Cnotes October College Football Best Bets-Trends-News-Stats !

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Saturday, October 4


Four programs perfect at the betting window

With Week 6 of the college football schedule upon us, four unblemished against the spread records remain as Georgia Southern (5-0 ATS), Virginia (5-0), East Carolina (4-0) and TCU (3-0) all head into Saturday's action with perfect ATS records.

Three programs - Baylor, Memphis and Ole Miss - have not posted an ATS loss, but each have one push.

All four of those aforementioned schools are in action today as Georgia Southern (+19) visits New Mexico State, Virginia (-5) hosts Pitt, East Carolina (-41) hosts SMU and TCU (+3.5) hosts Oklahoma.


Windy conditions in Big Ten matchup

Wind could play a factor in Saturday's meeting at Memorial Stadium as Illinois hosts Purdue in the Big Ten.

Forecasts are calling for wind to blow across the field at around 17 mph in Champaign and there is a slight possibility of rain at 16 percent.

Temperatures will be in the mid-40s under mostly cloudy skies.

Oddsmakers have Illinois as an 8.5-point home fave a total of 54.5.


Florida on hot SU streak versus Tennessee

The Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers renew acquaintances at Neyland Stadium Saturday, and it's the Gators that have had the edge of late winning nine-straight rivalry games straight up.

Over that stretch, the Gators have posted a record of 5-3-1 against the spread at the betting window.

Oddsmakers opened the Gators as 1-point road faves for Saturday's meeting, but action has pushed Tennessee to -2.5 at most shops, with a couple of Tennessee -3's available.

As for the moneyline, the Gators can be had for anywhere from +115 to +125.


Thunderstorms in store for Ball State-Army game

According to weather forecasts, there is a 95 percent possibility of thunderstorms for Saturday's game between the Ball State Cardinals and Army Black Knights Saturday.

Temperatures will be in the low-60s and wind will blow across Michie Stadium at around 5 mph.

The Black Knights are currently 1.5-point home favorites and the total is 58.5.


Gamecocks WR Roland misses flight to Kentucky

According to several media outlets, South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Shaq Roland did not make the journey to Kentucky for Saturday's game between the Gamecocks and Wildcats.

The school has not stated why, exactly, the junior did not travel.

Roland has 15 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns on the season.


Baylor D getting overlooked due to potent offense

The Baylor Bears' high-flying offense is getting a lot of attention this year, but their defense has been no slouch, either.

In week 5 against Iowa State, the Bears limited the Cyclones' runningbacks to just 28 yards on 20 carries. They boast the fifth best rushing defense in the nation, and are ranked sixth overall in total defense.

Baylor visits Texas for a date with the Longhorns Saturday. The Bears are presently -14.5 road faves with an O/U of 58.5 for the inter-state clash.


Wake Forest has ugly history against Top 25 teams

If you're looking to back the underdog in a David vs. Goliath matchup in Week 6 college football action, trends are showing you may want to stay away from Wake Forest against No. 2 ranked Florida State.

The Demon Deacons' all-time record against Top 25 teams is an ugly 22-125-1. The last time they pulled off the upset, however, was in 2011 against the Seminoles.

The 'Noles are currently 38-point home faves with a total of 55.5 for the contest.


Oklahoma's defense keeping TCU in check

Oklahoma will be traveling to Fort Worth, Texas with an impressive streak against TCU. The Sooners and Horned Frogs have met 13 times in their schools histories, in those meetings TCU has never scored more than 20 points in a contest.

The Sooners defense has held opponents to an average of 16.5 points while TCU has scored 44.6 points per game.

The total for the game currently sits at 57.5.

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF

Saturday, October 4


Wind could play a factor in Ohio State-Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins host the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday and wind could aid teams moving the ball toward the east endzone. According to forecasts, wind will blow toward that end of the field at 13 mph.

The rest of the forecast is calling for temperatures in the mid-60s under partly cloudy skies with a small, 11 percent possibility of rain.


Buckeyes dominant in conference play

The Ohio State Buckeyes take a 16-game winning streak (straight up) in Big Ten regular season play into Saturday's game at the Maryland Terrapins.

The Buckeyes are 9-6-1 against the spread at the betting window over those 16 regular season conference games.

They open their Big Ten season as 7-point favorites at Maryland Saturday.


Texas A&M not slowing up late in games

Texas A&M has outscored opponents by an outstanding 59 points in the fourth quarter this season. The Aggies and LSU are tied for the largest fourth quarter margin in the FBS this season, a full 11 points better than the next team.

Mississippi State is on the other end of the spectrum, ranking 100th in the FBS with a -16 fourth quarter margin.


Still looking for first ATS win, FSU a huge fave

The Florida State Seminoles have been prime fade material this season as they head into their Week 6 matchup with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 0-4 against the spread.

The Westgate LV Superbook opened Florida State as 39-point home faves, but that has moved to -38.

Faithful Florida State backers can probably find some solace in the previous two results between the schools. The Seminoles have won those two meetings with a combined scoreline of 111-3, covering as 28-point faves in 2012 and 34-point faves in 2013.


Wake Forest great at keeping games close

The Demon Deacons No.30 ranked defense has kept them in games this season. Wake Forest's three losses this season have come by an average of 9.3 points.

The Deacs' are 38-point road dogs against Florida State Saturday.


ECU Pirates biggest fave on Saturday's board

Oddsmakers have adjusted the line for Week 6's matchup between SMU and East Carolina and the Pirates are now 41-point home faves at offshore books. The Pirates opened as 37-point favorites, but that line began moving instantly.

Books in Las Vegas are currently offering the Pirates as 42-point faves.

The Pirates have been perfect at the betting window this season, going 4-0 against the spread through their first four games - three of which came as underdogs.

The Mustangs, on the other hand, have mustered 12 points in four games this season and have lost all four games by an average of 47.5 points.


Foreign territory for Longhorns backers

The Texas Longhorns are currently 14.5-point home underdogs with the Baylor Bears in town, and according to ESPN, it's a pretty historical number that oddsmakers have put on their boards.

The Longhorns haven't been a double-digit underdog at home at any point over the past 25 years.

The line has come down a little since post, as the Westgate LV Superbook opened the Longhorns as 15.5-point dogs.


Home teams dominating 'Battle for the Cannon'

Purdue will travel to Champaign to take on Illinois in another installment of the 'Battle for the Cannon.' In the past four meetings in the rivalry, the home team is 4-0 against the spread.

The Boilermakers are 8.5-point road dogs against the Illini Saturday.


Dogs cashing in between Eastern Michigan-Akron

Eastern Michigan and Akron will renew hostilities when they face one another Saturday. Underdogs have been dominating the series as of late with the favorite carrying a 1-7 record against the spread in the last eight meetings.

The Eagles are currently 25.5-point dogs.

 

[CNOTES]

Essential Week 6 college football betting tidbits

There is plenty of Top 25 action in Week 6 of the college football schedule. If you're having trouble keeping track of it all, here are some essential betting tidbits for all of those ranked matchups:

(18) Ohio State Buckeyes at Maryland Terrapins

* The Buckeyes offense is running on full cylinders tallying 380 rushing yards and 330 passing yards in their last game. This marks only the fourth time in school history the team topped 300 yards in both those categories in one game.

