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My selection is on Northern Illinois plus the points over UAB at 7 pm et on Tuesday.

I'll back the underdog Huskies on Tuesday night as they take on upstart UAB in the Boca Raton Bowl. We won with Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game against Buffalo and I see this as another fine spot to support the Huskies in an underdog role. The Blazers seemed to peak early this season as they come into this one having lost three of their last four games ATS with their lone victory coming in a two-point win over Middle Tennessee in the C-USA Championship Game. Note that UAB has been outgained in three straight games. Northern Illinois has been stout against the run this season, allowing just 2.7 yards per rush. Take Northern Illinois (10*).

My selection is on Middle Tennessee State plus the points over Appalachian State at 9 pm et on Saturday.

This is a game the Blue Raiders have to feel confident they can not only keep competitive, but win outright. Middle Tennessee State closed out the season on a 5-1 ATS run, with its lone setback coming in a quick revenge match against UAB after defeating the Blazers by a 27-3 score the first time around. It was really a tale of two halves as far as the regular season went for the Blue Raiders. Perhaps the same could be said of Appalachian State, which ran out of gas a little bit down the stretch, going 3-4 over its final six games after opening the season with five straight ATS victories. There's not a lot separating these two teams. I like the Blue Raiders experience at quarterback and believe they can at the very least take this one down to the wire. Take Middle Tennessee State (10*).

My selection is on North Texas plus the points over Utah State at 2 pm et on Saturday.

Utah State got off to a 9-1 ATS start this season but has dropped its last two games ATS entering this Bowl matchup with North Texas. It really seemed as if the Aggies offense ran out of gas near the end of the season and I can't imagine losing their entire coaching staff will help matters entering this contest. North Texas quietly went 9-3 SU this season but just 4-8 ATS. I believe the latter mark is leaving the Mean Green Eagles undervalued in this matchup. Note that they outgained each and every opponent this season in terms of total yardage and have one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country in Mason Fine. Take North Texas (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Navy and Army at 3 pm et on Saturday.

The 'under' cashes each and every year in this matchup and while we're dealing with a very low total this time around, I still believe the number will prove to be too high. Army has its best defense in years and comes into this game on an incredible run, having allowed 22 points or less in regulation time in 10 straight games. Only in the Black Knights season-opener against Duke did they give up more than that number. While Navy did score a combined 65 points over its final two regular season games, those performances came against Tulsa and Tulane. They'll be facing a much tougher challenge here. There's no question its been a down year for Navy football as the Midshipmen check in with just three wins to their credit. The familiar matchup should help to keep them competitive, however, and I believe that lends itself to another relatively low-scoring affair between these two teams. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Clemson minus the points over Pittsburgh at 8 pm et on Saturday.

This is every bit the mismatch that the oddsmakers are making it out to be. Pittsburgh ended the regular season with a thud last week, falling by a 24-3 score on the road against Miami. Prior to that, the Panthers were on a roll, having won four games in a row, scoring a ton of points in the process. However, they’re taking a big step up in class here. Clemson has gone largely untested since a tight game against Syracuse on September 29th. Since then, the Tigers winning margins have been 60, 34, 49, 61, 20, 29 and 21 points. The fact that they allowed 35 points against South Carolina last week should certainly add to their motivation level here, particularly on defense. Clemson uncharacteristically allowed two touchdowns of 60+ yards in that victory over the Gamecocks. Look for the Tigers to do a better job of limiting Pitt’s big play opportunities on Saturday. The strength of the Panthers offense lies in their ground attack but they actually haven’t made much headway in that regard over the last couple of games. Note that Pitt QB Kenny Pickett has thrown touchdown passes in only three of his last six games. He’s done a nice job taking care of the football, having not tossed an interception since October 6th against Syracuse, but that has more to do with the fact that he hasn’t been attempting many passes than anything else. Pickett has thrown for 200+ yards only once this season, and that came against a terrible Wake Forest defense. Take Clemson (10*).

My selection is on Memphis plus the points over Central Florida at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

While UCF enters this game with a flawless 11-0 record the Knights have to feel that the rug was pulled out from under them last week when they lost QB McKenzie Milton for the season with a knee injury. While the Knights are still a good team without Milton, I believe they’ll be hard-pressed to get past what will be a hungry Memphis squad on Saturday. Note that Milton’s replacement is redshirt freshman Darriel Mack Jr. who represents more of a running threat. When these two teams met earlier this season it was Milton that engineered a 16-point come-from-behind victory for the Knights. That was clearly the ‘one that got away’ for the Tigers and no doubt they’ll be highly motivated to make amends here. The effects of that loss to UCF lingered for Memphis as it went on the road and gave up 65 points in a blowout loss to Missouri the next week. Since then, the Tigers have gone a perfect 4-0, scoring 59, 47, 28 and 52 points in the process. Take Memphis (10*).

My selection is on Texas plus the points over Oklahoma at 12 noon et on Saturday.

The Longhorns have already upset the Sooners once this season, why not do it again in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday afternoon? While I’m not going to call for the outright upset here, I do believe the Longhorns can stay competitive for four quarters and fully expect this game to go right down to the wire. Texas has suffered just two losses since opening the season with a stunning loss against Maryland (we won with the Terps in that game), those two losses came by a combined four points. It almost felt like last week’s game against West Virginia was the peak of the Sooners season as they pulled out a wild 59-56 victory in Morgantown. Could a bit of a letdown be in store here? The Sooners defensive ineptitude is alarming to say the least. They gave up at least 40 points in all four of their November games, winning by more than five points in just one of those four contests. Yes, Oklahoma’s offense is electric but it will face some resistance in this matchup. Note that Texas held Oklahoma to just three touchdowns through the first three quarters in the previous meeting back in early October. Take Texas (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Northern Illinois and Buffalo at 8 pm et on Friday.

We haven't seen all that great quarterback play from either of these teams down the stretch. Northern Illinois QB Marcus Childers has thrown just three touchdowns compared to four interceptions over his last six games. Meanwhile, Bulls QB Tyree Jackson has thrown multiple touchdown passes in just two of his last eight games. Northern Illinois was once a shoo-in for this game, but not in recent years. Meanwhile, the Bulls will be going Bowling for the first time in a long time, but they want more than that in the form of a MAC Championship. I'm anticipating a tightly-contested affair on Friday night at Ford Field and that lends itself to a relatively low-scoring game. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Northern Illinois plus the points over Buffalo at 8 pm et on Friday.

Northern Illinois is certainly used to being in this game, as a program at least. However, not so much in recent years. The Huskies won't just be 'happy to be here' though - far from it, in fact. Last year, Northern Illinois played in a Boxing Day Bowl game and got throttled by Duke. They'll be looking to make a splash here in Detroit and head into this year's Bowl opportunity on a positive note. Of course, the same goes for upstart Buffalo, which enjoyed a tremendous regular season. I will point to the fact that Bulls QB Tyree Jackson threw for multiple touchdown passes in just two of his last eight games. He's known for his mobility but ran for less than 200 yards this season. I don't believe there is any sort of intimidation factor at play here. In fact, both teams come in feeling like underdogs. Take Northern Illinois (10*).

NCAAF MWC Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘over’ between Utah State and Boise State at 10:15 pm et on Saturday.

Unlike Boise State’s most recent big MWC test against Fresno State (we won with the Broncos in that game) which turned into a bit of a slugfest, we can expect plenty of offensive fireworks as the Broncos welcome the Aggies to the blue turf on Saturday night. Utah State faced a bit of a challenge last Saturday as it struggled to get its usually-potent offense going on the road against Colorado State on senior night. I certainly anticipate seeing the Aggies offense bounce back in a big way here, however. Boise State’s defense does come in playing well but I’m not sure it’s sustainable against a top-level opponent. Note that the Broncos have allowed 44 points against Oklahoma State, 27 points against Nevada, 28 points against Colorado State and 38 points against Air Force this season. In other words, the Broncos defense is beatable. On the other side, Boise State’s offense is rolling right now, with QB Brett Rypien having thrown for 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions over his last five games. RB Alexander Mattison has racked up a whopping 299 rushing yards on 50 carries over his last two games and has found the end zone seven times in his last five. Utah State is 10-1 on the strength of its offense, not its defense and that should be evident against Boise State on Saturday night. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between BYU and Utah at 10 pm et on Saturday.

While we’re dealing with a low total in this matchup, it’s pretty much par for the course in this rivalry and I believe it’s warranted again this season. BYU comes in having scored a whopping 80 points over its last two games, but those came against lowly UMass and New Mexico State. Prior to those two victories, the Cougars had scored just 22 points combined in back-to-back losses at home against Northern Illinois and at Boise State. Utah has been feasting on offense lately as well, but again, it has had a lot to do with its schedule. The Utes Pac-12 slate was top-heavy to say the least as they opened their conference slate with back-to-back losses against Washington and Washington State, scoring just 31 points in the process. I don’t believe they’re the offensive juggernaut they look like on paper, and they’ll certainly face a tough test against rival BYU on Saturday. Last year’s meeting totaled just 32 points as Utah prevailed by a 19-13 score. Expect to see a defensive tone set once again. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Wake Forest and Duke at 12:30 pm et on Saturday.

While I'm not expecting a defensive slugfest in this game, I do feel that the total has simply been set too high. Wake Forest has really cooled off on offense here in November, scoring 24, 27 and 13 points in winning just once in three games. On a positive note, the Demon Deacons defense has done a better job lately, most recently holding Pitt to just one touchdown until over midway through the third quarter. Two weeks ago they gave up just one touchdown through three quarters of football against N.C. State. Duke suffered an expected 35-6 loss at Clemson last week but should bounce back here. I don't consider the Blue Devils to be an elite offensive team, however, noting that they've scored fewer than 30 points in six of 11 games so far this season. They've had a few scoring outbursts here and there, but in this particular spot, I feel they'll simply be looking for a bounce-back win following last week's ugly performance. Style points don't mean a whole lot in this one. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Purdue and Indiana at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’m comfortable playing the ‘over’, even at a rather lofty number on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington. Purdue has now dropped back-to-back games, with the latest coming in heartbreaking fashion at home against Wisconsin last Saturday. The Boilermakers offense did keep rolling along in that game, with QB David Blough throwing for just shy of 400 yards and four touchdowns. Now he faces a sieve-like Indiana defense that has come apart at the seams down the stretch this season. On the flip side, the thinking is that the Hoosiers won’t shy away from another shootout, with Bowl eligibility hanging in the balance. Their offense stalled last week, but that was against mighty Michigan in The Big House. They’ll be taking a big step down in class here against a weak Boilermakers defense. Prior to last week’s poor showing, Hoosiers QB Peyton Ramsey had thrown for over 230 yards in seven straight games. I’m confident Indiana RB Stevie Scott will also have a field day against the Boilers’. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on Louisiana Tech minus the points over Western Kentucky at 12 noon et on Saturday.

As far as I’m concerned, Western Kentucky has been one of the nation’s weakest FBS teams this season and I really think this is a smash spot for Louisiana Tech at home. The Hilltoppers have just two wins to their credit, with one of those coming in blowout fashion at home against a lifeless foe in UTEP. That lopsided result actually helps to keep this number in check. Louisiana Tech is coming off a tough one-point loss on the road against Southern Miss last Saturday but should bounce back nicely here, noting that the Bulldogs have gone 3-1 at home this season with their lone loss coming against upstart UAB. The last time we saw Louisiana Tech here in Ruston, it cruised to a 28-13 victory over Rice, allowing just one touchdown on a long passing play in that contest. Note that prior to scoring 40 points last week, the Hilltoppers had produced only 42 points in their previous three games combined. Take Louisiana Tech (10*).

NCAAF SEC Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘over’ between Arkansas and Missouri at 2:30 pm et on Friday.

There is high potential for a shootout when the Razorbacks and Tigers do battle in Columbia on Friday afternoon. Keep in mind, this matchup produced a whopping 93 points a year ago. While we may not get quite that level of shootout this time around, I still feel we’re dealing with a very reasonable total. Arkansas is rounding out a dismal campaign, having posted just two victories to date. We haven’t seen many signs of life from the Hogs offense over the last couple of games, but those have been in tough matchups at home against LSU and at Mississippi State. They’re certainly capable of busting out given the fact they’ve put up 31 points against Alabama, 33 against Ole Miss and 31 against Vandy this season. Here, they get a Missouri defense that has held up well lately, but has certainly been vulnerable at times this season. The Tigers offense continues to hum along, having scored 111 points during their current three-game winning streak. They should be able to keep on rolling against an Arkansas defense that has given up at least 37 points in four of its last five losses. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on Texas minus the points over Kansas at 12 noon et on Friday.

