SPORTSPIES.COM: Week 5 College Football Handicapping Report

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Texas A&M
-Texas A&M has compiled a 22-14 record on the ESPN network.
-Neither team has played a road game this season.
-Lead the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 17-8, dating back to the first game in 1913. The Aggies have a 10-4 advantage since the conference’s first season in 1996.
-Head coach Mike Sherman is winless in two tries against Oklahoma State.
-Enter Big 12 play with an unblemished 3-0 record because the Aggies have played with uncommon offensive and defensive balance. The team ranks No. 9 in total offense and No. 10 in total defense, which makes A&M one of just three teams to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. The others are Boise State and Ohio State.
-Nine members of Mike Sherman’s 2010 signing class has seen action in 2010, which is a familiar theme, as the team used 28 true freshmen in his first two seasons.
-Turnovers have been an issue for the Aggies in their first two games, with four giveaways against Louisiana Tech and five against FIU.
-Running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael give the team an explosive one-two punch at running back. The pair have combined to rush for 519 yards and five touchdowns on 95 carries this season.

Oklahoma State
-Oklahoma State is opening a season with four straight home games for the second straight year, but only the third time in school history. The 1975 season was the first time it happened.
-The Cowboys are 2-1 when opening the Big 12 season against Texas A&M with a loss in 2001 and and wins in 2008 and 2009.
-Six games in this series have been decided by five points or less since 1997.
-Team has a 4-6 record against the Aggies in Stillwater and 4-10 versus Texas A&M during the Big 12 era.
-Dating back to 2002, only nine points separate the two schools in cumulative scoring (OSU 257, A&M 248).
-OSU overcame an early 15-7 deficit to register a 36-31 victory in College Station. The team was still coping with the suspension of receiver Dez Bryant and the injury status of Kendall Hunter.
-Head coach Mike Gundy will be looking for his 40th victory as a Cowboy head coach. The team has gone 27-12 over the last 39 games and 22-8 over the last 30 games.
-Just three games into the 2010 season and Oklahoma State has surpassed the 60-point mark twice with 65 against Tulsa and Washington State.
-The Cowboys are No. 20 in turnovers gained (9) and rank 18th in red zone defense with 12 drives resulting in points on eight possessions.
-Oklahoma State is 16-for-16 in red zone scoring.

 

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BYU
-BYU is looking to earn its 11th-straight win over Utah State. The longest win streak in the series is currently at 10 wins set by BYU from 1983-92 and 1994-present. The Cougars are 3-0 under head coach Bronco Mendenhall in the series.
-Team has not scored fewer than 30 points against Utah State since a 20-17 loss to the Aggies in 1982.
-The Cougars average margin of victory is 25.3 points over Utah State since Bronco Mendenhall became head coach (3 games).
-In his first career start at BYU, freshman quarterback Jake Heaps went 24-for-45 for 229 yards as BYU fell to Nevada 27-13 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
-Committed a single penalty for five yards last week against Nevada, a season low and the first time BYU has been penalized once in a game in almost seven years in a 27-20 win against UNLV in 2003.
-In the last 20 years, the Cougars have posted a 23-8 record against current WAC schools. BYU is 72-60-3 all-time against current members of the WAC and 29-27 against WAC Teams excepting Utah State.
-BYU has won 12 consecutive games decided by seven points or fewer.

Utah State
-Utah State is seeking its first win in the series since a wild 58-56 battle in 1993 and trying to snap BYU’s 10-game winning streak.
-Third straight season USU and BYU are facing each other under Friday Night Lights. Since 1987, USU and BYU played each other 17 times with 13 of them falling on Friday.
-The Aggies are 146-209-14 versus current members of the league. USU has lost 12 straight against the Mountain West Conference, as the Aggies’ last win versus a MWC team was a 31-24 win over UNLV in 2005.
-In its last 20 games against Mountain West Conference teams, USU is 3-17.
-Senior quarterback Diondre Borel needs 393 yards of total offense to reach 7,000 career yards.
-Friday marks the first time in the last three meetings that Utah State has faced BYU when the Cougars haven’t been ranked in the AP Top 25.
-Team is 60th in the nation in total offense (379.8 ypg), ranking 49th in rushing offense and 69th in passing offense. The Aggie defense is 88th in total defense.

