Ole Miss, LSU battle in annual Magnolia Bowl
The Rebels and Tigers get together for the 98th time in their Rivalry when LSU travels to Oxford to take on Ole Miss in a game that should decide third place in the SEC behind Florida and Alabama. After missing several key players last week vs. Louisiana Tech, including QB Jordan Jefferson, the Bayou Bengals should be at full strength Saturday afternoon when CBS broadcasts the game starting at 3:30 (ET).
It’s gotta be the gloves.
I mentioned last week that 10 college football teams were trotting out their new Nike “Pro Combat” uniforms, complete with the latest in lightweight technology and fancy-schmancy “Vapor Trail 2.0” gloves. Did it make a difference?
Well, the 10 teams in question went 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS; the Miami Hurricanes were the only duds in their new duds, losing 33-24 at North Carolina (+2½).
Every advantage counts. Sharp handicappers will haggle over half a point and squeeze every drop of juice out of a book. I don’t want to shill for The Swoosh, but keep these new uniforms in mind when you look at the betting odds. Both the ranked teams in our latest preview are wearing them.
No. 8 LSU at Mississippi (-4, 42½)
Saturday - 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Tigers (8-2 SU, 4-6 ATS) have other issues on their minds besides sartorial splendor. They had their hands full last week in a 24-16 victory over the WAC’s Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (+22½ road dogs). Starting QB Jordan Jefferson (12 TDs, four INTs) was unavailable after hurting his ankle the previous week against Alabama. But that’s not all: Center T-Bob Hebert (knee) and TE Richard Dickson (thigh) were also missing from the starting lineup. Back-up QB Jarrett Lee was 7-for-22 for just 105 yards against Louisiana Tech without his full protection.
All three injured starters are expected back on the field this Sunday (3:30 p.m. Eastern, CBS) as they battle for the Magnolia Bowl against their rivals from Ole Miss (7-3 SU, 6-4 ATS). The Rebels (+3) won this matchup 31-13 last year and are 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings with LSU. This will be the first time during that span that the Rebs are the favorites, but they’ll have to go without DE Greg Hardy (five sacks) for the rest of the season with a broken left wrist.
This should be an excellent defensive slugfest, with the added feature of a 25 percent chance of rain at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The UNDER is 5-1 in LSU’s last six games and 6-3 in the last nine for Ole Miss. But I’m personally looking at the spread. Trends aside, the Tigers are the better team in this matchup, and they’re available at +4.5 at assorted locations.
Kansas at No. 3 Texas (-27½, 57)
Saturday - 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
It’ll be a crime if the Longhorns (10-0 SU, 4-5-1 ATS) get shut out of the championship picture as the No. 3-ranked team on the BCS computers. But it’s not because they deserve to be ranked higher. Brian Fremeau’s efficiency stats also have Texas at No. 3, sandwiched between undefeated TCU and Florida. The crime is that college football is organized around profit and not competition, let alone student development. A playoff system wouldn’t be as profitable for the powers that be. What’s their incentive to change things?
The good news for the ‘Horns is that one of the teams ahead of them in the BCS rankings is going to lose at some point. No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama are on a collision course to meet for the SEC title, just like last year. But the ‘Horns need to play as well as possible the rest of the way to hold off the other undefeated teams. Texas has found an extra gear of late, covering three of the last four games and pounding opponents by a combined score of 164-38. The Texas roster is healthy and hale and should be at full speed for the last home game of the season; skies should be clear over Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at game time (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC) with temperatures in the 50s.
Kansas (5-5 SU, 2-7 ATS) has gone from a North Division title contender to the fringes of bowl eligibility with five straight losses SU and ATS. Coach Mark Mangino suddenly finds himself in the headlines after allegations of verbally abusing some of his players. Texas (-14 road faves) won this matchup 35-7 last year when everything was hunky-dory in Lawrence. This year, player focus is going to be that much more of an obstacle for the Jayhawks on the road.