While Kansas has certainly been more competitive than we’ve seen in recent years, I don’t expect the Jayhawks to be able to hang with the Longhorns for four quarters on Friday afternoon. Texas has passed most of its road tests lately, notching wins in Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech while dropping a tough three-point game at Oklahoma State. Despite losing QB Sam Ehlinger to a shoulder injury (he is expected to play on Friday), the Longhorns still delivered a two-touchdown victory over Iowa State on the strength of their defense last Saturday. I certainly don’t expect them to overlook the 3-8 Jayhawks on Friday – not with a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game hanging in the balance. Kansas left it all on the field in a 55-40 road loss against Oklahoma last week. Keep in mind, prior to that contest, the Jayhawks had scored just 20 points combined in their previous two games. There is blowout potential here, noting that Kansas has dropped 20-point and 24-point decisions at home against Oklahoma State and Iowa State, respectively this season. Take Texas (10*).

NCAAF Big Ten Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘over’ between Nebraska and Iowa at 12 noon et on Friday.

I really like the way this one sets up as a high-scoring affair in Iowa City on Friday afternoon. Nebraska is coming off an exceptionally low-scoring result against Michigan State last week, prevailing by a 9-6 score. Keep in mind, just two weeks ago, the Huskers were involved in a wild 54-35 home win over Illinois. The week previous to that they fell just short in a shootout at Ohio State, losing by a 36-31 score. Those type of shootouts have been the norm for Nebraska this season so I look at last week’s result as nothing more than a late season anomaly. Iowa absolutely shredded Illinois last Saturday, rolling to a 63-0 victory. QB Nate Stanley’s streak of three straight games throwing for over 200 yards came to an end, only because of game flow. While the Hawkeyes are known for their defense, they’ve also been involved in their share of shootouts this season, winning 48-31 at Minnesota and losing 30-24 at Penn State and 38-36 at Purdue. Last November, Iowa posted a 56-14 rout of Nebraska. I’m anticipating a more competitive game this time around, and I believe that sets up well for the ‘over’. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on Washington State minus the points over Arizona at 10:30 pm et on Saturday.

We won with Washington State in its blowout win at Colorado last week and I'll go right back to the well with the same play as the Cougars return home to host Arizona on Saturday night. Washington State hasn't lost a game since falling by a field goal at USC in a Friday night game way back on September 21st. Since then, we've seen the Cougars win in all sorts of different ways including last week's complete domination of the Buffaloes. I don't believe Arizona will have any answers for the Washington State offense in this one. The Wildcats have seemingly salvaged their season with back-to-back wins over Oregon and Colorado, scoring a whopping 86 points in the process. Keep in mind, prior to that, the Wildcats had won just once in three road games, with that victory coming over lowly Oregon State, a team Washington State railroaded by a 56-37 score in Corvallis earlier this season. Look for the Cougars to be playing from ahead for most of this game on Saturday night, and for them to force Arizona QB Khalil Tate to beat them through the air, something I just don't see happening as Washington State ultimately pulls away. Take Washington State (10*).

NCAAF Big Ten Game of the Year. My selection is on Purdue minus the points over Wisconsin at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I'll lay the points with the Boilermakers as they aim to gain Bowl eligibility on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin. The Boilers are coming off a beatdown at Minnesota last Saturday, which came on the heels of an emotional home win over Iowa the week previous. Note that since starting the season with back-to-back home losses, Purdue has posted three straight home wins, scoring a whopping 117 points in the process. Wisconsin has been wildly inconsistent this season and enters this game having dropped two of its last three contests, with its lone win over that stretch coming against lowly Rutgers. The Badgers haven't won a game on the road since outlasting Iowa 28-17 back on September 22nd. They've already gained Bowl eligibility and will have a good shot at improving their standing with a home game against Minnesota to wrap up the regular season next Saturday. Here, I expect the Boilers offense to be too much as the Badgers are no longer the immovable object defensively that they once were. Take Purdue (10*).

My selection is on Nevada minus the points over San Jose State at 5 pm et on Saturday.

This one has blowout written all over it as a rolling Nevada squad travels to San Jose to face one of the nation's weakest teams. The Wolfpack have quietly gone on a run to gain Bowl eligibility, winning three straight games, scoring 117 points in the process. They have an excellent opportunity in front of them to run the table as they wrap things up at UNLV next Saturday. San Jose State actually managed to score 24 points against Utah State last week, which was an accomplishment by its standards this season. However, it's worth noting that seven of those points came on a punt return touchdown and it wasn't until the Spartans had fallen behind by 35 points that their offense finally came to life against a disinterested Aggies defense. Keep in mind, Nevada rolled to a 59-14 rout over San Jose State in last year's meeting. There's little reason to expect anything to change here. We're being asked to lay a very reasonable number with the Wolfpack in my opinion. Take Nevada (10*).

NCAAF C-USA Game of the Month. My selection is on Florida International minus the points over Charlotte at 2 pm et on Saturday.

I'll lay the points with the Panthers on Saturday afternoon as they look for their sixth win in their last seven games. Florida International has been one of the most underrated teams in the country this season as far as I'm concerned. I really liked the way the Panthers responded following a blowout loss at home against Florida Atlantic, rolling to a 45-7 victory at Texas-San Antonio last Saturday. After a low-key start to the season, QB James Morgan has really settled in, throwing for over 200 yards and at least two touchdowns in five of FIU's last six games. He has posted an incredible 16:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his last six games. Even when Morgan hasn't been moving the ball through the air, the Panthers ground attack has been dynamic, with a number of options at its disposal. Charlotte has four wins to its credit this season, but none here in November. The 49ers have scored a grand total of just 49 points over their last four games. The Panthers could potentially reach that point total in this game alone. Take Florida International (10*).

My selection is on Baylor minus the points over TCU at 12 noon et on Saturday.

The motivation is certainly there for TCU as it tries to salvage what has been a truly disappointing season with victories in its final two games to gain Bowl eligibility. However, the same motivation is there for Baylor, which needs just one win over its final two games to reach Bowl eligibility. Note that the Bears will travel to face Texas Tech next week so it's imperative they pick up the 'W' here to ensure they're playing in December. We cashed a ticket fading TCU last week at West Virginia and I won't hesitate to go back to the well in this spot. The Horned Frogs offense continues to struggle while their defense hasn't come close to living up to expectations. Losing QB Shawn Robinson certainly hurt but there's no real excuse for scoring only 124 points over a seven-game stretch, especially playing in the high-scoring Big 12. Baylor got crushed at Iowa State which makes it three losses in its last four games. The lone win was an impressive on, however, as the Bears defeated Oklahoma State at home on November 3rd. Their lone home loss this season came against an underrated Duke squad back on September 15th. Take Baylor (10*).

NCAAF Friday Night Total of the Month. My selection is on the 'over' between Memphis and SMU at 9 pm et on Friday.

This is one of the highest totals on the board this week and the lofty number is warranted in my opinion. When these two teams met last season they combined to score 111 total points. Memphis has of course been involved in shootout after shootout this season. The 'over' has cashed in each of the Tigers last three games. We've seen at least one team score 50+ points in six of Memphis' 10 games overall this season. There's little reason to expect anything different on Friday as the Tigers face an SMU squad that is fresh off a wild 62-50 win over Connecticut last Saturday. After getting bogged down offensively in games against UCF, Tulane and Cincinnati, they've scored a combined 107 points in their last two contests. At least one team has scored 40+ points in seven of the Mustangs 10 games this season. Take the over (10*).

NCAAF MAC Total of the Year. My selection is on the 'under' between Miami-Ohio and Northern Illinois at 8 pm et on Wednesday.

We won with the 'under' in Miami-Ohio's big home win over Ohio last week and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here as the Redhawks face another must-win situation on the road against Northern Illinois. Miami-Ohio has dealt with some key injuries on the defensive side of the football this season and as a result we've seen it get involved in its share of shootouts. However, it's also worth noting that the Redhawks have held six of 10 opponents to 26 points or less in regulation time. They jumped all over a weak Ohio defense last week, scoring 28 first half points, although QB Gus Ragland didn't throw for 200 yards nor did they have a 100-yard rusher in that victory. Now they go on the road and face a tough Northern Illinois defense that has given up 21 points or less in five of its last six contests. We saw the Huskies explode for 38 points last week against Toledo, although I will point out that their offense didn't find the end zone until the final 30 seconds of the first quarter and not again until nearly halfway into the third quarter. Two games back they scored 24 first half points but then their offense didn't reach the end zone again over the rest of the game. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF TV Total of the Week. My selection is on the 'under' between Miami and Georgia Tech at 7 pm et on Saturday.

I'll back the 'under' in Atlanta on Saturday night. Miami is coming off yet another low-scoring game last week, falling by a 20-12 score against Duke. Note that both teams have eclipsed the 20-point mark in only two of nine games involving Miami this season. The Hurricanes last three contests have totaled just 32, 41 and 29 points. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech has been involved in a number of high-scoring affairs this season and with that in mind, we're dealing with a reasonably high total in this matchup. We've seen the Yellow Jackets explode for 87 points in their last two games but those came against two weaker defensive opponents than we'll see them face here in Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The last time we saw the Jackets go up against an opponent of Miami's defensive caliber they were held to just 14 points in a double-digit loss at home against Duke. We've also seen them held down by Pittsburgh and Clemson earlier in the season. While I'm not sure we'll see a defensive slugfest here, I do believe the total will prove too high. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Pac-12 Game of the Month. My selection is on Washington State minus the points over Colorado at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

Washington State just keeps rolling along, winning in a number of different ways in recent weeks. I like the Cougars minus the points in this spot as they travel to face a struggling Colorado squad. Washington State escaped with a tougher-than-expected 19-13 home win over California last Saturday night but should find the going a little easier this week. Colorado is injury-riddled right now and hasn't won a game since back on October 6th, when it posted a 28-21 home win over Arizona State. The Buffaloes defense has now allowed 40+ points in back-to-back games and now faces a Cougars offense that is in excellent bounce-back position after getting slowed down by a strong Cal defense last Saturday. While Washington State is known for its offense, and that offense has been dominant at times, it is its defense that has come up with the big plays down the stretch in a number of victories. Note that the Cougars held the Buffaloes completely off the scoreboard in last year's meeting, cruising to a 28-0 victory. Take Washington State (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between North Carolina and Duke at 12:20 pm et on Saturday.

I'll back the 'under' as the rival Tar Heels and Blue Devils do battle on Saturday afternoon in Durham. The North Carolina offense continues to struggle. While the Tar Heels did have a strong showing on paper last week, scoring 28 points in a loss to Georgia Tech, keep in mind seven of those points came from a defensive fumble return for a touchdown. The Tar Heels offense actually didn't find the end zone until over midway through the third quarter. During their current five-game losing streak they have failed to score more than 28 points in regulation time in each and every game. Save for a wild shootout on the road against Pitt two weeks ago, Duke has been involved in a number of relatively low-scoring affairs lately. That includes last week when the Blue Devils went into Miami and came away with a 20-12 victory. I'm confident the Duke defense can once again control proceedings here and I'm not sure its offense will need to do a whole lot to secure a much-needed victory here. Note that last year's meeting totaled just 44 points in a Blue Devils victory. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on West Virginia minus the points over TCU at 12 noon et on Saturday.

TCU hasn't come close to living up to expectations this season. It's not a stretch to call it a 'lost season' even though the Horned Frogs still have a shot at Bowl eligibility with four wins so far and three games remaining on the schedule. Last week we saw them snap a three-game losing streak with a 14-13 win over Kansas State. TCU was actually outgained in terms of total yardage in that contest. Just two weeks ago the Horned Frogs got north of 350 passing yards from backup quarterback Michael Collins (starter Shawn Robinson is done for the season) but still lost against a bad Kansas squad by a 27-26 score. Here, TCU takes a big step up in class against a surging West Virginia team that is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 42-41 win at Texas. The Mountaineers got caught flat-footed in a 30-14 loss at Iowa State back on October 13th but since then they've gone 2-0, scoring a whopping 100 points in the process. I simply don't believe the Horned Frogs will be able to keep within arm's reach for four quarters on Saturday. Take West Virginia (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Navy and Central Florida at 12 noon et on Saturday.

We missed the mark with the 'under' in UCF's wild 52-40 win over Temple last week but I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play on Saturday as the Knights remain at home to host the reeling Midshipmen. This was not a shootout a year ago as UCF fought its way to a 31-21 victory. Of course, Navy is a weaker team this season, having won just twice in nine games. Having scored just 22 points in its last two games and fresh off a 42-0 beatdown in Cincinnati last week, there's little reason to expect a sudden surge from the Navy offense. The Knights faced the Midshipmen's option-based offense last year and handled it relatively well and I expect a similar story to unfold here. Navy checks in having allowed at least 42 points in each of its last three games. We have seen the Midshipmen defense show up on a couple of occasions this season, however, previously holding Temple to just a single touchdown until over midway through the third quarter back on October 13th and also limiting a good Memphis offense to only 21 points in a victory back on September 8th. I simply feel this is a spot where Navy does show up to some extent, while UCF probably isn't interested in another wild, back-and-forth shootout after last week's relatively close victory over Temple. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF MWC Game of the Year. My selection is on Boise State plus the points over Fresno State at 10:20 pm et on Friday.

