Coming down to the wire in college football 2009, SBR's Justin7 and Peter Loshak take a look at Week 12 games and betting opportunities.
No. 9 Ohio St has already clinched a Rose Bowl bid, and as a result comes into their showdown as a double digit road fave at Michigan with little to play for. Still, the game is a big Rivalry game, and the Buckeyes have been impressive on offense recently in the run game, which plays into a particular weakness of Michigan's D. But the Wolverines see this as their biggest game of the year, and will do everything they can to be competitive.
No. 1 Florida has two big games coming up in the next two weeks against in-state rival Florida State and No. 2 Alabama, and might not be fully motivated to cover the huge 45-point spread over Florida International. Loshak expects Justin to love FIU here, but gets a somewhat different response.
Air Force has been able to stay close with several top teams this year, and the Falcons now go on the road to face No. 19 BYU getting 10 points. Air Force runs an option offense which is known for being able to keep games close and confer value to good-sized dogs. BYU's sluggish win last week over lowly New Mexico combined with Air Force's maturing offense are leading some, including the SBR poster nobs, to see good value with the Falcons.
No. 13 Penn St has been widely cited as an "overrated" team this year for a number of reasons, but some still think they should be giving more than 3 points on the road at Michigan St. SBR posters wookieehumper and goblue12 take opposite positions in this one, and Justin7 chimes in with a huge dis of Penn St.
Two big Pac-10 games are on the slate, with surprising No. 14 Stanford a 7-point home fave over disappointing California, and awesome No. 11 Oregon giving 6 points on the road to talented but unranked Arizona. Justin7 thinks short-term public perception of Stanford and Cal might give some value to the side of the Bears.
Loshak and Justin conclude by talking a bit about a teaser strategy that Justin employs every week, and point out a few games that might present opportunities on game day.