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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Wisconsin finds its offense as Iowa looms in Big Ten opener


MADISON, Wis. (AP) No. 19 Wisconsin has its running game going again, piling up a season-best 326 yards in 54 attempts in last week's 28-0 victory over Hawaii.

The timing couldn't have been any better with the Badgers (3-1) opening the Big Ten season against Iowa (4-0) at Camp Randall Stadium this weekend.

''We've got some young guys running the ball behind us. We've got some young guys on the O-line,'' starting left tackle Tyler Marz said of the running attack, which entered the game against Hawaii with the lowest rushing average in the Big Ten. ''Reps is the most important thing and they're getting that whether it's in practice or in the game settings.''

Freshman tailback Taiwan Deal earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after rushing for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns against Hawaii in his first starting assignment.

Deal capped the Badgers' longest scoring drive of the season of 97 yards on the opening drive with a 2-yard plunge. It marked the Badgers' longest scoring drive since Montee Ball finished a 97-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run against Northern Illinois on Sept. 17, 2011.

Deal and junior tailback Dare Ogunbowale, who ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, helped the Badgers gain a season-high 512 yards of total offense against Hawaii.

That one-two punch helped take the sting out of the loss of No. 1 tailback Corey Clement, who will miss four to six weeks with a sports hernia that required surgery.

''I think the running game is just getting better every week,'' quarterback Joel Stave said. ''We did a good job really sticking to it the past couple of weeks and kind of pushing it and eventually getting some big runs.''

The Badgers' running game will face a tough test against an Iowa defense that is one of two schools yet to allow a rushing touchdown (Navy is the other).

Iowa has allowed an average of 84.0 rushing yards per game, fourth best in the Big Ten and 12th nationally.

''I think they've got very good players and I think that they understand and know their scheme, and I think the scheme is a good scheme,'' Badgers coach Paul Chryst said. ''Any time you've got a good scheme with good players, it makes a good defense.''

Stave said the renewal of the rivalry with Iowa - with the winner earning the Heartland Trophy -- presents a great challenge to open Big Ten play.

''They're physical. They're always in the right spot. They're running hard to the ball,'' Stave said. ''They're a hard-nosed physical team and we are, too. That's what's fun about conference play and what's fun about playing these guys.''

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Big 12 teams now going head-to-head rest of regular season

The preliminary contests are over. The entire Big 12 will now be reuniting on weekends, and going head to head until early December.

While a couple of games last weekend counted in the Big 12 standings, the final non-conference games were also played. Now the full focus is on trying to win a conference title.

Six of the league's 10 teams are still undefeated, though that number will be trimmed by at least two Saturday when No. 23 West Virginia (3-0) plays at No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0), and Kansas State (3-0) goes to No. 20 Oklahoma State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12).

Sooners coach Bob Stoops feels his team did what it needed to do in non-conference play.

''Yeah, we've had probably a more challenging one going to Tennessee than most everybody else, so it's worked so far,'' Stoops said Monday on the weekly Big 12 coaches teleconference.

Along with their comeback double-overtime victory at Tennessee, the Sooners had home wins over Akron and Tulsa. Kansas State's non-conference wins came over South Dakota, UTSA and Louisiana Tech, the last game in triple overtime.

K-State coach Bill Snyder said his team is rested and healthier heading into its Big 12 opener after an open date. But are they where they need to be for the start of conference play?

''Well, probably not,'' Snyder said. ''But we have made improvement and we have gotten some things corrected that were issues for us.''

The other undefeated teams are defending co-champions TCU and Baylor.

The fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0) are home against Texas (1-3, 0-1), and the fifth-ranked Bears (3-0) play Texas Tech (3-1, 0-1) in Arlington, Texas.

ADMIRATION SOCIETY: David Beaty was first at Kansas as a receivers coach in 2008-09. After being a high school coach and then two seasons at Rice, he was on the staff of then-Jayhawks head coach Mark Mangino.

Mangino is now offensive coordinator at Iowa State, where Kansas plays its Big 12 opener.

''I obviously have a dear spot in my heart for Coach Mangino and his family,'' said Beaty, in his first season as the Kansas head coach. ''They gave me an opportunity when I'm not sure I even deserved it. ... He saw something in me that I'm not sure I had even seen in myself.''

No. 23 West Virginia plays at No. 15 Oklahoma, where Lincoln Riley is in his first season as offensive coordinator.

Riley was a Texas Tech quarterback in 2002, then a student assistant for three seasons and an Red Raiders assistant from 2007-09. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen was on Tech's staff from 2000-07 and Riley's wife was once the nanny for Holgorsen's children.

''It's been fun to watch him to develop as a coordinator to a point where he's doing a good job,'' Holgorsen said. ''I'm proud of his accomplishments.''

Some other notes from the Big 12 call:

- Oklahoma State never trailed at Texas, but traded scores until Ben Grogan's two field goals in the final 1:33 finally gave the Cowboys a 30-27 victory. ''It was a rollercoaster, and I'm not sure that I want to make that ride again,'' Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

- When Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked if his greatest challenge was physical or emotional after the Red Raiders' closing-seconds home loss to No. 4 TCU, he quickly responded, ''It shouldn't be either.'' Kingsbury said players should be good to go physically going into only the fifth game, and that mentally his team is excited about playing No. 5 Baylor in the Dallas Cowboys' NFL stadium on Saturday.

- Paul Rhoads said Iowa State had a positive open date and will have its healthiest team so far this season after getting back several guys that either haven't played or have been banged up the first three games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arizona State reeling after lopsided loss to USC


TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Arizona State coach Todd Graham said at Pac-12 media days that this is the best team he's had. He reiterated it numerous times heading into the season and again after the Sun Devils lost to Texas A&M in the season opener.

Graham said it again Saturday night, even after Arizona State was blown out at home by Southern California.

If this truly is the best team Graham has had, the Sun Devils better get rolling quick if they're going to live up to their coach's expectations.

''Obviously our guys know that our backs are against the wall,'' Graham said Monday. ''And everything, every issue we have is self-inflicted and we've just got to get those things corrected and take it upon ourselves to go to work and get it done.''

Arizona State (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) took a hit out of the gate with the loss to then-unranked Texas A&M, but bounced back with victories over Cal Poly and New Mexico and their tough-to-prepare-for triple options.

That gave the Sun Devils new hope heading into their Pac-12 opener, a highly anticipated game against the Trojans. A crowd of nearly 62,000 showed up to cheer on Arizona State in what they hoped would be the first step on the road to the Pac-12 Championship game.

Instead, they watched the Sun Devils implode.

Plagued by a whirlwind of mistakes, Arizona State never gave itself a chance, falling behind 35-0 by halftime. The Sun Devils had four turnovers, including a fumble on the 1-yard line that was returned 94 yards for a touchdown. Their defense gave up too many big plays, starting with JuJu Smith-Schuster's 52-yard reception on the game's first play.

Arizona State also had a hard time getting off the field on defense, allowing USC to convert 10 of 16 third downs.

And it doesn't get any easier for the Sun Devils. Next up is a road game against UCLA, which jumped two spots to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 after blowing out Arizona 56-30 in Tucson a few hours before Arizona State's loss to USC.

''I know it's disappointing,'' Graham said. ''I was very disappointed that we self-destructed that way and, you know, we're going to work and we've had positive meetings and we need to go respond.''

A big issue for the Sun Devils so far this season is something they didn't have a problem with in their first three years under Graham: Turnovers.

A year ago, Arizona State was one of the best in the nation at taking care of the ball, fumbling 15 times and losing four. So far this season, the Sun Devils have been one of the worst, fumbling 13 times and losing seven.

The fumbles against USC were crucial. Demario Richard lost one at USC's 24-yard line in the first half, a few plays after breaking off a 61-yard run. Quarterback Mike Bercovici had the fumble at the 1 on a botched handoff with Richard, which Trojans safety Chris Hawkins scooped up for the 94-yard score.

De'Chavon Hayes also lost a fumble on a kickoff and lost the ball on ASU's 10, setting up another touchdown that put the Trojans up 35-0 at halftime.

Arizona State's turnover margin this season is minus-3 after being a combined plus-29 the past two seasons.

''There's not much to talk about,'' Graham said. ''I went and looked at the film and we are self-destructing turning the football over.''

There is some good historical news on the Sun Devils' side: They seem to respond well after suffering a difficult loss.

In 2013, Arizona State suffered a tough loss to Stanford and scored 62 points in a rout over USC the next week. The Sun Devils followed a blowout loss to UCLA last season by beating USC on a Hail Mary the following week.

''The biggest thing is no questioning, no doubt in what we are doing,'' Graham said. ''We don't doubt each other. These kids believe in each other and respond like the teams before you have.''

