Saturday 11/12/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) at Maryland Terrapins (5-4)

Date: November 12, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

For the past month, the chatter engulfing Ohio State football focused on the lack of productivity on offense after scoring no more than 24 points in the three games heading into last Saturday night's prime-time matchup with then-No. 10 Nebraska.

Those concerns were buried in a resounding manner with the 62-3 manhandling of the Cornhuskers in Ohio Stadium that was the largest point total against a top-10 team in school history.

The fifth-ranked Buckeyes not only improved their image around the country with the blowout win over the No. 10 team in last week's College Football Playoff rankings, they stayed on track for a monster Big Ten showdown with No. 3 Michigan in three weeks.

Before the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) turn their attention to the Wolverines, they have to attend to the next two games on the schedule, starting Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN) in College Park, Md., against Maryland (5-4, 2-4) and then staying on the road at Michigan State the following Saturday.

"We really didn't do anything different. It's about execution," Ohio State H-back Curtis Samuel said after Saturday night's beatdown of Nebraska. "In previous weeks, we didn't execute at the highest level whereas (Saturday) we did."

The Buckeyes compiled 590 yards of total offense and quarterback J.T. Barrett was really humming, completing 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Two of the scoring passes went to dynamic H-back Curtis Samuel -- a 1-yarder at the end of the first half and a 75-yard hookup to start the second half.

"Everything was clicking, the run game, the pass game," Barrett said. "It was good for us to go out there and show we could throw the ball downfield."

It wasn't supposed to be that easy against Nebraska, but an interception by safety Damon Webb for a touchdown on the first series of the night set the tone.

"That was a great start to the game," Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard said. "I don't think we could ask for a better start defensively."

Buckeyes safety Malik Hooker added a second pick-six in the second half, intercepting a pass and returning it 48 yards for a touchdown.

For Hooker, it was his fourth interception and second pick-six of the season. Ohio State has set a team record with six interceptions returned for scores this year.

"A defensive score gives momentum to the offense and that's what we try to do every time," Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore said. "If we get our hands on the ball, we try to score so we can put points up on the board."

That they did. Sixty-two of them. More important for the Buckeyes, they won the first of four November games that will define their season.

"There's no room for mistakes now," Hubbard said. "You play for championships in November. This is our first step of four big games."

Next is Maryland, which was pounded Saturday by Michigan in a 59-3 loss. The Terrapins, coached by former Meyer assistant D.J. Durkin, were staggered by the Wolverines.

"We're going to get back to work and figure out what to do with the next team and how to bounce back," Durkin said after the pounding at Michigan. "We've had some ups and downs for the season, but the good thing is, we've bounced back every time. I don't know if it's been as quick as we'd have liked, but we've bounced back. We'll do it again."

Maryland could be missing several key players when Ohio State visits Byrd Stadium.

Quarterback Perry Hills has a recurring throwing-shoulder injury that flared up again last week at Michigan. He is considered day-to-day. Ty Johnson, the team's leading rusher, is dealing with a lower body issue that forced him to leave Saturday's game in the third quarter.

"This is obviously something he's been dealing with throughout the season, and I think it will be more of the same," Durkin said of Hills. "He's made it through some games fine, and some games he's taken a hit on it and it's forced him out for a little bit. He was wanting to come back in that game."

Maryland could use all hands on deck against Ohio State. Durkin is impressed with the Buckeyes' overall speed.

"We've got a big test in front of us," he said.

The temptation now is for Ohio State to look forward to the annual showdown with Michigan at the end of the regular season.

"There's no chance," Meyer said, adding later, "beat Maryland."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-4) at Virginia Tech Hokies (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

The Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech clash, once the premier matchup in the ACC's Coastal Division with the two teams accounting for nine of the 11 division titles since the league split into two groups for the 2005 season, doesn't have quite the buzz about it this year.

Only the No. 14 Hokies (7-2, 5-1 ACC) remain in title contention going into Saturday's game (3:30 p.m ET, ESPNU) at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. They are tied with North Carolina at the top of the division standings but are in control in the race for a berth in the championship game because they hold the tiebreaker over the Tar Heels.

If they win their final two conference games (they finish the regular season against Virginia on Nov. 26), it won't matter how the Tar Heels fare in their two remaining contests (Duke and North Carolina State). Lose one of the two and the Hokies would need the Tar Heels also to lose once to gain the title game berth.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 2-4) will be playing to obtain bowl eligibility, something that eluded them a year ago when they struggled to a 3-9 record.

Nevertheless, first-year Hokies coach Justin Fuente sees a big challenge in taking on the Jackets and their ground-oriented, clock-killing, triple-option attack.

"It forces you to make the most of your time on offense," Fuente said. "You don't see the (spread option) every day, and they're very good at running it."

Fuentes' defense holds opponents to 327 yards per game to rank 17th in the country in total defense with only 126 of that coming on the ground.

While coach Paul Johnson's offense is producing about 27 points and 257 yards per game rushing and is coming off a 334-yard rushing performance in a loss to North Carolina last week, the Jackets have struggled on defense.

The Tar Heels torched the Jackets for 636 yards in winning 48-20 last weekend, that after Duke went for 559 the week before in a game the Jackets managed to win 38-35. The 636 yards were the second-most total yards allowed in school history, behind only the 667 given up to a Joe Montana-led Notre Dame team in 1977.

"It's definitely embarrassing," Jackets safety Corey Griffin said. "I'm embarrassed, the team's embarrassed, coach Johnson is embarrassed ... the whole coaching staff."

Tackling, or lack of it, was a major issue.

"There's a ton of missed tackles and a ton of missed whatever," Johnson said. "If you can't cover them, you can't cover them. Not getting much of a pass rush and not being able to cover is a deadly combination."

Against that defense, the Hokies will be putting up a fast-paced offense that is averaging nearly 78 plays and 35 points. The Hokies have averaged 193 yards rushing and 251 passing.

But they are coming off one of their least efficient games of the season. In their 24-21 road win over Duke last week, they recorded their third-lowest yardage total of the season (399) and second-lowest passing total (192).

Quarterback Jerod Evans passed for only 192 yards against the Blue Devils, but led the Hokies in rushing with 83 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Evans is Tech's leading rusher for the season with 533 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 21 touchdown passes, three short of Tyrod Taylor's school record of 24 set in 2010.

Running back Travon McMillian bounced back with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown after being held to minus-3 rushing yards at Pittsburgh the week before. McMillian is second on the team in rushing with 527 yards and four touchdowns.

For the Jackets, quarterback Justin Thomas is second on the team in rushing with 561 yards to freshman B-back Dedrick Mills' 578. He has completed 63 of 115 passes for 1,208 yards and seven touchdowns and only one interception.

The key for the Jackets is efficiency.

"There's just no margin for error," Johnson said. "We're not good enough offensively to have any margin for error. It's just the way it is."

Virginia Tech won five of the last six meetings, including 23-21 last season in Atlanta.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-5) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has sort of an unusual concern regarding his Cowboys as they prepare for Saturday's Big 12 clash with Texas Tech.

They score too quickly.

Or at least they did last week in a shootout with Kansas State.

After taking the lead on running back Chris Carson's 17-yard run with 1:46 remaining in the game, the Cowboys needed a red-zone stop to secure their 43-37 win over the Wildcats.

"I joked with the guys and said I wish I would have told Carson to slide on the 5-yard line if he gets in the open, and they did not think it was very funny," Gundy said. "You have to score when you have to score to score, but everybody that watches Big 12 football knows with the quarterback play we've got in this league, no lead is ever safe."

That presents an interesting scenario for this weekend when the No. 13 Cowboys (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) and unranked Red Raiders (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) face off at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. FoxSports1 will telecast the Big 12 contest.

The two teams last year combined for 123 points. After comparatively mild 24-17 and 34-17 wins for the Cowboys in 2009 and 2010, the last five meetings -- all wins for the Cowboys -- have been by scores of 66-6, 59-21, 52-34, 45-35, and, finally, 70-53.

With Oklahoma State averaging nearly 41 points a game and Texas Tech 46, a repeat performance wouldn't be all that surprising.

"We play a lot of games in this league where it isn't easy to predict what the score will be, just because of the quarterback play and how explosive teams can be at any given time," Gundy said.

Backing up the notion that the game could turn into an offensive show is the play of the respective quarterbacks.

Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph set a personal best for passing yards in a road game with 457 against Kansas State. Rudolph completed 29 of 38 passes and bounced back from two interceptions, one resulting in a pick-six. He came into the game with only two picks on the season and a string of 163 passes without an interception.

Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes was under pressure the whole game in last week's loss to Texas, but still threw for more than 300 yards for the seventh time in nine games in 2016. He has averaged passing for just under 432 yards a game.

"Mahomes is an outstanding player with outstanding targets and it's kind of hard to get a grasp on them," OSU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said. "Conceptually, they have concepts, but then their biggest plays come off of when he scrambles around and creates a different play from it, so we have to be very disciplined and stay with the receivers a long time.

"We'll have to show him a couple of different looks, confuse the looks for him, but it's the reason he's leading the nation in all of those offensive categories. He's a great talent and he's going to be a tough task for us."

The Cowboys go into the game in second place in the conference standings behind Oklahoma, which is unbeaten in league play at 6-0. Win out -- they finish against TCU and the Sooners -- and they win the title.

The Red Raiders are looking for two more wins in their remaining three games to get to bowl eligibility. But Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury isn't emphasizing that angle.

"I'm sure players think about it. Coaches think about it," Kingsbury said. "But when you're playing a top-15 team on the road, you better worry about them first. That's a big challenge, and it's been our main focus."

After the trip to Stillwater, the Red Raiders finish against Iowa State and Baylor.

"We haven't beaten them in a long time," Kingsbury said of the Cowboys. "I would expect us to be excited to play.

"It's a ranked team, probably the last ranked team we'll play this season. On the road, they always have a great environment. The fans are right on top of you. So I think our players understand what it means and how long it's been."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Auburn Tigers (7-2) at Georgia Bulldogs (5-4)

Date: November 12, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

Auburn got some good news regarding injury issues as it began preparations for Saturday's outing at Georgia.

Coach Gus Malzahn announced that sophomore quarterback Sean White, who came on in the second half last week after not starting against Vanderbilt, will start against the Bulldogs. Running back Kamryn Pettway, who looked to have pulled a muscle late in the 23-16 win over the Commodores, may be cleared to play when the Tigers (7-2, 5-1), ranked No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and the unranked Bulldogs (5-4, 3-4) mix it up starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

In addition wide receiver Tony Stevens and linebacker Tre' Williams, are on track to play after sitting out the game against Vanderbilt.

Starting running back Kerryon Johnson played last week but is only "80 percent" from the ankle injury that sidelined him the previous game.

"We're a pretty beat-up team," Malzahn said.

But a hot one as well.

The Tigers have won six in a row and are on pace to set up what could be a classic Iron Bowl matchup against undefeated Alabama to close out the regular season.

If the Tigers get the road win over the Bulldogs, they could play their way into the SEC Championship Game by beating Bama no matter what the Tide does this week against Mississippi State. Both the Tigers and Tide have non-conference affairs next week with Auburn hosting Alabama A&M and Alabama hosting Chattanooga.

Georgia is on the fringe of the SEC East, mathematically still in contention but needing not only a win over Auburn but several other breaks to get a share of first place in the division.

The Bulldogs also are looking for a so-called "signature" win in coach Kirby Smart's first season, and Auburn certainly presents an opportunity for that.

