October 21-27, 2014 College Game Of The Month Goes ... · clinched college football’s distinguished ‘Most Improved Team’ award for 2013. It came after winning just three games

Volume 29, Issue 10 October 21-27, 2014

ALL BEST BETS 24-6LAST THREE WEEKS!

5★ College Game Of The Month Goes Saturday!

• ‘Betcha Didn’t Know’ Handicapping Article

• Awesome Angle & Tremendous Trends

• Incredible Stat of the Week

• Analysis on Every Lined Game

• Best Bets and Key Plays

• Full Schedule with Opening Lines

86% AWESOME ANGLE INSIDE!

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ATS W-L Record Since 1980:

22-4(86%)

TRIPSTO WIN

PLAY ON any college football conference home dog of 3 or more points off back-to-back SU home

losses if they are facing a .200 or greater opponent that scored 14 or more points in its last game.

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK

T R I V I A T E A S E R

This coach loves return engagements, going 18-3 SU and 13-6-2 ATS in home games after playing at home the previous game. Better yet, he improves to 12-1 SU and 10-1-2 ATS in these games when facing

an opponent off a spread win. Who is this week’s boomeranger?

For the Trivia Teaser answer, turn to page 14.

THIS WEEK'S AMAZING SITUATIONAL PLAY

Be sure to check out the COACHES LEAGUE for ATS records on every College & NFL coach in 16 key situational roles. Simply log on to www.PLAYBOOK.com and click on the COACHES LEAGUE.

T R I V I A T E A S E R

PLAY AGAINST college football’s most improved team

from last season if they are off a SU loss as a favorite in

their last game.

“You can’t start a fi resitting ‘round crying over a

broken heartThis gun’s for hire

Even if we’re just dancing in the dark.”

When Auburn stunned Alabama in the SEC title game and went on to meet Florida

State in the last-ever BCS championship game last season, Gus Malzahn’s Tigers clinched college football’s distinguished ‘Most Improved Team’ award for 2013.

It came after winning just three games in 2012, a mere two years removed from a 14-0 national championship campaign in 2010. Auburn acquired Malzahn’s services with the promise of better days ahead – and he delivered.

When the Tigers’ players and coaches all got on the bus with Gus, lo and behold they won 12 games, a net improvement of 8 full games.

As a result, Auburn becomes a preseason Top 10 squad with expectations aplenty in 2014. But before we award them another SEC championship, be advised that what goes up must come down.

And we’re not just dancing in the dark here, folks. That’s confi rmed by the fact

that college football’s most improved teams are a louse-infested 48.4% pointspread proposition the very next season in nearly 500 games dating back to 1980.

Granted, there may be better days ahead for these ‘most improved squads’ but certainly not in games after having had the rug pulled out from under them as a favorite in their previous game. In fact, they become serious moneymaking fade material when we –

Play ON: CALIFORNIA (Friday, 10/24)

Marc Lawrence's

BETCHADIDN'TKNOW

Talk about not knowing how to handle adversity, these imposters fall fl at on their face in this role, going 14-31-1 ATS since 1980 – including 0-5 ATS the last three seasons.

Worse, teams who allowed 30 or more points in the loss disappear like vegans at a barbeque in these follow-up contests, going 5-16 SU and 3-18 ATS. That puts the Auburn Tigers on our dance card this week.

Ohio State complied last year when, after falling as a 5.5-point favorite to

Michigan State in the Big 10 title game, they proceeded to lose as once again as a favorite in the Orange Bowl, dropping a 40-35 decision to Clemson.

So with the Tigers choking as favorites at Mississippi State in their last contest, a Bruce Springsteen message is likely running through their minds as the Boss subtly reminds them, “There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me. I’ll shake this world off my shoulders, come on baby this laugh’s on me.”

My celebrated 5★ College Football Game Of The Month kicks off this Saturday, and best of all it’s included with another $99 Football Weekend of Winners from my award-winning Preferred Picks Late Phone Executive Football Service.

Remember, we’re documented 63-28 on this huge play since 1990 with the Washington Huskies bringing home the bacon as 8-point home dogs over Stanford last month!

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DANCINGIN THE DARK

A Weekly Insight Into The Art Of Sports Handicapping

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College Football Games

2-MINUTE HANDICAP ATS = Against The Spread • A = Away • Con = Conference • D = Dog

F = Favorite • H = Home • Rev = Revenge • R = Road • SU = Straight-Up

FOR A COMPLETE 2-MINUTE HANDICAP OF EVERY GAME ON TODAY'S CARD, VISIT www.PLAYBOOK.com

TEAMS KEY FACTS, STATS & ATS TRENDS

All results are ATS – Against The Spread – and most recent, unless noted otherwise. Content contained in this report remains the exclusive private property of PLAYBOOK™ and PLAYBOOK.COM™ and may not be reused or disseminated in any form without express written consent of the publisher.

LSU is 45-4 SU at Tiger Stadium at night under Les Miles. Three of the losses occurred to teams that

were either ranked No. 1 or became ranked No. 1.Be sure to read the INCREDIBLE STAT OF THE WEEK each week in the PLAYBOOK Football Newsletter!

INCREDIBLE STAT OF THE WEEK

TEAMS KEY FACTS, STATS & ATS TRENDS

NFL Games

Saturday, October 25S Carolina 3-0 off unlined home win… 6-1 as conf dogs 10 > ptsAUBURN SERIES: 5-1 L6… 7-3 off SU raod fav loss… 1-3 aft Miss St

Mississippi St 4-1 as conf RF’s > 1 pt… 0-3 off SU home dog winKENTUCKY 7-3 aft RG vs Lsu… 1-10 as HD’s 7 > pts… 1-5 Game Eight

Syracuse 3-1 as conf dogs 13 > pts… 1-5 away w/ conf revengeCLEMSON 9-3 vs conf revenge… 3-1 as conf HF’s 13 > pts

Texas Tech 6-2 as conf RD’s > 14 pts… 0-5 Game Eight… 0-3 bef TexasTCU 5-2 in 2nd of BB HG’s vs conf opp… 1-5 as conf HF’s 10 > pts

Alabama SERIES: 4-0 L4… 7-1 Game Eight… 7-1 bef LsuTENNESSEE 1-4 w/ conf revenge… 2-9 as HD’s 6 > pts… 2-6 aft Miss

Michigan 7-2 w/ rest… 1-5 Game Eight… 1-4 as DD conf dogsMICHIGAN ST SERIES: 6-0 L6 / 3-0 home… 1-8 as conf favs 15 > pts

Ole Miss 1-6 as conf RF’s < 18 pts… 2-10 vs conf revengeLSU 3-0 Game Nine… 4-1 bef Alabama… 5-2 as HD’s < 10 pts

Usc 3-1 away vs conf revenge… 1-5 bef Wash StUTAH 7-3 as HF / HD 3 < pts… 1-4 Game Seven W Virginia 0-3 bef Tcu… 1-4 Game Eight… 1-4 away in between HG’sOKLA ST 6-1 as favs 3 > pts w/ conf revenge… 10-2 as HF’s 10 < pts

Texas 5-1 in 1st of BB RG’s… 1-6 bef Tex Tech… 1-4 aft Iowa StKANSAS ST SERIES: 6-1 L7… 5-1 as DD conf HF’s… 8-2 w/ conf revenge

Ohio St SERIES: 4-1 L5… 9-0 bef Illinois… 13-2 as RF’s 10 < ptsPENN ST 1-5 as dogs w/ conf revenge… 1-4 w/ rest… 1-4 L5 as HD’s

WEEK SEVEN BYES: PHILADELPHIA, TAMPA BAY

Thursday, October 23San Diego 8-0 1st BB A w/ rev vs div opp… 8-0 A bef MiamiDENVER SERIES: 4-11 L15 / 0-8 L8 H… 0-7 H off NFC vs opp w/ rev

Sunday, October 26Detroit 6-1 w/ rev aft New Orleans… 2-8 L10 bef rest Atlanta 1-5 bef Tampa Bay… 2-8 vs .500 > opp w/ triple rev

Minnesota 9-2 dogs aft facing .500 > opp vs a sub .500 opp this gmTAMPA BAY 0-8 favs aft allowing 40 > pts… 2-9 L11 Game Seven favs

Chicago 4-1 aft Miami… 23-5 < .500 vs AFC opp off SU winNEW ENGLAND 1-4 H vs NFC North… 3-10 H Game Eight

St. Louis 2-7 < .500 Away Three… 0-5 aft Seattle & scored 21 > pts KANSAS CITY SERIES: 6-1 L7… 7-0 H off div vs NFC West opp

Seatle 1-10 favs 3 < or dogs 2nd BB A off div vs .500 > oppCAROLINA 14-3 Home Four vs NFC opp… 0-5 dogs w/ triple rev

Buffalo 1-6 .500 > off SU NFC Win… 1-6 vs div opp w/ single revNY JETS SERIES: 3-1 L4 H… 9-2 H < .200 vs .500 > div opp

Miami 1-10 exactly .500 favs off SU A dog win vs < .500 oppJACKSONVILLE 6-1 off DD ATS win vs non-div opp off SU dog win

Houston 5-1 in 2nd BB A vs div opp… 1-5 off MNF gameTENNESSEE SERIES: 1-5 L6 / 0-3 L3 H… 7-1 Home Four vs opp w/ rev

Baltimore 7-0 w/ rev off SU NFC win vs opp off DD SU loss CINCINNATI SERIES: 4-1 L5 H… 0-7 H Game Seven vs div opp

Philadelphia 11-1 dogs 2 > 1st BB A… 8-1 dogs aft NY GiantsARIZONA 0-5 .500 > Home Four… 1-9 w/ rev bef Dallas

Indianapolis 1-7 RD’s < 5 pts w/ single rev vs non-div oppPITTSBURGH SERIES: 1-3 L4… 5-0 in 3rd of 3 H vs opp w/ rev

Oakland 11-2 < .500 RD’s 6 > pts off NFC gameCLEVELAND 1-7 favs or dogs < 2 pts vs opp w/ single rev

Green Bay 1-6 Game Eight favs vs < .500 opp off SU lossNEW ORLEANS 4-1 L5 Home Three… 8-0 vs NFC North (2-0 TY)

Monday, October 27Washington 6-1 Game Eight off non-div vs opp off SUATS winDALLAS 6-1 L7 Home Five off div game… 0-7 favs bef Arizona

WEEK EIGHT BYES: NY GIANTS, SAN FRANCISCO

SMARTBOX

BEHIND THE 8-BALLGame 8 of the College Football season is often a crossroads for most teams. Those who have won more games than they have lost are entertaining thoughts of securing a bowl bid. Those who are reeling and going down for the count are disappointed – and their actions on the fi eld confi rm those feelings.

According to our powerful database, teams playing Game 8 off three consecutive losses are prime candidates to be dropped into a corner pocket and counted out... especially when they take off as road dogs against an opponent off a loss in this situation. That’s because teams in this scenario are a paltry 14-102 SU and 41-72-3 ATS since 1980.

This week we’ll be queuing-up against Old Dominion. Note: Lining up behind the 8-ball next week will be Kansas when they travel to Baylor.

Better yet, bring them in against an opponent off back-to-back losses and the fall to 10-61 SU and 21-48-2 ATS. And faster than you can say break ‘em, if our qualifi ed ‘play-against’ Game 8 road dog arrives with a wobbly defense allowing 32.5 or more PPG on the season in this same situation, they scratch like a poison-ivy infected boy scout, going 3-35 SU and 8-28-2 ATS, including 1-38 SU and 4-23-2 ATS as dog of 8 or more points.

With that, look for the Monarchs to get ‘racked’ this week.

Go ahead and make the call. 8-ball in the corner pocket for the win!


Remember: You Have A PLAYBOOK Recommendation Whenever Our Predicted Margin Of Victory Is 6 Or More Points Off The Opening Line

Bruins Get Buffaloed By Ralphie And His CU Herd…Eagles Invade Glendale, Go Hitchcock On Cardinals…

THIS WEEK IN FOOTBALL - OCTOBER 21-27

Thursday, October 23EAST CAROLINA over Connecticut by 31

Sure the defensive-minded Huskies have held three of their last four foes to season low – or 2nd low – yardage but it looks to us like they’re walking into a sword fi ght tonight in Greenville against the Pirates with not much more than one of those light-up sabers you fi nd at Disney. Only SMU and Wake Forest own inferior offenses (254 YPG) and UConn’s 13 PPG output simply can’t hold up against an East Carolina attack that is No. 3 in the land (564 YPG) in total offense while averaging 41 PPG. In fact, conceding 28 points and over 300 yards per game is an offensive justice that even Perry Mason can’t defend. And though we would love to make a case for the hard-trying dogs, there’s only one way to look – especially with the Pirates needing convincing wins to stay ahead of Marshall and secure a New Year’s Day non-Power 5 bowl bid. With that, we say lay it AND play it as the Pirates’ potent epees should be more than enough against these cellar-dwelling Huskies. Case closed.