With the season in danger of getting away from them, the Sun Devils need to do it soon.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Big Ten Report - Week 5

Purdue at Michigan State (ESPN2, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Spartans (-22)
Opening Line: Spartans (-23)

As poor as Purdue has been the last two years (1-15 Big Ten record) they have given Michigan State some problems. Last season they played host to Sparty and lost 45-31 as a 21-point dog (cover for Boilers). That contest was a down to the wire situation as MSU led just 38-31 with under 2:00 remaining in the game. Two years ago they went into East Lansing as a 4 TD underdog and that was also a nailbiter for the Spartans as they led just 7-0 in the 4th quarter before winning 14-0 which included a defensive TD (another easy cover for Purdue). The last time Purdue lost by more than 20 points to MSU was back in 1996. The oddsmakers seem to have MSU over valued a bit right now as they have yet to cover a game this year (0-4 ATS) despite having a 4-0 record. What’s a bit alarming if you are an MSU fan is that this team has been outgained in 3 of their 4 games this year. They were out yarded by Oregon, Air Force, and Central Michigan.

Despite their 4-0 record, for the year Michigan State has gained 1,489 yards and allowed 1,583 yards. And that’s against fairly marginal competition with the exception of Oregon and that win is now not as impressive as it may have looked a few weeks ago after the Ducks were destroyed at home by Utah last Saturday. Turnovers have been a big problem for the 1-3 Boilers. In their first 3 games they coughed the ball up 9 times. Because of that head coach Darrell Hazell made a switch at QB last week putting freshman David Blough under center and benching Austin Appleby. Blough had a solid opening performance completing 29 of 39 for 340 yards and 2 TD’s with only one turnover. They lost 35-28 to a solid Bowling Green team but the game was tied a 28 late and Purdue missed a 32 yard FG that would have given them the lead. They could be sitting with a much better record as last week’s game was in reach and their season opener was lost at Marshall due to two pick 6’s thrown by Appleby.

Minnesota at Northwestern (BTN, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Wildcats (-4)
Opening Line: Wildcats (-5)

Not surprising this initial total was set at 40 with two solid defense and two offense that struggle to score. Minny ranks 119th in scoring averaging just 19 PPG. NW is 94th in scoring at 25 PPG. The Gophers have scored a total of 8 offensive TD’s in 4 games. Northwestern has put up just 5 offensive TD’s in 3 games (minus Eastern Illinois game vs FCS opponent). Defensively the Gophs are 31st nationally in scoring holding opponents to 22 PPG while the Wildcats are 3rd allowing just over 8 PPG. Speaking of the low total, this has been a low scoring series as of late with none of the last 4 meetings topping 41 points.

Minnesota has covered this series 11 of the last 15 meetings dating back to 1996. Last year these two met in Minneapolis and the Gophers were a 3.5 point favorite. Minny won and covered 24-17 however the Cats actually outplayed Minnesota and it was particularly close. NW was +14 in first downs, +119 in total yardage, and they ran 30 more offensive plays. With the game tied late Minnesota had a 100 yard kickoff return for a TD to ice in and win by 7. The Gophers have won each of the last two meetings (won at NW 20-17 in 2013) and they’ve relied heavily on their ground game attempting only 29 passes the last two years combined!

Both teams are really banged up coming into this one. Minnesota could be without all conference CB Boddy-Calhoun who injured his knee last week. They will also most likely be without both starting safeties Darmarius Travis (hamstring) and Antonio Johnson (concussion). Northwestern lost starting safety Godwin Igwebuike to an upper body injury and his back up Kyle Queiro broke his arm vs Ball State. Also starting LT Mogus also left with a head injury. Northwestern comes in 4-0 with impressive wins over Stanford and Duke but had to hold on last week to get by Ball State. Minnesota is 3-1 and after losing their opener to TCU, they’ve gone on to win their next three games by just 3 points each. Cats are 0-9 ATS their last 9 overall as a favorite while Gophs are 10-2 ATS their last 12 overall as an underdog.

Iowa at Wisconsin (ESPN, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Badgers (-7)
Opening Line: Badgers (-8)

Wisconsin has been without top RB Corey Clement for most of the season (carried it just 8 times vs Alabama) and after an MRI revealed a sports hernia, they will be without him for at least another month. Coming into last week’s game vs Hawaii, the Wisconsin running game was ranked dead last in the Big Ten at 142 YPG. They are not used to seeing that in Madison. They got back on track last week as Freshman Taiwan Deal stepped in and started his first game last week and rumbled for 147 of the Badgers 326 rushing yards. The defense was stellar again holding Hawaii scoreless. Since giving up 35 points to Bama in the opener, the Badger top unit has allowed at TOTAL of 3 points in their last 3 games! In those 3 games the UW defense has allowed their opponent to get inside the red zone (inside the 20) just TWICE.

The competition obviously jumps up a few notches this week with Iowa’s offense playing very well right now. The Hawkeyes have scored 30+ in 3 of their 4 games including 62 last week vs North Texas. Iowa was +130 in total yardage vs UNT despite running 25 fewer offensive plays. An impressive effort in a letdown spot coming off wins over rival Iowa State and a last second win vs Pitt. They leave the state of Iowa for the first time this season traveling 3 hours (by car) northeast to Madison. Iowa dominated this series between 1980 and 1996 going 14-0-1 SU vs Wisconsin. Since then the Badgers are 10-6 including a tight 26-24 win last year in Iowa City. The road team has won 4 straight in this series and this is the first time since 2009 that the Hawkeyes have played in Madison. Since 2000, Iowa has been a big money maker as an underdog with a 44-26-3 ATS record (63%). If they are getting a TD or more (line here is currently Wisconsin -7) those numbers improve to 20-9 ATS (69%).

Nebraska at Illinois (BTN, 3:30 PM EST)
Current Line: Cornhuskers (-6.5)
Opening Line: Cornhuskers (-7.5)

The Huskers have been through a season’s worth of emotional rides all in the first month of the year. After a hail-mary loss to BYU and an OT setback to Miami, they had to hold on at home last week vs Southern Miss winning 36-28. The Nebraska offense has been very good averaging a Big Ten best 6.8 yards per play. They have gained at least 445 yards in all four games this season. On the flip side, the defense has been poor giving up a Big Ten worst 6.4 yards per play. They have allowed 450 yards or more in 3 of their 4 games this year. Head coach Mike Riley said they were very thin at LB to begin with and now a cluster of injuries at that spot (Banderas, Newby, and Rose-Ivey) have left them with very little remaining players at that spot. He did say that top WR and returner De’Mornay Pierson El, who has missed all 4 games with a foot injury, might return on Saturday.

There is some rare excitement surrounding the Illinois football program as they come in at 3-1. This is a program that has had ONE winning regular season record in the last decade. However, they have played only one Power 5 team thus far and they were destroyed 48-14 in that game at UNC. They had the same building excitement last year starting 3-1 only to go 3-5 in the Big Ten and then they were whipped by La Tech in their first bowl appearance since 2011. Much of the offensive load has fallen on the shoulders of QB Wes Lunt because the Illini struggling to run the ball (162 YPG which is 13th in the Big Ten). Lunt and his receivers have not been on the same page the last two games according to head coach Bill Cubit.

After starting the first two games with 478 yards passing, 67% completion rate, 93 total points, and 5 TD passes, Lunt has fallen in his last two games to just 378 yards passing, 54% completion rate, 41 total points and 1 TD pass. This week he faces the Big Ten’s worst pass defense with Nebraska allowing 380 YPG through the air so we’ll see if the Illinois passing attack can get back on track. Since joining the Big Ten Nebraska has won both of their meetings with Illinois by an average score of 42-16.

Ohio State at Indiana (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 PM EST)
Current Line: Buckeyes (-21)
Opening Line: Buckeyes (-21)

Ohio State continues to be overvalued in the betting markets. After covering their first game vs Virginia Tech, the Bucks are 0-3 ATS their last 3 games. Not only are they 0-3 ATS, they have failed to cover the spread by 37.5 points and if it weren’t for 3 OSU non-offensive TD’s during that stretch it would have been worse. The offense and the QB battle has been the main discussion nationally, however head coach Urban Meyer is concerned with the Bucks rush defense. They are currently 9th in the Big Ten in stopping the rush (121 YPG) and just allowed Western Michigan to run for 168 yards last week. While that may not seem like a big deal, WMU rushed for 43 yards combined in their other 2 games vs FBS opponents (Mich St and Georgia Southern).

The Hoosiers are trying to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2007. They are well on their way with a perfect 4-0 mark to start the season. They need to win just 2 Big Ten games to be bowl eligible. It hasn’t been easy as their wins have come by margins of 1, 14, 3, and 7 points against a less than impressive list of opponents (Southern Illinois, FIU, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest). IU currently has the #1 offense in the Big Ten averaging 522 YPG. The problem is, they also have the worst defense in the league allowing 499 YPG. An Indiana outright win would obviously be a stretch as OSU has won 20 straight in this series by an average margin of +21 PPG. Only 3 of those 20 games have been decided by last than 10 points. However, IU had covered 4 in a row in this series.

