Alabama-Birmingham rather than Alabama-Auburn.

Oh, and not only did Troy cover the number, but while I was tying one on the night before the wedding, the groom’s mother overheard me hollering about laying Troy -6.5. Just 10 minutes before her only son tied the knot, she came up to me and said, “Thanks for the tip on Troy.”

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Saturday, September 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: Wisconsin at Alabama
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After opening the Tide as 10.5-point home favorites, sportsbooks have since adjusted that number to -12.

Wisconsin Badgers at Alabama Crimson Tide (-12, 51)

Third-ranked Alabama and No. 18 Wisconsin aren't timidly entering the season as the two powerhouses square off Saturday in a showdown in Arlington, Texas. The Crimson Tide are seeking to win 10 or more games for the eighth straight season while the Badgers are breaking in a new coach in Paul Chryst.

Chryst replaced Gary Andersen, who departed for Oregon State, after three seasons as coach of Pittsburgh and now finds himself facing Nick Saban and Alabama in his Wisconsin debut. "It's not about me and I've never gone into a game where I felt that it was about me," Chryst told reporters. "I think that this game is a big game and it's probably happening because of what both programs have done previous years." Saban had yet to announce a starting quarterback at mid-week and said senior Jake Coker, sophomore Cooper Bateman and junior Alec Morris are all still in the running. "We're going to make the decision when we think it's the right time to make the decision for this group of guys," Saban told reporters. "I would have liked to have made it three months ago."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC.

LINE HISTORY: After opening the Tide as 10.5-point home favorites, sportsbooks have since adjusted that number to -12.

INJURY REPORT: Wisconsin - T. McEvoy (probable), H. Biegel (out indefinitely). Alabama - K. Kirven (questionable), P. Barrineau (questionable).

WEATHER: At game time, the forecast is calling for temperatures of 91 degrees Fahrenheit with precipitation not expected to play a factor.

WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "It's the first time in a long time that Alabama isn't considered a favorite to win the title, but the Crimson Tide have to replace a long list of key contributors. They lose their starting quarterback, their top running back, and No. 1-wideout Amari Cooper. They still have a proven star in the backfield in Derrick Henry, and their defensive line ranks among the best in the nation."

ABOUT WISCONSIN (2014: 11-3): All-everything running back Melvin Gordon is on to the NFL but there's not an abundance of fear over that loss with junior Corey Clement (949 yards, nine touchdowns) coming off a highly productive backup season. Senior quarterback Joel Stave looks to rebound after throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) last season and Chryst visions him returning to his 2013 form when he tossed 24 scoring passes. The Badgers ranked fourth nationally in total defense last season (294.1) and return two standout outside linebackers in junior Vince Biegel (team-best 16.5 tackles for losses) and senior Joe Schobert (13.5) as well senior safety Michael Caputo (team-high 106 tackles).

ABOUT ALABAMA (2014: 12-2): Coker passed for 403 yards and four touchdowns as a backup last season while neither Bateman nor Morris have thrown a pass in a college contest. As usual, The Crimson Tide will have a strong running game with junior Derrick Henry (990 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2014) and senior Kenyan Drake, who missed most of last season due to a broken leg. The Crimson Tide ranked sixth in scoring defense (18.4) defense last season and will be strong again with junior defensive end Jonathan Allen (11.5 tackles for loss) and senior inside linebacker Reggie Ragland (10.5 TFL) leading the way.

TRENDS:

*Over is 13-3-1 in Crimson Tide last 17 neutral site games.
*Crimson Tide are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games.
*Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.
*Over is 3-0-2 in Badgers last 5 games overall.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 51 percent of spread wagers are currently on the visiting Badgers.

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Saturday, September 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday's college football Top 25 betting cheat sheet: Week 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

USC boasts an offense that averaged 36 points last year and could be even more potent this season.

A handful of Top 25 programs have already played but the vast majority take the field to get their respective seasons underway Saturday. We break down all the need-to-know facts and figures for Saturday's Top 25 contests:

Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at (15) Mississippi Rebels (Off, Off)

* The FCS-member Skyhawks were picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll and are led by fifth-year senior quarterback Jarod Neal, who completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,880 yards and 14 touchdowns against six interceptions last season.

* Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said Chad Kelly will start at quarterback, culminating a troubled return to the FBS level for the junior. Kelly, who led East Mississippi CC to the NJCAA national championship in 2014 after being dismissed from Clemson for conduct detrimental to the team, was arrested on assault, harassment, menacing, obstruction and resisting arrest charges in January after an incident outside a Buffalo nightclub.


(21) Stanford Cardinal at Northwestern Wildcats (+11, 47.5)

* Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan flirted with the idea of declaring for the NFL draft after throwing for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2014 but decided on deadline day to return for his senior season. "I felt like I've grown up a lot in the last year and can help other guys on the team and lead us in the right direction," Hogan told reporters. "I've got a better grip on my emotions and can calm myself down."

* Redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson has been named the Wildcats' quarterback after an intense three-man battle and hopes to ignite an offense that averaged just 216.5 passing yards per game. "Obviously, I feel for the other guys as they are my friends," Thorson told reporters. "But at the same time, I was determined and I knew it was my time to be the quarterback."


UL Monroe Warhawks at (9) Georgia Bulldogs (-35, 53.5)

* The Warhawks rushed for just 834 yards last season, so ULM will look to the passing game as senior receiver Rashon Ceaser seeks to build on his strong finish last season. ULM’s top receiver averaged 107 yards per contest in his final five games while second-leading rusher Tyler Cain moves back to receiver this season.

* Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert will start the opener under center for Georgia. Lambert passed for 1,632 yards and 10 scores in nine games for Virginia in 2014, but threw 11 interceptions and lost his starting job in the spring.


Wofford Terriers at (12) Clemson Tigers (Off, Off)

* Wofford is coming off a somewhat disappointing season (6-5 SU) after missing the FCS playoffs but returns 10 starters on offense and eight on defense.

* Clemson has won its last 27 games against unranked opponents by at least four points, the longest current streak in the nation.


Virginia Cavaliers at (14) UCLA Bruins (-19.5, 52)

* Virginia’s run defense is expected to be anchored by defensive tackle David Dean, who helped limit two of the nation’s top rushers last season, James Conner of Pittsburgh and Duke Johnson of Miami, to season-low rush totals.

* UCLA running back Paul Perkins finished the season with 1,575 rushing yards, the second most in program history, and if he can come close to duplicating those numbers, he’ll take a lot of pressure off true-freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.


UTEP Miners at (20) Arkansas Razorbacks (-33, 49.5)

* Mack Leftwich won the Miners' starting quarterback job after redshirting last season and is hoping to help revive a passing attack that ranked last in the league in yards (1,858). Five starters return for a defense that led the conference against the pass (191.2 yards).

* Building upon the strong finish last season will depend on his time-tested formula of pounding the football behind Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, who made the Razorbacks the only team in the country to return two 1,000-yard rushers, and a beefy line that returns four starters.


Louisville Cardinals at (7) Auburn Tigers (-10.5, 58)

* The Cardinals have limited experience returning at the quarterback position as well and have listed four different players as potential starters on Saturday. "I know who is starting, yeah," Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino told reporters. "I think we're good with it, we feel comfortable with it. There's just really no advantage to announce it.”

* The Tigers will have to replace Nick Marshall at quarterback, but their offense should be in good shape with Jeremy Johnson who looked quite sharp as a backup the last two seasons.


SE Missouri State Redhawks at (23) Missouri Tigers (Off, Off)

* Southeast Missouri might have the most dynamic individual player on the field in preseason All-America wide receiver Paul McRoberts, who has 99 receptions for 1,495 yards and 20 TDs during his three-year career despite missing five games last season.

* The Tigers and Redhawks have met only twice previously, with Missouri winning both by a combined score of 72-3. The Tigers have won 13 straight season-openers and 17 of 18 dating back to 1997.


Bowling Green Falcons at (25) Tennessee Volunteers (-21.5, 69)

* Quarterback Matt Johnson, who is back for the Falcons after suffering a season-ending hip injury in last year’s season opener, passed for 3,467 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2013.