VA TECH over Miami Florida by 1Wow, not even Carnac the Magnifi cent (and certainly not ESPN) could have predicted that this late October showdown in Blacksburg would feature a pair of conference doormats. The truth of the matter is, though, teams in the weak ACC Coastal can go from the outhouse to

Friday, October 24SOUTH ALABAMA over Troy by 14

With a 2-9 SU record since Halloween, including 1-6 this year, it appears that Larry Blakeney’s Trojans have lost their ‘stimulus’ and may be a bit too ‘sensitive’ to get it back. We don’t want to ‘rib’ them when they’re down but even last season’s 34-33 win over this same South Alabama squad was hard to fi gure as they were outgained by the Jaguars by almost 200 yards (630-434). That, as you know, is not a good omen – especially against a Jags’ bunch that is riding a 3-game win streak heading into this revenge affair. However, despite owning the better stats, we’re not real keen on laying doubles with the hosts, who failed in this same role last week and have only beaten the likes of Kent State, Idaho, Appalachian State and Georgia State. But if you fi nd yourself lubricated, err intoxicated, and insist on getting involved, we’re leaning slightly to the left… side of the page, that is.

CINCINNATI over South Florida by 15The second of this Friday night four-pack takes us out to the Queen City where the Bulls fi gure to do some running against a Bearcats’ bunch that has allowed season high – or 2nd high – yardage in each of their last four games. However, outside of last week when they outscored Tulsa 31-3 in the second half of a 38-31 victory, the sleepy South Florida attack (118th in the nation) had been held to 17 or fewer points in fi ve straight contests. Despite that ineptness, the Bulls have managed to muster three wins in seven games – a far cry from an excruciating 3-17 SU run over the past two seasons. One of those wins, though, came last year against Cincinnati when they topped the Bearcats, 26-20, as 10.5-point home dogs. That meaningful revenge – along with a major adjustment in tonight’s line (USF now only 11-point road dogs) and a series history that shows Cincy cashing eight of the last 10 – is more than enough to keep us from running with the Bulls tonight at Paul Brown Stadium. Lay it or leave it.

BOISE ST over Byu by 1Hill – still – for Heisman. That would be our campaign cry if we were running around Provo. And why not? Georgia is doing just fi ne without Todd Gurley, FSU beat Clemson without Jameis Winston but BYU has gone from contender to pretender without the services of star QB Taysom Hill. A 4-0 SU start in which the Cougars averaged 37.5 PPG has turned into a 0-3 SUATS nightmare since Hill’s season-ending leg injury. We know it won’t get any easier against a Boise bunch that has held three of its last four foes to season-low yardage but the Cougs do arrive with a 6-0 ATS road dog log off back-to-back SU losses and a 10-1 ATS mark as pups versus .500 or greater opposition. They have also covered the last three in the series and won’t be intimated by the smurf turf. In fact, Bronco backers have been a bit blue in home games off a previous home affair as they haven’t cashed a ticket in this scenario since 2010 (0-5 ATS). So while the Mormons may not fi nd their thrill without Taysom Hill, look for the visitors to use some strong dog pedigree to cover this generous number. A must take.

Tuesday, October 21LA-LAFAYETTE over Arkansas St by 3

We’d say that the NCAA is continuing its terrible ‘Tues’ stage with this Week Nine opener in Lafayette, but this Sun Belt showdown actually features a pair of squads that are unbeaten in conference play. Led by a ‘double deuce’ offense (both 200 yards rushing and passing), the Red Wolves will be looking to avenge their only home loss of 2013 – a 23-7 setback in which they were outgained by over 300 yards. A current 3-0 SUATS win skein – including a 52-10 rout of Georgia State two Saturdays ago in Atlanta in which they held the Panthers season-low yardage – suggests they make amends. However, the Wolves won’t fi nd this visit to Cajun Field quite as hospitable: Mark Hudspeth’s Ragins are riding a two-game win streak of their own and are 10-2 ATS versus greater-than .600 foes. They’ve also been hungrier than the Wolves in this series of late (5-1 ATS last six) and Hudspeth himself is 8-2 ATS as a dog versus a foe with a winning record, including 5-0 ATS off a SU win and 5-0 ATS in conference play. So instead of staying quiet on this one, we’re going to take out the pacifi er and grab the dangerous home dogs.

the penthouse faster than a can of Pringles would disappear in the bathroom at a Jenny Craig convention. The Hokies topped the ‘Canes, 42-24, last year in Miami as 4.5-point pups and that sets the stage for this rematch where Va Tech opened as 3-point chalk but quickly fl ipped to being the 3-point dog. We won’t chase that, not with Tech HC Frank Beamer 16-6-1 ATS as a home dog throughout his career, including 10-1-1 ATS when off a SU loss. And with VT holding a recent 10-3 ATS series edge, Miami’s 1-5 ATS effort after scoring 50 or more points strengthens our resolve. So in honor of the great Johnny Carson, we’ll leave you with this: the answer is ‘Miami Florida’. And the envelope please… “Who has not won a game on the road all year and simply cannot be trusted in this role?” Even Ed McMahon would know what to do.

Last Month: Washington (+8) 13, Stanford 20 - WINNER!

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Saturday, October 25

CLEMSON over Syracuse by 11Despite four straight losses – all against top-level competition – the Orange refuse to fold. They proved it with a superb defensive effort against Wake Forest, allowing just 170 offensive yards and using two defensive TD’s to pull away from the Demon Deacons. Syracuse now needs three wins in its fi nal fi ve games to become bowl eligible, but they’ll run smack-dab to another stout stop-unit in Death Valley as the take on the Tigers. Clemson held Boston College (averaging 315 YPG rushing entering the contest) to just 120 yards on the ground and allowed the Eagles to convert just two of 14 third-down conversions. But Clemson has struggled offensively since freshman QB DeShaun Watson went out with a broken fi nger versus Louisville and this year’s original starting QB Cole Stoudt has managed just one TD pass in his fi ve starts. However, because the Tigers held their last three foes (and four of the last fi ve) to season-low yards, Clemson is cruising along at 5-2 and hoping to hold on until Watson returns in November. The problem in this game is that Homecoming favorites do not resonate with us, especially those whose offense is down 70 YPG from last season. When we throw in a 3-1 ATS mark for the Orange as conference dogs of 13 or more points – and the fact that Syracuse is outgaining foes by 48 YPG – we expect a maximum effort from Scott Shafer’s squad.

Minnesota over ILLINOIS by 3Please allow us to introduce to you the clear leaders atop the Big 10’s West Division at 3-0: Jerry Kill’s Golden Gophers, who are also tied with Michigan State and Nebraska for the best overall record in the conference at 6-1. Although Saturday’s 39-38 win over Purdue was a little too close for comfort (a 52-yard FG late in the 4th quarter proved to be the game-winner), the Gophers have now cracked the Top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll by beating the teams they are supposed to beat (only loss to TCU). They’ve done it by riding the shoulders of burly RB David Cobb over the last four games, where the senior carried the ball 131 times and averaged 171 YPG. However, Minnesota is still being outgained by 16 YPG on the season and the rodents have an Iowa revenger on deck: they’re a weak 9-22 SU and 10-21 ATS in conference games before playing the Hawkeyes. Meanwhile, the Fightin’ Illini

Oregon over CALIFORNIA by 10Following last year’s 1-11 effort, the 4-3 Bears look to be college football’s most improved squad. Not only in the overall scheme but in the Pac-12 where a 2-3 SU conference record looks pretty good when compared to a previous 0-13 SU run. More importantly, Cal fi nds itself inside our AWESOME ANGLE tonight in Berkeley. And that 22-4 ATS gem – along with HC Sonny Dykes’ 8-2 ATS log as a dog off an ATS win – should come in handy against an Oregon group that has had their number of late (5-0 SU, 4-3 ATS). One thing we know for sure: with Heisman hopeful Marcus Mariota at the helm (zero INT’s in his last 248 pass attempts, including 188 this year), the Ducks will not beat themselves. However, with Stanford waiting in the wings (the Cardinal handed the Ducks their fi rst loss of 2013 and their ONLY loss of 2012), we certainly can see Marcus and company overlooking the Bears – and that would be a mistake. A 3-6 ATS mark in games before squaring off with Stanford attests to that while a 0-3 ATS weekday log over the past two seasons suggests the Ducks may be a bit out of water tonight in Memorial Stadium. It may take ‘trips to win’ but we’re more than happy to grab the doubles with the much-improved Bears.

3� BEST BET

If you’re like us, you won’t want to go ‘DANCING IN THE DARK’ with a streak of Tigers tonight in Jordan-Hare Stadium – specifi cally the ones from Auburn. Not only does last season’s most improved team fi nd themselves missing a glass slipper, they also face the dreaded ‘Bubble Burst’ as they look to rebound from their fi rst regular-season setback in over a year. That loss can’t be pinned on a defense that has actually improved 85 YPG over last season but the stop-unit will need to be just as stingy against a South Carolina squad that is 3-0 ATS off an unlined home win and 6-1 ATS as conference dogs of 10 or more points. Worse, they face the Ol’ Ball Coach who is at his best in league play, registering a terrifi c 103-72-2 ATS career mark. That number includes a determined 18-6 ATS as a dog of more than 6 points – which tightens to a perfect 4-0 ATS when the foe arrives off a SU loss! Impressive indeed but what really has us believing that the Tigers will fall to 1-4 ATS after mixing it up with Mississippi State is The Clincher: Spurrier is 26-9-1 SU and 26-10 ATS away versus a conference opponent off a SU loss, with six of the nine losses coming by 3 or less points – making him 33-3 ATS to tonight’s number.

AUBURN over South Carolina by 6

No Illinois over E MICHIGAN by 24NIU’s home loss to Central Michigan two weeks ago was one of the biggest shockers of the season but the sled dogs still control their own destiny going for a fi fth straight MAC West crown. And this trip to Ypsilanti appears to be nothing more than a training lap around the Iditarod oval for the Huskies as the host Eagles sit in their usual basement perch. The concern is a recent 0-4 ATS slide that has seen the NIU defense allow season-high yards in each of their last three contests. However, does it really even matter against Chris Creighton’s ‘bald’ Eagles who have already reached their 2-win quota with wins over Morgan State and Buffalo? Probably not, as a 0-16 ‘ITS’ skid – along with a recent 1-5 ATS log in this series – provides more than enough answers to this one-sided affair. Worse, the Huskies have made Rynearson Stadium their own personal watering hole, outscoring EMU 120-10 in their last two visits. That makes tonight’s 20-point number look like highway robbery.

Mississippi St over KENTUCKY by 6Things are getting ‘egg-citing’ in Mississippi as the Bulldogs and Rebels are just over a month away from their annual showdown – a meeting that could decide the National Championship landscape. And while most prognosticators believe a home showdown with Alabama in mid-November is the only roadblock for the Bulldogs between now and the Egg Bowl, we say don’t sleep on the Wildcats. Though they have struggled in today’s role (1-10 ATS as home dogs of 7 or more points) and in this particular series (1-4 ATS last fi ve), they have shown marked improvement under 2nd-year head coach Mark Stoops. Not only are the ‘Cats already 5-0 SU at home this season, they have made our MIDWEEK

ALERT take notice – outgaining foes by 61 YPG this year as opposed to -76 net YPG in 2013. And we ‘Betcha Didn’t Know’ that Mississippi State may have already ‘taken it to the limit’ as Marc’s 2013 Black Book beauty reminds us to play against any 5-0 team on the road with a week of rest when facing revenge as these teams were just 13-30 ATS heading into this campaign. As it is, the Bulldogs are just 2-5 ATS away with rest, not to mention 0-3 ATS off a SU home dog win and 3-10 ATS after dealing with Auburn. And if this isn’t the mother of all letdowns following three straight wins over Top 10 teams (fi rst time that’s been done since Auburn did it in 1983) – with an extra week off to read all their press clippings – then nothing is. So with Halloween right around the corner, we feel it’s apropos to say, ‘let the egging begin.’ ‘Take’ this one to the limit.

(continued on next page)


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are 3-4, and need a win here to maintain their bowl hopes. They will be wearing special ‘Gray Ghost’ uniforms to honor Red Grange’s Homecoming performance 90 years ago when Grange ran for 262 yards and 4 TD’s in the FIRST 12 MINUTES against Michigan. While more recent history in not in Illinois’ favor, the fact the Illini are Homecoming dogs is… so they and the ‘ghost’ might be worth a small nibble.

Akron over Ball St by 1The Cardinals are coming off their fi rst FBS win of the season, a 32-29 victory over Central Michigan last week, a game in which they were outgained by 139 yards. But Pete Lembo’s team hung tough on the road after CMU tied the game with 2:22 to play, moving into Chippewas’ territory to set up senior PK Scott Secor’s 55-yard FG for the victory. One of the highlights of the contest was RB Jahwan Edwards surpassing the 4,000-yard career rushing mark, as he became the school’s all-time leading rusher. Meanwhile, the 4-3 Zips are now 7-3 in their last 10 games going back to last season as Terry Bowden continues to make progress. However, a 3-30 SU road mark since 2008 prevents us from laying points with this bunch until a few more notches have been added to their victory belt. If the line should move in the Gonads’ favor, that might change our point of view: Ball State has been favored twice this season and lost outright both times. The game opened at ‘pick’, so check the line: laying wood would make BSU a ‘leaking oil’ favorite with a Northern Illinois revenger on deck. No thanks.