Michigan at Maryland (BTN, 8:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Wolverines (-16)
Opening Line: Wolverines (-16)

Michigan is getting a lot of run in the media after destroying BYU 31-0 last week. We were on the Wolverines for our Top Play last week and truth be told, they caught BYU in a terrible spot. We expected a tired and flat Cougar team and they proved us correct. Don’t forget the Cougs played a brutal early schedule and had three consecutive VERY physical and emotional games. They beat Nebraska on the road with a hail-mary, beat Boise in similar fashion, and then had a chance to upset UCLA a week before traveling to Michigan. BYU was out of gas and it was obvious shortly after kickoff. Michigan is improved but we’re not going to over react quite yet. This week probably won’t tell us much as they are playing an overmatched Maryland team.

The Terps have been an all or nothing team thus far with their two wins coming by 29 and 18 points (vs Richmond and USF) and their two losses have come by 21 and 39 points (vs Bowling Green and West Virginia). They were obviously toasted last week at WVU is what is a big rivalry game. Terp QB Rowe threw 4 more interceptions and now has a whopping 9 picks in just 64 pass attempts. That’s a HORRIBLE 1 interception thrown for every 7 pass attempts. Rowe was replaced by Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman and now there is a full blown QB controversy in College Park. As of this writing head coach Randy Edsall is still leaning toward starting Rowe on Saturday but that’s not yet set in stone.

Maryland’s rush defense is the worst in the Big Ten allowing 200 YPG. They have given up over 500 yards combined on the ground in their two losses to BG and WVU. That could be a problem as the Wolverines have gotten their running game rolling on all cylinders with 225, 254, and 254 yards rushing their last 3 games. However, they might be without starting RB De’Veon Smith who left last week’s game with an ankle injury – listed as probable. These two have met once since Maryland joined the league and that was last year when the Terps (+6.5) pulled the 23-16 upset in Michigan.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mizzou QB Mauk suspended indefinitely


COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk and backup tackle Malik Cuellar have been suspended indefinitely by the school for violating team rules and will not participate in the Tigers' (3-1, 0-1 SEC) home game against South Carolina (2-2, 0-2) Saturday.

Associate athletic director Chad Moller released a statement Tuesday night confirming the suspensions, citing ''disciplinary reasons related to violation of team policies.''

The status of the suspensions will be assessed after Saturday's game, and the athletic department has issued no additional comments.

Mauk spent Monday in Springfield with his family, and did not attend team media day. His father and high school coach, Mike Mauk, underwent a procedure Monday to treat colorectal cancer.

Freshman Drew Lock likely will make his first collegiate start in place of Mauk, who has 654 passing yards as well as six touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Lock has completed 15 of 25 passes for 225 yards as well as a touchdown and an interception.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

PSU RBs Barkley, Lynch could return


STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) Penn State coach James Franklin says he does not believe injuries to his top two running backs will end their seasons.

Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch were both hurt in the second quarter of Penn State's 37-21 win over San Diego State on Saturday. They are questionable for this week against Army.

Franklin said Tuesday he anticipates getting them back, but isn't sure when.

Franklin extended the same prognosis to starting safeties Jordan Lucas and Marcus Allen, both of whom spent most of the last game on the sideline.

Allen injured his right arm on Penn State's first defensive series and Lucas, who briefly left the team's Week 3 game against Rutgers with a right shoulder injury, was ruled out before kickoff. Franklin says Malik Golden and Troy Apke filled in but having Lucas and Allen - who both excel in run support - back will be a boost against Army's run-heavy, triple-option offense.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

It's on: Ole Miss' WRs vs. Florida DBs

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) The mutual respect between Mississippi's receivers and Florida's secondary is obvious.

The battle between these two talented groups could determine who wins the game when the third-ranked Rebels (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) travel to face the 25th-ranked Gators (4-0, 2-0) on Saturday.

''That should be a fun matchup,'' Florida coach Jim McElwain said.

Of particular interest is the dual between Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell and Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. Both were among the nation's most highly regarded recruits in 2013.

Now the juniors are college stars and potential NFL first-round picks in the spring.

Treadwell and Hargreaves played against each other during the Under Armour All-America game about three years ago. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Treadwell - who is listed at three inches taller than Hargreaves - remembers a pretty even matchup.

''He made a couple plays on me and I made a couple plays on him,'' Treadwell said.

He expects a similar outcome on Saturday if the two are matched against each other. McElwain didn't commit to any one-on-one matchups earlier in the week.

''He has great footwork - he's a great technician,'' Treadwell said of Hargreaves. ''He knows what he wants to do and he's skilled and comfortable. He's got an edge to him and he's got a swagger.''

Hargreaves has been limited by injuries this season but still leads the Gators with two interceptions. He missed the second game of the season with a leg injury and played through a sore back last week against Tennessee.

Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson said Treadwell immediately stands out when watching Ole Miss film. Treadwell had eight catches for a career-high 135 yards in the Rebels' 27-16 win over Vanderbilt last weekend.

Hargreaves hasn't spoken to the media much since the summer, but Wilson is confident Hargreaves is ready for the challenge.

''We'll have to see, but I feel like Vernon can win that matchup against him because Vernon is Vernon and he's going to get the job done,'' Wilson said.

Both sides say the positional matchup isn't all about Treadwell and Hargreaves. Ole Miss has a deep group of receivers that includes Treadwell, Cody Core, Quincy Adeboyejo, Markell Pack, Damore'ea Stringfellow and tight end Evan Engram. All six are at least 6-foot-2.

Adeboyejo leads the Rebels with five touchdown catches. Core has three and is averaging nearly 23 yards per catch.

Hargreaves is joined in the secondary by Wilson and safeties Keanu Neal and Marcus Maye, who Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly singled out as a ''very good player.''

''Everyone knows about their back end,'' Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. ''They are definitely one of the best defenses in the country and they are going to test us for sure.''

Both sides are confident in their personnel. For Florida, it's a chance to make a statement against an Ole Miss offense that's averaging 54.8 points per game, which ranks second in the nation.

''This will be a good challenge for our secondary, who I think are pretty good,'' McElwain said. ''I'm sure they're saying, ''Look, here's my chance to go up against the best.' To me, that's fun. That's the challenge. So go accept it and see how you do.''

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Injuries the big obstacle facing No. 2 Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Forget style points, poll rankings or the playoff discussion.

Right now, the big issue facing Michigan State is injuries.

The second-ranked Spartans open Big Ten play this weekend against Purdue, and although their lofty preseason hopes are still very much intact, this Michigan State team is not at full strength. The Spartans have already lost linebacker Ed Davis and cornerback Vayante Copeland for the season, and offensive lineman Jack Conklin and tight end Josiah Price were hurt in last week's win over Central Michigan.

Conklin appeared to have an injured knee, and Price was using crutches for support on the sideline toward the end of the game. It's not clear how severe their injuries were. Coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday he had no new season-ending injuries to announce.

''No injury update,'' he said coyly. ''Amazing how young people, how fast they heal.''

Dantonio doesn't often give updates on injuries, but he's sometimes willing to disclose if a player has been ruled out for the season. That didn't happen Tuesday.

Conklin and Dennis Finley are both listed as possible starters at left tackle on this week's depth chart. Tight end is also up in the air between Price, Jamal Lyles and Paul Lang. Safety RJ Williamson, who was also shaken up Saturday, is atop the depth chart at his position.

''This is Tuesday. We'll see what happens by Friday or Saturday,'' Dantonio said. ''Usually we'll make those announcements prior to the game, if they are not able to play in the game, that's when we'll make them.''

Michigan State entered the season with aspirations of winning the Big Ten and reaching college football's four-team playoff. A win over Oregon earlier this month made those hopes seem like a real possibility, but some of the luster came off that victory when the Ducks lost 62-20 to Utah last weekend.

In its other three games, Michigan State beat Western Michigan, Air Force and Central Michigan. None of those games really came down to the wire, but the margins of victory weren't huge.

The Spartans lost Davis before the season started to a knee injury, and Copeland played two games but is now out with a fractured vertebra. Conklin, a 6-foot-6 junior, is a big part of an offensive line that was supposed to be a strength for Michigan State. If he's out for any extended length of time, the pressure will be on Finley to perform.

Finley said he felt more comfortable as last weekend's game progressed.

''I feel like once you get out there out on the field, it definitely builds,'' he said. ''It builds your character, it builds you as a player, because you're not going against the same guys.''

Connor Cook, Michigan State's star quarterback, has to depend on his left tackle, so Finley's progress is important. Finley played in six games last season as a redshirt freshman, and there was obviously a spotlight on him last week.