* Tennessee suspended leading receiver Alton Howard (54 catches, 618 yards in 2014) for Saturday’s game for an unspecified violation of team rules.


(16) Arizona State Sun Devils at Texas A&M Aggies (-3.5, 70)

* Arizona State, picked by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit to make the four-team College Football Playoff this year, returns 17 starters from a squad that defeated USC (38-34), Stanford (26-10), Utah (19-16 in OT) and Notre Dame (55-31) a year ago.

* "We challenged him in January to become a better leader, and his knowledge not only of our offense, but of (opposing) defenses," A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said fo sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen. "He's had an excellent spring ... he got a number of quality reps, then Kyler (Murray) showed up and he's had great competition, and he's accepted that."


Akron Zips at (19) Oklahoma Sooners (-33, 56.5)

* Two-time first-team all-conference performer Jatavis Brown (99 tackles, 14.5 for loss) is the only returning starter at linebacker for the Zips while nose tackle Cody Grice, a Lombardi Award candidate, anchors the front four of the nation’s 28th-ranked scoring defense from a season ago.

* New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley – a 32-year-old former Texas Tech and East Carolina assistant – was hired to bring his “Air Raid” offense to Oklahoma and breathe some life into the country’s 83rd-ranked passing attack from a season ago.


Texas Longhorns at (11) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-10, 49)

* The Longhorns held a competition for the starting quarterback spot between incumbent Tyrone Swoopes and freshman Jerrod Heard, with Swoopes hanging onto the job. “I’m convinced (Swoopes’) won over the locker room, just the way he’s played and how he really came on and just his leadership ability right now,” first-year coach Charlie Strong told reporters. “Even the players will tell you that…It’s going to be fun to watch him.”

* Everett Golson is gone after a transfer to Florida State and Malik Zaire, who started a win over LSU in the Music City Bowl last season, will take over under center. Zaire threw for 96 yards and a touchdown in the Music City Bowl and ran for another 96 and a score.


McNeese State Cowboys at (13) LSU Tigers (Off, Off)

* The Cowboys had won two straight games against FBS opponents before falling to Nebraska, 31-24, in last year's season opener - a game in which they allowed a 58-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left. They return 16 starters this season, including a shifty quarterback in senior Daniel Sams, who rushed for 711 yards in 10 games a season ago.

* The 13th-ranked Tigers aim to win their season opener for the 13th straight year while extending their national-best streak to 50 consecutive regular-season victories against non-conference foes.


Texas State Bobcats at (8) Florida State Seminoles (-30, 63.5)

* The Bobcats were 31st in the nation in scoring at 33.8 points per game last season and Tyler Jones was the biggest reason. The junior quarterback threw for 2,670 yards and 22 touchdowns against only seven interceptions and set a school record by completing 65.4 percent of his passes.

* Golson replaces Jameis Winston - the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft - and has a fellow weapon in the backfield in running back Dalvin Cook, who was suspended a month and a half before being reinstated Aug. 25 after he was found not guilty on a misdemeanor battery charge.


Eastern Washington Eagles at (5) Oregon Ducks (Off, Off)

* The Eagles are switching to a 4-2-5 defensive alignment with junior safety Zach Bruce (two interceptions in 2014) and sophomore cornerback Victor Gamboa (three interceptions) leading the back end and junior linebacker Miquiyah Zamora (102 tackles) and junior defensive end Samson Ebukam (team-best 7.5 sacks) highlighting the front six.

* Fifth-ranked Oregon breaks in new quarterback Vernon Adams on Saturday and his home debut comes against the same Eastern Washington team that he starred for the past three seasons.


(18) Wisconsin Badgers at (3) Alabama Crimson Tide (-14, 51)

* The Badgers ranked fourth nationally in total defense last season (294.1) and return two standout outside linebackers in junior Vince Biegel (team-best 16.5 tackles for losses) and senior Joe Schobert (13.5) as well senior safety Michael Caputo (team-high 106 tackles).

* Alabama head coach Nick Saban had yet to announce a starting quarterback at mid-week and said senior Jake Coker, sophomore Cooper Bateman and junior Alec Morris are all still in the running. "We're going to make the decision when we think it's the right time to make the decision for this group of guys," Saban told reporters. "I would have liked to have made it three months ago."


Arkansas State Red Wolves at (10) USC Trojans (-27.5, 69)

* Dual-threat quarterback Fredi Knighten, a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team selection, leads an up-tempo Red Wolves offense that averaged 476.5 yards in total offense last season.

* Coach Steve Sarkisian drew plenty of attention for his drunken appearance at a booster event last month, but that shouldn’t overshadow the Trojans’ formidable talent on the field. USC, which returns 16 starters and was picked to finish first in the Pac-12 South Division, boasts an offense that averaged 36 points last year and could be even more potent this season.

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Saturday, September 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where the action is: Betting the biggest games of college football Week 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sportsbooks will be cheering for Texas to at least cover against Notre Dame, with the Irish drawing a loyal backing of bettors in Week 1.

Breathe it in football fans. College is back. And while Week 1 may be littered with uninteresting matchups, like barn burners such as Charlotte at Georgia State, that’s why the good gambling gods created pointspreads. It isn’t all crap either. Here’s a look at the action coming in on some of the biggest games on the Week 1 college football board, according to sportsbooks online and in Las Vegas.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide – Open: -10, Move: -12

Bettors love them some SEC schools in the early goings, and they get no bigger than Alabama. The Crimson Tide stake a claim for the national title right out of the gate and the market likes their chances enough to tack on as much as two extra points to this spread.

At the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, there is a little bit of Alabama money making its way to the window but the majority of the action has Wisconsin linked in parlays. That’s put Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports at MGM, in a funny spot this Saturday.

“We are going to need Alabama in this, which is odd,” Rood, who is dealing Alabama -11, tells Covers. “Much of that is because of the quarterback issues with them this year.”

Online at offshore book GTBets.eu, the money is coming in on the Crimson Tide at a 4/1 clip and they could see this spread going past 12 before kickoff Saturday night.

“If you like Bama, now is the time to grab them,” Mick Sloan, lines manager for GTBets.eu tells Covers.

Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Open: -8.5, Move: -10, Move: -9.5

This matchup of college football royalty opened as low as Notre Dame -8.5 but has settled between 9.5 and 10 at most shops. Offshore, there hasn’t been the same public push for the Irish as past season, with Notre Dame money holding a 2/1 edge on Longhorns bets.

In Vegas, it’s been all Notre Dame at the Mirage but some sharp money has shown on Texas, which was enough for Rood to trim his spread from Longhorns +10 to +9.5.

“Ticket count is about 3/2 in favor of Notre Dame and all the parlay money is tied into the Irish,” he says. “We’re going to be big Texas fans for this one. Hopefully Charlie Strong gets a good start.”

Louisville Cardinals at Auburn Tigers – Open: -11, Move: -11.5, Move: -10.5

“This one’s not getting much attention really,” says Rood. “There’s good balance with this game, only about $200 separates the bets on both sides. We took some pops on this one a couple weeks ago, with some sharp players taking Louisville.”

Rood says they opened Auburn as a 11-point favorite and dropped to 10.5 when those wiseguys hit, but expects the weekend crowd at the Mirage to side with the SEC member, and will eventually leave the book cheering for Louisville.

Online, underdog bettors have been drawn to the Cardinals getting 10.5 points. Sloan says the handle is split with half the money riding on UL as of Friday night but agrees with his Nevada counterpart.

“The late action will likely come in on Auburn, but I don’t see this line really moving much,” he says.