C Michigan over BUFFALO by 3First game for the Bulls since HC Jeff Quinn was fi red two weeks ago following a shocking loss to MAC bottom-feeders Eastern Michigan. The dismissal completely blind-sided the players and OC Alex Wood, who was appointed interim head coach, so there’s no telling how this team will react on the fi eld. Buffalo went bowling last season for the fi rst time since 2008, but the loss of many key players largely responsible for last year’s success has knocked this team for a loop. We’re not completely sure why the Chippewas assume the favorite’s cape today other than the fact that they’re on a 9-2 ATS chalk run of late. Their star players continued to excel in last week’s loss to Ball State as WR Titus Davis caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two scores while RB Thomas Rawls piled up another 167 yards on the ground. Overall, though, the Chippewas’ inconsistencies have made them impossible to count on, and until we fi gure out which teams will show up on both sidelines, we’ll take the safe route and punt this one.

W MICHIGAN over Ohio U by 13After dropping a 9-point season-opening decision to Purdue, the Broncos have ripped off fi ve straight winning tickets and have won the stats in six of their seven games. Arguably the best in the West (they dropped a 1-point OT loss to division leader Toledo two weeks ago), P.J. Fleck has his Broncos playing with confi dence. In an outstanding defensive performance on the road versus Bowling Green on Saturday, the stop-unit shut out the Falcons in the second half with a goal line

stand, four straight punts and a fumble recovery to ice the win. The Broncos ended up with nearly a 2-to-1 advantage in time of possession, including a 4th quarter where they controlled the football for 13:08. Now they meet a Bobcat team that came back to life with an upset win over Akron on a late FG and have now won the stats in each of their last two contests. The problem is the Cats are just 1-6 SU the last seven games away from Athens. This is an important conference matchup, as both teams are one game behind the leaders in their respective MAC divisions, and we’ll look for master motivator Fleck to have his team pumped up for this contest. Be sure to check out freshman RB Jarvion Franklin, who is ranked 6th in the nation in rushing, averaging 141.7 YPG, and leads the country with 16 TD’s on the ground.

Boston College over WAKE FOREST by 17This is defi nitely not quite what new head coach Dave Clawson envisioned when he came to Winston-Salem from Bowling Green. He was so busy enjoying the mountains and the gorgeous pines that he failed to notice the catalyst for a soon-to-unfold horror story: a bare cupboard. Sure, the picturesque surroundings near North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains are beautiful and the city has been voted one of the Top 10 places in the U.S. to retire… but starting a college football program over from scratch? That’s a different story. The Demon Deacons haven’t been able to run the football (averaging 1 yard per carry!) and after freshman QB John Wolford was knocked out in the 2nd quarter of the Syracuse game, they couldn’t pass the ball, either. Wake Forest is now 0-6 ITS versus FBS foes and has been outscored 93-20 in their last three games, failing to gain more than 170 yards in each contest. On the fl ip side, Boston College is coming off a game in which they were completely smothered by the Clemson defense, held to just 263 yards (averaged 443 YPG heading into the contest), and QB Tyler Murphy should be braced for a comeback from his worst performance of the season. BC has dominated this series, winning and covering fi ve of the last seven meetings, and since Steve Addazio’s troops have committed only seven turnovers in seven games this season, there’s only one way to look here. FYI: John Wolford’s older brother Bobby plays fullback for Boston College.

UCF over Temple by 3Last year’s meeting in Philadelphia – the fi rst ever between the two schools – was one of the craziest games of the year with ten lead changes, as UCF tied the game with 2:04 remaining when J.J. Worton’s diving one-handed catch made it 36-all. Blake Bortles then threw a 64-yard pass with 19 seconds left to set up the winning FG at the fi nal gun as the Knights escaped with a 39-36 victory as 17.5-point chalk. Temple QB P.J. Walker had his career-best game, throwing for 382 yards, but this year’s team will have to overcome a disturbing turnover trend of late after suffering a 7-0 disadvantage over the last two games, including four in the embarrassing defeat against Houston last Friday night. As for the Knights, they seem to be hitting their stride with fi ve straight wins following a 0-2 SUATS opening to the season, but we’re concerned by their 1-5 ATS mark the last six times out as double-digit chalk. On the Temple side, HC Matt Rhule added 5 and 4-star recruits TE Colin Thompson (Florida) and WR Keith Kirkwood (Hawaii) to his roster on October 11th. Both are considered to be impact players and will surely give Walker two new serious targets. With revenge on their minds and the acquisition of new talent, we’re taking any and all points here today.

VIRGINIA over North Carolina by 11Our MIDWEEK ALERT reports this is a ‘double-double inside-out’ stat game (the Heels beat Georgia Tech but lost the stats by 100 yards, while the Cavs lost to Duke but won the stats by 131 yards), a situation that immediately sets our pointer dog in the direction of the team that lost last week. In addition, Virginia HC Mike London deserves kudos for getting off the hot seat with impressive performances this season every week (6-0 ITS versus all six FBS foes, including season low – or 2nd low – yards in fi ve of those contests). All three defeats suffered by the Cavaliers were to top teams by 8 points or less: UCLA at home, and BYU and Duke on the road. Though their offense is far from prolifi c, they get to face a Tar Heel defense that has allowed 93 points in the last two games, not to mention 611 yards to Georgia Tech in last week’s miracle win over the Jackets. Nothing wrong with Carolina’s offensive attack, as

NOTE: Home team is shown in ALL CAPS. PLAYBOOK selection is Underlined and Bold. Should we pass or not have a

strong opinion on a game, neither team will be bolded.


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Georgia Tech over PITTSBURGH by 3Is it time for Georgia Tech HC Paul Johnson to spend a little more time with his defense? The Yellow Jackets have now outyarded each of their last two opponents by 100-plus yards – only to lose both games on the scoreboard. Lord knows Johnson has tinkered with that run-Forrest-run offense of his for so long that it always ranks near the top of the nation in rushing (the Wreck rambles for 305 RYPG, 5th best in college football this season) but a defense that gets ripped for a ridiculous 5.3 yards per rush needs to be repaired immediately. This week the Tech juggernaut will get a stiff test against a Pittsburgh stop-unit that’s yielding only 111 YPG rushing and 279 YPG total. The Panthers also logged a few extra days of rest after snapping a 3-game losing skid with their home dog win here last Thursday night versus Virginia Tech. But those facts don’t give us a complete picture of this matchup as our mean machine notes that coach Johnson stands 15-5 ATS as a road dog versus sub .666 opposition, and that the Panthers own a dreadful 1-7 ATS mark in their last eight tries as pick or favorites. And if the Pitt defense can’t slow Tech’s ground attack (GT rushed for 276 yards in last year’s meeting), the black cats are in big trouble: they’re an awful 2-28 ATS as chalk in games where they allow 195 or more rushing yards. Hey, that’s enough to make us think two Techs in a row will be one too many for Pittsburgh.

WISCONSIN over Maryland by 8Man, Wisconsin is sure making it tough on fans who like to place a weekly wager on their beloved Badgers. After destroying Bowling Green in Game Three, Gary Andersen’s bunch has laid a trio of big, fat pointspread eggs, losing to the number by a combined 46 points in those three contests. In fact, if we go back to the end of the 2013 season, the Badgers are stuck in an ugly 1-7 ATS skid in their previous eight lined games! However, Wisky somehow manages to keep winning In The Stats (5-0 this year) and that perceived superiority keeps UW bettors thinking, “Okay, THIS is the week they fi nally come to life.” Well, the hosts may be overdue for a big-time beatdown but we’re not about to lay doubles to a Maryland team that arrives in Madison riding a 5-game SU road winning streak. Compared to Wisky’s spotless ITS mark, the Terps’ 3-4 ITS log is downright sloppy; still, until Randy Edsall’s team gets served up as turtle soup on a scoreboard outside of College Park, we’re not taking the bait. Making matters worse for the Badgers? They take the fi eld here as dreaded Homecoming favorites, not the best scenario in which to snap a streak of futility. Wisconsin bettors can keep chasing if they want but our advice today is to take it if you play it.

MISSOURI over Vanderbilt by 20So just how impressive was Missouri’s 42-13 blowout of Florida last weekend? Would you believe a complete smoke-and-mirrors con job? Believe it or not, Mizzou could muster only 119 total yards of offense against the Gators, losing the stat battle by an astonishing 165 yards! But the Tigers’ inability to outgain Florida on the fi eld was not a one-time fl uke. Saturday’s performance was preceded by a 232-yard stat loss to Georgia in a 34-0 whitewash defeat, and a 58-yard stat loss in a 1-point win over South Carolina (the last time Missouri emerged victorious in the stat box, the Tigers lost the entire game at home to Indiana). All this makes Mizzou a ‘leaking oil’ favorite – not to mention a leading candidate to appear on the Dr. Phil show – and we’d be lining up against them right now if the opponent happened to be anyone else besides pitiful Vanderbilt. In a penthouse-to-outhouse season, the 9-4 bowl-winning Commodores from 2013 have sunk to a 2-5 start this year, landing AD David Williams in the hospital with “an undisclosed health issue.” It gets worse, though: the Commies’ two wins have come against Charleston Southern (last week) and UMass in Game Three. They were also outgained in both victories, as they have been in all seven contests this season. No, since former HC James Franklin took the money and ran to Happy Valley, Vandy ain’t dandy no more. But do you really want to lay three TD’s with an outright fraud like Missouri? No, sir. Much like fi nding a large venomous snake hiding in the front yard, we suggest you steer clear.

NAVY over San Jose St by 11After three SU losses in a row – all in the role of favorite – Navy fi nally got a pair of breaks. The fi rst was a 51-14 win over VMI, which is only a few steps up from beating the Robo Car Wash All-Stars, and the second was an even more valuable two weeks rest for battered QB Keenan Reynolds. After proving to be a capable offensive skipper in last year’s 9-4 campaign, Reynolds is suffering through a miserable season thanks to knee and shoulder injuries. Still, Navy’s plug-and-play option offense has managed to rush for 342 YPG with Tago Smith fi lling in for Reynolds. That hefty fi gure does not bode well for San Jose State’s 109th-ranked rush defense, a porous unit that allows 218 ground yards each time they take the fi eld. But looking beyond that disturbing statistic, we see that the Spartans ‘D’ has held each of its last three foes to season-low yardage, with none of them gaining over 277 total yards. Regardless of which SJSU stop-unit shows up at Annapolis today, we’re still prepared to walk the plank with a Middies team that ran for 432 yards in last year’s 58-52 shootout win against the Spartans. Yes, we know today marks Homecoming for the Swabbies and we generally detest laying points in this situation, but with baton-wielding Military Police swarming the campus to maintain order, we suspect Navy’s players may escape the numerous distractions involved in HC affairs and stay on course. At 3-4 SU and with Notre Dame and Georgia Southern still on the docket, the Middies need this game like blood if they want to reach their sixth bowl in seven seasons under HC Ken Niumatalolo. All hands on deck!

UTAH ST over Unlv by 21Despite critical injuries at the quarterback position – Chuckie Keeton’s comeback from an injury-shortened 2013 was cut short weeks ago and his capable replacement, Darell Garretson, may not play today due to a bum wrist – Utah State is fi nally rounding into form. After starting the season by losing all three lined games against the number, the Aggies have cashed three straight tickets, thanks largely to a defense that’s held two of its last four foes to season-low yards. However, we’re sure you’re wondering why we would take a USU team averaging 26 PPG on offense to whip an opponent by 31 points, especially a foe they squeaked past by just 4 points in last year’s meeting, right? Location, location, location. UNLV’s home-road dichotomy under HC Bobby Hauck has been well documented in these pages and not only have this year’s Rebels continued to struggle away from the city of bright lights (1-3 ATS so far), our tireless database reports that teams who played in a bowl the previous season with a sub .300 record in Game Eight of the following campaign are just 19-30-1 ATS away in these games – meaning they are just a shell of their former selves. Utah State has controlled this series of late, going 4-1-1 ATS, and 2nd-year HC Matt Wells has fashioned an 8-3 ATS mark versus conference opposition, including 4-0 ATS versus sub .500 foes. The Rebs have managed just over 13 PPG on the road in 2014 and with the Aggies making their only home appearance until November 15th, we expect UNLV to go bust in Logan this afternoon.

Marquise Williams threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another 73 yards and a score last week. However, Virginia has been very opportunistic on defense this season, tied for 4th in the nation in turnovers gained (19). Let’s be honest, very few people (including us) expected anything from the Cavaliers after last season’s 2-10 disaster, and we’re not crazy about laying points for the fi rst time in the last eight series meetings. But Virginia owns the better defense by 185 YPG, so we intend to give the ‘Hoos their due here.


