College football Top 25 betting cheat sheet: Week 13
The college season is almost done, with just two more games left for most programs. With Rivalry Week on deck, there could be some surprise finishes in Week 13 with teams looking ahead to those annual grudge matches. We give you need-to-know betting notes for all of Saturday's Top 25 action.
(18) Marshall Thundering Herd at UAB Blazers (+20)
*Marshall is tops nationally with a 30.8-point scoring margin and is the only team in the FBS to score at least 35 points in each of its games this season.
*Blazers head coach Bill Clark has no reservations about how difficult this game is going to be. "They have put it on the people they have played and on some good opponents in our league. As the season has gone on, it has gotten worse," the coach said. "We should play like we have everything to gain and nothing to lose."
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at (9) Michigan State Spartans (-22)
*With Rutgers traveling to Michigan State's open air, natural grass stadium this week, Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood has the team practicing outside in freezing conditions. “Once you get moving around you really don’t feel it,” Flood said. “It’s only the guys standing around like the coaches that actually feel it. The players, once they get moving around, I don’t see any difference.” The forecast is calling for ice showers and temperatures hovering around freezing in East Lansing.
*Balance has been the name of the game for the Spartans this season. They are averaging 245.9 yards rushing with 34 TDs and 268.1 yards passing with 21 TDs. Twelve different offensive players have scored touchdowns this season for the Spartans, including 10 with at least two touchdowns.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers at (10) Georgia Bulldogs (OTB)
*Quietly the Buccaneers may be able to earn an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. "Our guys are more comfortable and we've figured out who we are," coach Jamey Chadwell said. "We're more comfortable in who we are and what we want to do and guys believe in it. Our guys believe that it's going to work."
*Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 54-10 SU record against teams from outside the SEC. They are 38-1 at home since 2001.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at (19) Nebraska Cornhuskers (-10.5)
*The Golden Gophers are no strangers to close games this season. Two of their four Big Ten victories have been by seven or fewer points, while both of Minnesota’s conference losses have been by a touchdown or less.
*"I don't want to make an excuse - because I'm not making an excuse," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "sometimes our guys put so much pressure on themselves to win that they're not playing to win, they're playing not to lose."
Indiana Hoosiers at (7) Ohio State Buckeyes (-34.5)
*Hoosiers RB Tevin Coleman has been near unstoppable this season averaging 167.8 rushing yards per contest. The junior back is averaging more yards on the ground per game than 67 FBS schools this season.
*It may be time for J.T. Barrett to get some Heisman talk. Barrett has been responsible for at least four touchdowns in six of 10 games this season while completing 64.0 percent of his passes.
Kansas Jayhawks at (22) Oklahoma Sooners (-25)
*Kansas is looking to snap several long streaks when it travels to Oklahoma. The Jayhawks have lost 28-consecutive true road games and 31 games away from Lawrence overall. Kansas' last road win came at UTEP on Sept. 12, 2009. The Jayhawks have not won a Big 12 Conference road game since defeating Iowa State on Oct. 4, 2008.
*Last week, freshman Cody Thomas got his first start for the Sooners and Bob Stoops is expecting a better game this week. "I feel confident he'll even make a bigger jump this week, having been out there that whole game and having the experience of it,'' Stoops said
Washington State Cougars at Arizona State Sun Devils (-15)
*Many were worried how the Cougars would play once they lost top QB Connor Halliday for last week's game. However, redshirt freshman Luke Falk stepped in and threw for 471 yards and five touchdowns.
*Even though QB Taylor Kelly is back from injury, there seems to be doubt that he is fully healed. "Before the injury, I think he was moving a lot better and was able to execute the zone read stuff. I’m not sure he is 100 percent back yet," Sun Devils coach Todd Graham said.
New Mexico Lobos at (23) Colorado State Rams (-21.5)
*All three of the Lobos' victories this season have come on the road. In those three victories, New Mexico is4 2-1 against the spread while only winning two games by three points each.
*Rams WR Rashad Higgins has been lost in the shuffle of bigger name receivers, but the sophomore has been more dominant than any other this season. Higgins ranks first nationally in receiving yards per game (142.2) and tied for No. 1 in receiving TDs (13).
(13) Arizona Wildcats at (21) Utah Utes (-4)
*Wildcats LB Scooby Wright has been nominated for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as he should be. The sophomore is the only player in the nation to rank in the top 25 in tackles (117), tackles for loss (21), sacks (12) and forced fumbles (five).
*It has been a bad year on the injury front for Utes receivers. Utah has lost both Dres Anderson, the team's leading receiver for the past two seasons, and Tim Patrick this season, both of which were team starters.