 

[CNOTES]

recapping friday's action:


cfb: 1 - 3 - 0


college football record:


single play:.......................................0 - 1 - 1
double play:......................................3 - 2
triple play:........................................1 - 2
blow out:..........................................0 - 2
gow:.............................................. ...0 - 0
gom:.............................................. ...0 - 0
goy............................................... ....0 - 0

 

[CNOTES]

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5


Game Score Status Pick Amount


Stanford - 12:00 PM ET Northwestern +9.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Northwestern - Under 48.5 500 *****


Norfolk State - 12:00 PM ET Norfolk State +35.5 500 *****
Rutgers -

South Dakota State - 12:00 PM ET South Dakota State +3.5 500 *****
Kansas -

UL Monroe - 12:00 PM ET UL Monroe +35 500
Georgia -

Kent State - 2:00 PM ET Kent State +13.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Illinois -

Virginia - 3:30 PM ET UCLA -19 500 TRIPLE PLAY
UCLA -

Texas El Paso - 3:30 PM ET Arkansas -31.5 500
Arkansas -

Louisville - 3:30 PM ET Louisville +10 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Auburn -


Old Dominion - 3:30 PM ET [/B]Old Dominion -6.5 500 *****
Eastern Michigan -

Penn State - 3:30 PM ET Temple +6 500 *****
Temple -

Florida Atlantic - 3:30 PM ET Tulsa -3.5 500
Tulsa -

Brigham Young - 3:30 PM ET Brigham Young +5.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Nebraska -

Bowling Green - 4:00 PM ET Bowling Green +21 500 BLOW OUT
Tennessee -

Troy - 6:00 PM ET Troy +26 500 *****
North Carolina State

 

[indiana]

C/note..........always appreciate the time and efforts that you put forth............BOL with all your action this season............looking forward to your info.................indy

 

[CNOTES]

Thanks Indy......you have a good year also.......

 

[CNOTES]

Saturday's Tip Sheet


September 3, 2015




**Arizona State vs. Texas A&M**


-- This game will be played in Houston at NRG Stadium. ESPN will have the telecast Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.


-- As of Thursday, most betting shops had Texas A&M installed as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 70 points. The Aggies had been favored by three for weeks until the number was adjusted one-half point early Wednesday afternoon. The total was 67 on Tuesday but moved by three points in a 48-hour period. Gamblers can back the Sun Devils on the money line for a +140 return (risk $100 to win $140).


-- Arizona State posted a 10-3 straight-up record and a 6-7 against-the-spread mark for Todd Graham in his third season at the helm. Graham has now produced back-to-back double-digit win campaigns and has a 28-12 record at ASU. The Sun Devils return seven starters on offense and nine on defense.


-- Arizona State quarterback Todd Kelly is gone after enjoying a stellar career. Kelly ranks fourth for the school in all-time passing yards and posted a 79/26 touchdown-to-interception ratio as the starter the last three years. He was injured in Week 3 last season, however, allowing Mike Bercovici to make three starts. Bercovici appeared in all 13 games in 2014, completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,445 yards with a 12/4 TD-INT ratio.


-- ASU wide receiver Cameron Smith was injured in the spring and will take a redshirt this year. Smith had 41 receptions for 596 yards and six TDs last season. WR Jaelen Strong (82 catches, 1,165 yards, 10 TDs) is also out of the mix and in the NFL now. Therefore, D.J. Foster will be Bercovici's favorite target as he makes the permanent move back to WR. Foster played RB early in 2014 and finished the season with 1,081 rushing yards and nine TDs with a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. He also had 62 catches for 688 yards and three TDs. With Foster at WR, sophomore RB Demario Richard will carry the bulk of the rushing load. Richard ran for 478 yards and four TDs while averaging 5.7 YPC as a true freshman last season.


-- ASU brings back 14 of its top 16 tacklers from a defensive unit which gave up 27.9 points per game in 2014.


-- Texas A&M finished 2014 with an 8-5 SU record and a 5-8 ATS ledger. Since going 11-2 in Kevin Sumlin's first season, the Aggies win totals have dropped to nine and eight. Sumlin is one of the nation's highest-paid coaches and this is a big season for him (I'm not implying he's on the hot seat and he has continued to recruit extremely well, but the fan base wants more victories). A&M brings back eight starters on offense and eight on defense.


-- Texas A&M won its first five games last year to climb to No. 6 in the national rankings. However, the Aggies lost three in a row and five of their last seven to close the regular season. On the bright side, they beat West Va. 45-37 as two-point underdogs at the Liberty Bowl.


-- After getting off to a spectacular start that had him among the Heisman favorites in early October, QB Kenny Hill basically 'pulled a Terry Dean' (think Dean and the Gators in 1994), as he slumped badly, eventually got suspended and is now out of the program (he's sitting out the season after transferring to TCU). Kyle Allen took over as the starting QB for the last five games. As a true freshman, he was up and down. Allen was spectacular in a 41-38 win at Auburn as a 23-point underdog and played extremely well against the Mountaineers. He really struggled in a 23-17 home loss to LSU in the regular-season finale, however. Allen would finish the year completing 61.5 percent of his throws for 1,322 yards with a 16/7 TD-INT ratio. Allen held off a strong charge from true freshman Kyler Murray to retain his job in AuguState Murray was considered by most to be the second-best pro-style QB in the 2015 recruiting class.


-- Allen might have the country's best set of wide receivers. Junior Josh Reynolds was the team's Offensive MVP last season when he hauled in 52 receptions for 842 yards and 13 TDs. Speedy Noil (46 catches, 583 yards and five TDs), Ricky Seals-Jones (49-465-4) and Edward Pope (30-454-4) are reliable targets and true freshman Christian Kirk is also expected to make an impact.


-- Texas A&M has been a single-digit favorite only eight times during Sumlin's tenure, going 3-5 ATS.


-- Texas A&M allowed 32.2 PPG in 2013 and 28.1 PPG last season. Therefore, Sumlin went out and hired John Chavis as the team's new defensive coordinator. Chavis has been a fixture in the SEC for decades, serving as DC at Tennessee and LSU during extremely successful times at both programs. He has the SEC's best pass rusher in sophomore Myles Garrett, who had 53 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 10 QB hurries as a true freshman.


-- ASU has struggled mightily in 10 games as an underdog on Graham's watch, limping to a 3-7 spread record.


-- ASU linebacker Laiu Moeakiola is 'questionable' vs. Texas A&M due to nagging foot and ankle injuries that have bothered him for much of AuguState Moeakiola made 72 tackles and contributed five sacks in 2014.


**Texas at Notre Dame**


-- As of Thursday, most books had Notre Dame listed as a 9.5-point 'chalk' with a total of 50.5 points. The Longhorns were +330 on the money line.


-- Texas got off to a rough start in the first season of Charlie Strong's tenure. Strong booted nearly a dozen players out of the program and the team finished with a 6-7 SU record and a 7-6 spread ledger. The Longhorns bring back seven starters on offense and five on defense.


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-- Strong, who was a long-time defensive coordinator in the SEC before a successful four-year run as the head coach at Louisville, fielded a strong defense in 2014. Texas allowed just 23.8 PPG, but it could only muster 21.4 PPG offensively. Junior Tyrone Swoopes has been named the starting QB again after getting the nod in the last 12 games of 2014. Swoopes is big and athletic, but he's a shaky pocket passer. He completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,409 yards with a 13/11 TD-INT ratio. Swoopes gained 504 yards on the ground but when sacks were factored in, he had just 262 net rushing yards. He ran for four scores.


-- Notre Dame has been a home favorite 26 times during Brian Kelly's first five years, limping to a 10-13-3 spread record. Going back further, the Irish have been abysmal as a home 'chalk' with an 18-31-3 ATS mark since 2005.


-- Texas was a road underdog just once last season, failing to cover the number as a 10-point puppy in a 23-0 loss at Kansas State The Longhorns were 1-5 ATS in six games as underdogs in Strong's first season at the helm.


-- Notre Dame got off to a great start in 2014, rolling off six straight wins to bring QB Everett Golson's career record to 18-1. However, a questionable offensive pass-interference call cost the Irish a comeback win at FSU in the waning seconds. From there, the team came completely apart, losing four of its last five regular-season contests, including home losses to unranked Northwestern and Louisville, in addition to blowout defeats at Arizona State (55-31) and at Southern Cal (49-14). Notre Dame's home loss to Northwestern came as a 17.5-point favorite. Golson became turnover prone during the late-season slide, prompting Kelly to turn to true freshman Malik Zaire as the starting QB in the bowl game.


