Friday, October 5, 2012

College Football Week 6 Preview and Picks


Game: Arkansas +8 at Auburn, O/U 54.5, 12pm on 10-6

Analysis: Arkansas is 1-4 and a complete disaster of a season with 4 straight losses including a 58-10 thrashing last week to Texas A&M.  Tyler Wilson, Knile Davis, and Cobi Hamilton are a talented QB-RB-WR threat but the team is just making too many mistakes.  Auburn is 1-3 and although a solid effort last week against LSU in a 12-10 defeat, the team is inept offensively with Frazier a lousy QB.  Auburn is coming off of a bye week which helps and will also have the home field advantage, and if any defense can cure a sick offense, it is this year's Razorbacks.  The way Auburn's D played against LSU they should have confidence coming into this one and enough to beat up a team that is not playing for their new coach.

Line Movement: Opened -10.5 and Pushed Down to -8 at a Few Books with 62% of Public Betting Auburn

Bet Trends:  Arkansas is 0-7 ATS last 7 road games and 1-4 ATS last 5 games following a bye week.  Auburn is 14-6 ATS last 20 SEC games but 5-12 ATS last 17 games following a loss. Auburn is 2-5 ATS last 7 home games against Arkansas.

The Pick:  Auburn -8 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Auburn 34 / Arkansas 24


Game: Northwestern +2 at Penn State, O/U 48, 12pm on 10-6

Analysis: The 24th ranked Wildcats go on the road for a big match-up after starting the season 5-0.  Northwestern has a strong running attack with 2 RB's averaging more than 5 yards per carry and combining for 900+ yards.  Penn St. Matt McGloin has had a lot of success against Northwestern in the past and the Wildcats secondary remains a weakness.  Penn St.'s run defense is much improved and will look to control the 9th best rushing team in the country.  If the game comes down to the kicking game Northwestern has a major advantage.  Penn St. has won 3 straight and seems to have put the offseason distractions behind them, and it will be a whiteout at Beaver Stadium.

Line Movement: Opened -4 and Falling with 69% of Public Betting Northwestern

Bet Trends: Northwestern is 5-0 ATS last 5 games overall but just 5-12 ATS last 17 conference games.  Penn St. is 4-0 ATS last 4 overall, but 3-7-1 ATS last 11 home games.  The favorite is 4-0 ATS last 4 meetings and home team is 9-4 ATS last 13.  Northwestern is 1-5 ATS last 6 games at Penn St.

The Pick:  Penn St -2 @ 1 Unit

Predicted Score: Penn St 24 / Northwestern 20


Game: Arizona +9 at Stanford, O/U 54.5, 3pm on 10-6

Analysis: Stanford is coming off of an upset loss to Washington on the road and returns home 3-1.  Arizona played a tough Oregon St. team last week and lost only by 3 although it controlled much of the game, a strong answer to the beating it took the week prior at Oregon, so on the road this team looks different.  Stanford has a Defense that will cause problems for the Wildcats but needs to come up with some offense with QB Nunes really struggling to fill the shoes of Andrew Luck.  Stanford is a much more physical team while the Wildcats have more speed than size.  Nunes should be able to find some success against a poor Arizona pass D, and look for Stephan Taylor to lead the Cardinals to victory with the running game.

Line Movement: Opened -12.5 and Pushed Down with 52% of Public Betting Stanford; Smart $ Bets Mixed with Top Book Betting Stanford -9.5

Bet Trends: Arizona is 3-7 ATS last 10 overall and 1-4 ATS last 5 road games.  Stanford is 12-3-1 ATS last 16 Pac 12 games and 22-8 ATS last 30 games at home.  Arizona is 1-4 ATS last 5 games against Stanford.