The Rebels and Tigers get together for the 98th time in their Rivalry when LSU travels to Oxford to take on Ole Miss in a game that should decide third place in the SEC behind Florida and Alabama. After missing several key players last week vs. Louisiana Tech, including QB Jordan Jefferson, the Bayou Bengals should be at full strength Saturday afternoon when CBS broadcasts the game starting at 3:30 (ET).
It’s gotta be the gloves.
I mentioned last week that 10 college football teams were trotting out their new Nike “Pro Combat” uniforms, complete with the latest in lightweight technology and fancy-schmancy “Vapor Trail 2.0” gloves. Did it make a difference?
Well, the 10 teams in question went 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS; the Miami Hurricanes were the only duds in their new duds, losing 33-24 at North Carolina (+2½).
Every advantage counts. Sharp handicappers will haggle over half a point and squeeze every drop of juice out of a book. I don’t want to shill for The Swoosh, but keep these new uniforms in mind when you look at the betting odds. Both the ranked teams in our latest preview are wearing them.
No. 8 LSU at Mississippi (-4, 42½)
Saturday - 3:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Tigers (8-2 SU, 4-6 ATS) have other issues on their minds besides sartorial splendor. They had their hands full last week in a 24-16 victory over the WAC’s Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (+22½ road dogs). Starting QB Jordan Jefferson (12 TDs, four INTs) was unavailable after hurting his ankle the previous week against Alabama. But that’s not all: Center T-Bob Hebert (knee) and TE Richard Dickson (thigh) were also missing from the starting lineup. Back-up QB Jarrett Lee was 7-for-22 for just 105 yards against Louisiana Tech without his full protection.
All three injured starters are expected back on the field this Sunday (3:30 p.m. Eastern, CBS) as they battle for the Magnolia Bowl against their rivals from Ole Miss (7-3 SU, 6-4 ATS). The Rebels (+3) won this matchup 31-13 last year and are 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings with LSU. This will be the first time during that span that the Rebs are the favorites, but they’ll have to go without DE Greg Hardy (five sacks) for the rest of the season with a broken left wrist.
This should be an excellent defensive slugfest, with the added feature of a 25 percent chance of rain at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The UNDER is 5-1 in LSU’s last six games and 6-3 in the last nine for Ole Miss. But I’m personally looking at the spread. Trends aside, the Tigers are the better team in this matchup, and they’re available at +4.5 at assorted locations.
Kansas at No. 3 Texas (-27½, 57)
Saturday - 8:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
It’ll be a crime if the Longhorns (10-0 SU, 4-5-1 ATS) get shut out of the championship picture as the No. 3-ranked team on the BCS computers. But it’s not because they deserve to be ranked higher. Brian Fremeau’s efficiency stats also have Texas at No. 3, sandwiched between undefeated TCU and Florida. The crime is that college football is organized around profit and not competition, let alone student development. A playoff system wouldn’t be as profitable for the powers that be. What’s their incentive to change things?
The good news for the ‘Horns is that one of the teams ahead of them in the BCS rankings is going to lose at some point. No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama are on a collision course to meet for the SEC title, just like last year. But the ‘Horns need to play as well as possible the rest of the way to hold off the other undefeated teams. Texas has found an extra gear of late, covering three of the last four games and pounding opponents by a combined score of 164-38. The Texas roster is healthy and hale and should be at full speed for the last home game of the season; skies should be clear over Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at game time (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC) with temperatures in the 50s.
Kansas (5-5 SU, 2-7 ATS) has gone from a North Division title contender to the fringes of bowl eligibility with five straight losses SU and ATS. Coach Mark Mangino suddenly finds himself in the headlines after allegations of verbally abusing some of his players. Texas (-14 road faves) won this matchup 35-7 last year when everything was hunky-dory in Lawrence. This year, player focus is going to be that much more of an obstacle for the Jayhawks on the road.