Boston College Eagles at (1) FSU Seminoles (-17)
*Boston College head coach Steve Addazio has some reasoning as to why FSU has been trailing early in games. "I think that teams come out and give them their best shot early, but you have to sustain it when you play that team. You have to come out and play well and sustain it; get it to the fourth quarter and win it. No one's been able to do that."
*After erasing a 16-0 deficit at Miami on Saturday night, Florida State became the first team since the 2005 UCLA Bruins to win three games after trailing by 15+ points in a single season. FSU managed to go 2-1 against the spread in those games as well.
(8) Ole Miss Rebels at Arkansas Razorbacks (+3.5)
*Ole Miss is still in the running for the SEC West crown, but they will need some help. The Rebels will need to win their final two games and then needs to hope for Auburn to top Alabama next week.
*The Razorbacks have been knocking on the door of being a top tier team in the SEC all season and they've finally achieved it thanks to a power run game. Arkansas' offensive line averages 328 lbs which has helped Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins tally 1818 yards and 22 touchdowns this season.
(15) Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes (+10)
*Though Melvin Gordon gets the headlines, it's the Badgers offensive line that is pushing the team above and beyond. "We don't want to get our names in the paper or anything like that," center Dan Voltz said. "We want to get Melvin's game in the paper. If he has a good day, we did our job."
*Saturday will mark the fourth time this season the Hoosiers will face a running back ranked inside the top seven in yards per game. In the previous three they have allowed an average of 149 yards to each back with an average of 7.5 yards per carry.
Western Carolina Catamounts at (2) Alabama Crimson Tide (OTB)
*WCU has managed to outscore opponents 98-55 in the first quarter this season, a huge improvement over the 29 point they scored in the first stanza during the 2013 season.
*The Crimson Tide running game is still missing it's best piece as RB T.J. Yeldon was limited in practice this week and coach Nick Saban said he was "day-to-day."
Colorado Buffaloes at (3) Oregon Ducks (-32.5)
*The Buffaloes may be taking to the field without arguably their best player in Sefo Liufau who is dealing with a concussion. "Sefo was able to do a little bit more (this week), but he’s still not at completely 100 cleared. We think he will be. We’ll see how that goes as the week goes along to exactly how much we do on Saturday.”
*If history is any indication, than you can expect Marcus Mariota to have a large game against Colorado. The Heisman candidate has played the Buffaloes twice, throwing for 491 yards and seven touchdowns while adding three more with his feet.
Samford Bulldogs at (17) Auburn Tigers (OTB)
*Bulldogs RB Denzel Williams has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 of Samford's games this season. The sophomore has 16 rushing TDs on the season.
*There is no hope for Aurburn to make the playoffs or the SEC Championships after a second straight loss last week. "It's dreadful because that's what our whole goal was this year, to get back being SEC champions and having a shot at the national championship," quarterback Nick Marshall said Tuesday. "But it didn't fall our way this year. We're going to finish out strong."
Oklahoma State Cowboys at (6) Baylor Bears (-28.5)
*Offense continues to sputter for the Cowboys during their five game losing streak. The team is averaging 10 points per game, while QB Daxx Garman has thrown almost four times as many interceptions than touchdowns (2 TDs-to-7 INTs).
*Baylor's high scoring offense has been even better at home. In the Bears past 12 home games, the team has averaged 60.25 points per game and 686 yards of offense.
(20) Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers (-3.5)
*Missouri has won nine straight road games SU and ATS. The flawless road record has seen the Tigers outscore opponents by an average of 18 ppg.
*With both A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams suspended due to rape allegations, the Tennessee coaches have told the players to practice as if they are going to start this week. Freshman LB Jakob Johnson will be expected to step in and man the MLB spot for the Volunteers.
Vanderbilt Commodores at (4) Mississippi State Bulldogs (-30.5)
*The Commordores have more first time starters (26) than any FBS team in the nation. Vanderbilt's leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler are first-year contributors, lending more proof to a young 'Dore squad.
*“We’ve handled winning very well this season, so we’ll see how we handle this adversity at this point,” Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. The Bulldogs are coming off their first loss of the season against Alabama.
(24) USC Trojans at (12) UCLA Bruins (-4)
*USC is averaging a Pac-12-high 9.2 penalties and saw three touchdowns called back against the Golden Bears last week.
*If UCLA wants to ensure victory early, they will need to get the offense going quickly. UCLA is 21-3 under coach Jim Mora when scoring first and 23-0 when leading at halftime.
