Florida Gators out for big win against old coach
Florida Gators out for big win against old coach
With their ticket to the SEC Championship already in hand, the Florida Gators aren't looking that far ahead just yet with a big game on tap at home in Gainesville this Saturday against Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks. Tim Tebow leads the heavily favored Gators into the matchup with Florida coming off five blowout wins since falling 31-30 on their home turf to Mississippi in late September.
When I look at the last two college football seasons, I think of Pat Morita. The late actor is most famous for his roles in the Karate Kid movies and on Happy Days, but he was also in Paul Newman’s least successful movie, the 1980 disaster flop When Time Ran Out. Morita played one of the many characters who fell prey to an oncoming river of lava as a group of vacationers tried to escape their doomed island resort.
Time is likewise running out on the 2008 campaign. With just three weeks to go, we’ve already seen four would-be champions lose their No. 1 spot in the rankings. Will the Alabama Crimson Tide be the volcano’s next victim? Or will it be a BCS buster like the Boise State Broncos? That’s the great thing about football: sometimes, Pat Morita beats the betting odds and makes it off the island.
No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 4 Florida Gators (-23)
Saturday, Nov 15, 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Gators tumbled off the bridge back in Week 5, losing 31-30 at home to Ole Miss (also +23). But Florida has risen from the ashes with five straight blowout wins to sit at 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS. At No. 4 in the BCS polls, the Gators are one of four one-loss teams who could make the leap into the championship game.
But first, they have to remain a one-loss team. The Gamecocks (7-3 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) have quietly enjoyed a strong season after missing out on last year’s bowling. They’ve won six of their last seven at 4-2 ATS; South Carolina is third in the nation in defense at 256.5 yards allowed per game, while Florida is No. 31 in offense at 407.4 yards for.
Steve Spurrier, the former Gators coach, will be making his second visit to Gainesville since taking over the Gamecocks. Spurrier came very close to stealing a win two years ago before Florida prevailed 17-16, but it was SC cashing in as 13-point dogs. The ‘Cocks are 1-2 SU and 2-1 ATS versus the Gators since Spurrier’s return from the NFL ranks.
No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels at Maryland Terrapins (+3)
Saturday, Nov 15, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
The Tar Heels (7-2 SU, 5-3 ATS) have taken over the mantle of “Best Football Team from a Basketball School” from the Kansas Jayhawks. North Carolina is No. 16 in the BCS rankings, but according to Brian Fremeau’s efficiency stats, the Heels were the No. 3 team in the FBS heading into Week 12. Maryland (6-3 SU, 4-4 ATS) was No. 56.
The Terrapins used to own this ACC matchup. They were 4-2 SU and 6-0 ATS from 1998 until last year, when North Carolina (-2) scraped out a 16-13 win at home. That was the first year in Chapel Hill for coach Butch Davis, formerly of the Miami Hurricanes and the NFL Cleveland Browns. His outstanding recruiting has already paid dividends – NC is going bowling for the first time since 2004 and just the third time in a decade.
Maryland will respond with one of the most difficult teams in college to get a handle on. In October, the Terps lost 31-0 at Virginia (+13) and came right back the next week to blank visiting Wake Forest (-1) by a 26-0 margin. However, this matchup is not promising for The Turtle. Maryland is No. 76 in the FBS in pass defense at 217.1 yards allowed per game, and starting CB Kevin Barnes (check out this hit on Cal RB Jahvid Best) is likely out for the year with a shoulder injury.
No. 9 Boise State Broncos at Idaho Vandals (+36½)
Saturday, Nov 15, 5:00 p.m. (ET)
This will be only the third time all year that a team has gotten 30 points or more at home. The two favorites were USC, who covered at -42½, and Arizona, who didn’t at -41. Both games were at lowly Washington State.
The Broncos are undefeated at 9-0 SU (5-2-1 ATS). They can claim to be better than Arizona; the Wildcats are No. 40 on the Fremeau charts, while BSU is No. 24. But neither team comes close to No. 6 USC. As for the Vandals, they remain one of the worst teams in the country at 2-8 SU (3-6 ATS), but their No. 118 ranking in terms of efficiency is actually one spot higher than Wazzu.
Idaho covered its last two home games against Boise State at +25 and +21. The Broncos pushed against Utah State last week as 35-point home faves, while the Vandals are 3-1 ATS in their last four games, including a cover at Fresno State (-34½) in a 45-32 loss.
