Peter Cornell (8-10-3 record)
Mississippi State +21 @ Alabama
I know the narrative going into this one is Alabama is going to be pissed and blow the doors off of whoever they play after the Tennessee loss. I don't buy it because I think Alabama showed how undisciplined they are with 17 penalties in the game. That won't happen again but I do believe this Bama defense is vulnerable and I don't think it will be easy to get back on track vs the high powered offense of Miss St. I think at worst the back door is open in this game with a 3 touchdown spread. I expect Bama to win this pretty easy but a late Bulldog touchdown gets us there with a 42-24 final. Take Mike Leach and the Bulldogs.
Minnesota +4 @ Penn State
This is the definition of a buy low spot for the Gophers. The expectations were high for PJ Fleck and crew after a 4-0 start but back to back loses has killed any thoughts of being a dark horse CFB playoff contender. They get another team with high hopes after a hot start with a few quality wins in Penn State but like Minnesota, they were humbled last week. I think the problems that Penn State has are not going away and the biggest problem lies at the QB position. Sean Clifford has been really bad and something I expect to continue especially with him being banged up. I think the Gophers will lean on the run game and take control of this game and win in Happy Valley 24-23. Take Minnesota.
Cincinnati/SMU Under 58.5
Luke Fickell has shown that this Cincinnati program was not just a one hit wonder last year but one that is built on a good foundation of talent. No this years team is not even close to as good as last years team, but this one is 5-1 with the only loss being Week 1 @ Arkansas. The defense has only allowed more than 30 points once and that was that Week 1 loss. I expect the Bearcat defense to play solid again this week against a banged up SMU offense. Cluster injuries have hurt the SMU receiving core pretty hard. Top receiver Rashee Rice was not seen at practice earlier this week with a toe injury. This will slow down the SMU offense and make them more one dimensional. I expect the Bearcats to win this one 27-24. Take the Under.
Henry Porter (11-10 record)
Syracuse +13.5 @ Clemson
I never thought I would’ve said this before the season, but the Syracuse Orange are probably the biggest obstacle left in the way for Clemson to finish the regular season undefeated. Clemson travels to struggling Notre Dame next week and then finish with three home games in which they are expected to win all three. Many argued that Dino Babers was on the hot seat before the season started but that seat has all but cooled as Babers has lead the Orange to a 6-0 record and #14 national ranking. The Syracuse defense is the main reason for their great start and we can’t forget the steady play of QB Garrett Shrader and RB Sean Tucker. Clemson’s offense was their biggest question mark before the season and DJ Uiagalelei has answered all of those questions. This is one of the bigger games on this week's slate and I like the 12 o'clock time slot to help Syracuse catch the Tigers sleeping. Clemson will ultimately prove to be too much but this is also too many points to be giving this quality Cuse team. Clemson wins 29-22.
Missouri/Vanderbilt over 51
We’re not to Thanksgiving yet, but Head Coach Clark Lea and the Commodores have to be thankful that the three game gauntlet of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia is finally over. Despite an 0-3 showing in those games, there’s one thing that Vanderbilt has shown the ability to do this season, and that’s score. The Dores’ have averaged 39 points per game this season against teams that didn’t play in the National Championship last season. Their defense is the reason why they haven’t won more of those games. This is good news for Missouri who hasn’t scored enough this season to improve their 2-4 record. The Tigers would love nothing more than to let out some of that frustration on a terrible Vandy defense on Homecoming. Both teams know this is one of the few games they have left that they could win so I expect to see a battle in Columbia. Missouri pulls it out 41-27 and easily cashes the over.
Memphis +7 @ Tulane
No team in college football has had more heartbreak (and blown leads) than the Memphis Tigers the last two weeks. They were up 32-19 with four minutes left against Houston and lost by one. They started the game up 17-0 at East Carolina last week and ultimately came up short in a four overtime thriller. For all of their troubles, they get to go on the road against a recent top 25 addition in the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane is having a remarkable turnaround from last season and is trending toward an American Conference Championship game appearance. But in this game, I see one team who has gone way above expectations and another team who is desperate not to lose another tough one. Memphis is an above average football team and they shouldn’t be more than a touchdown underdog against any team in their conference besides maybe Cincinnati. Unfortunately for the Tigers I think Tulane pulls this one out late but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Memphis complete an upset. Give me the Green Wave 37-35.
Roger Murdock (13-8 record)
Iowa/Ohio St Under 49.5
Iowa is miserable. Ohio State is the best team in the country. My only concern here is that Ohio State could score 50 themselves as I don’t expect many, if any, points from Iowa. But this Iowa team plays at such a slow pace, and still has decent defense & special teams units that should be able to slow down OSU’s scoring a bit. This number just seems too high for an Iowa game. OSU wins this one 42-0.
Texas Tech -6.5 vs West Virginia
Texas Tech is coming off the toughest stretch in their schedule and two straight losses at Oklahoma State and at Kansas State. Their other loss came on the road against a strong NC State team, so all 3 of their losses are against top 20 teams. They are undefeated at home, and are simply better team than this West Virginia team whose only road conference game was a trouncing to Texas. Texas Tech wins this one 41-27.
Wake Forest -20.5 vs Boston College
This Wake Forest team is just head & shoulders above BC. Wake Forest’s offense is one of the best in the country and they should be able to name their score against BC. BC has also been abysmal on the road, putting up 24 points in 2 games, losing by 17 at Virginia Tech and 30 at FSU. Wake is 5-1 against the spread but still hasn’t gotten the respect it deserves. Wake cruises in this one, 45-10.
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