The college season is almost done, with just two more games left for most programs. With Rivalry Week on deck, there could be some surprise finishes in Week 13 with teams looking ahead to those annual grudge matches. We give you need-to-know betting notes for all of Saturday's Top 25 action.
(18) Marshall Thundering Herd at UAB Blazers (+20)
*Marshall is tops nationally with a 30.8-point scoring margin and is the only team in the FBS to score at least 35 points in each of its games this season.
*Blazers head coach Bill Clark has no reservations about how difficult this game is going to be. "They have put it on the people they have played and on some good opponents in our league. As the season has gone on, it has gotten worse," the coach said. "We should play like we have everything to gain and nothing to lose."
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at (9) Michigan State Spartans (-22)
*With Rutgers traveling to Michigan State's open air, natural grass stadium this week, Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood has the team practicing outside in freezing conditions. “Once you get moving around you really don’t feel it,” Flood said. “It’s only the guys standing around like the coaches that actually feel it. The players, once they get moving around, I don’t see any difference.” The forecast is calling for ice showers and temperatures hovering around freezing in East Lansing.
*Balance has been the name of the game for the Spartans this season. They are averaging 245.9 yards rushing with 34 TDs and 268.1 yards passing with 21 TDs. Twelve different offensive players have scored touchdowns this season for the Spartans, including 10 with at least two touchdowns.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers at (10) Georgia Bulldogs (OTB)
*Quietly the Buccaneers may be able to earn an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. "Our guys are more comfortable and we've figured out who we are," coach Jamey Chadwell said. "We're more comfortable in who we are and what we want to do and guys believe in it. Our guys believe that it's going to work."
*Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 54-10 SU record against teams from outside the SEC. They are 38-1 at home since 2001.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at (19) Nebraska Cornhuskers (-10.5)
*The Golden Gophers are no strangers to close games this season. Two of their four Big Ten victories have been by seven or fewer points, while both of Minnesota’s conference losses have been by a touchdown or less.
*"I don't want to make an excuse - because I'm not making an excuse," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "sometimes our guys put so much pressure on themselves to win that they're not playing to win, they're playing not to lose."
Indiana Hoosiers at (7) Ohio State Buckeyes (-34.5)
*Hoosiers RB Tevin Coleman has been near unstoppable this season averaging 167.8 rushing yards per contest. The junior back is averaging more yards on the ground per game than 67 FBS schools this season.
*It may be time for J.T. Barrett to get some Heisman talk. Barrett has been responsible for at least four touchdowns in six of 10 games this season while completing 64.0 percent of his passes.
Kansas Jayhawks at (22) Oklahoma Sooners (-25)
*Kansas is looking to snap several long streaks when it travels to Oklahoma. The Jayhawks have lost 28-consecutive true road games and 31 games away from Lawrence overall. Kansas' last road win came at UTEP on Sept. 12, 2009. The Jayhawks have not won a Big 12 Conference road game since defeating Iowa State on Oct. 4, 2008.
*Last week, freshman Cody Thomas got his first start for the Sooners and Bob Stoops is expecting a better game this week. "I feel confident he'll even make a bigger jump this week, having been out there that whole game and having the experience of it,'' Stoops said
Washington State Cougars at Arizona State Sun Devils (-15)
*Many were worried how the Cougars would play once they lost top QB Connor Halliday for last week's game. However, redshirt freshman Luke Falk stepped in and threw for 471 yards and five touchdowns.
*Even though QB Taylor Kelly is back from injury, there seems to be doubt that he is fully healed. "Before the injury, I think he was moving a lot better and was able to execute the zone read stuff. I’m not sure he is 100 percent back yet," Sun Devils coach Todd Graham said.
New Mexico Lobos at (23) Colorado State Rams (-21.5)
*All three of the Lobos' victories this season have come on the road. In those three victories, New Mexico is4 2-1 against the spread while only winning two games by three points each.
*Rams WR Rashad Higgins has been lost in the shuffle of bigger name receivers, but the sophomore has been more dominant than any other this season. Higgins ranks first nationally in receiving yards per game (142.2) and tied for No. 1 in receiving TDs (13).
(13) Arizona Wildcats at (21) Utah Utes (-4)
*Wildcats LB Scooby Wright has been nominated for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as he should be. The sophomore is the only player in the nation to rank in the top 25 in tackles (117), tackles for loss (21), sacks (12) and forced fumbles (five).
*It has been a bad year on the injury front for Utes receivers. Utah has lost both Dres Anderson, the team's leading receiver for the past two seasons, and Tim Patrick this season, both of which were team starters.