 

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Big 12 Football
-The Big 12 is 34-6 in non-conference games, has six undefeated teams, five ranked teams in the coaches poll and two teams ranked in the Top 10 in both polls.
-Baylor is winners of all four series meetings with Kansas in Waco, averaging 30 points in those contests. The Bears have allowed only one touchdown and five field goals in its three wins - holding opponents to a 7.3 points-per-game average while racking up 470.7 yards per game in total offense. Baylor is 10-for-12 in redzone opportunities this season.
-Colorado is the national leader in combined third and fourth down efficiency defense, as the opponent is 8-of-34 on third down and 0-of-5 on fourth for a combined 8-of-39 (20.5%).
-Iowa State ranks ninth nationally with seven interceptions. Trail 1-7 in the all-time series with Texas Tech, with their lone win coming on October 12, 2002. The Cyclones have held six of their last seven opponents to 10 or fewer points in the first half. All nine wins in the Paul Rhoads era have occurred when ISU has held opponents to 10 or fewer points in the first half and under 24 points total.
-Kansas will open league play on the road for the 10th time in the last 15 seasons. KU has won its past three conference openers and looks to stop a five-game road losing streak.
-Kansas State has scored 79 of its 123 points in the second half, with 45 coming in the fourth quarter.
-Missouri’s eight interceptions in four games match its total for last year’s 13-game season. MU is fifth in the nation with 13 turnovers gained.
-Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez has 496 rushing yards this season. Dating to last season, Nebraska has won 10 of its past 11 games, its best stretch since winning 13 straight games between the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
-Both OU and Texas enter the game ranked among the AP Top 25 for the 34th time since the poll began in 1936 with Oklahoma holding a 16-14-3 edge in those games.
-Texas and OU met as conference opponents in 1996 for the first time in 77 years, with the series tied at 7-7 in Big 12 games.
-Oklahoma State is averaging 57 points a game and leads the FBS in total offense (596 yards per game).
-Cowboys RB Kendall Hunter is third nationally with an average of 157.7 rushing yards. He is fifth in the country in scoring (12 points per game) and third in the nation with an average of 198.33 all-purpose yards.
-Texas brings the nation’s second-ranked defense into the Cotton Bowl, giving up just 227.75 yards of total offense per game. The Longhorns have lost consecutive games only four times in head coach Mack Brown’s 13-season tenure.
-Texas Tech will take a six-game win streak against the Big 12 North to Ames this weekend.

 

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Pac-10 Football
-Since 1986, 12 matchups have taken place between two Pac-10 teams both ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll, with the last four being played in Eugene. Oregon defeated USC 47-20 last year.
-For the second consecutive game, Arizona scored on its final drive of the game, pulling out a 10-9 win over California with 1:11 left on the clock. Over the last four games, Wildcats QB Nick Foles has connected with at least eight different receivers in each game. The Wildcats lead the league in total defense (230 yards per game), rushing defense (101.2 yards per game) and pass defense (129.5 yards per game). The run defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown this season.
-Arizona State racked up 597 yards of total offense, but were plagued by seven turnovers in the 42-31 loss to Oregon.
-California limited the Wildcats to 99 yards on the ground after giving up 316 rushing yards at Nevada. The Bears have limited the opposition to under 100 yards on the ground in three of four games.
-Oregon RB LaMichael James rushed for 114 yards against Arizona State. It was the 10th consecutive 100-yard rushing game during regular season play. The Ducks picked up seven turnovers at Arizona State, giving them 18 turnovers gained for the season. They lead the nation in turnover margin at 2.75 per game.
-Stanford defense stepped up and limited the Irish to 44 yards rushing. 15 different Stanford players have scored the team’s 24 touchdowns this season. The Cardinal have dropped their last six games when ranked in the Top 10 and will look for its first win as a Top 10 team since 1970.
-UCLA rushed for 264 yards and posted a 35:29 to 24:31 advantage on the clock, including a 19:48 to 10:12 margin in the second half. The Bruins have rushed for 260 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004.
-USC put up 613 yards of total offense (285 rushing, 328 passing) in the 50-16 win at Washington State. The Trojans have now rushed for 230 yards or more in three of the last four games.