-- Notre Dame salvaged the season -- to some extent -- by capturing a 31-28 win over LSU as an eight-point underdog at the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Zaire completed 12-of-15 passes for 96 yards and one TD without an interception. He also rushed 22 times for 96 yards and one score. Kyle Brindza's 32-yard field goal with one second remaining lifted the Irish to victory.


-- Zaire beat out Golson during spring practice, prompting Golson to transfer to Florida State


-- Notre Dame junior DT Jarron Jones was lost to a season-ending injury in AuguState Jones had 40 tackles (six for losses), 1.5 sacks and seven QB hurries last year.


-- Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC.


**Alabama vs. Wisconsin**


-- For the last month, Alabama has mostly been favored by 10.5 or 11 points. However, the line moved to 12 at most books (and 12.5 at the Westgate) late Wednesday night. As of Thursday, most spots had Alabama installed as a 12-point favorite with a total of 49. The 'over/under' was as high as 51.5 earlier this week. The Badgers are +400 to win outright over the Crimson Tide. This game will be played in Arlington at Jerry World.


-- Alabama has yet to decide on a starting quarterback and Nick Saban has no plans to reveal a starter before the first snap is taken. Saban's team was in a similar situation at this point last season, and everything worked out fine with senior Blake Sims enjoying a stellar season. However, the offense lost a lot of playmakers and key pieces on the offensive line. Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon are off to the NFL, landing with the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. RB Derrick Henry, who rushed for 990 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 5.8 YPC in 2014, is poised for a breakout campaign. Kenyan Drake is healthy again after breaking his leg in last year's loss at Ole Miss. Drake can line up in the backfield or at WR and he's a versatile playmaker. The top three WRs are gone, so Chris Black and ArDarius Stewart will be depended on to produce.


-- If Wisconsin can find a way to beat Alabama, it might be able to go through the entire regular season undefeated. If Nebraska isn't ranked on Oct. 10 when the Badgers come to Lincoln, there's a great chance that Wisconsin's only game against a ranked foe will be this Saturday night.


-- Senior QB Joel Stave is back after suffering through the worst season of his career. Stave was relatively solid as a freshman and sophomore, throwing 28 TD passes compared to 16 interceptions in 19 starts. However, on the eve of last year's season opener against LSU, it was announced that Tanner McEvoy, who had started four games at safety in 2013, would be the starting QB. A week later, reports out of Madison indicated that Stave was out for the season with a shoulder injury. Then in October, Stave suddenly returned to the starting lineup and stayed there for the last nine games. The Badgers won eight of those nine games to finish 11-3 SU and 7-7 ATS. They bounced back from a humiliating 59-0 loss to Ohio State at the Big Ten Championship Game to beat Auburn 34-31 in overtime at the Outback Bowl.


-- Stave had the worst numbers of his career in 2014. He connected on just 53.4 percent of his throws for 1,350 yards with a mediocre 9/10 TD-INT ratio. The hope in Madison is that with a health shoulder Stave will be able to return to the form he demonstrated in 2012 and '13.


-- Melvin Gordon enjoyed a spectacular season for Wisconsin last year, rushing for 2,587 yards and 29 TDs while averaging an eye-popping 7.5 YPC. He also had three TD catches. Gordon went to the Chargers in the first round and I won't be surprised if he takes Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Nevertheless, UW's ground game should be just fine in 2015. Junior Corey Clement is poised to handle the bulk of the work after producing 949 rushing yards and nine TDs last season. He averaged 6.5 YPC and also had 14 receptions for 119 yards and a pair of scores.


-- Shortly after the win over Auburn, Gary Andersen abruptly resigned as UW's head coach following 9-4 and 10-3 seasons (AD Barry Alvarez coached the bowl-game win over AU). The biggest shocker was his reasoning for leaving -- to take the Oregon State job in Corvallis. Former OSU coach Mike Riley had taken the Nebraska gig after Bo Pelini was sent packing from Lincoln. Andersen, who was previously at Utah State and has spent most of his life in the northwest, apparently wanted to get close to his roots. There were also reports that he was frustrated with UW's reluctance to budge on admission standards for certain elite athletes. This turned out to be true when the prize catch of the 2015 recruiting haul (RB Jordan Stevenson) wasn't admitted to school in July.


-- Alvarez hired Pitt coach Paul Chryst to replace Andersen as head coach. Chryst, who went 19-20 in three years with the Panthers, returns to UW where he was the OC from 2005-2011 when the Badgers produced record-setting offensive numbers. Chryst was born in Madison and played QB for Wisconsin. He brought his OC Joe Rudolph, another Wisconsin alum who was on the staff from 2008-2011, from Pitt. Chryst retained Dave Aranda as DC.


-- Wisconsin returns five starters on offense and six on defense, while Alabama brings back three starters on offense and seven on defense.


-- Alabama is 3-6 ATS in its last nine games as a double-digit 'chalk.'


-- Alabama is undefeated in eight season openers on Saban's watch. The Tide covered the spread in his first seven lid-lifters, but it failed to take the money in last year's 33-23 win over West Va. as a 25.5-point 'chalk.'


-- ABC will have the broadcast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

 

[CNOTES]

Evening Rated Games:



Arizona State - 7:00 PM ET Arizona State +3 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas A&M -

Southern - 7:00 PM ET Southern +39 500
Louisiana Tech -

Akron - 7:00 PM ET Oklahoma -31 500
Oklahoma -

Mississippi Valley State - 7:00 PM ET Mississippi Valley State +42 500
New Mexico -

Florida A&M - 7:00 PM ET Florida A&M +28.5 500 *****
South Florida -

Missouri State - 7:00 PM ET Memphis -24 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Memphis -

Alabama A&M - 7:00 PM ET Cincinnati -45 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Cincinnati -

Jackson State - 7:00 PM ET Middle Tennessee -39.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Middle Tennessee -

UL Lafayette - 7:00 PM ET UL Lafayette +15 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Kentucky -

South Dakota - 7:10 PM ET Kansas State -37 500 *****
Kansas State -

New Mexico State - 7:30 PM ET Florida -34.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Florida -

McNeese State - 7:30 PM ET Louisiana State -37.5 500 BLOW OUT
Louisiana State -

Texas - 7:30 PM ET Texas +9 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Notre Dame -

UNLV - 7:30 PM ET Northern Illinois -21.5 500
Northern Illinois -

Georgia Southern - 7:30 PM ET Georgia Southern +16.5 500 *****
West Virginia -

Northern Iowa - 8:00 PM ET Iowa State -10 500
Iowa State -

San Diego - 8:00 PM ET San Diego State -36.5 500
San Diego State -

Tennessee Tech - 8:00 PM ET Houston -37 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Houston -

Texas State - 8:00 PM ET Texas State +28 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Florida State -

Wisconsin - 8:00 PM ET Wisconsin +11.5 500 *****
Alabama -

Eastern Washington - 8:00 PM ET Eastern Washington +35 500
Oregon -

Mississippi State - 10:00 PM ET Mississippi State -20.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Southern Mississippi -

Arkansas State - 11:00 PM ET Arkansas State +27.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Southern California -

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF


Sunday, September 6




Top 25 roundup: Henry paces Tide over Badgers


ARLINGTON, Texas -- Third-ranked Alabama broke the game open in the second half with 21 points and began the season with a 35-17 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday night.


Crimson Tide tailback Derrick Henry carried the load with 147 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. Henry's day was over in the third quarter once Alabama went up by 25 points.


Wisconsin running back Corey Clement never got started. Clement totaled 16 yards on eight carries.


Jake Coker started at quarterback for Alabama and played the entire first half and the majority of the third quarter. He finished 16-of-22 passing for 219 yards and a touchdown -- a 17-yard strike to Robert Foster.


Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave completed 14 of 16 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in the first half but cooled off and finished with 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.


No. 6 Auburn 31, Louisville 24


ATLANTA -- Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Tigers held off a late Cardinals challenge in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome.


