College Football Betting Info. Week 1

[Tomkelly95]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

SMU at BAYLOR...June Jones 4-5 as DD dog since 2011 and SMU only 5-11 as visiting dog since 2010. Art Briles 22-8 vs. line since late 2011 and Bears covered all seven laying 20 or more LY. Bears won and covered 59-24 in 2012 in a battle of old SWC rivals

[Tomkelly95]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

MIAMI-FLA. at LOUISVILLE ...Re-debut of Petrino at 'Ville and Cards' ACC debut as well! Petrino was only 5-7 vs. line at WKU LY though he was 8-4 SU with Tops. At Arkansas, Petrino was 14-4-1 as home chalk from 2009-11 and was 25-13-1 vs. line in those years. Miami dropped 7 of last 8 vs. line LY to tarnish Al Golden's past spread successes, though Canes only 1-4-1 as doggie away from home past two seasons.

[TheGame]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

Saturday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Clemson at Georgia

As of late Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had Georgia listed as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 55. Gamblers can back the Tigers on the money line for a +250 return (risk $100 to win $250). The number for the side opened at 8.5, while the 'over/under' started at 58 before steadily coming down.

Georgia's 2013 season was marred by injuries and ended with a disappointing 24-19 loss to Nebraska at the Gator Bowl. The Bulldogs finished 8-5 straight up and they were horrible for our purposes, finished with an abysmal 3-9-1 spread record. Four of UGA's losses were one-possession games, and three of its defeats were gut-wrenching heartbreakers.

The first back-breaking setback came at Clemson in the opener. The Tigers won a 38-35 decision and UGA failed to convert a short field goal in the fourth quarter when the holder couldn't handle a snap. When Mark Richt's team went to Nashville, it let a lead get away at crunch time in a 31-27 loss to Vanderbilt. On the Plains in November, a terrific second-half comeback was wasted when Auburn hit a bomb for a touchdown on a fourth-and-long play after a pair of UGA defenders deflected the pass directly into the hands of a streaking wide receiver.

Senior QB Hutson Mason finally gets his chance as the starter after backing up the departed Aaron Murray, who threw for a school-record 13,166 career passing yards. When Murray tore his ACL in a home win over Kentucky in late November, Mason got a pair of starting assignments. In his first on The Flats, UGA trailed Georgia Tech by 13 at intermission before Mason orchestrated a rally. He threw for 299 yards and a pair of TDs in a 41-34 double-overtime victory. In the loss to Nebraska, Mason threw for 320 yards but a third-quarter interception gave the Cornhuskers a short field and proved to be costly.

UGA returns six starters on offense and eight on defense. RB Todd Gurley is healthy after battling a nagging ankle injury that forced him to miss three full games and a good chunk of a win over LSU. Nevertheless, Gurley still ran for 989 yards and 10 TDs while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. The Dawgs have the country's best 1-2 combo of RBs now that Keith Marshall is also healthy. Marshall went down with a torn ACL in a win at Tennessee in early October. Marshall ran for 759 yards (6.5 YPC) as a true freshman in 2012.

UGA senior WR Malcolm Mitchell saw his 2013 campaign end in the opener at Clemson when he was injured in an end-zone celebration. Bad luck hit Mitchell again when he got hurt at the first practice in August. The knee injury has him listed as 'doubtful' on Saturday. Also, WR Justin Scott-Wesley is suspended.

Clemson returns five starters on offense and seven on defense from a team that went 11-2 SU and 7-6 ATS. The defection on offense are crucial, though. The Tigers must replace the school's all-time leader in passing yards (Tajh Boyd) and receiving yards (Sammy Watkins). Boyd blew up Charlie Whitehurst's career numbers early in his senior year in which he posted a 34/11 TD-INT ratio. The production of Watkins (101 catches, 1,464 yards and 12 TDs in 2013) will be impossible to replace.

Clemson's only losses last season came to top-five teams (vs. FSU and at South Carolina), but we should note that its only regular-season victory over a ranked foe came in the opener vs. UGA. With that said, the Tigers probably had their best performance in their last time out when they captured a 40-35 win over Ohio State as 2.5-point underdogs at the Orange Bowl.

Senior QB Cole Stoudt takes over as the starter under center. He has a stellar 8/1 TD-INT ratio but has never really seen meaningful playing time. In 2013, Stoudt completed 47-of-59 throws (79.7%) for 415 yards and five TDs without being intercepted. True freshman Deshaun Watson, the prize of Clemson's 2014 recruiting class, could see some playing time.