The series between the Bulldogs and Tigers is billed as the Deep South's oldest rivalry with the two teams meeting for the 120th time since they first squared off in Atlanta in 1892. The series was interrupted in 1917 and '18 for World War I and again in 1943 for WW II.

"It's one of best, I mean, it's one of greatest rivalries in college football, when you talk about Georgia and Auburn," Smart said. "I think historically it's been very balanced. I mean, there's some similarities in the two stadiums, similarities in the programs."

For a stretch in the 1980s, the game featured a matchup featuring two coaches facing their alma mater. Then-Georgia coach Vince Dooley is an Auburn grad. Then-Auburn coach Pat Dye is a Georgia man.

"I mean, you look at coach Dooley, coach Dye, where they came from, there's a tie that bonds," Smart said. "It's an interesting rivalry. It's always heated. It never ends because it goes on recruiting trail. Both schools recruit the same area primarily. I mean, it's an interesting deal. And they got a great program and I certainly think we do too.

"So it makes for great college football."

Smart's team is coming off a heart-stopping, 27-24 win over Kentucky in a game decided on a field goal as time ran out. That stopped a two-game skid for the Bulldogs, who had dropped their previous two games to Vanderbilt and Florida.

Freshman quarterback Jacob Eason completed 17 of 31 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown against Kentucky and junior running back Sony Michel had 127 yards on 19 rushes with a touchdown.

Auburn was unexpectedly pushed nearly to the brink in getting by Vandy. White, who hadn't taken a snap in practice the week before, came off the bench to complete 10 of 13 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown to rally the Tigers from a 13-10 halftime deficit.

Cornerback Joshua Holsey then came up with a key interception with 36 seconds left deep in his own territory to secure the win.

"We faced probably about as much adversity as we faced in a win in a long time," Malzahn said. "We had some injuries and some guys weren't able to play. We had one of our top defensive guys kicked out of the game early.

"We had some guys that really stepped up and did a super job. In every year that we've won a lot of games there has been a game like this where our guys found a way to win."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Illinois Fighting Illini (3-6) at Wisconsin Badgers (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 3:30 PM EDT

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst laments his team's small margin of error.

"Right now, we're not that explosive of an offense," he said. "Right now, we're not putting a ton of points on the board."

Yet the 7th-ranked Badgers (7-2, 4-2) are in position to win the Big Ten Conference's West Division if they can win their final three regular season games, starting with Saturday's visit from Illinois.

The reasons? Defense and discipline, traits that will play well anywhere. Wisconsin is a top 15 unit nationally in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense. It ranks fifth in FBS in scoring defense, giving up 13.8 points per game.

And the Badgers play a clean game week after week. They are second in FBS in fewest penalties with only 24 in nine games and are on pace to be the least-penalized team in school history. In its last three games, Wisconsin has committed exactly two penalties.

"It comes down to everyone being disciplined and everyone really trusting their technique and trusting each other," tight end Troy Fumagalli said. "Just doing their jobs sound. I think it's a testament to the way we practice and the way we're taught the game."

First-year coach Lovie Smith is hoping to instill some of that discipline into his program. The former NFL head coach has experienced some rocky times with the Fighting Illini, a team with a spate of potential NFL draft picks in their front seven that simply doesn't have enough high-level players to consistently win in the Big 10.

Illinois (3-6, 2-4) led the conference in penalties most of the year, a spot it finally vacated last week when it sent Michigan State careening to its seventh straight loss with a 31-27 verdict that kept its slender bowl hopes alive.

"What you see is a traditional Big 10 powerhouse," Smith said. "Big emphasis on running the football, play-action passes, good hard-nosed defense on the other side of the ball, playing together as a team. That's what we're going to see.

"We know we're going to have to be at the top of our game. We'll need to play better than we did this past week. We realize who we're playing, but what an opportunity for our young football team to have a chance to play a great team like that."

On paper, this doesn't look like a good matchup for the Illini. Their offense has had trouble scoring, hampered by injuries at the quarterback position that have forced them to start third-stringer Jeff George, Jr. the last three games.

After struggling in most aspects of the game in one-sided losses against No. 2 Michigan and Minnesota, George engineered a game-winning drive against Michigan State. George found Sam Mays for a 16-yard scoring strike with 1:40 left, the highlight of a 13-of-29, 140-yard day.

"I think you just get to the point where you keep pounding the rock, eventually you see a crack," Smith said. "I think you just stay the course and eventually you get over the hump. I think that's where we are - we got over the hump last week."

Last week's hump looks more like an anthill compared to this one. George appears likely to start again as senior Wes Lunt, the quarterback for the past 2 ½ seasons, continues to nurse a back injury that has sidelined him for four straight games.

It's not known if wide receiver Malik Turner, by far Illinois' leading receiver, will be able to play after sitting out the Michigan State game with a concussion. Turner's potential absence will put more pressure on a running game fronted last week by Kendrick Foster's 146-yard, two-touchdown effort.

As for the Badgers, they're coming off a 21-7 win last week at Northwestern in which they outrushed the Wildcats 190-39. Corey Clement rushed 32 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, helping Wisconsin possess the ball for more than 40 minutes.

Sporting five freshmen or sophomores in their offensive lineup, the Badgers have been hurt by inconsistency. They rank 98th in scoring, 110th in touchdowns and 113th in red-zone conversion ratio. They are on pace to average their fewest points and yards since 2004.

"We've played good teams," Chryst said. "Against good teams, you're going to have a smaller margin for error."

But Wisconsin's defense has taken up the slack, and then some.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-3) at Louisville Cardinals (8-1)

Date: November 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Louisville winds up ACC play this weekend pretty much knowing that a win over Wake Forest isn't going to be enough to get the Cardinals into the conference championship game.

That would take a complete collapse by undefeated Clemson over the next two weeks.

But the No. 6 Cardinals (8-1, 6-1 ACC) still harbor hopes of snagging one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff as they prepare to host Wake Forest Saturday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET with ESPN2 telecasting from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

After the Demon Deacons (6-3, 3-2 ACC) the Cardinals go out of conference play with a trip to Houston and a home game against instate rival Kentucky winding up their regular season.

Impressive wins in their last three games could provide them with an argument to be included in the playoff, but Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino wants his players to focus only on the Deacons, who nearly upset the Cardinals last year in Winston-Salem.

"All I told them was we can only control how we play, how we go out and perform, and how we win games," Petrino said. "That is the only thing we can control right there."

How they win games is usually big. The Cardinals romped past Boston College 52-7 last week and earlier whipped North Carolina State 54-13, Florida State 63-20, and Syracuse 63-28.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the main catalyst and early on established himself as the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. He has rushed for over 131 yards a game, passed for nearly 306, and has accounted for 45 touchdowns -- 19 on runs and 26 on passes -- while throwing just six interceptions in 288 pass attempts.

But the Cardinals also have had some close calls.

They scored a late touchdown that came with the help of a late penalty against Duke for a 10-point win at home over the Blue Devils, and they scored with just 13 seconds left for a 32-25 win at Virginia after falling behind 25-24 with just over two minutes left. The Cardinals lost by six at Clemson after falling behind by 18 points.

The close calls could have affected Louisville's placement when the first CFP rankings came out last week. The Cardinals were No. 7 then.

"I know that last week when the rankings came out our players were upset about it," Petrino said. "Really what we talked about was that we really just need to go out and play well and execute and play the type of ball that we know how to play.

"I do think it motivated us."

The result was the 45-point destruction of Boston College.

Wake Forest, with its aggressive and veteran defense, could be a different matter.

"Their defensive front will be as active as anybody we have played this year," Petrino said. "What I mean by that is they really rush the passer, they play great technique on the run, their linebackers are fast and sprint to the football, and very experienced secondary."

While the Cardinals came into the season looking to compete for a national championship, the Deacons have already achieved their goal. Coach Dave Clawson made no secret of the fact he was intent on getting his team into the postseason. With six wins already and a plethora of bowls, that seems a certainty.

"I was very open about it and very frank about it at the beginning of the year, that I thought it was a very realistic expectation to go to a bowl game this year," he said. "I would have been very disappointed if we didn't get into a bowl."

Quarterback John Wolford, who has started since his freshman year, has been a key figure. He had a 64-yard touchdown run in Wake's 27-20 win over Virginia last week and is second on the team in rushing with 456 yards, behind running back Matt Colburn's 463. The Deacons have already rushed for more yards in nine games (1,476) than they had all of 2015 (1,262).

"This was a big goal for us going into the year," Wolford said of reaching bowl eligibility. "But we can't be satisfied."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: LSU Tigers (5-3) at Arkansas Razorbacks (6-3)

Date: November 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

LSU's hopes of writing a storybook ending to Ed Orgeron's stint as interim coach may have been dashed last week in the 10-0 loss to No. 1 Alabama, but the Tigers still will be looking to write a happy ending to the campaign in the final three games of the regular season.

The 24th-ranked Tigers (5-3, 3-2 SEC) look to rebound when they visit No. 25 Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 SEC) Saturday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) at Donald G. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Tigers had rolled to three victories in three games after Orgeron was named to replace the fired Les Miles, but the offensive shortcomings that were paramount in Miles' dismissal were ever-present in the sixth consecutive loss to the Crimson Tide.

LSU managed only 125 yards in total offense with a net 33 yards on the ground that included 22 yards lost on five Alabama sacks. Running back Leonard Fournette, who had rushed for 284 yards against Ole Miss two weeks earlier, was held to just 35 on 17 carries.

"It was a very poor offensive performance," Orgeron said. "We struggled to run the ball, and we struggled to pass protect. Our defense played its butt off. We lose as a team, but we just couldn't get anything going on offense."

Alabama wasn't exactly an offensive juggernaut, either. The Tigers shut out the visitors for three quarters and held them to season lows in points, total yards (323), passing yards (107) and completions (10). But the Tigers eventually wore down, and the Tide had the ball for 13:35 of the final quarter.

LSU's offense could face similar problems again this week at Arkansas.

Coming off a bye week, the Razorbacks put forth their best effort of the season in a 31-10 pasting of Florida. In particular, the Arkansas defense, which looked like it was moving in quicksand the previous week in a 56-3 loss to Auburn, was dominant against the Gators.

Coach Bret Bielema used the extra time to revamp his starting 11 on the defensive side of the ball. Senior James Ledbetter moved outside, shifting from defensive tackle to end. Star freshman McTelvin Agim shifted into Ledbetter's tackle spot to make his first career start.

Randy Ramsey started at defensive end, and Deatrich Wise Jr. began the game on the bench. They practiced in full pads during the bye week, getting ready for the physical style of play Bielema wanted to see the rest of the way.

And the results were striking. A defense that allowed 543 rushing yards against Auburn gave up 12 against the Gators. Florida's only touchdown came from its own defense on a pick-six of quarterback Austin Allen.

The win over Florida gave the Razorbacks the six wins they need for bowl eligibility. LSU, which will play only an 11-game regular season because of the cancellation of its Nov. 19 date with South Alabama to accommodate the makeup game with Florida, still needs one more win.

The loss to Alabama eliminated the Tigers from the West Division race.

"When we took over the team, we didn't talk about any goals," Orgeron said. "We were going to play with energy. We were going to play with excitement, and we were going to play one game at a time and none of that has changed.

"There was no talk of championships, there was no talk about the future. There was talk about let's practice better today. Let's take care of the day, and let's take it one game at a time, and that remains."

Orgeron is confident that the mindset of his team will be fine.