* Maryland will try and continue defensive adjustments from last week to slow down Ohio State's rushing attack. "We wanted to play very aggressive and fit our gaps and run to the ball. We are going to continue to do that as a defense and it'll help us in the long run," Terrapins DL Darius Kilgo said.

Southern Methodist Mustangs at (21) East Carolina Pirates

* Tom Mason will be coaching his third game as the interim coach for the Mustangs. This is the second time in his career he has held the distinction, also at Boise State in 1996, and is carrying a lifetime coaching record of 1-12.

* "I personally felt like we needed to cut down our penalties as a team. After the first quarter, I want to be a better team in the second quarter of eliminating penalties," Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill told the media Monday. ECU has given up an average of 75 yards per game due to penalties.

Iowa State Cyclones at (23) Oklahoma State Cowboys

* Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads made quite a commotion at his weekly presser. The sixth-year coach pounded his podium imitating the 'Paddle People' in Stillwater. Iowa State has always been affected by the crowds at Boone Pickens Stadium, going 6-17 SU in its last 23 in Stillwater.

* Oklahoma State ranks 11th nationally with eight tackles for loss per game, is 19th nationally with 3.25 sacks per game and is third nationally with three blocked kicks.

(7) Texas A&M Aggies at (14) Mississippi State Bulldogs

* The Aggies are leading the FBS with 27 completions of 20 yards or longer this season. They will be facing a Bulldogs team that ranks last in the SEC in passing defense.

* Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen is not kidding himself about this game. "I don't see it being a real low-scoring battle in the trenches," the sixth-year coach said. "If you hold them just below the average, we'll have to score 50."

Wake Forest Demon Deacons at (2) Florida State Seminoles

* Shocking victories are not common in the Demon Deacons' history. Wake Forest has an all-time record of 22-125-1 against top 25 teams with the last victory coming in 2011 versus the Seminoles.

* The Seminoles could be reloading their team this Saturday. FSU is expecting both DE Mario Edwards and RB Mario Pender to be dressed and ready to go against the Demon Deacons.

(6) Baylor Bears at Texas Longhorns

* Baylor may be outscoring teams 227-55, but it's not just their offense that is shining. The Bears defense held Iowa State RBs to 28 yards on 20 carries last week.

* It's pretty clear that the Longhorns and Bears are developing a bitter rivalry. "Just because they started playing better in this era, that's good for them. We're still Texas," Longhorns WR John Harris said this week.

(1) Alabama Crimson Tide at (11) Ole Miss Rebels

* Alabama has been training hard this week with full pad practices, but QB Blake Sims does not look 100 percent. The senior is dealing with a shoulder injury and was not throwing as hard as he could during practices.

* After some mediocre years, Ole Miss is finally getting the right attitude in the locker room. "It's daylight (and) dark from our sophomore year when going down to Baton Rouge and just playing with LSU was a moral victory," quarterback Bo Wallace said. "Now it's ‘We have to win these games, we have to win these big games to take our program to the next level."

(16) Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats

* If there is one word to describe how the Badgers' WR feel this season it is frustrated. Kenzel Doe, Rob Wheelwright and Reggie Love all described their seasons as frustrating this week. The three have combined for two catches and 11 yards.

* Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald is far from satisfied with his team. The coach said Jack Mitchell was "terrible," the punting game was "horrendous" and that LB Anthony Walker made 10 mental errors.

(13) Stanford Cardinals at (8) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

* The Cardinals have not forgotten the special teams game this season. "(Korey Drunkee is) probably the best punter I've ever seen," said return man Ty Montgomery. “He was putting the ball all over the field. Most of his punts were over 50 yards. It was incredible.’’

* The Fighting Irish are 15-0 under Brian Kelly when they don't turn the ball over, a record that RB Tony Alford is well aware of. "A fumble is an unacceptable deal. If you feel like the ball is coming out, fall down...there is no forgivable fumble."

(3) Oklahoma Sooners at (25) TCU Horned Frogs

* The Sooners have been dominating TCU defensively in all 13 games they've faced each other. Oklahoma has not once allowed the Horned Frogs to score more than 20 points once.

* TCU ranks second in the nation in total defense, allowing only 2.2 yards per rush and a 49.0 passing completion percentage.

Vanderbilt Commodores at (12) Georgia Bulldogs

* It doesn't seem anyone is going to mistake Vandy for an offensive powerhouse. Last week QB Wade Freebeck went 8-for-25 for 85 yards with three interceptions while getting sacked four times.

* The Bulldogs offense is set to get WR Malcom Mitchell back in the lineup according to coach Mark Richt. "He would have to have a setback to not play," the coach said. Mitchell tore his ACL celebrating in the season opener against Clemson.

(15) LSU Tigers at (5) Auburn Tigers

* LSU is going to be putting the ball in the hands of a freshman against Auburn. QB Brandon Harris will get the start for the Tigers Les Miles said Monday. The freshman went 11-for-14 against New Mexico State with three TD's.

* Auburn QB Nick Marshall ranks third in the nation in rushing yards among active QB's since the beginning of last season. The senior could have a big day against a LSU defense that is surrendering the sixth-most rushing yards to QB's.

Texas Tech Red Raiders at (22) Kansas State Wildcats

* The Red Raiders may be going into Bill Snyder Family Stadium down their starting QB. David Webb is listed as day-to-day after suffering a shoulder injury against Oklahoma State last week. The sophomore QB has 1356 yards with 14 TD's this season.

* Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder's biggest concern about Texas Tech's offense is the speed. "From a defensive standpoint, the thing is that you do not have time to really sit and process things as well as you would like to."

(24) Arizona State Sun Devils at (20) USC Trojans

* It does not appear that QB Taylor Kelly will be healthy enough to play against USC, so the Sun Devils will need to call on Mike Bercovici again. The junior threw for 488 yards with three TD's and two interceptions against UCLA.

* No defense in the nation has been quite as overpowering than the Trojans. USC ranks sixth in the nation with a turnover differential of +7 and the have not allowed a passing touchdown through four games.

(17) Nebraska Cornhuskers at (10) Michigan State Spartans

* Tommy Armstrong Jr. was abused by the Spartans last year throwing an interception and losing two fumbles, but he understands what happened. ""I was kind of wide-eyed when I played against them my first year. But now I know what to expect, I know what our offense is capable of just by what we’ve been doing the whole year."

* It may seem a bit extreme, but Spartans LT Jack Conklin attributes his offseason weight loss to a Cornhuskers DE. "I learned about the speed facing (Randy Gregory), because he's very fast,'' Conklin said. "That's partially why I went about losing my weight because I looked at the film and I had to do something to help me against these kinds of guys."

Utah Utes at (9) UCLA Bruins

* Utah is one of the best starting teams in college football. The Utes have outscored their opponents 55-10 in the first quarter this season.

* UCLA's Brett Hundley lit up the Utes while scoring a touchdown passing, running and receiving last season as the Bruins beat Utah by seven points for the second straight year.