4� BEST BET

The blood-letting fi nally stops here for Arkansas, still reeling from an SEC famine that has grown to disturbing proportions (0-15 going back to 2012) and now includes losses to Georgia by 13 points, to Alabama by 1 point and to Texas A&M (7-point OT loss almost a month ago). You can rest assured the Razorbacks are licking their chops knowing they own a 22-4 SU ledger versus non-conference foes the last six years, winning by an average of 26 PPG. UAB enters the fray as the sacrifi cial treat knowing they are 2-21 SU versus the SEC, including 0-4 ATS when playing off a SUATS loss in their last game. Using those two results as parameters, the well-oiled machine notes the Pigs are 15-5 ATS in SU wins as favorites the past fi ve seasons. Sitting at 3-3 on the season and needing this game like ribs need sauce, the lip-smackin’ sweetener comes directly from Marc’s ‘CRAZY 8’S’ Betcha Didn’t Know Super System inside the 2005 Black Book as it provides The Clincher: College football underdogs of 14 or more points in Game Eight off a loss of 8 or more points are 3-22 ATS since 1980 when facing an opponent off back-to-back losses, the last by 8 or more points.

ARKANSAS over Uab by 35

TOLEDO over UMass by 8As USA Today’s Paul Myerberg pointed out, “Saturday’s victory against Eastern Michigan was the second in a row for UMass, meaning the Minutemen matched their win total from the previous two-plus years in the span of seven days.” Good eye, Paul, but did you also notice that Massachusetts has gone 4-0 ATS in its last four games while averaging 40 PPG in those contests? Yikes! Somehow, despite coughing up season-high yards on defense in three of the aforementioned four contests, UMass is on a major roll under 2nd-term HC Mark Whipple. Fortunately for Whipple, he won’t have to think too hard about how to attack Toledo: the Minutemen are gaining 317 aerial YPG while the Rockets’ defense has been shredded to the tune of 329 passing YPG. In fact, Toledo – who opened as 2-TD chalk here – owns a stop-unit that’s not much better than today’s opponent as there’s only 10 yards difference in Toledo’s favor. The hosts have had a bye week to recover from a gut-wrenching 7-point loss at Iowa State but their 1-5 ATS effort in this season’s spread wars is not exactly reassuring. With the added pressure of being a Homecoming favorite weighing on Toledo as well, we’ll taking the points with the surging Minutemen as Mr. Whipple puts the squeeze on the Charmin-soft Rockets.

NEBRASKA over Rutgers by 13Nebraska fans are clamoring for an apology as we continue to diss their Huskers on a weekly basis – and Big Red continues to roll. After all, here’s a team that’s 6-1 SU with the only loss coming by 5 points at East Lansing against No. 5 Michigan State, they’ve cashed fi ve tickets in a row and they’re averaging 523 yards and 41 points per game. What’s not to like? Well, for one thing Nebraska’s 6-0 ATS skein versus lined opponents this season only serves to increase the spread on games like this. And we’re not about to forget the Huskers’ struggles as high-priced chalk in today’s role as they’ve gone just 3-11 ATS of late as double-digit home favorites in a conference contest. If you watched any of last week’s 56-17 demolition of the Scarlet Knights by Ohio State, you probably see the word ‘Rutgers’ and visualize a clueless defense chasing after Buckeye ball carriers in vain while the scoreboard lights up like a pinball machine. But as Yoda might say, one game does not a season make. The Knights arrived in Columbus with a 5-1 SU record (lone loss by just 3 points to Penn State) and will land in Lincoln hell-bent on showing America that last week’s blowout defeat was the exception, not the rule. Considering the boys from Tony Soprano U boast a solid 9-2 ATS record in the second of back-to-back road games and an 8-3 ATS mark as conference dogs of more than 11 points, we won’t hold back on giving Rutgers a mulligan today. Jeez, here come the 402 area code phone calls, again…

MIAMI OH over Kent St by 1Red Alert: ESPN’s College Football Game Day crew is headed to Oxford. In advance of the highly anticipated commotion and unruly throng of fans, this game has been time-changed to 2:30 PM EST. Oh wait, this just in. The Game Day crew is headed to Oxford, Mississippi next week for the Top 5 showdown between Auburn and Ole Miss – not Oxford, Ohio! Be that as it may, the Kent State Golden Flashes enter this MAC garbage-can tilt off their fi rst win of the season over Army last week, looking to build momentum against a RedHawks squad that has managed just one win in their last 24 contests (1-23 SU) dating back to the latter half of 2012. Although Miami does own a 4-1 ATS series ledger in the last fi ve meetings, it’s worth noting they were installed as underdogs in four of those fi ve battles. Last year, they took 19.5 points at Kent State, only to lose by 18 points, while two years ago they were 6.5 point home dogs on this fi eld and fell by 16 points. We’re certainly not laying any wood on these pages with the Miami mites, not until the RedHawks display the ability to hunt down a few more wins. Back to Chris Fowler and the gang in Oxford.5� BEST BET

A victim of their own success – 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS in 2013 – the underachieving Bruins have been major moneyburners this season, bringing a 1-6 ATS mark into this contest. Highly-touted QB Brett Hundley has regained his aim since a Heisman-killing 48-yard passing performance against Texas in mid-September but the defense has gone into early hibernation, giving up 106 points in its last three games (1-2 SU). Who can forget UCLA head coach Jim Mora’s heated sideline argument with DC Jeff Ulbrich while Oregon put up 42 points in the Rose Bowl two weeks ago? Hey, the visitors’ 7-14 road chalk mark in their last 21 Pac-12 games does not look promising... nor does their 5-14-1 ATS mark, including 0-6-1 ATS as favorites of more than 6 points, in games after facing California. We won’t even mention that the Blue-and-Gold are just 1-6 ATS in games before facing their next opponent, Arizona! Colorado’s scoreboard results may not show it but the Buffs have improved by leaps and bounds in their third season under HC Mike MacIntyre, gaining 99 YPG more on offense while yielding 34 YPG less on defense this season compared to last. Ralphie also gets the job done as a conference home dog of 14 or fewer points off back-to-back SU losses, going 9-4 SU and 10-3 ATS, and MacIntyre chips in with a 4-1-1 ATS effort against foes allowing 18.5 or more points per game. With Ralphie’s herd averaging a stout 31 PPG, we look for the Bruins to reach a Rocky Mountain low this afternoon in Boulder. To put the wraps on this bear trap, Marc’s ‘ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG’ system from the 2011 Black Book conveys The Clincher: College football road favorites off a win in which they allowed 30 or more points, who allow more than 29 PPG and 4.0 or more Yards Per Rush on the season, are 5-25-1 ATS in this role since 1980.

COLORADO over Ucla by 1

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TCU over Texas Tech by 16The Horned Frogs took a giant leap forward with a big win against Oklahoma State last week, returning to the AP Top 10 rankings and keeping their slim playoff chances alive. This week TCU faces a hungry 3-4 Texas Tech club that ended a 4-game losing skid with a win over Kansas last week and are now seeking their third straight victory in the series (won 20-10 as 3-point home dogs last year). The Red Raiders are 4-1 ATS in this series and 4-1 ATS the last fi ve when facing conference foes playing with revenge. In addition, TCU has struggled of late at home laying double-digits in conference play (1-5 ATS) and the Frogs fi nd the



STANFORD over Oregon St by 13Much like Wisconsin, everybody keeps waiting for Stanford to explode – but all we get are sideline shots of HC David Shaw wandering around with a WTF look on his face. Until last week’s game, the Cardinal fi elded one of only two defenses in the country that had yet to yield more than 20 points in a game (Ole Miss was the other). But an offense that has failed to ignite put too much pressure on Stanford’s defense versus Arizona State and it cracked, allowing a season-high 26 points in the loss. At the same time, however, there’s something not quite right with Oregon State… starting with QB Sean Mannion. Touted as an early season Heisman hopeful, Mannion has faded into obscurity, tossing only seven TD’s versus fi ve interceptions, and OSU’s offense has regressed by almost 8 PPG from 2013. Making things more diffi cult is the fact that both teams bring some strong ATS numbers to the table. The Beavers check in with a 3-0 ATS mark off a Weekday game and a 7-1 ATS log in Game Sevens. Meanwhile, the Tree has won and covered the last four meetings with Oregon State, they’re 9-0 ATS before facing Oregon and 5-0 ATS at the Farm versus Pac-12 revenge. A lean to OSU seems to be in order with the 4-2 Beavers, who are looking to avenge a 20-12 home loss suffered to the Cardinal last season in a game where OSU won the stats. And while 4-3 Stanford has no chance of making the national playoffs, they still have to lock horns with Oregon, Utah, Cal and UCLA after the smoke clears here. Since this one’s just too close to call, we’ll go off for awhile and do some brain-thinkin’.

Alabama over TENNESSEE by 24Vols let us down in a big way last week when they couldn’t contain a sleepy bunch of Rebels who awoke to put their fi rst points on the scoreboard with 5:30 remaining in the fi rst half… which opened the fl oodgates against a scrappy but ultimately exhausted Tennessee defense. Now they return to Neyland Stadium to… oh my god, it’s Alabama! We also had Texas A&M against the Tide last week – and we learned a universal truth: when you stick your hand inside a hornets’ nest, you don’t have to be reminded NOT to do it again. The Tide is putting up numbers eerily similar to its three National Championship teams dating back to 2009: the defense has held six of seven foes to season low – or 2nd low – yards, the offense is averaging over 500 YPG and the team has scored over 32 points in fi ve of its seven games. That alone is enough to make anyone scheduled to suit up in Orange this weekend consider tweaking a hamstring in pre-game warmups. The Volunteers have not fared well in today’s ATS roles, going 1-4 ATS when playing with conference revenge and just 2-9 ATS as home dogs of 6 or more points. Meanwhile, the Nictator and his minions have cashed four straight tickets in this series and covered seven of their last eight before getting it on with LSU. While we respect the progress HC Butch Jones has made at Knoxville, his Vols are just too young and shackled by a lack of depth. If you’re somehow of the opinion that Bama’s game drops a notch after leaving Tuscaloosa, we counter with the Tide’s recent 6-1 ATS success when playing the fi rst of back-to-back road games. Last week’s savage mauling of A&M for sure got Nick Saban’s blood pumping and with playoff contenders dropping games left and right, there’s only one – and we do mean one – way to go here.

MICHIGAN ST over Michigan by 10We’ve almost run out of adjectives trying to describe the intensity of the heat that has been roasting Michigan head coach Brady Hoke’s backside the last month of the season. Therefore, we’d like to communicate this sentiment to Mr. Hoke before Saturday: “Forget about Ohio State, big guy. Your ass is on the line NOW.” And you can bet that ass is puckered if he saw Michigan State fall behind at Indiana last week, 17-14, then go on a freakin’ 42-0 tear to end the game! The question for the Spartans now becomes do they come in with big heads riding their 13-game Big 10 winning streak? Or do they show up with quiet confi dence knowing they’ve dominated their state rivals of late, going 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS the last six? We’re opting for Door No. 1. There’s been a ton of negative noise in the media lately about how the Wolverines have gone straight to hell but Michigan is actually playing much better than their disappointing 3-4 SU record would suggest. While Hoke’s offense has no chance of making the Juggernaut Hall of Fame (currently averaging 21.7 PPG), his stop-unit has thrown up some major roadblocks, limiting fi ve of its seven foes to season-low yards this year. Let’s not forget Michigan’s bye week, a span where they not only rested and healed, but also got to hear about not beating Sparty since blah, blah, blah. Fortunately for the Maize-and-Blue, they’ve compiled a sweet 7-2 ATS record of late when playing with rest, meaning they have an excellent chance of leaving East Lansing with the cash. Michigan State’s recent run of success (5-0 SU, 3-2 ATS) fl ies in the face of its dismal 1-8 ATS mark as Big 10 chalk of 15 or more points, and a 2-7 ATS disappointment in the fi rst of consecutive home games versus conference foes. And while Sparty’s Baylor-like outburst against the Hoosiers was something to behold, the truth is MSU’s offense has failed to top 27 points against its two toughest opponents this season – while doing so against the likes of Jacksonville State, Eastern Michigan, Wyoming, Purdue and Indiana, or as they’re known around this offi ce, ‘the sisters of the poor’. Finally, our database tells us the Wolves have been dogs only FIVE times in the last 40 meetings in this series – largest was +4.5 here in 2005 – and now they’re getting a pair of TD’s and a fi eld goal. If this particular Brady Bunch has any pride left whatsoever, they’ll keep things a lot closer than that.

