Both teams are off disappointing losses to closeout the regular season. Oklahoma State lost 33-24 at home to Oklahoma while Missouri was blasted 59-42 by Auburn in the SEC championship game. Oklahoma State has a fantastic offense that averages 40 points and 440 yards of offense per game. The Cowboys have a strong rushing offense as they run for 172 yards per game on 4.5 yards per rush. Missouri

Oklahoma has been given no chance in this game, from the betting markets and from the talking media. The Sooners are being treated as if they don

Central Florida

Michigan State comes into this game with an impressive 12-1 SU record with the Spartans lone loss coming by just 4 points (17-13) at Notre Dame. The Spartans own one of the best defenses in the country as they are holding opponents to just 13 points and 247 yards of offense per game. Michigan State gives up just 3.8 yards per play, 2.7 yards per rush, and 5.1 yards per pass attempt. The Spartans rank first or second in the country in those three important defensive categories. Michigan State held five opponents to season-low yards this season. The Spartans

Iowa is just 8-4 on the season, and if you judge them based on their record alone, you may think they are a mediocre team. But don

Texas beat Oklahoma 41-13 in the Cotton Bowl last season.

Rice had a tremendous season going 10-3 SU and 8-5 ATS. The Owls three losses all came against teams also playing in bowl games. Rice comes in off a conference championship win over Marshall who just beat Maryland in their bowl game. Rice is led by quarterback Taylor McHargue who threw for 2,261 yards with a solid 17/8 TD/INT ratio this season. McHargue only threw three interceptions over the last 11 games. Rice has a powerful rushing attack that averages 239 yards per game on 4.7 yards per rush. Charles Ross has 1,252 rushing yards while averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per rush. Mississippi State has allowed 150 rushing yards or more in seven games this season. The Bulldogs went just 3-4 SU in those games with the three wins coming by 1, 6, and 7 points. That means they are 0-6-1 ATS versus the posted line on this game when allowing more than 150 rushing yards.

Mississippi State is lucky to be in a bowl game. They needed to beat their rival Mississippi in the Egg Bowl to get their 6th win. The Bulldogs did play a tough SEC schedule, but they only beat Bowling Green by a single point (21-20) at home as an 11.5-point favorite. Bowling Green lost their bowl game to a mediocre Pittsburgh team. The MAC is 0-4 SU and ATS in bowl games so the fact Mississippi State struggled at home against a team from that conference gives Rice a solid shot in this game. The Owls also own the better defense as they are giving up just 5.1 yards per play (#36 in the country) and 6.7 yards per pass attempt (#33). Mississippi State is allowing 5.6 yards per play (#79) and 7.1 yards per pass attempt (#62). The Bulldogs

Virginia Tech had another ho-hum season. The Hokies went just 8-4 but three of their four losses came by 7 points or less and their other loss came to Alabama in the season opener. Virginia Tech actually out-gained Alabama in that game while holding the Crimson Tide to just 206 yards of offense. The Hokies

Boston College quietly had a pretty good season. They only went 7-5 SU, but digging thru their schedule reveals some tough opponents. The Eagles lost at USC, home to Florida State, at Clemson, and at North Carolina. Their only bad loss came in their season finale at Syracuse. Boston College gave Florida State their toughest game this season as they put-up 409 yards of offense on the Seminoles in a 48-34 loss. The Eagles have one of the best rushing attacks in college football as they average 219 yards per game on 5.5 yards per rush. If Boston College eclipses the 200-yard mark on the ground in this game, they will have an excellent shot to win. Arizona allowed over 200 yards in four games this season; the Wildcats went 0-4 SU and ATS in those games while allowing 31, 38, 31, and 58 points.

Arizona also went 7-5 SU this season, and like Boston College, they played a tough schedule. Their only bad loss came at home to Washington State. The Wildcats also posses a strong rushing attack that averages 266 yards per game. The two rushing attacks are equal, but Boston College has a major edge in the passing game, and that will be the difference in this game. The Eagles throw for 7.3 yards per pass attempt while the Wildcats only throw for 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Arizona has allowed 20 touchdown passes thru the air this season, and Boston College QB Chase Rettig had a 17/6 TD/INT ratio on the season. The Eagles and Wildcats are similar teams on the ground and on defense, but Boston College gets the edge in the passing game. That

These two teams have potent passing offenses and defenses that leave a lot to be desired. Texas Tech averages 56.9 pass attempts per game (#2 in the country) while Arizona State throws the ball 35.8 times per game, good for #30 in the country. Neither team is good at defending the pass. Texas Tech

Texas got off to a horrendous start this season. The Longhorns began with a 1-2 record, including back-to-back blowout losses that got coaches fired and squarely had head coach Mack Brown with one foot out the door. Texas regrouped and was one of the hottest teams in the country when they ripped off six consecutive wins before ending the year with two losses over their last three games. Brown is leaving after this game; he has been the Texas coach for 16 years. The Longhorns will bring tremendous effort in this game as Brown is well-liked by his players. The Texas offense was strong in averaging 31 points and 424 yards per game. The Longhorns average 198 yards rushing and 226 yards passing per game so they are extremely well-balanced. Texas also converts on an impressive 41.4% of their third down attempts. Texas played a tough schedule and they allowed a respectable 26 points per game while only giving up 5.2 yards per play (#44 in the country) and 6.8 yards per pass attempt.