 

[CNOTES]

1st Set of Early Games:

Saturday, October 4

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Ohio State - 12:00 PM ET Ohio State -7 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Maryland -

Southern Methodist - 12:00 PM ET East Carolina -40.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
East Carolina -

Iowa State - 12:00 PM ET Iowa State +17 500
Oklahoma State -

Marshall - 12:00 PM ET Marshall -18 500 LIGHTS OUT
Old Dominion -

Texas A&M - 12:00 PM ET Mississippi State -2.5 500 *****
Mississippi State -

Purdue - 12:00 PM ET Purdue +10 500
Illinois -

Southern Mississippi - 12:00 PM ET Southern Mississippi +17.5 500
Middle Tennessee -

Florida - 12:00 PM ET Florida +1.5 500 *****
Tennessee -

Ball State - 12:00 PM ET Army -2.5 500
Army -

Virginia Tech - 12:30 PM ET North Carolina +2.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
North Carolina -

Eastern Michigan - 2:00 PM ET Eastern Michigan +25.5 500 *****
Akron -

North Texas - 2:30 PM ET North Texas +14 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Indiana -

Massachusetts - 2:30 PM ET Massachusetts +3.5 500 *****
Miami (Ohio) -

 

[indiana]

C/notes............BOL with all your action today..............indy

 

[CNOTES]

2ND SET OF GAMES:


Tulsa - 3:00 PM ET Colorado State -17.5 500 *****
Colorado State -

Wake Forest - 3:30 PM ET Florida State -37.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Florida State -

Wisconsin - 3:30 PM ET Northwestern +7.5 500 *****
Northwestern -

Alabama - 3:30 PM ET Mississippi +4.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Mississippi -

Buffalo - 3:30 PM ET Bowling Green -3 500
Bowling Green -

North Carolina State - 3:30 PM ET Clemson -14 500 *****
Clemson -

Baylor - 3:30 PM ET Texas +14.5 500 LIGHTS OUT
Texas -

Ohio - 3:30 PM ET Ohio +4 500
Central Michigan -

Oklahoma - 3:30 PM ET Oklahoma -3.5 500 LIGHTS OUT
Texas Christian -

New Mexico - 3:30 PM ET Texas-San Antonio -17 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas-San Antonio -

Stanford - 3:30 PM ET Stanford -2.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Notre Dame -

Navy - 3:30 PM ET Navy -3.5 500
Air Force -

Oregon State - 4:00 PM ET Colorado +5 500 *****
Colorado -

Vanderbilt - 4:00 PM ET Georgia -33.5 500 *****
Georgia -

Kansas - 4:00 PM ET West Virginia -27 500 TRIPLE PLAY
West Virginia -

Kent State - 5:00 PM ET Northern Illinois -25.5 500 LIGHTS OUT
Northern Illinois -

South Alabama - 6:00 PM ET South Alabama -3 500
Appalachian State -

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

College football trends with Week 5 upon us........

-- Arizona State covered once in last five games as a road underdog.

-- Home side covered eight of last ten Illinois-Purdue games.

-- Ohio U covered twice in last ten games as a road underdog.

-- Texas Tech is 2-9 in last eleven games as a road underdog.

-- Navy is 9-1-1 vs spread in last 11 games with Air Force.

-- Rice covered 16 of last 23 games as a home favorite.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but........

13) Arizona 31, Oregon 24—Big upset late Thursday night, shakes up the college football picture. Rich Rodriguez is a very good coach, who like Brady Hoke now, got run out of Michigan after a fairly short tenure, which is Arizona’s gain. His teams score a lot of points and they win.

This I will never forget and it says a lot about RichRod: he worked on a studio show at CBS College Sports after he got canned at Michigan. He is a good natured guy on air, but apparently was so beloved by his broadcast partners that when he left for Arizona, the first show they did without him, they left his chair empty on set during the show, part of which was a lengthy interview with him from Tucson.

You never see anything like that on TV. Quite to a tribute to someone they obviously hold in very high esteem.

12) This is graphic evidence that the Patriots are struggling on offense: On first drive of each half this season, eight drives, New England has run a total of 28 plays for 65 yards, with no points scored. No bueno.

11) Average number of replay challenges per team this baseball season: 34.4. Cubs (57) challenged the most plays, Oakland (26) challenged the least.

10) Thursday night NFL scores since Week 2: 26-6, 56-14, 45-14, 42-10. Football was not meant to be played on four days’ rest. If they insist on playing Thursday games, NFL should make it so teams coming off a bye play on Thursday, to help make their product more watchable. If I turn an NFL game off to watch a Central Florida-Houston college game, their product has a problem.

9) I got the IPhone6 Thursday; its very thin, lot lighter, much bigger screen. Apple Store is always an experience; I was in line (yes they still have lines!!!) behind the wife of a guy I played Little League with. Small world. Apple employees have always been nothing but nice to me and they’re very smart and helpful.

8) Good news: ESPN signed Dick Vitale thru 2017.
Bad news: ESPN signed Jay Bilas thru 2023.
More good news: My TV has a mute button.

7) Speaking of ESPN, they signed Jim Calhoun as a game analyst; he could become college hoop’s version of Ozzie Guillen, someone who has good stuff to say but you can’t understand a damn word he says.

6) Red Sox players got roughly $307K per man last year when they won the World Series. For guys who make the minimum salary, that’s a lot of money. To Clayton Kershaw or Albert Pujols? Not so much.

5) Speaking of which, 12 of the 25 guys on the Angels’ ALDS roster spent some time at AAA Salt Lake City this season. That surprised me.

4) Butler basketball coach Brandon Miller took a medical leave of absence this week; we hope he feels better soon and gets back on the bench. Butler’s upward move from the Horizon to the Big East hasn’t worked well, either for the school or the league.

3) Obscure stat of the day: Rod Smith holds the NFL record (849) for receptions by a player who wasn’t drafted. Wes Welker (847) figures to pass him this weekend. Welker wasn’t drafted, but how many guys like Welker (Decker, Amendola, Edelman) are on NFL rosters because they remind scouts of Welker?

2) Underrated bad job: window washer. You go up on this scaffolding, sometimes pretty high and wash windows on outside of tall buildings. It gets windier sometimes the higher you get and there’s not a lot of protection up there. Was watching guys do that the other day and I thanked the good Lord that wasn’t me up there.

1) Detroit Lions are leading the NFL in defense; last time the Lions led the NFL in defense for a whole season was 1962.

 

[CNOTES]

Evening Best Bets:


Louisiana State - 7:00 PM ET Auburn -7 500 *****
Auburn -

Alabama-Birmingham - 7:00 PM ET Alabama-Birmingham +9.5 500 *****
Western Kentucky -

Hawaii - 7:00 PM ET Hawaii +6 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Rice -

Georgia State - 7:00 PM ET UL Lafayette -16 500
UL Lafayette -

Idaho - 7:00 PM ET Texas State -16.5 500 *****
Texas State -

UL Monroe - 7:00 PM ET Arkansas State -10.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Arkansas State -

Memphis - 7:00 PM ET Memphis +3 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Cincinnati -

Texas Tech - 7:00 PM ET Kansas State -14 500
Kansas State -

Toledo - 7:00 PM ET Western Michigan +6 500
Western Michigan -

Michigan 0 0th Michigan +2.5 500
Rutgers 0

Texas El Paso - 7:00 PM ET Louisiana Tech -12 500
Louisiana Tech -

Arizona State - 7:30 PM ET Southern California -13.5 500 LIGHTS OUT
Southern California -

Miami - 7:30 PM ET Georgia Tech -1.5 500
Georgia Tech -

South Carolina - 7:30 PM ET Kentucky +5 500 *****
Kentucky -

Pittsburgh - 7:30 PM ET Virginia -4.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Virginia -

UNLV - 8:00 PM ET UNLV +10 500
San Jose State -

Nebraska - 8:00 PM ET Michigan State -7 500 LIGHTS OUT
Michigan State -

Georgia Southern - 8:00 PM ET Georgia Southern -18.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
New Mexico State -

Utah - 10:30 PM ET Utah +13 500 TRIPLE PLAY
UCLA -

California - 10:30 PM ET Washington State -3.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Washington State -

Boise State - 10:30 PM ET Nevada +3 500
Nevada -

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Summarizing a super sports Saturday.......
Damn, what a day.........