''I think there were some butterflies that he had to get rid of,'' Cook said. ''We have all the confidence in the world in Dennis. Jack's right there, coaching him up, telling him what he needs to do and what he needs to improve on.''

Price, meanwhile, is a top target for Cook around the end zone. He's already caught four touchdown passes this season, and if he's limited going forward, that would be a concern for Michigan State.

It probably won't be clear until later this week what Conklin and Price will be able to provide against Purdue, but playing shorthanded is something the Spartans have had to get used to.

''Coach D always says we're not going to let an injury be the reason why we lose a game,'' Cook said. ''We have plenty of depth here at all positions.''

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Barry J. Sanders responding to challenges at No. 18 Stanford


STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Barry J. Sanders would prefer you drop the Jr. from his name. He likes the emphasis on `Barry J,' which is what his Stanford teammates call him.

Sanders proved elusive last Saturday in a 42-24 road victory at Oregon State, and the 18th-ranked Cardinal (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12) are hoping for a repeat performance this weekend against Arizona.

Sanders needed just seven carries to record a career-high 97 yards and double his career touchdown total by scoring twice.

Sanders, whose father Barry won the 1988 Heisman Trophy Award and went on to a Hall of Fame NFL career with the Detroit Lions, is part of a triple threat out of the Stanford backfield that also includes Christian McCaffrey, whose father Ed also played in the NFL, and Remound Wright, the short-yardage specialist.

Sanders' 65-yard touchdown run against the Beavers is Stanford's longest run from scrimmage this season, and it deserved its own highlight reel as he broke a couple of tackles and made others miss.

''It happened so fast,'' Sanders said Tuesday at Stanford's weekly press conference. ''I don't think the guy wrapped up very well. I tried a stiff arm, but I couldn't quite extend it. The next thing I knew, I was in the end zone celebrating with my teammates.''

Sanders has 157 rushing yards this year and leads the team with 7.8 yards per carry. McCaffrey, who gained a career-high 206 yards against Oregon State, averages 111.2 yards a game, but has yet to score. Wright has 93 yards and leads the team with five touchdowns.

''Coming into this year, all three of us knew how we were and we knew we could be special as a collective unit,'' Sanders said. ''A little piece of that showed against Oregon State.''

In his fourth year in the program, Sanders may not have developed as quickly as he wanted, though Cardinal coach David Shaw has never tried to rush him.

''People develop at different paces,'' Shaw said. ''Barry continues to find his way. We continue to challenge Barry to show us, and he continues to respond. He's still growing as a football player, and he's been able to get on the football field.''

Sanders said he's not frustrated and understands Shaw is ''utilizing us the best he can.'' He may not be playing as much as he'd like, but he's not complaining either.

''Everything just came together as an offense,'' Sanders said. ''My goal is every time I go out there, I am going to try and make a play.''

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hard to determine how good No. 6 Notre Dame is after 4 games


SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Sixth-ranked Notre Dame faces a lot of unanswered questions through four games of the season.

The Fighting Irish (4-0) have won two straight starts by quarterback DeShone Kizer, and he rallied Notre Dame with 12 seconds left to beat Virginia three weeks ago. But how will the sophomore react to a raucous crowd in his first road start at No. 12 Clemson (3-0)?

Will the Irish defense, which seems to alternate between dominant and susceptible to big plays, find a way to play consistently well? Will the secondary continue to be burned by gadget plays?

But the biggest question facing the Irish: Just how good are they? It's hard to say. Notre Dame's victories have come against opponents with combined records of 4-11.

A 30-22 victory against No. 14 Georgia Tech two weeks ago doesn't look quite as impressive after the Yellow Jackets were beaten 34-20 by Duke on Saturday. Notre Dame heads into Clemson looking for their biggest road win since a 30-13 victory at Oklahoma in 2012 solidified their position as a national championship contender.

Kelly said at his weekly news conference Tuesday that what he is most confident about is team chemistry.

''It's a close team. They'll play hard for each other. There's no quit in them. They'll overcome adversity,'' he said.

The Irish already have overcome adversity with six players out with season-ending injuries, including quarterback Malik Zaire and running back Tarean Folston. Kizer at quarterback and C.J. Prosise at running back have done well replacing them. Prosise has rushed for 600 yards - the most ever by an Irish back in the first four games of a season. But both lack experience at their positions.

''We're still learning about the players that have had to come in and step in after these injuries,'' Kelly said.

Injuries finally caught up with the Irish last season after a 6-0 start and a near-upset at No. 2 Florida State. Notre Dame lost five of its last six regular-season games.

But the Irish know they can run the ball, ranking 12th in the nation at 285 yards a game. They are 15th in total offense, averaging 531 yards, which is on pace to break the school record of 510.5 yards a game set in 1970.

They know they have an elite receiver in Will Fuller, ranking third in the nation with six touchdown catches, eighth with 454 receiving yards and 11th in receiving yards per game at 114.

What they don't know is how they will do on the road. The Irish had lost five straight road games until Kizer threw a 39-yard TD pass to Fuller with 12 seconds left to give Notre Dame a 34-27 victory at Virginia three weeks ago.

The Irish are 2-5 under Kelly on the road against ranked teams, with both wins coming in 2012 at No. 10 Michigan State and No. 8 Oklahoma. Clemson is 41-6 at home in seven seasons under coach Dabo Swinney and have won 11 straight at home.

Kelly said he expects the Irish to respond like they did last season when they nearly upset No. 2 Florida State, losing on a controversial pass interference call that cost them a touchdown with 13 seconds left.

''I think we'll have a lot of carry over,'' Kelly said. ''We'll talk in terms of the same kind of environment ... in terms of how we'll need to prepare.''

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

No. 24 Cal not satisfied with just returning to AP poll


BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) In Sonny Dykes' first season as coach at California, the Golden Bears weren't near the top of any polls.

They went winless in the Pac-12, got their only win against a lower-division team and set a school record for losses when they went 1-11 in 2013.

Two years later, Cal is rolling.

Fresh off winning road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 1993, the 24th-ranked Bears (4-0, 1-0) moved into the AP Top 25 for the first time in six years this week in a sign of how much progress the program has made in Dykes' three seasons.

''We didn't talk about it much when we were ranked probably last in the country and we're not going to talk about it much now that we're ranked in the Top 25,'' Dykes said Tuesday. ''It doesn't really affect us much.''

Despite the best start to a season at Cal since 2007, Dykes knows there is plenty more work to be done. The Bears had trouble closing out games the past two weeks in wins at Washington and Texas, have yet to hit on all cylinders with some trouble in the red zone and have major issues returning and covering kicks.

Those haven't led to losses yet and haven't dampened the growing excitement on campus at a school that hasn't competed in the Pac-12 for almost a decade.

The players and coaches appreciate the progress even if they are taking it all in stride.

''In our locker room, there's not much of a change,'' quarterback Jared Goff said. ''We're a very determined, level-headed team. We expected to be here.''

Now the task for Cal is to not get too satisfied or look too far ahead - a drastic change from where the program was two years ago.

While the Bears are heavy favorites this week against Washington State (2-1), the schedule gets much tougher in the coming weeks. Next up on the schedule is a brutal four-game stretch that features visits to No. 10 Utah and No. 7 UCLA, followed by a home game against No. 18 Southern California and a trip to Oregon.

That's why it's so important for the Bears to tune out all the praise coming their way this week.

''I think you always have to guard against that, especially when you don't have a lot of experience being ranked,'' Dykes said. ''It's not something we're going to talk about much. Our guys have been incredibly focused and haven't paid attention to that stuff. It literally means nothing. ... It's a number that somebody sticks on you but it doesn't mean much.''

Cal also hopes to get some key players back from injuries this week. Running back Daniel Lasco (hip), defensive end DeVante Wilson (foot) and defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil (knee) all were set to practice Tuesday and could be back this week. Starting left tackle Brian Farley, who left the game early last week with an ankle injury, also could play Saturday.