The Pick:  Stanford -9 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Stanford 31 / Arizona 17


Game: Northern Illinois -3 at Ball State, 3pm on 10-6

Analysis: Ball St. has an explosive offense but also can't stop anyone, which is the norm in the MAC.  Ball St. is 3-2 and lost to Kent. St by 2 on the road last week.  Northern Illinois is 4-1 and even had a victory against a Big 12 school Kansas.  Northern Illinois has the best D in the MAC and can also put up points while Ball St. is over-reliant on its offense to stay in games.  Ball St. did however beat a South Florida team that hung with Florida St last week.

Line Movement: Opened at -1.5 and High of -3, Settled at -2.5 with 75% of Public Betting Northern Illinois; Ball St. is seeing the Smart $ with Public Seen as Squares

Bet Trends: Northern Illinois is 4-1-1 ATS last 6 overall, but 2-5 ATS last 7 road games.  Ball St. is 9-2 ATS last 11 overall but just 5-15 ATS last 20 home games.  Huskies are 5-2 ATS last 7 meetings at Ball St and road team is 5-2 ATS last games in this matchup.

The Pick: Ball St. +3 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Northern Illinois 38 / Ball St. 41


Game: LSU -3 at Florida, O/U 42.5, 3:30pm on 10-6

Analysis: LSU struggled against Towson last week and looked unimpressive at Auburn the week prior, but can win games with its defense.  Florida looks to remain undefeated and at Home for their biggest test of the season.  Florida has beaten quality teams in Texas A&M and Tennessee and is coming off a bye week.  Driskel has been impressive at QB and Gillislee has been one of the better RB's in the country this season.  LSU's strength into this game will be running the ball with Spencer Ware and its D-Line against an often shaky Gator's O-Line.  LSU could have easily lost last week if Auburn had a capable QB, so look for Florida to pull out the big victory.

Line Movement: Opened -4 and Pushed Down to -2.5/3 Range with Public 50/50 Split

Bet Trends:  LSU is 6-1 ATS last 7 road games.  Florida is 1-5-1 ATS last 7 home games but 4-1 ATS last 5 games overall.  LSU is 2-5 ATS last 7 meetings and road team is 8-3 ATS last 11 meetings. 

The Pick: Florida +3 @ 3 Units

Predicted Score: Florida 20 / LSU 17


Game: Wake Forest +6 at Maryland, O/U 50, 3:30pm on 10-6

Analysis: Maryland is 2-2 and coming off a bye week and I was real impressed with the 10 point loss at West Virginia with the defense and especially the young QB.  Obviously the team has been inconsistent as it also lost to UCONN the week prior by 3.  Wake Forest is 3-2 with a weak schedule, its only test FSU was a 52-0 loss.  Wake Forest's defense has not played well and they are missing top WR Campanero.  Maryland's D is ranked 8th nationally and really looks to have a major advantage in this one.

Line Movement: Opened -4 and Pushed to -6 with 77% of Public Betting Maryland;

Bet Trends: Wake Forest is 5-0 ATS last 5 after a loss, but 6-15 ATS last 21 road games.  Maryland is 0-8 ATS last 8 games at home and 2-9 ATS last 11 overall.  The favorite is 4-1 ATS last 5 meetings, home team is 4-1 ATS, and Wake Forest is 3-10 ATS last 13 meetings.

The Pick: Maryland -6 @ 5 Units

Predicted Score: Maryland 31 / Wake Forest 17


Game: Oklahoma -5 at Texas Tech, O/U 58, 3:30pm on 10-6

Analysis: Oklahoma is coming off a bye after losing at home to Kansas St.  The Sooners have talent with Landry Jones and Kenny Stills, but just do not seem to play with the intensity needed to win games.  Texas Tech is 4-0 although yet to face a team of Oklahoma's caliber with Seth Doege leading the passing attack.  The Sooners are 1 of two teams yet to force a turnover this season.  Texas Tech also sports their best defensive unit in years due to new coordinator Art Kaufman and Landry Jones is playing without confidence and can easily get rattled.