Oregon has a terrible bowl destination for this game. The Ducks had national title aspirations, and they even said they didn

This is a big game for both teams. Miami Fla gets to play a bowl game in their home state after a self-imposed post-season ban the last two years. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a Miami native, and the Cardinals recruit heavily in Florida. This is a homecoming game of sorts for their players. The Hurricanes started the season strong; they were 7-0 and ranked high in BCS polls. But Miami went south quick, finishing the season with a 2-3 record. The Hurricanes

Cincinnati had a tremendous season once again; the Bearcats come into this game at 9-3. They can win 10 games for the sixth time over the last seven seasons, and their accomplishments have gone unnoticed. Cincinnati comes in off an overtime loss to a very good Louisville team so we expect a strong bounce back effort in this game. Quarterback Brendon Kay took over when Munchie Legaux was lost for the season with a knee injury. Kay has played fantastic football as he has accounted for 28 touchdowns in the ten games he

Rutgers opened the season strong. They were 4-1 after five games and 5-3 after eight games. Rutgers then lost three consecutive games before beating South Florida in their final game of the season to become bowl eligible. That was a confidence-building win which should carry over into this game. Rutgers played 3 weeks ago so they do not have the typical bowl layoff. Notre Dame will have 28 days in between games. Rutgers biggest strength this season was on the defensive side of the ball. The Scarlett Knights have one of the best rush defenses in the country as they are holding opponents to just 97.8 yards per game on the ground; that ranks them #4 in the country. Rutgers is holding those opponents to just 3.0 yards per rush which ranks them #6 in the country. Only two teams (Houston and Louisville) ran for more than 120 yards on Rutgers this season. Their ability to stifle opponents on the ground is a critical match-up advantage in this game against the Fighting Irish, especially in a cold, outdoor game in late-December on a baseball field in New York.

Notre Dame has the worst bowl destination of any team this season. The Irish are going from playing in the National Championship game against Alabama last season to playing a 6-6 Rutgers team in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 28th. Not only that, but this game will also be played in the Bronx giving Rutgers the proximity edge as well. It will take one heck of a coaching job by Brian Kelly to get his team inspired to play this game. Notre Dame

Washington lost their head coach and a few assistants after Steve Sarkisian left for USC. The Huskies will be led by one of their former quarterbacks, Marques Tuiasosopo. Normally, losing coaches before a bowl game is a bad thing, but in this case, it may not be. Tuiasosopo is young so the players can relate to him, especially since he played at Washington. Reports from the bowl practices are that Tuiasosopo has galvanized the team for this game. Washington has strong seasonal numbers on both sides of the ball. The Huskies throw for 8.2 yards per pass attempt (#22) and they convert on 49.7% of their third downs (#9). On defense, the Huskies allow just 5.0 yards per play (#29) and give up just 6.0 yards per pass attempt which ranks them #9 in the country.

BYU had a disappointing season by going just 8-4. The Cougars were projected for a double digit win season, but losses to inferior teams like Virginia and Utah prevented 10 wins or more. BYU is strong on defense as they allow just 4.9 yards per play (#23) and 6.4 yards per pass attempt (#19). Those defensive numbers are right in line with Washington

The money is coming in on the Under in this game, but I do not agree with that money at all. Utah State has built up a reputation of a solid defensive team. Their seasonal numbers are strong as they allow just 17 points and 332 yards of offense per game. However, those numbers are greatly skewed by the extremely weak schedule they played, especially the weak slate of opposing offenses. Against competent offenses, the Aggies gave up 30 points to Utah (450 yards), 31 points to BYU (436 yards), 34 points to Boise State (447 yards), and 24 points to Fresno State (460 yards). Holding terrible teams like Weber State to 6 points, San Jose State to 12 points, and the rest of the dregs from the Mountain West to 10 points or less is hardly a sign of a dominant defensive team. Utah State will be facing the most dynamic offense they

Oregon State started the season at 6-1 but the wheels came off and they went 0-5 to close the season. The Beavers have a potent offense that is averaging 34.5 points per game on 468.1 yards per game. They average 5.9 yards per play and 7.6 yards per pass attempt. Oregon State has one of the best passing attacks in the country, throwing for 382.1 yards per game. Quarterback Sean Mannion has thrown for 4,403 with a 36/14 TD/INT ratio. Boise State