With their ticket to the SEC Championship already in hand, the Florida Gators aren't looking that far ahead just yet with a big game on tap at home in Gainesville this Saturday against Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks. Tim Tebow leads the heavily favored Gators into the matchup with Florida coming off five blowout wins since falling 31-30 on their home turf to Mississippi in late September.
When I look at the last two college football seasons, I think of Pat Morita. The late actor is most famous for his roles in the Karate Kid movies and on Happy Days, but he was also in Paul Newman’s least successful movie, the 1980 disaster flop When Time Ran Out. Morita played one of the many characters who fell prey to an oncoming river of lava as a group of vacationers tried to escape their doomed island resort.
Time is likewise running out on the 2008 campaign. With just three weeks to go, we’ve already seen four would-be champions lose their No. 1 spot in the rankings. Will the Alabama Crimson Tide be the volcano’s next victim? Or will it be a BCS buster like the Boise State Broncos? That’s the great thing about football: sometimes, Pat Morita beats the betting odds and makes it off the island.
No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 4 Florida Gators (-23)
Saturday, Nov 15, 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Gators tumbled off the bridge back in Week 5, losing 31-30 at home to Ole Miss (also +23). But Florida has risen from the ashes with five straight blowout wins to sit at 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS. At No. 4 in the BCS polls, the Gators are one of four one-loss teams who could make the leap into the championship game.
But first, they have to remain a one-loss team. The Gamecocks (7-3 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) have quietly enjoyed a strong season after missing out on last year’s bowling. They’ve won six of their last seven at 4-2 ATS; South Carolina is third in the nation in defense at 256.5 yards allowed per game, while Florida is No. 31 in offense at 407.4 yards for.
Steve Spurrier, the former Gators coach, will be making his second visit to Gainesville since taking over the Gamecocks. Spurrier came very close to stealing a win two years ago before Florida prevailed 17-16, but it was SC cashing in as 13-point dogs. The ‘Cocks are 1-2 SU and 2-1 ATS versus the Gators since Spurrier’s return from the NFL ranks.
No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels at Maryland Terrapins (+3)
Saturday, Nov 15, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
The Tar Heels (7-2 SU, 5-3 ATS) have taken over the mantle of “Best Football Team from a Basketball School” from the Kansas Jayhawks. North Carolina is No. 16 in the BCS rankings, but according to Brian Fremeau’s efficiency stats, the Heels were the No. 3 team in the FBS heading into Week 12. Maryland (6-3 SU, 4-4 ATS) was No. 56.
The Terrapins used to own this ACC matchup. They were 4-2 SU and 6-0 ATS from 1998 until last year, when North Carolina (-2) scraped out a 16-13 win at home. That was the first year in Chapel Hill for coach Butch Davis, formerly of the Miami Hurricanes and the NFL Cleveland Browns. His outstanding recruiting has already paid dividends – NC is going bowling for the first time since 2004 and just the third time in a decade.
Maryland will respond with one of the most difficult teams in college to get a handle on. In October, the Terps lost 31-0 at Virginia (+13) and came right back the next week to blank visiting Wake Forest (-1) by a 26-0 margin. However, this matchup is not promising for The Turtle. Maryland is No. 76 in the FBS in pass defense at 217.1 yards allowed per game, and starting CB Kevin Barnes (check out this hit on Cal RB Jahvid Best) is likely out for the year with a shoulder injury.
No. 9 Boise State Broncos at Idaho Vandals (+36½)
Saturday, Nov 15, 5:00 p.m. (ET)
This will be only the third time all year that a team has gotten 30 points or more at home. The two favorites were USC, who covered at -42½, and Arizona, who didn’t at -41. Both games were at lowly Washington State.
The Broncos are undefeated at 9-0 SU (5-2-1 ATS). They can claim to be better than Arizona; the Wildcats are No. 40 on the Fremeau charts, while BSU is No. 24. But neither team comes close to No. 6 USC. As for the Vandals, they remain one of the worst teams in the country at 2-8 SU (3-6 ATS), but their No. 118 ranking in terms of efficiency is actually one spot higher than Wazzu.
Idaho covered its last two home games against Boise State at +25 and +21. The Broncos pushed against Utah State last week as 35-point home faves, while the Vandals are 3-1 ATS in their last four games, including a cover at Fresno State (-34½) in a 45-32 loss.