I'll grab the points on a rare occasion where the Broncos are the underdog on the blue turf in Boise. Fresno State comes in as the ranked team but I'm not sure it will leave the game in the same position (not literally of course). The Bulldogs are off to an impressive 8-1 start but who have they really beaten? Their victories have come against Idaho, UCLA, Toledo, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Hawaii and UNLV. While I fully understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, I believe Fresno will be in for its toughest test of the season on Friday night. Boise State has suffered a pair of losses but those came against two quality opponents in Oklahoma State and San Diego State. I like the fact that the Broncos are battle-tested having been involved in back-to-back relatively close games entering this one, outlasting Air Force and BYU by a combined 15-point margin in its last two contests. Much has been and will be made of the quarterback matchup in this one. I give the Broncos the edge with experienced starter Brett Rypien. While his supporting cast isn't quite as strong as previous years, it's still solid. This is a game where I look for the Boise State defense to step up against a Fresno offense that has taken advantage of some super-soft defensive opponents. Take Boise State (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Ohio and Miami-Ohio at 7 pm et on Wednesday.

We missed the mark with the 'under' in Miami-Ohio's shootout with Buffalo last week but I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. The Redhawks will return home and know that they'll need to play far better defensively in order to secure a critical fourth victory on the season. With only three games left on the schedule, the Redhawks will need to run the table in order to become Bowl eligible. They face a tall task here as Ohio checks in off three straight wins, scoring an incredible 160 points in the process. Note that Ohio has taken five straight meetings in this series, with the 'under' going 3-2 in those five contests. I like the way the Bobcats have been playing defensively holding three straight opponents to exactly 14 points. I certainly don't expect to see them repeat their 59-point explosion from last week, noting that they had scored 31 points or less in each of their first four road games this season including just 27 and 21 points in two previous MAC road tilts. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Georgia minus the points over Kentucky at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

Both of these teams check in with identical 7-1 records and little separates them in the national rankings. With that being said, I believe Georgia is the clearly superior squad and will be able to put some distance between itself and Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Lexington. The Bulldogs bounced back nicely from an ugly loss at LSU, delivering a 36-17 rout of Florida last week in Jacksonville. Remember, prior to that loss at LSU, the Dawgs had taken care of business on the road, winning by 24 points at South Carolina and 14 points at Missouri. Kentucky has been getting by on the strength of its defense, especially over the last couple of weeks as it has posted 14-7 and 15-14 wins over Vandy and Missouri, respectively. Save for a 27-16 win at Florida back on September 8th, I haven’t been all that impressed by the Wildcats body of work this season. They check in undefeated at home, but consider the level of competition they’ve faced, having hosted Central Michigan, Murray State, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Even if they lose this game, they still have the potential to run the table from here with games against Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State and Louisville. Take Georgia (10*).

NCAAF ACC Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Georgia Tech and North Carolina at 12:15 pm et on Saturday.

Georgia Tech has certainly been involved in its share of wild, high-scoring affairs this season but I don’t believe this one sets up as another shootout between these two familiar opponents. Note that last year’s meeting went 33-7 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. Last week things got carried away early against Virginia Tech but we did see the Jackets settle down and play some good defensive football from the second quarter on. After giving up two early first quarter touchdowns, Georgia Tech held the Hokies to just one touchdown from five minutes remaining in the first quarter until less than four minutes left in the fourth. We missed the mark with the ‘under’ in North Carolina’s 31-21 loss at Virginia last Saturday, but only by a couple of points. I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here as the Tar Heels return home. Note that their last home game resulted in a 22-19 loss to Virginia Tech back on October 13th. On the heels of four straight losses they know they’ll need to tighten things up against the Jackets explosive ground attack. Keep in mind, just two games back, Georgia Tech was held to only 14 points at home against Duke. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Louisville and Clemson at 12 noon et on Saturday.

We’ve seen Clemson really run up the score on the road this season but it’s been a bit of a different story here at home, where the Tigers have done an excellent job of ‘managing’ games, still winning by margin, but perhaps not going full throttle on offense for four quarters. Their home scores to date are as follows: 48-7, 38-7, 27-23 and 41-7. Meanwhile, in four road games they’ve put up 28, 49, 63 and 59 points. Louisville has reason to show up here after getting flat out embarrassed in a 56-35 home loss to Wake Forest last time out. The Cardinals followed that up with their bye week. Note that they were similarly embarrassed in a 66-31 home loss to Georgia Tech on October 5th and followed that up with a more respectable showing in a 38-20 road loss at Boston College. I don’t believe this will be a competitive football game, and that lends itself to an ‘under’ result with the total sitting in the high-60s. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF SEC Game of the Year. My selection is on Auburn minus the points over Texas A&M at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I think a lot of bettors got spooked in early October as Auburn dropped back-to-back games at Mississippi State and at home against Tennessee. We did see the Tigers bounce back last time out, going on the road to defeat Ole Miss 31-16, which took them into their bye week. This is actually a fairly critical spot for Auburn as it will travel to face Georgia and Alabama in two of its final three regular season games – winning either of those would be a tall task to be sure. While there is a home game against Liberty to gain Bowl eligibility even if the Tigers drop this one to the Aggies, that’s not really a path they want to take. On the flip side, 20th-ranked Texas A&M gets a couple of winnable games at home against Ole Miss and UAB next. In fact, the Aggies won’t play another true road game this season, wrapping things up at home against LSU on November 24th. The Aggies will be trying to avoid suffering consecutive losses for the first time this season on Saturday but this is a difficult spot in enemy territory. Note that last week we didn’t see the Aggies score a touchdown until the final minute of the first half against Mississippi State. Two games back it wasn’t until four minutes left in the first half until they reached the end zone at South Carolina. I simply feel the Aggies are going to have a difficult time breaking through against the Tigers and expect Auburn to make enough plays down the stretch to secure a win and cover. Take Auburn (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Pittsburgh and Virginia at 7:30 pm et on Friday.

We missed the mark with the ‘under’ (barely) in Virginia’s 31-21 win over North Carolina last Saturday but I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here as the Cavaliers stay home to host Pittsburgh. Virginia has been involved in a string of relatively low-scoring games lately and that goes hand-in-hand with its current three-game winning streak. Opponents simply haven’t been able to stay focused on running the football against the Cavaliers lately, largely due to game flow, ie falling behind on the scoreboard early. Here, I do believe we’ll see Pitt’s ground game find some success against the Cavaliers defense. The Panthers have sandwiched two wild, high-scoring games against Syracuse and Duke around a defensive slugfest against Notre Dame. We actually won with the ‘over’ in the game against Syracuse and the ‘under’ against Notre Dame. Save for that strong defensive showing against the Irish, the Panthers defense hasn’t held up well at all this season. This certainly isn’t a favorable spot, traveling on a short week after spending a lot of time on the field against Duke last Saturday. The Cavaliers have essentially been as good as they’ve needed to be on offense lately, and here I believe they’re going to have to generate their share of touchdown drives in order to outlast the Panthers. Note that QB Bryce Perkins has thrown multiple touchdown passes in six of eight games this season and tossed three on only 27 pass attempts in last week’s win over North Carolina. Take the over (10*).

NCAAF AAC Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Temple and UCF at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

I really like the way this one sets up in Orlando on Thursday night. We’ve already cashed a couple of ‘under’ tickets in games involving Temple this season and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play in this spot. Temple is coming off three straight victories and a bye week. In those three wins, the Owls allowed a grand total of just 40 points. Prior to that we had seen positive glimpses from their defense in dominating wins over Maryland and Tulsa, but there was also an ugly 45-35 loss at Boston College in the mix, not to mention a 36-29 setback at home against Buffalo in their second game of the season. The Knights will arguably offer the toughest challenge the Temple defense has faced so far this year. UCF has scored over 30 points in all seven games this season. With that being said, the only opponents the Knights have gotten into the 40’s or higher against were Florida Atlantic, Pitt and SMU. I would certainly rate the Temple defense higher than all three of those squads. Last time out, we saw UCF get held out of the end zone until nearly midway through the second quarter, and after adding another touchdown four minutes later, the Knights didn’t reach the end zone on offense again until six minutes were left in the fourth quarter. That was against East Carolina. Defensively, the Knights have been dominant for the most part, save for a couple of shootouts against Florida Atlantic and Memphis. It’s worth noting that UCF actually shut out Memphis from two minutes left in the first half on in a wild 31-30 come-from-behind victory, on the road no less, back on October 13th. To put it simply, the Knights can handle the Owls offense. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Miami-Ohio and Buffalo at 8 pm et on Tuesday.

Playing the 'under' in these early week college matchups used to be almost automatic but that hasn't really been the case in recent years. With that being said, I do like the way the spot sets up for a relatively low-scoring affair between Miami-Ohio and Buffalo on Tuesday night. For the Redhawks, it's getting late awfully early as they have just three wins to their credit with only four games remaining. In other words, they need to win at least three out of four in order to gain Bowl eligibility. They can ill afford to get involved in a shootout with the Bulls here, as their own defense simply hasn't proven it can slow opposing passing games this season. Meanwhile, Buffalo entered the campaign with high hopes and has lived up to expectations, going 7-1 SU. The Bulls have given up at least 28 points on three different occasions this season, but all three of those games were back in September. During their current three-game winning streak, the Bulls have allowed a grand total of just 47 points. Buffalo will face a stiffer challenge from the Redhawks offense than it did a year ago as Miami-Ohio has senior QB Gus Ragland under center. With a lot on the line for both teams, I tend to think we'll see a tightly-contested, relatively low-scoring affair. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Stanford minus the points over Washington State at 7 pm et on Saturday.

I’ve been high on Washington State this season but I don’t see this as an ideal spot for the Cougars, heading out on the road following one of the biggest games in program history (one that resulted in a victory no less) against Oregon last week. Stanford bounced back from consecutive losses with a hard-fought road win at Arizona State last week and should be able to build on that performance here. Note that the last time the Cardinal played here at ‘The Farm’ they were blasted 40-21 by Utah. They’ll certainly be looking to make amends for that poor showing here. Washington State is rolling along right now, having posted three straight wins. It is worth noting, however, that the Cougars haven’t really been tested on the road outside of a 39-36 loss at USC back on September 21st. Their other two road games were against Wyoming and Oregon State, two teams that own a combined SU record of 3-12. This line has moved in Washington State’s favor at the time of posting, as folks are quickly jumping on the Cougar bandwagon. I’m not sure the move is warranted. Take Stanford (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between North Carolina and Virginia at 12:20 pm et on Saturday.

This was a low-scoring affair last year as Virginia won by a 20-14 score. I’m anticipating another relatively low-scoring game on Saturday. North Carolina woke from its offensive slumber to get involved in a wild, 40-37 double-overtime loss at Syracuse last week. Keep in mind, that game totaled just 54 points in regulation time. It was also played in ideal conditions inside the Carrier Dome. Prior to that, the Tar Heels had been held to 29 points combined over their last two games. Now they go up against a tough defense in Virginia, as the Cavaliers have allowed only 27 points over their last two games, with those coming in tough matchups against Miami and Duke. Virginia certainly hasn’t gotten off to a 5-2 start on the strength of its offense. Last Saturday against Duke, the Cavaliers scored a couple of touchdowns in the game’s first 16 minutes but then didn’t find the end zone again until the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. Last week we saw North Carolina hold a potent Syracuse offense out of the end zone until the final two minutes of the first half. The week previous the Tar Heels allowed a touchdown in the game’s first two minutes against Virginia Tech but then not another until over midway through the third quarter. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Army and Eastern Michigan at 12 noon et on Saturday.

We missed the mark with the ‘under’ in Army’s overtime win at Miami-Ohio last week, but it’s certainly worth noting that the game did stay under the total in regulation time. Army has now put up a whopping 125 points over its last three contests but that’s had more to do with that overtime result, as well as the level of opposition the Black Knights have faced than anything else. Prior to last week’s game, Army had gone up against Buffalo and San Jose State in its previous two games, not exactly two defensive juggernauts. Here, it will face a tough challenge against one of the nation’s most underrated and overlooked defensive teams, on the road no less. Eastern Michigan has held five straight opponents to 27 points or less, despite facing some tough competition over that stretch. We saw a bit of an offensive explosion from the Eagles last week as they put up 42 points in a rout of Ball State. That’s been the exception rather than the rule, however. Prior to that outburst, Eastern Michigan had scored 28 points or less in six consecutive games. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Eastern Michigan over Army at 12 noon et on Saturday.