Safety Griffin Piatt (knee) and freshman defensive end Cameron Saffle (knee) also could make their season debuts this week.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Pac-12 Report - Week 5


2015 PAC-12 STANDINGS

Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under

Arizona 3-1 0-1 2-2 4-0
Arizona State 2-2 0-1 0-4 0-4
California 4-0 1-0 3-1 2-2
Colorado 3-1 0-0 1-2-1 1-3
Oregon 2-2 0-1 1-3 3-1
Oregon State 2-2 0-1 1-3 2-2
Southern California 3-1 1-1 3-1 2-2
Stanford 3-1 2-0 3-1 2-2
UCLA 4-0 1-0 2-1-1 1-3
Utah 4-0 1-0 3-1 2-2
Washington 2-2 0-1 3-1 1-3
Washington State 2-1 0-0 1-2 1-2

Washington State at California (Pac-12 Network, 4:00 p.m. ET)
California opened as a 14 1/2-point favorite and the line has quickly worked up to 19. Washington State has been hard to figure, losing at home straight-up to FCS Portland State in their opener before going cross-country to win outright as a road dog at Rutgers. They returned home and looked rather sluggish against a bad Wyoming team last week, winning 31-14 in another uninspired effort. Perhaps the road is where the Cougs perform best. They are 9-4 ATS in their past 13 road outings. Cal is just 6-17 ATS in their past 23 home games, but this is a difficult Golden Bears team than the ones which were trampled in past seasons. The Cougs are 6-1 ATS in their past seven trips to Berkeley, and the road team is 9-2 ATS in the past 11 meetings.

Arizona State at UCLA (FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Arizona State entered the season with aspirations of the four-team playoffs. Now, they're simply fighting to stay afloat in the Pac-12 South. The Sun Devils were a complete dumpster fire last week against SC, down 21-0 late in the second quarter. AZ State was moving in for a touchdown at the USC 1, but they fumbled and it was scooped up for a 99-yard score. On the ensuing kickoff, AZ State fumbled and the Trojans managed a 35-0 lead at halftime rather than a 21-7 score, which would have been much more manageable. Can they recover against another nationally-ranked and red hot quarterback in Josh Rosen? UCLA is favored by two touchdowns in this one. The Sun Devils are 0-4 ATS in their past four against teams with a winning record, and they have failed to cover six straight dating back to last season. They have had plenty of struggles against the run, and that's bad news when they have to face a stud like UCLA RB Paul Perkins. UCLA is 6-2-1 ATS in their past nine, and 4-1 ATS in their past five conference tilts, including a convincing win at Arizona last weekend. The Sun Devils are just 3-9 ATS in their past 12 against UCLA, and 1-5 ATS in their past six trips to Pasadena.

Oregon at Colorado (ESPN, 10:00 p.m. ET)

Oregon is on the rebound after one of the most shocking results of the season. It wasn't shocking that the Ducks lost to Utah at home last week, but they were dropped 62-20 at home. Colorado has fired out to a 3-1 start, including a win over rival Colorado State two weeks ago and a convincing victory against Nicholls State last Saturday. The Buffaloes have one of the best pass-catch combos in the nation in QB Sefo Liufau and WR Nelson Spruce. RBs Phillip Lindsay, Donovan Lee and Christian Powell are three impressive runners who take pressure off the passing game, too. If ever they were going to beat the Ducks, it might be this weekend when they are down and prime for the picking. Oregon enters as just a seven-point favorite as they look to salvage their season. The Ducks are still 8-1 ATS in their past nine conference tilts, and 20-7 ATS in their past 27 road outings. They're also 11-2 ATS in their past 13 road games against a team with a winning home record. However, they're just 1-4 ATS in their past five overall. Colorado might be winning this season, but they're still just 1-2-1 ATS. The under has cashed in three of their past four games to date.

Arizona at Stanford (Pac-12 Network, 10:30 p.m.)

The Wildcats and Cardinal do battle in an important late-night game. The Wildcats can ill-afford a second straight conference loss, while the Cardinal look to move to 3-0 in the conference after an upset win at USC two weeks ago and a solid road win at Oregon State last Friday. The Cardinal have won and covered in each of their past three games since a stunning loss at Northwestern Sept. 5. The Wildcats allowed 56 points to UCLA at home last week, and they are good for at least 30 points in each of their four games to date. The over is a perfect 4-0 for Arizona. The Wildcats failed to cover for the fifth time in the past seven Pac-12 games. For Stanford, they're 4-0 ATS in their past four conference tilts, 6-1 ATS in their past seven overall and 5-1 ATS in their past six in Palo Alto. In this series, the road team is 9-4 ATS in the past 13 meetings, but the Wildcats are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 meetings with the Cardinal.

Pac-12 teams on a bye
Oregon State, Southern California, Utah, Washington

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

ACC Report - Week 5


2015 ACC STANDINGS

Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under

Boston College 3-1 0-1 1-2-1 1-3
Clemson 3-0 1-0 2-1 1-2
Duke 3-1 1-0 3-1 0-4
Florida State 3-0 1-0 2-1 1-2
Georgia Tech 2-2 0-1 2-2 2-2
Louisville 1-3 0-1 3-1 1-2-1
Miami (Fla.) 3-0 0-0 2-1 2-1
North Carolina 3-1 0-0 2-2 1-3
North Carolina State 4-0 0-0 4-0 2-2
Pittsburgh 2-1 0-0 2-1 2-1
Syracuse 3-1 1-0 3-1 4-0
Virginia 1-3 0-0 1-2-1 3-1
Virginia Tech 2-2 0-0 2-2 4-0
Wake Forest 2-2 0-1 1-3 2-1-1


Miami-Florida at Cincinnati (Thursday - ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The unbeaten Hurricanes hit the road for Cincinnati, and they'll be tested in the cool fair weather along the banks of the Ohio River. The Hurricanes have managed to cover just three of their past 12 road games, and they're 1-4 ATS in their past five on fieldturf. Cincinnati hasn't been much better, however, going 1-4-1 ATS in their past six overall and 0-6 ATS in their past six non-conference tilts. Cincinnati did pick up their first cover in four games by a half-point last week at Memphis, but bettors should be worried about Miami's team speed. The Bearcats have allowed 33 or more points in each of their past three games, and the over has hit in all four games for UC. Miami has scored 36 or more points in each of their three games, and they have allowed 26.5 PPG in two meetings against FBS teams. Miami will again be without WR Stacy Coley (hamstring), but they get speedy WR Braxton Berrios (knee) back from injury.


Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech (ESPN3, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The Panthers hit the road where they have had success against the number. Pitt is 7-2-1 ATS in their past 10 road games. Virginia Tech has been hot at home against teams with a winning road record, going 7-3 ATS in their past 10 games in such situations. However, Va. Tech is 3-7 ATS in their past 10 conference battles. While the home team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings in this series, the Panthers have covered seven of the past eight and the underdog has hit in seven of the past eight, too. The over is 4-1 in Pitt's past five, and 5-2-1 in their past eight road outings, while the over has connected in all of Virginia Tech's games this season, six in a row dating back to last season and the over is 7-3 in their past 10 against a team with an overall winning mark.

Louisville at North Carolina State (ESPN3, 12:30p.m. ET)

N.C. State has won four games in rather convincing fashion, but they haven't really been tested. While Louisville has just one win to show for their efforts to date, they headed into the season with much higher expectations and they remain a very dangerous team despite their overall record. The Cardinals head into this one with a 3-1 ATS mark with the under hitting in two in a row. This will be their first true road games, although their Week 1 loss to Auburn was in Arlington, TX, a neutral-site game. Not only have the Wolfpack won all four of their games, they have covered in each, including each beating the number in their past three games by at least seven points. Louisville has been hot against the number on the road, covering 25 of their past 33, but those were much better teams developing that trend. N.C. State has covered seven in a row, and they're 4-1 ATS in their past five ACC games and 5-2 ATS in their past seven at home. The under has been prevalent for each team lately, going 3-1-1- in the past five for Louisville, and 7-2-1 in their past 10 ACC games. The under is 4-1 in N.C. State's past five against a team wtih a losing overall record, and 6-2 in their past eight home games against a team with a road losing mark.

Boston College at Duke (ESPN3, 3:30 p.m.)

Duke saw Northwestern take it to them on the line of scrimmage two weeks ago, but they rectified that in a big way against Georgia Tech last weekend in a rebound win. The Blue Devils took care of a solid Georgia Tech team, now they set their sights on the surprising Eagles, who have played a tremendous brand of defense. B.C. has had the under come through in each of their three games, as their Week 2 game against FCS Howard did not count since it didn't go the official 55 minutes or more. Boston College is 0-2-1 ATS in their three games outside of that Howard game. The Eagles have allowed just 7.8 points per game through four outings, which is great news since they're down to their backup quarterback and the offense is a bit in disarray. Duke's offense is much more prolific, posting 34 or more points in their three wins. The under has hit in each of their four games thanks to their solid defensive effort, as they have allowed just 11.5 PPG. You won't see many totals in college football set at 39 1/2 points, but with these two defenses the total might not even come close to that.

Florida State at Wake Forest (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)

Florida State hits the road for Winston-Salem, and they're a rested bunch after a bye to rest last week and 15 days to prepare. Wake Forest is coming off a loss at home to Indiana, 31-24, but they had a spirited effort down the stretch to make things close, especially since they did it without starting QB John Wolford (ankle). After covering in their opener against FCS Elon the Deacs have failed to cover in three straight. The Seminoles defense has allowed just 10.0 PPG, which is bad news for the Wake Forest offense and Wolford, should he be well enough to play. FSU covered on the road Sept. 18 in a 14-0 win at Boston College, and they're a much better team than Wake. FSU could win this one by three touchdowns rather easily if they just hit their averages.

