Alabama betting on staying No. 1 in the BCS
Alabama betting on staying No. 1 in the BCS
The Baton Rouge faithful will amass in their purple & gold Saturday afternoon when LSU welcomes Nick Saban back to Tiger Stadium with his Alabama Crimson Tide, the nation's top-ranked team. Is 'Bama destined to become the fourth No. 1 to fall this season when they take on the Tigers, currently No. 16 in the BCS, and if so, will Texas Tech or Penn State ascend to the throne?
Another 1 bites the dust. The Texas Longhorns are the latest No. 1 team in the college football rankings to fall from grace; the Alabama Crimson Tide could be next after just one week at the top of the polls. If this keeps up, maybe we will see a mid-major in the BCS Championship game.
Purdue at No. 18 Michigan State (-9½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
This is a danger area for the Spartans (8-2 SU, 5-5 ATS). They needed an untimely Wisconsin penalty last week to come back and beat the Badgers 25-24 as 5½-point home faves. Now they welcome the Boilermakers (3-6 SU, 3-4-1 ATS), a team coming off a 48-42 win against Michigan (+2½) that knocked the Wolverines out of bowl contention.
Who will Purdue start at quarterback? Coach Joe Tiller says he won’t decide until later in the week between senior Curtis Painter and sophomore Justin Siller. It’s a tough decision. Painter suffered a partial shoulder separation two weeks ago and is already having a disappointing season with six TD throws and 10 interceptions. Siller had a strong game (three TDs, zero INTs) against the Wolverines, but that’s just one game against a very poor defense.
The betting odds for this matchup are accessorized by a fashionable total of 53½ points. Michigan State has given up at least 20 points in four straight games; the first three went over, then last week’s Spartans-Badgers thriller missed the mark by half a point. The over has taken two of three for the Boilers, including the win over Michigan.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 16 Louisiana State (+3½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Crimson Tide (9-0 SU, 6-3 ATS) are the new No. 1 team in the nation, although their 35-0 win over lowly Arkansas State (+24) was not nearly as dramatic at Texas’ loss. The quality of opposition in the SEC has been watered down; the Tide have only faced two ranked teams this year, and one of them was non-con Clemson (4-4 SU, 1-5 ATS) in the opener.
Those Tigers turned out to be less than advertised. It’s also been a rough ride for the LSU Tigers (6-2 SU, 2-5 ATS), who need an even more unlikely scenario than last year’s to get back into the title game. A spot in a major bowl is still a possibility, starting with a win over the undefeated Tide that would bring LSU within one game of Alabama in the SEC West.
LSU is 5-0 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in its last five versus the Tide. That streak began with Nick Saban coaching the Tigers; he’s on the other sideline now, and it’s no coincidence the fortunes of the two clubs have also changed direction of late. The Tiger Stadium crowd will be cranked up for the prodigal coach’s return.
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Texas Tech (-3½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Red Raiders (9-0 SU, 4-2-1 ATS) have the nation’s attention after beating then-No. 1 Texas 39-33 last week as 3½-point home dogs. It was just one week earlier that the Cowboys (8-1 SU, 8-0 ATS) took the Longhorns (-11.5) to the wire in a 28-24 loss, putting the brakes to Texas’ undefeated ATS streak while extending their own.
Tech opened as a 3-point favorite; the total took a nosedive on Thursday, moving from 74 to 68 points. The Cowboys have done a commendable job holding opponents to 21 points per game compared to 22.4 points for the Red Raiders. The under is 3-1 in their last four games this year, along with 3-1 in the last four meetings between OSU and TT.
As good as the ‘Pokes defense is, it doesn’t match up very well against Mike Leach’s spread offense. The Raiders are the most dangerous passing team in the FBS with 424.6 yards per game. Oklahoma State is No. 99 in sacks with 11. The over has cashed in three times in a row for Texas Tech; it looks like we’ll be treated to yet another Big 12 shootout.
