College Football Betting Info. Week 3

[TheGame]

College Football Betting Preview: Tulsa at Oklahoma
By Andrew Lange
Sportsmemo.com

Tulsa at Oklahoma
Saturday, 9 am PT - ESPN 2
CRIS Opener: Oklahoma -28 O/U 49
CRIS Current: Oklahoma -24.5 O/U 49.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Oklahoma -23
Andrew Lange's Recommendation: Oklahoma -14 1st half

Oklahoma's offense has looked pretty pedestrian thus far following the departures of quarterback Landry Jones and key wide receivers Kenny Stills and Justin Brown to the NFL. Trevor Knight was named the team's Week 1 starter but has been ruled out leaving Blake Bell in charge for Saturday's game against Tulsa. I'm not expecting the Sooners to march the ball up and down the field like we've seen in years past but I think this serves as good opponent and situation (bye week upcoming) for some offensive success. Tulsa currently has only two returning starters on its stop unit and we saw both Bowling Green (233 yards) and Colorado State (178) have success against the Golden Hurricane on the ground. We know Oklahoma is going to run the ball effectively, but at home as a sizeable favorite, I expect Stoops to take more chances in the passing game in order for Bell and the offense to gain more confidence.

We saw in Week 1 what a strong defense is capable of doing against Tulsa. Bowling Green completely shut down the Golden Hurricane to the tune of a lone touchdown (late in the fourth) and 273 yards of total offense. Cody Green has been around a long time and we know that he's not a very accurate passer. Not to discredit Bowling Green, but he's in for a world of hurt against the Sooners in Norman. OU's defense has been stifling thus far, holding West Virginia and UL-Monroe to a lone touchdown. They also had five takeaways and I project at least one special team or defensive score from the Sooners – Tulsa already has five turnovers and has allowed over 21 yards per punt return including a touchdown.

On the road against a Grade-A defense is not a situation we can expect Cody Green to thrive in. And considering last week's poor offensive showing (16 points vs. West Virginia) look for Stoops to pull out all of the stops on offense – no matter how ugly it will likely look at times. The full game number of -24 is attainable though with Notre Dame on deck (after a bye) and perhaps a little bit of respect for an in-state program, we could see the Sooners pack it in early after a big lead. I'll instead focus my attention on the first half and lay the two-touchdown price.

[TheGame]

NCAAF Week 3

Top 13 games

Lousiville is 8-5 in last 13 games with Kentucky, winning 24-17/32-14 in last two meetings; Cardinals won last two visits here, with last couple of wins by seven points each. Since '09, Wildcats are 5-8-1 as home dogs- they're 15-11 vs spread in last 26 non-league tilts. U of L is 3-3 as road favorite under Strong- they've got 10 starters back on defense and have one of best QBs in country (22 starts). Kentucky has QB with 5 starts, OL with only 49 combined starts, but that matters less in home games.

Indiana gave up 444 rushing yards to Navy's option offense last week in disappointing 41-35 home loss, after giving up two defensive TDs week before to I-AA Indiana State; since '08, Hoosiers are 4-8 as home faves, 8-11 in non-league games. Bowling Green won first two games by 19-27 points, running ball for 219-233 yards; they're 20-11 as road underdogs since '06, 11-7 under Clawson. For team with 19 returning starters, IU is off to bad start. MAC teams are 5-7 as non-league road underdogs. Big Dozen non-league favorites are 9-5, 7-5 at home.

Since 2004, East Carolina is 15-6-1 as home dogs, 5-3 under Ruffin; they are 10-17-1 vs spread in last 28 non-league games. Pirates are 1-6 in last seven games with Virginia Tech, losing last three played here by average score of 26-14. Hokies were 0-3 as road favorites LY, after being 20-8-1 in that role from '04-'11; they outgained Alabama 212-206 in neutral field opener, but gave up a defensive TD and two special teams TDs. Tech completed 20-35 passes last week vs I-AA foe, after being dismal 5-26 in dome week before, not what you expect from a senior QB.

Coach Edsall left UConn for Maryland, so this game has extra meaning; Huskies had last week off after hideous home loss to I-AA Towson in opener (TY 393-290). UConn (-2.5) won 24-21 at Maryland LY-- they outrushed Terps 153-96. Since '05, UConn is 15-3 as home underdogs. Maryland has thrown ball for 600 yards in first two games; they're 1-4 as road favorites since '06- this is first time they're been favored on road since '10. Neither team has much experience at QB, but at least Terps aren't playing a linebacker there this year. UConn's OL has edge here in experience. First road game for Maryland, with West Virginia on deck.