"I know we're going to bounce back," he said. "I know these guys, I know this team, I've been with them, and this is not going to affect us. We're going to be mentally tough.

"We have a lot of juniors that came back. They want to finish strong. I'm sure they are thinking of going to a good bowl game. They want to finish with a winning season. They want to finish and give everything to LSU.

"We have a lot riding on the line."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mississippi Rebels (4-5) at Texas A&M Aggies (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Texas A&M and Ole Miss share a common bond this week, and unfortunately for the Aggies and Rebels, it's not a good one.

Both have lost their starting quarterbacks to injury for the rest of the season.

The No. 8 Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) lost senior Trevor Knight to a shoulder injury last week in a 35-28 loss to Mississippi State.

The Rebels (4-5, 1-4) lost senior Chad Kelly to a knee injury in their 37-27 win over Georgia Southern.

Junior Jake Hubenak will start for the Aggies while the Rebels are looking at a couple of possibilities when the two teams clash Saturday at College Station, Texas. Kickoff at Kyle Field is at 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network).

"Jake Hubenak came into game and performed pretty well," Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. "If there was bright spot from Saturday it was how he approached everything. In light of how we played, he gave us an opportunity to win game. Moving forward coming out of this game he's our guy."

Hubenak completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in what was obviously his most extensive action of the season. He came into the game with only 12 completions in 21 attempts for 128 yards in two appearances.

Sumlin also is looking at taking the redshirt off true freshman Nick Starkel if need be.

"He's on board with whatever we want to do and whatever he wants to do," Sumlin said. "He wants to play. We've got enough guys on roster that are talented enough."

Ole Miss coach Huge Freeze also is looking at taking a redshirt off a true freshman and putting five-star signee Shea Patterson on the field. Redshirt freshman Jason Pellerin finished last week's 37-27 win over Georgia Southern.

Freeze also will take a look at other options like walk-on Drew Davis as the backup and even wide receiver Markell Pack, tight end Evan Engram and quarterback-turned-offensive lineman Jeremy Liggins.

"There are no options that are off the table, but today I'm trying to figure out a way to see if others can do the job first," Freeze said.

If not, Patterson could be in play.

"That's not something I want to rush to make a decision on," Freeze said. "It certainly would be difficult to do that, but I wouldn't quite totally rule it out just yet. I really want to take my time and think through it for sure looking at all the options."

Freeze said most of the first-team reps in practice this week will go to Pellerin, who has run for 96 yards and three scores this season while attempting just 13 passes, completing five with three interceptions.

The offense didn't reach the end zone with Pellerin against Georgia Southern.He completed only one of five attempts with an interception, though one of his incompletions was a would-be touchdown that went through Engram's hands.

"I thought Jason played well last week," Freeze said. "He threw two beautiful balls that both could've been caught."

Pellerin's teammates like what they saw in his brief stint.

"I was really impressed with how he came in and managed. Wasn't panicking," Engram said. "He settled in the moment and got it done. He finished the game for us, and that's huge for the offense going into this week.

"Even Shea, watching him make plays in practice and all through camp, if I didn't watch a play of football and watched Shea play, I would not think he's a true freshman."

The loss of Knight will have an impact on A&M's running game. He is the team's No. 2 rusher with his 583 yards second to freshman running back Trayveon Williams' 804. His 10 rushing touchdowns lead the category.

"I don't know if there's 10 guys in country that are the runner Trevor is," Sumlin said. "Whole first of year people have come out of games saying, 'Wow, that guy is faster than we thought.'

"Jake is not as fast but is effective. Will probably change some of things we do little bit. Although many are designed runs, some of them weren't. Trevor had ability to take the ball down and do some things."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: USC Trojans (6-3) at Washington Huskies (9-0)

Date: November 12, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

No. 4 Washington might still have critics because of its strength of schedule. USC has doubters, too, unable to break into the Associated Press poll, despite a five-game winning streak.

Each team will have its chance for a major statement Saturday in Seattle.

In what looks to be the biggest game of the week in college football -- ESPN's College GameDay will be there to preview the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff -- the matchup will have big implications for the national and Pac-12 races.

The Huskies (9-0 overall, 6-0 Pac-12) enter the weekend coming off a 66-27 victory at Cal. USC (6-3, 5-2 Pac-12) handled Oregon 45-20, holding the Ducks to 288 total yards, their lowest total since 2009. The Trojans are No. 20 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

"USC is right back to USC," said Washington coach Chris Petersen. "You just watch the tape."

Two of the best young quarterbacks in the country will face off for the first time.

Washington sophomore Jake Browning, with his six-touchdown performance against the Bears, boosted his passer rating to a national-best 202.79.

That puts him on track to break the 5-year-old FBS record of 191.78, set by Wisconsin's Russell Wilson in 2011. Browning has thrown 34 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. He has 2,273 passing yards and a 67.7 completion percentage.

Browning already owns Washington's single-season record for touchdown passes and is on pace to break Jared Goff's Pac-12 record of 43, set last season.

"Great quarterbacks always have great decision-making, timing and accuracy," said USC coach Clay Helton. "That's what you see from the kid. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is incredible."

USC's season turned when Helton inserted redshirt freshman Sam Darnold as his starting quarterback in the fourth game. That was a 31-27 loss to the Utes, who scored in the final minute, but the Trojans have ripped off five in a row since then, winning four by at least 21 points.

Darnold is ranked seventh nationally -- and first among freshmen -- in passer rating with a mark of 168.1. He has completed 146 of 215 passes for 1,874 yards, with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. Like Browning, his mobility keeps defenses honest and opens up the field for a great supporting cast.

"He's not really a freshman when you look at how many games he's played now and the things he's seen," Petersen said.

"He's doing a really good job. You couple that with the receivers, and it's like, 'Who's that? Who's that? Who's that?' You've got five or six guys, and I think their hard decision is trying to figure out who should get the ball the most, the tailback or receivers."

The quarterbacks aren't even eligible for the 2017 draft, and neither are the two main tailbacks -- Washington's Myles Gaskin (952 yards, eight touchdowns) and USC's Ronald Jones II (393 yards in the past two games). They are second-year sophomores.

These teams are so loaded otherwise that they combine for 12 of the top 136 prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

Here are two big-time matchups in the passing game: Washington receiver John Ross III (14 touchdown receptions) vs. USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson, and, on the other side, USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Washington corners Sidney Jones and Kevin King.

Ross and Jackson are dynamic in the return game, too.

Up front, USC tackles Chad Wheeler and Zach Banner -- deemed to be top 100 prospects -- have to handle a pair of top 100 defensive line prospects in Vita Vea and Elijah Qualls, among other Husky standouts the line.

"For the fifth game in a row, I thought the offensive line set the tone," Helton said after his offense gashed the Ducks for 270 rushing yards. "The holes they were creating, a good running back can go a long way."

Said Petersen: "This (USC) offensive line is really, really good. Really good. And I don't say that a lot."

The true strength of Washington's defense -- which is 11th nationally in points allowed at 17.0 points per game -- is its secondary, led by Budda Baker. The Huskies allow just 5.6 yards per pass attempt, the fifth-best mark in the country.

While Washington is playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, USC needs a win to stay competitive in the Pac-12 South. They are a half-game behind Colorado (5-1) and a half-game ahead of Utah (4-2). USC holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buffaloes. The Trojans likely would need too much help to win the division if they lost to Washington or UCLA to end the conference season.

"I'm glad we're playing at home," Petersen said. "It'll be a heck of a game."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

With an embarrassing 62-3 loss to College Football Playoff contender Ohio State last week knocking it out of CFP contention, Nebraska sets its sights on winning the Big Ten West title and hoping Tommy Armstrong Jr.is healthy.

The 19th-ranked Cornhuskers host Minnesota on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) in Lincoln, Neb., with their senior quarterback in concussion protocol and questionable to play after banging his head hard on the Ohio Stadium turf following a big hit. He went to the hospital, but returned to the sideline in street clothes.

"This is out of our hands, which is a good thing," Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. "That decision will be made medically."

The Cornhuskers are in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Wisconsin atop the West at 7-2, 4-2 Big Ten. Nebraska lost at Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime Oct. 29, so a loss to Minnesota would virtually eliminate it from contention. Wisconsin hosts Minnesota in the regular-season finale Nov. 26.

The Golden Gophers ride a four-game winning streak into Memorial Stadium, defeating four of the five worst teams in the Big Ten -- Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue.

"It feels good, but we have bigger goals," Minnesota sophomore running back Rodney Smith told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "This week coming up is a big week for us, and we know that. We've just got to fix our mistakes and prepare for Nebraska."

If Armstrong cannot play, fifth-year senior Ryker Fyfe will call the signals against Minnesota. Fyfe was 5 of 18 for 52 yards with an interception after taking over for Armstrong last week. He has completed 51.7 percent of his 89 career passes with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.

"He's been here for five years, just like Tommy, so we're confident what he can do," Cornhuskers center Dylan Utter told the Omaha World-Herald.

Riley is confident his team can bounce back after a demoralizing loss, but said: "You don't exactly flush it. It's not that easy.'

Nothing has come easily in the passing game lately for Nebraska, which completed 21 of 64 passes for 279 yards with four interceptions against Wisconsin and Ohio State.

"Part of the reason is the quarterback isn't allowed any rhythm,' Riley said. "We've got to do a little cleaner job there. We've got to run the ball better. And my guess if we do that, our passing percentage will go up."

If Armstrong cannot play, the Cornhuskers also lose a significant part of their running game (4.5 yards per 98 attempts, seven touchdowns). Senior running back Terrell Newby (133, 4.8, five) and sophomore running back Devine Ozigbo (90, 3.8, 5) would be left to carry the load.

"I think that the number one thing we need to do is establish two identity runs that we can repeat better throughout the ballgame that look good,' Riley said. "Sometimes when you're not doing well, you jump around a little bit. So I think establishing identity well in that way and really rehearsing that is really going to be big for us and proving that and getting back to it."

The Golden Gophers defeated Purdue 44-31 last week and are 7-2 for the third time in four years. Part of their success comes from an opportunistic defense that has helped them rank third in the nation in turnover margin at plus-12 and tied for fifth with 21 takeaways.

"Going into the last three games, this is everything we've wanted," Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner told the Star Tribune.

Said Golden Gophers coach Tracy Claeys: "After our first two conference games nobody gave us a chance ... to be in here. They kind of said the season was over. We just kept battling one game at a time and we fought our way back into this thing."

Smith averaged 127 yards and scored eight touchdowns during the winning streak. He leads the Big Ten with 14 touchdowns (13 on the ground) and is second in rushing yards with 954.

"I'm proud of the way he's been rewarded for the work he's put into it," Claeys said of Smith. "He's become a much more complete back."

Nebraska is 3-2 versus Minnesota since joining the Big Ten, including a 48-25 victory in Minneapolis last year. The Golden Gophers prevailed 28-24 in Lincoln in 2014.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Michigan Wolverines (9-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4)

Date: November 12, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The quarterback position was a big mystery when Michigan commenced preparations for this football season.

It is now one of the team's biggest strengths thanks to the stellar play of sophomore Wilton Speight.

Speight has exceeded all expectations and attempts to help the No. 3 Wolverines (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) remain unbeaten when they visit Iowa (5-4, 3-3) on Saturday (8:12 p.m. ET, ABC).

The 6-foot-6 Speight outlasted Houston transfer John O'Korn in a competition that began in the spring and continued through late August.