This game should mean a little more to Eastern Michigan as it continues to push its way toward Bowl eligibility. The Eagles check in at 4-4 on the season and fresh off back-to-back wins. They’ve faced a pretty tough schedule this season so there’s no reason to knock them over the .500 record. Army checks in with five wins already to its credit, including three in a row heading into this contest. I don’t see this as a favorable spot for the Black Knights as they hit the road following last week’s double-overtime thriller against Miami-Ohio. I consider Eastern Michigan to be one of the nation’s most underrated and overlooked teams. The Eagles have already gone on the road and defeated Purdue this season and their four losses have come at Buffalo, San Diego State and Western Michigan and at home against Northern Illinois. There was really no shame in any of those setbacks. Take Eastern Michigan (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Wake Forest and Louisville at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This lofty total has a lot to do with the fact that Wake Forest has been involved in a number of wild, high-scoring affairs this season while Louisville has gotten into a couple of high-scoring games of its own in recent weeks. I simply feel this total will prove too high. Wake Forest has given up a whopping 101 points in dropping each of its last two games. With that being said, the Demon Deacons draw a favorable matchup here as Louisville has been held to 24 points or less in each of its last four games. Defensively, we saw the Cardinals give up a couple of touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game against Boston College last week but then stiffened up from there, not allowing another touchdown until the third quarter. It was at the very least improvement over their previous game as they were throttled by Georgia Tech, 66-31. On the flip side, we’ve seen Wake Forest’s offense sputter lately, scoring just 20 points combined in its last two games. I’m just not convinced we’re in for a shootout on Saturday afternoon. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Louisiana Tech and Florida Atlantic at 6:30 pm et on Friday.

I'll back the 'under' in Boca Raton on Friday night. This was a high-scoring matchup last year with FAU prevailing by a 48-23 score on the strength of a big game from RB Devin Singletary. We've seen Singletary continue to rack up touchdowns this season but hasn't been nearly as dominant on the ground, averaging just 4.5 yards per rush after gaining 6.4 ypr last season. Opponents simply aren't respecting the Owls passing game the way they have in recent years, instead stacking the box against FAU's dynamic rusher. Note that Louisiana Tech checks in allowing just 3.8 yards per rush this season. The Owls have allowed a whopping 64 points over their last two games but do find themselves in a favorable bounce-back spot against a Bulldogs squad that has topped out at 31 points against FBS opponents this season. Louisiana Tech has actually put up 31 points in each of its last two games, but those two contests came against UTSA and UTEP, two weaker opponents than the one they'll face on Friday. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Baylor and West Virginia at 7 pm et on Thursday.

As is the case with many of these projected Thursday night shootouts, I get the sense this one may fizzle out in Morgantown. Baylor has seen the 'over' cash in five of its seven games so far this season but is coming off a low-scoring affair against Texas, resulting in a 23-17 loss. In fact, two of the Bears last four games have totaled 40 points or less so track meets have by no means been the norm for this squad this season. Save for a blowout loss at Oklahoma on September 29th, the Bears have actually held their own defensively of late. Even in a game where they allowed 34 points (in a winning effort) against Kansas State, they gave up just two touchdowns through the first three quarters. Like Baylor, West Virginia is coming off its bye week, which came on the heels of an ugly 30-14 loss at Iowa State. After a red hot start to the season we've seen the Mountaineers offense cool somewhat, relatively speaking in the wild, often high-scoring Big 12. Even against a hapless Kansas defense two games back, the Mountaineers scored three first half touchdowns but then didn't find the end zone again until the final play of the third quarter. We have seen stretches where the West Virginia offense has gone stagnant this season. Last year's matchup between these two teams produced 74 points, managing to eclipse the total. With that said, we haven't seen back-to-back 'over' results in this series since 2012 and 2013. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF MAC Total of the Year. My selection is on the 'under' between Toledo and Western Michigan at 7 pm et on Thursday.

These two teams have been involved in their share of shootouts this season but I don't necessarily see one developing on Thursday night. Since exploding for 52 points against a hapless Bowling Green defense, Toledo has been held to just 43 points combined in its last two games - both losses. The Rockets managed only two first half touchdowns in last Saturday's loss to Buffalo, and those came on 70 and 80-yard plays - the type of plays I don't expect to see out of them against an improving Western Michigan defense. The Broncos were involved in an unsurprising track meet against Bowling Green two weeks ago but followed that up with a defensive gem against Central Michigan last Saturday, winning that game by a 35-10 score. Western Michigan scored three first half touchdowns in that game before going scoreless until the final minute of the third quarter. Even in their 42-point outburst against Bowling Green, the Broncos didn't find the end zone until over midway through the second quarter. Toledo rolled past Western Michigan by a 37-10 score in last year's meeting. I don't believe the Rockets will come close to approaching that level of output this time around. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Oregon and Washington State at 7:30 pm et on Saturday.

I fully expect this to turn into the shootout that most are anticipating on Saturday night in Pullman. Oregon was involved in a slightly lower-scoring game than it is accustomed to last week, posting an impressive 30-27 home win over Washington. That improved the Ducks to 5-1 on the season with their lone loss coming in a real blown opportunity at home against Stanford back on September 22nd. I liked the way the Ducks persevered on offense against the Huskies last Saturday as they still managed to score 30 points despite an off day from QB Justin Herbert. He threw for only 202 yards on 18 completions in that game but should bounce back with a big performance against a very beatable Washington State defense here. After starting the season with a couple of strong defensive showings in cupcake matchups against Wyoming and San Jose State, we’ve seen the Cougars struggle to keep the opposition out of the end zone lately, allowing 124 points over their last four games, good for 31 points per game. Offensively, Washington State is a juggernaut. It comes in rested and ready off its bye week, after scoring a whopping 56 points in a wild, shootout victory over Oregon State on October 6th. QB Gardner Minshew has put up video game numbers this season, throwing for over 400 yards in four of his last five games, totaling 16 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions over that stretch. The Oregon defense has been good but not great, despite facing few truly explosive offenses this season. Keep in mind, the Ducks have only played one of their first six games away from home. In their lone road contest, they allowed 24 points against a relatively weak Cal offense. Take the over (10*).

NCAAF Pac-12 Game of the Year. My selection is on Oregon State plus the points over California at 4 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll grab all the points I can get with the Beavers as they host a reeling California squad on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears got off to a fast start this season, posting three straight victories to open the campaign. However, since then they’ve dropped three in a row and all three games could have been considered ‘winnable’. Now they head out on the road to take on a 1-5 Oregon State squad that won’t draw a great deal of motivation when you consider the Bears posted a relatively easy 37-23 win in this matchup last year. The Beavers have been getting blown out on the regular lately, dropping their last three games by a combined 68 points but I do like the progression we’ve seen from their offense, as well as the fact that they’re coming off their bye week. Last time out they hung around until the fourth quarter against a good Washington State team, actually grabbing a lead early in the third quarter. It’s worth noting that the Beavers recently welcomed back electric RB Artavis Pierce and he should make an impact in this matchup. The Oregon State defense hasn’t been good by any means but is the Cal offense capable of taking advantage? Note that the Bears have scored a grand total of 48 points during their current three-game losing streak and managed only a single touchdown, which didn’t come until midway through the third quarter, against a middle of the road UCLA defense last week. Take Oregon State (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Kansas and Texas Tech at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘over’ in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon. Kansas has been a perennial Big 12 doormat and this year appears to be no different as it enters this matchup off three straight blowout losses to open the conference slate. We have at least seen some signs of life from the Jayhawks offense, however, and I do believe they catch the Red Raiders in a favorable spot here, as Texas Tech is coming off one of its best defensive showings of the season in a big 17-14 road win at TCU last Thursday. It’s certainly well within the realm of possibility that the Red Raiders could let down their guard in this layup spot. Kansas has continued to bomb away in losing efforts against Oklahoma State and West Virginia over its last two games, scoring a combined 50 points in the process. Keep in mind, we also saw the Jayhawks explode for 55 points in a matchup with Rutgers earlier this season. While that wasn’t all that impressive when you consider the opposition, the fact is, the Jayhawks haven’t been able to generate that level of offense against anyone in recent years. Of course, we know that the Red Raiders are capable of on offense. Prior to last week’s defensive battle against TCU (we won with the ‘under’ in that game), they had scored 215 points over their last four games, good for an average of well north of 50 points per contest. The last time we saw Kansas, it gave up three touchdowns against West Virginia before the game was 19 minutes old. The Jayhawks have given up a whopping 86 points over their last two games. This matchup produced 84 points last October as Texas Tech rolled to a 65-19 victory. I’m anticipating a bit more competitive of a game this time around, which lends itself to another high-scoring affair. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Colorado and Washington at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

We’ve won with the ‘under’ in each of Colorado’s last two games and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. The Buffaloes turned in an awful second quarter last week against USC, allowing three touchdowns. They didn’t give up another offensive touchdown in the game’s other three quarters, however. Two weeks ago they gave up a touchdown in each of the first three quarters against Arizona State but then held the Sun Devils off the scoreboard from 13 minutes remaining in the third quarter on. Washington is coming off a couple of higher-scoring games than it is accustomed to over the last two weeks. With that being said, the Huskies have scored more than 35 points in a game just once this season, and that came against FCS squad North Dakota back on September 8th. They’re not an offensive juggernaut by any means but do possess a formidable defense. Even last week, Washington didn’t allow a touchdown against Oregon until the final two minutes of the first quarter and then not again until the last 15 seconds of the first half. The Huskies have given up 21 points or less in five of seven games this season. This matchup resulted in a blowout last year as Washington rolled to a 37-10 victory. I’m confident we’ll see the Buffaloes defense hold up much better this time around but I’m not convinced we’ll see Colorado break through against a terrific Huskies defense. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between N.C. State and Clemson at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I’m anticipating a high-scoring affair as the Wolfpack and Tigers to battle in an ACC showdown of unbeatens on Saturday afternoon. N.C. State is off to a surprising 5-0 start but did dodge a matchup with West Virginia on September 15th as that game was cancelled. I do like what I’ve seen from the N.C. State offense, particularly its consistency. Note that the Wolfpack have scored 24, 41, 37, 35 and 28 points. They’ve seemingly been getting more efficient with each passing week. Clemson does boast an elite defense but was certainly made to look even better by a disjointed Wake Forest offense last time out. Note that the Tigers have allowed 20+ points in half of their games this season, only holding Furman, Georgia Southern and aforementioned Wake Forest to fewer points. Offensively, there’s little reason to expect any sort of regression from Clemson coming off its bye week. QB Trevor Lawrence continues to get acclimated to the offense while the Tigers run game has been positive dominant. Against Wake Forest, Clemson had three rushers total at least 128 yards on the ground with a touchdown, combining for six scores in total. Last year’s matchup between these two teams was a shootout, with the Tigers prevailing by a 38-31 score. While there’s a chance the Tigers manhandle the Wolfpack offense here, I believe we’re dealing with a reasonable enough total to take a shot with the ‘over’. Take the over (10*).

NCAAF ACC Game of the Year. My selection is on Virginia plus the points over Duke at 12:30 pm et on Saturday.

Points are likely to come at a premium in this matchup and with that in mind I’ll grab all the points I can get with the Cavaliers. Virginia successfully bounced back from a loss at N.C. State, delivering a 16-13 win over Miami last week. One bad quarter essentially did the Cavaliers in against the Wolfpack but we saw them ride a masterful defensive effort to victory last Saturday. I’m confident they can contain the Duke offense as well, noting that the Blue Devils have scored more than 28 points in a game only twice this season, with those two efforts coming against Baylor and FCS squad NC Central. They’ve scored a grand total of only 42 points over their last two contests and were held to 21 points in a loss to Virginia last year. The Cavaliers defense isn’t great by any means, but has done enough to instill confidence going up against a fairly tough Duke defense. Note that RB Jordan Ellis has found the end zone in three of his last four games, totaling five touchdowns over that stretch. QB Bryce Perkins had thrown for at least two touchdowns in each of his first five games before a rough outing against a strong Miami defense last week (he completed only 12-of-21 passes for 92 yards and three interceptions in that game). The fact that the Cavaliers still managed to outlast the Hurricanes even with that poor performance from Perkins was encouraging to say the least. Take Virginia (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Miami-Ohio and Army at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in West Point on Saturday afternoon. Miami-Ohio has put up some gawdy offensive numbers lately, scoring 38, 39, 41 and 31 points over its last four games. That’s had more to do with the MAC matchups the Redhawks have faced over that stretch than anything else, however. I certainly don’t expect them to enjoy that level of success on the road against a good Army defense on Saturday. On the flip side, I do believe we’ll see Miami-Ohio continue to thrive defensively. It has given up a grand total of 23 points over its last two games. Even in wild, high-scoring games against Bowling Green and Western Michigan back in late September, there were still positives. Against Bowling Green, the Redhawks didn’t allow a touchdown until over halfway through the fourth quarter. They gave up two first quarter touchdowns against Western Michigan but then didn’t allow the Broncos to reach the end zone again until six minutes into the third quarter. The Redhawks had a difficult time containing the Western Michigan passing game, but won’t be faced with such a challenge here as Army rarely throws the football. Also note that earlier in the campaign the Redhawks held Cincinnati and Minnesota to just 21 and 26 points, respectively, albeit in lopsided losses. Army has scored a whopping 94 points over its last two games, but again, that has had more to do with the matchups than anything else. Last week it caught a terrible San Jose State squad and was held scoreless for a quarter before the Spartans awful run defense got worn down and the floodgates opened. I’m more interested in the Black Knights defense here, noting that they have allowed 21 points or less in all but one game this season – that coming against Duke back in their season-opener. Even in the 34-14 loss to Duke they didn’t give up a touchdown until the second quarter. The last time these two teams met we saw a 35-28 shootout in favor of Miami-Ohio, but that was way back in 2011. Expect a different story to unfold here. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Air Force and UNLV at 10 pm et on Friday.