Fresno State (-15) gained 665 yards in 69-14 humiliation of Colorado at home LY; since '09, Bulldogs are 8-2 as road favorites. Colorado's new coach MacIntyre came from San Jose State, whose main rival in WAC was Fresno. San Jose (+6.5) upset Bulldogs 27-24 in last meeting in '11, after losing 33-18 previous year, MacIntyre's first with Spartans. Buffs are just 3-6 as home dogs last decade, but this also best coaching they've and in Richardson, Colorado has one of best WRs in country. When you lose game 69-14, you circle the rematch on the calendar. I'm just sayin'.

UCLA (+5) upset Nebraska 36-30 at home LY, gaining 653 yards, 344 on the ground; Bruins are 2-0 as road dogs under Mora, after being 11-18 in that role from '05-'11. UCLA had last week off after crushing Nevada in its opener; they're 4-1 in non-league games under Mora. Cornhuskers had defensive issues in 37-34 opening win over Wyoming- they scored coupel defensive TDs in rout of hapless Southern Miss last week- they are 8-2 in last 10 games as home favorites. Both teams have quality QB and similar amount of experience (80-88 starts) on OL.

Texas fired DC Diaz after giving up 550 rushing yards to BYU in 40-21 loss last week; not sure how that helps this week, facing Ole Miss squad they crushed 66-31 in LY's meeting (-10). Since '08, Rebels are 10-5 as road dogs- they already have road win 39-35 (-3) at Vandy, when they ran for 206 yards, passed for 283 with no turnovers. Ole Miss' QB has 15 starts, its OL 92 starts, so they can move ball. Since '09, Longhorns are 9-14 as home favorites- they covered only nine of last 26 home tilts and opening Big X play next week, they're headed in wrong direction.

USC lost 10-7 at home to Washington State last week despite Wazzu not scoring offensive TD; Soph Kessler gets third start after playing 1st half last week- Trojans' longest pass play last week (11-21/54) was just eight yards. Natives are restless with Kiffin; USC is 7-4 in last 11 games as home favorites, but with scholarship numbers down due to probation typical Trojan depth isn't there. Boston College is was 0-5 as road dog LY, after being 18-7 in that role from '03-'11; Eagles held Wake Forest to 246 yards in 24-10 win last week after struggling to beat I-AA team the week before. BC has had five different OC's in last 2.5 years.

Iowa-Iowa State split last six meetings in intense rivalry, with Cyclones' wins by 3-3-2 points, Iowa's by combined total of 87-15. Underdogs are 9-3 vs spread in last 12 series games; Hawkeyes lost five of last seven visits here, with dogs 4-2 vs spread in last six played in Ames. Since '10, Iowa is 2-5 as road favorites; they've got young QB and after losing at home to Northern Illinois in opener, had smallest home crowd in decade last week, so their program is sliding. State had last week off after dismal loss to I-AA Northern Iowa- they're 6-8-1 as home dog under Rhodes.

Texas A&M (+13) won 29-24 at Alabama LY, with +3 turnover margin huge stat in game where TY was 431-418, Bama. A&M is new to SEC, so Crimson Tide hasn't played here- since '08, they're 15-6 as favorites on road, but Bama's OL is inexperienced (44 starts) which showed in its opening win vs Va Tech, a misleading 35-10 win where Tide scored pair of special teams TDs and another on defense. TY in that game was just 212-206, VT. Since '05, Aggies are 9-6-1 as home dogs. Both teams are well-off at QB, Bama has revenge motive, Aggies have home field. LY, Alabama won national title; despite losing to A&M.

Washington (-4.5) waxed Boise State 38-6 in opener, gaining 592 yards as they avenged LY's bowl loss to Broncos, but over last decade, U-Dub is just 12-41 SU on foreign soil, 4-5 as road favorite- this isn't true road game, being played at Soldier Field not Champaign. Illinois had big 45-17 win over Cincinnati last week, with 210 rushing yards, 312 passing, so having veteran QB (28 starts) helps. Washington had last week off; their senior QB Price (27 starts) gives Sarkisian mobility. Illini covered four of last five tries as a home underdog. Interesectional road favorites: 11-8 so far in this young season.