Once he landed the gig, Speight responded with consistently good play, topped by last Saturday's 362-yard passing effort against Maryland.

"He's superseded the hopes, he's gone past what we were hoping he'd be -- in a big way," coach Jim Harbaugh said in a press conference. "He's been outstanding. Outstanding. I'd be lying if I said he hasn't done more than what we hoped he'd be this season.

"He's met the challenge at every pass. He's acquitted himself more than good. He's got a hot hand and it's come through preparation and it's been really important to him. And that's really why you don't put expectations on people and you don't limit what you think they can be."

Ironically, Speight considered transferring prior to Harbaugh's first season after being berated by coach in the spring of 2015.

The segment aired in an HBO special. Speight's face and jersey number were blocked out but there was no denying that a really tall quarterback was told the following:

"If you want to look at me with that look, go (expletive) somewhere else," Harbaugh barked.

Speight and his family investigated leaving before he decided to remain with the Wolverines.

"That redshirt freshman fall camp, I was on the phone with my parents basically, 'OK, I'm out, let's find a different school.' They were on board. They obviously wanted me to stay here, but they were going to support my decision."

Things are working out well now for Speight and Michigan and he enters the game against the Hawkeyes with 2,053 yards and 15 touchdowns against three interceptions.

He will look for more production against an Iowa squad that is reeling after being pounded 41-14 by Penn State last Saturday.

The loss was the second straight for the Hawkeyes and a humbling one for coach Kirk Ferentz.

"We got hit right on the chin," Ferentz said in a press conference. "The whole challenge is to get back up on your feet and go back to work. We have to do it this week because the team we play is going to be a big challenge for us."

Iowa is just one game off the pace in the Big Ten West despite its recent struggles. An offense that has topped 40 points on three occasions has suddenly gone dormant and combined for just 23 points in the two defeats.

Senior quarterback C.J. Beathard has passed for fewer than 200 yards in six of nine games. His 204-yard effort against Penn State matched his second-best output of a season in which he has thrown for 1,584 yards and 13 touchdowns against five interceptions.

The sharing of backfield duties by junior Akrum Wadley and senior LeShun Daniels has been a strength. Wadley has rushed for 664 yards and eight touchdowns and Daniels has 642 yards and six scores.

The defense was gashed for 599 yards by Penn State -- a staggering amount with stars such as senior cornerback Desmond King (12 career interceptions) and junior middle linebacker Josey Jewell (Big Ten-leading 87 tackles) headlining the unit.

"I think you try to keep people motivated, coming in every day and giving it their all," Jewell said in response to a question about a possible leadership void. "That's what we have to focus on now."

Michigan's defense has had few issues all season long as the unit leads the nation in scoring defense (10.7 points per game), total defense (246.3), passing defense (138.9) and third-down conversion defense (19.0).

Sophomore outside linebacker Jabrill Peppers has fueled the success with a team-best 13 1/2 tackles for losses. Senior middle linebacker Ben Gedeon has been consistent all season and has a team-high 74 tackles while senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis (two interceptions) is in top form after early season injury issues.

An offensive player performing well is senior tight end Jake Butt, who became the school's all-time leader for receiving yards (1,521) by a tight end in last Saturday's 59-3 trouncing of Maryland.

The Wolverines have lost in each of their last three visits to Iowa so nobody is taking the Hawkeyes lightly.

"Iowa, this is a championship (game), and we take that to heart," Speight said. "We know it's win or go home. All this means nothing if we're 9-1 this time next week."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Colorado Buffaloes (7-2) at Arizona Wildcats (2-7)

Date: November 12, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Colorado hits the road for the final time in the regular season, holding on to control of the Pac-12 Conference South Division.

The 12th-ranked Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1) are a half-game ahead of 5-2 USC. Utah, at 4-2 in the league, is the only other team that can catch the Colorado in the division.

The Buffs, coming off a 20-10 victory over UCLA, visit struggling Arizona (2-7, 0-6) on Saturday night, beginning at 10 p.m. ET in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats are the last winless Pac-12 team in conference play and they have lost six in a row for the first time since 2004.

"We have to try to get that good feeling back. Now we have to try to make someone else's season bad, or at least put a dent in their season," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said, talking about what motivates his team for the final three games.

"That's all you have to do. And if you're a competitor, you'll play."

Colorado is looking to complete a worst-to-first finish in the South after placing last in each of Mike MacIntyre's first three seasons. Colorado won only two Pac-12 games in the coach's first three seasons.

The Buffaloes have already clinched a spot in a bowl game for the first time since 2007.

"We're always thinking Pac-12 champions," wide receiver Bryce Bobo said. "That's what we were thinking even before the season started."

After playing last Thursday, CU had a couple extra days to prepare for Arizona, which lost 69-7 at Washington State on Saturday.

The Wildcats allowed the Cougars to complete 47 of 52 passes, but Colorado takes a more balanced approach to offense and can attack on the ground or through the air.

When the Buffs run for 100 or more yards in a game, they win. Colorado has rushed for 247, 260, 260, 263, 315, 224 and 144 yards in its victories, while being held to 64 and 96 in its two losses. Arizona, with a small front line and injuries at linebacker, are 97th nationally against the run, allowing 202.8 yards per game.

Colorado running back Phillip Lindsay has 818 rushing yards, averaging 5.7 per carry. His 10 rushing touchdowns are the most in a season for the Buffs since 2010.

Colorado senior quarterback Sefo Liufau is ready to make his 36th career start, which would set a school record. He had thrown a school-record of 152 consecutive passes without an interception before having two passes picked off against UCLA.

Wide receiver Shay Fields leads the Buffaloes with 602 receiving yards, while Devin Ross has a team-high 45 catches.

"They're very explosive at wideout," Rodriguez said. "They probably have some of the fastest wideouts in the league.

"Their quarterback is an experienced guy, and they do a good job up front. They've changed it a little bit over the last couple of years. They're more spread and they'll get them out wide more times, and they're more up tempo."

Arizona, which has scored just 31 points in the past three games, might be headed toward a return of Anu Solomon as the starting quarterback.

Solomon missed six games because of a knee injury after the season-opener, but he played a couple of series two weeks ago in a loss to Stanford and played about half the game in relief of Brandon Dawkins on Saturday.

Solomon, the starter in 2014 and 2015, completed 9 of 13 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown last week. He is the better passer; Dawkins the superior runner. Rodriguez said Monday he'll play both against Colorado.

Arizona's quarterbacks will be going against a Colorado defense that is 10th nationally in passing yards allowed (179.3) and features standouts such as cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon, and safety Tedric Thompson.

Arizona also will continue with converted wide receiver Samajie Grant at running back. He has started the past two games there because of attrition at the position. He has rushed 27 times for 141 yards in the past two weeks.

The Buffs finish with home games against Washington State and Utah, two ranked teams who remain in the hunt for the conference title. Colorado's November is off to a good start with a 1-0 record.

"We call these the gold games because this gets you gold," MacIntyre said. "We want to keep moving in that direction. We're 1-0 in our gold games and we want to make it 2-0 if we can."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: California Golden Bears (4-5) at Washington State Cougars (7-2)

Date: November 12, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

No. 23 Washington State is playing its best ball in years, winning seven straight games and coming off a blowout of Arizona.

Cal is coming off a blowout, too, except it was on the receiving end.

The Cougars and Bears are seemingly headed in opposite directions, but Saturday's matchup will feature similar Air Raid-style passing attacks that could provide an entertaining nightcap to the day's college football action, kicking off at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Cal, with its "Bear Raid" attack, is second nationally, behind Texas Tech, with 463 pass attempts (51.4 per game). Washington State is third at 455.

"Mike does what Mike is going to do, and he does it well," said Cal coach Sonny Dykes, a former assistant to WSU coach Mike Leach at Texas Tech. "And he's done it well for a long time. He's always moved the ball, he's always scored points."

The Cougars (7-2, 6-0 Pac-12) have won their first six conference games for the first time since 2002, which is also the last time they won seven consecutive games overall. They beat visiting Arizona 69-7 on Saturday.

"Even when we were 0-2, we didn't lose any self-belief in ourselves," wide receiver Gabe Marks said at a press conference Monday. "We lost belief in you guys because you guys lost belief in us. ... We all knew that we were going to be good. It's just that a lot of people jumped off the wagon real quick, which is OK. (We were) 0-2; fans will be fans."

Cal (4-5, 2-4) has lost three of its past four games, including a 66-27 loss to Washington on Saturday night, when it allowed 704 total yards.

The Bears defense is reeling, ranking last nationally in rushing defense (286.7 yards per game), second-to-last in points allowed (44.4 per game) and 125th out of 128 teams in total defense (527.9 yards per game).

Washington State, on the other hand, has been more stout than usual on defense, especially up front. The Cougars are 21st nationally in rushing defense, yielding 118.8 yards per game. Defensive end Nnamdi Oguayo recorded three sacks last week, and free safety Shalom Luani picked off his fourth pass of the season.

"They're playing with a lot of confidence on both sides of the ball," Dykes said of Washington State. "Much-improved defensively. They are playing aggressive and they're really trying to force the action."

Washington State quarterback Luke Falk threw for 311 yards in three quarters against Arizona last week, at one point completing 22 consecutive passes. The Cougars were 47 of 52 passing against the Wildcats.

Falk is No. 2 in the nation with 359.7 passing yards per game. His two top receivers -- seniors Marks and River Cracraft -- are in the top five in the conference in receptions per game and receiving yards per game. Marks has 10 touchdown receptions.

Cal will counter with quarterback Davis Webb, who is third nationally with 352.9 passing yards per game. Wide receiver Chad Hansen, the most prolific receiver in the country early this season, is back from an ankle injury and seems to be regaining his form.

Hansen delivered five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against Washington; he is up to 64 catches for 840 yards and nine scores this season.

Two years ago, the matchup of Bear Raid vs. Air Raid produced an FBS-record 1,261 passing yards in Cal's 60-59 victory. The game was decided when Washington State missed a chip-shot field goal as time expired.

Last season was dramatic too, as Cal rallied from 14 down to win 34-28, the victory preserved by a late interception of Falk at the Bears' 10-yard line.

"Whenever us and Cal get together, it's always going to be a hell of a deal," Marks said. "It's a heavyweight showdown."

Cal is 0-4 on the road this season, although three of those losses have come by 10 points or less.

Washington State's true heavyweight showdown might not come until the Apple Cup against rival Washington to end the regular season. Those teams enter this week as the only undefeated squads in Pac-12 play.

With a nod to the kickoff time, Leach said the Pac-12 doesn't get the respect it deserves.

"I think we're the best conference this year," he said. "I think we're still battling time-zone issues to some degree."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAF Game of the Day: USC at Washington

No. 20 USC Trojans at No. 4 Washington Huskies (-9.5, 62.5)

Fourth-ranked Washington is in good position in terms of the College Football Playoff but faces a big hurdle with red-hot USC arriving in Seattle for Saturday's Pac-12 contest. The Trojans have won five consecutive contests and have soared with redshirt freshman Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback and will represent a big test for a Huskies' defense allowing 17 points per game.

If things had gone differently following the 2013 season, third-year Washington coach Chris Petersen might be standing on the Trojans' sideline for this showdown. But Petersen didn't click with then-USC athletic director Pat Haden during the interview process and the job went to then-Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian - which opened the door for Petersen to leave Boise State for Washington. "It's just like recruiting: Fit's got to be right on both sides," Peterson told ESPN.com. "I think it was, you know, kind of obvious after talking. You've got to have your way and know the strengths and weaknesses and the details of everything you're doing." Clay Helton is now trying to guide the Trojans back to relevancy and the team has won by an average of 21 points during the winning streak.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX.