In these early bowl games, it

USC comes into this game with a lot of disappointment and uncertainty. After a 62-41 blowout loss at Arizona State got Lane Kiffin fired in late-September, the Trojans were led by interim head coach Ed Orgeron. The team responded under Orgeron

USC has coaching issues after letting interim head coach Ed Orgeron go when they hired Steve Sarkisian. The players will now be led by offensive coordinator Clay Helton. When Orgeron took over, he and Helton decided to run the no huddle offense. USC was quite successful as they scored 31 points or more in four of the eight games they used it. Helton

Army and Navy will closeout the 2013 college football regular season when they play for the 114th time on Saturday afternoon. This series has been dominated by Navy over the last decade as the Midshipmen have won 11 straight meetings. Navy also holds a 57-49-7 all-time series lead over Army. The Black Knights own the #1 rushing attack in the country based on their 329 yards per game. They run the ball 80.1% of the time and they average 60.6 rushes per game while gaining 5.4 yards per rush. Army has no passing game whatsoever as they only average 5.8 yards per pass attempt. But that may change if QB A.J. Schurr starts; he played the second half in their last game against Hawaii and led the team on 5 touchdown drives. The team scored 35 points with Schurr under center and he actually completed 5 passes for 122 yards.

Navy

Ohio State has the longest active winning streak in college football as they come into this game on a 24-0 run. The Buckeyes have yet to lose a game under head coach Urban Meyer, and we don

Missouri will be playing their third game with QB James Franklin back under center. He missed four games with injury before returning for the Mississippi game. The Tigers

The two best teams in the MAC play tonight as Bowling Green battles Northern Illinois for the conference title. This game will be played in Detroit at Ford Field so neither team has the home field advantage. Bowling Green is only 9-3 on the season, but the Falcons are much better than that record indicates. Two of their losses came out of conference to BCS schools and their other loss came by just 3 points versus Toledo. The Falcons have a very strong defense that gives up just 13.8 points and 296.6 yards of offense per game. Bowling Green is holding their opponents to just 4.6 yards per play (#9 in the country) and 5.5 yards per pass attempt (#3 in the country). They also have a pretty good offense that averages 8.6 yards per pass attempt (#15) and they convert on 44.8% of their third down attempts.

Northern Illinois is undefeated at 12-0 on the season and looking to return to a BCS bowl game for the second consecutive season. The Huskies have played an extremely weak schedule and their best win came at Iowa (30-27) in their season opener. Since that game, the Huskies have feasted on a bunch of terrible teams; tonight

This is a big game for both teams. Louisville is 10-1 on the season with their lone loss coming by 3 points to a very good Central Florida team. The Cardinals have played suffocating defense this season as they are allowing just 11.4 points and 242.7 yards of offense per game. Louisville has held 10 of their 11 opponents to 17 points or less this season, including 10 points or less in 7 games. Louisville is holding opponents to just 4.0 yards per play which ranks them #4 in the country. They allow just 5.7 yards per pass attempt which ranks them #5 in the country. Louisville is also efficient on offense as they average 9.2 yards per pass attempt (#5) while converting 57.4% (#2) on third down.

Cincinnati is 9-2 on the season and a win tonight coupled with a Central Florida loss on Saturday gives them a shot at a BCS bowl game. However, this is an extremely difficult match-up for the Bearcats. They

Texas A&M is off a dreadful game at LSU last week. The Aggies scored just 10 points as QB Johnny Manziel played the worst game of his collegiate career. Manziel finished with just 16 completions from 41 pass attempts for 224 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Texas A&M was off a bye for that game, and their offense showed rust as they simply could not get into any type of rhythm. We expect a more fluid Aggies

Clemson comes into this game at 10-1 SU with their lone loss this season came to arguably the best team in the country when Florida State beat the Tigers 51-14. We picked the Seminoles to win and cover that game so the result is easily excusable. In their other ten games, Clemson owns a +28 scoring margin per game which shows how dominant they

Baylor comes into this game at TCU off their first loss of the season. The Bears were blown out at Oklahoma State (49-17), and that loss will leave them with a hangover for this game on Saturday afternoon. Baylor has an explosive offense, but they

This is a big game between East Carolina and Marshall as the winner will go on and represent the East division in the Conference USA championship game. East Carolina is 9-2 on the season, including a solid 4-1 record on the road. The Pirates two losses have come by a combined 8 points; they lost by 5 points (15-10) to Virginia Tech and by 3 points in overtime at Tulane. That close loss to Virginia Tech is impressive and East Carolina owns wins over other major conference teams like North Carolina and North Carolina State. The Pirates have a strong offense that averages 41.5 points and 461.6 yards per game; they scored 65 points on Marshall in last year