13) This week was the second time ever (Nov 4, 1990 was the other), that four of the country's top six teams lost in the same week. Back then, Virginia was #1, Illinois was #5. Times have changed.

12) Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17-- Crimson Tide scored a defensive TD with 0:42 left in first half to take a 14-3 lead; Ole Miss looked dead at that point, but they rallied to score two TDs in last 5:30 for the win. Ole Miss and Miss State had never both been 4-0 in the same season- now they're both 5-0.

11) TCU 37, Oklahoma 33-- Horned Frogs survived three turnovers, 12 penalties to gets its biggest win since joining the Big X. TCU led 14-0 early; winning TD was an INT return for a TD with 14:12 left. Frogs converted 10 of 18 on third down.

10) Mississippi State 48, Texas A&M 31-- Probably best sports day in history of the Magnolia State; Bulldogs ran ball for 289 yards, passed for 270. Only 11 of 77 plays that State ran came on third down. SEC is a meat grinder.

9) Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14-- Irish drove 65 yards in nine plays in 2:00 in the rain to pull this game out, scoring winning TD with 1:10 left. Penalties in this game: Stanford: 9-66. Notre Dame: 1-10. Purely a coincidence, I'm sure.

8) Auburn 41, LSU 7-- Auburn gained 566 yards and crushed an LSU team that is deficient at QB right now. Two of the previous three teams to beat LSU by at least 21 points won the national championship: Florida in '08, Alabama in '11.

7) Giants 2, Nationals 1 (18)-- Rookie manager Matt Williams took Zimmerman out with two out in 9th inning, when he was pitching a 3-hit shutout but after he walked a hitter, with Buster Posey coming up. Zimmerman had retired 20 batters in a row before the walk. 3.5 hours later, Washington lost and heads west down two games to none.

Side note: There have been two 18-inning games in playoff history; Tim Hudson started both of them, the other coming in 2005.

6) Miami O 42, UMass 41-- Minutemen led 41-21 at halftime, but didn't score in the second half and lost to a Red Hawks squad that had lost 21 games in a row. Oy.

5) Northwestern 20, Wisconsin 14-- Badgers have inexplicably lost their last four visits to Evanston. Badgers had 12 completions, four picks. Hard to win when your turnover ratio is -4. Whatever Northwestern pays Pat Fitzgerald, it ain't enough.

4) Kentucky 45, South Carolina 38-- Second week in row Gamecocks lost in 4th quarter after they led by two TDs in last 10:00. Carolina had 32 first downs, gained 500 yards and lost. Kentucky's defense scored the winning TD. South Carolina and Michigan should be matched up in the worst bowl game in December.

3) Utah 30, UCLA 28-- Utes sacked Brett Hundley 10 times, scored winning points with 0:34 left as a wacky Saturday ended with the Bruins losing in the Rose Bowl, a week after Utah lost to Washington State as a 14-point favorite. I spend a lot of my time researching this stuff and on Sunday mornings, much of it makes no sense.

2) Utah State 35, BYU 20 (Friday)-- BYU lost QB Hill for year (broken leg), as the Aggies beat BYU for just the second time in last 14 meetings. State QB Garretson is grandson of former NBA ref Darrell Garretson, nephew of ref Ron Garretson.

1) Arizona State 38, USC 34-- ASU QB Mike Bercovici will probably never play in the NFL; hell, if Taylor Kelly hadn't gotten hurt, he may never have started a college game, but Bercovici was 27-45 for 510 yards against USC in the Coliseum, passing for two TDs in the last 2:43, as ASU stunned the Trojans on a 46-yard TD pass on the last play of the game. Good for him.

 

[CNOTES]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECORD:

10- 2 - 1........................*****

6 - 4..............................DOUBLE PLAY

5- 7...............................TRIPLE PLAY

1 - 5........................LIGHTS OUT :-((


RATED PLAYS AND OPINIONS

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/04/14 27-*22-*2 55.10% +*1400 Detail

10/03/14 3-*3-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/02/14 4-*2-*0 66.67% +*900 Detail

Totals 34-*27-*2 55.74% +2150

 

[CNOTES]

College Betting Recap - Week 6

October 5, 2014


Overall Notes

College Football Week 6 Results

Wager Favorites-Underdogs

Straight Up 40-17

Against the Spread 24-32-1

Wager Home-Away

Straight Up 36-21

Against the Spread 25-31-1

Wager Totals (O/U)

Over-Under 21-35-1

The largest underdog to cash

Arizona (+21.5, ML +850) at Arizona, 31-24

The largest favorite to cash

Florida State (-37.5) vs Wake Forest, 43-3

Top 25 Notes

-- The Top 10 casualties were numerous this week, as disaster struck for four highly-ranked teams, including No. 2 Oregon, who is now Ore-gone from the ranks of the unbeaten after its stunning 31-24 loss to Arizona, who is expected to vault into the rankings.

-- Alabama was also bitten on the road in Oxford, as Mississippi was an inhospitable place to visit Saturday. The Tide actually led 14-3 at halftime, but the second half was all Rebels, especially the fourth quarter. Ole Miss outscored Nick Saban's group 13-0 in the final stanza, as the Rebs improve to 5-0 SU and 4-0-1 ATS.

-- Oklahoma was dumped by Texas Christian by a 37-33 score, as the Horned Frogs also look to scoot up the rankings. Not only is TCU 4-0 SU, but they're 4-0 ATS.

-- Outside of the Top 25, Notre Dame pulled off a miracle in the shadows of 'Touchdown Jesus', sending Stanford home with frowns, 17-14.

-- Overall in the Top 25, ranked teams went just 14-11 straight-up, with seven games featuring ranked teams facing each other. Top 10 teams were just 5-5 SU, and 4-6 ATS.

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

-- Georgia Tech remains a perfect 5-0 after turning back Miami-Florida by a 28-17 score. After starting with three overs, the under is 2-0 for GT in the past two. Meanwhile, Miami is 3-0 SU/2-1 ATS at home this season, but 0-3 SU/ATS on the road. ... Florida State started slow against Wake Forest, but ended up throttling the overmatched Deacs 43-3. It was FSU's first cover in five tries. ... Virginia continued its covering ways, hanging on for five-point win over Pittsburgh, although some might have pushed.