Dabo Swinney probably has the best combo of coordinators in the country with OC Chad Morris and DC Brent Venables. The latter has done a tremendous job in his two years since coming to Clemson after 13 seasons at Oklahoma, and his 'D' in 2014 should be the Tigers' best in at least a decade. This unit is led by DE Vic Beasley, who earned first-team All-American honors as a junior by registering 13 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 12 QB hurries.

As a road underdog during Swinney's tenure, Clemson owns a 6-3 spread record.

Since 2004, UGA has struggled as a home favorite with a 24-32-2 ATS ledger.

ESPN will have the broadcast at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State

As of late Thursday afternoon, most spots had FSU listed as an 18-point favorite with a total of 63.5. Bettors can take the Cowboys to win outright for a +650 payout (risk $100 to win $650).

FSU is set to defend the school's third national title when it makes its first appearance at Jerry World in Arlington, TX. The Seminoles have won 16 in a row and haven't tasted defeat since Florida won by a 37-27 count in Tallahassee in late November of 2012.

Jameis Winston led FSU to a 14-0 SU record and an 11-2-1 ATS mark. He shredded defenses for 4,057 passing yards with a 40/10 TD-INT ratio. Winston also ran for four scores.

Jimbo Fisher's team brings back seven starters on offense and six on defense. The defense lost five of its top six tacklers, while the offense lost leading rusher Devonta Freeman (14 rushing TDs) and WRs Kelvin Benjamin (15 TD catches) and Kenny Shaw (54 receptions, 933 yards & six TDs).

Despite the departures of Benjamin and Shaw, Winston has a pair of All-American candidates to target in WR Rashad Greene and TE Nick O'Leary. Green had a team-high 76 receptions for 1,128 yards and nine TDs last season, while O'Leary hauled in 33 catches for 557 yards and seven TDs.

FSU went 10-2-1 ATS as a double-digit favorite last season.

Oklahoma State has lost a lot of talent from a 2013 squad that finished 10-3 SU and 8-5 ATS. The Cowboys lost by nine at West Virginia, by nine against Oklahoma and by 10 against Missouri at the Cotton Bowl. However, all three of those games were much closer than the final score indicated and OSU was in position to win all three of those contests midway through the fourth quarter.

Mike Gundy's team returns just eight total starters (four on each side of the ball). Junior QB J.W. Walsh is the starting QB after Clint Chelf departed. Walsh has eight career starts and a 22/8 career TD-INT ratio. Chelf has last year's leading rusher Desmond Roland back in the mix. Roland ran for 811 yards and 13 TDs while averaging 4.6 YPC. Gundy will have a new weapon at his disposal in prize recruit Tyreek Hill, a world-class sprinter who will play both WR and RB and might even get touches out of a Wildcat-type formation. OSU fans can look for Hill to make a lot of explosive plays, and the Cowboys will need several Saturday night if they're thinking upset.

Oklahoma State lost eight of its top nine tacklers from one of its best defenses during Gundy's tenure. The unit allowed only 21.6 PPG but must replace a slew of key players.

This is the richest underdog spot for Oklahoma State since a 36-10 loss at Texas as an 18-point 'dog way back in 2006.

Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

Wisconsin vs. LSU

This meeting of SEC and Big Ten powers will take place in Houston. Then in 2015, LSU will travel to Lambeau Field in Green Bay to face Wisconsin.

As of late Thursday afternoon, most books had LSU installed as a five-point favorite with a total of 50 for 'over/under' wagers. The Tigers are -200 on the money line, while the Badgers are +170 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $170).

Les Miles's team went 10-3 SU and 6-7 ATS in 2013. The Tigers dropped a pair of heartbreakers on the road at Georgia (44-41) and at Ole Miss (27-24). They closed the season with a 21-14 non-covering win over Iowa as 7.5-point 'chalk' at the Outback Bowl.

LSU returns five starters on offense and seven on defense. It lost its top four offensive players to the NFL Draft, including QB Zach Mettenberger, RB Jeremy Hill, WR Jarvis Landry and WR Odell Beckham Jr. Nevertheless, the Tigers have a solid offensive line and an outstanding trio of RBs. Despite backing up Hill, Terrence Magee rushed for 626 yards and eight TDs while averaging 7.3 YPC. Kenny Hilliard, who was the MVP of the 2011 SEC Championship Game as a freshman, had seven rushing scores last season and averaged 4.6 YPC. Miles also landed the nation's No. 1 RB in the 2014 class, Leonard Fournette. If Fournette is 'as advertised,' LSU fans can count on an eighth double-digit win season in the 10th year of Miles's tenure.