COLORADO ST over Wyoming by 22We’ve been riding the Rams all year and won’t jump off here after they won but failed to cover against Utah State last week. Despite the spread loss, the 3-point win over the Aggies was a huge step forward for CSU as the Rams moved to 6-1 SU overall and 2-1 in the Mountain division of the MWC, a half-game behind 3-1 Boise State (Broncos hold the tie-breaker with a win at Boise in Game Two). Like many 1st-year programs, Wyoming under new head coach Craig Bohl is struggling to fi nd its way on offense, regressing over 12 points and 146 yards per game. The good news for the Cowboys is they’re 1-4 ATS in the fi rst of back-to-back road trips. The bad news? They were 0-4 ATS in that same role until this year. Worse, the Pokes are currently riding a 0-7 SU and 2-5 ATS streak in their last seven away games. Colorado State owns a huge edge at the quarterback spot as Garrett Grayson has thrown for

going rough after Cowboy clashes, losing the cash in three of their last four tries. Knowing the horned ones are trying to exact revenge for the fourth consecutive time this season – with two more revenge games on deck – we‘ll look past the tempting Frog legs being served up this week. It’s worth noting Texas Tech has black-and-blued TCU purple in six of the last seven (6-1 ATS) meetings when installed as the underdog.

Memphis over SMU by 18It’s not often you’ll fi nd a 3-3 squad laying more than 20 points on the conference road, yet that’s the case here today with Memphis playing at SMU. While the Tigers are vastly improved under the Justin Fuente regime, they can’t erase their 4-28 SU road ledger or the fact that they’re 1-5 ATS as road favorites of 8 or more points of late. The SMU faithful are channeling the offensive gods for an effective game plan this week knowing the Mustangs have mustered more than 6 points only once in six games this season (scored 24 against East Carolina on 10/4). The Ponies are, however, 3-0 SUATS in the series. With that being said, we’ll advise affi xing an extra large clothespin squarely on the nostrils as we side with the home team and the generous points. Why not? So far this year, sub .500 double-digit dogs off a double-digit SU loss are 21-3 ATS when taking the fi eld off a pair of SU losses versus a .500 or greater opponent. Now relax and apply the ‘pin.


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8-1 THE LAST FOUR WEEKS!

2,066 yards, completed 63.4% of his passes and owns a TD/INT ratio of 16-to-5. Compare those numbers to Wyoming’s Colby Kirkegaard: 1,347 yards, 56.9% completion rate and puny 7-to-6 TD/INT ratio. And though the Cowboys’ bread and butter is their run game, CSU outgains the visitors in both total rushing yards and yards per carry. The Rams’ recent ATS edge – 3-1 L4 as opposed to Wyoming’s 0-4 slide – seals the deal.

LSU over Ole Miss by 3Washington Irving would have been proud. With just under 6 minutes remaining in the fi rst half of last week’s game against Tennessee, the slumbering Ole Miss Rebels had delivered a Rip Van Winkle impression worthy of great discussion, somehow failing to score while trailing the Vols, 3-0. Then the UT defense suddenly ran out of gas and Hugh Freeze’s No. 3 Rebs closed out the game with a merciless 34-0 run. Impressive, to be sure, but Mississippi had better beware of our ‘AS THE NOOSES TIGHTENS’ theory, which proclaims: when a 5-0 or better team loses its initial game of the season, it has occurred away from home 287 out of 385 times – while 211 of the 287 times it’s been against an opponent sporting a winning record. That’s double the good news for the Mad Hatter, LSU head coach Les Miles, who currently owns a 5-0-1 ATS log when playing off a SUATS win. Jaybird the Bulldog, our SEC scout, is riding a nice streak right now with his Saturday picks so we thought we’d get the skinny on what looks to be another Instant Classic courtesy of the SEC West. “Notice how everybody forgot about LSU after the Auburn game? Did LSU forget about Kentucky? I know Ole Miss is plenty good but Hugh Freeze has yet to win a game on the SEC road against a team of this stature.” Our database concurs, noting that the Rebs have gone just 1-6 ATS as conference road chalk of less than 18 points, and that the Magnolia Staters are only 2-10 ATS versus conference revenge. Our INCREDIBLE STAT OF THE WEEK on page 3 also spells doom for Johnny Reb as yet another Homecoming dog spoils the party. Jaybird closes the sale by pointing out that the Tigers have been the favorite in 12 of the last 13 meetings with Mississippi – and that Death Valley is called that for a reason. “Have you ever been to a night game in Baton Rouge? Mere words cannot do it justice. There is no tougher place to play in America if you’re not wearing Purple and Gold.” You’re preaching to the choir, Jay. Look for Miles to weave his magic here as another unbeaten playoff contender takes a tumble.

WASHINGTON ST over Arizona by 3The Grim Reaper (aka the infamous ‘bubble burst’) comes a callin’ on the last Saturday before Halloween and that can’t please Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez. His Wildcats dropped their fi rst game of the season two weeks ago versus USC when Casey Skowron pushed a last-second 36-yard fi eld goal wide right, a kick that would have kept Zona unbeaten at 6-0. After a bye week to stew about things, Arizona now faces a trip

to one of the Pac-12’s least popular destinations: Pullman, Washington. That spells double trouble for Rich Rod, who is 8-14 SU and 6-16 ATS away off a home game since his days at Michigan, and 5-15 ATS in games off a SU favorite loss, including 0-6 ATS as chalk of 11 or less points. As for the Cougars, their bubble burst on opening day against Rutgers (a 3-0 start in 2005 is WSU’s best in the past 11 years) and a win here is mandatory if the 2-5 felines wish to become bowlers for a second consecutive season. Our database sure seems to prefer Washington State’s Mike Leach to Rodriguez, pointing out Leach’s 26-10-1 ATS record off a SUATS loss, including 12-1 ATS as a dog, and 21-5-2 ATS at home if his team owns a sub .600 win percentage. Big game for Arizona, too, as the Wildcats’ remaining schedule gives them a reasonable shot at reaching the elusive 9-win season, a target they’ve barely missed with back-to-back 8-5 campaigns. A tough call but we see more trick than treat lurking in Zona’s future.

Usc over UTAH by 6With Utah going 5-7 for two straight seasons and posting a weak 5-13 SU mark in conference play, we were all set to declare the Utes’ decision to join the Pac-12 as a big mistake. Then, lo and behold, Kyle Whittingham’s crew started the 2014 season like a house on fi re. After recent wins over UCLA and Oregon State, the Utes stand 5-1 SU, their lone loss inexplicably coming by a single point at home to Washington State (blew a 21-0 lead). Color us impressed with Whittingham’s defense, a tough, physical group that swarms to the ball. But the Utes are just too sloppy for us on offense (0-4 ITS the last four, including SU wins in the last two games), a huge liability when facing a foe in USC that’s held three of its last four opponents to season low – or 2nd low – yards. If today’s matchup near the Great Salt Lake stays in the 3-point range, that bodes well for the Trojans: they’re 17-8 SU and 17-7-1 ATS between the 3’s (+3 to -3) versus foes they defeated in their most recent meeting. Not only did USC beat Utah last season, 19-3, the boys from Cali completely shut down the Utes’ offensive attack, holding them to just 201 total yards. Southern Cal has also done well of late in Pac-12 road games, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS when they’ve left Los Angeles in the rear-view mirror. Not one to come to the table empty-handed, 1st-year HC Steve Sarkisian boasts a strong 15-6 SUATS mark versus conference foes his team defeated in their most recent matchup. We tried hard to fi nd ATS support for the Utes here but the best we could do was this: the series host has cashed in the last three meetings. With USC already nursing two losses this year, we’ll need a lot more than that to buck a Trojans squad that could be ready to make some major noise. At pick, plus or minus, it’s the men of Troy.

Ga Southern over GEORGIA ST by 21Willie Fritz’s Eagles from Statesboro, Georgia, have taken the Sun Belt – and the FBS – by storm, sitting atop their new conference with a perfect 4-0 record. Their recipe for success? Just pound the ball down everyone’s throat: GSU is the top rushing team in the nation right now, ripping through defenses for a whopping 375 RYPG. Granted, the Eagles’ current 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS run has come at the expense of teams combining for a 9-19 SU and 10-15 ATS effort in 2014. But when we look at the bottom of the CUSA and see that Georgia State is (a) 0-4 in conference play and (b) trailing Idaho (yikes)… well, that’s all we need to know about Trent Miles’ Panthers. That and the fact that Georgia State’s 120th-ranked rush defense is surrendering 241 YPG, placing them directly in the path of Southern’s Category 5 ground attack. When we do the math for this matchup, we notice the Panthers’ average loss has come by a margin of 15.3 PPG while the Eagles’ average winning margin this season has been by 29.4 PPG. If the spread doesn’t venture too far from the opening number of -15, look for GSU to make everyone at today’s game ask, “Why aren’t THESE guys playing in the Georgia Dome?” A defi nite lay.

RICE over North Texas by 24Few teams have fallen as hard as North Texas this season. Last year, the Mean Green went 9-4 SU, 10-3 ATS and ran roughshod over UNLV in a 36-14 Heart of Dallas Bowl victory. But with the core of the team gutted by graduation, this year’s Lean Green has crashed and burned with a 2-5 SU and 1-5 ATS effort. If UNT still entertains any hopes at all of reaching a second consecutive bowl game, today’s game is a must-win. However, our database dismisses that possibility, informing us that bowl teams from the previous year that own a sub .300 record in Game Eight of the new season are just 5-15 ATS when playing off a SU favorite loss. As for Rice, the Krispies are snappin’, cracklin’ and poppin’ again with a 3-0



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SUATS win streak entering today’s fray. The all-knowing machine chimes in again with this nugget: .500 teams in Game Seven of the season who were bowlers last year are 7-0-1 ATS since 1990 when playing with rest and revenge against foes who allow 17.5 or more PPG. The bottom line is North Texas made the mistake of thrashing the Owls in Denton last season, and they’ll likely pay for that in spades here today.

La Tech over SOUTHERN MISS by 6Skippy’s Bulldogs sit at 3-0 atop the CUSA West division with a 1.5 game lead over Rice and Utep. However, the younger Holtz had better not look past the low-fl ying Eagles and ahead to Western Kentucky as Louisiana Tech has yet to win a game on this fi eld (0-2 SU). We may also have to re-calibrate our previous estimate of fl ight altitude as the Golden Eagles’ offense has fi nally awoken from its seemingly endless slumber, gaining more than 500 yards in each of their last two contests. They have also very quietly cashed in four of their last fi ve outings. No, these are not the automatic fades we’ve come to expect from an incredibly inept two seasons that saw Southern Miss go 1-23 SU and 6-18 ATS – they’ve turned into ‘angry birds’. Like someone’s grandmother once said about kids, you leave ‘em alone too long and they’ll make enough of a racket that you’ll have to go check on ‘em. Looks like Smissy is tired of being ignored. We’ll take the 9 or 10 points being offered and show the Eagles some love.

UTSA over Utep by 5Like Southern Miss, the Miners have come up from the depths of their cave and started cashing winning tickets (!) in their second year under head coach Sean Kugler. Not only have the pick-and-shovel crew left last year’s horrible 2-10 SUATS log in the dust with a current 3-3 SU and 4-2 ATS overall mark, they’re also showing improvement on both sides of the ball this season. We can’t say the same about Larry Coker’s Roadrunners. After shocking Houston with a season-opening 27-7 win, the beep promptly went to sleep, and UTSA soon found itself in the deep end of a 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS skid – not what we expected from a well-coached winning team (7-5 SU in 2013) that returned 19 starters a 7-win squad. In fact, the 2-5 ‘Runners will have to win here, then run the table against their fi nal four opponents to have any shot at reaching postseason play. Frankly, we don’t see that happening. And though we think they can muster enough of an effort to beat the Miners outright, we’re certainly not interested in laying doubles with an underachiever into an overachiever. UTSA dropped four straight to the number before eking out a cover in last week’s loss to Louisiana Tech. Expect a new ATS losing streak to get underway in San Antonio tonight.

MARSHALL over Fla Atlantic by 24With the Herd still thundering along at 7-0 and outscoring foes by almost 31 PPG, it’s time to answer today’s Big Question: can Marshall go undefeated and screw up the new playoff system by taking the place of a more deserving 1-loss team? Hmmm… our survey tells us quite a lot. For openers, let’s examine strength of schedule. Six of the Herd’s seven victims (one was Rhode Island in an unlined game) currently own a combined SU record of 20-26 – not exactly the SEC West, right? And if we include today’s scrum with the Owls, Marshall’s remaining regular season opponents own a collective 15-18 mark. Yes, we know the line: “They can’t help who’s on the schedule; they can only go out and win all the games, then let the chips fall where they may.” Another joker in the deck is the CUSA championship game, which right now would involve West-leading Louisiana Tech playing at Huntington, West Virginia. At least the Bulldogs own a winning record and they appear to be a team on the rise under HC Skip Holtz but will beating them hold any weight with the selection committee? Nah. Finally, let’s look at the current Coaches Poll rankings. Marshall checks in at No. 22, fi ve full spots behind a 1-loss East Carolina team and lower than a trio of 2-loss teams. Can Doc Holliday’s bunch do anything to reach the top of the board besides watch everyone else lose? Probably not. So the answer to our Big Question appears to be two-fold: ‘yes’ to undefeated, ‘no’ to cracking the playoffs. Now for an even bigger question – can the Herd cover their typical 4-TD spread against FAU today? The Owls lost, 24-23, to the Herd as 10-point home dogs last year in a game where they actually outyarded Marshall, 395-355 – the Herd’s lowest offensive output of the season. Factor in Florida Atlantic’s 5-1 ATS success as dogs of 21 or more points and the mounting pressure on Marshall to stay perfect and crash the Power-5 party, and we think the points become the play in this generous overlay. Any more questions?