South Carolina won 11 of last 13 games vs Vanderbilt, winning last four by unlikely average score of 18-8, with underdogs 7-4 vs spread last 11 years, 4-1 in last five played here. As Franklin has improved program at Vandy, they've played Carolina tough, outgaining them 276-272 LY in a 17-13 home loss (+6.5), but they haven't won. Gamecocks lost 41-30 at Georgia last week; under Spurrier, Carolina is 16-12-2 vs spread coming off a loss- they're 11-5 in last 16 games as home favorite. Since 2004, Vandy is 24-12-1 as a road dog- they lost opener at home to Ole Miss after leading 21-10 at half. These games have been defensive struggles.

Wisconson upgraded at HC when Anderson replaced Bielema, who ran off to Arkansas; Anderson was 14-2 vs spread as road underdog in his time in Logan. Badgers are 3-1 as road dogs last three years- they went out west in September LY, lost 10-7 (-7) at Oregon State. Arizona State is 18-12 as home favorites last five years, 4-1 under Graham; ASU has 70 starts back on OL and QB with 14 starts. Badgers have 58 starts on OL and new QB. Neither team has been tested yet, playing combined three stiffs. Teams met in 2010; Badgers (-12) won 20-19 in Madison, but since both teams changed coaches since then, it doesn't mean much.

Rest of the Card; notes on rest of the games

-- Eastern Michigan is 2-5 in last seven games as a road dog. Over last four years, Rutgers is 5-9 as a home favorite.
-- Stanford covered 12 of last 14 as a road favorite. Army covered five of last seven tries as a home underdog.
-- Home team covered eight of last 11 Marshall-Ohio games. Bobcats are 8-4 vs spread in last dozen non-conference games.
-- Since '08, New Mexico is 12-16 as a road underdog. Since '09, Pitt has covered 11 of 20 games as a home favorite, under three different HCs.

-- Wake Forest covered seven of last nine non-ACC home games. ULM is 7-6 in last thirteen games as a road underdog.
-- Western Kentucky is 4-0 vs spread as a road favorite; they turned ball over five times in six plays in 52-20 loss at Tennessee last week.
-- Georgia Tech won 15 of last 16 games (9-7 vs spread) vs Duke, which lost starting QB Boone last week. Tech is 2-4-1 as a road favorite.
-- Tennessee is 5-13 vs spread in last 18 games as an underdog. Oregon is 6-8-1 as a home favorite the last 2+ years.

-- Road dog won previous two Northern Illinois-Idaho games. Vandals covered twice in their last eight games as a home underdog.
-- Auburn won 10 of last 12 games vs Mississippi State, which failed to cover its last five tries as a road underdog.
-- Penn State is 6-1 as home favorite under O'Brien, who worked seven years as an assistant under UCF coach O'Leary. Knights are 16-11 as a road underdog the last few years.
-- Ball State covered 18 of last 27 games. North Texas lost to Ohio U of MAC last week, outgaining Mean Green 447-299.

-- Arkansas is 14-9-1 vs spread in its last 24 games as a home favorite. Southern Miss had 18 consecutive winning seasons until they went 0-12 LY- Golden Eagles are 1-6 in last seven games as a road dog.
-- Oklahoma won its last six games with Tulsa, going 4-1-1 vs spread. Blake Bell gets start at QB for injured starter Knight.
-- Cal Bears covered twice in last ten games as road dog. Over last four years, Ohio State is 2-6-1 when laying points on the road.
-- South Florida is 4-13 in last 17 games as home favorite- their QB was 6-26 passing last week. Oy. FAU covered both its games this season.

-- Rice (+11) upset Kansas in Lawrence LY, 25-24; their QB was once the starter at BYU. Owls are favored over BCS team for first time in 12 years- since '08, they're 8-2 as a home favorite.
-- Notre Dame won its last five games with Purdue by average of dozen points; Irish is 5-4 vs spread under Kelly when coming off a loss.
-- UTEP won its last four games vs New Mexico State (3-0-1 vs spread) Aggies allowed 100 points in first two games, vs Texas/Minnesota.

-- Arizona covered eight of last 11 non-league games. UISA has a win at New Mexico, but they're in over head here, vs team that won 58-13 last week at UNLV.
-- Home team won all four Oregon State-Utah games, covering three of the four games. Beavers covered 16 of last 22 games as a road dog.
-- Central Michigan beat I-AA New Hampshire 24-21 on final play last week, not exactly a great sign/ Chippewas are 1-9 as a road underdog.

[TheGame]

Big Ten Report - Week 3
By ASAWins.com

In Week 2, the 12 schools in the Big Ten went 11-1 straight up in non-conference action and they also helped gamblers with an 8-4 record against the spread. For the second consecutive week, the 'over' came out on top with a 7-5 mark. Through two weeks, the 'over' has gone 15-9 in Big Ten games.

