Florida State at Maryland
Who would have guessed this game would be vital in the ACC Atlantic race? Maryland has fought hard by winning three of its last four games (4-0 ATS) to find itself in this position. A win in this game and next week against North Carolina State put the Terrapins in their first ACC Title Game. Florida State is making the trip to College Park with some optimism. They just snapped a two-game skid with a 16-13 win over Clemson. The Seminoles have also won three straight against Maryland. Plus, they're expecting Christian Ponder to be back under center for FSU. Florida State has been posted as a 5.5-point road favorite for this game, and with good reason. The 'Noles have gone 2-2 SU and ATS this year away from home. But those two wins were by a combined margin of 48 points. All FSU has to do to gain entrance into the conference title game is win this weekend. Easier said than done.
Wisconsin at Michigan
It's all about class this weekend in Ann Arbor. Well...maybe the lack of class. The Badgers are coming into this game after humiliating Indiana 83-20 in Madison. Bret Bielema's crew sits in the conference's catbird seat thanks to having the top BCS ranking amongst itself, Ohio State and Michigan State. Recent projections have Wisconsin and the Buckeyes getting to the big boy bowls, which has to irk the Spartans. The funny thing about this spot for Wisky is that they could easily drop as many points on the scoreboard as last week. Michigan has become bowl eligible for the first time since Rich Rodriguez brought his snake oil business to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are known for their offensive prowess with Denard Robinson under center. Yet they can't stop a soul on defense it seems. This is a unit that gave up 65 points to the Fighting Illini just two weeks ago, so who can say they'll stop John Clay from running over them. The sportsbooks are agreeing with that though by making Wisconsin a five-point road favorite here. That goes against the grain of this series as the home team is on a 6-0 SU and 4-1-1 ATS run.
Ohio State at Iowa
This game looked like it would be for the Big Ten crown before the season began. Now it is a speed bump that Ohio State has to take care of to win a share of the conference title for the sixth year in a row. The Buckeyes were lucky to win last year against Iowa 27-24 in overtime as they were without Ricky Stanzi at quarterback. Well, they've got Stanzi back calling the plays on the field this time around. However, Iowa has looked sloppy in its last two games: a nail-biting win at Indiana and a choke job against Northwestern in Evanston last Saturday. Ohio State hasn't been immune to bad play this year. They fell behind 14-3 at the half before dropping the Nittany Lions 38-14 in Columbus last weekend. And they were flat out dominated by the Badgers in Madison to the tune of a 31-18 setback as the No. 1 team in the country at the time. That loss no doubt has forced the betting shops to adjust this line for the Buckeyes as 3.5-point road favorites. Ohio State backers will no doubt enjoy this line with the reasoning that OSU has gone 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against Iowa. And when the Buckeyes are in Iowa City, they are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS versus the Hawkeyes.
Virginia Tech at Miami
There isn't a lot of suspense when it comes to who will take the ACC Coastal right now as Virginia Tech owns a two-game cushion. The Hokies can clinch the divisional title this weekend against the team that sits just behind them in the standings, Miami. The Hurricanes have played well with freshman Stephen Morris under center, guiding them to two straight wins in as many starts. He'll get his biggest start of year this weekend. Virginia Tech has been posted as a 2.5-point road "chalk" for this test. You might not think that the Hokies are going to enjoy this game in South Florida since they're 2-3 SU in their last five trips there. Yet they are 4-1 ATS in that stretch, plus they've won two of their last three games at Miami
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Who would have guessed this game would be vital in the ACC Atlantic race? Maryland has fought hard by winning three of its last four games (4-0 ATS) to find itself in this position. A win in this game and next week against North Carolina State put the Terrapins in their first ACC Title Game. Florida State is making the trip to College Park with some optimism. They just snapped a two-game skid with a 16-13 win over Clemson. The Seminoles have also won three straight against Maryland. Plus, they're expecting Christian Ponder to be back under center for FSU. Florida State has been posted as a 5.5-point road favorite for this game, and with good reason. The 'Noles have gone 2-2 SU and ATS this year away from home. But those two wins were by a combined margin of 48 points. All FSU has to do to gain entrance into the conference title game is win this weekend. Easier said than done.
Wisconsin at Michigan
It's all about class this weekend in Ann Arbor. Well...maybe the lack of class. The Badgers are coming into this game after humiliating Indiana 83-20 in Madison. Bret Bielema's crew sits in the conference's catbird seat thanks to having the top BCS ranking amongst itself, Ohio State and Michigan State. Recent projections have Wisconsin and the Buckeyes getting to the big boy bowls, which has to irk the Spartans. The funny thing about this spot for Wisky is that they could easily drop as many points on the scoreboard as last week. Michigan has become bowl eligible for the first time since Rich Rodriguez brought his snake oil business to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are known for their offensive prowess with Denard Robinson under center. Yet they can't stop a soul on defense it seems. This is a unit that gave up 65 points to the Fighting Illini just two weeks ago, so who can say they'll stop John Clay from running over them. The sportsbooks are agreeing with that though by making Wisconsin a five-point road favorite here. That goes against the grain of this series as the home team is on a 6-0 SU and 4-1-1 ATS run.
Ohio State at Iowa
This game looked like it would be for the Big Ten crown before the season began. Now it is a speed bump that Ohio State has to take care of to win a share of the conference title for the sixth year in a row. The Buckeyes were lucky to win last year against Iowa 27-24 in overtime as they were without Ricky Stanzi at quarterback. Well, they've got Stanzi back calling the plays on the field this time around. However, Iowa has looked sloppy in its last two games: a nail-biting win at Indiana and a choke job against Northwestern in Evanston last Saturday. Ohio State hasn't been immune to bad play this year. They fell behind 14-3 at the half before dropping the Nittany Lions 38-14 in Columbus last weekend. And they were flat out dominated by the Badgers in Madison to the tune of a 31-18 setback as the No. 1 team in the country at the time. That loss no doubt has forced the betting shops to adjust this line for the Buckeyes as 3.5-point road favorites. Ohio State backers will no doubt enjoy this line with the reasoning that OSU has gone 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against Iowa. And when the Buckeyes are in Iowa City, they are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS versus the Hawkeyes.
Virginia Tech at Miami
There isn't a lot of suspense when it comes to who will take the ACC Coastal right now as Virginia Tech owns a two-game cushion. The Hokies can clinch the divisional title this weekend against the team that sits just behind them in the standings, Miami. The Hurricanes have played well with freshman Stephen Morris under center, guiding them to two straight wins in as many starts. He'll get his biggest start of year this weekend. Virginia Tech has been posted as a 2.5-point road "chalk" for this test. You might not think that the Hokies are going to enjoy this game in South Florida since they're 2-3 SU in their last five trips there. Yet they are 4-1 ATS in that stretch, plus they've won two of their last three games at Miami
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