LINE HISTORY: The Huskies opened as 8.5-point home favorites and that number has dropped as low as 8 and as high as 9.5, before settling at 9 Friday afternoon. The total hit the board at 62 and has been bet up to 62.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Southern California - CB Johathan Lockett (doubtful, hip), RB Aca’Cedric Ware (questionable, ankle), RB Justin Davis (questionable, ankle), QB Matt Fink (questionable, ankle), DT Noah Jefferson (questionable, academics), JuJu Smith-Schuster (probable, back), Iman Marshall (probable, hamstring)

Washington - WR Brayden Lenius (questionable, undisclosed), LB Joe Mathis (out for season, foot)

WEATHER REPORT: There is a 80 percent chance of rain showers at kickoff Saturday night at Husky Stadium, decreasing to 16 percent later in the game. Temperatures will be in the 50’s with winds at 20 mph at kickoff.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "USC returned 10 starters on offense this season with their only loss being QB Cody Kessler who is now with the Cleveland Browns. However, that one loss was costly as the Trojans' offense struggled in September. However, USC has now turned things around and the Trojans have scored at least 41 points or more in four of their past five games. USC has averaged 40 points in their past five games, compared to averaging just 22 points in their first four games this season." - Steve Merril.

WHAT BOOKS SAY: "We opened 4th ranked Washington as a -8 point favorite over PAC12 rival USC but got up to as high as -9 with the public backing Washington. We have since moved back to Washington -8.5 as we took some sharp action on the underdog Trojans to cover. As we sit right now we have just over 60 percent of the action on Washington to cover." - Michael Stewart.

ABOUT USC (6-3 SU, 5-4 ATS, 2-7 O/U): Darnold has thrown 18 touchdown pass and topped 300 yards three times during the winning streak that has displayed that the Trojans have a star quarterback in the making. Overall, he has passed for 1,874 yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions and he is mixing well with standout junior wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 48 receptions for 641 yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore inside linebacker Cameron Smith leads the defense with 63 tackles while sophomore outside linebacker Gustin Porter has a team-best 7.5 tackles for losses.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (9-0 SU, 5-4 ATS, 8-1 O/U): Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning matched his own school record with six touchdown passes in last week's win over California and he also holds the single-season mark of 34 passing scores. Browning, who has passed for 2,273 yards, regularly teams up with junior wideouts John Ross (44 reception, 14 touchdowns) and Dante Pettis (37 catches, 11 scores), while sophomore running back Myles Gaskins (952 yards) is closing in on his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. The defense suffered a huge blow with news that senior outside linebacker Joe Mathis (team-best five sacks) is done for the campaign and needs shoulder surgery.

TRENDS:

Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings.
Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

CONSENSUS: The public loves the home favorite with 65 percent of wagers. The over is also getting a lot of love with 71 percent taking the over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday's NCAAF Top 25 betting cheat sheet and odds: Week 11

We're on to Week 11 of the college football season and the full slate of games can be tough to navigate for bettors. So we bring you our Top 25 betting cheat sheet to handicap the best games of the day.

Baylor at No. 11 Oklahoma (-16, 80)

* The Bears' season is teetering after back-to-back losses at Texas (35-34) and last week at home to TCU (62-22), a contest that saw Baylor surrender 688 yards, including 431 rushing. Senior Shock Linwood, who has rotated with Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty for the lead running back role, has rushed for 594 yards through eight games this season to give him a school career record 4,056, but he was suspended for this week's game by acting head coach Jim Grobe after a sideline dustup with a graduate-assistant coach. The Bears will need a big game from senior quarterback Seth Russell who has passed for 1,978 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 436 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season and will be going against an Oklahoma defense that ranks 122nd nationally in passing yards allowed per game (297.7).

* Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago, is having another outstanding season, completing 71.2 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 31 touchdowns against only six interceptions. It helps when you have a wide receiver like explosive senior Dede Westbrook, who has 40 catches for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns since the start of Big 12 play on Oct. 1, and a running back duo like Joe Mixon (813 yards, 5 TDs) and Samaje Perine (475 yards, 6 TDs), to work with. The Sooners' defense, which has started 22 different players this season due to a rash of injuries, is led by junior outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who ranks third in the Big 12 and 20th nationally with an average of 0.9 sacks per game, and cornerback Jordan Thomas, who ranks second in the nation with 1.7 passes defended per game.

LINE HISTORY: Oklahoma opened as 14.5-point home favorites and as the week went along the spread has risen to 16. The total opened at 80 and has remained at that number all week.

TRENDS:

Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Over is 6-1 in Bears last 7 games following a straight up loss.
Under is 4-1 in Bears last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Bears are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Oklahoma.

Mississippi State vs No.1 Alabama (-28.5, 55)

* Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and passed for 209 yards and rushed for 182 as the Bulldogs cruised up and down the field against Texas A&M. Fitzgerald has thrown for 1,705 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 839 yards and eight scores and his favorite target is senior wideout Fred Ross (54 receptions for 641 yards), who leads the SEC with nine touchdown catches and has caught at least one pass in 31 consecutive contests. Senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson is fifth in school history with 34.5 tackles for loss - including 10 this season - while senior middle linebacker Richie Brown has a team-best 76 tackles.

* The Crimson Tide allow just 13.2 points per game and dominated LSU's offense in their first game without standout senior strong safety Eddie Jackson (broken leg). Sophomore Minkah Fitzpatrick was moved from cornerback to strong safety and he recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season, while senior defensive end Jonathan Allen and senior outside linebacker Tim Williams share the team lead with seven sacks. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts is effectively guiding the offense and has passed for 1,656 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 635 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

LINE HISTORY: The Crimson Tide opened as 29-point home favorites and by Thursday has dropped to 28.5. The total opened at 55.5 and went down to 55.

TRENDS:

Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games.
Crimson Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.
Crimson Tide are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games in November.
Under is 4-1 in Bulldogs last 5 games following a straight up win.
Under is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings in Alabama.

No.16 West Virginia at Texas (-2, 64)

* The Mountaineers may be without running back Rushel Shell (503 yards, five touchdowns), who missed last week with an ankle injury, but a balanced offense was sparked last week by rushing efforts from Justin Crawford (129 yards) and Kennedy McKoy (127). Quarterback Skyler Howard, who had a 260-yard, three touchdown game last week, has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 2,293 yards and 16 TDs. The senior connected for 104 yards to Daikiel Shorts and 102 to Shelton Gibson against Kansas.

* The Longhorns may have salvaged their season on the recent strength of their improved defensive play after coach Charlie Strong took control of the play-calling four games ago. Foreman surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in 10 straight games and with 1,446 yards this season averages 180.8 per game. The effectiveness of freshman quarterback Shane Buechele (2,257 yards, 19 touchdowns) to set up the run game could be as effective as Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph in leading the Cowboys to victory over West Virginia two weeks ago.

LINE HISTORY: Texas opened as 1.5-point home favorites and the spread moved up to 2.5 before settling back to 2. The total opened at 64 and has yet to move.

TRENDS:

Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game
Longhorns are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games
Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 games following a straight up win
Under is 4-0 in Longhorns last 4 games overall

No.10 Penn State at Indiana (7.5, 59.5)

* Barkley (conference-leading 1,055 yards rushing, 13 total touchdowns), rushed for 167 yards and scored twice last week in the 41-14 win over Iowa. McSorley (55.6 completion percentage, 14 TDs, three interceptions) is second in the Big Ten in yards per attempt (8.5) and interception percentage (1.2) and has found a new deep threat in Saeed Blacknall, who has three catches for 96 yards in the last three weeks. Led by a revitalized and deep front seven, the Lions have yielded a combined 76 yards rushing the past two weeks, marking the first time Penn State had ever held back-to-back Big Ten opponents to fewer than 50 yards rushing.

* Lagow, a 6-6 junior, passed for 394 yards and three TDs in last week’s 33-27 victory over Rutgers but also threw two of his 13 interceptions on the season. Wide receivers Nick Westbrook (78.7 yards per game) and Ricky Jones (75.7) rank in the top five in the Big Ten, while Devine Redding is sixth in the league with 793 rushing yards - good for a 4.8 average. Linebacker Tegray Scales ranks second in FBS with 7.1 solo tackles per game, defensive back Rashard Fant leads the country with 1.8 passes defended per game and linebacker Marcus Oliver ranks tied for fifth in FBS with 0.44 forced fumbles per game.

LINE HISTORY: Penn State opened the week as 6.5-point road favorites and that spread was up to 7.5 by Thursday. The total opened a 58.5 went up to 59.5 before dropping to 58.

TRENDS:

Nittany Lions are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
Nittany Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win.
Hoosiers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game
Home team is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh at No. 2 Clemson (20.5, 65.5)

* The Panthers are tough in the trenches, as they lean on star running back James Conner on offense and do an excellent job of shutting down opposing ground games. The Panthers also boast one of the nation’s top return men in Quadree Henderson, who leads the nation in kickoff return average (33.8 yards) and kickoff return touchdowns (three). Defensive end Ejuan Price anchors the defense and ranks third in the nation in sacks (1.0) and tackles for loss (1.78) per game.

* The Tigers suffered a scare when star quarterback Deshaun Watson left last week’s game with a bruised right shoulder, but it looks as though he will be ready to go Saturday. Watson is the catalyst for an electric offense that also features a dangerous running back in Wayne Gallman. The Tigers are equally as impressive on defense and especially tough against the pass, but if they have a slight weakness it is stopping the run (132.8 yards allowed per game), which could be a problem against Conner and the Panthers.

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened as 20-point home favorites and the line has crept up to 20.5/ The total opened at 66.5 and quickly jumped to 67 and than came down a full point to 66 as of Thursday.

TRENDS:

Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
Over is 8-0 in Panthers last 8 games overall
Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 home games

Georgia Tech at No. 14 Virginia Tech (-14, 55)

* Running back Clinton Lynch is one of the more explosive players in the ACC, averaging 17.2 yards per touch (298 yards rushing on 28 carries; 12 receptions for 389 yards) and scoring a touchdown in each of the past four games. Thomas, who is expected to play Saturday, rushed for 82 yards and passed for 144 yards last week after recording 459 yards of total offense against Duke on Oct. 29. But the defense gave up 9.1 yards per play against North Carolina and has surrendered 35 points or more in four of the past five games.

* The Hokies average 444.4 yards of total offense per game, topping 450 yards six times in nine games, and have scored 39 points per game in their seven victories. A trio of receivers – Bucky Hodges, Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips – have combined for 119 receptions for 1,753 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Evans has passed for 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Virginia Tech’s defense ranks 18th nationally in points allowed per game (20.2).

LINE HISTORY: The Hokies opened the week as 13.5- home favorites and has risen to 14. The total opened at 55 and hasn’t moved all week.

TRENDS:

Hokies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
Over is 5-0 in Yellow Jackets last 5 games overall
Over is 4-0 in Hokies last 4 home games.
Road team is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.

No. 9 Auburn at Georgia (10,48)

* The Tigers dodged Vanderbilt’s upset bid thanks in part to their defense, which held the Commodores to three points and 135 yards of total offense in the second half. Pettway has averaged 192.5 rushing yards per game with six touchdowns in his past four games, and has topped 100 yards six times in eight games this season. White looked solid in completing 10-of-13 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown after the offense struggled under John Franklin III in the first two quarters.