Ohio State (-16, 66) at California

There was no early line on this game yet as the status of Ohio State starting QB Braxton Miller was uncertain. The Buckeyes got a scare last week when Miller went out with an apparent knee injury. But it doesn’t appear to be serious and he is listed as 'probable' for Saturday. The nerves of OSU fans were calmed a bit when they saw what Kenny Guiton was able to do in Miller’s absence. Guiton led the Bucks to a 42-7 win over San Diego State. He threw for 152 yards and two scores and added 83 rushing yards and another score. OSU’s defense was much more impressive against SDSU than it was against Buffalo in week one. It’ll have its biggest test this week as it takes on the high-octane attack of Sonny Dykes at Cal. Cal’s freshman QB Goff has thrown for 930 yards through two games and Cal has notched 582 YPG and 33.5 PPG through two weeks. Defensively the Bears are awful. They allowed 44 points to a Northwestern team without its top two playmakers, then allowed 30 points to FCS Portland State. These two met in Columbus last year. Cal had +100 yards and +8 first downs, but OSU came away with the 35-28 victory. Ohio State is 2-3 SU when visiting non-conference BCS schools – losing the last two at USC in 2008 and at Miami in 2011.

Wisconsin (+5.5, 52.5) at Arizona State

Everything has gone swimmingly for the Badgers through two weeks. They’ve beaten up UMass and FCS Tennessee Tech to the tune of 93-0. Three different running backs have all topped 200 yards already and the Badgers have the #1 ranked defense in the nation. UW takes a big step up in competition this week as it travels to Arizona State to take on the Sun Devils. The Badgers are underdogs for the first time in non-conference play since a visit to Oregon in 2001. Arizona State had last week off after beating FCS Sacramento State 55-0 in week one. QB Taylor Kelly picked up where he left off last season, tossing for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing. The Sun Devils have one of the top defensive lines in the country spearheaded by All-American Will Sutton. That penetrating D-Line could wreak havoc on an offense that is predicated on creating big holes for running backs. The pressure could be put on UW sophomore QB Joel Stave. Stave is relatively untested in big games. This is a stage he is unfamiliar with and there is potential for some mistakes (he already has two interceptions against UMass and Tennessee Tech). Wisconsin has had its share of problems when traveling to the west coast and playing west coast teams. Dating back to 2010, the Badgers are 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS against Pac-12 opponents.

Nebraska (-4.5, 70) vs. UCLA

Nebraska’s defense had a much stronger showing against Southern Miss last week than it did in week one against Wyoming. After giving up 602 yards to the Cowboys, the Huskers limited Southern Miss to just 284 yards, 16 first downs, and 13 points. They allowed just 62 rushing yards on 2.3 YPC and forced four interceptions – two of which were returned for TD. They’ll be out for revenge this week against a UCLA squad that absolutely gashed this defense a year ago. The Bruins tallied 653 yards and 344 rushing yards in the 36-30 victory over Nebraska. UCLA had last week off after blasting Nevada in the opener. The Bruins got off to a slow start (led 17-13 at halftime), but outscored Nevada 41-7 in the 2nd half en route to a blowout victory. They use a spread attack that has given Nebraska fits in the recent past and QB Hundley has established himself as an elite college quarterback. Nebraska has covered seven of its last 10 home games while UCLA is 4-1 ATS in its last five non-conference games.

Iowa (+2.5, 48.5) at Iowa State

Ironically, Iowa was much better in its loss to Northern Illinois in week one than it was in a win against FCS Missouri State last week. The Hawkeyes had just seven points through the first 37 minutes before pulling away. The game was much closer than it should have been considering Iowa had +292 yards and +13 first downs. The Hawks held the ball for nearly 37 minutes and racked up 296 rushing yards on 58 carries. Up next is a road trip to their bitter rival, Iowa State. Iowa is 4-3 over the last seven seasons against in-state rival Iowa State. The Hawks have dropped two straight to ISU, both by three points (the Hawks lost 6-9 in an ugly game last season, and 41-44 in a 2011 shootout). They’ve lost three games to ISU over the last seven years, all by three points or less. In wins they’ve outscored ISU by 20.5 points per game.