-- The heat is Mercury-like on the seat of head coach Brady Hoke, as Michigan is the trivia answer for opponent of Rutgers for their first-ever Big Ten conference victory. The Scarlet Knights won 26-24, but hey, at least the Wolverines covered. ... Northwestern won its third straight game, this time dumping Wisconsin by a 20-14 score. That's five games and five unders for the Wildcats this season. ... And Michigan State? Wow. Scoot down to bad beats to read more about them.

-- Oklahoma State held on for a 37-20 win as a 16 1/2-point favorite. That's always the best to be on the right side of those. ... Baylor started slow, and actually led just 7-0 at half at Texas. However, their offense showed up in the second half, and they dominated the 'Horns 28-7 in Austin. ... Kansas State ripped Texas Tech 45-13 to easily cover. That's three straight covers for the Wildcats.

-- For the fourth straight game, it was an 'over' for California in their video-game-like track meet against Washington State. The Golden Bears hung on for a crazy 60-59 win, as the Cougs missed a 19-yard FG in the final minute. QB Connor Halliday actually set the single-game FBS record for passing yardage in the loss. ... Hopefully you weren't an 'under' bettor in Arizona State-USC (see bad beats below). ... We mentioned Arizona's win at Autzen Stadium Thursday. While they're 5-0 SU, the Wildcats are just 2-3 ATS. The cover snapped an 0-3 ATS skid.

-- The snoozer of the day was in Knoxville, as there was just one total touchdown in the 10-9 win by Florida over Tennessee. It was super surprising since the over was 3-0 in Florida's first three contests. ... Kentucky hadn't won an SEC game since 2012 until last weekend. Now, they have a two-game league win streak after surprising South Carolina with a 21-point fourth quarter blitzkrieg. Again, see the bad beats section. ... Vanderbilt might be just 1-5 SU this season, but they have covered three in a row.

Mid-Major Report

In Mid-American play, Massachusetts-Miami of Ohio did not look inviting with both teams at 0-5 SU. However, the Red Hawks won a thrilling 42-41 game. For UMass, that's five straight overs. Remember that when they head to Kent State next week. ... On the flip side, Akron had the under hit for the fourth time in five games.

-- It was back to big offense, no defense for Western Kentucky after its first under of the year last week. The over is now 4-1 after their 42-39 loss to UAB. ... In other C-USA action, Rice rolled to its second straight win and cover, dumping a tired Hawaii team making its second mainland trip in three weeks.

-- In Sun Belt action, Georgia State made their way out of a 14-0 first-quarter hole to win 36-28 at New Mexico State, but it was their first non-cover in six tries. ... Georgia State dropped its fifth consecutive game, but they were able to cover their third consecutive game as a double-digit 'dog.

-- In AAC play, Memphis throttled Cincinnati 41-14, as the Bearcats lost QB Gunner Kiel to injury. The Tigers are 3-2 SU, but more impressively they are 4-0-1 ATS. Memphis has also had three straight unders heading into their home game against Houston next week.

Bad Beats

-- The Arizona State-USC game appeared to be headed for under 67, with one play left and the Trojans up 34-31. However, the Sun Devils hit a game-winning Hail Mary with no time remaining, stunning USC and killing under bettors with a cruel bad beat.

-- With 11:45 left in regulation, South Carolina bettors were feeling good about themselves. At 8:06, Gamecocks bettors were not as thrilled, but still covering at 38-31. The Wildcats then tied it up at 2:46 to go, and then a 6-yard interception return for TD with 2:29 gave the Wildcats their second straight SEC win.

-- Michigan State bettors were sitting pretty heading into the fourth quarter, leading 27-3. The student section emptied, the announcers were babbling on about other things in a blowout, but Nebraska elected to make it a game. With 4:10 left, the Huskers closed to within 27-16, but still needed a big defensive stop. They got it, and forced a punt after using all of their timeouts. That's when De'Mornay Pierson-El ripped off a 62-yard punt return for score to close the scoring at 27-22. Side bettors of Sparty were left shaking their heads.

-- It wasn't quite a bad beat, but moneyline bettors of Utah had to survive not one, but two UCLA missed field goals in the final seconds. The Bruins missed a 55-yard attempt, but a running into the kicker gave them a second chance. It wasn't close, and the Utes hit +400 on the moneyline.

 

[CNOTES]

Top 25 Betting Recap - Week 6

October 5, 2014


Week 6 of the 2014 NCAA football betting season is in the books, and today, we're going to be taking a look at each of the Top 25 teams in the rankings and see how they did from an ATS perspective in this go around this past week.

(Results in parentheses represent SU Result-ATS Result)

1) Alabama (L-L vs. Ole Miss 23-17)
Blake Bell and the Tide just aren't as good this year as they’ve been in the past.

2) Florida State (W-W vs. Wake Forest 43-3)
It was a sluggish start for FSU, but leaving in the starters way too long earned Jimbo and company their first cover of the year.

3) Oklahoma (L-L vs. TCU 37-33)
This was supposed to be a special year for Oklahoma. All of a sudden, the college football playoff looks to be a long ways away.

4) Oregon (L-L vs. Arizona 31-24)
The madness in the Top 5 started on Thursday when Arizona stunned the Ducks in front of a frenzied and liquored up Autzen Stadium crowd.

5) Auburn (W-W vs. LSU 41-7)
Auburn will certainly have a gripe to be the No. 1 team in the land after an impressive showing against LSU.

6) Baylor (W-W vs. Texas 28-7)
The Texas defense put up a good fight, but in the end, Bryce Petty and the Bears were too much in Austin.

7) Texas A&M (L-L vs. Mississippi State 48-31)
All of a sudden, all of what A&M has accomplished doesn't look all that impressive, and this looks like a three- or a four-loss team.

8) Notre Dame (W-W vs. Stanford 17-14)
In two weeks, FSU will play Notre Dame in what could legitimately be a 1 vs. 2 game, depending upon how things play out next week.

9) UCLA (L-L vs. Utah 30-28)
The night of madness ended on Saturday when UCLA's 50-yard field goal sailed wide against Utah.

10) Michigan State (W-L vs. Nebraska 27-22)
There was no reason for the Spartans to let the Huskers hit the backdoor late Saturday night.

11) Ole Miss (W-W vs. Alabama 23-17)
The Rebs scored their first win ever over Bama and their first win against a top ranked team in school history.

12) Georgia (W-L vs. Vanderbilt 44-17)
Had UGA not gotten screwed against South Carolina, it would be a Top 5 team now.

13) Stanford (L-L vs. Notre Dame 17-14)
For the second time this year, Stanford failed to muster enough offense to take advantage of a great defensive effort.

14) Mississippi State (W-W vs. Texas A&M 48-31)
Don't let that final score fool you. Mississippi State was the best team in Mississippi on Saturday.

15) LSU (L-L vs. Auburn 41-7)
The Bayou Bengals are probably done now. Their young team was clearly exploited in their first road game on Saturday.

16) Wisconsin (L-L vs. Northwestern 20-14)
Of all of the maddening losses on Saturday, Wisconsin's against Northwestern was probably the most shocking.

17) Nebraska (L-W vs. Michigan State 27-22)
The Huskers hit the backdoor with two TDs in the last five minutes in East Lansing.

18) Ohio State (W-W vs. Maryland 52-24)
The Buckeyes are clearly back in the playoff discussion after all that went wrong for the top teams on Saturday.