* The Bulldogs rebounded from a dreadful offensive performance against Florida (164 yards of total offense), finishing with 460 yards against the Wildcats as Eason completed 17-of-31 passes for 245 yards. Georgia’s rushing attack has sputtered throughout much of the season, but Sony Michel (127 yards) and Nick Chubb (85 yards) combined to average 5.3 yards per carry last week. Georgia’s defense ranks third in the SEC against the run (118.2 yards per game), but faces a strong test against the nation’s third-best rushing attack (Auburn averages 299.8 yards rushing per contest).

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened the week as 10-point home favorites and as of Thursday that number hasn’t moved. The total opened at 48 and remains at that number.

TRENDS

Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in November.
Favorite is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.

Texas Tech at No.13 Oklahoma State (-12.5, 90)

* Mahomes (31 TDs, eight INTs) leads the country with 3,886 passing yards while the Red Raiders average 485.8 passing yards (first in FBS), 46.2 points (fourth) and 587.1 total yards (second). Jonathan Giles is tied for the Big 12 lead with 12 touchdown receptions and is second with 60 catches and 982 yards. The Red Raiders, who allow 236 rushing yards, rank 124th nationally in scoring defense (41.8) and 126th in total defense (533.9).

* Mason Rudolph (2,989 yards, 22 TDs, four INTs) is second in the league in passing and has two of the league's leading receivers. James Washington (50 catches, 974 yards, eight TDs) and Jalen McCleskey (57 catches, 670 yards, six TDs) rank third and eighth, respectively, in yards per game. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 in turnover margin (plus-8) after forcing 11 during the win streak.

LINE HISTORY: The Cowboys opened as 12-point home favorites and has inched up half point to 12.5. The total opened at 90 and has yet to move.

TRENDS

Red Raiders are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games in November.
Red Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
Cowboys are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Over is 6-0 in Cowboys last 6 games in November.
Favorite is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

No. 5 Ohio State at Maryland (29.5, 57.5)

* Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett has 21 touchdowns and four interceptions, including four TDs without a pick against Nebraska. He has gone three straight games without an interception and likely will continue to target Samuel, who has 29 catches over the last four outings. Barrett needs two total touchdowns to break the Big Ten record set by ex-Purdue star Drew Brees (95).

* The Terrapins' 4-0 start is barely a memory at this point following a 1-4 stretch capped by a hideous 59-3 loss to Michigan last weekend. Maryland trailed 35-0 at halftime, promnpting Durkin to say: "It's disheartening that we didn't compete. It's hard for me to say that and to even acknowledge that." Quarterback Perry Hills is day-to-day with a shoulder injury, giving Caleb Rowe another shot under center if Hills can't go.

LINE HISTORY: The Buckeyes’ opened the week as 28-point road favorites and after an initial drop the line has been moving up to 29.5. The total opened at 57.5 and hasn’t moved all week.

TRENDS

Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
Under is 8-2 in Buckeyes last 10 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-1 in Terrapins last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Illinois at No.7 Wisconsin (26.5, 39)

* The Fighting Illini haven't won back-to-back conference games since the final two of 2014, but are in position after knocking off Michigan State last week, 31-27, getting a career-high 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns from running back Kendrick Foster. The Badgers will present an immense challenge for the Illinois run game, as their run defense is tops in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation at 101.2 rushing yards surrendered per game. If the Fighting Illini choose to air it out against Wisconsin, they may have to do so without leading receiver Malik Turner, who missed Saturday's game with a concussion.

* The Badgers could be shorthanded on offense as well, as right tackle Jacob Maxwell and fullback Austin Ramesh remain questionable with right shoulder injuries. On the defensive side, nose guard Olive Sagapolu will miss his fourth straight game due to injury and that side of the ball was already banged up after starting inside linebackers Chris Orr and Jack Cichy were lost for the season because of injuries. T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Leon Jacobs have stepped in and kept the defense humming along.

LINE HISTORY: The line opened with Wisconsin as 26.5-home favorites and an over of 39, neither number has moved all week.

TRENDS

Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Badgers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
Under is 6-1 in Fighting Illini last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 5-0 in Badgers last 5 games following a straight up win.

Wake Forest at No. 6 Louisville (34.5, 54.5)

* With Clawson announcing this week that opening-day starter Kendall Hinton would miss the rest of the season with a setback in his sprained left knee, quarterback John Walford (11 total TDs, seven interceptions) will lead the Deacons the rest of the way and is coming off his first interception-free game in four contests. Cameron Glenn (four tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception) and Jessie Bates (four tackles, an interception, a pass breakup) took home the conference’s Defensive Back and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, for their performances last week. Defensive end Duke Ejiofor and linebacker Marquel Lee are one of two duos across the country to rank inside the top 12 in tackles for loss (13 apiece).

* Jackson accounted for seven scores (four passing, three running) for the third time this season - no other player in FBS has done it more than once - to give him a NCAA-best 45 total scores for the season, while his 30-point-per-game average is higher than the scoring average for 70 FBS teams. Running back Brandon Radcliff has 627 yards and has a legitimate shot at giving the Cardinals their first set of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season in school history. Linebacker James Hearns moved into a three-way tie for first in the country by forcing his fifth fumble last week and leads the team with six sacks, while sophomore cornerback Jaire Alexander is tied for second in the country with five interceptions.

LINE HISTORY: Louisville opened as 33-point home favorites over the visiting Demon Deacons and by Thursday that number was bumped up to 34.5. The total opened at 54.5 and hasn’t moved.

TRENDS

Demon Deacons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Demon Deacons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games.
Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games on fieldturf.
Over is 4-0 in Cardinals last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.

No. 22 Boise State at Hawaii (17.5, 63.5)

* The Broncos fell behind in the Mountain Division with a 30-28 loss at Wyoming on Oct. 29 in which they were outgained on the ground 215-159. Boise State made rushing the focus last week against San Jose State and piled up 298 yards on the ground in the 45-31 victory as Jeremy McNichols (159 yards, two TDs) got some help from freshman Alexander Mattison (100 yards, 1 TD). Quarterback Brett Rypien, who did not throw a TD pass and was intercepted once at Wyoming, bounced back as well by posting a season-best 76.2 completion percentage with three TDs and no picks.

* McNichols and Mattison should not have much trouble finding running lanes against the Rainbow Warriors defense, which is being gashed for an average of 259.2 yards on the ground - 124th in FBS. Hawaii quarterback Dru Brown was intercepted a total of three times in his first eight games and matched that number last week at San Diego State, when he was replaced by Aaron Zwahlen after throwing his third pick. Zwahlen, a freshman, went 3-for-10 for 32 yards and an interception in the first action of his college career.

LINE HISTORY: The Broncos opened as 17.5-road favorites and briefly dropped to 17 before retiring to 17.5. The total hit the board at 63.5 and that number has been fine with bettors all week.

TRENDS

Under is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
Over is 7-1 in Broncos last 8 games in November.
Over is 8-1 in Rainbow Warriors last 9 games following a straight up loss.
Over is 6-1 in Rainbow Warriors last 7 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

No. 24 Louisiana State at No. 25 Arkansas (7, 46.5)

* Tigers seniors will leave the program having never beaten Alabama after the team was shut out for the first time since a 17-0 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 15, 2014. Star running back Leonard Fournette, then a freshman, rushed for a career-low nine yards in that 2014 game and failed to crack 100 in a home loss to the Razorbacks last season, making Arkansas and Alabama the lone SEC teams that regularly prevent him from taking over the game. Quarterback Danny Etling suffered through his worst game of the season last week, completing 11-of-24 passes for 92 yards and an interception.

* The Razorbacks were crushed 56-3 at Auburn on Oct. 22 and used the bye the following week to focus on the defense. Arkansas did not allow an offensive touchdown in the win over Florida and cut its rushing yards allowed from 543 against Auburn to 12 against the Gators after mixing up the personnel along the line during the bye. The Razorbacks offense goes as running back Rawleigh Williams III goes, and he is averaging 151.3 yards in the last three wins and 49 yards in the last three losses.

LINE HISTORY: The Tigers opened as 6.5-road favorites and was bet up to 7.5 before settling at 7 when this cheat sheet was put together. The total opened at 46 and has risen a half point to 46.5.

TRENDS

Razorbacks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 3-0-2 in Tigers last 5 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in Tigers last 4 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 5-1 in Razorbacks last 6 home games.

No. 20 Southern California at No. 4 Washington (-9.5, 62.5)

* Darnold has thrown 18 touchdown pass and topped 300 yards three times during the winning streak that has displayed that the Trojans have a star quarterback in the making. Overall, he has passed for 1,874 yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions and he is mixing well with standout junior wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 48 receptions for 641 yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore inside linebacker Cameron Smith leads the defense with 63 tackles while sophomore outside linebacker Gustin Porter has a team-best 7.5 tackles for losses.

* Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning matched his own school record with six touchdown passes in last week's win over California and he also holds the single-season mark of 34 passing scores. Browning, who has passed for 2,273 yards, regularly teams up with junior wideouts John Ross (44 reception, 14 touchdowns) and Dante Pettis (37 catches, 11 scores), while sophomore running back Myles Gaskins (952 yards) is closing in on his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. The defense suffered a huge blow with news that senior outside linebacker Joe Mathis (team-best five sacks) is done for the campaign and needs shoulder surgery.

LINE HISTORY: The Huskies opened as 8.5-home favorites and throughout the week was up and down before settling at 9. The total opened at 62 and has been bet up half a point to 62.5.

TRENDS

Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Under is 5-0 in Trojans last 5 games following a straight up win.
Under is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Mississippi at No. 8 Texas A&M (-10, 54.5)

* Pellerin went 1-of-5 for 19 yards and an interception in relief of Kelly last week. "I think that with a week of practice it can be expanded from what you saw the other night, but will it be what Chad (Kelly) has done? Probably not," Rebels coach Hugh Freeze told reporters. "Regardless of who goes at quarterback whether it is him, (Markell) Pack, whoever, Jeremy Liggins, Shea Patterson, it would be crazy for us to expect to carry the whole playbook into this game. We need to pick the things we really like and the things he feels good about, (Jason) Pellerin, and his preparation and go with those." Pellerin will try to lean on running back Akeem Judd, who ran for a career-high 139 yards last week.

* Knight sparked the Aggies offense as much with his legs (10 rushing TDs) as with his arm (13 passing TDs), and Jake Hubenak will be asked to run a similar offense. "Jake's not as fast but is effective," Sumlin told reporters. "Will probably change some of the things we do a little bit. Although many are designed runs, some of them weren't. Trevor had the ability to take the ball down and do some things. QB read game isn't the same for everybody." Hubenak went 11-of-17 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in relief last week but totaled just two yards on seven carries.

LINE HISTORY: Texas A&M opened as 10-point home favorites and the total hit the betting board at 54.5 and neither number has moved all week.

TRENDS

Rebels are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
Over is 3-0-1 in Rebels last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 13-2-1 in Rebels last 16 games on grass.
Under is 6-1 in Aggies last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Rebels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

Minnesota at No. 19 Nebraska (-7, 48)

* Sophomore running back Rodney Smith leads the conference with 13 rushing touchdowns and has topped 100 yards in every game during the winning streak, finding the end zone eight times over that stretch. Mitch Leidner (1,505 passing yards, 12 total TDs), who is the only quarterback in school history to pass and run for at least 30 touchdowns, accumulated a season-high 305 total yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in last week's triumph. The Gophers will be shorthanded on defense this week as Cody Poock (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery in the near future, while fellow linebacker Nick Rallis must sit out the first half Saturday as a result of the targeting penalty that led to his ejection near the end of last week's win.