Louisville lost, but after an offseason of uncertainty may have found its quarterback. Freshman Lamar Jackson sparked the Cardinals' offense in the second half, leading three scoring drives to get Louisville back in the game.


Sophomore running back Peyton Barber led the Tigers with 109 yards on the ground. Johnson completed 11-of- 21 passes for 140 yards.


No. 7 Oregon 61, Eastern Washington 42


EUGENE, Ore. - Vernon Adams threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 94 yards to beat his old team as the Ducks opened with a win.


Adams threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns in three seasons at Eastern Washington before transferring to Oregon as a graduate for his senior season. He completed 19 of 25 passes and extended his personal streak of throwing multiple touchdown passes in 27 straight games before leaving late in the fourth when he was injured on a rush attempt.


Oregon running back Royce Freeman ran for a career-high 180 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns.


No. 9 Georgia 51, Louisiana-Monroe 14


ATHENS, Ga. -- Although the Bulldogs weren't perfect and mistakes were made, they simply had too much offensive firepower and used it to roll over the Warhawks.


Georgia sophomore Heisman Trophy candidate Nick Chubb picked up where he left off from last year, rushing 16 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns.


Greyson Lambert made his debut as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback and completed 8 of 12 passes for 144 yards and two scores, including one each to Malcolm Mitchell and Jeb Blazevich.


No. 10 Florida State 59, Texas State 16


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Seminoles began the post-Jameis Winston era with a convincing victory.


Everett Golson -- who joined the Seminoles this offseason by way of Notre Dame -- took over under center and looked every bit as good as Winston did in his Florida State debut two years ago.


Golson went 19-for-25 for 302 yards and four touchdowns for Florida State, while Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook, who saw less than two weeks of practice after returning from suspension, didn't show any rust as he rushed for 156 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns to pace Florida State.


11 Notre Dame 38, Texas 3


SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Quarterback Malik Zaire completed 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns as the Fighting Irish crushed the Longhorns.


Fighting Irish wide receiver Will Fuller caught seven passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.


Freshman running back Josh Adams added two touchdowns on the ground, including a 14-yard score on his first collegiate rushing attempt.


No. 12 Clemson 49, Wofford 10


CLEMSON, S.C. -- Sophomore Deshaun Watson, playing in his first game since suffering a torn ACL in November, got off to a solid start, completing 18 of 22 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in limited action.


Junior wide receiver Mike Williams, who lead Clemson with 1,030 receiving yards last season, suffered a neck injury on the first drive of the game when he caught a 4-yard touchdown pass and collided with the goalpost support.


Williams remained on the ground for approximately 15 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and carted off the field. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.


No. 13 UCLA 34, Virginia 16


PASADENA, Calif. -- True freshman Josh Rosen threw three touchdowns as the Bruins cruised past the Cavaliers.


The 18-year-old Rosen completed 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards, connecting with 11 receivers. He was sacked only once and attributed that to himself and not to the Bruins' experienced offensive line.


Rosen was the first Bruins true freshman to start at quarterback since 2002, when Drew Olson started and won against Washington.


No. 14 LSU-McNeese State, postponed


BATON ROUGE, La. -- A series of thunderstorms and lightning strikes forced cancelation of the LSU-McNeese State game.


The teams combined for only 10 plays when the game was suspended at 6:50 p.m. CDT because of lightning in the area.


Both teams went to their locker rooms and never were able to come back on the field.


Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Arizona State 17


HOUSTON -- Freshman receiver Christian Kirk, the best recruit in the state of Arizona, showed up Arizona State and lead Texas A&M to the win.


Kirk, who enrolled at Texas A&M in January and earned a starting spot in August, caught six passes for 106 yards, with a 66-yard zig-zag of a touchdown to break open the game for the Aggies with 3:45 to play.


Kirk also reeled off a 79-yard punt return early in the second quarter to give his team an early 14-0 cushion.


No. 17 Ole Miss 76, UT-Marin 3


OXFORD, Miss. -- Chad Kelly threw two touchdowns in the first half and the Rebels rolled to a convincing win.


Kelly, the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, completed his first touchdown pass to Markell Pack, covering 56 yards.


He finished the first half 6-for-10 for 178 yards and he made up for an interception he threw in the third by running for a score a few minutes later.


No 18 Arkansas 48, Texas-El Paso 13


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Senior quarterback Brandon Allen completed 14 of 18 passes for career-high 308 yards and four touchdowns as the Razorbacks eased past the Miners.


Arkansas, which ranked 99th nationally after averaging 188 yards per game passing last season, scored its first four touchdowns through the air and led 28-10 at the half.


The Razorbacks put the game out of reach with 14 points in the opening 2:03 of the second half.


No. 19 Oklahoma 41, Akron 3


NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooners’ return to the Air Raid offense was a slow burn against Akron, but once it got started, Oklahoma put up touchdown after touchdown and turned the game into a rout.


Quarterback Baker Mayfield started off slow but came on strong and finished with 388 yards and three touchdowns through the air.


Mayfield's passing total was the most for an OU quarterback in a season-opener, beating Sam Bradford's 363 yards to start the 2007 season. Mayfield also added a rushing touchdown.


Northwestern 16, No. 21 Stanford


EVANSTON -- The Wildcats got three field goals by Jack Mitchell and a touchdown run by quarterback Clayton Thorson to upset the Cardinal.


Thorson, a redshirt freshman making his first career start, completed 12 of 24 passes for 105 yards. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback rushed for 68 yards on eight carries, including a 42-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.


Sophomore Justin Jackson rushed the ball 28 times for 134 yards to lead the Wildcats, while Stanford starting running back Christian McCaffery carried 12 times for 66 yards and fumbled once.


No. 24 Missouri 34, Southeast Missouri 3


COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Junior quarterback Maty Mauk threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and senior linebacker Kentrell Brothers led a stingy defense with a career-best 16 tackles, helping the Tigers to an easy victory.


Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Missouri has won 77 games, trailing only Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and LSU during that period.


Mauk finished 12 of 22 for 181 yards and the two scores. He was intercepted once.


No. 25 Tennessee 59, Bowling Green 30


NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Running back Jalen Hurd rushed for three touchdowns while quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw for a pair as the Volunteers defeated the Falcons.


Running back Alvin Kamara recorded 144 yards and a pair of scores for the Volunteers, who recorded their 21st straight season-opening victory.


Tennessee answered an early field goal by the Falcons by scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions -- two following dynamic punt returns by Cam Sutton that left the Volunteers with short scoring drives.

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF


Sunday, September 6




Home dogs were a great bet in Week 1


Home underdogs kicked off the opening weekend of the college football season with a bang, going an impressive 11-2 against the spread.


That is a success rate of a crazy 84.62 percent.


There are just two games left in Week 1 and just one with a home dog,
when Virgina Tech hosts defending champs Ohio State as 14-point pups.

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Sunday, September 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game of the Day: Purdue at Marshall
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marshall narrowly missed a spot in a New Year’s Day Bowl last season when a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky served as the team’s lone setback in an otherwise stellar campaign.

Purdue Boilermakers at Marshall Thundering Herd (-7.5, 61.5)

Purdue improved from one win to three last season and is hoping for a bigger step forward in 2015. The Boilermakers will get an early preview of how they stack up Sunday when they visit Conference USA power Marshall.

The Thundering Herd narrowly missed a spot in a New Year’s Day Bowl last season when a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky served as the team’s lone setback in an otherwise stellar campaign. While Purdue had trouble scoring down the stretch in 2014, Marshall put up an average of 45.6 points but will be replacing record-setting quarterback Rakeem Cato with Michael Birdsong. The Boilermakers will turn their offense over to junior Austin Appleby, who started seven games last season but marks Purdue’s fifth different starting quarterback in as many season openers. “Nothing changes now,” Appleby told reporters after officially being named the starter last week. “It’s just kind of business is usual. I’m glad it’s official, and now I can focus on getting this team ready to be 1-0.”