 

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Louisiana Monroe
-Leads the Sun Belt in rushing defense, allowing just 129 yards per game. The Warhawks have held eight of their last 14 opponents under 100 yards rushing and 11 of their last 14 opponents under their season average.
-Defense has forced three turnovers in three of its last four games against teams from automatic qualifying conferences (Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas).
-ULM is 3-34-1 all-time against teams from SEC. Auburn has pitched a shutout in each of the last two meetings and won the previous three meetings by a combined 138-7 margin.
-Program is 0-18 all-time against ranked opponents. The Warhawks have played five ranked teams in the past four seasons.
-The first five quarters of the season the ULM offense averaged 39.2 yards per quarter. The last seven quarters ULM averaged 106.6 yards per quarter.

Auburn
-Auburn has never lost to any of the current members of the Sun Belt Conference, with an all-time record of 15-0.
-The Tigers have overcome double digit deficits to win in each of its last two games.
-Ranked seventh nationally in rushing offense (278.0) and tied for 17th in total offense (468.0).
-Ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency, thanks largely to having the nation’s top touchdown percentage (12.5) and second-best yards per attempt (10.56).
-Auburn’s 18 touchdown plays this season have averaged 23.8 yards per game, including six that covered at least 35 yards.
-Defense has allowed just 10 points in the fourth quarter and overtime this season. The team has shut out both of its SEC opponents in the final period.
-Won 58 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points in a game.

 

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SEC Football
-SEC teams were 3-0 against non-conference foes during the fourth weekend of the season. For the season, the SEC is 22-3 (.880) against non-conference competition. The SEC currently has the nation’s top non-conference winning percentage (.880).
-Two of the SEC’s four intra-conference games this weekend were decided by eight points or less. Since 2004, the SEC has had 49.5 percent of its games decided by 10 points or less - third of all FBS conferences.
-Starting quarterbacks for both Alabama and Florida are a combined 21-0.
-Auburn plays its first day game of the season when the Tigers host ULM in a non-conference contest. The two teams have meet seven times in the past, with the Tigers winning all seven games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn has never lost to a Sun Belt Conference team (15-0).
-Ole Miss leads the all-time series 26-13-1 over Kentucky, including a 7-2 advantage when the game is played in Oxford. The Rebels have won four in a row against the Cats in Oxford. The last time UK beat Ole Miss in Oxford was in 1978.
-Vanderbilt is 10-7-1 all-time versus current members of the Big East Conference. It’s been exactly two years since Vanderbilt posted consecutive victories. The Commodores will attempt to become the fourth SEC team this year to defeat a Big East squad.
-LSU has won two straight and three of the last four games versus the Vols, including a 21-14 victory in the 2007 SEC Championship Game - the last time the teams played.
-Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 39-4 record against teams from outside the SEC. Two of those losses came in bowl games.