Line Movement: Oklahoma opened -7 and Line Dropping with 60% Public on Texas Tech and Sharp Money Also on the Red Raiders

Bet Trends: Oklahoma is 20-7 ATS last 27 games following a loss, but just 1-4 ATS last 5 road games.  Texas Tech is 0-6 ATS last 6 home games against teams with a winning road record 5-1 ATS last 6 after a win.  Home team si 5-1 ATS last 6 meetings between these two teams.

The Pick: Texas Tech +5 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Texas Tech 27 / Oklahoma 24


Game: Texas A&M -12 at Mississippi, O/U 64.5, 7pm on 10-6

Analysis: Texas A&M romped Arkansas 58-10 last week and this Manziel at QB is one of the most exciting players in football right now, always making plays.  Ole Miss is 3-2 with low-quality wins but only lost to Alabama by 19 last week with Bo Wallace an exciting QB as well, so this should at least be a fun game to watch.  A&M has the best 3rd down D in the SEC and will look to get its powerful offense back on the field and pull away in this one.  Ole Miss has a lot of weapons with Jeff Scott at RB and Moncrief at WR, so the potential is there to keep it close.  A Freshman QB for A&M heading into hostile territory for its first SEC road game adds some pressure.  A&M has holes in its secondary that Bo Wallace should be able to exploit. 

Line Movement: Opened -8.5 and 71% of Public Betting A&M; Line has Seen as High as -13; Early Action Saw Smart $ Steam the Line Higher, and Now some Miss $ Locking in the Spread

Bet Trends: Texas A&M is 4-1 ATS last 5 overall, 3-7 ATS last 10 games following a win, and 2-6 ATS last 8 road games, also 1-8-1 ATS last 10 conference games.  Rebels are 4-1 ATS last 5 overall, 4-9 ATS last 13 at home and 2-8 ATS last 10 conference games. 

The Pick:  Texas A&M -12 @ 1 Unit

Predicted Score: Texas A&M 45 / Ole Miss 31


Game: West Virginia +6.5 at Texas, O/U 74.5, 7pm on 10-6

Analysis: Two of the 10 best teams in the country come in at 4-0 and should be the game of the week.  West Virginia has yet to face top tier competition and squeezed out a 70-63 win vs. Baylor last week and opened the season with 4 straight home games.  Geno Smith is the top QB in the country and Tavon Austin is a great WR along with Bailey, but the team may be too 1-dimensional.  Texas stole a victory from Oklahoma St. last week on a horrid call, and the Defense has given up big plays to OSU and Ole Miss, so West Virginia should have no issue scoring points.  This is the toughest test for WVU since facing Maryland's D who did contain them.  Texas has the best pass rush in the Big 12 and we have yet to see how Geno Smith performs under duress. 

Line Movement: Steady at -7 with 66% of Public Betting West Virginia

Bet Trends: West Virginia is 4-1 ATS last 5 road games but 2-6 ATS last 8 games after a win.  Texas is 4-1 ATS last 5 overall, but 1-6 ATS last 7 home games versus teams with winning road records. 

The Pick: Texas -6.5 @ 2 Units (Shop Around, A Few Books Offering 6.5)

Predicted Score: Texas 38 / West Virginia 31


Game: Miami (OH) +19.5 vs. Cincinnati, O/U 58.5, 7pm on 106

Analysis: The Bearcats are unbeaten at 3-0 and coming off a big win against V-Tech with an aggressive defense and a play-making offense.  This week they host a MAC team, the Redhawks who are 3-2 with the losses 56-10 to Ohio St. and 39-12 to Boise St.  The Bearcats may not be the type of team to blow teams out, only beat Delaware St. 23-7 earlier this season.  Zac Dysert is a QB that can make plays for Miami (OH) and this is the oldest nonconference rivalry in the nation, the 117th meeting.  Bearcats have won the last 3 by a total of 109-16 and this year's team may be their best. 