The Baton Rouge faithful will amass in their purple & gold Saturday afternoon when LSU welcomes Nick Saban back to Tiger Stadium with his Alabama Crimson Tide, the nation's top-ranked team. Is 'Bama destined to become the fourth No. 1 to fall this season when they take on the Tigers, currently No. 16 in the BCS, and if so, will Texas Tech or Penn State ascend to the throne?
Another 1 bites the dust. The Texas Longhorns are the latest No. 1 team in the college football rankings to fall from grace; the Alabama Crimson Tide could be next after just one week at the top of the polls. If this keeps up, maybe we will see a mid-major in the BCS Championship game.
Purdue at No. 18 Michigan State (-9½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
This is a danger area for the Spartans (8-2 SU, 5-5 ATS). They needed an untimely Wisconsin penalty last week to come back and beat the Badgers 25-24 as 5½-point home faves. Now they welcome the Boilermakers (3-6 SU, 3-4-1 ATS), a team coming off a 48-42 win against Michigan (+2½) that knocked the Wolverines out of bowl contention.
Who will Purdue start at quarterback? Coach Joe Tiller says he won’t decide until later in the week between senior Curtis Painter and sophomore Justin Siller. It’s a tough decision. Painter suffered a partial shoulder separation two weeks ago and is already having a disappointing season with six TD throws and 10 interceptions. Siller had a strong game (three TDs, zero INTs) against the Wolverines, but that’s just one game against a very poor defense.
The betting odds for this matchup are accessorized by a fashionable total of 53½ points. Michigan State has given up at least 20 points in four straight games; the first three went over, then last week’s Spartans-Badgers thriller missed the mark by half a point. The over has taken two of three for the Boilers, including the win over Michigan.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 16 Louisiana State (+3½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Crimson Tide (9-0 SU, 6-3 ATS) are the new No. 1 team in the nation, although their 35-0 win over lowly Arkansas State (+24) was not nearly as dramatic at Texas’ loss. The quality of opposition in the SEC has been watered down; the Tide have only faced two ranked teams this year, and one of them was non-con Clemson (4-4 SU, 1-5 ATS) in the opener.
Those Tigers turned out to be less than advertised. It’s also been a rough ride for the LSU Tigers (6-2 SU, 2-5 ATS), who need an even more unlikely scenario than last year’s to get back into the title game. A spot in a major bowl is still a possibility, starting with a win over the undefeated Tide that would bring LSU within one game of Alabama in the SEC West.
LSU is 5-0 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in its last five versus the Tide. That streak began with Nick Saban coaching the Tigers; he’s on the other sideline now, and it’s no coincidence the fortunes of the two clubs have also changed direction of late. The Tiger Stadium crowd will be cranked up for the prodigal coach’s return.
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Texas Tech (-3½)
Saturday, Nov 8, 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Red Raiders (9-0 SU, 4-2-1 ATS) have the nation’s attention after beating then-No. 1 Texas 39-33 last week as 3½-point home dogs. It was just one week earlier that the Cowboys (8-1 SU, 8-0 ATS) took the Longhorns (-11.5) to the wire in a 28-24 loss, putting the brakes to Texas’ undefeated ATS streak while extending their own.
Tech opened as a 3-point favorite; the total took a nosedive on Thursday, moving from 74 to 68 points. The Cowboys have done a commendable job holding opponents to 21 points per game compared to 22.4 points for the Red Raiders. The under is 3-1 in their last four games this year, along with 3-1 in the last four meetings between OSU and TT.
As good as the ‘Pokes defense is, it doesn’t match up very well against Mike Leach’s spread offense. The Raiders are the most dangerous passing team in the FBS with 424.6 yards per game. Oklahoma State is No. 99 in sacks with 11. The over has cashed in three times in a row for Texas Tech; it looks like we’ll be treated to yet another Big 12 shootout.