LSU is expected to play both of its QBs against Wisconsin. Anthony Jennings got one start last season against Iowa, but he didn't look sharp in the winning effort. To his credit, however, Jennings replaced an injured Mettenberger in a tie game and threw a game-winning TD pass to beat Arkansas in the regular-season finale. Brandon Harris was more impressive in the spring game, though, as Jennings threw a pair of pick-sixes.

Wisconsin brings back seven starters on offense and three on defense from a team that went 9-4 both SU and ATS. The Badgers lost three one-possession games last season and dropped a 34-24 decision to South Carolina at the Capital One Bowl. One of those defeats, a 32-30 setback at Arizona State, can be blamed on Gary Andersen, who made a knucklehead clock-management decision that prevented his team from being able to attempt a short field goal for the win. They basically lost their entire front seven, including All-American LB Chris Borland, so inexperience on defense is a concern.

Wisconsin's Joel Stave started all 13 games at QB last year and six as a redshirt freshman in 2012. But Andersen named Tanner McEvoy as the starter vs. LSU last week. McEvoy provides more of a scrambling dynamic, but he played safety for the Badgers last season. Andersen clearly wants a more mobile QB in the mold of his signal caller Chuckie Keeton at Utah St.

The catalyst for UW is junior RB Melvin Gordon, who is a legit Heisman candidate. Gordon rushed for 1,609 yards and 12 TDs while averaging 7.8 YPC in 2013. Those numbers earned the speedster third-team All-American honors. Gordon will run behind an offensive line that's ranked tops in the Big Ten by Phil Steele.

UW lost its top four pass catchers, including perennial All Big Ten selection Jared Abbrederis.

ESPN will provide television coverage at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

[TheGame]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

College Football Betting News and Notes
Covers.com

Wind, chance of storms at this stadium Saturday

The Big House could be in store for some less-than-ideal weather conditions Saturday.

The Michigan Wolverines host the Appalachian State Mountaineers from Michigan Stadium and forecasts are calling for a 56 percent possibility of thunderstorms.

Furthermore, wind could play a factor as gusts are expected to hover around 12-to-15 mph, blowing toward the north endzone.

The Wolverines are currently 34-point home favorites for the matchup. The total is 54.5.


Over a hot bet when this school plays MAC teams

The Over is 4-0 in the last four games when the Purdue Boilermakers take on teams from the Mid-American Conference.

The Boilermakers will host the Western Michigan Broncos from Ross-Ade Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Purdue and the MAC's Northern Illinois Huskies played over the closing total of 59.5 last year with the Huskies prevailing 55-24.

The LV Superbook has tabbed the game with a total of 53.


This opening number too high for totals bettors

Despite being the top Over play last season, the opening number appears to be simply too high for the Troy Trojans' first game of the season versus UAB.

Offshore books posted a total of 67 to start with, but that has been in free-fall mode ever since, with most shops dealing a 63, the same number the LV Superbook opened with earlier this morning.

The Trojans were a spectacular 11-1 Over/Under last season, including a 34-31 victory over the Blazers in Week 1 last year. The 64 points finished over the closing total of 62.5.


Bruins cashing tickets outside of conference

The UCLA Bruins, lead by Heisman-hopeful Brett Hundley, open the season on the other side of the country Saturday, but they more prove to fruitful for bettors.

The Bruins are 4-0 against the spread in their last four non-conference games and are currently 20-point road faves at the Virginia Cavaliers of the ACC Saturday.

Bruins backers will hope for a start the new season reminiscent of last season, when UCLA began the season 5-0 ATS in their opening five games.

[TheGame]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

Game of the Day: SMU at Baylor
By Covers.com

Southern Methodist Mustangs at Baylor Bears (-33, 74.5)

Tenth-ranked Baylor feels like it still has something to prove when it opens its new $266 million on-campus McLane Stadium on Sunday against visiting Southern Methodist. The reigning Big 12 champion set an NCAA record by scoring 52.4 points per game and led the nation with 618.8 yards in 2013 but finished 2-2 - including a 52-42 loss to Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl. The Bears' high-flying offense has to replace two running backs and a key lineman but senior quarterback Bryce Petty has lots of targets returning.