19) BYU (L-L vs. Utah State 35-20)
21-point favorites shouldn’t lose by 15 points. The bigger concern in Provo though, is that Taysom Hill's season is over after he broke his leg.

20) USC (L-L vs. Arizona State 38-34)
The Trojans had their playoff dreams come to an end on a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock.

21) East Carolina (W-L vs. SMU 45-24)
Don't totally dismiss the chances of a one-loss ECU team cracking the playoff this year if the carnage continues.

22) Kansas State (W-W vs. Texas Tech 45-13)
The defense for the Wildcats was fantastic against Davis Webb and the Red Raiders.

23) Oklahoma State (W-W vs. Iowa State 37-20)
Iowa State's AD might have had some gripes about some bad calls. So might the Cyclones backers who got hooked.

24) Arizona State (W-W vs. USC 38-34)
998 yards and eight TDs against two picks? Not bad for Mike Bercovici in his first two collegiate starts.

25) TCU (W-W vs. Oklahoma 37-33)
TCU’s offense came out of nowhere to stun OU, and now, the Horned Frogs are legit Big XII title contenders.

 

[CNOTES]

Rebels, Bulldogs tied for 3rd in AP poll

October 5, 2014


STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi and Mississippi State are tied for third in The Associated Press college football poll after a wild day of unexpected results brought major changes to the Top 25.

Just about the only thing that didn't change this week was No. 1: Florida State is still top-ranked, with 35 first-place votes.

Auburn, the only other team in the top six to win, moved up three spots to No. 2 and received 23 first-place votes. Then comes Ole Miss and Mississippi State, in the top five together for the first time after the Rebels beat Alabama and the Bulldogs beat Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Bulldogs received two first-place votes.

The Rebels haven't been ranked this high since 1970, when they were also No. 3. The Bulldogs have their best ranking ever. Their previous best was No. 7 in 1981.

Baylor rounds out the top five and Notre Dame is No. 6.

The USA Today coaches' poll had Florida State, Auburn, Baylor, Ole Miss and Notre Dame in the top five. Mississippi State was sixth.

For the second time in the 78-year history of the AP poll, four of the top six teams lost and for the first time five of the top eight teams went down in a single regular-season week.

The top-eight teams to lose and poll reaction:

- Oregon dropped 10 spots after losing 31-24 at home to Arizona on Thursday night . The Wildcats went from unranked to No. 10, the biggest jump into the poll since the rankings went to a top 25 in 1989. The previous best was No. 13 Iowa on Sept. 27, 2009.

- Alabama dropped four spots to No. 7.

- Oklahoma dropped seven spots to No. 11 after losing to TCU. The Horned Frogs moved up 16 spots to No. 9. They play at Baylor next week.

- Texas A&M dropped eight spots to No. 14.

- UCLA dropped 10 spots to No. 18 after losing 30-28 at home to Utah. The Utes moved into the rankings at No. 24.

Arizona State moved back into the Top 25 at No. 20 after beating Southern California 38-34 on a Hail Mary. Unbeaten Georgia Tech moved into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 23.

USC, LSU, BYU and Wisconsin all dropped out of the rankings after losses.

LSU, which lost 41-7 to Auburn, had its streak of 87 straight poll appearances snapped. It was the second-longest active streak behind Alabama, which is up to 105 in a row.

 

[CNOTES]

Arizona imagining the big possibilities

October 5, 2014


LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's biggest victory under coach Mark Stoops has players trying to keep perspective as they also look ahead to their next achievement.

From the Wildcats' standpoint, everything's on the table after Saturday night's 45-38 upset of South Carolina. Picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference's East division, they're in a three-way tie for second place and part of the title discussion after consecutive victories that surprised everybody but them.

''We're definitely in there now,'' quarterback Patrick Towles said. ''Definitely, no question. We're there to stay, for sure.''

A victory Saturday against nonconference Louisiana-Monroe puts Kentucky (4-1, 2-1) within a game of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. Reaching that six-win threshold for consideration will be tough with SEC games against LSU and No. 3 Mississippi State following ULM, not to mention matchups against East rivals Missouri and Georgia.

But after rallying twice from 14-point deficits to beat the Gamecocks, the Wildcats believe the program is turning the corner toward becoming the competitive team that Stoops said they'd be upon his hiring two years ago.

''If we go out and win next week and take care of business, I think we do (turn the corner),'' said the second-year coach, smiling more after this victory than the other five in his brief tenure.

''I mean that. That's the thing in this business, you've got seven days to be humbled. And then we'll keep that in mind and really appreciate and respect all wins and then try to get back to work and really play a quality game next week.

No doubt, Kentucky has room for improvement despite having its first SEC winning streak since 2009.

The Wildcats defense allowed South Carolina to score 14 and 21 unanswered points along with 500 yards. Their offense stumbled out of the gate and relied on the Wildcat formation for all five touchdowns, including the flea-flicker-style trick play for the 48-yard, go-ahead score in the third quarter.

On the other hand, that play showed how those units came up big in the clutch. The Wildcats intercepted Dylan Thompson three times and scored 10 points off two, the biggest being Alvin ''Bud'' Dupree's game-winning interception return for a TD with 2:29 left after Mike Douglas' deflection.

Running back Jojo Kemp meanwhile thrived with direct snaps and rushed 17 times for 131 yards and three TDs, all career highs. Though Kentucky wants to throw the ball, Stoops said he won't shy away from using the wildcat often if it's there.

''I think it's always that old cliche, you're going to scratch where it itches,'' he said. ''If you can't get it stopped, you're going to keep on doing it.''

What's becoming clear is the Wildcats' growing resolve, which helped them stay close in a three-overtime loss at Florida and gutted out a satisfying win against South Carolina that sparked a joyous on-field celebration with fans.

Whether they maintain that determination as the competition gets tougher remains to be seen, but Kentucky players don't seem fazed by adversity like they were before. They'll need that attitude to make the postseason an option.

''We're 4-1, which is unbelievable,'' Towles said. ''But we're going to move forward. We're going to win a lot of games because the tenacity and the passion that we showed is going to win us a lot of football games.''

 

[CNOTES]

Baylor stays unbeaten with ugly win

October 5, 2014


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Fifth-ranked Baylor is all set for a rare matchup of top 10 teams at home.

Even with quarterback Bryce Petty facing some pressure and uncharacteristically off target, the Bears managed to do what so many other ranked teams failed to do the first Saturday of October. They found a way to win, pulling out a 28-7 victory at Texas even while Petty was only 7-of-22 passing for 111 yards.

''Sometimes it's going to be like that. It was ugly, but it's a win nonetheless. Any time you go out there, I would much rather it be ugly than pretty,'' Petty said. ''We got the win, which is exactly what we wanted to do. It wasn't exactly how I planned it but we got it done.''

In what coach Art Briles described as ''just a grind-out win,'' Terrell Burt returned a blocked field goal 62 yards for the first touchdown, Texas fumbled inside the Baylor 1 and Shock Linwood had 148 yards rushing for the Bears with a clinching TD in the fourth quarter.