La-Monroe over Texas St by 1Texas State’s .500 SU record looks pretty good in their second season of FBS play – it’s the 0-5 ITS mark in FBS games doesn’t sit well with us. However, revenge from a 21-14 home loss last year in which the Bobcats whupped the Warhawks by over 200 yards in the stats does pique our interest. Dennis Franchione’s defense held ULM completely in check for 59 minutes in that game – the Warhawks only kept the score close thanks to two long pick 6’s – but a drive in the fi nal minute gave La-Monroe the win. That Bobcat stop-unit has done well again this season, holding three foes to season low – or 2nd low – yards. Now they need to get their offense on track, as the only TD they scored in front of the ESPN cameras in Tuesday’s loss to La-Lafayette was an oh-by-the-way score in the last minute of a 34-10 drubbing. Meanwhile, Monroe fi nds themselves in the middle of an SEC sandwich (off a 48-14 loss to Kentucky with Texas A&M on deck), and with both teams sitting at 3-3 on the season with one loss apiece in the Sun Belt, this becomes a pivotal game in slicing up the SBC bowl pie.

W KENTUCKY over Old Dominion by 6We often invoke statistical comparisons in these pages, but we know that the bottom line is scoring more points than your opponent. The Hilltoppers are a perfect example of the uselessness of putting a lot of big numbers on the stat sheet if you are consistently getting outscored. Western Kentucky has now scored 30 or more points in eight consecutive games dating back to last season; unfortunately, they’ve allowed opponents to surpass 30 points in six of those games and over 40 points in four of them! On the fl ip side, the Monarchs must battle not only WKU but also the Grim Reaper (read: the SMART BOX) as they fi nd themselves ‘behind the 8-ball’. It’s extremely rare that we fl y in the face of the quick-witted quadrilateral, but this looks like a game where the last team to score wins. With that, we’ll throw caution to the wind, stiff-arm the clever cube this one time and take the double-digits.

OKLAHOMA ST over West Virginia by 7Are we mistaken, or is the Big 12 now the No. 1 conference for college football excitement? A week after Baylor’s astonishing 4th-quarter comeback to defeat TCU, 61-58, we get Oklahoma-Kansas State, Texas-Iowa State and Baylor-West Virginia barn-burners. We expected a track meet in the latter – and we got it, sort of – but one with plenty of false starts as the incredible total of 32 penalties for 353 yards marred this watershed victory by the Mountaineers. Still, credit WVU’s HC Dana Holgorsen, plus QB Clint Trickett and WR Kevin White (who connected 8 times for 132 yards and 2 TD’s), and a defense that held Bryce Petty to 16 of 36 passing for 223 yards and also allowed just 95 rushing yards to the Bears. Of course, they’re set up for a big letdown this weekend, and besides the fact that we don’t think much of the Cowboys, we must pay attention to the hard-working database which notes that road teams who knock off 5-0 or greater teams as dogs are just 35-53-1 ATS since 1980. Also, a bounce-back is in order for OSU, coming off a brutal effort in that 42-9

Sunday, October 26Detroit over Atlanta by 8

Another tea-and-crumpets special this Sunday, courtesy of the non-profi t organization known as the NFL, pits the Lions and Falcons in a battle before the British parliament. Our English brogue-based database notes teams sporting a .500 or greater record stand 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in contests with her Majesty in attendance. On the fl ip side, teams sporting losing records are 4-8 SU and just 5-7 ATS in London. Granted, the Lions are 3-10 ATS in this series, including 0-5 ATS when the Dirty Birds arrive off a SU loss, but the fact of the matter is all that occurred back in the States. The bottom line is Detroit’s top-ranked defense is 112 YPG better than Atlanta’s 30th ranked stop-unit.


PRO FOOTBALL

Thursday, October 23DENVER over San Diego by 4

Broncos return to the scene of the partying where Peyton Manning entered the NFL record books Sunday night when he tossed his 509th TD pass, eclipsing Brett Favre’s record. When we hear ‘record breaking performance’, our natural reaction is to fade the same team in their next appearance. It’s not diffi cult here, given the Chargers’ 8-0 ATS record in its last eight games on this fi eld. Diego also brings an 8-0 ATS mark in the fi rst of back-to-back away games when playing with revenge against a division opponent. Toss in Denver’s dastardly 0-7 ATS record at home off an NFC contest when taking on an avenging foe and suddenly it’s not all that scary stepping in front of Peyton at his place. Here’s hoping the Bolts’ 4th-ranked defense holds up better than Frisco’s 2nd-ranked stop-unit last week. With San Diego QB Philip Rivers off his worst effort of the season last week, and Manning still admiring his top spot in NFL history, the dog becomes the play in this division duel tonight.

GAME OF THE WEEKUPSETUPSET UPSETUPSET

Texas over KANSAS ST by 3Bill Snyder’s crew fi nds themselves as the leaders at the top of the Big 12 standings at 3-0, but it’s safe to say that KSU didn’t beat Oklahoma – the Sooners simply beat themselves. All-American kicker Michael Hunnicutt suffered through a nightmare, missing a 32-yard FG in the fi rst half, seeing the tying PAT blocked early in the fi nal period, and with 3:53 to play, snell-hooking the potential game-winning FG from 19 yards out. The Wildcats then ran out the clock by converting two critical fi rst downs. But it wasn’t all Hunnicutt’s fault as Oklahoma was outstatted 533-385 and committed fi ve turnovers to KSU’s none. So now that we have completely downplayed Kansas State’s biggest win of the season, we’ll also point out that they are looking at an Oklahoma State revenger on deck, putting the Wildcats dead in the middle of an Okie sandwich (we usually order that one medium-rare). But the simple fact is the Longhorns are improving with each game, and their offensive yardage has increased in each of the last fi ve contests in a row. Sophomore QB Tyrone Swoopes is fi nally fi nding his footing: he engineered the fi nal drive against Iowa State, setting up the winning fi eld goal by completing two long passes to Jaxon Shipley and John Harris after the Cyclones had tied the game with 28 seconds left. But here’s The Clincher: UT head coach Charlie Strong is 20-8 SU and 21-7 ATS away from home, including 13-0 ATS versus .666 or greater opponents.

trouncing last week when they were manhandled by the Horned Frogs (675-258). It was the fi rst time in their last 59 games that the Cowboys failed to score 20 points. When in doubt, go with the numbers: OSU is 6-1 ATS as chalk of 3 or more points with conference revenge and 10-2 versus the number as a double-digit home favorite. Lay it if you play it.

Ohio St over PENN ST by 16The Nittany Lions fall into Marc’s ‘ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG’ role from the 2009 BLACK BOOK, an angle that insists we fade home teams off two losses exact who open the season 4-0 or better. These ‘double-bubble-bursters’ are just 11-26-1 ATS when off back-to-back ATS losses and hosting a .500 or greater conference opponent. Penn State has a better defense than the Swiss cheese the Buckeyes have exploited this season, but the true mismatch is when PSU has the football: Joey Bosa and his cohorts on the Ohio State defensive line should be nearly unstoppable against Penn State’s patchwork offensive line. After all, Lion QB Christian Hackenberg has been pressured in 10% more plays than he was last season and has now been sacked 20 times in the fi rst 6 games. Urban Meyer has rung up 18 regular-season Big 10 wins in a row, the most for the Buckeyes since 2005-07, and OSU will continue trying to impress the playoff committee should they end the season with just one loss. Ohio State has won and covered four of the last fi ve meetings in the series, with the only Penn State victory a 20-14 decision in Joe Pa’s fi nal season. Mercurial James Franklin gets a rude welcome to this long-standing rivalry.

Arizona St over WASHINGTON by 2QB issues abound in this fray with former ASU starter Taylor Kelly rumored to be ready to return from a foot injury while Huskies QB Cyler Miles was knocked out of last week’s blowout loss at Oregon with a concussion. Kelly hoped to play last week, but after watching him closely in pre-game warmups, Sun Devil HC Todd Graham held him out of the 26-10 win over Stanford. No problem though, as Mike Bercovici has been solid since Kelly went out on September 13th. Arizona State has absolutely dominated this series, winning and covering eight straight times dating back to 2002, including last season’s 53-24 beating in Tempe. Washington, however, is 9-2-1 SU and 11-1 ATS as a single-digit conference home underdog with a winning record, and in their fi rst season under Chris Petersen, the Huskies are second-best in the country with a +12 turnover margin (Georgia is tops at +13). Still, with the point spread and both QB situations up in the air at press time, we’ll likely revisit this game later in the week.

Nevada over HAWAII by 1Although Nevada stands 4-3 overall on the season and Hawaii just 2-5, the road-favored Wolf Pack actually trail the hosts by half-game in the MWC West division. It goes without saying that the Pineapple Patch Kids are much tougher on the island than when they visit the mainland, as illustrated by Hawaii’s series advantage of 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS at home, including 5-0 SUATS when off a conference clash. In fact, the host in this series is a sparkling 12-2 SU this century, and since they’ll be serving linguica and poi in the pre-game meal, we’ll look for Norm Chow to add to his 9-5 ATS record at home with the Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii may be the land of paradise, but this program is not without problems: star RB Joey Iosefa is suspended until November and was stripped of his captaincy after a DUI arrest and QB Taylor Graham is out for the season after foot surgery. In their places, RB’s Diocemy Saint-Juste and Steven Lakalaka combined for over 300 yards on the ground over the last two games, while QB Ikaika Woolsey engineered a second half comeback over Wyoming two weeks ago for Hawaii’s fi rst conference win since 2012. With Nevada stuck in a sandwich situation between BYU and San Diego State next week, this is a bad spot for the mountain boys from Reno. Mahalo.



3� BEST BET

It’s a debate as to which of these teams posted a more impressive win last week – the Rams in their stunner over the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, or the Chiefs in their takedown of the division-leading Chargers. For our money, and after looking at the stat sheet, it had to be the latter given KC’s +114 total yard effort as opposed to Louie’s -191 total yard defi cit. Regardless, our well-oiled machine is fi rst in line to report that teams who manage to knock off defending Super Bowl champions are just 19-39 ATS away versus .500 or greater foes in their next outing, including just 10-31 ATS as a dog if they were a dog against the champs. The Rams’ 0-5 ATS mark in games after scoring 21 or more points against Seattle is certainly noteworthy. As is KC’s 7-0 ATS record at Arrowhead off a division battle when hosting an NFC West opponent, along with its 5-0 SUATS mark in this series since 1997. The all-knowing machine provides The Clincher: NFL teams in the middle of a classic division sandwich (non-division game off a pair of division games with a pair of division games on deck) are 9-23 ATS since 1980 when off a SU underdog win, including 0-6 ATS if they allowed more than 24 points in the win.

KANSAS CITY over St. Louis by 14

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With that, look for NFL favorites of 4 or more points to improve to 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS at Wembley Stadium here today. On a sidebar note: It’s safe to say legal wagering on this game will be hot and heavy at sports books in London and Las Vegas… and perhaps Monmouth racetrack – should New Jersey governor Chris Christie continue to fi ght the fi ght. Go Chris go!

Minnesota over TAMPA BAY by 3 With an extra week to prepare, this bottom-of-the-barrel battle looks to be an ideal spot for the Bucs to pick up their secpnd win of the season. At least on paper, anyway. To do so, they will likely need to do something they haven’t accomplished since December 8th of last season – outgain an opponent in the stats on the playing fi eld. Riding a 9-game ITS losing skid (0-6 this season), Tampa will also try to win a game as a favorite for the fi rst this season (0-2 SUATS). Sure, head coach Lovie Smith stands 9-5 ATS in his NFL career against the Purple Horns, including 6-1 ATS in games when Minny sports a .500 or less record. That’s the good news. The bad news is, as a result of the winless ITS log, the Bucs are being outgained 116 YPG this season – thanks to a defense that ranks dead last in the league (423 DYPG). A putrid 1-14 ATS mark as favorites in their 4th home game of the season when taking on an opponent off a SU loss, and a 0-8 ATS record as favorites in games after surrendering 40 or more points in their last game, seals the deal. Expect the boo-birds to be out in full force when Lovie tumbles to 3-8-1 ATS in his career in games with rest.