North Carolina at Georgia Tech (ESPNU - 3:30 p.m.)

UNC hits the road for Georgia Tech, a team which is suddenly reeling. After looking like an offensive juggernaut in two games against Alcorn State and Tulane, the Yellow Jackets were worked over at Notre Dame two weeks ago and manhandled at Duke last week. Suddenly, things aren't all that well in Ramblin' Wreck country. The Jackets are still 6-0 ATS in their past six home games, and 5-1 ATS in their past six in the conference. They're also 6-2 ATS in their past eight against a team with a winning overall record. The public has tossed money at the Heels, driving the spread down from 9 1/2 to 7 1/2. The favorite has covered in five of the past seven, and the home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven, too. UNC is just 2-7 ATS in their past nine trips to Atlanta, and the Tar Heels have covered just once in the past six meetings in this series.

Notre Dame at Clemson (ABC - 8:00 p.m.)

In the marquee game of the weekend, we will find out quite a bit about Notre Dame at Death Valley in front of a rabid crowd in a night game. Notre Dame has covered four of their past five overall, and they're 8-3 ATS in their past 11 against a team with a winning overall mark. The Irish have still covered just once in their past five road outings. Clemson has covered four in a row at home, but two games this season were against Wofford and Appalachian State, not exactly the cream of the college football crop. Still, the Tigers are 8-3 ATS in the past 11 against t eams with a winning overall record. The money has come in early on the Irish, driving down the line from Clemson favored by 2 to a pick 'em. The over is 5-0 in Notre Dame's past five road games, and 8-2 in their past 10 overall while the under is 7-1 in Clemson's past eight home games, and 6-1 in their past seven overall. So something's gotta give in the total department.

ACC teams on bye

Syracuse, Virginia

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Big Ten Report - Week 5


Purdue at Michigan State (ESPN2, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Spartans (-22)
Opening Line: Spartans (-23)

As poor as Purdue has been the last two years (1-15 Big Ten record) they have given Michigan State some problems. Last season they played host to Sparty and lost 45-31 as a 21-point dog (cover for Boilers). That contest was a down to the wire situation as MSU led just 38-31 with under 2:00 remaining in the game. Two years ago they went into East Lansing as a 4 TD underdog and that was also a nailbiter for the Spartans as they led just 7-0 in the 4th quarter before winning 14-0 which included a defensive TD (another easy cover for Purdue). The last time Purdue lost by more than 20 points to MSU was back in 1996. The oddsmakers seem to have MSU over valued a bit right now as they have yet to cover a game this year (0-4 ATS) despite having a 4-0 record. What’s a bit alarming if you are an MSU fan is that this team has been outgained in 3 of their 4 games this year. They were out yarded by Oregon, Air Force, and Central Michigan.

Despite their 4-0 record, for the year Michigan State has gained 1,489 yards and allowed 1,583 yards. And that’s against fairly marginal competition with the exception of Oregon and that win is now not as impressive as it may have looked a few weeks ago after the Ducks were destroyed at home by Utah last Saturday. Turnovers have been a big problem for the 1-3 Boilers. In their first 3 games they coughed the ball up 9 times. Because of that head coach Darrell Hazell made a switch at QB last week putting freshman David Blough under center and benching Austin Appleby. Blough had a solid opening performance completing 29 of 39 for 340 yards and 2 TD’s with only one turnover. They lost 35-28 to a solid Bowling Green team but the game was tied a 28 late and Purdue missed a 32 yard FG that would have given them the lead. They could be sitting with a much better record as last week’s game was in reach and their season opener was lost at Marshall due to two pick 6’s thrown by Appleby.

Minnesota at Northwestern (BTN, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Wildcats (-4)
Opening Line: Wildcats (-5)

Not surprising this initial total was set at 40 with two solid defense and two offense that struggle to score. Minny ranks 119th in scoring averaging just 19 PPG. NW is 94th in scoring at 25 PPG. The Gophers have scored a total of 8 offensive TD’s in 4 games. Northwestern has put up just 5 offensive TD’s in 3 games (minus Eastern Illinois game vs FCS opponent). Defensively the Gophs are 31st nationally in scoring holding opponents to 22 PPG while the Wildcats are 3rd allowing just over 8 PPG. Speaking of the low total, this has been a low scoring series as of late with none of the last 4 meetings topping 41 points.

Minnesota has covered this series 11 of the last 15 meetings dating back to 1996. Last year these two met in Minneapolis and the Gophers were a 3.5 point favorite. Minny won and covered 24-17 however the Cats actually outplayed Minnesota and it was particularly close. NW was +14 in first downs, +119 in total yardage, and they ran 30 more offensive plays. With the game tied late Minnesota had a 100 yard kickoff return for a TD to ice in and win by 7. The Gophers have won each of the last two meetings (won at NW 20-17 in 2013) and they’ve relied heavily on their ground game attempting only 29 passes the last two years combined!

Both teams are really banged up coming into this one. Minnesota could be without all conference CB Boddy-Calhoun who injured his knee last week. They will also most likely be without both starting safeties Darmarius Travis (hamstring) and Antonio Johnson (concussion). Northwestern lost starting safety Godwin Igwebuike to an upper body injury and his back up Kyle Queiro broke his arm vs Ball State. Also starting LT Mogus also left with a head injury. Northwestern comes in 4-0 with impressive wins over Stanford and Duke but had to hold on last week to get by Ball State. Minnesota is 3-1 and after losing their opener to TCU, they’ve gone on to win their next three games by just 3 points each. Cats are 0-9 ATS their last 9 overall as a favorite while Gophs are 10-2 ATS their last 12 overall as an underdog.

Iowa at Wisconsin (ESPN, 12:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Badgers (-7)
Opening Line: Badgers (-8)

Wisconsin has been without top RB Corey Clement for most of the season (carried it just 8 times vs Alabama) and after an MRI revealed a sports hernia, they will be without him for at least another month. Coming into last week’s game vs Hawaii, the Wisconsin running game was ranked dead last in the Big Ten at 142 YPG. They are not used to seeing that in Madison. They got back on track last week as Freshman Taiwan Deal stepped in and started his first game last week and rumbled for 147 of the Badgers 326 rushing yards. The defense was stellar again holding Hawaii scoreless. Since giving up 35 points to Bama in the opener, the Badger top unit has allowed at TOTAL of 3 points in their last 3 games! In those 3 games the UW defense has allowed their opponent to get inside the red zone (inside the 20) just TWICE.

The competition obviously jumps up a few notches this week with Iowa’s offense playing very well right now. The Hawkeyes have scored 30+ in 3 of their 4 games including 62 last week vs North Texas. Iowa was +130 in total yardage vs UNT despite running 25 fewer offensive plays. An impressive effort in a letdown spot coming off wins over rival Iowa State and a last second win vs Pitt. They leave the state of Iowa for the first time this season traveling 3 hours (by car) northeast to Madison. Iowa dominated this series between 1980 and 1996 going 14-0-1 SU vs Wisconsin. Since then the Badgers are 10-6 including a tight 26-24 win last year in Iowa City. The road team has won 4 straight in this series and this is the first time since 2009 that the Hawkeyes have played in Madison. Since 2000, Iowa has been a big money maker as an underdog with a 44-26-3 ATS record (63%). If they are getting a TD or more (line here is currently Wisconsin -7) those numbers improve to 20-9 ATS (69%).

Nebraska at Illinois (BTN, 3:30 PM EST)
Current Line: Cornhuskers (-6.5)
Opening Line: Cornhuskers (-7.5)

The Huskers have been through a season’s worth of emotional rides all in the first month of the year. After a hail-mary loss to BYU and an OT setback to Miami, they had to hold on at home last week vs Southern Miss winning 36-28. The Nebraska offense has been very good averaging a Big Ten best 6.8 yards per play. They have gained at least 445 yards in all four games this season. On the flip side, the defense has been poor giving up a Big Ten worst 6.4 yards per play. They have allowed 450 yards or more in 3 of their 4 games this year. Head coach Mike Riley said they were very thin at LB to begin with and now a cluster of injuries at that spot (Banderas, Newby, and Rose-Ivey) have left them with very little remaining players at that spot. He did say that top WR and returner De’Mornay Pierson El, who has missed all 4 games with a foot injury, might return on Saturday.

