Recap
Last week we saw 2 of college football’s perennial powerhouses Clemson and Notre Dame fall from grace with their 2nd loss in only 3 weeks of action. Georgia Tech took down Clemson with perfect execution on a 55 yard fire drill field goal by Aidan Birr as time expired for the upset. Likewise, Notre Dame received their 2nd loss of the young season at the hands of Texas A&M and QB Marcel Reed who threw a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game to win a shootout in South Bend 41-40. A couple of SEC QB’s had days to forget with Florida’s DJ Lagway tossing an absurd 5 interceptions in his team’s loss to LSU and South Carolina’s Lanoriss Sellers leaving his game in the 2nd quarter with a head injury and did not return to a 31-7 lopsided defeat to Vanderbilt. Elsewhere, the South Florida Bulls have finally been vanquished by a team that was supposed to beat them. Thru the first 2 weeks of the season USF had taken down previously ranked Boise State and in state rivals Florida. The Hurricanes and now Heisman favorite QB Carson Beck made quick work of the plucky underdogs with a 49-12 beating. Not to be forgotten, SEC rivals Georgia and Tennessee had the game of the week with a back and forth overtime thriller that ended with a Georgia touchdown after Tennessee missed a game winning field goal attempt in regulation.
(17)Texas Tech @ (16)Utah
TTU Quick Fire Offense or Utah Shutdown Defense?
A major Big 12 clash takes place this Saturday as the Texas Tech Red Raiders travel to Utah for a 10 AM kickoff (12 PM EST) in a clash of 2 playoff hopefuls. Both teams are 3-0 against the spread so far this year, but with different methods. Texas Tech spent a boat load of money in the offseason to create a high powered offense that is 1st in points scored so far this year. The Red Raiders have 4 players that have rushed for over 150 yards already this season including QB Behren Morton. Receiver Coy Eakin has been the go to player for Texas Tech catching 3 touchdowns in as many games. Meanwhile, Utah has dominated in their games through a suffocating defense and an offense that takes care of the ball ranking 16th in all of college football with a +4 turnover margin. Utah’s offense is predicated on running the ball as they average an absurd 290 rushing yards per game. It will be a battle of two contrasting styles of football as Texas Tech likes to score quickly sitting at 112th in the country in average time of possession while Utah prefers a grind it out style that has them ranked 12th in time of possession. In the college football playoff era Utah has been notoriously difficult to face at home boasting a record of 52-16 during that time.I think that the fact this game will be played at 10 AM local time in a hostile environment will play a major factor against an untested Texas Tech team that will cause a slow start for the away team and I like the Utah spread for the same reasoning. Take a look at Coy Eakin’s player props as he has been the primary target for the Red Raiders through the air.
Best Bets: 1st Half Under 28.5 (-120), Utah -3.5 (-110)
Player Props: Coy Eakin Receptions Over 3.5 (+140)
(22)Auburn @ (11)Oklahoma
Jackson Arnold Revenge Game?
This Saturday, just under a year to the day of the anniversary of Jackson Arnold’s benching as QB for Oklahoma the now Auburn player will face familiar faces in Normandy. The Sooners have a new QB after they added Washington State’s John Mateer in the transfer portal. Mateer got his season off to a bang with a statement performance against Michigan finishing with 270 yards passing and 74 yards rushing to go along with 3 touchdowns in the win. Arnold will have to face an Oklahoma defense that has looked like a legit force so far conceding an average of 6.3 points per game to their opponents so far. The Sooners are also 2nd in passing yards allowed per game and Brent Venables has this team flying on defense this year. If Auburn and Arnold want a positive result they’ll have to find a way to run the ball and protect the football. Thankfully for the Tigers RB Jeremiah Cobb is a bell cow totaling 314 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in 3 games. I like the Jeremiah Cobb player prop for over 45.5 rushing yards, but unfortunately for Arnold I think Oklahoma’s defense is truly elite against the pass and will lead the Sooners to a win and a cover of the spread on Saturday.
Best Bet: Oklahoma -7 (-110)
Player Prop: Jeremiah Cobb Over 45.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
(21)Michigan @ Nebraska
Underwood vs Raiola Who Deserves the Hype?
Highly touted freshman QB Bryce Underwood and the Michigan Wolverines look to get their season back on track against Dylan Raiola and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Michigan stumbled in their 24-13 loss to Oklahoma in week 1 and Underwood in particular struggled finishing with just 142 yards passing and no touchdowns. The Wolverines have been a running team for a while now and this year looks to be no different, as RB Justice Haynes has already racked up 388 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns through 3 games. Nebraska’s toughest test came in a 20-17 week 1 win against Cincinnati that came down to the wire. Raiola performed efficiently in that win tallying 33 completions on 42 attempts with no turnovers and a pair of touchdowns. Nebraska was susceptible to the run in that game allowing 202 rushing yards on 6.7 yards per carry against Cincinnati. Both these teams have the potential to make a run in the Big 10, but I think this will be a poor matchup for the Cornhuskers. Michigan’s running game mixed with their pass rushers and shutdown defense will give Raiola fits in this one. Bryce Underwood just needs to protect the ball and feed Justice Haynes for the Wolverines to get out of Lincoln with a big win.
Best Bet: Michigan ML (-120)
Player Prop: Justice Haynes Over .5 Touchdowns (-130)
Florida @ (4)Miami
Florida & Miami Meet on Opposite Paths
An unbeaten Miami team led by Heisman front runner Carson Beck hosts Florida fresh off back to back disappointing performances by the offense. Florida entered the season with high hopes ranked 15th in the country entering week 1. QB DJ Lagway has failed to replicate his play from the end of last season tossing a ridiculous 5 picks in their loss to LSU a week ago. To make matters worse Lagway and Florida were taken down by the same USF Bulls in week 2 that Beck and the Hurricanes made quick work of in week 3. Beck has started his season on fire tossing 812 passing yards and 7 touchdowns while leading the nation in completion percentage. If Beck continues his early season play then Miami will be competing for a national championship in January. I think Miami and Beck will be too much for a Florida team that is already questioning its coach and QB to handle. Simply put the Gators are the 3rd best team Miami has faced so far this year. I expect the Hurricanes to go up early and coast to a relatively easy win in this one. The under has hit on each of Florida’s 3 games so far this season with the defense playing well despite a sputtering offense.
Best Bet: Miami -9 (-110), Under 51 (-110)
(9)Illinois @ (19)Indiana
Top 25 Early Season Big Ten Matchup
Indiana has yet to be tested in 3 weeks of cupcake games, but they have taken care of business nonetheless. On Saturday, however the Hoosiers will welcome the 9th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and coach Bret Bielema who had an impressive beatdown of Duke in week 2. Both teams enter this game ranked inside the top 6 in the country in points allowed per game. One difference between the two defensive units is that Indiana is better against the pass (6th in the country), while Illinois specializes in stopping the run (ranked 14th). Even though both offenses possess quality quarterbacks I think the defenses prevail in this one, especially Illinois who have been elite so far. Both these teams play at a slower tempo as well so I also like Indiana Roman Hemby’s rushing prop of 72.5 yards to go under.
Best Bet: Under 52.5 (-110), Illinois ML (+210)
Player Prop: Roman Hemby Under 72.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
*Extra Tip (Dependent on Injury Status)*
South Carolina @ (23)Missouri
- If Gamecock QB Lanoriss Sellers is healthy and ready to play, which he is trending in that direction as of today, then I like South Carolina to at least cover the spread coming off a brutal loss to Vandy last time out. Make sure to stay up to date on Sellers’ status before placing your bet.
The Bookie of Eli 
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