* If Armstrong is unable to pass concussion protocol in time, the Cornhuskers would turn to senior Ryker Fyfe, who went 5-of-18 for 52 yards with an interception against Ohio State and does not pose nearly the same kind of running threat (16 career carries for 20 yards) as Armstrong. Cethan Carter returned from a three-game absence due to an elbow injury and was one of only three players to catch a pass versus Ohio State; the senior has 52 career receptions and could work his way up to second place on the school's all-time list among tight ends if he can manage 16 more catches over the final four games. Senior safety Nate Gerry finished with a season-high tying nine tackles and needs 30 more to pass Mike Brown (287; 1996-99) for the most by a defensive back in school history.

LINE HISTORY: The Cornhuskers’ opened as 7-point home favorites and the total opened on the board at 48 and have held firm all week.

TRENDS

Golden Gophers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
Golden Gophers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Cornhuskers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
Over is 4-0 in Golden Gophers last 4 games following a straight up win.
Over is 5-0 in Cornhuskers last 5 games following a straight up loss.

No. 3 Michigan at Iowa (21.5, 50.5)

* Speight was named the Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week after completing 19-of-24 passes for a career-high 362 yards and two touchdowns in the lopsided win against Maryland. Jake Butt continues to make his case for the Mackey Award, catching five passes for 76 yards against the Terrapins to break the Wolverines' all-time record for receiving yards by a tight end, passing the legendary Jim Mandich, who accumulated 1,508 from 1967-69. Amara Darboh, who had four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown last weekend, was added to the 15-man shortlist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football.

* Offensive tackle Cole Croston, who has missed two games with an ankle sprain this season, wasn't listed on the depth chart and will likely be replaced by Ike Boettger on Saturday. Freshman offensive tackle Brett Waechter has left the team due to stomach issues which have plagued him during practice and workouts over the last few years. Starting running back LeShun Daniels Jr. was held to 18 yards on 10 carries in the loss to Penn State, and has rushed for over 100 yards only once in his last seven games while Akrum Wadley managed just 28 yards on nine attempts against the Nittany Lions.

LINE HISTORY: Michigan opened as 18.5-point road favorites and by the end of the week the number rose up all to 21.5. The total opened at 50.5 and was bet up to 51.5 and has since settled at 50.5 Friday morning.

TRENDS

Wolverines are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 6-0 in Wolverines last 6 road games.
Over is 6-0 in Wolverines last 6 games in November.
Over is 6-0 in Hawkeyes last 6 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.

No. 12 Colorado at Arizona (15.5, 58)

* Quarterback Sefo Liufau has seen more pressure in the last two games, and only has completed 31-of-55 passes for 278 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions – his first two of the season with both coming a week ago Thursday against UCLA. Lindsay ranks third in the conference with 90.9 rushing yards per game, and his 11 total TDs rank fifth. Defensively, the Buffaloes are led by linebacker Kenneth Olugbode (fourth in the Pac-12 with 7.7 tackles per game) and rank first in Pac-12 total defense (296.9 yards allowed) and second in scoring defense (17.2 points surrendered).

* The Wildcats rotated quarterbacks Brandon Dawkins, Anu Solomon and Khalil Tate last week at Washington State, hoping to generate some offense but only managed seven points and 286 total yards in a 62-point blowout loss. Senior tailback Samajie Grant has started the last two games and has run for 141 yards on 27 carries while wideout Nate Phillips (21 receptions, 233 yards) now has caught a pass in 42 consecutive games – tied for the fifth-longest streak in the nation. Senior linebacker Paul Magloire Jr. has a team-leading 58 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss for Arizona, which ranks 10th in the conference in scoring defense (37.1 points) and ninth in total defense (475.2 yards).

LINE HISTORY: Colorado opened as 15-point road favorites and that line crept higher to 15.5 on Tuesday morning and held firm. The total hit the betting board at 57.5 and has been bet up to 58.

TRENDS

Buffaloes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Buffaloes are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Under is 5-0 in Buffaloes last 5 games overall.
Under is 4-1 in Wildcats last 5 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

California at No. 23 Washington State (-14.5, 83.5)

* The Golden Bears were 1-for-14 on third down in last week’s loss to Washington despite the return of wide receiver Chad Hansen, who made five catches for 70 yards and his ninth touchdown after missing the previous two games due to injury. Freshmen receivers Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall have combined for nine TDs, but the team needs more production from running backs Khalfani Muhammad and Tre Watson after the duo has failed to reach the end zone in two straight games. Safety Khari Vanderbilt has made a team-high 60 tackles, but the defensive line has struggled to pressure the quarterback all season.

* Coach Mike Leach’s squad opened with losses to Eastern Washington and Boise State but now has a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2002. While Leach is known for his Air Raid offense, he’s used a more balanced attack this season with the rushing trio of Jamal Morrow, Gerard Wicks and James Williams averaging 228.7 all-purpose yards while scoring a total of 27 touchdowns. The defense held Arizona to 158 rushing yards last week despite the absence of starting nose tackle Robert Barber, who has been suspended indefinitely for an off-campus incident.

LINE HISTORY: The Cougars opened the week as 15-point home favorites and was quickly bet down half point to 14.5 and has held firm. The total was opened at 83.5 and didn’t move all week.

TRENDS

Golden Bears are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Golden Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Cougars are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Over is 6-1 in Golden Bears last 7 games following a ATS loss.
Road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Best Bets - Week 11

Last week's college football best bets swept the board without any sweating. Washington came out to make a statement to the selection committee as predicted, and TCU dominated a deflated Baylor team coming off their first loss.

That makes it two straight weeks of sweeping the board with these CFB best bets and hopefully the good times keep rolling with this week's selections.

Best Bet #1: Stanford/Oregon Over 57

Betting Stanford games 'over' has largely been a losing proposition this year as the Cardinal enter this week's game with a 2-7 O/U mark. But after a 10-5 home loss to Colorado a few weeks back, things have started to trend upwards for this offense with 34 and 26 points in their two games since.

Stanford's hopes of making the playoffs or even a Pac-12 Conference game have long been dashed, but this program will still go bowling somewhere and they'll need to have their offense at least capable of pulling their own weight in that game.

Enter a trip to Oregon to face a Ducks defense that has been torched by everyone this year and there's a good chance we see plenty of points this week.

Oregon has allowed 35+ points in seven straight games and that run includes all six conference games they've played.

The talent just simply isn't there this year for the Ducks and while Oregon fans have grown accustomed to seeing their team have success for years in high-scoring affairs, this year the offense simply can't make up for all the mistakes the defense makes.

You aren't going to win too many games giving up 35 points per game they've become the cure for any opponent that's been struggling offensively.

Furthermore, for as solid as Stanford's defense has looked the majority of the year, Oregon still knows how to put up points and will have success as well.

Last year the Ducks put up 38 points on Stanford as 8.5-point road underdogs, and Oregon has always been a much better point producing machine at home. The Ducks are a perfect 3-0 O/U at home against conference foes this year and that undefeated record shouldn't change this week.

Eight of the past 10 meetings between these two programs have cashed 'over' tickets and only once did the total close at a lower number than 56.5. The Ducks have also lost the yardage battle – on the ground and in the air – in all but one Pac-12 game so far this year, so look for Stanford to move up and down the field on the Ducks like everyone else has.

The fact that this is the highest total for a Stanford game this year should stand out as a sign we will see some points, especially when you consider that the previous highest mark of 56.5 against Washington State was one of Stanford's two 'overs' on the year.


Best Bet #2: Illinois/Wisconsin Over 39.5

Wisconsin is another team like Stanford that has been a favorite of 'under' bettors this year (2-7 O/U), as they've got a tremendous defense and prefer to win games with a ground and pound attack. The Badgers are laying 26.5 points at home this week against a bad Illinois team and a total like this suggests the Illini won't score a touchdown.

But that hasn't happened all year for Illinois, and after going through numerous grueling games the past month, I expect this Wisconsin defense to let up a little bit here.

Three of the past four meetings between these two programs have cashed 'over' tickets, and all of Wisconsin's true home games this year have finished with at least 40 points.

The Badgers will get to 30+ points themselves here against a Illini defense that has struggled against top tier competition and this number is simply too low not to make this play.

One TD by Illinois at any point gives this play a good chance to cash, and with the number having moved up to its current state after opening at 38.5 despite showing that nearly 70% of the money has come in on the 'under' already suggests that going against the grain is correct here.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAA Football Betting Odds: Week 11 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews

The Big 12 almost surely is going to miss the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years. The Pac-12 is going to miss the playoff for the second straight season should No. 4 Washington lose at home to No. 20 USC on Saturday night in the most important game of Week 11. A UW loss opens the door for the ACC or Big Ten to potentially get two teams into the playoff.

As expected, the Huskies moved up one spot in this week's College Football Playoff Top 25 to No. 4, with Texas A&M sliding down from that spot to No. 8. It doesn't matter what No. 5 Ohio State or No. 6 Louisville does now, as if Washington wins out it's going to play in the national semifinals. Really the only drama would be if UW could move up from No. 4 and potentially avoid No.1 Alabama in the Final Four. The Huskies have won 12 straight games, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Alabama's 21.

The irony here is that if USC hadn't lured away Coach Steve Sarkisian from Washington in 2013, then Chris Petersen still might be at Boise State because he was happy there. In fact, most believe the only job he would have left for is Washington because Petersen too had interviewed for the USC job, but he's not really a big-city guy and wasn't offered it regardless. Three days after Southern Cal hired Sarkisian, a monumental mistake in hindsight, UW hired Petersen, a genius move. Now that Oregon is way down, Washington appears poised to be the conference's marquee team for foreseeable future. This is likely Huskies QB Jake Browning's last chance to push Louisville's Lamar Jackson for the Heisman. Jackson is currently -2000 and Browning +1000.

USC head coach Clay Helton, Sarkisian's replacement, was squarely on the hot seat earlier in the season, but the Trojans took off when Helton inserted freshman Sam Darnold into the lineup as his starting quarterback. Darnold has 18 TDs passes to only three picks during USC's five-game winning streak, and the running game also has exploded, averaging 267 yards per game. USC hasn't seen a defense anything close to Washington's, however.

This matchup could be replayed next month in the Pac-12 Championship Game but only if USC wins. It's a game back of Colorado in the loss column but beat the Buffs. Washington would still win the Pac-12 North by winning out even with a loss here. The Huskies opened at -8.5 and are now -9.5 at many sportsbooks.

Here are some news, notes and any major line moves for some of Saturday's games around the country, in no particular order.

Baylor at No. 11 Oklahoma (-18, 80): This has the biggest line move on the board among Power 5 games as the Sooners opened at -14.5. I think the Baylor program is now swirling in the toilet bowl with all the off-field issues and so few players on scholarship with all the defections and barely any recruits in this year's class as they all bailed. Hard to blame them. The Bears were totally exposed as frauds last week in a 62-22 home loss to TCU. What will be interesting is if any bowl touches this toxic program right now. This line might have ticked up because Baylor star running back Shock Linwood has been suspended for the game after he got into an altercation with a graduate assistant on the sideline during last week's loss. Linwood, the school's all-time leading rusher, has 594 yards and two TDs on 100 carries this season. He was a non-factor while dealing with a hamstring issue last week. OU has won six straight since the home loss to Ohio State but was perhaps looking ahead last Thursday as it escaped Iowa State 34-24.