Petty still threw two TD passes after halftime, one of them after a successful fake punt, while the Bears were held to 390 total yards. Baylor's offensive line hadn't allowed a sack all season before Petty was taken down three times by the Longhorns (2-3, 1-1).

The Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) moved up two spots in the new AP poll Sunday, with the rankings shuffled after five of the top eight teams lost - and 11 of the top 20.

One of the loser was then-No. 4 Oklahoma 37-33 at TCU, which is at Baylor next Saturday.

TCU (4-0, 1-0) moved up 16 spots to No. 9 in the Top 25, setting up the first Top 10 matchup in Waco since 1956.

''I think we are a better team than last year and that's just the bottom line,'' Briles said. ''We are not where we need to be or have to be to have a chance to win the conference again, but I do think we are a better football team than we were a year ago at this time.''

Baylor was only up 7-0 in the third quarter when punter Spencer Roth called his own fake and had a long run. Three plays later, Petty threw a perfect strike to Antwan Goodley for a 29-yard score.

''Spencer really sparked that drive off for us with that fake punt. We got the first down, which allowed us to go score,'' Goodley said. ''We definitely have to come together as a team and play. It's hard winning on the road. You can't just come into somebody's house and try to take them. It's going to be a fight so we came together and came out with the win.''

Linwood had 100 yards rushing in the second half, and his 1-yard TD with 11 minutes left made it 21-0.

The Bears return to campus and their brand-new McLane Stadium for the first time since Sept. 6. They played their first two games at home before the past four-week stretch when they played three road games and had an open date.

 

[CNOTES]

Nebraska hoping for another shot at Sparty

October 5, 2014


With a bye this week, Nebraska will have some extra time to ponder what could have been and what could be.

A fourth-quarter rally that came up short in a 27-22 loss at No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday night left coach Bo Pelini rejecting the notion of a moral victory and his players hankering for another crack at the Spartans in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 6.

''Definitely, if we take care of our business, I don't see why we can't get there,'' cornerback Josh Mitchell said. ''They're a good team, so I see them getting there, too, so it would be a nice little rematch.''

The Cornhuskers (5-1, 1-1) play at resurgent Northwestern in two weeks, and there are big West Division road games at Wisconsin and Iowa in November. Michigan State (4-1, 1-0) has a manageable schedule until it hosts Ohio State on Nov. 8 in a game that could decide the East Division.

Meanwhile, the Huskers will address areas that were exposed by their toughest opponent to date.

The offensive line will get a long look after allowing five sacks and failing to create running room for Ameer Abdullah.

Left tackle Alex Lewis had a couple penalties, left guard Jake Cotton fell over backward in a failed attempt to avoid a false start, and center Mark Pelini twice snapped the ball before quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. was ready.

''It was pretty obvious,'' Bo Pelini said of the line's struggle. ''It surprised me. We didn't play well enough the whole game. We didn't play well enough in the second half, either. Give Michigan State credit. They took it to us up front. It wasn't blitzing or scheme. They outplayed us.''

Abdullah netted 45 yards on 24 carries, a 1.9-yard average, and the Huskers totaled only 47 yards on the ground. That was the fewest since Southern California held them to 31 rushing yards in 2007.

''I put the lack of running game on myself. I didn't hit the creases where I needed to, and that's on me,'' said Abdullah, whose Heisman Trophy campaign was on its biggest stage of the season.

Nebraska converted 3 of 15 third downs, and Armstrong was 20 of 43 for 273 yards with two interceptions.

Still, the Huskers nearly pulled off what would have been their greatest comeback after entering the fourth quarter down 24 points.

Nebraska's defense allowed 257 yards in the first half and 165 in the second, forcing five punts and three three-and-outs after half. Better than half the Spartans' second-half yards came on one drive that resulted in a touchdown.

''Defensively, we played well enough to win this football game,'' Bo Pelini said.

It was a five-point game after freshman Demornay Pierson-El went 62 yards for his second punt return for a touchdown this season. The Huskers got the ball back with 1:07 left and drove to the MSU 37 but couldn't score the go-ahead touchdown before Marcus Rush intercepted Armstrong.

''We lost the football game. I don't care whether it was by 30 or whatever it was,'' Bo Pelini said. ''I'm not into moral victories.''

Neither is Armstrong, who already is planning on another game against Michigan State when the stakes are higher.

''Honestly, it's not the last time they're going to see us, I can promise you that,'' Armstrong said. ''We plan on going 11-1 and making the Big Ten championship. We plan on seeing MSU again.''

 

[CNOTES]

Auburn rises to No. 2, faster than 2013

October 5, 2014


AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - The Auburn Tigers put together their most dominating performance of the season on defense and were explosive on offense against a ranked team, but they're still not interested in talking about the polls.

The second-ranked Tigers, who moved up three spots in the Associated Press rankings after Saturday night's 41-7 win over then-No. 15 LSU, came out of nowhere to win the Southeastern Conference championship last season. This team faces much bigger challenges ahead, starting Saturday on the road against co-No. 3 Mississippi State.

But after easily its most impressive win, Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC) was facing questions about whether the team might even deserve to jump unbeaten Florida State and grab the top spot. Auburn did get 23 first-place votes on Sunday.

''Deserving? I'm more on the side of we are going to keep on trucking and earn it,'' defensive tackle Gabe Wright said. ''I'm not even going to lie to you, after last year it's shown a lot that the rankings don't matter. Just play, just play your butts off. I think like with last year and nobody ranking us at all, I think this team just wants to keep on trucking. If we handle our business I feel like we'll be where we want to be at the end of the year.''

Auburn does have some perspective. The Tigers never even surfaced in the rankings last season until a win over Texas A&M on Oct. 19 but went to the BCS championship game. Cracking the Top 10 took two more weeks, and Auburn didn't rise to No. 2 until after beating Missouri in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7, with help from an Ohio State loss.

''Really on our team, I've not heard one player or coach even talk about being ranked or anything like that,'' Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. ''Our whole deal is at the end of the season. That's just the first game of the grind. We'll all sort it out at the end.''

This game, though, was sorted out at the beginning. Auburn jumped ahead 17-0 in the first 12 minutes, outgained LSU (4-2, 0-2) by more than double (566-280) and held the visiting Tigers to 0 for 13 on third downs.

It was an eye-catching performance for an Auburn team that had sputtered at times on offense against both Kansas State and Louisiana Tech. This time Nick Marshall both rushed and passed for two touchdowns to lead a balanced offensive effort.

The defense has held both LSU and No. 17 Kansas State below 300 yards in total offense.

''That was probably our best performance overall as a team,'' Malzahn said. ''We played well in certain units but that was an overall performance against a very good team.''

The win also snapped a three-game losing streak to LSU, including the only regular-season defeat in 2013. Malzahn emphasized that both before and after the game.

''Coach Malzahn asked us in a meeting (Friday) to raise our hands if we had beaten LSU,'' Auburn cornerback Trovon Reed said. ''Only one player raised his hand and that was Jeff Whitaker. He asked us the same question after the game and we were all able to raise our hands.''

The loss left LSU 0-2 in the SEC for the first time under coach Les Miles and with even more questions at quarterback. Freshman Brandon Harris started for the first time but completed only three passes and was replaced by sophomore Anthony Jennings in the third quarter.

''I do not know what to think of it,'' Miles said of the quarterback situation after the game.