Oklahoma State beat us last week as they went into Texas and won 38-13 as 3-point road favorites. That game turned on a single play right before the end of the first half. Texas dropped a sure interception in the end zone and Oklahoma State caught the tipped ball for a gift touchdown. Texas threw a pick 6 on their next possession with just 21 seconds left in the half. Oklahoma State went from a 14-10 lead to a 28-10 halftime lead in just one minute. Oklahoma State is throwing for just 7.0 yards per pass attempt which ranks them #71 in the country. They are only converting on 37.4% (#82) of their third down attempts. With poor numbers like that, Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt continues to improve under HC James Franklin. The Commodores won just 4 total games in the two seasons prior to Franklin

BYU comes into this game against Notre Dame playing outstanding football. The Cougars have won six of their last seven games with their lone loss coming by just 10 points at Wisconsin. BYU has one of the toughest offenses to defend. The Cougars rush for 248 yards per game which is #14 in the country and they are #11 in total offense, averaging 496 yards per game. BYU owns a +93.1 net rushing differential this season and they will have no problem running on a Notre Dame team that owns a -11.2 net rushing differential. The Cougars also have a fantastic defense that ranks #24 in the country in allowing just 22 points per game. They hold their opponents to only 4.8 yards per play (#22) and 6.1 yards per pass attempt (#13).

Notre Dame does come into this game off a bye, but that won

Nebraska

Michigan State comes into this game with an impressive 9-1 record. The Spartans only loss was a 17-13 setback at Notre Dame. This team wins with defense as they allow just 13.2 points per game on 228 yards of total offense. But as good as Michigan State has been on defense this season, they have struggled mightily on offense. The Spartans are #95 in total offense at 359 yards per game and #101 in the country in averaging only 4.8 yards per play. The Spartans have struggled big time in the passing game as they are ranked #106 in the country only averaging 5.8 yards per pass attempt and they are #104 in passing yards per game, averaging just 180 yards thru the air. Those are some terrible numbers, especially for a team laying a full touchdown on the road.

Northwestern has lost 6 straight games coming into Saturday, but they are much better than their record indicates. Some of their losses are excusable after they lost their big home game against Ohio State. The hangover lingered for awhile, but the Wildcats are over it now. Northwestern has one of the best offenses in the country and they are #1 in red zone scoring with a success rate of 100%. The Wildcats run for 176 yards per game and they

Oklahoma lost SU at home to Kansas State last season as a double digit favorite. HC Bob Stoops and the Sooners will be looking for revenge, especially since they are an underdog in this game. Oklahoma will start Trevor Knight at quarterback after losing Blake Bell to a concussion in last week

UNLV comes into tonight

Northern Illinois is undefeated at 10-0 and they are looking to make another appearance in a BCS bowl. Last season the Huskies played in the Orange Bowl and lost 31-10 to Florida State. This year, Northern Illinois has played an extremely easy schedule with their best win coming at Iowa in the season opener way back on August 31st. The Huskies have faced a slew of terrible defenses this season so they

Oregon State comes in with a 6-3 SU record, but a losing 4-5 mark ATS. The Beavers are off back-to-back home losses to Stanford and USC and we see this team continuing to head in a downward spiral. They do come off a bye, but that

Miami Fla opened their season with seven consecutive wins, but they

Oklahoma State is in a bad scheduling spot for this game at Texas as it will be their final road game of the season with a pair of revenge games at home on deck against Baylor and Oklahoma. This will also be Oklahoma State

Georgia Tech has been a team of runs this season. The Yellow Jackets opened the season with 3 straight wins before losing their next three games in a row. They come into tonight

The two best teams in the MAC play tonight as Ball State travels to Northern Illinois for a crucial conference game. Ball State is 9-1 on the season, including a solid 4-1 record on the road. Their lone loss of the season came by just 7 points at North Texas way back in September. The Cardinals have a strong offense led by quarterback Keith Wenning who owns a solid 27/5 TD/INT ratio on the season. Ball State has a prolific passing offense that averages a whopping 8.4 yards per pass attempt. The Cardinals also convert on 41.1% of their third down attempts and that allows them to move the chains consistently. Ball State also has a solid defense that is holding opponents to 5.5 yards per play and just 6.1 yards per pass attempt.