NEW ENGLAND over Chicago by 1After witnessing Sunday’s debacle with the Dolphins, the best thing for Chicago is to get the hell out of the Windy City… ASAP. And it fi gures, considering the visiting team now stands 6-1 ATS in Bears’ battles this season. The mean machine comes to their aid as well, noting Chicago’s super 15-1 ATS away record in Game Eight of the season. Enter the NFL’s version of the Brady bunch, off last week’s lukewarm win over the Jets, a game in which the Pats were outgained 100 yards by the Flyboys. And speaking of home-road dichotomies, it’s ironic to also fi nd the visiting team is 10-2-1 ATS all-time in New England frays against the NFC North. And while we’re talking of irony, the Patriots’ 3-10 ATS mark at home in Game Eight of the campaign fi ts like a glove next to the Bears’ Game Eight tendencies. With a playoff revenger up next with Denver, expect scowls aplenty from the Hoodie, as the growl returns to the Bears today.

Marc Lawrence’s USA TodaySPORTS WEEKLY COLUMN!

Every week during the 2014 NFL season, Marc is writing a column for USA Today Sports Weekly.

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or call 1.800.872.0001. Don’t miss it!

Seattle over CAROLINA by 1Something’s amiss is Seattle these days, and it’s no longer Percy Harvin. Pete Carroll’s wonder boys are in the midst of a rough patch (2-3 last fi ve games, with one of the victories an overtime win at home). Worse, they’ve dropped their last two games as -10 and -7 point favorites. FYI: in our database dating back to 1980, a total of 33 defending Super Bowl champions have lost back-to-back games as favorites. Of them, 29 had a game afterwards; 19 of them managed to win straight-up, while covering the spread only 13 times, and these same teams are just 7-12 ATS as favorites. Compounding the problem, Seattle is just 1-8 ATS as a favorite of 6 or less points when facing a foe seeking triple revenge-exact. Meanwhile, the Panthers have certainly had their problems as well, entering today’s game allowing 47 YPG more than they gain thanks to a 6-game ITS losing skid. They are, however, 10-0 ATS at home off a double-digit SU loss when hosting an NFC West opponent. Given the lousy record of defending Super Bowl champions as non-division road favorites (42-71 ATS since 1980), we have no other recourse but to look the Panthers’ way today. Gulp.

NY JETS over Buffalo by 6The Bills lost their top two running backs in last week’s dramatic, last-second victory over the Vikings when starter Fred Jackson limped off with a groin injury and his backup, C.J. Spiller, broke his collarbone at the end of a 53-yard scamper. It immediately sent fantasy freaks out in quest of RBs Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown this week. It also sends us to the Jets’ side of this AFC East battle. For openers, the 747’s bring a glossy 8-1 ATS mark into this matchup in games off a pair of SU losses in which they own a losing record with the last by a fi eld goal or less when facing an opponent off a SU win. We also like the fact they out-yarded the mighty Patriots by 100 yards in last Thursday’s loss in New England. The Bills circle back around with a 0-7 ATS record in road games off back-to-back home games. Buffy’s 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS record in their last four visits in this series cements it. Call it New York, in a fl y-over.

Miami over JACKSONVILLE by 3Whatever it was the Dolphins had to eat in London has served them well. With a pair of convincing wins wrapped around a heart-breaking loss to the Packers, Miami appears to be hitting stride. The question is can they avoid playing down to the level of today’s opponent and continue their winning ways? Considering the fact they’ve yet to win back-to-back games this season, we’re forced to put the hold sign up for now. A 1-6 SUATS mark as favorites when sporting a .500-exact record raises a fl ag. As does Miami’s 1-5 ATS record – including 0-3 SUATS the last three – in games before skirmishes with San Diego. Yes, we realize the Jags are likely in celebration mode following their initial win of the season here last week against the Browns, and the fact they are 0-4 SUATS in games off their fi rst victory of the season the last four years, but a 6-1 ATS mark in games after Cleveland clashes works in their favor. Take it if you must.

Houston over TENNESSEE by 1With the Texans opening up as the favorite in this fray, the post-Tomlin factor is at work here today… sort of. For those of you unfamiliar with the theory, NFL favorites are a wobbly 17-39-1 ATS in games after facing Mike Tomlin’s Steelers. When these same teams are engaged in division play when seeking revenge, though, they become a 7-3 ATS winning proposition. Thus we bid adieu to the aforementioned post-Tomlin factor today. Instead, we fi nd ourselves concentrating on Houston’s 8-0 ATS record in its fi fth road game of the campaign and its 5-1 ATS record


4� BEST BET

If the season were to end today, we’re absolutely certain the Saints would dearly love making this contest a 1st round playoff matchup. To get there, however, New Orleans needs to get their act together… fast! At 2-4 on the season, they currently sit two games back of a possible Wild Card berth following last week’s giveaway loss at Detroit (blew a 13-point lead with under 4:00 remaining) while dropping their seventh consecutive regular season away game since last season in the process. All of which means they must turn to the sanctity of the Superdome in order to accomplish their mission. And home has been where the heart – and the money – is for the Saints as they ride a 10-0 SU and 9-1 ATS streak since last season into this showdown with the fast-charging Packers. It all ties in nicely with N’Awlins’ 10-1 ATS record in their third home game of the campaign as favorites versus an opponent off a SUATS win, and quarterback Drew Brees’ 10-1 SU and ATS mark at home in non-division games off a SU non-division loss. And while it appears the Pack is back, a deeper look fi nds them being outgained -35 YPG this season. With the Saints riding a 20-0 SU and 18-2 ATS streak at home in game where they win the stats, we’re all-in with these fast actin’ Who Dats. Head coach Sean Payton provides The Clincher: The Saints are 22-1 SU and 20-3 ATS in their last 23 home games under Sean Payton.

NEW ORLEANS over Green Bay by 14

Monday, October 27DALLAS over Washington by 6

The hottest team in the NFL takes on one of the coldest in this division hate-fest under the Monday night-lights at Jerry’s World. Rest assured, the rivalry being what it is, you can toss current form right out the window with 10 of the last 20 meetings between these two NFC East antagonists being decided by a fi eld goal or less. The big concern for the Redskins is the availability of star quarterback Robert Griffi n III, raised 160 miles south of Dallas (in Texas that’s considered a stone’s throw). With RG3 still questionable recovering from a dislocated ankle, the likelihood is that Colt McCoy will be making his fi rst NFL start in 35 months for Washington. That’s not particularly good news considering his wobbly 6-15 SU and 7-13-1 ATS record as a starter in the league. On the other side of the coin, the Hogs have cashed in 12 of the last 15 games in this series and enter today’s contest after having just held the Titans to a season-low 236 yards in a stirring 19-17 win last Sunday. Meanwhile, the burgeoning Cowboys bring a cheerless 1-10 ATS mark in as Monday Night favorites, and a 1-10 ATS log as favorites of 6 or more points versus division opponents off a SU home win into this fray. Tie that in with Jason Garrett’s tawdry 1-5 ATS career mark division home chalk and you can see why we’ll likely be siding with the Oinkers once RGIII’s status becomes certain.

5� BEST BET

Don’t look now but the NFL team with the best record since the start of the second half of the season last year has been: the Eagles at 12-3. And the team with the 2nd best record over the same span is none other than the Cardinals at 11-3! Take that, Denver and Seattle! Ironically, one of Arizona’s three defeats came at the hands of Philadelphia in a 24-21 loss at Lincoln Financial Field on the 1st of December. And today, despite losing games by an average of -40 YPG this season, the Cardinals sit atop the rugged NFC West looking down on the 49ers and the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Eagles reside a half-game back of the resurgent Cowboys in the NFC East behind an offense that ranks No. 2 in scoring offense. More importantly, Philly is 7-3 SU away under head coach Chip Kelly, including 6-2 ATS when not favored by more than 3 points. And that revenge aspect we noted earlier for the Cardinals – forget about it – as Zona is a miserable 4-18 ATS at home with a .500 or greater record when seeking single-revenge. However, as we’ve come to learn, it’s the wisdom of the database that steps front and center with The Clincher: NFL teams off a Bye Week who tossed a shutout in their previous game are 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS when facing an avenging non-division foe, including 5-0 SUATS if the opponent is off a SU win of 6 or more points in its last game.

Philadelphia over ARIZONA by 11

in this series, including 3-0 ATS the last three here. The Titans’ terrible 0-7 ATS mark in division games against foes seeking single revenge adds to the mix. But when push comes to shove, it’s diffi cult ignoring Houie’s 1-6 ITS log, resulting in a -42.5 YPG net margin, for the season. Call it what you may… we’re outta here.

Baltimore over CINCINNATI by 3When it goes bad, it goes bad in a hurry in this league. Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals, anointed the best team in the NFL a month ago after they opened the season with a win in Baltimore and sitting pretty at 3-0 and fresh off their Bye Week. However, since then the Striped Cats have yet to win another game and suddenly trail the Ravens by two games in the win column. That is surely a motivating factor for the Bengals but our MIDWEEK ALERT refuses to let us pull the trigger as it reports that the Black Birds own both the better offense and better defense in this contest. As a result, the Ravens are +42 YPG on the season while the struggling Bengals check in at -62 YPG. Toss in Baltimore’s 7-1 ATS record in its fourth road game of the season the last eight years, and Cincinnati’s 2-13 ATS mark in games off a SU loss of 20 or more points when facing an opponent off a pair of SU wins, and you know what to do in this division payback.

PITTSBURGH over Indianapolis by 3If you think the Vegas oddsmakers were impressed with the Steelers’ 7-point win over Houston this past Monday night, you’re wrong. While we commend Pittsburgh for bring home another 5* Best Bet winner on these pages, the fact of the matter is they were soundly outplayed by the Texans, losing the stats in the contest by 65 yards. Nonetheless, Mike Tomlin (the answer to this week’s TRIVIA TEASER) and his troops are back in the AFC North chase, trailing front-running Baltimore by only a game in the loss column. Their mission today is to slow down the AFC’s hottest squad, the Colts. Currently riding a 5-0 SUATS streak, Indy must overcome a testy 2-8 ATS record accrued by NFL favorites riding a 4-0 SUATS streak when facing an opponent off a SUATS win. Indianapolis’ lousy 3-12 SU mark in this series includes having worn the favorite’s cape only two times. Meanwhile, the home standing Steelers bring a 5-0 ATS record into this scrape in the third of three straight home games when facing an opponent they defeated in the most recent meeting. Given QB Ben Roethlisberger’s 4-0 SUATS career mark as a home dog in games off a SUATS win, we look for the Colts to run out of Luck here today.

CLEVELAND over Oakland by 3Wouldn’t you just know it? Looking like they were fi nally back on the winning track for good, the Brownies crumbled like a stale dessert, handing the Jaguars their fi rst win of the season when they laid an egg in Jacksonville last week. It’s back to the drawing board this week when they host the down-and-out Raiders, currently the only winless team

remaining in the league this season. Uh oh. It’s either time for Oakland to gain an all-access pass into the win column at Cleveland’s expense, or the Browns head into their Bye Week at 4-3 and feeling pretty good about themselves. Knowing the drive and desire behind new head coach Mike Pettine, we opt for the latter – but not before a struggle. After opening the season with four consecutive games that were decided in the fi nal minute of play, the Browns got out of synch winning one game by 21 points while dropping another by 18 points. It’s time for Cleveland to get back to the Pettine-way here today. A 0-8 ATS record in games versus avenging opponents who scored 7 or fewer points in their last game – coupled with Oakland’s 6-1 ATS mark in revenge games when playing off a double-digit home loss – certainly points the ATS barometer in Oakland’s favor. Tony Sparano’s 8-2 SU and 9-1 ATS road dog log versus an opponent off a SU loss seals the deal.


To view the entire Wise Guys standings, including Triple, Double and Single plays, visit www.PLAYBOOK.com and cash in this weekend for only $12!

Below are the current Top 20 Contestants from the 2014 Wise Guys Contest – One Point Single Plays Listed

LIONS (-4)

Marshall (-28)

Texas (+10)

Kansas State (-10)

Rutgers (+17.5)

Kansas State (-10)

REDSKINS (+7.5)

Cincinnati (-11)

Marshall (-28)

PACKERS (+2)

9-5 / 4-3 / 13 pts

11-3 / 5-2 / 16 pts

8-6 / 5-2 / 13 pts

8-6 / 5-2 / 13 pts

10-4 / 5-2 / 15 pts

9-5 / 6-1 / 15 pts

10-4 / 3-4 / 13 pts

9-5 / 3-4* / 12 pts

7-7 / 5-2 / 12 pts

11-3 / 7-0 / 18 pts

WISE GUYS CONTESTA $10,000 Contest Sponsored by PLAYBOOK.com

Now in its 29th year, the WISE GUYS CONTEST is a $10,000 winners-take-all handicapping event sponsored by PLAYBOOK.com. All plays are graded against the lines posted after 4:00 PM Mondays on the WISE GUYS CONTEST page at PLAYBOOK.com. Each week below we'll post Single Plays from the Top 20 point-earners. Following the play is their overall Win-Loss record / Double Play record / Total Points earned to date.