Miles isn't interested in calling this a potential rebuilding year.

''I think all of our guys work hard and want to improve,'' he said. ''They want answers, and the film will be the answer. The coaches will collect it and get better. I do not think anybody wants a rebuilding year. That's not something that I have ever said.''

 

[CNOTES]

TCU back in Top 10 after beating Oklahoma

October 5, 2014



FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - TCU coach Gary Patterson knows the real measure for his team in the Big 12 Conference comes after beating then-No. 4 Oklahoma.

In the minutes after the Horned Frogs pulled off a 37-33 victory over the eight-time Big 12 champion Sooners, with TCU fans still scattered on the field celebrating outside, Patterson delivered that reminder to his players in the locker room.

''Why are you guys so excited? If you want to be the program that you want to become, you've got to act like you just beat Minnesota or you just beat Samford or whoever you play,'' Patterson told them. ''Because you guys gotta do it next week. That's what this league is all about.''

Their reward for beating Oklahoma? The Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) moved to No. 9 in the new AP poll Sunday and have to get ready for another matchup of undefeated teams next Saturday at No. 5 Baylor (5-0, 2-0), the defending Big 12 champ.

''We know we've got a tough October,'' Patterson said. ''I've watched across the nation, and people make mistakes. They win games and put too much into it, and the next week they just don't show up.''

A week after its 2014 debut in the Top 25, TCU made a 16-spot jump Sunday in a new poll shaken up by all the upsets. The Frogs, in their third Big 12 season, are in the Top 10 for the first time since the final poll of the 2010 season, when they were No. 2 behind Auburn after finishing 13-0 with a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.

Oklahoma was among the five top-eight teams to open October with a loss after Trevor Knight's Hail Mary pass on the final play sailed out of the end zone.

The Sooners (4-1, 1-1), the first Top 10 team to lose in Fort Worth since 1965, dropped seven spots to No. 11 in the new poll.

But because of all the upsets to start October and more than half the regular season remaining, the Sooners still have plenty of time to recover and be in the mix for the new four-team College Football Playoff - if they remain a one-loss team.

''You don't look at the end of the season,'' Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. ''All we care about is next week. Period.''

While TCU plays in a top-10 matchup about 100 miles south, the first in Waco since 1956, Oklahoma plays its annual Red River Rivalry game against Texas (2-3, 1-1) at the State Fair of Texas before its first campus game in more than a month.

Knight, who had been 9-0 as Oklahoma's starting quarterback, said the Sooners know the loss to TCU ''isn't the defining moment'' of the season with so many games left.

''It's not frustrating,'' Sooners defensive tackle Chuka Ndulue said. ''We just need a short-term memory.''

Like TCU and Baylor, Oklahoma still has games left this season against No. 16 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Kansas State.

The Frogs are 4-0 for the fifth time in their last seven seasons, a stretch in which they also won three consecutive Mountain West titles without a league loss immediately preceding their move to the Big 12.

While there were some close calls - four losses by three points or less last season - the Frogs were 6-12 in Big 12 games their first two seasons in the power conference. They sent a strong message in their third league opener.

''Last year, I don't think we were clicking as a whole team,'' safety Chris Hackett said. ''This year, I think we're more focused as a whole team. Not just defense, not just offense, but as a whole. We got better.''

Sooner than most people expected.

 

[CNOTES]

FBS

Associated Press Top 25

1. Florida State

2. Auburn

3. Ole Miss

3. Mississippi State

5. Baylor

6. Notre Dame

7. Alabama

8. Michigan State

9. TCU

10. Arizona

11. Oklahoma

12. Oregon

13. Georgia

14. Texas A&M

15. Ohio State

16. Oklahoma State

17. Kansas State

18. UCLA

19. East Carolina

20. Arizona State

21. Nebraska

22. Georgia Tech

23. Missouri

24. Utah

25. Stanford

 

[CNOTES]

NCAAF opening line report: Ole Miss getting well-deserved respect

After a weekend that shuffled the odds deck for the college football playoff, Week 7 features more key games, with the Southeastern Conference again front and center. But with a twist.

Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (+3)

Mississippi State (5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS) suddenly finds itself among those at the head of the class, and the Bulldogs will get a great chance to prove they belong when they host No. 2 Auburn (5-0 SU, 3-2 ATS) on Saturday.

Mississippi State is coming off a convincing 48-31 victory as a 2.5-point road favorite over then-unbeaten and seventh-ranked Texas A&M. The Tigers, meanwhile, dodged the carnage of top-10 losers in Week 6, hammering Louisiana State 41-7 as a 7-point home chalk.

Last year, Auburn needed a final-seconds TD to net a 24-20 home victory as a 6.5-point favorite.

“This is a very intriguing matchup and a tough one to set a line for,” said John Lester, senior lines manager for bookmaker.eu. “It’s two of the most explosive offenses in the game, despite being ground-centered. This was a tight game last year, and it didn’t live up to the high-scoring hype.”

Mississippi Rebels at Texas A&M Aggies (-2)

Ole Miss (5-0, 4-0-1 ATS) also jumped into the playoff conversation by knocking off then-No. 1 Alabama on Saturday 24-17, getting 4 points at home. But the Rebels, now ranked fourth, will face a stewing A&M unit (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS, No. 14 ranking) after the Aggies’ 48-31 loss catching 2.5 points at Mississippi State.

“We’ve had our doubts about the Aggies’ defense, and it certainly was exposed against Mississippi State,” Lester said. “On the other side, it’s confirmed that the Ole Miss defense is legit. This is a letdown spot for the Rebels, but I still like them to win here.”

Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-14.5)

No. 9 Oklahoma (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) saw its national title hopes take a hefty blow in a 37-33 loss at Texas Christian as a 3.5-point road fave, and now must gear up for the Red River Rivalry at a neutral site – the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Texas (2-3 SU, 3-2 ATS) got drubbed on its home field as a 13.5-point ‘dog Saturday, falling 28-7 to now No. 3 Baylor.

“Well, the Red River Rivalry isn’t much of a showdown these days. And it lost even more luster after OU’s loss on Saturday,” Lester said. “Texas was in a good position to play well (vs. Baylor) and fell flat on its face. I’m not expecting a shootout here – more of a defensive battle.”

Oregon Ducks at UCLA Bruins (+3.5)

Both these teams got bit by the Week 6 upset bug and now must regroup if they have any hope of winning the Pac-12 title and earning a spot in the season-ending four-team playoff. Oregon (4-1 SU, 1-4 ATS), which was ranked fourth and was a massive 21.5-point home chalk last Thursday against Arizona, lost to the Wildcats 31-24 and dropped to 11th in the rankings.

On Saturday, UCLA trailed the entire way against Utah until a touchdown with 4:50 remaining gave the Bruins a 28-27 lead. But Jim Mora’s troops, laying 13 points at home, lost outright 30-27 on a last-minute Utes field goal. UCLA (4-1 SU, 1-4 ATS) dropped from ninth to 17th in the coaches poll.

“Which one of these teams is going to be able to bounce back from the devastating loss?” Lester said. “Like we’re seeing with the Eagles in the NFL, the Ducks’ offensive line is beat up, hindering their offensive ability. UCLA has some serious issues along the line as well.”