There is some rare excitement surrounding the Illinois football program as they come in at 3-1. This is a program that has had ONE winning regular season record in the last decade. However, they have played only one Power 5 team thus far and they were destroyed 48-14 in that game at UNC. They had the same building excitement last year starting 3-1 only to go 3-5 in the Big Ten and then they were whipped by La Tech in their first bowl appearance since 2011. Much of the offensive load has fallen on the shoulders of QB Wes Lunt because the Illini struggling to run the ball (162 YPG which is 13th in the Big Ten). Lunt and his receivers have not been on the same page the last two games according to head coach Bill Cubit.

After starting the first two games with 478 yards passing, 67% completion rate, 93 total points, and 5 TD passes, Lunt has fallen in his last two games to just 378 yards passing, 54% completion rate, 41 total points and 1 TD pass. This week he faces the Big Ten’s worst pass defense with Nebraska allowing 380 YPG through the air so we’ll see if the Illinois passing attack can get back on track. Since joining the Big Ten Nebraska has won both of their meetings with Illinois by an average score of 42-16.

Ohio State at Indiana (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 PM EST)
Current Line: Buckeyes (-21)
Opening Line: Buckeyes (-21)

Ohio State continues to be overvalued in the betting markets. After covering their first game vs Virginia Tech, the Bucks are 0-3 ATS their last 3 games. Not only are they 0-3 ATS, they have failed to cover the spread by 37.5 points and if it weren’t for 3 OSU non-offensive TD’s during that stretch it would have been worse. The offense and the QB battle has been the main discussion nationally, however head coach Urban Meyer is concerned with the Bucks rush defense. They are currently 9th in the Big Ten in stopping the rush (121 YPG) and just allowed Western Michigan to run for 168 yards last week. While that may not seem like a big deal, WMU rushed for 43 yards combined in their other 2 games vs FBS opponents (Mich St and Georgia Southern).

The Hoosiers are trying to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2007. They are well on their way with a perfect 4-0 mark to start the season. They need to win just 2 Big Ten games to be bowl eligible. It hasn’t been easy as their wins have come by margins of 1, 14, 3, and 7 points against a less than impressive list of opponents (Southern Illinois, FIU, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest). IU currently has the #1 offense in the Big Ten averaging 522 YPG. The problem is, they also have the worst defense in the league allowing 499 YPG. An Indiana outright win would obviously be a stretch as OSU has won 20 straight in this series by an average margin of +21 PPG. Only 3 of those 20 games have been decided by last than 10 points. However, IU had covered 4 in a row in this series.

Michigan at Maryland (BTN, 8:00 PM EST)
Current Line: Wolverines (-16)
Opening Line: Wolverines (-16)

Michigan is getting a lot of run in the media after destroying BYU 31-0 last week. We were on the Wolverines for our Top Play last week and truth be told, they caught BYU in a terrible spot. We expected a tired and flat Cougar team and they proved us correct. Don’t forget the Cougs played a brutal early schedule and had three consecutive VERY physical and emotional games. They beat Nebraska on the road with a hail-mary, beat Boise in similar fashion, and then had a chance to upset UCLA a week before traveling to Michigan. BYU was out of gas and it was obvious shortly after kickoff. Michigan is improved but we’re not going to over react quite yet. This week probably won’t tell us much as they are playing an overmatched Maryland team.

The Terps have been an all or nothing team thus far with their two wins coming by 29 and 18 points (vs Richmond and USF) and their two losses have come by 21 and 39 points (vs Bowling Green and West Virginia). They were obviously toasted last week at WVU is what is a big rivalry game. Terp QB Rowe threw 4 more interceptions and now has a whopping 9 picks in just 64 pass attempts. That’s a HORRIBLE 1 interception thrown for every 7 pass attempts. Rowe was replaced by Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman and now there is a full blown QB controversy in College Park. As of this writing head coach Randy Edsall is still leaning toward starting Rowe on Saturday but that’s not yet set in stone.

Maryland’s rush defense is the worst in the Big Ten allowing 200 YPG. They have given up over 500 yards combined on the ground in their two losses to BG and WVU. That could be a problem as the Wolverines have gotten their running game rolling on all cylinders with 225, 254, and 254 yards rushing their last 3 games. However, they might be without starting RB De’Veon Smith who left last week’s game with an ankle injury – listed as probable. These two have met once since Maryland joined the league and that was last year when the Terps (+6.5) pulled the 23-16 upset in Michigan.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ATS

CFB > (149) HOUSTON@ (150) TULSA | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Play ON HOUSTON against the spread in road lined games
The record is 10 Wins and 0 Losses for the last three seasons (+10 units)

CFB > (179) SAN JOSE ST@ (180) AUBURN | 2015-10-03 16:00:00 - 2015-10-03 16:00:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE ST against the spread as an underdog
The record is 0 Wins and 9 Losses for the last two seasons (-9.9 units)


CFB > (195) E CAROLINA@ (196) SMU | 2015-10-03 16:00:00 - 2015-10-03 16:00:00
Play AGAINST E CAROLINA against the spread against conference opponents
The record is 0 Wins and 9 Losses for the last three seasons (-9.9 units)


CFB > (197) NORTH TEXAS@ (198) SOUTHERN MISS | 2015-10-03 19:00:00 - 2015-10-03 19:00:00
Play AGAINST NORTH TEXAS against the spread when playing on a Saturday
The record is 0 Wins and 8 Losses for the last two seasons (-8.8 units)


CFB > (145) W KENTUCKY@ (146) RICE | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Play ON RICE against the spread against conference opponents
The record is 59 Wins and 23 Losses for the since 1992 (+33.7 units)

CFB > (191) OLD DOMINION@ (192) MARSHALL | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Play AGAINST OLD DOMINION against the spread in games played on turf
The record is 2 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (-11.2 units)

CFB > (211) NOTRE DAME@ (212) CLEMSON | 2015-10-03 20:00:00 - 2015-10-03 20:00:00
Play ON NOTRE DAME against the spread in weeks 5 through 9
The record is 29 Wins and 10 Losses for the since 1992 (+18 units)

CFB > (163) BOSTON COLLEGE@ (164) DUKE | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Play ON DUKE against the spread in all games
The record is 23 Wins and 8 Losses for the last three seasons (+14.2 units)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FIRST HALF

CFB > (195) E CAROLINA@ (196) SMU | 2015-10-03 16:00:00 - 2015-10-03 16:00:00
Play AGAINST E CAROLINA ?>in the first half in games played on turf
The record is 0 Wins and 9 Losses for the last three seasons (-9.9 units)


CFB > (211) NOTRE DAME@ (212) CLEMSON | 2015-10-03 20:00:00 - 2015-10-03 20:00:00
Play ON NOTRE DAME ?>in the first half in weeks 5 through 9
The record is 29 Wins and 8 Losses for the since 1992 (+20.2 units)


CFB > (163) BOSTON COLLEGE@ (164) DUKE | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Play ON DUKE ?>in the first half versus the first half line in all games
The record is 12 Wins and 2 Losses for the last two seasons (+9.8 units)


CFB > (173) HAWAII@ (174) BOISE ST | 2015-10-03 22:15:00 - 2015-10-03 22:15:00
Play ON BOISE ST ?>in the first half versus the first half line in all games
The record is 14 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.7 units)


CFB > (105) MEMPHIS@ (106) S FLORIDA | 2015-10-02 19:00:00 - 2015-10-02 19:00:00
Play ON MEMPHIS ?>in the first half in a road game where the first half total is between 28.5 and 31.5
The record is 18 Wins and 4 Losses for the since 1992 (+13.6 units)


CFB > (133) LOUISVILLE@ (134) NC STATE | 2015-10-03 12:30:00 - 2015-10-03 12:30:00
Play ON LOUISVILLE ?>in the first half versus the 1rst half line in road games
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses for the last three seasons (+8.9 units)

CFB > (185) VANDERBILT@ (186) MIDDLE TENN ST | 2015-10-03 19:00:00 - 2015-10-03 19:00:00
Play ON MIDDLE TENN ST ?>in the first half when playing on a Saturday
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses for the last three seasons (+8.9 units)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOTALS

CFB > (149) HOUSTON@ (150) TULSA | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Play OVER TULSA on the total in games played on turf
The record is 12 Overs and 1 Unders for the last three seasons (+10.9 units)


CFB > (213) NEW MEXICO ST@ (214) NEW MEXICO | 2015-10-03 20:00:00 - 2015-10-03 20:00:00
Play OVER NEW MEXICO ST on the total in non-conference games
The record is 14 Overs and 2 Unders for the last three seasons (+11.8 units)


CFB > (139) PITTSBURGH@ (140) VIRGINIA TECH | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Play UNDER VIRGINIA TECH on the total in a home game where the first half total is between 22.5 and 24.5
The record is 2 Overs and 15 Unders for the since 1992 (+12.8 units)


CFB > (187) S CAROLINA@ (188) MISSOURI | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Play UNDER MISSOURI on the total when playing with 6 or less days rest
The record is 1 Overs and 11 Unders for the last three seasons (+9.9 units)