Illinois (+9.5, 62.5) vs. Washington

Illinois surprised the nation last week with a blowout of Cincinnati. The Illini offense that was non-existent at times a year ago notched 522 yards and 45 points (2nd consecutive week of 40+ points). QB Scheelhaase completed 26-of-37 passes and appears to be much more confident throwing the football this year. There’s no time to celebrate that victory, however, as Washington comes to Chicago this week to face Illinois at Soldier Field. The Huskies had last week off after one of the most impressive wins on opening weekend. They thoroughly dominated Boise State and held the Broncos out of the endzone in a 38-6 victory. QB Price and RB Sankey will be a tough test for this young Illini defense. Illinois is 1-11 in their last 12 road/neutral openers, losing by 17 points per game. Washington isn’t much better, going just 1-10 in its last 11 road/neutral openers (lost five straight by 22 points per game).

Michigan (-37, 56.5) vs. Akron

Michigan notched the biggest win in the Big Ten thus far with a 41-30 victory over Notre Dame last week. QB Gardner made a name for himself with a huge performance against a strong defense. He tallied 294 passing yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 82 yards and a score. The defense had its issues against the Irish – allowed 410 yards, 5.1 YPC, and 23 first downs – but made timely plays when it counted and earned the victory. Michigan is a heavy favorite this week against Akron. The Zips were the worst team in the MAC last season and finished with a 1-11 record. Akron was smoked by Central Florida in week one and then barely got a victory over FCS James Madison last week. The Zips were outgained by 142 yards and had 12 fewer first downs. Through two games, Akron already ranks at or near the bottom of every major offensive & defensive stat category. Akron has played at five BCS schools over the past three years (Tennessee, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Indiana). They’ve lost each game by an average of 32 points per game but are 2-3 ATS.

Purdue (+20.5, 50) vs. Notre Dame

No team needed a feel-good win more than Purdue last week after getting drubbed at Cincinnati in the opener. What the Boilers got was an uninspiring 20-14 win at home against FCS Indiana State. After a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game, Purdue’s scoring was again stagnant. The Boilers notched just 284 total yards and 16 first downs. QB Henry was unimpressive and the running game gained just 134 yards on 46 carries (2.9 YPC). Up next the Boilers are 20 point underdogs at home against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is going to be angry off of its loss to Michigan last week and Purdue is going to need a huge performance to end the five-game series losing streak. Notre Dame has won two straight in West Lafayette by 15.5 PPG.

Penn State (-5.5, 50.5) vs. Central Florida

PSU didn’t have any problems with Eastern Michigan last week. The Nittany Lions had a +391 yard advantage and +14 first downs. Freshman QB Hackenberg continues to make strides with 311 passing yards on 23-of-33 passing with one touchdown and one interception. Hackenberg will face his toughest defense of the season yet when UCF visits this week. The Knights have allowed just seven points total through two games (against Akron and Florida International) and are allowing just 212 YPG. On the other side, the Nittany Lions will face their toughest offense to date. UCF is led by junior QB Blake Bortles, who is off to a great start after a breakout 2012 campaign (25 TD and 7 INT). Bortles has completed 70% of his passes for 528 yards with 4 TD and 0 INT through the first two weeks. UCF is 0-7 all-time vs. the Big Ten, but covered against Ohio State last season as a 18-point underdog (lost 16-31).

Indiana (-2.5, 63.5) vs. Bowling Green

Indiana’s defense has struggled mightily through two games. The Hoosiers allowed 306 yards and 35 points to FCS Indiana State in week one and things got much worse against Navy last week. They allowed Navy to rack up 515 total yards and 41 points. Navy didn’t punt the ball once and rushed 70 times for 444 yards. Bowling Green has looked impressive in two wins so far. The Falcons demolished a good Tulsa team in week one, 34-7; and went on the road to notch another solid win, this time over conference foe Kent State. Bowling Green’s offense has produced 37.5 PPG through two games and looks much better under sophomore QB Matt Johnson (357 passing yards on 76% completions with 2 TD and no INT in his first official start last week). The Hoosiers offense hasn’t had much trouble moving the ball, but Bowling Green’s defense will be their toughest test to date. The Falcons have allowed just 50% completions and just 3.5 YPC to opposing offenses. There has been just 29 points scored against them and 27 total first downs.

Northwestern (-31, 59.5) vs. Western Michigan

After surviving the Cal Bears on the road in week one, Northwestern had a much easier time discarding Syracuse at home. The Wildcats duo of QB’s Siemian and Colter had huge days, combining to complete 30-of-37 passes for 375 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. They were playing without star RB Venric Mark, but were still able to notch 206 rushing yards on 44 carries. Defensively Northwestern still has work to do. This unit allowed 434 yards and 29 first downs to the Orange. And this game would’ve been a lot closer had Syracuse QB Drew Allen not thrown four interceptions. Nonetheless, Northwestern improved to 2-0 and gets Western Michigan at home this week. The Wildcats are favored by 31 points – the most they’ve ever been favored against an FBS squad. They are 9-0 in their last nine games vs. MAC opponents and are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games hosting non-conference schools.