Line Movement: Opened -20.5 and 59% of Public Betting Cincinnati; Smart $ has Driven Line Lower when It Exceeds 20

Bet Trends: Redhawks are 7-2 ATS last 9 games following a win, but 2-6 ATS last 8 games versus Big East opponents.  Bearcats are 5-0 ATS last 5 non-conference games, 5-0 ATS last 5 overall and 6-2 ATS last 8 games at home. 

The Pick:  Cincy -19.5 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Cincy 38 / Miami (OH) 13


Game: Georgia +1 at South Carolina, O/U 54, 7pm on 10-6

Analysis: Georgia and South Carolina are each 5-0 and this is a huge game in the SEC.  Georgia is scoring 48 points per game but struggled to beat Tennessee last week, while South Carolina had some issues against Kentucky in the first half, but neither team has played the meat of their schedule yet.  Vandy and Missouri are common opponents and Georgia was the more impressive team against each of those two.  South Carolina has been stout against the run and look to stop the Bulldog Freshman duo averaging more than 8 yards per carry.  Last week 4 of the TD's Georgia allowed were defensive/special teams, so a bit of a fluke when looking at the score. 

Line Movement: Opened -2.5 and 58% of Public Betting Georgia; Line Been as Low as 0 and then Rebounds to -2; Georgia Sees Some Steam when Line Hits 2

Bet Trends: Georgia is 4-1 ATS last 5 road games, but 2-5 ATS last 7 games overall.  South Carolina is 5-0 ATS last 5 home games, 6-0 ATS in games following a win, and 5-0 ATS last 5 games following a 20+ point win.  Road teams are 5-1-1 ATS last 7 in this meeting, and Georgia is 0-4-1 ATS last 5 meetings.

The Pick: South Carolina -1 @ 1 Unit (ATS Trends Pick)

Predicted Score: South Carolina 27 / Georgia 24


Game: Miami +14 at Notre Dame, O/U 51.5, 7:30pm on 10-6

Analysis: Miami is 4-1and comes in with momentum after wins vs. Georgia Tech and NC State and doing so with a vertical passing game, but Notre Dame ranks 3rd nationally in scoring D.  Miami lost 52-13 against its only quality team, Kansas St.  Notre Dame is a legitimate threat this year and already beat two ranked teams, although the Big 10 stinks, with Michigan and Michigan St and has Oklahoma and Stanford in the next 3 weeks.  The game will be played at Soldier Field and the weather could play a factor, likely in favor of Notre Dame.  Notre Dame does not really have the type of offense to cover a 14 point spread, but Miami's D has allowed 33 points per game.

Line Movement: Opened -11.5 and 58% Betting Miami; The Line Moving to Notre Dame but Public on Miami Tells Me Smart $ on Notre Dame in -11 to -13 Range

Bet Trends: Miami is 9-4 ATS last 13 games overall but 2-5 ATS last 7 non-conference games.  Notre Dame is 7-3 ATS last 10 after scoring less than 20 points in prior game. 

The Pick: Miami +14 @ 1 Unit

Predicted Score: Notre Dame 27 / Miami 17


Game: Nebraska +3.5 at Ohio St., O/U 57.5, 8pm on 10-6

Analysis: Ohio St is 5-0 but has not looked very impressive its last 3 games, and relies completely on Braxton Miller to make play after play.  Nebraska got out to a big lead against Wisconsin last week and almost let it slip away, but is 4-1 with its most quality opponent UCLA a 36-30 loss.  This matchup is all about the QB's that are both dual threats with Miller vs. Martinez.  OSU held a great RB in Bell from Mich. St last week and will need to play that kind of D again this week against Burkhead. 

Line Movement: Opened -4 and 57% of Public Betting Ohio St.; Line at -3 to -3.5 at Books

Bet Trends: Cornhuskers are 1-5 ATS last 6 games following a win and 1-3-1 ATS last 5 conference games.  Buckeyes are 3-7 ATS last 10 overall and 1-6 ATS last 7 home games. 