Northern Illinois is undefeated at 9-0 on the season. The Huskies have played an extremely weak schedule and their best win came at Iowa (30-27) in their season opener. Since that game, the Huskies have feasted on a bunch of terrible teams; tonight

Notre Dame comes in with a 7-2 SU record, but a losing 3-5-1 mark ATS. The Fighting Irish have played five of their nine games at home and one neutral site game. They

After a 21-point loss at home to Mississippi on September 14th, it was looking as if Texas would struggle to get to a bowl game this season. Fast forward five weeks and the Longhorns are one of the hottest teams in the country. Texas has won 5 straight games, including SU underdog wins versus Oklahoma and at TCU. The Longhorns travel to Morgantown with revenge on their minds after losing 48-45 to West Virginia as 7-point home favorites last season. The Texas offense has been potent as they are averaging 32 points per game. They convert on an impressive 44.2% of their third down attempts and they will be facing a West Virginia defense that is allowing opponents to convert 45% on third down; that ranks the Mountaineers #97 in the country. The Longhorns average over 200 yards rushing and passing while throwing for 7.4 yards per pass attempt.

West Virginia has struggled on both sides of the ball this season. They are only managing to score 23.6 points per game; last year they averaged 39 points per game. They only throw for 6.3 yards per pass attempt (#96 in the country) and covert only 31.5% on third down (#107). The Texas defense only allows 23.6 points per game. They have held their opponents to 5.2 yards per play and 6.5 yards per pass, #26 in the country in both categories. West Virginia

Arkansas HC Bret Biliema has had a rough first year in the SEC. Biliema is finding his system, which worked well in the power football of the Big 10 conference, is not suited for the personnel that he has in place currently at Arkansas. The current players are more suited for a faster, quick-paced offense. Things have continued to spiral for Arkansas. They have been out-scored by a combined 169-34 over their last four games. They have lost 6 straight games while going just 1-5 ATS during that span. The Razorbacks

Oregon has looked unstoppable so far this season. The Ducks come into tonight

These are the two best teams in the MAC East as Ohio and Buffalo both come into this game at 6-2 SU overall. Ohio is 3-1 in conference play while Buffalo is a perfect 4-0 in conference play. The Bobcats haven

Tennessee comes into this game with a 4-4 overall record, both SU and ATS. The Volunteers are winless on the road at 0-3 but they

Iowa State finds themselves in a tough spot this week. The Cyclones are playing their third road game over the last four weeks and they

Mississippi State has not been impressive at all this season despite their winning 4-3 record. Two of their four wins this season have come against Alcorn State and Troy. Their other two wins came by 1-point over Bowling Green and by 6 points at home against a poor Kentucky team. The Bulldogs are on a money burning 1-7 ATS run as an SEC road underdog and we don

The public is heavy on Cincinnati as a small favorite tonight due to the fact the Bearcats at 5-2 SU this season, while Memphis is just 1-5 SU. However, the records are misleading as Memphis has played a much tougher schedule and when adjusting this season's statistics based on opponents played, the Tigers actually rate the overall stat edge tonight. We also get the much better defensive team as a home underdog this evening.

This is the biggest game of the season for Memphis. The team will not qualify for any postseason action, so this is basically the Tigers' "Bowl" game on national TV tonight. The matchup is also favorable as Memphis is a run-based, defensive home team getting points as an underdog. The Tigers have quietly put together an excellent stop unit this season, allowing just 22.5 points per game and 4.7 yards per play (versus opponents that average 33.0 ppg and 6.0 yppl).

Cincinnati is an overrated offensive team that has taken advantage of weak opponents this season. The Bearcats are averaging 34.0 points per game and 6.3 yards per play, but it is very misleading as they have faced a schedule of terrible defensive teams that permit 36.6 ppg and 6.4 yppl. When factoring strength of schedule and opponent's statistical averages, Memphis actually rates the overall edge tonight and they present value as a home underdog in this national TV game.

9* Play MEMPHIS (+).

Stanford

Texas comes into this game at TCU with a nice scheduling edge as they are fresh off their bye. Their week off came at a good time as they upset Oklahoma 36-20 as 14-point underdogs in their last game.

South Carolina comes in off an upset loss at Tennessee last week. The Gamecocks were 7-point road favorites and they lost 23-21 on a last-second field goal. Despite the loss, South Carolina out-played Tennessee from the line of scrimmage as they held a 5.2-3.6 yards per rush attempt edge and a 7.5-5.0 yards per pass attempt edge. The difference was the -2 turnover margin for South Carolina. The Gamecocks also lost QB Connor Shaw to a sprained knee. Dylan Thompson will start this game at Missouri, and he replaced Shaw last year with success. Thompson started at Clemson and completed 23 of 41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns in South Carolina

UL Lafayette was the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt conference. Tonight they will play at Arkansas State; the Red Wolves are the 2-time defending Sun Belt champions. This is a big game for both teams, and it

Oregon State is simply in a terrible situational and scheduling spot for this game in California. The Beavers are playing back-to-back road games and their fourth road game in their last five games. They also have much bigger games on deck at home against Stanford and USC. This is a monumental flat spot on their schedule, especially since California is winless against FBS opponents this season. Oregon State is a pass heavy team with QB Sean Mannion who has an impressive 25/3 TD/INT ratio on the year. But Mannion

