College football Top 25 betting cheat sheet: Week 9 BY COVERS
Looking to wager on the elite teams in college football this weekend? Don't have time to handicap every Top 25 matchup? Put your mind at ease and just cheat - with our NCAAF Top 25 betting cheat sheet featuring all of Week 9's biggest games.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at (16) Nebraska Cornhuskers (-20)
*Rutgers allowed J.T. Barrett to amass 368 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns last week. The No.98 defense will need to adjust quickly for Tommy Armstrong who has thrown for 1546 yards while adding 482 on the ground.
*An effective run game has been the key to ensuring Nebraska's success since Bo Pelini's takeover of the program. During Pelini's tenure the Cornhuskers are 18-0 when they rush for 300 or more yards do. Nebraska is averaging 293.6 ypg this season.
(24) Minnesota Golden Gophers at Illinois Fighting Illini (+5.5)
*Despite allowing a season-high 38 points last week, Minnesota still ranks tied for 29th in the FBS with 21.4 points surrendered per contest and is tied for seventh in total takeaways with 18, including a Big Ten-leading 11 interceptions.
*If there is one thing Illinois does well, it's create big plays. The Fighting Illini have tallied 43 plays of 20 or more yards from scrimmage this season, while vaulting themselves into No.20 in the nation for 30 plus yard plays.
Texas Longhorns at (11) Kansas State Wildcats (-9.5)
*Despite getting torched by Iowa State, the Longhorns defense still ranks No.5 in passing defense and No.10 in yards allowed per play nationally.
*Even though the Wildcats offensive line may not have kept Jake Waters off of his back, the line played well last week. "What I was pleased with is that we only had one penalty," coach Bill Snyder says. " In reality, they were not penalized and being in that environment down there with so much noise, it is easy to get discombobulated with the cadence and snap counts and communication."
(25) West Virginia Mountaineers at Oklahoma State Cowboys (Pick)
*WVU WR Kevin White has a school-record seven straight games of 100 or more receiving yards, the longest active streak in the nation.
*Through seven games, opposing offenses have reached the red zone 25 times against Oklahoma State, but they have only converted 10 of those trips into touchdowns. That ranks second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally.
Florida Atlantic Owls at (22) Marshall Thundering Herd (-28)
*The Owls have been a different team away from home this season. FAU is 3-0 at home and has outscored opponents by 40 points (13.3 ppg), compared to going 0-4 on the road and being blown out by 118 points (28.5 ppg).
*No team in the nation has been pummeling opponents quite like Marshall. The Thundering Herd is beating opponents by an average margin if 29.2 ppg, which is tops in the country.
(1) Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats (+14.5)
*Dan Mullen seems happy to have gotten a bye week when they did. "It is not about one game. It is the cumulative effect of playing in [the SEC]," says the coach. "I think our guys took advantage of the bye week, because they know now we have to play six straight to end the season."
*If the Wildcats want to compete with the nations top team, they will need to improve an offense that averages a poor 5.1 ypp and 35.16 third down conversion percentage.
Michigan Wolverines at (5) Michigan State Spartans (-17)
*After getting beaten up by the Spartans last year, the Wolverines know they need to fix things. "Those negative rushing yards last year [at MSU] weren't just on Devin [Gardner]," Brady Hoke says. "When a guy gets sacked, you're turning some people loose. And also, he's got to get rid of the ball. There's a rhythm to it."
*The Spartans have been coming out to quick leads and coasting in the second half of games. No team is averaging more points in the first half than Michigan State (30.7), but in the second half the team is tallying 16.7 points.
Texas Tech Red Raiders at (10) TCU Horned Frogs (-22.5)
*Discipline has not been the Red Raiders strong suit as they are the second most penalized team in the nation. So far this season, Texas Tech has 71 penalties for 648 yards.
*Under new co-coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie, TCU has the nation's most improved offense in both total yards (+192.9 ypg) and scoring (+20.1 ppg) from last season.
(15) Arizona Wildcats at Washington State Cougars (+2.5)
*"They will run it just enough to keep you honest and they did against us last year," Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez says about Washington State. " They will throw the ball to any one of the guys on any part of the field; they will throw it deep, short, back or on whatever down it is."
*When you face the Cougars you certainly know what you are getting. The Cougars throw the ball 78.04 percent of the time while accumulating 490.0 passing ypg, both tops in the nation.
Syracuse Orange at (20) Clemson Tigers (-14.5)
*The Orange, who are playing in the state of South Carolina for the first time in school history, lost to the Tigers 49-14 at the Carrier Dome last season in the first ever meeting between the programs.
*The injury bug has hit Clemson hard this year and has caused some change ups in their game plan. "“It’s just one of those years,” offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. "Two weeks in a row now that the first two drives of the game you essentially lose a big part of your plan. “So, you kind of scramble, adjust and make do.”
(4) Alabama Crimson Tide at Tennessee Volunteers (+17.5)
*Since the start of the 2007 season, when coach Nick Saban arrived, the Crimson Tide have held opponents to 10 points or fewer 51 times.
*Only two teams in the nation have allowed more sacks per game than the Volunteers who have watched their quarterback hit the turf 4.2 times per game.
(3) Ole Miss Rebels at (23) LSU Tigers (+3.5)
*If you're talking about dominant defense this season, you must be talking about Ole Miss. The Rebels lead the nation in scoring defense (10.6 ppg) touchdowns allowed (seven) and interceptions (15).
*LSU will return home for the first time in almost a month for their biggest game this year. "After talking to several old-timers about it, I think Tiger Stadium is going to be louder than ever on Saturday," said LSU football legend Jerry Stovall.
South Carolina Gamecocks at (6) Auburn Tigers (-19.5)
*The defensive line was expected to dip a bit for the Gamecocks with the loss of Jadevon Clowney, but it's been injuries that has made the group ineffective. "Right now it's open," said South Carolina defensive line coach Deke Adams. "We're going to see who has the best week of practice."
*Auburn may be getting a key piece of their defense back after S Jermaine Whitehead was reinstated to the team. The senior has been a three year starter for the Tigers, but was suspended for undisclosed reasons earlier this season.
(12) Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions (+13.5)
*Ohio State has scored at least 50 points in four consecutive games which is a program record. You can thank J.T. Barrett who has thrown for 17 touchdowns and one interception during that span.
*No team in the nation is better than Penn State at shutting down the run game. Through six games, teams have only averaged 60.8 rushing yards and one touchdown per game against the Nittany Lions.
(21) USC Trojans at (19) Utah Utes (Pick)
*Injuries have been hitting the Trojans hard this season, but maybe none hurt more than Adoree Jackson. An injured hip flexor has limited Jackson in the past two games, who is both a starting cornerback, one of their better receivers and their punt returner.
*If there is one thing the Utes can do, it's get after the passer. Utah sacks the opposing quarterback on 12.72 percent of snaps, which is almost a full point ahead of second in the nation.
(14) Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington Huskies (+3)
*The Sun Devils are boasting a quick strike offense, that points to them not needing possession. Arizona State is averaging 37.4 ppg (No.17 in nation), but have the lowest average possession time per game (21:25).
*The Huskies have not been ignoring the special teams game this season. Washington opponents have had just eight punt return yards on six returns this season for an average of 1.33 yards per return.