CFB > (121) OHIO U@ (122) AKRON | 2015-10-03 14:00:00 - 2015-10-03 14:00:00
Play UNDER AKRON on the total versus the first half line in all games
The record is 5 Overs and 20 Unders for the last three seasons (+14.5 units)


CFB > (171) TEXAS TECH@ (172) BAYLOR | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Play OVER BAYLOR on the total when playing on a Saturday
The record is 10 Overs and 1 Unders for the last two seasons (+8.9 units)


CFB > (105) MEMPHIS@ (106) S FLORIDA | 2015-10-02 19:00:00 - 2015-10-02 19:00:00
Play UNDER S FLORIDA on the total against conference opponents
The record is 0 Overs and 8 Unders for the last three seasons (+8 units)


CFB > (181) IDAHO@ (182) ARKANSAS ST | 2015-10-03 19:00:00 - 2015-10-03 19:00:00
Play UNDER IDAHO on the total when playing with 6 or less days rest
The record is 0 Overs and 8 Unders for the last three seasons (+8 units)


CFB > (205) MICHIGAN@ (206) MARYLAND | 2015-10-03 20:00:00 - 2015-10-03 20:00:00
Play OVER MARYLAND on the total when playing with 6 or less days rest
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the last three seasons (+8 units)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP POWERLINES

CFB > (107) TEMPLE @ (108) CHARLOTTE | 2015-10-02 19:00:00 - 2015-10-02 19:00:00
Line: TEMPLE BTB PowerLine: TEMPLE31
Edge On: TEMPLE (8)

CFB > (127) PURDUE @ (128) MICHIGAN ST | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Line: MICHIGAN ST-21.5 BTB PowerLine: MICHIGAN ST-34
Edge On: MICHIGAN ST (12.5)

CFB > (155) TEXAS @ (156) TCU | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00]Line: TCU-15 BTB PowerLine: TCU-25
Edge On: TCU (10)

CFB > (137) IOWA @ (138) WISCONSIN | 2015-10-03 12:00:00 - 2015-10-03 12:00:00
Line: WISCONSIN-6.5 BTB PowerLine: WISCONSIN-14
Edge On: WISCONSIN (7.5)

CFB > (121) OHIO U @ (122) AKRON | 2015-10-03 14:00:00 - 2015-10-03 14:00:00
Line: AKRON2.5 BTB PowerLine: AKRON-5
Edge On: AKRON (7.5)

CFB > (129) FLA INTERNATIONAL @ (130) MASSACHUSETTS | 2015-10-03 15:00:00 - 2015-10-03 15:00:00
Line: FLA INTERNATIONAL BTB PowerLine: FLA INTERNATIONAL6
Edge On: FLA INTERNATIONAL (9)

CFB > (115) BOWLING GREEN @ (116) BUFFALO | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Line: BUFFALO8.5 BTB PowerLine: BUFFALO-3
Edge On: BUFFALO (11.5)

CFB > (191) OLD DOMINION @ (192) MARSHALL | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Line: MARSHALL-18.5 BTB PowerLine: MARSHALL-31
Edge On: MARSHALL (12.5)

CFB > (111) N CAROLINA @ (112) GEORGIA TECH | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Line: GEORGIA TECH-7 BTB PowerLine: GEORGIA TECH-19
Edge On: GEORGIA TECH (12)

CFB > (167) OHIO ST @ (168) INDIANA | 2015-10-03 15:30:00 - 2015-10-03 15:30:00
Line: OHIO ST BTB PowerLine: OHIO ST27
Edge On: OHIO ST (7.5)

CFB > (195) E CAROLINA @ (196) SMU | 2015-10-03 16:00:00 - 2015-10-03 16:00:00
Line: E CAROLINA BTB PowerLine: E CAROLINA14
Edge On: E CAROLINA (8.5)

CFB > (147) KANSAS ST @ (148) OKLAHOMA ST | 2015-10-03 16:00:00 - 2015-10-03 16:00:00
Line: KANSAS ST BTB PowerLine: KANSAS ST1
Edge On: KANSAS ST (8.5)

CFB > (201) GA SOUTHERN @ (202) LA MONROE | 2015-10-03 19:00:00 - 2015-10-03 19:00:00
Line: LA MONROE7 BTB PowerLine: LA MONROE-1
Edge On: LA MONROE (8)

CFB > (211) NOTRE DAME @ (212) CLEMSON | 2015-10-03 20:00:00 - 2015-10-03 20:00:00
Line: CLEMSON1 BTB PowerLine: CLEMSON-7
Edge On: CLEMSON (8)

CFB > (175) OREGON @ (176) COLORADO | 2015-10-03 22:00:00 - 2015-10-03 22:00:00
Line: OREGON BTB PowerLine: OREGON16
Edge On: OREGON (8.5)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Florida to start Grier at QB against Ole Miss

When No. 25 Florida plays host to No. 3 Mississippi on Saturday, Will Grier will be under center and not Treon Harris.

Grier rallied the Gators to a 28-27 win over Tennessee on Saturday while Harris served a one-game suspension.

Coach Jim McElwain announced after Wednesday's practice that Grier would get the nod because he "played pretty good in some situations last week" and "deserves to go this week."

It will be Grier's fourth consecutive start. In the Gators' first two games, McElwain implemented a two-quarterback system.

Grier was inconsistent, but against Tennessee, McElwain's hands were tied. He would not rule out Harris seeing action this week against the Rebels.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Injuries piling up in secondary for Golden Gophers

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers entered the 2015 regular season boasting one of the better defenses in the country.

And while the defense has rarely disappointed through the nonconference schedule, the Gophers will have plenty of challenges ahead as the club opens Big Ten play on Saturday at Northwestern severely shorthanded.

Perhaps most importantly, Minnesota and coach Jerry Kill will be anxiously awaiting who is healthy enough to line up in the Gophers' defensive backfield, likely the strongest part of the roster when everybody is healthy.

Senior cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun injured his knee last week against Ohio and is questionable. Safety Antonio Johnson (concussion) and freshman corner KiAnte Hardin (ankle) were also injured last week and may not play.

There was good news regarding Boddy-Calhoun; the MRI of his knee on Monday revealed he will not need surgery, meaning he could miss a week or two instead of the rest of the season. An all-conference corner last season as a junior, losing Boddy-Calhoun might have been too big a blow for Minnesota to recover from.

Minnesota is already without senior safety Demarius Travis, who injured his hamstring in Week 1 against TCU. Kill noted on Tuesday that Travis could remain out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

"Our whole secondary is a question mark, except for Eric Murray," Kill said. "We'll just have to see."

The timing of the injuries is two-fold; the Gophers open Big Ten play this week and hope to be in the mix for the West Division crown, as they were last season.

But Northwestern does not offer much in terms of a challenge of that secondary. Despite going 4-0 in the nonconference schedule and entering play as the No. 16-ranked team in the country, the Wildcats rank dead last in the Big Ten in passing yardage and efficiency.

Instead, Northwestern has carved through opponents with one of the country's top rushing attacks, led by sophomore running back Justin Jackson, who is averaging almost 130 yards per game so far.

That will put a premium on the job done by Minnesota's front seven, which has come out of the first four games remarkably healthy.

"(Jackson has) got great vision, great speed," Kill said. "You know, if you don't get him wrapped up, he's going to bounce off of you, and you don't want to give him any creases."

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

--RB Shannon Brooks made a great first impression on Saturday against Ohio, rushing 10 times for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including his second of the day, a three-yarder with 30 seconds left that lifted the Gophers to a three-point win. Brooks, a true freshman, will continue to split the rushing load with redshirt freshman Rodney Smith, who had 94 yards on 16 carries. Senior Rodrick Williams Jr. has been virtually phased out of the game plan; he did not touch the ball at all on Saturday.

--WR Isaiah Gentry caught just two passes for 36 yards (his first collegiate catches) on Saturday but look for him to be more involved moving forward. A 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, Gentry missed the first couple of games with a hamstring injury but his speed and size present opponents with a mismatch for Minnesota on the outside.

--CB Jalen Myrick has made his mark primarily on special teams over his first two seasons with the Gophers, but with Briean Boddy-Calhoun expected to miss some time because of a knee injury, Myrick will be more under the microscope for his work on defense. His blazing speed will allow him to stay step-for-step with just about anybody, but his 5-foot-10 frame could invite some teams to throw his direction, especially with Eric Murray locked in on the other side of him.

SERIES HISTORY: Minnesota leads Northwestern 52-33-5, including wins in each of the last two meetings in 2013 (20-17) and 2014 (24-17).

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Our kids understand that we're going into the Big Ten, and we're playing Northwestern at their place. Nobody is scoring points against them, so we've got a great challenge ahead of us." -- Gophers coach Jerry Kill