Texas Tech at No. 13 Oklahoma State (12.5, 90): If this total closes at this number, I believe it's the highest in history. Last year, a game between Baylor and Texas Tech did get to 90.5 during the week but closed at 88. That tied what is believed to be the previous record high of 88 in the 2012 Oklahoma State-Baylor game. Oklahoma State won 43-31. Could you have imagined five years ago that we would have seen a total reach 90? The Big 12 used to be the league of the wishbone! Amazing. There's no possible way I could recommend betting the "over" here even though TTU averages 46.2 points and OSU 40.9. The Cowboys are at least decent on defense (27.7 ppg) while the Red Raiders allow 41.8 points per game. Last year this matchup in Waco shattered the over as OSU won 70-53. So what do I know? Oklahoma State finished with 662 total yards to 642 for the Red Raiders.

No. 9 Auburn at Georgia (+10, 48): No line movement here, but keep an eye on the status of Tigers running back Kamryn Pettway, the SEC's leading rusher. He injured his leg in last week's close call to Vanderbilt but did return to practice late this week and is being called day-to-day so that's a good sign of him playing in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Pettway is averaging 138.25 yards per game, which ranks fourth nationally. He's the first Auburn player with four straight 150-yard games since Bo Jackson. QB Sean White was also banged up last week but will start. His 69.1 percent completion percentage and 159.85 efficiency rating both lead the SEC. Georgia has won eight of the past 10 games in this series, including in 2014 when the Tigers were ranked No. 9. The SEC West race is over should Auburn be upset. But should the Tigers win, we will have a winner-take-all Iron Bowl in two weeks at Alabama.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'CFB: Streaks, Tips, Notes'

Michigan Wolverines at Iowa Hawkeyes November 12, 8:00 EST

Michigan (9-0 SU, 5-4 ATS) behind the nation's third-ranked scoring offense (48.0) and top-ranked scoring defense (10.7) hammering Maryland 59-3 Saturday as a 29.5-point home favorite now set their sight's on the next victim, the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4 SU, 3-6 ATS) recently taken behind the woodshed spanked 41-14 by Penn State.

Few would dispute this isn't likely the week Wolverines suffer its first blemish. However, Michigan facing another bulky line handing Hawkeyes a whopping 19.5 points of offense should give Wolverine backer's pause. Wolverines have been Jekyll-and-Hyde when attempting to cover double digits this season posting a 5-4 record against the betting line and are a shaky 9-7 ATS as double digit faves in coach Jim Harbaugh's era. Then again, Hawkeyes have managed just one cover as home underdogs (1-8 ATS) and have zero covers in their last eight hosting a conference opponent (0-7-1 ATS)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'Sooners try for seven straight'

Baylor Bears at Oklahoma Sooners November 12, 12:00 EST

Oklahoma held off Iowa State 34-24 last last time out marking a sixth straight victory but Sooners fell well short as a 21-point road spot and have now cashed just three of nine tickets on the campaign. Sooners are facing another bulky line (-14) this week when they host struggling Baylor Bears who completely unravelled last effort losing 62-22 as a 7-point home chalk to TCU.

Sooners beat Bears 44-34 catching 1.5 points in Waco last year but historically, Sooners have been bad bets in in the last five encounters posting a 1-4 record against the betting line and a dreadful 0-7 ATS record last seven meeting in Norman. While it hasn't been profitable backing Sooners in this series, tough sidding with Baylor after the shellacking last week. The Bears have failed to cash in all three away from Waco this season and in four of five road games vs a Big-12 rivals. Another thing we have learned about Bears, they're a cash draining 1-6 ATS in their last seven November games. Sooners winning six straight Big-12 games in front of the home audience cashing five of those tickets are worth a second look.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAF

Saturday’s best 13 games

Clemson is 9-0 and appears to have clear road to making 4-team playoff, but the way it is set up, teams have to keep running up scores to impress committee. Tigers beat Syracuse 54-0 LW, are 0-2 as home favorites this year, 13-14-1 in last 28 games as HF. Pitt allowed 90 points in losing last two games, allowed 31+ in seven of last eight games. Panthers are 1-2 as road underdogs this year, 5-3 overall under Narduzzi- they split four road games this year, with average total of 77.8 in those games.* ACC home favorites are 10-13 vs spread. Clemson QB Watson dinged up his throwing shoulder LW- check status.

Navy is 3-0 at home this year, scoring 38.7 pts/game in wins by 4-6-14 points; Middies ran ball for 469 yards in LY’s 49-21 (-13) win over Tulsa; total yardage was 529-356. Navy won 28-27 over Notre Dame in Jacksonville LW- they’ve run ball for 300+ yards in last four games. Tulsa won its last three games, running ball for 330+ yards in all three games; Hurricane split their four road games this year, allowing 39.3 pts/game on foreign soil- they’re 11-4 vs spread in last 15 road games. Average total in their last six games is 79.3. AAC home underdogs are 6-6 vs spread.

Oklahoma State won its last seven games with Texas Tech (6-1 vs spread), scoring 58.4 pts/game in last five meetings. OSU won 70-53 LY. Underdogs are 4-2 vs spread in Tech’s last six visits to Stillwater. Red Raiders scored 40 pts/game in losing two of three road games (average total, 85.3)- they’ve scored 50+ four times but are only 2-2 in those games. Cowboys won last five games overall, scoring 42.4 pts/game- they’re 15-8 in last 23 games as a home favorite, 2-2 this year. OSU gave up 345 rushing yards LW but survived 43-37 at K-State. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread.

Air Force is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games as a home favorite, 2-1 this year; Flyboys clinched another Commander-in-Chief trophy LW, beating Army- they won eight of last ten games with Colorado State, with home side winning last four; Rams lost last six visits here, with dogs covering four of the six. Falcons covered only one of last five games overall. Rams won three of last four games, covered six of last seven; they’re 3-0 as a road underdog this year, losing by 7-5 points, with only win at UNLV. Mountain West home favorites are 8-11 vs spread. Four of last five Air Force games went over total.

Auburn won its last six games, winning its two road games, 38-14 at Miss State, 40-29 at Ole Miss; Tigers ran ball for 337.3 yards/game in last four SEC games. Auburn is 5-2 as road favorite under Malzahn, 2-0 this year. Georgia lost its two SEC home games by total of four points- they won eight of last ten games with Auburn; favorites covered six of last seven. Auburn lost its last four visits between hedges, losing last two by combined 79-14. Dawgs are home underdog for just 5th time in last 11 years (2-1-1). SEC home underdogs are 11-6 vs spread. Last three Georgia stayed under the total.

Kentucky had won three games in row before losing 27-24 at gun to Georgia LW; Wildcats are 7-9 as road underdogs under Stoops, 2-1 this year. Tennessee is 2-3 in SEC, scoring 28.2 pts/game; they snapped 3-game skid with win over I-AA team LW. Vols are 18-1 in its last 19 games with Kentucky, losing 50-16/52-21 last two years; they’re 7-9 as home favorites under Jones, 1-2 this year. Wildcats are 2-7 vs spread in last nine visits to Knoxville, 0-4 last four years. Tennessee gained 163-297 TY in last two SEC games. SEC home favorites are 12-6 vs spread. Five of last six Kentucky games stayed under the total.

South Carolina coach Muschamp was 28-21 in four years as Florida coach, 17-15 in SEC games; Gamecocks won four of last six games with Gators; three of last five were decided by 5 or less points. Carolina won two of last three visits here- they’re 3-2 vs spread in last five trips to Swamp. Gators are 4-0 at home, outscoring foes 101-29 (2-2 as home favorite); they’re 8-15 in last 23 games as home favorite, 2-2 this year. Gamecocks are on road for first time since Sept 24; they’re 1-2 as road underdogs, scoring 12.3 pts/game but are 3-0 since bye, scoring 29.7 pts/game. SEC home favorites are 12-6 vs spread.

Arkansas is 6-3, allowing 45+ points in all three losses; Hogs are 5-2 in last seven games as a home underdog, 2-1 this year- they allowed 264+ RY in three losses, held opponents under 200 RY in their wins. LSU scored 14-13-0 points in its three losses- they got blanked at home by Alabama LW. Tigers need to bounce back vs Razorback squad that beat Tigers 31-14/17-0 last two years; LSU lost three of last four visits here. Underdog covered last four series games. LSU is 3-8 vs spread in last 11 games as a road favorite. Arkansas is SEC home underdogs are 11-6 vs spread.

Oregon lost six of last seven games and allowed 35 points in only win; they’ve allowed 270+ RY in five of last six games. are 11-3 in last 14 games with Stanford; underdogs covered six of last eight meetings. Cardinal lost six of last seven visits here; five of six losses were by 21+ points. Stanford has only 454 TY combined in last four games; they won last two games while running for 602 yards, allowing 10-15 points over Pac-12 stiffs Arizona/OSU. Cardinal is 15-9 as road favorite under Shaw, 2-0 this year; they’re 3-1 on road this year, with only loss at Washington. Pac-12 home underdogs are 9-5 vs spread.

Washington is 6-0 in Pac-12 games, with four of last five wins by 24+ points; Huskies are 9-5 as home favorites under Petersen, 3-1 this year. USC won its last five games after a 1-3 start, scoring 45+ points in last three. Trojans are 2-8 as road underdogs last five years, 0-2 this season. Underdogs covered seven of last nine USC-Washington games, including last four played in Seattle- Trojans won four of last five visits here. Huskies are 3-2 in last five series games, but gained less than 300 TY in six of last seven meetings. Pac-12 home favorites are 13-9 vs spread.

Texas is 4-0 at home, scoring 38.3 pts/game; Longhorns are 5-2-1 as home favorites under Strong, 2-0 this year- they allowed 71 points, 1,106 TY in winning last two games. West Virginia split its two true road games, losing at Oklahoma State two weeks ago; Mountaineers are a dog for first time this year; they’re 6-7 as road dogs under Holgorsen. West Virginia/Texas split last four meetings (1-1 in each stadium) with an average total of 71.8. WV lost 33-16, won 48-45 in last two visits here. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread. Under is 4-1 in last five West Virginia games, 4-0 in Longhorns’ last four games.

Baylor lost its last two games after a 6-0 start, allowing 688 RY and 97 points; have to question their mental state, given chaos around program- they’re underdog for first time this year, are 4-2 as road dogs the last five years. Oklahoma won its last six games, scoring 48.5 pts/game; they’re 12-9 as home favorites the last four years, 2-1 this year. Sooners ran ball for 260+ yards in four of last six games. Bears lost eight of last nine visits to Norman, but covered eight of those nine anyway. Underdogs are 9-4 vs spread in last 13 series games; Bears are 3-2 in last five meetings overall. Big X home favorites are 9-8 vs spread.

South Florida is 7-2 but allowed 91 points, 636 rushing yards in last two games, vs Temple-Navy. Bulls are 2-1 on road, with average total, 68.7. USF is 4-2 as road favorite under Taggart, 2-1 this year. Memphis won last three games with USF by 7-11-13 points; Bulls split last two trips to Memphis, losing 31-20, winning 21-16. Tigers are 3-1 at home this year, with only loss to Tulsa; Memphis allowed 169 or less RY in its wins, 263+ in its losses- they’re 6-0 allowing less than 42 points. Underdogs are 4-3 vs spread in last seven series games. AAC home underdogs are 6-6 vs spread.