Boston College Eagles at (1) FSU Seminoles (-17)
*Boston College head coach Steve Addazio has some reasoning as to why FSU has been trailing early in games. "I think that teams come out and give them their best shot early, but you have to sustain it when you play that team. You have to come out and play well and sustain it; get it to the fourth quarter and win it. No one's been able to do that."
*After erasing a 16-0 deficit at Miami on Saturday night, Florida State became the first team since the 2005 UCLA Bruins to win three games after trailing by 15+ points in a single season. FSU managed to go 2-1 against the spread in those games as well.
(8) Ole Miss Rebels at Arkansas Razorbacks (+3.5)
*Ole Miss is still in the running for the SEC West crown, but they will need some help. The Rebels will need to win their final two games and then needs to hope for Auburn to top Alabama next week.
*The Razorbacks have been knocking on the door of being a top tier team in the SEC all season and they've finally achieved it thanks to a power run game. Arkansas' offensive line averages 328 lbs which has helped Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins tally 1818 yards and 22 touchdowns this season.
(15) Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes (+10)
*Though Melvin Gordon gets the headlines, it's the Badgers offensive line that is pushing the team above and beyond. "We don't want to get our names in the paper or anything like that," center Dan Voltz said. "We want to get Melvin's game in the paper. If he has a good day, we did our job."
*Saturday will mark the fourth time this season the Hoosiers will face a running back ranked inside the top seven in yards per game. In the previous three they have allowed an average of 149 yards to each back with an average of 7.5 yards per carry.
Western Carolina Catamounts at (2) Alabama Crimson Tide (OTB)
*WCU has managed to outscore opponents 98-55 in the first quarter this season, a huge improvement over the 29 point they scored in the first stanza during the 2013 season.
*The Crimson Tide running game is still missing it's best piece as RB T.J. Yeldon was limited in practice this week and coach Nick Saban said he was "day-to-day."
Colorado Buffaloes at (3) Oregon Ducks (-32.5)
*The Buffaloes may be taking to the field without arguably their best player in Sefo Liufau who is dealing with a concussion. "Sefo was able to do a little bit more (this week), but he’s still not at completely 100 cleared. We think he will be. We’ll see how that goes as the week goes along to exactly how much we do on Saturday.”
*If history is any indication, than you can expect Marcus Mariota to have a large game against Colorado. The Heisman candidate has played the Buffaloes twice, throwing for 491 yards and seven touchdowns while adding three more with his feet.
Samford Bulldogs at (17) Auburn Tigers (OTB)
*Bulldogs RB Denzel Williams has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 of Samford's games this season. The sophomore has 16 rushing TDs on the season.
*There is no hope for Aurburn to make the playoffs or the SEC Championships after a second straight loss last week. "It's dreadful because that's what our whole goal was this year, to get back being SEC champions and having a shot at the national championship," quarterback Nick Marshall said Tuesday. "But it didn't fall our way this year. We're going to finish out strong."
Oklahoma State Cowboys at (6) Baylor Bears (-28.5)
*Offense continues to sputter for the Cowboys during their five game losing streak. The team is averaging 10 points per game, while QB Daxx Garman has thrown almost four times as many interceptions than touchdowns (2 TDs-to-7 INTs).
*Baylor's high scoring offense has been even better at home. In the Bears past 12 home games, the team has averaged 60.25 points per game and 686 yards of offense.
(20) Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers (-3.5)
*Missouri has won nine straight road games SU and ATS. The flawless road record has seen the Tigers outscore opponents by an average of 18 ppg.
*With both A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams suspended due to rape allegations, the Tennessee coaches have told the players to practice as if they are going to start this week. Freshman LB Jakob Johnson will be expected to step in and man the MLB spot for the Volunteers.
Vanderbilt Commodores at (4) Mississippi State Bulldogs (-30.5)
*The Commordores have more first time starters (26) than any FBS team in the nation. Vanderbilt's leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler are first-year contributors, lending more proof to a young 'Dore squad.
*“We’ve handled winning very well this season, so we’ll see how we handle this adversity at this point,” Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. The Bulldogs are coming off their first loss of the season against Alabama.
(24) USC Trojans at (12) UCLA Bruins (-4)
*USC is averaging a Pac-12-high 9.2 penalties and saw three touchdowns called back against the Golden Bears last week.
*If UCLA wants to ensure victory early, they will need to get the offense going quickly. UCLA is 21-3 under coach Jim Mora when scoring first and 23-0 when leading at halftime.