This is a make-or-break game for both of these programs as far as their Bowl prospects go this season. With both checking in at 2-4, neither can afford to suffer a fifth loss with the end of October approaching. We won with the 'under' in Air Force's narrow 21-17 loss at San Diego State last Friday night and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. Since giving up 42 points in a loss at Utah State back on September 22nd, Air Force has allowed a grand total of just 56 points over its last three contests. It did allow 30 points against UNLV in last year's matchup but catches a break here as the Runnin' Rebels are without their versatile QB Armani Rogers, who torched the Falcons for 148 rushing yards and a score in last year's meeting. Without Rogers over their last two games, the Rebels offense has been limited, with sophomore QB Max Gilliam throwing for five touchdowns, but most of those came in garbage time when UNLV was already getting blown out. I do expect a more competitive affair here, meaning the Rebels will have less opportunity to pad their stats against disinterested fourth quarter defense. It's worth noting that opposing defenses have keyed on RB Lexington Thomas in Rogers' absence, holding him to just 87 yards on 18 carries over the last two games. The Falcons triple-option offense is obviously tough to prepare for on a short week but the good news is, the Rebels face Air Force every year in the Mountain West Conference and should certainly have a chip on their shoulder after giving up 50+ points in back-to-back games. UNLV does have a better defense that it has shown over the last couple of games and this is a pretty good bounce-back spot against an Air Force squad that has topped out at 38 points this season - that performance coming against FCS squad Stony Brook back in its season-opener. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Georgia State and Arkansas State at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

I’ll back the ‘over’ in Jonesboro on Thursday night. We had to settle for a push with the ‘under’ in Georgia State’s most recent game – a 37-20 road loss to Troy back on October 4th. That was certainly a tough draw for the Panthers against a good Troy defense. Here, they should face a lot less resistance against an Arkansas State defense that just got dismantled by Appalachian State last week. The Mountaineers got off to a sluggish start against the Red Wolves, but eventually settled in and scored three second quarter touchdowns before adding two more in the second half. Appalachian State essentially got whatever it wanted against this Arkansas State defense. One game before that we also saw the Red Wolves hold up well for a stretch before falling apart and allowing three touchdowns from five minutes remaining in the third quarter until the end of the game in a loss to Georgia Southern. Keep in mind, prior to the blowout loss at Troy, Georgia State scored 46 points in a rout of Louisiana-Monroe, finding the end zone four times in the first half alone. The problem for the Panthers has been their defense, which got lit up for three touchdowns before the game was just over a quarter old against Troy and also allowed 34 points or more in each contest during a three-game slide earlier this season. Arkansas State shot itself in the foot time and time again on offense against Appalachian State last week but should find the going much easier against Georgia State. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Colorado and USC at 10:30 pm et on Saturday.

We saw a fairly high-scoring game between these two teams last season as USC pulled out a 38-24 victory in early November. I expect a different story to unfold on Saturday night as both defenses should come to play in this important Pac-12 matchup. We won with the ‘under’ in  the Buffaloes 28-21 win over Arizona State last Saturday and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. In that game, Colorado held Arizona State off the scoreboard from 13 minutes remaining in the third quarter onward. It was another strong showing for the Buffaloes offense with the Montez to Shenault connection coming up big. I do believe USC is capable of slowing that duo down on Saturday night, however. The Trojans manhandled Arizona, on the road no less, last Saturday, holding the Wildcats scoreless until midway through the third quarter in an eventual 24-20 victory. There are still concerns when it comes to the USC offense, however, noting that the Trojans didn’t score again after Aca’Cedric Ware’s long touchdown run in the first five minutes of the third quarter against a weak Arizona defense. After narrowly escaping with a wild 39-36 victory over Washington State in their most recent home game, the Trojans would be wise to avoid another shootout here. Colorado has scored a whopping 78 points in two road games this season, but those came against weak defensive opponents in Colorado State and Nebraska (and the first of those games wasn’t really a true road game as it was played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver). Take the under (10*).

NCAAF C-USA Game of the Year. My selection is on Florida International minus the points over Middle Tennessee State at 7:30 pm et on Saturday.

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Florida International this season, both on and off the field but based on its play over the last several weeks, it does appear to be on the right track. The Panthers have just one loss over their last four games, and that came in respectable fashion (31-17) on the road against Miami. Considering the Panthers last game was a 55-9 walk over Arkansas-Pine Bluff back on September 29th, they should enter this contest rested and ready. Middle Tennessee State on the other hand is coming off two hard-fought wins over Florida Atlantic (we won with the Blue Raiders in that game) and Marshall. Those were two much-needed victories for the Blue Raiders but now I’m anticipating a bit of a letdown. Keep in mind, FIU will be looking to avenge a 37-17 blowout loss at the hands of MTSU last season. I believe the Blue Raiders have been rather fortunate to pull out wins in their last two games, first needing a late rally to overcome a two-touchdown deficit against Florida Atlantic and then digging a 17-10 halftime hole against Marshall last week. It’s worth noting that the Blue Raiders managed only one first half touchdown against the Thundering Herd and it came with just over one minute remaining before halftime. There’s not a lot separating the Blue Raiders and Panthers right now, but I believe FIU is in better position to grab its fourth victory of the season on Saturday night. Take Florida International (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Virginia Tech and North Carolina at 7 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in Chapel Hill on Saturday night. The Hokies are fresh off a relatively high-scoring affair against an emerging Notre Dame offense last week but I expect to see the scoring settle down here. Remember, just two games back, the Hokies held Duke to just one touchdown through the first three quarters in a 31-14 victory, on the road no less. This is also the team that opened the season with a positively dominant defensive performance on the road against Florida State, delivering a 24-3 victory (we won with the ‘under’ in that game). Sure, there was the anomaly against Old Dominion – a game in which the Hokies suffered an inexplicable fourth quarter defensive collapse – but I’m willing to give them a mulligan for that one. This is a spot where the Hokies need to show up and I’m confident they will, on the defensive side of the football at least. North Carolina has been involved in one shootout this season – a 38-35 home win over Pittsburgh back on September 22nd. Outside of that, we’ve seen the Tar Heels offense struggle. Last time out they suffered a 47-10 loss at Miami (we won with the ‘over’) with the offense looking completely out of sync and unsure of itself at times. This isn’t an ideal ‘get right’ spot by any means. I will point out that the Tar Heels defense did hang in against Miami, in spite of the lopsided final score. They allowed just two offensive touchdowns through the first three plus quarters of that game and only three in total over the full 60 minutes. They’ll be taking a step down in class against the Hokies offense here. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF TV Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Missouri and Alabama at 7 pm et on Saturday.

It’s not easy playing the ‘under’ in games involving the Alabama Crimson Tide but here we are on Saturday night. ‘Bama has some things to clean up after allowing 31 points in another blowout win over Arkansas last week. I fully expect to see the Crimson Tide come out and play a near-flawless brand of defensive football on Saturday night, even against a tough offensive opponent in Missouri. Keep in mind, while the Tide did give up 31 points against Arkansas, it held the Hogs to only two touchdowns through the game’s first three quarters. It wasn’t until things were completely out of hand that the Tide softened up, relatively speaking. We did cash an ‘over’ ticket in a game involving Missouri back on September 22nd – a 43-29 home loss to Georgia. It is worth nothing, however, that the Tigers scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining in the first quarter but then were held out of the end zone until midway through the third quarter. That was actually a relatively low-scoring game early on that turned on a couple of first half defensive scores by Georgia. While there’s certainly a good chance the Tide defense does some scoring on Saturday night, it’s not really something that we can truly account for. Even last week against South Carolina, Missouri scored two touchdowns before the first quarter was 11 minutes old but then didn’t reach the end zone again until the fourth quarter. The Tigers defense has been pretty bad this season but has shown the ability to hold up for stretches. Going back to the Georgia game, they didn’t’ allow the Bulldogs to score an offensive touchdown until nearly four minutes into the third quarter. ‘Bama rolled to a 42-13 win the last time these two teams met back in 2014. A similar outcome isn’t outside the realm of possibility on Saturday night. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame at 2:30 pm et on Saturday.

With Notre Dame coming off three straight relatively high-scoring games and Pitt fresh off a wild, high-scoring overtime win over Syracuse last Saturday (we won with the ‘over’ in that game), we’re dealing with a rather high posted total in advance of this matchup in South Bend on Saturday. I believe the total will prove too high. After getting off to a rough start defensively last week, Pitt did settle down, keeping Syracuse out of the end zone from six minutes remaining in the first quarter until nearly midway through the third quarter. On the flip side, however, the Panthers scored a touchdown with just under six minutes left in the first quarter but then the offense didn’t reach the end zone again until the first minute of the third quarter. It’s also worth noting that the Panthers kept the Orange out of the end zone for the entire fourth quarter and overtime. Notre Dame delivered a 45-23 knockout blow at Virginia Tech last Saturday night. I will point out that the Irish scored a touchdown six minutes into the game but then didn’t put another offensive touchdown on the board until three minutes into the third quarter. They gave up just one touchdown in the second quarter and then didn’t allow another until the game was all but out of hand over halfway through the fourth quarter. The last meeting between these two programs was a shootout but that was back in 2015. Expect a different story to unfold on Saturday. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Troy and Liberty at 2 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘over’ in Lynchburg on Saturday afternoon. We settled for a push with the ‘under’ in Troy’s most recent game – a 37-20 win over Georgia State last Thursday night. There’s no denying the Trojans offensive ability as they scored at will both early and late in that victory over the Panthers. Now they draw a matchup with a Liberty squad that is quite simply built for shootouts. Its last two games have reached 95 and 90 total points against New Mexico and New Mexico State. It will obviously be facing a tougher defensive test against the Trojans, but I still feel Liberty will be up for the challenge. Note that it got off to a sluggish start last week, which was perhaps to be expected after scoring 52 points in an upset win the week earlier. Once the Flames got rolling in the second half they managed to find the end zone on four different occasions. I don’t believe Troy will shy away from another shootout here. It seems that the Trojans are getting better offensively with each passing week. While they’ve scored a whopping 82 points in notching back-to-back home wins over the last two weeks, they also scored 35 points (all coming in the first half) in their last road game against Louisiana-Monroe. With Liberty possessing one of the nation’s worst defenses, this has all the makings of a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair on Saturday afternoon. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Duke and Georgia Tech at 12:20 pm et on Saturday.

Duke steamrolled Georgia Tech by a 43-20 score in last year’s meeting. The Blue Devils find themselves in an underdog role in the same matchup this Saturday, despite their 4-1 overall record. Rather than focus on the side, I’ll call for a lower-scoring game than the betting marketplace is anticipating. Unlike past editions of the Blue Devils, this year’s squad can play some defense. They’ve allowed 14 points or less in three of five games so far, but are coming off a 31-14 setback at home against Virginia Tech last time out. They’ve had an extra week to regroup following that loss and I fully expect them to rebound with a strong effort here. It seemed in that game against the Hokies, the Blue Devils hung tough early, limiting Virginia Tech to just a single field goal in the first quarter before grabbing a lead and letting down their guard. Keep in mind, earlier this season we saw Duke go on the road against a good Baylor offense and hold the Bears scoreless for the entire first half and gave up just one offensive touchdown through the first three quarters. The Blue Devils familiarity with the Yellow Jackets’ option-based offense will certainly help their cause here. We missed the mark with the ‘under’ in Georgia Tech’s last game – a wild 66-31 shootout victory over Louisville last Friday night. The Yellow Jackets have now scored 60+ points in back-to-back games but I don’t see them coming close to reaching that level of offensive production here. Remember, the Jackets were held to just 40 points combined in back-to-back losses to Pitt and Clemson earlier this season. They took full advantage of a Louisville squad that simply didn’t show up last week – something they won’t be afforded against what will be a hungry Blue Devils team in a bounce-back spot here. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Florida and Vanderbilt at 12 noon et on Saturday.

