Bobby Maxwell
Saturday's winners...
800-Unit Pac-10 Game of the Year - STANFORD CARDINAL
The Stanford-USC matchup has been a rivalry for many years, but it’s gotten a bit chippy the last few years, culminating in the 55-21 Stanford victory last season that saw Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh go for the two-point conversion after the final TD, drawing the ire of many USC fans and former coach Pete Carroll.
But lost in that is the fact Stanford just dominated the Trojans from the opening kickoff, rushing for 325 yards and delivering them their worst loss since a 51-0 loss in 1966.
The Cardinal are back scoring big points this season, averaging 44.6 points a game and 469.6 yards per contest. USC puts up 35.8 points a game this year but their defense gives up a whopping 418.8 yards per game that will let them down tonight against a tough and talented Stanford squad.
Stanford had won four straight and cashed in three straight going to Oregon last Saturday, and the Cardinal even opened up a 24-3 lead on the Ducks, only to completely collapse and fall 52-31 as 6 ½-point underdogs. USC has struggled defensively this season and fell at home to Washington last week, falling 32-31 as nine-point favorites, giving up a game-winning FG as time expired.
Cardinal QB Andrew Luck is having a magnificent season, throwing for 1,253 yards, 13 TDs and four INTs. He’s got plenty of help in the backfield and with a talented bunch of WRs. Stanford has won its last two trips to Southern California, including the miracle of 2007, winning 24-23 as a gigantic 39-point underdog.
Stanford is on several ATS streaks, including 9-4 as a favorite, 13-5- as a home favorite, 12-3 at home and 7-3 after a non-cover. USC is on ATS slides of 5-12 overall, 3-9 on the road, 5-16 in October the last few years, 3-11 in Pac-10 games and 2-7 on the road against winning home teams.
I love Stanford in this situation. They are at home where the crowd will be out in full support. Lay the points with the Cardinal and look for them to win somewhere in the range of 41-17. Go with the Trojans tonight.
100-Unit College FB Smart Play - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Not sure what the linesmakers are thinking in this one. But I’ll be the first to take the bait and jump all over the points and go with Tennessee to get inside this huge number at Georgia.
The Vols have won three of the last four in this rivalry and they have cashed in five of the last six, including each of the last four. Tennessee has won two of their last three trips to Georgia and the Vols normally make this one a laugher when all is said and done.
Last season, Tennessee scored a big 45-19 win as one-point underdogs, and cashed the year before in Georgia as 13-point underdogs. In their prior two trips to Athens, the Vols came out on top in 2006, winning 51-33 as a 2 ½-point favorite and in 2004 they scored a 19-14 outright win as 13-point pups.
Last week we all saw how the Vols cost themselves a win at LSU, falling 16-14 but cashing as 16 ½-point underdogs. Their other two losses are to Florida and Oregon, so you know this team is ready for tough competition.
Georgia has just been a disaster, losing four straight, including a tough loss at Colorado last week, 29-27 as a 4 ½-point favorite. The only win, and cover, this season for the Bulldogs was against the defenseless Ragin Cajuns from Louisiana-Lafayette.
Tennessee is on several streaks at the betting window, including 7-3-1 as a road ‘dog, 5-2 on the road overall, 4-0 in October and 8-0 on the road as a double-digit underdog. Meanwhile, Georgia is on several negative ATS trends, including 4-11 at home, 5-14 as a favorite, 4-10 as a home favorite, 2-8 against losing teams, 1-4 in October, 0-4 in SEC games and 0-4 overall.
In this rivalry, the road team has cashed in five of the last seven and the underdog is on a 5-1 ATS run in the last six years. I’m looking for that streak to continue today as Tennessee will get inside the number and get us the cash.