Florida State comes in with a perfect 5-0 SU record and a 4-1 mark ATS. The Seminoles have dominated their opponents, and they are #2 in the country with an average scoring margin of +40 per game. Their offense is averaging an incredible 53.6 points per game on 549 yards of total offense per game. Florida State is well-balanced as they are running for 228.2 yards per game and passing for 320.8 yards per game. The Seminoles

Last season was a debacle at Auburn, and one of their lowest moments came in a humiliating 63-21 home loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers have come a long way since that defeat and they will bring a much improved team to College Station on Saturday afternoon. HC Gus Malzahn has turned the Tigers completely around. Malzahn is known for his offensive acumen, but the biggest difference this season for Auburn has been the play of their defense. The Tigers are allowing only 18.8 points per game while giving up just 5.5 yards per play and 6.8 yards per pass. Auburn gave up 28 points per game in 2012 so the defensive improvement has been significant thus far. The Tigers

Indiana has played much better football this season than their 3-3 record indicates. The Hoosiers have alternated wins and losses on the season; they lost their last game at Michigan State. If their pattern holds up, Indiana will bounce back strong in this game at Michigan. The Hoosiers have a potent offense that is averaging 41.7 points per game versus defenses that allow 24.6 points per game. They average 8.0 yards per pass attempt and covert on 44% of their third downs. Overall, Indiana is averaging 6.2 yards per play which ranks them #22 in the country.

Michigan is in a horrendous situational and scheduling spot for this game. The Wolverines were 5-0 going into their game at Penn State last week, but they lost a 4 overtime thriller in heartbreaking fashion. Teams often suffer a letdown after their first loss of the season, and Michigan

UCLA has double revenge on Stanford after losing twice last season; 35-17 in the regular season and 27-24 in the PAC 12 title game. The Bruins have one of the most potent offenses in college football as they are averaging 46 points per game which is the 7th best number in the country. They are averaging 9.1 yards per pass attempt and converting on an impressive 56% of their third downs which ranks them #5 in the country. Overall, UCLA is putting up an average of 547 yards of offense per game on an impressive 6.5 yards per play. The Bruins also have a solid defense that allows only 18.2 points per game while holding opponents to just 4.3 yards per play (#9) and 5.7 yards per pass attempt (#8).

Stanford is not in a good spot here at all. This is a team that had legitimate National Title hopes and they saw those go away with their loss last week at Utah. Teams often suffer a letdown after their first loss of the season, and the Cardinal is just 1-2 ATS after a SU loss under HC David Shaw. Stanford

Miami Fla comes into tonight

These are two of the better teams in the Sun Belt conference so tonight

Texas A&M and

There

Northwestern was in a tremendous scheduling and situational spot for their home game against Ohio State last week. The Wildcats were off their bye while the Buckeyes were off their tussle with Wisconsin. The game seemed to be in hand for Northwestern, and certainly the pointspread cover was, but the Wildcats blew both the SU and ATS win late. That high-scoring loss sets Northwestern up in a negative spot this week, especially since they have to travel and play at Wisconsin who is coming off their bye. Madison has not been too kind to the Wildcats under HC Pat Fitzgerald; his teams have lost their last two trips by a combined score of 111-32.

Wisconsin also comes into this game off a loss to Ohio State, but the big difference for the Badgers is the fact they

Arizona comes in off their first loss of the season; they lost 31-13 at Washington. The Wildcats own three wins over terrible teams in which they won by a combined 131-26. However, they are taking a monumental step-up in class for this game at USC. The Wildcats have been a run-heavy team as they are averaging 291.5 rushing yards per game and only 111.2 passing yards per game. But unfortunately for Arizona, they will be facing a USC rush defense that is allowing just 99.6 rushing yards per game and only 3.5 yards per rush. Arizona has to throw the ball to have success in this game, but they are only averaging 4.5 yards per pass attempt which ranks them #122 in the country.

USC will be a different team going forward as they fired lame duck HC Lane Kiffin. The interim HC will be Ed Orgeron and all reports out of Southern California have been positive.

Washington comes into this game looking to get to 5-0 for the first time since 1992. This is a big game for the Huskies as a win puts them in the driver

Ohio State is a perfect 5-0 on the season, but they

Missouri is one of only two undefeated SEC teams; Alabama is the other. The Tigers went just 2-6 in SEC play last season, but a major reason for that was the injury issues of QB James Franklin. He is back healthy this year and putting up big numbers like he did back in 2011. Franklin has completed 68% of his passes with 9 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions so far this season. Franklin is a dual threat for the Tigers, and he

This is not a good spot for LSU. The Tigers are playing their third straight conference game and they are on a back to back road set. And they are going into one of the most hostile environments in the SEC. The Tigers also come into this game off a heartbreaking loss at Georgia last week. LSU lost 44-41 after giving up the game-winning touchdown pass with just 1:47 left to play. Teams off high-scoring losses often suffer a letdown the following week, and that is exactly what we expect to happen to LSU in this game, especially since they have bigger games against Mississippi and Florida on deck.

