Week 12 was another very solid one but again a New York team kept me from going perfect damn Jets. This week I am going to the well once again and have picked out some marquee matchups to hang my hat on.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec 2 9 p.m. (ET)
Venue: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, KT.
Broadcast: ESPN
Commodores at Cardinals lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Cardinals
Over/Under: OFF
The Vanderbilt Commodores will look to knock the Louisville Cardinals from the ranks of the unbeaten this Friday night when the two teams clash at the KFC Yum Center in this SEC/Big East tilt. This game is set to tip-off at 9 p.m. and it will be broadcast on ESPN.
Vanderbilt is coming off a tough 82-70 overtime loss to No.11 Xavier this past Monday as a four-point home favorite that dropped its record to 5-2 straight-up and 2-3 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of the five games with lines.
John Jenkins has been a force for the Commodores with 20.2 point scoring average while logging 34 minutes a game. Lance Goulbourne and Jeffery Taylor have done a good job under the boards with a combined 13.7 rebounds a game. As a whole, Vandy is averaging 75.9 points a game and shooting 45.7 percent from the field. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Louisville has worked its way up the rankings with a solid 6-0 start SU including a 69-53 win over Butler as a four-point road favorite on Nov.19. The Cardinals have covered the spread in four of their first five games with a posted line and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of the five games.
Kyle Kuric is averaging 12 points a game and Chris Smith is adding another 10.5, but the real strength of this season’s Cardinals is a smothering defense that is holding its opponents to an average of just 48.3 points a game and 33.2 percent from the field.
Louisville should have its hands full with Jenkins in this one, but stick with the Cardinals’ defense to keep the clamps on him just enough to grind out the win at home.
The Pick: Louisville 66 vs. Vanderbilt 63
In a huge early season showdown between two of the top teams in men’s college basketball this season, the Florida Gators square-off against the Syracuse Orange this Friday night at the Carrier Dome in this SEC/Big East tilt.
The Idaho Vandals head to Mackay Stadium this weekend searching for just their second road win of the season against conference rival Nevada who have done well at home, going 4-2 against conference opponents while holding them to just under 20 points per game.
BYU will travel to the Aloha State in search of ending its season with a nine win record, while the Warriors, who started this year’s campaign coming off an 11-win season in 2010, hope they can avoid finishing the season with a losing record.
With a full slate of 16 games last week including three on Thanksgiving , it proved to be a good weekend to take a trip with 10 road teams covering against the spread. Only four homes teams covered as two games ended in a ‘push’.
With the NFL Fantasy football into the bye weeks now we encourage you to be checking out our FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY ARTICLES for all your rankings and analysis for the upcoming week.
Each week during the heart of the NFL season, and once or twice during the NFL Preseason, we’ll gather the troops around the roundtable and hash out the NFL Power rankings. We check out the stats, looks at the records, and, most importantly, we take a close, close look at the heart of each team.
The Runnin’ Rebels are playing out the string this week. They have only two wins on the season and now there is some doubt about their shocker against Hawaii was kosher.
Thursday night Football comes to the Pacific Northwest this week as the reeling Philadelphia Eagles, losers of three of their last four games, take on the improving Seattle Seahawks who have won two of three.
Conference USA really doesn’t get the attention it deserves – they play some and fun exciting football.. Southern Miss enters this week having lost just two games all season long and possesses one of the best team’s that nobody talks about.
North Carolina is coming off a stunning loss at the hands of UNLV this past weekend.
After the first half of games, the Big Ten leads the Big Ten/ACC Challenge 4-2. There’s still plenty of time for the ACC to catch up, but they’ll need teams like Virginia Tech to pull off a minor upset.
Like many college football fans, I still can’t believe the UCLA Bruins ended the PAC 12 regular season with a 50-0 blowout loss to rival USC, and still somehow miraculously ended up representing the south division in the inaugural PAC 12 Conference Championship Game this Friday at the No. 7 Oregon Ducks.
Each week, Dave B will compile a list of Hot and Not Hot players based on their past performances and future matchups.
Troy was the dominant team in the Sun Belt over the last few years. Larry Blakeney’s team isn’t dominant at all this year; in fact they are just 3-8 in 2011.
Arkansas State has been a huge surprise under first-year head coach Hugh Freeze. The Red Wolves are 7-0 in the Sun Belt, and they can wrap up the conference title with a win this weekend.
ASU Stadium
Saturday December 3, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Arkansas State -17.5 (-110) Troy +17.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 57
Troy’s offense has dropped off a lot this year, and that is largely because the team has virtually no running game. Corey Robinson has thrown for 3,100 yards and 19 touchdowns, but Troy averages just 91 yards per game on the ground. Turnovers have been a big problem for the Trojans as well. Robinson has thrown 13 interceptions, and the team has turned the ball over in the red zone far too many times. Eric Thomas is a play maker on the outside for this team. Thomas has 56 catches and nine touchdown receptions in 2011. Troy averages just 23 points per game this year.
The Trojans defense was solid the last few years, but this season they are bad. Troy is 113th out of 120 teams in the nation in total defense. The front seven has been dominated on a weekly basis this season. Troy’s opponents are averaging 210 yards per game on the ground. Opponents have averaged 463 yards of total offense. The Trojans are giving up 33 points per game. The defense must contain Ryan Aplin if they hope to be competitive in this one.
Arkansas State was a disappointment the last couple years, but Hugh Freeze has come into Jonesboro and immediately turn this team into a league leader. It cannot be overstated just how much Freeze has done for this program in his first year. The Red Wolves are 9-2 overall this year, and they are also 9-2 ATS. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Ryan Aplin is the star quarterback for Arkansas State. He is the team’s leading rusher and the team’s leading passer. Aplin is completing 65% of his passes, and he has thrown 15 touchdowns. He also averages 4.2 yards per carry, and he has ten touchdown carries. Dwayne Frampton has had a breakout season at the wide receiver spot for Arkansas State. Frampton has caught 80 passes so far this year. Arkansas State averages 32.5 points per game.
The Red Wolves defense has been the best in the Sun Belt this season. Arkansas State is 18th in the nation in total defense. Daryl Feemster leads an opportunistic secondary with four interceptions this year.
The front seven is strong against the run. Opponents are averaging just 111 yards per game on the ground. The front four do a great job pressuring the quarterback, which allows Arkansas State to keep more men back in coverage.
The cold December weather won’t make it any easier for the offenses in this one. Arkansas State should be able to slow down the Troy offense nicely.
The number is set quite high here, and I like the under.
Free College Football Pick: Under 57
Score Prediction: Arkansas State 35 Troy 17
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