TV: 3 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened Marshall -7.5. The total opened at 63 but is down to 61.5.

INJURY REPORT: Purdue - Danny Anthrop (Probable, knee), LB Ja'Whan Bentley (Questionable, back), LB Jimmy Herman (Questionable, hamstring), LB Danny Ezechukwu (Questionable, knee), DE Gelen Robinson (Eligible Sept. 19). Marshall - N/A.

WEATHER: Temperatures in the low-80s under partly cloudy skies. There is a small 22 percent chance of rain.

WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "Marshall only returns 11 starters, and they must replace quarterback Rakeem Cato who threw for 3,903 yards and 40 touchdown passes in 2014. Marshall’s offense averaged 45.6 points per game in 2014, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll repeat that in 2015. Purdue is in their third season under head coach Darrell Hazell, and the Boilermakers return 15 overall starters. Purdue improved on both sides of the ball in 2014, so they should make another forward move in 2015." Covers Expert Steve Merril.

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "The spread has bounced around between the key number and 7.5 since the regular bettors began getting involved this week. The very early, sharper action came in on Purdue, but we're not seeing that as much the last couple of days. The biggest draw for both the smarts and squares is the under as we've dropped the total three points since Monday. We're largely one-sided regarding the total so we'll be rooting for a shootout."

ABOUT PURDUE (2014: 3-9 SU, 6-5-1 ATS, 6-6 O/U): One reason coach Darrell Hazell expects Appleby to have more success in 2015 is consistency along the offensive line, where all five starters return. "I can't tell you how big that is for us," Hazell told reporters of the offensive line. "It's been a blessing. We talk about not being able to evaluate quarterbacks or running backs because we were always breaking down up front. That hasn't been the case." The line should also benefit freshman running back Markell Jones, a top recruit who is expected to see plenty of time in the backfield.

ABOUT MARSHALL (13-1 SU, 9-5 ATS, 8-6 O/U): Birdsong is surrounded by talent at the offensive skill positions, including running back Devon Johnson and senior wide receiver Davonte Allen. Johnson pounded his way to 1,767 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in 2014 and added a pair of receiving scores as a key component of the offense. “I know our guys are ready to go play somebody else, so it’s time to start our preparation and we’ve got to do a great job starting (Sunday),” Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday told reporters after closing training camp.

TRENDS:

* Thundering Herd are 4-0 ATS in their last four non-conference games.
* Over is 5-0 in Thundering Herd last five vs. Big Ten.
* Over is 4-1 in Thundering Herd last five non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Users are split own the middle on this matchup.


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



NCAAF

Sunday, September 6


BYU's Taysom Hill out for the season

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill will miss the rest of the season after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his foot in the Cougars' 33-28 victory over Nebraska.

Hill was replaced by backup Tanner Mangum, who went onto complete 7-of-11 passes for 112, including the Hail Mary that won BYU the game.

Next up for BYU is a matchup with Boise State.

 

[CNOTES]

AAC Notebook: Temple highlights opening week with big win


Sep 06, 2015


The American Athletic Conference's first week featured a lot of expected wins against overmatched teams, but one truly impressive victory -- and one crushing defeat.


Temple hadn't beaten Penn State since 1941 and trailed 10-0 early, but surged past the Nittany Lions for a 27-10 victory before a delirious sellout crowd at home.


"The reason I believe we won is because we focused on ourselves and the players bought into that, only worrying about the next play," Temple coach Matt Rhule said. "After the game I said we won -- it's not about Penn State it is about us. For our guys to do that and focus on themselves shows great maturity."


Rhule worked the Owls hard in the preseason, trying to get his team ready for an improved 2015. That effort showed on both sides of the ball. In particular, the Owls made NFL prospect Christian Hackenberg look tentative and uncomfortable after those first two drives.


"When you put in so much time and work, to come out with a win in college football -- it's hard to get a win in college football," linebacker Tyler Matakevich said. "All of the hours that we put in, all of the late nights. This week, I was probably there until 10:00 p.m. or 11:00pm at night just watching film. I mean, it's so rewarding to see all your guys do their job and celebrate. At the end, when the clock says zero, you look up at the scoreboard and it says what the score was, I mean that's the greatest feeling in the world."


Last year was a letdown for the Owls, because they came so close to better things. Temple went 6-6, but were shut out of the postseason. Perhaps as a result, the Owls didn't take long to look beyond the opening win.


"It feels good, but as I said at the end of the game, it's one of many victories that will come this year. I'm looking past it already. I'm on to the next game against Cincinnati," quarterback P.J. Walker said.


It's a victory that Rhule hopes pays dividends far beyond 2015.


"To see all the cherry and white it was a big game day atmosphere. This is huge for the program, I am going to get on the recruiting tonight and say look what we are doing. The only way it is bad is if we come out slow next week. That is a true test of what kind of team we are, how we respond next week."


CENTRAL FLORIDA (0-1, 0-0)


Game:


Florida International 15, Central Florida 14. A blocked field goal in the final minute sent the Knights down to a shocking season-opening defeat at home. UCF led 14-3 in the second quarter, but couldn't generate much of anything after intermission.


Takeaway:


Central Florida suffered its first loss in a home opener since 2007, and the reason seemed apparent. As junior defensive back Shaquill Griffin noted after the game, "I feel like we underestimated our opponent today. I feel like we let ourselves play down and we can't have those problems. We have to play full speed and play everybody like they're the best team."


Next: at Stanford, Sept 12.


CINCINNATI (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Cincinnati 52, Alabama A&M 10. Despite a delayed kickoff caused by severe weather in the area, the Bearcats had few problems dispatching an overmatched Bulldogs squad. A 28-point second quarter had UC up 35-7 at the break.


Takeaway:


It's tough to take much from a game like this one, except that the renovated Nippert Stadium looks very nice and that a lot of fans will show up to watch this team play even in terrible weather. Worth noting, however, is that a defense that was a disaster for much of 2014 held the visitors to 246 total yards.


Next: vs. Temple, Sept 12.


CONNECTICUT (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Connecticut 20, Villanova 15. Bryant Shirreffs threw for 202 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Huskies to a narrow victory over the Wildcats. It ends a two-year losing streak for Connecticut in season openers.


Takeaway:


This is a young team that will suffer through some growing pains, but the opener provided some hope for days to come for Bob Diaco. Shirreffs is just a sophomore. So are the three touchdown scorers -- Tommy Myers, Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome.


Next: vs. Army, Sept. 12.


EAST CAROLINA (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


East Carolina 28, Towson 20. Chris Hairston ran for 154 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pirates to victory at home. Though ECU led the whole game, its fans couldn't breathe easily until Terrell Richardson forced a Towson fumble in the final two minutes to end the Tigers' final threat.


Takeaway:


The man everyone was watching, new quarterback Blake Kemp, did a solid job making safe passes and managing the game. He completed 29 of his 37 pass attempts and didn't turn the ball over. But ECU generated just 230 yards through the air and will have to show some more big play ability as the schedule gets tougher in the coming weeks.


Next: at Florida, Sept. 12.


HOUSTON (1-0, 0-0)


Game:

Houston 52, Tennessee Tech 24. Greg Ward led an impressive performance from the Cougars offense in giving new coach Tom Herman a positive start to his head coaching career. Houston finished with 627 yards of total offense.


Takeaway:


Ward showed the potential to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the game. He threw for 275 yards and a touchdown, and garnered another 107 yards and two scores.


Next: at Louisville, Sept. 12.


MEMPHIS (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Memphis 63, Tulane 7. Memphis scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a dominating performance at home. Paxton Lynch had a short day of it, throwing for 78 yards and a touchdown in one half of action.


Takeaway:


There are a lot of new faces on the Tigers defense, but the results were the same. Memphis held Missouri State to 125 yards of total offense, including just 18 yards on the ground.


Next: at Kansas, Sept. 12


NAVY (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Navy 48, Colgate 10. The Midshipmen ran all over Colgate in cruising to victory in its home opener. Navy finished with 374 rushing yards, with Chris Swain generating 126 to lead the way.