"Our offense is going to be unbelievable - faster, stronger and more physical," the Heisman hopeful told the media earlier this month. "We have more athletes than we've had in a long time." Sophomore Neal Burcham won the job to replace SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert and the Mustangs need an improved defense to aid the transition. SMU's June Jones has never had back-to-back losing seasons in his 15 years as a coach.

LINE HISTORY: A large portion of offshores opened the Bears as 31.5-point home faves, but that line is now Baylor -33. The total is currently 74.5.

INJURY REPORT: Mustangs - DB J.R. Richardson (Questionable, illness). Bears - WR Corey Coleman (Questionable, hamstring), WR Clay Fuller (Out indefinitely, collarbone).

WEATHER REPORT: Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the low-90s with wind blowing from the south at 13 mph.

WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "The Bears were the highest scoring team in college football in 2013, and Bryce Petty should keep the offense clicking again this season. They only return four starters on defense though, and the secondary looks like a big question mark." Covers Expert Jesse Schule.

ABOUT SOUTHERN METHODIST (2013: 5-7 SU, 6-6 ATS): Burcham started the final two games in place of injured Gilbert and finished the year completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 556 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver Darius Joseph (808 yards, five touchdowns) was ranked second in the American Athletic Conference last year with 103 catches and linebacker-turned-running back Kevin Pope will give the Mustangs depth in the backfield. SMU has three defensive line starters and linebacker Stephon Sanders (86 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss) returning to a defense that allowed 412.6 yards and 33.3 points last year.

ABOUT BAYLOR (2013: 11-2 SU, 9-4 ATS): Petty (62 percent completions for 4,200 yards, 32 touchdowns, three interceptions) and the Bears have five of their top six receivers back, including Antwan Goodley (71 catches, 1,339 yards, 13 scores) and Levi Norwood (47, 733, eight), who is on a 27-game reception streak. Shock Linwood will be the primary back after rushing for 881 yards and eight touchdowns last year behind departed 1,000-yard rusher Lache Seastrunk. Linebacker Bryce Hager (71 tackles in nine games before a season-ending injury) and safety Terrell Burt (61 tackles, two interceptions) return to lead a young defense.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings.
* Mustangs are 0-4 ATS in their last four non-conference games.
* Over is 4-0 in Bears last four non-conference games.
* Over is 21-5-1 in Bears last 27 home games.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Sixty-five percent of Covers Consensus bets are backing Baylor.

[TheGame]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

Miami, Fl. at Louisville
August 31, 2014
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Matchup: Miami, Fl. at Louisville
Venue: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Date: Monday, Sept. 1, 2014
Time/TV: 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Line: Louisville -3.5, Over/Under 54
Last Meeting: Dec. 28, 2013, Louisville (-5.5) 36 vs. Miami, Fl. 9

Miami will be looking to avenge an embarrassing postseason loss to Louisville when these schools square off Monday night at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. As of early Saturday afternoon, most betting shops had U of L installed as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 54. Some books had the Cardinals at minus three with a -120 price.

Bobby Petrino's team is -170 on the money line, while gamblers can take the Hurricanes to win outright for a +150 return (risk $100 to win $150).

Since leaving Louisville after going 41-9 in four seasons from 2003-2006, Petrino has left a pair of jobs under sketchy circumstances. First, while he was at U of L, he flirted with schools like Ole Miss, LSU, Notre Dame and others, not to mention the Oakland Raiders. Shortly after signing a 10-year contract with U of L, he bolted for the Atlanta Falcons.

But within months of his hiring, Michael Vick became immersed in an ugly dog-fighting scandal that led to a two-year prison sentence. Petrino took the job to coach Vick but instead of buckling down and going to work (after all, he was getting paid $5 million per year!), he reacted angrily and distanced himself from his players with his mercurial behavior. In the end, Petrino bolted with three games left in the season to take the Arkansas job, leaving owner Arthur Blank fuming because he went on national television 24 hours earlier and spoke highly of Petrino, who had assured Blank there was nothing to the Arkansas rumors before a Falcons loss on Monday Night Football.

Twenty-four hours after the MNF loss, Petrino was calling the Hogs in Fayetteville live on Sports Center.

