Pointwise Red Sheet
Rutgers 34 - SYRACUSE 10 - (3:30 EST) -- Line opened at Rutgers minus 7½, and is now minus 8½. No
questioning the improvement of this year's 'Cuse edition, despite their 3-7 record. Hiring of
Marrone was a major plus, & will play out in the won/loss column in the near future. However,
the name of the game is numbers, & Syracuse's thin squad is losing the war of attrition,
with major injuries taking their toll. Throw in the fact that a bowl is now out of the
question. Enter the 7-2 Knights, who are once again in a late season rush, with a 31-0 rout
(32-pt cover) of a solid SoFlorida squad just the latest. They ran the table down the stretch
a year ago, own the Orange, & with the spot in the TD range, just can't ignore it.
RATING: RUTGERS 89
STANFORD 45 - California 16 - (7:30) -- Line opened at Stanford minus 6½, and is now minus 7. As we
wrote earlier on Pointwise, we've had this one circled for a month, & are simply shocked that
the line has come in at this low a number, especially with the previously unnoticed Cardinal
entering off that complete annihilation of USC (55-21, 44½ pt cover). And now Stanford
returns home, where it has been absolutely superb, covering 10 straight. In Gerhart, they
have the 3rd most prolific runner in the land, & Luck has now risen to 11th spot among the
nation's QBs. Cal is hurting, & hasn't impressed in a month. Revenge.
RATING: STANFORD 89
CLEMSON 48 - Virginia 13 - (3:30) -- Line opened at Clemson minus 19, and is now minus 19½. The Tigers
have always been a streak team, & with that being the case, it's about time that we jumped
on this rolling juggernaut. Five straight wins; four straight covers; at least 40 pts in each of
their last 4 games; rushing for 252, 242, & 254 yds the last 3 weeks; covering their last 4
games by a combined 54½ pts; the #12 defense in the nation, etc, etc. And this week, they
host a Virginia squad which has dropped 4 straight, by a combined score of 128-53 (0-3-1
ATS), & finds itself out of the bowl picture. Can see no other result here.
RATING: CLEMSON 88
TENNESSEE 30 - Vanderbilt 3 - (7:00) -- Line opened at Tennessee minus 16, and is now minus 17. The
rule in this series used to be simple. If the Vols were headed to a bowl, then the 'Dores were
a nice play as a solid underdog, with Tennessee looking past them. But if UT had failed to
secure a bowl shot, then they were loaded for bear, & would take out frustrations with a
thrashing of the always inferior Vandy. Not the case anymore, with the proliferation of bowl
games, but with the Vols at 5-5, this has become a full-focused affair. One of the top defenses
in the nation, vs a squad averaging just 8 ppg in SEC play. Got the picture?
RATING: TENNESSEE 88
NEW YORK GIANTS 31 - Atlanta 13 - (1:00) -- Line opened at NewYork minis 7, and is still minus 7. Oh,
how the Giants needed that bye week. They were approaching the basket-case stage, with
4 consecutive losses, after opening with 5 wins. And to make matters worse, their topranked
defense was suddenly a sieve, allowing more than 33 ppg in those 4 losses. However,
those setbacks all came vs quality foes, so it's hardly time to push the panic button.
The Falcons have dropped their last 4 road games, RB Turner is doubtful, and QB Ryan has
thrown at least 1 interception in each of his last 6 contests. Bouncbacker!
RATING: NEW YORK GIANTS 88
New Orleans 41 - TAMPA BAY 17 - (1:00) -- Line opened at NewOrleans minus 11½, and is still minus 11½.
The Saints exploded onto the NFL scene this season, with blowout wins in their first 6 games,
winning by an average score of 40-21, & covering all six. Well, things have certainly quieted
down, spreadwise, but NewOrleans is still unscathed straightup. But last week's narrow
escape at 1-8 StLouis has to serve as a wakeup call. They have won their last 4 road
games by a combined 98 pts straightup, & Reggie is becoming a force. (13.8 yds per carry
last wk). Will be ready for Bucs, who upset GreenBay in last hoster.
RATING: NEW ORLEANS 88
NEAR CHOICES (Rated 87): Houston, Mississippi, Kentucky, Cent Fla - NFL: Pitt, Arizona, Houston
LINE MOVES (from largest to smallest): OklaSt (-13 to -15½); TCU (-28½ to -31); Fla-Int (+43½ to +41½);
Nebraska (-14½ to -16½); Buff (-1½ to -3); NIU (+1½ to Pick); SoFla (-10½ to -12); FlaSt (-15½ to -17); Ga (-
7 to -8½); Temple (-11½ to -13); Houston (-22½ to -24) - NFL: Houston (-3½ to -4½); GBay (-5½ to -6½);
Philly (-2 to -3) -
TIME CHANGES: Clemson/Virginia: 3:30; VaTech/NoCaroSt: 3:30; OregonSt/WashSt: 5:00;
Oregon/Arizona 8:00; Texas/Kansas: 8:00 -
KEY INJURIES: Ariz RB Grigsby (shoulder) prob; ArizSt QB
Sullivan (bicep) ??; Buffalo RB Nduka (ankle) prob; Cal RB Best (concussion) out; Fresno RB Mathews
(concussion) prob; Georgia WR Green (shoulder) doubtful; HI QB Moniz (ribs) prob; Iowa QB Stanzi (ankle)
doubt; Kentucky QB Hartline (knee) out for season; LaTech RB Porter (leg) ??; LSU QB Jefferson (ankle)
prob; Marshall RB Marshall (ankle) doubt; Maryland QB Turner (knee) doubt, & RB Scott (wrist) prob; Miami
QB Harris (hand) prob; NIU RB Spann (shoulder) ??; OklaSt QB Robinson (head) prob; Temple RB Pierce
(shin) prob; Toledo QB Opelt (shoulder) ??; WashSt QB Tuel (knee) ?? - NFL: Atlanta RB Turner (ankle)
doubt; Cincy RB Benson (hip) prob; Denver QB Orton (ankle) ??; Miami RB Brown (foot) doubtful; Philly RB
Westbrook (concussion) doubt; Wash RB Portis (concussion) doubtful...
<!-- / message -->