This is a bit of a tricky spot for Florida, on the heels of four straight victories, including a big 27-19 win over rival LSU last Saturday, it hits the road to face a Vanderbilt squad that will be eager to bounce back from a poor showing at Georgia last week. The Gators haven’t given up much defensively this season. Even in their lone loss at Kentucky they allowed just one first half touchdown and with the game hanging in the balance held the Wildcats scoreless from four minutes left in the third quarter until allowing a defensive fumble return for a touchdown on the game’s final play. Last week against LSU, Florida gave up a touchdown in the game’s first four minutes but then didn’t allow the Tigers to sniff the end zone again until a few minutes into the fourth quarter. Now they face a limited Vandy offense that didn’t score a touchdown until two seconds remaining in the game at Georgia last week, at which point the Bulldogs defense wasn’t really all that interested. Even two games back at home against FCS squad Tennessee State, Vandy didn’t score a touchdown until four minutes into the second quarter. I do expect the Commodores defense to show up for this one, however. They actually hung tough with the Bulldogs for much of the first half last week, only suffering a lapse on a 75-yard touchdown catch early in the first quarter before getting sloppy again on Georgia’s final drive of the opening half. We did cash an ‘under’ ticket in the Commodores 22-17 loss at Notre Dame back in early September. I can’t help but feel that this situation sets up similarly. Vandy will be overmatched talent-wise, but might just catch the Gators lacking a real ‘killer instinct’, which would play into our hands with an ‘under’ ticket in hand as far as I’m concerned.  Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Mountain West Conference Total of the Year. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Air Force and San Diego State at 9 pm et on Friday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in San Diego on Friday night. This hasn’t exactly been a low-scoring series in recent years but I expect to see a different story unfold this time around. Air Force is coming off a dominant 35-7 win over Navy. It is worth noting that the Falcons didn’t find the end zone until over midway through the second quarter in that game. Even in a wild 42-32 loss at Utah State two games back, Air Force scored two second quarter touchdowns but then didn’t reach the end zone again until the fourth quarter. Earlier this season against Florida Atlanta (we won with AFA and the ‘under’ in that game) the Falcons didn’t score a touchdown until there were less than three minutes remaining in the first half. You get the picture. Now the Falcons go on the road to face a stout San Diego State defense that is coming off its most impressive performance of the season, defeating Boise State by a 19-13 score last Saturday, on the road no less. Over the course of its current four-game winning streak, San Diego State has given up a grand total of just 68 points. With that being said, the Aztecs offense hasn’t exactly been a juggernaut. They’ve yet to score more than 28 points in a game this season. Of note, in a 28-14 win over FCS squad Sacramento State earlier this season, the Aztecs scored a touchdown with a little under six minutes left in the first quarter but then didn’t reach the end zone again until the game’s final four minutes. Two games back at home against Eastern Michigan, the Aztecs managed only two touchdowns, both coming in the second quarter. In other words, both of these squads are prone to extended touchdown droughts. While we are dealing with a relatively low total, I believe it is warranted. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Big 12 Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Texas Tech and TCU at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

This one will be billed as a shootout but I’m not convinced that’s how the story will unfold on Thursday night in Fort Worth. Texas Tech is coming off a wild, high-scoring affair against West Virginia back on September 29th. With a posted total in the mid-70s for that one, it certainly had all the makings of a shootout and played out precisely that way. I will point out, however, after giving up four first quarter touchdowns the Red Raiders did hold the Mountaineers to just one offensive touchdown the rest of the way. Offensively, Texas Tech could only muster one first half touchdown of its own. Two games back the Red Raiders posted an impressive 42-17 win at Oklahoma State, allowing just two first half touchdowns before shutting out the Cowboys the rest of the way. I certainly would not expect TCU to get involved in many shootouts of its own this season. There was a 40-28 loss to Ohio State back on September 15th (we missed with the ‘under’ in that game) but that contest included two defensive scores by the Buckeyes. The next week, the Horned Frogs were completely manhandled by Texas (we won with the ‘under’ in that game) and last time out they had to settle for a narrow 17-14 win over Iowa State at home on September 29th. Keep in mind, last year’s matchup between these two teams totaled only 30 points as the Horned Frogs won in a walk, 27-3. Both teams enter this game rested and ready and I believe that lends itself to a lower-scoring game than the oddsmakers are calling for. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on Arkansas State plus the points over Appalachian State at 8 pm et on Tuesday.

I'll grab all the points I can get with the Red Wolves as they try to avoid an 0-2 hole in Sun Belt play on Tuesday night against Appalachian State. The Mountaineers will certainly pose a stiff challenge as they check in 3-1 SU on the season with their lone loss coming in overtime at Penn State back in Week 1. They haven't really been tested since that contest, rolling to blowout wins over Charlotte, Gardner Webb and South Alabama. They will face a challenge here, however, with Arkansas State widely considered a top contender for the Sun Belt crown this year. The Red Wolves dropped their conference opener at Georgia Southern last time out but there was no real shame in that loss. Georgia Southern is a quality team that remains vastly overlooked and underrated. Arkansas State had now answers for the Eagles option-based offense and will welcome facing a more conventional offensive attack here against Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are a perfect 4-0 ATS so far this season. Note that they didn't notch their fifth ATS victory last year until the final week of the regular season on December 2nd. In 2016 they didn't pick up their fifth ATS win until October 27th. So it's not as if this is a program that has been enjoying a ton of ATS success in recent years. I simply feel that Arkansas State will be the more desperate football team on Tuesday night and can at the very least take this game down to the wire. Take Arkansas State (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Utah and Stanford at 10:30 pm et on Saturday.

This is certainly a low posted total by college football standards but I do believe it is warranted. Note that these two teams were involved in a low-scoring affair last year as Stanford pulled out a 23-20 victory. I believe this year’s matchup has a chance to be even lower-scoring. Utah knows it needs to tighten things up if it’s going to avoid a third consecutive loss. We saw a wild first half between the Utes and Washington State last Saturday, with both teams scoring three touchdowns. However, Utah didn’t find the end zone again after scoring a TD with six minutes remaining in the first half. On the flip side, the Utes gave up just one touchdown to the Cougars after nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, and that came on an 89-yard pass completion, something that you don’t see very often against this stout defense. Over the Utes previous two games they scored a grand total of just 24 points and seven of those came as a result of a defensive touchdown. Even in Utah’s 41-10 blowout win over FCS squad Weber State to open the season, it took a while before the offense got going. Stanford got lit up for 38 points at Notre Dame last Saturday night so it will also be looking to put forth a much sharper defensive effort here. Perhaps there was a bit of a hangover effect in play after the Cardinal were involved in a wild, come-from-behind 38-31 overtime win at Oregon the week previous. Much like the Utes, I believe the Cardinal are far more comfortable grinding things out in a defensive affair given their personnel. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Vanderbilt and Georgia at 7:30 pm et on Saturday.

I’m not expecting much from the Vandy offense on Saturday night in Athens. At the same time, the Bulldogs are coming off five straight blowout victories to open the season, in which their offense hasn’t really been tested. I do expect to see the Commodores at least offer some form of resistance on Saturday night. Even last week, when Vandy put up 31 points in a win over FCS squad Tennessee State, it still only scored one first half touchdown and was buoyed by three ‘big play’ touchdowns in the second half – the type of plays that simply won’t happen against this Georgia defense. Prior to that, Vandy had put up just 31 points in its last two games combined. There were a couple of offensive outbursts to open the season as the Commodores defeated Middle Tennessee State and Nevada in blowout fashion. However, those performances were certainly matchup-based. As far as the Georgia offense goes, it is worth noting that two weeks ago, it didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the entire first half against a weak defensive opponent in Missouri. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs scored only three touchdowns before adding two more in the game’s final four minutes. In other words, it’s not as if the ‘Dawgs have been an absolute offensive juggernaut in recent weeks. Last year, this matchup produced 59 points as Georgia rolled to a 45-14 victory. I expect the Commodores to do a slightly better job containing the Bulldogs this time around which lends itself to a lower-scoring contest. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Arizona State and Colorado at 4 pm et on Saturday.

Arizona State is coming off a high-scoring win over reeling Oregon State last Saturday but will be in tough following that performance up in Boulder this week. Note that in the Sun Devils two previous road games this season they managed to score only 41 points combined in losses to San Diego State and Washington. Against San Diego State, Arizona State scored a touchdown with around eight minutes left in the second quarter and then didn’t find the end zone again until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. The next week at Washington, the Sun Devils put a touchdown on the board three minutes into the contest but then didn’t score another TD until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. In other words, this is an offense that can settle into some lulls. Colorado is off to a perfect 4-0 start and has certainly held up well defensively, save for a poor showing at Nebraska. Although even in that game, the Buffaloes gave up just one big play touchdown in the second half after allowing three TDs in the first 30 minutes. They manhandled UCLA last week, allowing a touchdown halfway through the first quarter but then keeping the Bruins out of the end zone for the remainder of the game. These two teams were involved in a wild 41-30 affair in favor of Arizona State last November. Don’t count on a repeat performance here. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Big Ten Total of the Year. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Indiana and Ohio State at 4 pm et on Saturday.

We’ve won with the ‘under’ in each of Ohio State’s last two games and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play on Saturday as the Buckeyes host Indiana. The Hoosiers are off to a solid 4-1 start to the season but let’s face it, their schedule hasn’t toughened up yet. In their lone true test they suffered a 35-21 home loss against Michigan State. They check in 2-0 on the road, where they have scored 62 points, but they managed only 24 points in last week’s victory against a bad Rutgers squad. In that game, they did manage to score three touchdowns, but all three came in the game’s first 21 minutes. The good news is, the Indiana defense can hold up better than it did last year against the Buckeyes. Note that in its toughest test so far, it held Michigan State to only one offensive touchdown before the final 20 seconds of the first half and only three offensive touchdowns in total in that contest – one coming on a 75-yard run to close out the game with just over three minutes remaining. Ohio State’s offense certainly wasn’t great last Saturday night but that had a lot to do with the environment it was playing in. There’s no question the Buckeyes will have an easier time getting loose in this one but I’m still not sure this is a true offensive juggernaut and we could see a bit of a hangover here off the thrilling 27-26 victory at Penn State. In this matchup, Ohio State will simply be looking to pick up a ‘W’ and move on and I believe that lends itself to a lower-scoring game than the oddsmakers are calling for. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Syracuse and Pittsburgh at 12:20 pm et on Saturday.

We won with the ‘under’ in Syracuse’s narrow loss at Clemson last Saturday but I won’t hesitate to switch gears and back the ‘over’ as the Orange travel to face the Pitt Panthers this week. Prior to getting stymied by an elite Clemson defense last week, the Orange were absolutely rolling along offensively. They should have little trouble picking right back up against a weak Panthers defense here. Note that Syracuse scored three touchdowns before the game was even 12 minutes old two weeks ago against Connecticut. In the Orange’s lone road trip so far this season they lit up the scoreboard for 55 points against Western Michigan – again scoring three first quarter touchdowns. With that being said, Pitt does find itself in a solid bounce-back spot offensively here. Last Saturday the Panthers ran into a very tough matchup and scored only 14 points at Central Florida. Keep in mind just two weeks back they scored four first half touchdowns en route to a wild 38-35 loss at North Carolina. Syracuse held up well defensively against Clemson last week but could be a little worn down heading into this matchup. Should the Orange build a lead I do feel that the Panthers will be able to keep the pressure on by bombing away on offense. Note that even against a very limited UConn offense two weeks ago the Orange still allowed three touchdowns. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Texas and Oklahoma at 12 pm et on Saturday.

This matchup wasn’t as high-scoring as anticipated last season as Oklahoma pulled out a 29-24 victory. I expect a different story to unfold this time around as the Sooners are absolutely rolling offensively but also somewhat vulnerable defensively. That should help lead to a shootout on Saturday afternoon. Texas’ offense certainly didn’t perform at a high level in last week’s narrow 19-14 win at Kansas State but I’m willing to give the Longhorns a mulligan for that one. Note that they had scored at least 28 points in each of their previous four games this season. Even against a tough TCU defense two weeks ago, we saw Texas seal the deal with three touchdowns over the game’s final 16 minutes. Oklahoma rolled to another blowout win last week against Baylor, but still allowed 33 points. Should the Sooners get ahead, the Longhorns should have little trouble bombing away on this defense. The Bears put up three second half touchdowns against the Sooners last week. Game flow dictated a relatively low-scoring affair involving the Sooners against Army two weeks ago. Outside of that, virtually all of their games have evolved into shootouts, with Oklahoma scoring at will. While I do have respect for the Longhorns defense, I feel they’ve caught some favorable matchups this season. Here, they run into a Sooners offense that is operating at an extremely high level. Expect a high-scoring affair. Take the over (10*).

NCAAF AAC Game of the Year. My selection is on Cincinnati minus the points over Tulane at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’ll lay the points with the Bearcats on Saturday afternoon. Cincinnati is quietly off to a perfect 5-0 start and has an excellent opportunity to keep it rolling against an inconsistent Tulane squad here. The Green Wave are coming off a surprising win over Memphis last week but they’ll be hard-pressed to follow it up with another victory on Saturday. Note that in their two previous road games they fell 31-24 as a road favorite at UAB and 49-6 in an expected beatdown at Ohio State. This play is more about Cincinnati than it is Tulane, however. The Bearcats have seemingly gotten stronger with each passing week and are fresh off a near perfect performance in a 49-7 rout at Connecticut last Saturday. Unlike recent years, they finally have an offense that can put points on the board, with a balanced attack that has enjoyed success both on the ground and through the air. Tulane has managed to score at least 40 points on two different occasions but one of those efforts came against an FCS opponent Nicholls State and the other came last week in a game where Memphis clearly overlooked the Green Wave. In that contest scored a pair of first quarter touchdowns but didn’t find the end zone between the final five minutes of the first quarter and the final play of the third quarter. They were buoyed but a trio of complete defensive breakdowns on the part of the Tigers late, something I don’t expect to see from a well-coached Cincinnati squad on Saturday. Take Cincinnati (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Georgia Tech and Louisville at 7 pm et on Friday.