Mississippi State comes into this game with a perfect setup. The Bulldogs had last week off so they

Both teams have been explosive on offense this season. UCLA comes into tonight

USC comes into this game with a 3-1 record, but their games have not been pretty. Because of that, the Trojans are still undervalued in the pointspread and worthy of a wager in this game, especially as an underdog. The Trojans come off a 17-14 home win over Utah State, and while the final score is less than impressive, USC did run a whopping 49 plays inside Aggies territory. Quarterback Cody Kessler got the start in that game after his brilliant performance (15-17, 237 yards and 2 TD

This game between Wisconsin and Ohio State will have major implications on the Big 10 conference race. They are the top two teams in the Leaders division, and the winner will be in control to earn the conference title game spot. Wisconsin has been ultra impressive on both sides of the ball in their four games this season. The Badgers are converting an incredible 51.2% of their third downs and their defense is holding opponents to just 4.1 yards per play. Wisconsin

This is a very dangerous game for South Carolina. The Gamecocks are playing this out of conference game after playing back-to-back SEC games with six more to follow. South Carolina comes in off a bye, but so is Central Florida so that scheduling edge is nullified. The Gamecocks have been more of an offensive team this season as their defense has fallen way off from last season. South Carolina is allowing 25.3 points per game; they allowed just 18.2 points per game last season and 18.4 points per game the season before. The Gamecocks are allowing opponents to throw for 7.4 yards per pass attempt, and that weakness will be exposed in this game.

Central Florida has dominated their three opponents this season. The Knights out-scored the three teams by a combined score of 110-38, and that includes a nice win at Penn State. Central Florida is built like an SEC team as they play outstanding defense while playing a physical brand of offense. The Knights run for 180 yards per game, and QB Blake Bortles is completing 71.4% of his passes while averaging an impressive 11.1 yards per pass attempt. That strength goes against the weak South Carolina secondary so the Gamecocks will have to defend both the run and pass in this game. Central Florida holds opponents to just 4.7 yards per play which is a strong number for a home underdog in this price range. We expect a close game throughout so we

This will be the third meeting in the last two years for Iowa State and Tulsa. The teams split their two meetings last season with Iowa State winning the regular season game 38-23 and Tulsa winning the bowl game 31-17. The Cyclones come into this game at 0-2 and they are desperate for a win. Iowa State comes off a 12-day break so they

Hawaii has been thrown to the wolves so far this season with losses to USC and Oregon State. The Rainbow Warriors are getting a much needed class relief here against Nevada, a team Hawaii may actually be better than. Hawaii was also missing two of their better offensive players in their first two games, but RB Joey Iosefa and WR Billy Ray Stutzmann will be on the field in Nevada on Saturday. Hawaii also comes into this game off a bye so they

This series has produced some down to the wire finishes over the years, but that hasn

This rivalry game is a pretty big deal in the city of Houston. The game will be played at Reliant Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans. Rice comes into this game at 1-1 with a loss at Texas A&M and a home win over Kansas. The Owls have a veteran offensive line (5 returning starters) that is allowing the offense to average 249 rushing yards per game and 439.5 yards of total offense. Rice has scored in all seven red-zone trips this season, five of those scores being touchdowns. QB Taylor McHargue left last week

North Carolina comes into this game at 1-1 after losing their season opener at South Carolina 27-10 then beating Middle Tennessee State 40-20 at home. The Tar Heels haven

Boise State has bounced back nicely after getting blown out in their season opener at Washington. The Broncos have won their last two games by a combined score of 105-34 over FCS Tennessee-Martin and Air Force. The Boise State offense has scored touchdowns on 13 of their last 16 possessions with Joe Southwick at quarterback. He completed 27 of his 29 passes against Air Force while throwing for 287 yards. Boise State has 731 passing yards and 620 rushing yards thru three games and they will have another strong offensive game against a Fresno State defense that has given up 74 points in their two games this season.