The Pick: Nebraska +3.5 @ 2 Units

Predicted Score: Nebraska 20 / Ohio St. 17


Game: UCLA -3 at Cal, O/U 55, 10pm on 10-6

Analysis: UCLA is 4-1 and ranks #25 but some of the early season buzz seems to have come off after a loss to Oregon St.  Cal is 1-4 but really has been in every game it's played this year.  UCLA has lost 6 straight games at Cal by an average of 16 points.  Cal's defense is allowing a ton of yards and more than 30 points per game and UCLA has plenty of offensive firepower. 

Line Movement: Opened -1.5 and 84% of Public Bet UCLA; Cal is Seeing Multiple Smart $ Bets

Bet Trends: UCLA is 4-1 ATS last 5 overall, 7-15 ATS last 22 conference games and 4-10 ATS last 14 road games.  Cal is 1-5 ATS last 6 games overall but 8-3 ATS last 11 home games against teams with winning road records.  Home team is 4-1 ATS last 5 meetings and underdog is 11-4-1 ATS last 16 meetings.  UCLA is 2-5 ATS last 7 games at Cal.

The Pick: Cal +3 @ 1 Unit (System Play with Smart $ and ATS Trends)

Predicted Score: UCLA 28 / Cal 27


Game: Washington +24 at Oregon, 10:30pm on 10-6

Analysis: Oregon is 5-0 and after a slow start is heating up although a Washington St team not considered to be very good gave them a game last week until Oregon pulled away.  The Huskies are 3-1 and coming off a major upset versus Stanford and Price is a solid QB and they have Williams at WR who is one of the best in the country.  Washington has a lot of issues on the O-Line and Oregon had 7 sacks last week. 

Line Movement: Opened -24 and 64% of Public Betting Oregon, Steady Line, Little Movement

Bet Trends: Huskies are 12-4-1 ATS last 17 games on turf and 9-4-1 ATS last 14 Pac 12 games but 0-5 ATS last 5 road games.  Oregon is just 2-6-2 ATS last 10 home games.  The favorite is 10-1-1 ATS last 12 meetings between these teams, road team is 3-1-1 ATS, and Huskies are 0-7-1 ATS last 8 meetings.

The Pick: Washington +24 @ 1 Unit

Predicted Score: Oregon 48 / Washington 27

Other Notable Games
Georgia Tech +10.5 at Clemson - G-Tech is 4-9-1 ATS last 14. Clemson is 10-3 ATS last 13 ACC games but 1-4 ATS last 5 at home.  G-Tech has played terrible last two weeks but Clemson is not lived up to abilities.  I think Clemson covers the -10.5 in this one.

Mississippi St. -10 at Kentucky - Kentucky played S. Carolina well last week and drawing some Sharp betting action.  Wildcats 5-2 ATS last 7 after a loss.  Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS last 6 road games.  Miss. St is un-tested but the QB is impressive.  86% of Public Betting Miss. St, a bit one-sided.   A home dog with smart $ action against an un-tested team, I like Kentucky +10.

Michigan -3 at Purdue - Michigan is 1-4-1 ATS last 6 overall and playing poorly.  Boilermakers are 4-1-1 ATS last 6 overall and 6-2 ATS last 8 at home.   Purdue is seeing the most Smart $ bets this week at +3.  Purdue only lost to Notre Dame by 3 and Michigan lost by 7.  I like Purdue +3.

Kent St. -3 at Eastern Michigan - Eastern Michigan is seeing a ton of Sharp $ bets, tied with Purdue for most sharp action.  Eastern Michigan is 7-20 ATS last 27 at home and Kent St. is 6-1 ATS last 7 conference games.  The favorite is 5-1 ATS last 6 meetings between these two teams.  Eastern Michigan is 0-4 but they way it played last week against Michigan St. clearly got some attention from smart $ while 79% of public bets Kent St.   

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