 

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Vanderbilt
-Vanderbilt won the only meeting between the two schools, 27-24, in 2002 in Nashville.
-The Commodores are 10-7-1 all-time versus current members of the Big East Conference.
-It’s been exactly two years since Vanderbilt posted consecutive victories. Those wins capped a 5-0 start to the program’s 2008 campaign.
-Team is 2-3 in their last five games coming off a bye week. In 2008, the Commodores benefited from two bye weeks to achieve the team’s first postseason appearance in more than two decades.
-Thirteen Commodore players, seven on defense, five on offense and one on special teams. Four defensive backs and three offensive linemen were among the first time starters.
-Since the 2003 opener, Vanderbilt is 14-0 when a running back reaches 100 rushing yards.
-Through three games, the Commodores rank among the SEC leaders with a turnover margin of +3. Only Florida (+8) has performed better among SEC teams
-Rank 12th in the SEC in penalty yardage (66.0 ypg). Opponents are being flagged for just 31.7 yards a game.
-Rank first in the SEC in red zone offense, converting all four possessions inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The defense has limited opponents to 70% red zone conversions.

UConn
-Enters this week’s game as the winner of six of the last eight games it has played dating back to last season.
-Junior RB Jordan Todman is fifth in the country in rushing and first in the Big East with 149.33 yards per game.
-UConn is 1-2 all-time versus the SEC with last year’s win over South Carolina.
-The Huskies lost at Kentucky by a 45-14 score in Randy Edsall’s second game at UConn and then the Vanderbilt game in 2002.
-Started one senior, three juniors, six sophomores and one redshirt freshman on defense in the win over the Bulls.
-Five losses last season were by a combined 15 points and the Huskies held fourth quarter leads in four of the five games.
-Boast a 39-18 record against non-conference opponents in the regular season since making the move to FBS in 2002.
-Returned players that made 49 of the 65 starts on the offensive line in 2009.
-Over the past 93 games, UConn has outgained its opponent 61 times.

 

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Ball State
-Ball State and Central Michigan have met 42 times with the Chippewas holding a slim 21-20-1 all-time advantage. The teams have split the last two meetings with Ball State tallying a 31-24 win at CMU in 2008 and Central Michigan posting a 35-3 win in Muncie last year.
-In games played in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the Chippewas own an 11-8 all-time edge and the series is tied 5-5 in the last 10 meetings.
-Team has won 13 of its last 19 Mid-American Conference games. The Cardinals won their final three MAC games in 2007 and all eight league contests in 2008 for 11 straight conference victories.

Central Michigan
-A win on Saturday would be the team’s sixth win over Ball State in the past seven seasons. It would also extend CMU’s win streak against MAC West Division opponents to seven games.
-Recent history has seen the Chippewas experience a remarkable amount of success during the month of October. CMU is 18-2 in its last 20 games played in October dating back to the 2004 season.
-Central Michigan is 17-4 at home since the start of the 2006 season.
-Current six-game home winning streak is its longest since a six-game home winning streak that spanned the 1998-99 seasons.
-Outscored their four opponents by a combined total of 36-6 in the first quarter and a total of 39-7 in the fourth quarter.
-Leads the MAC in total yards, points and points allowed and ranks second in yards allowed.

Ohio
-With a win over Eastern Michigan, Ohio would capture the 500th victory in program history.
-After four weeks, the Bobcats are first in the Mid-American Conference in red zone offense (90.9 percent). However, they are last in the league in total offense (251.8), time of possession (27.30) and third down conversions (29.2).
-Since the 1998 season, Ohio is 43-14 when reaching the 28-point plateau.

Eastern Michigan
-Eastern Michigan senior running back Dwayne Priest is the team’s leading rusher with 223 yards on 59 carries (3.8 yards per carry) with four touchdowns.
-Sophomore QB Alex Gillett has completed 47 of 81 passes for 550 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
-Team has yet to attempt a field goal this season.
-The Eagles rank 114th nationally in total defense, 116th in passing efficiency defense and 119th in rushing defense and scoring defense (46.00).