Fresno State

Clemson

You may be hard pressed to find a team that was more impressive in two games than Wisconsin. The Badgers have won their first two games by a combined 93-0 after shutting out Massachusetts 45-0 and shutting out FCS Tennessee Tech 48-0. However, the Badgers are now jumping into the deep end with a road trip out West to Arizona State. New HC Gary Anderson was plucked from Utah State after Bret Bielema left for Arkansas, but Anderson coached teams have not played well against good competition. In fact, Anderson

Mississippi is in their second season under head coach Hugh Freeze, and with 19 returning starters, the Rebels should improve off their 7-6 record of a season ago. They are off to good start as they come into this game at Texas 2-0 after winning at Vanderbilt in their season opener and beating FCS SE Missouri State last week. Freeze and his Ole Miss players have had this game circled in red since getting blasted at home by Texas last season 66-31. That 35-point loss was ugly, but keep in mind it was just the third game of the season for the Rebels who were still learning Freeze

Virginia Tech opened their season with a 35-10 blowout loss to Alabama. While the 25-point loss on the scoreboard looks bad, the reality of that game was quite different. The Hokies actually out-played the #1 team in the country as Virginia Tech

TCU bounced back nicely last week after losing 37-27 to LSU in their season opener. The Horned Frogs beat SE Louisiana 38-17 even though they were in a flat spot off the LSU game with tonight

Washington State played a solid game last week at Auburn as they took a tough 31-24 loss despite winning yardage 464-394. But that close loss sets them up poorly for this game at USC on Saturday night. Double digit underdogs that lose close games often come up short the following week because the previous game was such a taxing effort, especially since they were priced to be non-competitive. Auburn is not a good team by SEC standards so we don

West Virginia is in for a long 2013. The Mountaineers were lucky to escape with a 24-17 home win over William & Mary last week. West Virginia trailed by 10 points at the half and the game was tied going into the fourth quarter. William & Mary will be a mediocre FCS team at best this season so the fact that West Virginia struggled so much against them speaks volumes about the Mountaineers going forward. West Virginia lost a lot of talent to the NFL from last season

Florida handled Toledo last week with relative ease as the Gators won 24-6 at home. However, Florida will be taking a major step-up in class this week as they travel to Miami to face an in-state rival. While Florida

Wake Forest and Boston College will be improved this season. The Demon Deacons went just 5-7 last season but they return 15 starters from that group. They got a warm-up game last week against FCS Presbyterian in which they won 31-7. However, Wake Forest was not impressive in running the football as they had only 189 yards on a terrible 3.5 yards per rush. That

These two teams played in the Las Vegas Bowl to finish last season; Boise State nipped Washington 28-26. But there

This game between LSU and TCU will be played on a neutral field in Arlington, TX. The Horned Frogs should hold a slight crowd edge since the game is in their home state, but LSU fans travel well. SEC teams are very popular with the betting public and there

The top game of the weekend as #5 Georgia plays at #8 Clemson on Saturday night. SEC teams are very popular with the betting public and there

Tulsa and Bowling Green were pretty good teams last season. Tulsa went 11-3, won the CUSA title game, and beat Iowa St in the Liberty bowl. Bowling Green went 8-5 and lost to San Jose St in the Military Bowl. Both teams return plenty of starters from last year so the Golden Hurricane and Falcons figure to be good once again this season. However, we see a lot of line value on Tulsa in this game, especially since our raw power ratings would make them a favorite on a neutral field. Tulsa has a very strong running game with QB Cody Green and returning running backs Trey Watts and Ja

Alabama will be looking to repeat as National Champions after they shutout LSU 21-0 in last year

Arkansas St picked up right where they left off despite changing coaches this season. Gus Malzahn took over for his good friend Hugh Freeze who left for Mississippi. The transition for the Red Wolves was easy since both Malzahn and Freeze run the same offensive system. But Malzahn has left to become the head coach at Auburn which leaves Arkansas St in the hands of interim coach John Thompson. It

Texas A&M

Kansas St went 10-3 last season and many thought their record was phony because they got out-yarded in 10 of those 13 games. The Wildcats were on many play-against lists coming into this season, but they out-performed expectations once again. Kansas St comes into tonight

When the BCS bowl match-ups were announced, there were two teams heavily discussed as not belonging. Those two teams were Northern Illinois and Louisville. Last night everybody saw Florida St absolutely dominate Northern Illinois as the Seminoles won 31-10 while out-gaining the Huskies 534-259. That final will result in the bookmakers being heavily sided on Florida in the Sugar Bowl tonight, especially since Louisville was said not to belong in this game. But there are many differences between last night

Wisconsin comes into this game with just an 8-5 record, and if you judge them based on that, you may think they aren

Michigan quietly had a very good season. The Wolverines were overshadowed by other teams in the Big 10, but for us, this team was one of the best in conference. Michigan went 8-4 on the year but two of those losses came to Alabama and Notre Dame who just happen to be playing for the National Championship. The Wolverines also lost at Nebraska and at Ohio State, but their loss in Lincoln can be excused as they lost QB Denard Robinson early in the game to an injury. The four teams Michigan lost to have a combined record of 46-4 with two of the teams being undefeated. You