Takeaway:


The one disappointment in the blowout win was that quarterback Keenan Reynolds didn't gain more ground in pursuit of the NCAA FBS record for touchdowns. He entered the week 14 rushing scores and 20 total touchdowns behind former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, but had only one of the Mids' six touchdowns on the day.


Next: vs. East Carolina, Sept. 19


SOUTHERN METHODIST (0-1, 0-0)


Game:


Baylor 56, Southern Methodist 21. The Mustangs hung with the Bears early, but ultimately didn't have enough to knock off the Bears. SMU did score 21 points, an impressive start compared to the 12 points the team managed through its first four games of 2014.


Takeaway:


Chad Morris probably wouldn't have selected the fourth-ranked team in the country to make his coaching debut, but the Mustangs were competitive with the Bears for a half. The Mustangs trailed 28-21 at the half before Baylor outscored SMU 28-0 after intermission.


Next: vs. North Texas, Sept. 12.


SOUTH FLORIDA (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


South Florida 51, Florida A&M 3. The Bulls dominated on both sides of the ball in an easy victory. South Florida totaled 556 yards of total offense, the seventh-most in program history.


Takeaway:


Beating up on a FCS team doesn't signify much, but both sides of the ball showed reason for optimism. In addition to the offense, the defense held the Rattlers to 182 yards of total offense -- including one first-half first down.


Next: at South Florida, Sept. 12.


TEMPLE (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Temple 27, Penn State 10. The Owls came back from an early 10-0 deficit for a program-changing victory over the Nittany Lions. P.J. Walker's one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the Owls ahead to stay.


Takeaway:


Temple knocked off the Penn State for the first time since 1941, thanks mostly to the performance of its defense. The Nittany Lions scored on their first two drives, but gained just 42 yards on their next nine possessions.


Next: at Cincinnati, Sept. 12.


TULANE (0-1, 0-0)


Game:


Duke 37, Tulane 7. The Green Wave surrendered 530 yards of total offense in getting blasted by the visiting Blue Devils. After the lone Tulane score cut the margin to 23-7 in the fourth quarter, a 95-yard kickoff return for a score by Duke's DeVon Edwards ended any lingering suspense.


Takeaway:


Unless the defense gets much better, it's tough to see this team going anywhere. Tulane was thoroughly dominated. It allowed Duke to run 28 more plays, secure 29 first downs and outgain the home team by more than 250 yards.


Next: at Georgia Tech, Sept. 12


TULSA (1-0, 0-0)


Game:


Tulsa 47, Florida Atlantic 44. Zack Langer's touchdown run in overtime gave the Golden Hurricanes a narrow victory in the season opener. The Golden Hurricane trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 38, allowed a field goal, then tied the game on a 39-yard field goal with three seconds left to force overtime. The defense started the extra session by holding FAU to a field goal, setting the stage for Langer's heroics.


Takeaway:


It wasn't always pretty, but the Golden Hurricane gave Philip Montgomery a victory in his debut as a head coach. The tempo of the offense was faster than it was a year ago, and Montgomery is hoping to speed things up even more by the time conference play starts.


Next: at New Mexico, Sept. 12.

 

[CNOTES]

Syracuse QB Hunt out for season with torn Achilles


Syracuse senior quarterback Terrel Hunt is out for the season with a torn right Achilles, the school said Saturday.


Hunt was injured Friday in Syracuse's 47-0 victory over Rhode Island. He suffered the injury while scrambling for a 2-yard gain midway through the first quarter.


Freshman quarterback Eric Dungey replaced Hunt and threw two touchdown passes to running back Ervin Philips.


It's the second straight season Hunt has been waylaid by injury: He missed the last seven games of 2014 with a broken leg.

 

[CNOTES]

Purdue, Marshall clash


September 5, 2015




PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (0-0) at MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (0-0)


Joan C. Edwards Stadium - Huntington, WV
Kickoff: Sunday, 3:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Marshall -7.5, Total: 63


Purdue tries to erase a dreadful 2014 campaign when it opens the 2015 season on Sunday at C-USA favorite Marshall.


The Boilermakers have been awful since Darrell Hazell took over in 2013, going a combined 4-20 SU (11-13 ATS), but they did manage to post a 7-5 ATS mark last year, including 4-1 ATS away from home. To improve the team's woeful 345 total YPG (108th in FBS), Hazell will have his offense play at a faster pace this season.


The Thundering Herd were 13-1 SU (8-5-1 ATS) last year and had no problems piling up gaudy offensive numbers with 45.6 PPG (3rd in nation) and 559 total YPG (2nd in FBS). But superstar QB Rakeem Cato used up his eligibility, leaving James Madison transfer QB Michael Birdsong as the starting signal caller.


These teams last played in West Lafayette in 2012, which was a 51-41 victory for 17-point-favorite Purdue. The Herd had 534 yards of offense that day, but were done in by four turnovers and eight penalties.


While Marshall has no significant injuries, Purdue will be extremely thin at linebacker, as LB Galen Robinson is suspended two games and the LB trio of Ja'Whan Bentley (back), Jimmy Herman (hamstring) and Danny Ezechukwu (knee) are all questionable. OT J.J. Prince (shoulder) will not play.


Purdue will try to correct its offensive struggles (23.8 PPG, 95th in nation) with junior QB Austin Appleby (1,449 pass yds, 5.3 YPA, 10 TD, 11 INT). The dual-threat Appleby (198 rush yds, 3.2 YPC, 5 TD) stands tall at 6-foot-5, and will frequently target top WR Danny Anthrop (616 rec yds, 16.2 avg, 4 TD). But for Appelby to end a six-start losing skid, he'll need help from his ground game.


Purdue averaged a solid 4.7 yards per carry last year (42nd in FBS), but lost nearly 1,500 rushing yards to graduation. However, sophomore RBs Keyante Green (199 rush yds, 7.4 YPC) and D.J. Knox are both explosive. T


he defense returns six starters to a unit that allowed 35.7 PPG during its season-ending, six-game losing skid. Purdue surrendered 249 rushing YPG during that slide and needs better production from DTs Jake Replogle (40 tackles, 3 sacks) and Ra'Zahn Howard (20 tackles), especially with the multiple injuries to the linebackers.


The Boilermakers were decent in the secondary, holding teams to 6.9 YPA (55th in nation), and bring back star CB Frankie Williams (3 INT, 7 PBU, 74 tackles) to lead the back four.


James Madison transfer QB Michael Birdsong (2,728 pass yds, 7.3 YPA, 22 TD, 15 INT in 2013) is one of five new offensive starters for Marshall.


The 6-foot-5, strong-armed quarterback doesn't have any superstar pass catchers, but his receiving corps is deep with WRs Davonte Allen (544 rec yds, 4 TD), Angelo Jean-Louis (490 rec yds, 6 TD) and Deon-Tay McManus (422 rec yds, 6 TD). But the main engine to this high-octane offense is RB Devon Johnson (1,767 rush yds, 8.6 YPC, 17 TD), a 246-pound converted tight end.


He should have a field day on Sunday against Purdue's injury-riddled linebackers. Marshall's defense brings back only two starters to the front seven, but both are strong senior leaders in DT Jarquez Samuel (30 tackles) and SLB D.J. Hunter (5.5 sacks, 80 tackles, 10 TFL). CB Corey Tindal (12 PBU, 73 tackles) SS Taj Letman (4 INT, 94 tackles) and FS A.J. Leggett (4 INT, 63 tackles) comprise a major portion of an excellent secondary that allowed only 5.9 yards per pass attempt last year (9th in nation).