 

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Northwestern
-Northwestern has won a Big Ten-best nine road games dating to the start of the 2008 season, carries a four-game true road winning streak into Saturday’s game. The Wildcats have posted victories over Iowa, Illinois, Vanderbilt and Rice in their last four away contests.
-After four games of the 2010 season, or 240 minutes of football, Northwestern has yet to trail at any point.
-Junior quarterback Dan Persa continues to lead all Division I quarterbacks in completion percentage. He ranks 12th nationally in total offense.
-The Wildcats have won two of the last three meetings against the Gophers. All three contests have been decided in the fourth quarter or later.
-Won the turnover battle for the third straight game, notching three takeaways while suffering two of their own turnovers. NU has now forced 12 turnovers and owns a +7 advantage for the season.

Minnesota
-The Gophers are 1-3 after opening the season with a victory at Middle Tennessee State, but falling to South Dakota, Southern California and Northern Illinois.
-This is the 86th meeting between Northwestern and Minnesota. The Gophers own a 50-30-5 advantage in the all-time series.
-Rank No. 2 in the nation in ball control, averaging 35:35 per game.
-Hold a 333-357-28 record against current and former members of the Big Ten Conference.
-Offensive linemen combine for 117 starts in their careers, after last week’s game against NIU.

 

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Virginia Tech
-Virginia Tech leads the series 25-18-4 and the two schools have met just eight times in football since the end of the 1964 season.
-Series has featured 37 games that were decided by 14 points or less, including 29 meetings where the final margin was seven points or less. Six of the last eight games in the series have been decided by four points or less.
-Tech has a 8-2-2 record against the Wolfpack at home and is just 3-8-1 at NC State and 14-8-1 at neutral sites.
-Impressive 39-10 in conference games since joining the ACC in 2004, including a 20-5 mark in road games. Two of the Hokies five road losses are to Boston College.
-Kicker Chris Hazley has made his last eight field goal attempts.
-Defense posted a season-high six quarterback sacks at Boston College last Saturday. Team has allowed just three points in the Hokies’ last six quarters of play.

NC State
-Prior to last season’s 38-10 Hokie win in Blacksburg, an average of only 2.7 points had separated the two teams in the previous seven games.
-During his 10 years as a head coach at Boston College, O’Brien led his team to one 4-0 start, in 1999. He has never had a 5-0 beginning to a season.
-QB Russell Wilson has thrown for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in three of the four games this season. He threw 136 passes without an interception this season. With 11 touchdown throws this season, he is tied for second nationally in that statistic.
-The Wolfpack rank first in the league and 19th nationally with 32:31 minutes of offense per game.
-Enters the game tied for 14th nationally in turnover margin, with nine takeaways to just four giveaways for a +5 mark. The team finished 114th nationally in turnover margin, with 25 turnovers to just 14 takeaways.

 

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Florida State
-Florida State is fresh off its first ACC shutout victory since 2006, travels to Virginia to take on the Cavaliers. The Seminoles are enjoying their first 3-0 start at home since 2005 and will try and pick up their first road victory of the season.
-This is the first meeting between the two schools since 2006. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 13-2 against the Cavaliers.
-Both of Florida State’s defeats in the series have come at Scott Stadium.
-Scored 31 points in its win over Wake Forest, the most against an ACC opponent since posting a 45-42 win over NC State on October 31, 2009. The 31-point margin of victory was their widest in an ACC game since a 37-3 win at Maryland on Nov. 22, 2008.
-With 284 yards passing and 201 yards rushing the Seminoles established a season-high 485 yards of total offense over Wake Forest.
-Converted 17 of its 20 scoring chances in the red zone thus far (.850). Last year the team converted 46-of-56 opportunities (.821).
-Three running backs post a triple thread to opposing defenses, rushing a combined 92 times for 656 yards and an incredible average of 7.1 yards per carry.
-Offensive line boasts 147 career starts overall.