We missed the mark with the 'under' in Georgia Tech's rout of Bowling Green last Saturday but I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play as the Yellow Jackets hit the road to face struggling Louisville on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets absolutely dominated an overmatched Bowling Green defense last Saturday but aren't likely to enjoy anywhere close to the same level of success against the Cardinals. Louisville is allowing just north of four yards per rush this season and held Florida State to next to nothing on the ground in last Saturday's 28-24 loss. The Cards' undoing in that game was a couple of big plays through the air but they won't have to deal with much of an aerial attack at all against the Jackets. On the flip side, the Georgia Tech defense hasn't been all that consistent, but I will point to its game against Clemson two weeks ago, a game in which it didn't allow an offensive touchdown until nearly midway through the second quarter. The Jackets defense ultimately got worn down and couldn't hold up in that contest but won't face the same type of test against a limited Louisville offense here. The Cardinals actually scored three quick first half touchdowns against Florida State last Saturday but couldn't find the end zone again the rest of the way and were held off the scoreboard entirely in the fourth quarter. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Tulsa and Houston at 8 pm et on Thursday.

We've already cashed 'under' tickets in games involving both of these teams this season and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play again on Thursday night. Tulsa has actually seen the 'under' cash in each of its last three games. We won with the 'under' in the Golden Hurricane's most recent contest - a 31-17 loss at Temple. It's worth noting that while they did allow 30+ points in that one, they actually didn't give up an offensive score to the Owls until the second quarter. Tempe was buoyed by a pair of defensive touchdowns in that game. The only other time Tulsa traveled this season it held Texas to 28 points, albeit in a losing effort. The Golden Hurricane defense will be facing its toughest test of the season here, but at least it comes in fresh, having just not played since September 20th. Houston also enters this game off its bye week. The Cougars offense has been every bit as good and maybe even better than advertised this season. Save for a wild game against Texas Tech, their defense has been serviceable as well, and draws a favorable matchup against a limited Tulsa offense here. Note that Houston hasn't scored more than 38 points in this matchup since back in 2011 (the two teams have met five times since). I believe they'll have to get well north of that number to threaten this total on Thursday night. It's worth mentioning that the Cougars are without RB Terence Williams, who had run for 142 yards on 25 carries, good for 5.7 yards per rush, before getting injured. Note that the 'under' is 9-3 in Houston's last 12 AAC contests. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Sun Belt Conference Total of the Year. My selection is on the 'under' between Georgia State and Troy at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

We missed the mark with the 'under' in games involving both of these teams earlier this season but I still believe it's the right play on Thursday night as they match up at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Georgia State has scored exactly 21 points in each of its last two road games against Troy but last year managed only 10 points against the Trojans, at home no less, and I believe this is one of the weaker Panthers offenses we've seen in recent years. Don't count on a repeat performance after Georgia State put up 46 points in a rout of Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. Prior to that the Panthers had scored just 68 points through their first four games combined. Since allowing 59 points in a weeknight matchup with Memphis back on September 14th, Georgia State has shown some improvement on the defensive side of the football. The very next week the Panthers didn't give up a touchdown until the final five minutes of the first half against Western Michigan. Last Saturday they shut out Louisiana Monroe over the final two quarters and nine minutes of football. Troy has absolutely tightened things up defensively since getting trounced by Boise State in its season-opener. The Trojans offense has been rolling along as well but might have to rein it in a bit playing on a short week here. Note that Troy has scored just 21, 31 and 34 points in its last three matchups against Georgia State. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on California plus the points over Oregon at 10:30 pm et on Saturday.

There's a concern here that Oregon may have left it all on the field in last week's crushing 38-31 overtime loss at home against Stanford. Now the Ducks have to travel to face an upstart 3-0 Cal squad that has seemingly gotten stronger with each passing game. Note that the Ducks suffered a loss in their last trip to Berkeley two years ago - last winning here back in 2014. That was when they had the services of Marcus Mariota and Royce Freeman. Last year, the Ducks prevailed by a 45-24 score at home against the Golden Bears but that was actually a 24-17 game in the fourth quarter and keep in mind, Oregon was a 17-point favourite in that contest. Oregon had a big first half against the Cardinal last week, but outside of that, the Ducks have beaten up on much weaker opponents. I'll back the Bears in this spot. Take California (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Ohio State and Penn State at 7:30 pm et on Saturday.

We’ve split a pair of ‘under’ plays involving Ohio State over the last weeks but won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. While this showdown certainly has shootout potential, I simply feel that the total has been set too high, largely as a result of last year’s wild 39-38 affair in favor of Ohio State. The Buckeyes defense didn’t give Tulane anything last Saturday, in what was potentially a nightmare sandwich spot in between games against TCU and Penn State. Keep in mind, a week earlier Ohio State held up well enough to earn a 40-28 win over TCU, not allowing a single point in the fourth quarter of what was a fairly tight game at the time. Offensively, there’s no question the Buckeyes are a juggernaut but they will face a tough test on Saturday night in Happy Valley. Penn State knows it will need to be sharper defensively than it was last week, when it gave up a pair of first half touchdowns against Illinois. For their part, the Nittany Lions didn’t really explode offensively until they had worn down the Illini in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s offense has been incredible, but like the Buckeyes, will be facing their toughest test of the season to date by a longshot here. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Underdog Game of the Month. My selection is on Middle Tennessee State plus the points over Florida Atlantic at 7 pm et on Saturday.

Florida Atlantic rolled past Middle Tennessee State in last year's meeting, posting a 38-20 victory at home. Prior to that this series was all Blue Raiders, however, and I look for MTSU to exact some revenge at home on Saturday night. FAU has yet to notch an ATS victory through four games this season. The Owls have been steamrolled both times they've stepped up in class against Oklahoma and Central Florida. Meanwhile, MTSU is coming off a beatdown at the hands of Georgia, but I like the fact that the Blue Raiders have had an extra week off to recover from that physical affair. We've yet to see them play their best game this season but I do believe it's coming. Keep in mind, this is a team loaded with talent and experience on both sides of the football, and one that won a Bowl game last December, in an underdog role no less. This is a big game for MTSU if it wants to go Bowling again this year. With another loss the Blue Raiders would fall to 1-3 and face an uphill battle to six wins given their remaining schedule. I expect them to at the very least take this one right down to the wire. Take Middle Tennessee State (10*).

NCAAF Big 12 Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘over’ between Texas and Kansas State at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

We won with the ‘under’ in Texas’ big win over TCU last Saturday but I won’t hesitate to switch gears and back the ‘over’ as the Longhorns hit the road to face Kansas State this week. I thought the Longhorns did a tremendous job moving the football against a good Horned Frogs defense last Saturday. They were able to come up with big plays when they needed to and have now strung together four pretty impressive offensive results through four games, scoring 29, 28, 37 and 31 points. While their defense has certainly contributed as well, I will give plenty of credit to this emerging offense and I’m confident they can keep things rolling against a Wildcats squad that has had a tough time defending against anyone with a pulse this season. Kansas State gave up five touchdowns through the first three quarters against West Virginia last Saturday. In a previous step-up game against Mississippi State two weeks earlier it hung tough for a quarter before allowing a pair of back-breaking second quarter touchdowns. Offensively the Wildcats have had a tough time as well but will look for a spark with QB Alex Delton taking over the reins against the Longhorns. I like the fact that they’re catching Texas in a clear letdown spot off back-to-back high profile wins over USC and TCU. Let’s also keep in mind that we saw a shootout between these two teams last year with Texas prevailing by a 40-34 score. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Bowling Green and Georgia Tech at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I'll back the 'under' in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. The 'over' has cashed in two straight and three of Bowling Green's four games overall this season but I look for a different story to unfold on Saturday. It's certainly worth noting that in the Falcons last game against Miami-Ohio last week, we saw only 34 total points through the first three quarters. Despite a wild 27-point fourth quarter, the game still stayed 'under' the number we're working with this week. The Falcons certainly haven't been great defensively this season but I feel they catch a less than daunting matchup, albeit against a Power Five opponent on Saturday afternoon. Georgia Tech has put up only 40 points over its last two games after scoring a whopping 79 points in its first two contests. Of course, the matchups have dictated the Yellow Jackets offensively struggles, although failing to reach the end zone until nearly midway through the third quarter against a relatively weak Pitt defines two weeks ago was concerning to be sure. While this should be a layup for Georgia Tech, I'm just not sure we're going to see them go off offensively. On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets defines should 'get right' in this matchup. The Falcons will probably look like they're going in slow motion after going up against Clemson last Saturday. It will likely take a shootout to get 'over' this lofty total - I'm not sure we'll see one develop on Saturday afternoon. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Syracuse and Clemson at 12 noon et on Saturday.

Most are anticipating a shootout between these two squads in Death Valley on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure we'll see both teams contribute enough to get 'over' the inflated total, however. Syracuse has been rolling offensively, but has also had the benefit of playing each of its last three games on the fast track at the Carrier Dome. Even in a shocking upset win over the Tigers at home last season, the Orange still scored 'only' 27 points. The last time they played in this stadium they were shutout in a blowout loss back in 2016. Clemson is on point defensively right now, having allowed just 61 points through four games. It's not as if the Tigers have been facing all cupcake opponents either, with two road games against Texas A&M and Georgia Tech. While the Tigers offense can be electric, I do still feel the Orange defense is slightly underrated entering this one. When they needed to step up against Florida State two weeks ago, they did so in a big way, allowing just seven points in a blowout victory. I don't expect to see the Syracuse defense completely wilt under the pressure on Saturday afternoon. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Arkansas and Texas A&M at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ at AT&T Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The last time these two teams met last September we saw a wild game with Arkansas prevailing by a 50-43 score. I look for a different story to unfold here. Note that Arkansas has scored a grand total of just 47 points over its last three games after putting up 55 points against FCS squad Eastern Illinois in its season-opener. While last week’s beatdown at the hands of Auburn was somewhat expected, there’s really no excuse for putting up only 17 points against North Texas, at home no less, the week previous. In that game, we didn’t see the ‘Hogs reach the end zone until the second quarter and not again until the final minute of the fourth quarter, when UNT was in full prevent defense mode. Defensively, I will give Arkansas credit for giving up just two offensive touchdowns in the first three quarters against Auburn last week. Special teams have been a bit of an issue for the ‘Hogs but that’s not really something we can account for when handicapping the total here. We missed the mark with the ‘under’ in Texas A&M’s blowout loss at Alabama last Saturday, but it’s not as if the total was torched in that contest and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. Note that prior to that, the Aggies had allowed only 45 points combined through their first three games. Even in a tough matchup against Clemson, the Aggies gave up just two first half touchdowns and nothing at all in the fourth quarter of what turned out to be a nail-biter. Offensively, I’ll point out that A&M only managed two offensive touchdowns in the first half against Louisiana-Monroe two games back, with that game ultimately turning on a late first half blocked field goal for a touchdown. This total has been set too high in my opinion. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Pac-12 Total of the Year. My selection is on the ‘over’ between UCLA and Colorado at 9 pm et on Friday.

I’ll back the ‘over’ in Boulder on Friday night. The UCLA offense has had a tough time getting things going in its first year under the guidance of Chip Kelly, scoring a grand total of just  52 points through three games. This does have the feel of a ‘clean slate’ game, however, as the Bruins head out on the road for their first Pac-12 game of the season. And they’ll be facing a Colorado defense that probably isn’t quite as good as the stats may indicate, as it has faced a weak Colorado State offense and an FCS opponent in New Hampshire in two of its first three games this season. In the Buffaloes other game, they allowed well over 500 total yards of offense in a wild 33-28 victory over Nebraska. The good news for Colorado is that its offense has been better than anticipated and I don’t believe the UCLA defense will offer a great deal of resistance on Friday night. Colorado scored three offensive touchdowns in the first half against UNH last Saturday and it was a breakout performance by RB Travon McMillian as he ran for 162 yards on only 15 carries. Of course, the offense evolves around experienced QB Steven Montez. He didn’t have to do much against UNH last time out, but in his first two games, threw for 689 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception. He should have a field day against a very beatable UCLA defense that is still finding its way in the early going and just allowed five offensive touchdowns in a blowout loss against Fresno State, at home no less. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Memphis and Tulane at 8 pm et on Thursday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in New Orleans on Friday night. We won with the ‘under’ in Tulane’s blowout loss at Ohio State last Saturday and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well in this spot. Yes, the Green Wave got absolutely torched defensively against the Buckeyes but that was to be expected. Keep in mind, in their previous game, also on the road, they limited UAB to just two offensive touchdowns in the first three quarters. They held up well in their previous contest as well, albeit against FCS squad Nicholls State, not allowing a touchdown until the final 30 seconds of the first half en route to a 42-17 win. And of course in their season-opener they limited a pretty good Wake Forest offense to only 17 points in regulation time. While Memphis is certainly capable of hanging a crooked number on the scoreboard, most of the Tigers damage has been done at home this season. In their lone road tilt, they scored just one first half touchdown in an eventual 22-21 win over Navy (I will point out that weather conditions were not favorable in that contest). Memphis’ other three games have all resulted in blowout victories, and it has scored 66, 59 and 52 points. Perhaps we see a bit of a letdown from the offense here as it hits the road for the first time since September 8th to face a 1-3 Tulane squad that certainly doesn’t draw a great deal of motivation. The Green Wave offense is not good this year and Memphis will certainly be focusing on playing better defensively after giving up 35 points against South Alabama last week. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'over' between North Carolina and Miami at 8 pm et on Thursday.