Petrino coached his ass off at Arkansas, winning 10 games in his final season. The losses came at LSU and at Alabama, who both had to come to Fayetteville in 2012 when expectations were through the roof based on the return of QB Tyler Wilson and RB Knile Davis.

But during spring practice, a wreck on a Harley Davison motorcycle prompted one of the most scandalous one-week investigation in the history of sports in the state of Arkansas. Petrino initially told AD Jeff Long that he was alone when he crashed. A subsequent investigation revealed that Petrino was with a young co-ed who recently graduated after a volleyball career for the Razorbacks.

Additionally, she had just been given a job within the Arkansas football program ahead of more than 150 other applicants. Petrino also gave her a $20,000 signing bonus out of his own pocket, which was obviously a major breach of school rules.

Since Petrino originally lied to Long about being solo for the motorcycle wreck, in addition to hiring his mistress, the well-respected AD was left with a tough decision. But in the end, despite Petrino's success on the field, it was a no-brainer for Long to send BP packing.

Petrino spent a year away from football repairing his marriage and attempting to make things right with his family. Then Western Kentucky hired him for the 2013 campaign and he led it to an 8-4 record. The Hilltoppers actually made cash in this scenario, as the contract was built to protect the school if BP left after just one season.

Louisville had a strong four-year run under Charlie Strong, who turned down several jobs in 2013, including a lucrative offer from Tennessee, but couldn't pass on the chance to replace Mack Brown at Texas. The Cardinals went 12-1 straight up and 5-7-1 against the spread last year, smashing Miami by a 36-9 count as five-point favorites at the Russell Athletic Bowl.

But U of L lost its leader in Teddy Bridgewater, who started at QB for three seasons and finished as the school's third all-time leading passer. He went to the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, as did DE Calvin Pryor. Petrino inherits a squad returning seven starters on offense but just four on defense.

Louisville's 2013 'D' surrendered just 12.2 points per game. Former Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham signed a lucrative four-year contract (guaranteed!) to become the Cards' DC. However, and nobody should be stunned by this, a recent report from SI.com revealed that Grantham and Petrino are having issues galore, including multiple shouting matches in front of the rest of the staff.

Will Gardner saw limited duty behind Bridgewater as a redshirt freshman, completing 8-of-12 passes for 112 yards and two TDs without being intercepted. He has a pair of outstanding RBs to lean on in Dominique Brown and Michael Dyer. Brown rushed for a team-best 825 yards and eight TDs last year while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. The Cards also have Michael Dyer, the MVP of Auburn's BCS Championship Game win over Oregon four years ago. But Dyer struggled with injuries last year and his status for Monday night is in question due to another injury.

U of L will be without its best offensive weapon in wide receiver DeVante Parker, who broke his foot last weekend and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Parker had 55 catches for 885 yards and 12 TDs in 2013.

Miami started 2013 with seven consecutive wins, only to drop three in a row by double-digit margins once star RB Duke Johnson was lost to a season-ending injury. After getting spanked by U of L in the postseason, Al Golden's squad finished 9-4 SU and 5-8 ATS.

The Hurricanes return seven starters on offense and seven on defense. However, starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who had 46 tackles and three interceptions in 2013, is out for the season due to back surgery. Also, UM's top two quarterbacks, Ryan Williams and Kevin Olsen, won't play against the Cardinals.

Williams is still recovering from a torn ACL last year but could be ready in a few weeks. Olsen is serving a one-game suspension. Therefore, true freshman Brad Kaaya will get the starting nod under center.

The good news is that Johnson is healthy again. Despite playing only seven games, Johnson still garnered first-team All-ACC honors with 920 rushing yards and six TDs. He averaged 6.1 YPC and has take-it-the-house speed on any given carry.

As a road underdog, UM owns a 5-4-1 spread record as a road underdog during Golden's tenure.

This key ACC showdown will kick Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

[TheGame]

Re: College Football Betting Info. Week 1

College Football Week 1

Louisville (-5) whipped Miami 36-9 in bowl game LY, outgaining them 554-174, Hurricanes struggled to come up with QB this year; a freshman beat out BYU/Kansas transfer Heaps for #1 job. Miami is 6-5-1 in last 12 games as road dogs; they've got three starters back on OL. Petrino is back as Louisville HC; Cardinals have four starters back on OL (total of 121 career starts) but a new QB- they went 15-29 vs spread at home in post-Petrino era. Now that he is back, will they dominate at home again? Louisville was +28 in turnovers last two years.