Virginia
-No current Cavalier has seen game action against Florida State. This is just the second time Virginia will play an unranked FSU team.
-Virginia is just 22-34 in the first ACC game of the season, but has won its opener nine of the last 12 years. First-year head coaches are 1-9 all-time in their initial ACC games.
-Leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense at 12.33 points per game.
-Offense has run 212 total plays this season - 107 rushes and 105 passes. The team has seven passing touchdowns already this season, after tallying just eight in 2009.
-Through three games, Virginia has 12 offensive touchdowns and is already more than halfway toward matching the TD total of 2009 (23).
-Offense is 12-for-14 with 10 touchdowns when moving the ball inside the 20. Virginia ranked ninth nationally in redzone efficiency in 2009, converting on 27 of its 29 opportunities.
-Own a 44-6 edge in the second half this year, including a 27-3 lead in the fourth quarter.

 

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Temple
-Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Al Golden, Temple stands 3-1 overall after a 22-13 loss at Penn State. The 2010 squad returns 21 starters to 16 positions.
-Sophomore RB Bernard Pierce leads all rushers with 343 yards and five touchdowns on 66 carries.
-Saturday’s game is the eighth meeting and the Owls trail 3-4 in the series. Temple has won three of the last four meetings.
-During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Temple football fielded the youngest team in the nation. In 2007 alone, the Owls played 25 freshman, including the nation’s most true freshmen (20) and the nation’s most freshman starters (12). In 2010, Temple has utilized just two true freshman.
-Returned six starters, including three All-MAC honorees to the offensive line.
-Enters this week’s game ranked 109th in the nation in total offense (286.25) and 85th in scoring (21.75). Defensively, the Owls are allowing 370.5 yards per game, but rank 33rd in the country in scoring defense at just 18.0 points per game.

Army
-Nationally Army stands third (2.25) in turnover margin and No. 8 in rushing (274.75).
-Won its second straight game and improved to 3-1 on the season with a 35-21 win at Duke last weekend. The Black Knights forced five turnovers that led to 28 points to key the victory.
-Last week’s win snapped a seven-game losing streak to teams from the ACC and it also ended a 17-game losing streak versus ACC foes on the road.
-Head coach Rich Ellerson is 8-8 in his 16 games on the West Point sideline. Army scored a total of seven victories in the 32 games prior to his arrival.
-Team is +9 in turnover margin through the first four games and have scored 69 of its 118 points following turnovers.
-A win on Saturday would be the team’s fourth in five games against Mid-American Conference opponents.
-The Black Knights are 7-7 against the MAC since 2005 and 20-12 all-time against teams competing in the conference.
-10 of Army’s last 14 wins against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents have been decided by a touchdown or less.

 

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Kent State
-The Golden Flashes are opening MAC action on the road for the fourth time in the last five years and eighth time in 11 seasons.
-Kent State has started 1-0 in conference play twice in the previous six years under head coach Doug Martin, with both of those victories coming against the RedHawks.
-Currently leads the nation with 61.3 rushing yards allowed per game.
-Sophomore QB Spencer Keith has completed 62.6 percent of his passes en route to throwing for 646 yards and four touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season.
-Trail 13-44 in the all-time series, but the Flashes are looking to win two in a row and three of the last four. Kent State is seeking just its second three-game winning streak in the series and is 3-3 under head coach Doug Martin.
-Program has a 20-37-2 all-time record in league openers, including a 9-23 mark when opening on the road.

Miami Ohio
-Allowing just 100.5 rushing yards per game, Miami’s run defense ranks fourth in the MAC.
-The RedHawks rank second in the conference in both turnover margin (+3) and time of possession.
-Inside the redzone, Miami’s offense has converted on 11-of-13 opportunities.
-Miami is 10-3 all-time against the Golden Flashes at Yager Stadium.
-Head coach Michael Haywood’s team attempts to start 2-0 in the MAC for the first time since 2007.
-Senior WR Armand Robinson ranks seventh in the nation in receptions per game with 8.0 and 17th nationally with 95.5 receiving yards per contest.
-Lost last year’s meeting, 29-19, despite outgaining the Flashes by a 552-250 margin. The RedHawks had five turnovers and a blocked punt.