Billy The Kidplaybook.com

Brew City Sportsbrewcitysports.net

Chuck Edelsportsxradio.com

Doc’s Sportsdocsports.com

JB Sportsjbsports.net

Jersey Kidjerseykidpicks.com

JH-Sportslinejhsportsline.com

Jim Feistjimfeist.com

Joe Nelsonnellysports.com

Marc Lawrenceplaybook.com

BENGALS (-1.5)

TEXANS (-2)

Texas State (+3.5)

Nevada (-4.5)

LIONS (-4)

Ga Tech (+3.5)

JAGUARS (+5)

COWBOYS (-7.5)

VIKINGS (+3)

S Carolina (+17.5)

8-5-1 / 4-2-1 / 12 pts

8-5-1 / 5-1-1 / 13 pts

10-4 / 4-3 / 14 pts

8-6 / 4-3 / 12 pts

8-5-1 / 4-2-1 / 12 pts

10-3-1 / 5-2* / 15 pts

10-4 / 5-2* / 15 pts

7-7 / 5-2 / 12 pts

9-4-1 / 5-1-1 / 14 pts

10-4 / 5-2 / 16 pts

Mike Muzykamjmsportsline.com

Mr. Eastplaybook.com

Okie Sportsplaybook.com

Peter Brownyahoo sports radio

Robert Ferringodocsports.com

Ross Benjaminrossbenjaminsports.com

Scott Landauscottlandau.com

Statfox Davestatfox.com

Steve Merrilprosportsinfo.com

Stormin Normanfreesportsinfo.com

GAME MATCHUPS KEY OVER/UNDER STATS

2 0 1 4 N AT I O N A L F O O T B A L L L E A G U E – W E E K N I N E

The fi rst 8 games of the NFL schedule are listed below. As always, the number listed fi rst is the ‘OVER’ and the number listed second is the ‘UNDER’. The ENTIRE 2-minute Handicap (all 16 gms) along with this week’s 3 NFL O/U BEST BETS will appear in the 2014 “TOTALS” TIPSHEET by Victor King – the defi nitive weekly OU newsletter. A single issue is only $8.00 (or $65 for the season). Last year’s record: 32-17-2 ATS (65%). Sent via email on Tuesdays. Call the PLAYBOOK offi ces to get on the 2014 “Totals Train”! …*This week’s TREND play: Bears @ Patriots ’OVER’ the TOTAL.

AN 'OVER / UNDER' REPORT ON THIS WEEK'S NFL CARDBY VICTOR KING

THE 2-MINUTE HANDICAP: O/U STYLE

San DiegoDENVER

DetroitAtlanta

MinnesotaTAMPA BAY

ChicagoNEW ENGLAND

St LouisKANSAS CITY

SeattleCAROLINA

BuffaloNY JETS

Miami JACKSONVILLE

4-0 O/U Gm 8... 4-1 O/U off SU home fav loss... 10-3 O/U 1st of BB RG’s... but 0-4 O/U as dogs 6 > pts... 1-5 O/U Thursdays3-1 O/U Gm 7... 5-2 O/U off non-conf HG... but 0-6 O/U bef NEng... 0-3 O/U L3 vs SD (45.3)... 1-4 O/U Thursdays

7-0 O/U Gm 8... 12-1 O/U RF’s > 1 pt... 4-1 O/U aft NOrl... 3-1 O/U bef Bye... but 1-6 O/U vs .333 < opp... 1-5 O/U vs Atl (41.3)4-1 O/U aft Balt... but 0-3 O/U Gm 8... 0-3 O/U away bef Bye Week... 1-6 O/U vs NFC North... 1-4 O/U bef TBay

4-1 O/U vs NFC South... 15-4 O/U off non-conf RG... 11-3 O/U Gm 8... but 0-4 O/U vs opp w/ rest... 1-4 O/U bef Wash7-1 O/U in 2nd of BB HG’s... 4-1 O/U aft Bye... 4-1 O/U L5 vs Min (59.0)... 6-2 O/U vs NFC North... but 1-4 O/U as HF’s 4 < pts

5-0 O/U away vs AFC... 3-0 O/U aft Mia... 4-0 O/U away bef Bye... 4-1 O/U off SU home fav loss... 3-1 O/U vs opp off Thur gm6-1 O/U home off div ‘Over’... 5-1 O/U vs NFC North... 4-1 O/U in 2nd of BB HG’s... 3-1 O/U bef Den... 3-1 O/U L4 vs Chi

3-0 O/U off div HG... 5-1 O/U aft score 28 > points... 4-1 O/U off SU dog win... 4-1 O/U bef SF... 4-1 O/U Gm 74-0 O/U as favs vs opp off dog win... 6-1 O/U off road dog win vs non-div opp... 4-1 O/U bef NYJ... 3-1-1 O/U L5 vs Stl (56.6)

7-2 O/U non-div RF’s 5 < pts... but 1-4 O/U off road fav loss... 1-4 O/U vs NFC South... 1-3 O/U aft Stl... 2-5 O/U off div RG4-0-1 O/U dogs in 1st of BB HG... but 0-5 O/U Gm 8... 1-4 O/U vs NFC West... 1-3 O/U bef NOrl... 1-3 O/U L4 vs Sea (28.8)

4-0 O/U vs opp off Thur gm... 4-0 O/U bef Bye... 6-1 O/U aft Min... 4-1 O/U L5 vs NYJ (52.6)... but 1-5 O/U as RF/RD 3 < pts5-1-1 O/U as div fav/dog 3 < pts... 3-1 O/U off Thur gm... 3-1-1 O/U Gm 8... but 0-4 O/U home off div ‘Over’... 1-6 O/U bef KC

4-1 O/U bef SD... but 0-3-1 O/U Gm 7... 1-6 O/U favs off road dog win... 1-5 O/U vs AFC South... 1-4 O/U aft Chi6-1 O/U Gm 8... but 0-5 O/U bef Cin... 0-4 O/U L4 vs Mia (29.8)... 1-4 O/U as non-div HD’s 6 < pts... 3-7 O/U vs AFC East


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24

FREE PICKS: 1.714.228.6272

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27

WASHINGTON8:30 PM DALLAS ESPN

277 278 7’ 6

SAN DIEGO8:25 PM DENVER CBS

CONNECTICUT 7:00 PM E CAROLINA ESPNU

MIAMI FLA8:00 PM TIME CHANGE VA TECH ESPN

103 104

105 106

107 108 3 3

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25

A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STAR-RATED BEST BET SELECTIONSTHIS WEEK'S BEST BETS

FOR WEEK ENDING MONDAY,OCTOBER 27, 2014 4� BEST BET3� BEST BET 5� BEST BET

COLLEGE

NFL

UPSET GAME

SOUTH CAROLINA ARKANSAS COLORADO

CHIEFS SAINTS EAGLES

TEXAS

DETROIT9:30 AM @London, England ATLANTA FOX

MINNESOTA1:00 PM TAMPA BAY

CHICAGO1:00 PM NEW ENGLAND

ST. LOUIS1:00 PM KANSAS CITY

SEATTLE1:00 PM CAROLINA

BUFFALO1:00 PM NY JETS

MIAMI1:00 PM JACKSONVILLE

HOUSTON1:00 PM TENNESSEE

BALTIMORE1:00 PM CINCINNATI

PHILADELPHIA4:05 PM ARIZONA

INDIANAPOLIS4:25 PM PITTSBURGH

OAKLAND4:25 PM CLEVELAND

GREEN BAY NBC 8:30 PM NEW ORLEANS

251 252

253 254

255 256

257 258

259 260

261 262

263 264

265 266

267 268

269 270

271 272

273 274

275 276

S CAROLINA 7:30 PM TIME CHANGE AUBURN SEC

NO ILLINOIS1:00 PM TIME CHANGE E MICHIGAN

MISSISSIPPI ST3:30 PM TIME CHANGE KENTUCKY CBS

SYRACUSE7:00 PM TIME CHANGE CLEMSON ESPNU

MINNESOTA12:00 PM ILLINOIS ESPNU

AKRON2:00 PM TIME CHANGE BALL ST

117 118

119 120

121 122

123 124

125 126

127 128

2014 COLLEGE & PRO FOOTBALL - OCTOBER 21-27

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time • Games in Offi cial International Rotation sequence • Dates & times subject to change

Listed next to the games below are two entries: OL is the SportsOptions.com opening line on the contest and PB is the PLAYBOOK margin. You have a PLAYBOOK Recommendation whenever our predicted margin of victory is 6 or more points off the opening line. Remember, opening

lines are subject to change during the week so always check YOUR CURRENT LINE against the PLAYBOOK line to determine a fi nal play.

OL PB

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21129 130

131 132

133 134

135 136

137 138

139 140

141 142

143 144

145 146

147 148

149 150

151 152

153 154

155 156

157 158

159 160

161 162

163 164

OL PBALABAMA7:30 PM TIME CHANGE TENNESSEE ESPN2 MICHIGAN 3:30 PM MICHIGAN ST ABC

WYOMING 7:00 PM COLORADO ST

MISSISSIPPI7:15 PM TIME CHANGE LSU ESPN

ARIZONA5:00 PM TIME CHANGE WASHINGTON ST

USC10:00 PM TIME CHANGE UTAH FOX1

GA SOUTHERN2:00 PM TIME CHANGE GEORGIA ST

NORTH TEXAS12:00 PM TIME CHANGE RICE

LOUISIANA TECH3:30 PM TIME CHANGE SOUTHERN MISS

UTEP7:00 PM TEX-SAN ANTONIO

FLA ATLANTIC3:30 PM TIME CHANGE MARSHALL FCS TEXAS ST2:00 PM TIME CHANGE LA-MONROE

OLD DOMINION4:00 PM TIME CHANGE W KENTUCKY

WEST VIRGINIA 3:30 PM TIME CHANGE OKLA ST ESPN

TEXAS12:00 PM TIME CHANGE KANSAS ST ESPN

OHIO ST8:00 PM PENN ST ABC

ARIZONA ST10:45 PM TIME CHANGE WASHINGTON ESPN

NEVADA12:00 AM HAWAII

165 166

167 168

169 170

171 172

173 174

175 176

177 178

179 180

181 182

183 184

185 186

187 188

189 190

191 192

193 194

195 196

197 198

199 200

OL PB OL PB3

9’

NL

11

5’

3’

11’

21’

8’

18

14’

14

16

17

18

3

3’

1

15

14’

10

2’

6’

3’

4’

C MICHIGAN3:30 PM TIME CHANGEBUFFALO

OHIO U2:00 PM TIME CHANGE W MICHIGAN

BOSTON COLLEGE3:30 PM TIME CHANGE WAKE FOREST

TEMPLE5:00 PM TIME CHANGE UCF

NORTH CAROLINA12:00 PM VIRGINIA

GA TECH ESPNU3:30 PM TIME CHANGE PITTSBURGH

MARYLAND12:00 PMWISCONSIN

VANDERBILT4:00 PM TIME CHANGE MISSOURI SEC

SAN JOSE ST1:00 PM NAVY CBSC

UNLV4:00 PM TIME CHANGE UTAH ST ESPNN

UMASS2:00 PMTOLEDO

UCLA2:00 PM COLORADO

RUTGERS12:00 PM TIME CHANGE NEBRASKA ESPN2

KENT ST2:30 PM TIME CHANGE MIAMI OHIO

UAB 12:00 PM TIME CHANGE ARKANSAS SEC

TEXAS TECH3:30 PM TIME CHANGE TCU FOX

MEMPHIS12:00 PM TIME CHANGE SMU ESPNN

OREGON ST 3:30 PM TIME CHANGE STANFORD ESPN2

6

1

2’

3

1

14

1

6

3

1

3

ARKANSAS ST 8:00 PM LA-LAFAYETTE ESPN2

101 102

1’

3

16’ 6

20 24

14 6

15’ 11

3

13

17

3

11

3

8

20

11

21

8

17

5’

23

1

13

1

35

24

10

22

3

3

6

21

24

11

3’

11

6

5

1

6

�

�

�

�

�

�

“Your purchase of the information in this publication is intended strictly for the private use of the subscriber and/or purchaser. The redistribution of any por tion of this information, in any form, without the express written consent of Preferred Picks® (or Playbook® or Playbook.com®) is strictly prohibited and is subject to the laws of the jurisdictions involved.”

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23

2’

SUBSCRIBE TO PLAYBOOK TODAY: 1.800.752.9266

�

27 24

6’ 3

21

22’

16

18

9

13

3

16

3 7

3

7

2

11

3

3

14

2’

1’ 1

14 13

NFL WEEK EIGHT BYES

NY GIANTS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

NL 2

4 1

4 8

MARC’S 5★ COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE MONTH GOES SATURDAY!

7 4

26’ 31

TROY7:30 PM S ALABAMA ESPNU

USF 7:00 PM TIME CHANGE CINCINNATI ESPN2

BYU9:00 PM BOISE ST ESPN

OREGON10:00 PM @Levi’s Stadium CALIFORNIA FOX 1

109 110

111 112

113 114

115 116

6 1

12’ 14

11 15

18’ 10

Documents

October 21-27, 2014 College Game Of The Month Goes ... · clinched college football’s distinguished ‘Most Improved Team’ award for 2013. It came after winning just three games