 

[CNOTES]

College Betting Recap - Week 1


September 6, 2015




Overall Notes


COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 RESULTS


Wager Favorites-Underdogs


Straight Up 71-11


Against the Spread 43-36-3


Wager Home-Away


Straight Up 61-17


Against the Spread 47-28-3


Wager Totals (O/U)


Over-Under 16-20


Neutral-site games


Favorites went 4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS with 'over/under' going 2-2


The largest underdog to win straight up


Portland State (+30, ML +6400) at Washington State, 24-17


The largest favorite to cover


Colorado State (-51) vs. Savannah State, 65-13


Top 25 Notes


-- All nine of the teams in the Top 10 in action from Thursday through Saturday were able to win outright, although those teams managed to go just 4-5 ATS. Perhaps the most impressive of all the performances was Alabama's 35-17 victory over Wisconsin at Jerry World. It was the only matchup featuring ranked teams playing each other, and it was not much of a contest in the second half. ... Oregon and Florida State each proved that despite losing Heisman Trophy quarterbacks, they are still contenders. The Ducks posted 61 points in their 61-42 win over Eastern Washington, while the Seminoles made quick work of Texas State in a 59-16 shellacking at the Doak. ... Southern California looks mighty stacked. If you missed the late-night action, USC ran out to a 28-0 halftime lead, making Johnny Public quite happy. A huge majority of the first-half bets were on the Trojans laying anywhere from 16 1/2 to 17 1/2 points. All cashed handily.


-- Louisiana State was scheduled to host McNeese State, but that game was canceled due to inclement weather. As of now there are no plans to re-schedule the game. It's bad news for the Tigers, who could have used a tune-up before heading to Mississippi State next week.


-- Tennessee is back in the Top 25, and they posted a ton of offense in their win over Bowling Green. The Falcons hung around for those who had them +22, but a 10-0 fourth quarter for the Vols sealed the fate of BGSU and their side bettors. Tennessee will lock horns with fellow Top 25 team Oklahoma next weekend.


-- Georgia managed to post 35 points in the first half against Louisiana-Monroe, and they managed to squeeze out a cover with their 51-14 win over the WarHawks. Georgia hits the road for Vanderbilt next weekend.


-- UCLA had a true freshman quarterback starting with Josh Rosen under center. However, he shined in his first collegiate action, as the Bruins roughed up Virginia 34-16 in the first game of the post-Brett Hundley era. Depending on your shop, and when your wager was placed, this was either a cover for UVA, a push or a cover for UCLA.


-- Mississippi has the highest score of the opening weekend, scorching Tennessee-Martin of the FCS by a 76-3 count. The Rebels will have a much bigger test when Fresno State comes calling to Oxford next weekend.


Big Five Conference Report (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC)


-- The Atlantic Coast Conference didn't get off to the best start. While most ACC teams took care of the patsies in front of them, the ACC took a beating in the marquee games on the slate. North Carolina opened with a sloppy 17-13 loss in Charlotte against South Carolina, while Louisville lost 31-24, but was at least able to cover in their battle against Auburn. And Virginia lost for the second straight season against UCLA, this time in sunny SoCal. We'll get our first conference game of the season when Wake Forest travels to Syracuse next Saturday. Each team coasted to easy victories over FCS opponents.


-- The Jim Harbaugh era is underway at Michigan, and it looks a lot like the Brady Hoke era so far. The Wolverines played their first-ever game in the state of Utah and were dropped 24-17. ... Northwestern showed well with a straight-up win at home against Stanford despite being 10-point underdogs. ... Illinois had its kickoff Friday delayed until Saturday, but it was worth the wait. The Illini smoked Kent State 52-3 for an easy cover.


... Penn State took it on the chin, falling 27-10 at Temple. The Owls picked up their first win against the Nittany Lions since 1941. ... One of the best games of the weekend happened in Lincoln, where Nebraska (and their bettors) were stunned by Brigham Young. See below.


-- Texas Christian started the season ranked No. 2, and they hit the road for Minnesota where they met a game Gophers squad. Trevone Boykin and company didn't come close to covering a 17-point number in their 23-17 victory. ... Baylor might have a new quarterback, but the offense looks as smooth as ever. They hung 56 points on SMU Friday night in a win. Oklahoma also looked good, but Texas took it on the chin at Notre Dame by a 38-3 count. ... Kansas State roughed up South Dakota by a 34-0 score, and their band also made some headlines for its halftime performance. Google it for a laugh. ... Kansas was tripped up at home against South Dakota State of the FCS, 41-38. It looks like it will be a long season in Lawrence.


-- It was a dismal opening weekend in the Evergreen State. Washington's offense looked anemic in Chris Petersen's return to Boise State Friday night. The Huskies were able to pull things together and cover in a 16-13 loss. Washington State was stunned at home against FCS Portland State by a 24-17 count. Stanford added to the Pac-12's misery with an ugly showing in Evanston, and Arizona State did themselves no favors with a 38-17 beating at the hands of Texas A&M. If not for USC, Utah and UCLA, it would have been a disastrous Week 1 out west.


-- The SEC have a successful opening week with Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee looking particularly impressive. Kentucky was involved in one of the more memorable games of the weekend, although the second half is one they likely want to forget. The Wildcats held a 24-7 halftime lead, and were up 33-10 late in the third quarter. However. Louisiana-Lafayette rattled off 23 unanswered points to tie it 33-33 midway through the fourth before the Wildcats eeked out the win in the final minute.


Mid-Major Report


-- One of the better games of the day happened in Tulsa Saturday, as the Golden Hurricane held off Florida Atlantic 47-44 in overtime. The Owls were able to grab the cover for everyone who had them from 5 1/2 to 7 points depending on when the wager was placed. ... Charlotte made its FBS debut with a 23-20 road win Friday at Georgia State. To the 49ers, welcome to the party. ... Middle Tennessee hung 70 points on Jackson State of the FCS and is an offense to watch, as is the Louisiana Tech team led by head coach Skip Holtz. They bagged Southern in a 62-15 romp. Rice piled up 56 points in a win over Wagner.


-- The Mountain West Conference posted a 10-2 SU mark with a 7-5 ATS record. Wyoming had the ugliest loss, getting dropped in Laramie by FCS North Dakota by a 24-13 score. Air Force looked good bagging Morgan State with a 63-point outburst, while New Mexico went for 66 in its shutout win over Mississippi Valley State. Colorado State also hits the 60's in their bloodbath against Savannah State, a team which continues their dismal play while cashing huge paychecks.


-- Temple carried the banner for the American Athletic Conference with a signature win, hiding conference losses by UCF, SMU and Tulane. East Carolina and Connecticut also looked terrible in their opening evaluations. The team to watch in this conference might be Navy, making its debut. They brushed up on Colgate with a 48-10 win. Memphis was also sharp, pilling up 63 points in a win over Missouri State.


-- The Mid-American Conference receives mixed reviews for the first week of action. Western Michigan covered at home against Michigan State Friday night, and Ohio looked like a solid offense from top to bottom in their 45-28 road win and cover at Idaho Thursday. Central Michigan also went toe-to-toe with a solid Oklahoma State team Thursday, losing 24-13 but covering rather handily. However, Northern Illinois didn't look particularly sharp in their non-cover against UNLV, and Eastern Michigan blew it at home against Old Dominion. Northeast Ohio's Akron and Kent State were each outscored by a combined 93-6 score.


Bad Beats


-- UCLA bettors were looking at a cover before Virginia struck for its first touchdown of the game, and the cover, with just 3:29 left on the clock. It was the final score of the game in a 34-16 win for the Bruins. Some UCLA backers still picked up a win, but that late touchdown turned some tickets into pushes or losses.


-- Vanderbilt scored a touchdown with :33 left in regulation to cut the Western Kentucky lead to 14-12. They misses the two-point conversion try, but changed plenty of tickets from winners into pushes with their late score Thursday night.


-- There were numerous result changes on the final play of the Brigham Young-Nebraska game. First, if you had BYU on the moneyline (+180), it was a great result. BYU, using its backup quarterback after losing Taysom Hill to a fractured foot, hit a Hail Mary on the final play to top the Cornhuskers 33-28. Those screams of horror you heard were from those holding 'under' tickets at 60 1/2 or lower. The line opened around 64, but closed at 58.


-- Texas Tech held a 28-point lead over Sam Houston State heading into the fourth quarter before getting outscored by the Bearkats 14-0. The final score with 2:33 to go turned a cover into a push for Red Raiders side bettors.