Minnesota (-24, 45.5) vs. FCS Western Illinois

Minnesota gets a tune-up this week against FCS Western Illinois after easy wins vs. UNLV and at New Mexico State. Much like the game against UNLV, the game against NMSU would’ve been a lot closer if not for two non-offensive touchdowns for Minnesota. The Gophers scored on a punt return and a fumble return. That gives them five non-offensive touchdowns through two weeks. The Gophers used a bruising running attack to eat clock and exhaust the defense last week. They ran 43 times for 342 yards (8.0 YPC) and three touchdowns. Minnesota is just 4-2 against FCS opponents over the last six years with the average score 28-22.

Michigan State (-24, 40) vs. FCS Youngstown State

Another week, another underwhelming offensive performance by Michigan State. MSU gained just 265 yards and 16 first downs. They used three quarterbacks who combined to complete just 12-of-24 passes for 94 yards. The Spartans notched a 21-6 win over South Florida, but the defense scored two of the three touchdowns. The “D” also held the Bulls to just 155 total yards and 12 first downs. Right now the defense is the only thing holding the Spartans together but sooner or later the offense is going to have to step up. The Spartans get a tune-up game this week against Youngstown State before traveling to Notre Dame next week. The only prior meeting between these two was the 2011 opener. MSU won 28-6 and allowed YSU to just 81 total yards. Youngstown State finished 7-4 last year and beat FBS Pittsburgh, 31-17.

[TheGame]

College Football Betting Preview: UCLA at Nebraska
By Ian Cameron
Sportsmemo.com

UCLA at Nebraska
Saturday, 9 am PT - ABC
CRIS Opener: Nebraska -4 O/U 68
CRIS Current: Nebraska -4.5 O/U 70
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Nebraska -1.5
Ian Cameron's Recommendation: Over

With the nature of college football these days and the endless number of potent offenses in existence, sometimes you can’t shy away from betting a game over the total even when dealing with a total of 70 like we have with the UCLA Bruins and Nebraska Cornhuskers. This game has shootout written all over it when we account for the offensive weapons and defensive deficiencies of both squads.

UCLA has the exact type of offense, led by dual-threat quarterback Brett Hundley, that can cause Nebraska’s suspect defense fits. Hundley had an impressive performance in the Bruins opener against Nevada throwing for a pair of touchdowns and rushing for a pair in their 58-20 blowout win over Nevada. UCLA racked up 647 total yards with 345 on the ground and 302 through the air. That is the same kind of potent and well balanced offense that gave this same Nebraska team a world of problems in its opener against Wyoming. They faced another dual-threat quarterback in Brett Smith who was able to have success through the air and on the ground. Nebraska yielded a stunningly bad 602 total yards of offense to the Cowboys (383 passing, 219 rushing) including 35 first downs and nearly fell victim to the biggest upset of the college football season. But that type of performance can hardly be considered an isolated incident. Nebraska was sliced and diced by UCLA when these teams met last season as the Bruins gained 309 yards through the air and 344 on the ground in its 36-30 win in Los Angeles.

While Nebraska’s defense has its share of concerns, the offense has been terrific. Quarterback Taylor Martinez threw 6 TDs and 1 INT against Wyoming and Southern Miss. He is another dual-threat quarterback who is capable of causing problems for the UCLA stop unit that allowed Nevada’s Cody Fajardo (another multi-dimensional QB) to have success throwing the football and running it as Fajardo alone notched 106 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.

The Achilles heel for UCLA defensively last season was stopping the run and against Nevada they surrendered 171 rushing yards. And this same Nebraska squad racked up 260 yards on the ground for 7.2 yards per carry in last year’s meeting. The Cornhuskers offense doesn’t work as well when they are shut down on the ground – Martinez needs a strong running game to make him more effective throwing the football. Off a bye week, the Bruins may put up slightly more resistance than Wyoming and Southern Miss but at home, expect NU to continue to move the ball will relative ease.

This is a high total for a reason but I don’t think it is quite high enough. With great weather conditions expected on Saturday, we’ll go to the well once again with a play on the Over in what should be a shootout.