I'll back the 'over' in this ACC matchup on Thursday night. North Carolina got off to a shaky start offensively this season but has been getting sharper with each passing week. Last Saturday, the Tar Heels pulled out a wild 38-35 victory over Pitt - their first win of the season. I look for them to build on that performance here, even against a quality Miami squad that has reeled off three straight wins since opening the season with a real stinker against LSU. Since getting off to a sluggish start against the Tigers, the Miami offense has exploded, scoring 171 points over its last 13 quarters of football. I don't expect the Tar Heels to offer all that much resistance here. Last week, North Carolina allowed four first half touchdowns against Pittsburgh. The last two meetings in this series have been low-scoring, totaling just 33 and 43 points. Keep in mind, this is the earliest matchup between these two teams since way back in 2008. It's worth noting that contest did play 'over' the total. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between UNLV and Arkansas State at 7 pm et on Saturday.

This may not be a traditional shootout as I anticipate both teams ripping off their biggest gains on the ground, but I’m expecting a high-scoring result just the same. UNLV comes in with plenty of positive momentum following back-to-back blowout wins over UTEP and FCS squad Prairie View A&M. In those two games, the Runnin’ Rebels scored a whopping 98 points, thanks in large part to an explosive rushing attack. In each of the last two games, UNLV has had two players run for more than 100 yards and there’s a good chance we’ll see a similar story unfold on Saturday night in Jonesboro. Arkansas State has been involved in three very different games to open the season, and like UNLV has managed to win two of them. The Red Wolves opened the campaign with a rout of Southeast Missouri State before getting their doors blown off at Alabama and finally outlasting Tulsa in a bit of a slugfest last week. A return home should get the Red Wolves offense humming again, noting that QB Justice Hansen threw for six touchdowns in their lone previous contest here. Even against Alabama, Arkansas State was able to get its ground game rolling a little bit and it should have little trouble doing so against a porous UNLV defense. The Rebels have yet to show they can slow anyone down running the football and that should open things up for a wild, back-and-forth affair on Saturday night. We’re dealing with a high posted total for a reason. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Troy and Louisiana-Monroe at 7 pm et on Saturday.

We’re dealing with a high posted total in this Sun Belt matchup on Saturday night in Monroe and I believe it will prove too high. Troy was involved in a slugfest at Nebraska last week. Of course, that low-scoring affair had a lot to do with the Cornhuskers missing their starting quarterback. Still, I’ll give credit to the Trojans defense for keeping Nebraska out of the end zone until the final three minutes of the first half and not allowing it to get there again until shifting into prevent defense in the game’s final three minutes. Since getting absolutely torched by Boise State in its season-opener, Troy has been able to gain some confidence on the defensive side of the football leading up to this Sun Belt opener. Offensively, it’s tough to know what to make of the Trojans as their lone explosion came at home against FCS squad Florida A&M. I do believe that Louisiana-Monroe can hold up better than it did in last year’s meeting, when it allowed a whopping 51 points. While the Warhawks ultimately lost in blowout fashion on the road against Texas A&M last week, they did hold their own for a while, allowing only two offensive touchdowns in the first half. That game may have turned on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by the Aggies in the final two minutes of the first half. The week previous, Louisiana-Monroe went on the road and kept Southern Miss out of the end zone for the entire second half in a 21-20 victory. The Warhawks only managed two offensive touchdowns themselves in that one, adding another touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone. This game may have shootout potential but I believe the familiarity between these two squads, along with the fact that both are coming off physical matchups last week, will lead to a lower-scoring game than most are anticipating on Saturday. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF SEC Total of the Year. My selection is on the ‘under’ between Mississippi State and Kentucky at 7 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in Lexington on Saturday night. This is a showdown between two undefeated SEC squads and sets up as a potential slugfest as far as I’m concerned. It’s certainly not being priced that way as far as the total goes, however. While Mississippi State’s offense has grabbed all of the attention, it’s been the Bulldogs defense that I’ve been most impressed by. Through three games they’ve allowed a grand total of just 26 points and have yet to give up more than 10 points in a game. Last week’s rout of Louisiana-Lafayette may have looked like and played out like a cupcake matchup, but the Ragin’ Cajuns had scored 49 points in their season-opener and Sun Belt squads never shy away from dialing up their offense in non-conference matchups. The Bulldogs allowed an early first quarter field goal but then held the Ragin’ Cajuns scoreless until more than midway through the fourth quarter in that one. In a tougher test on the road against Kansas State, Mississippi State didn’t allow a touchdown until the final three minutes of the third quarter. Kentucky has given up just 46 points through three games and has seemingly gotten stronger defensively with each passing game. The Wildcats were certainly impressive in their lone true test so far this season, allowing only 16 points on the road against Florida two weeks ago. They held the Gators out of the end zone until midway through the second quarter in that contest. The Kentucky offense scored an early touchdown against Murray State last week but then didn’t reach the end zone again until the final two minutes of the first half. I believe both defenses can keep the opposing offenses at bay for stretches in this Saturday night showdown. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on TCU minus the points over Texas at 4:30 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll lay the short number with the Horned Frogs as they head to Austin on Saturday afternoon. TCU is fresh off a tough 40-28 loss to Ohio State in Dallas last Saturday night. It got off to a tough start in that game, falling behind 10-0 following a fumble that was returned for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. From there, the Horned Frogs stuck around and actually led midway through the third quarter. However, the Buckeyes returned an interception for a touchdown shortly after that and rolled from there. I’m anticipating a much sharper effort from TCU this week as Texas will certainly warrant its attention following the Longhorns 37-14 rout of USC last week. We faded Texas in its season-opener and were rewarded with an outright Maryland victory. The Longhorns followed that up with a rather unimpressive 28-21 home win over Tulsa. They took advantage of an under-achieving Trojans squad at home last Saturday night, buoyed by a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown midway through the third quarter. Again, I’m expecting a much cleaner performance from TCU this week – I certainly don’t expect to see the Horned Frogs give the Longhorns any freebies. There’s no look-ahead in play here as TCU will return home to host Iowa State next week before heading into its bye week. I simply feel the Horned Frogs are being knocked down a little too far following last week’s setback. Take TCU (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between TCU and Texas at 4:30 pm et on Saturday.

We're dealing with a relatively low posted total in this game but that number is warranted in my opinion. We missed the mark with the 'under' in TCU's 40-28 loss to Ohio State last week but I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. That game really got away from the Horned Frogs as a result of a couple of defensive scores by the Buckeyes, something we can never truly account for in our handicapping. Here, I look for the Horned Frogs defense to hold up well against a Texas offense that is good but certainly not great. Last week, the Longhorns delivered a 37-14 win over USC although it's worth noting they didn't reach the end zone until the second quarter in that game and were ultimately buoyed by a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. That game saw a scoreless fourth quarter. Note that these two programs met last November and TCU delivered a low-scoring 24-7 victory. This one may not stay in the 30's but I do believe it will stay 'under' the total that we're being offered. To put it simply, this is a matchup between two of the Big 12's best defenses. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Pac-12 Game of the Month. My selection is on Oregon State plus the points over Arizona at 4 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll grab the points with the Beavers in what most are expecting to be a shootout in Corvallis on Saturday afternoon. Arizona isn’t where it hoped to be at this stage of the season, having won just once in its first three games. That victory came against FCS squad Southern Utah last week. While the Wildcats offense finally got going in that game, their defensive performance left a lot to be desired once again, as they allowed 31 points. It’s also worth noting that after an early first quarter touchdown, the Wildcats didn’t reach the end zone again on offense until the final 30 seconds of the first half. Were it not for a kick return touchdown early in the second quarter, that game could have played out differently. Oregon State also checks in 1-2 and while it had to be disappointed with last week’s narrow two-point loss to Nevada, that setback came on the road and I don’t think the Beavers are all that down on themselves following a 1-2 start (their other loss came on the road against Ohio State in Week 1). If nothing else, the Beavers offense has been humming along, and I liked the way they didn’t back down despite digging an early 30-7 hole at Nevada last week. Oregon State reeled off three consecutive touchdowns to get back in the game but ultimately fell just short. I don’t think there’s any question the Beavers will see this as a winnable game to open their Pac-12 slate. We’re being offered a generous cushion in a game that I believe could go either way. Take Oregon State (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Texas A&M and Alabama at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in Tuscaloosa on Saturday afternoon. Texas A&M had little trouble bouncing back from a narrow loss to Clemson one week earlier, as it hammered Louisiana-Monroe 48-10 last Saturday. Now things get a whole lot tougher once again as the Aggies head out on the SEC road to face Alabama. Note that despite scoring 48 points in last week’s rout, the Aggies actually only managed two offensive touchdowns in the first half (they scored another on a blocked field goal return). Their ground game ultimately wore out the Warhawks in the second half and they added a couple of late scores to pad their lead, but it’s unlikely we’ll see the Crimson Tide wilt as this game progresses. Alabama has yet to be tested this season, rolling to blowout wins over Louisville, Arkansas State and Ole Miss. I do believe the Tide offense will face some resistance in this one. Remember, the Aggies did manage to limit an outstanding Clemson offense to only two first half touchdowns two weeks ago, and held the Tigers to just 17-of-27 through the air for less than 300 passing yards. Last year’s meeting between these two programs reached only 46 total points. We’re dealing with a much higher total this time around and I believe it will prove to be too high. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Tulane and Ohio State at 3:30 pm et on Saturday.

I'm not sure where all of the points are going to come from in this game. Ohio State is coming off a huge 40-28 win over TCU last week and could suffer a bit of a hangover as it returns home to host a cupcake matchup with Tulane. I'm not convinced we'll see the Buckeyes keep their foot on the gas pedal for four quarters in a game that should get out of hand in a hurry. Meanwhile, Tulane scored 42 points in its lone victory over FCS squad Nicholls State but just 41 points in its two other games combined, both losses against Wake Forest and UAB. I have a hard time envisioning the Green Wave scoring more than 14 points in this matchup. If that's the case, Ohio State would have to approach the 60-point mark to eclipse this posted total. I simply feel that this total has gotten out of hand. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Louisville and Virginia at 12:30 pm et on Saturday.

Last year’s meeting between these two teams approached the 60-point mark but I expect a much different story to play out on Saturday afternoon. Louisville’s offense isn’t the same in the wake of QB Lamar Jackson’s departure to the NFL. The Cardinals are 2-1 to start the season and that was to be expected given the opened up with Alabama before hosting Indiana State and Western Kentucky. While their poor offensive showing against Indiana State could be blamed largely on bad weather, there was really no excuse for scoring only 20 points, albeit in a win, against Western Kentucky last week. The Cardinals didn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter in that game. While they did give up a pair of first half scores, the Cards defense did toughen up the rest of the way and knows it will have to be even better against a quality opponent in Virginia this week. After manhandling Richmond and allowing only 20 points in a losing effort on the road against Indiana, the Cavaliers were put back on their heels a little bit at home against Ohio last week. That one turned into a shootout early on and we saw Virginia struggling to hang on defensively at times. We have seen this Cavs defense play well for extended stretches this season, however, and a date with the struggling Cardinals offense should benefit them here at home on Saturday. This may not turn out to be a defensive slugfest but I believe asking for nearly seven touchdowns to be scored is a bit much. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between Georgia and Missouri at 12 noon et on Saturday.

I’m anticipating a shootout as the Bulldogs and Tigers renew acquaintances in an early matchup on Saturday afternoon. Georgia has scored 40+ points in all three games so far this season but will be facing its toughest test to date against undefeated Missouri. I think the bigger concern for the Bulldogs will be slowing down a Mizzou offense that has put up an impressive 131 points through three games. Even last week, as the Tigers hit the road for the first time this season, they absolutely lit it up, hanging 27 points on Purdue in the first half alone on the strength of three offensive touchdowns. Doing that against a defense as good as the Bulldogs is another matter entirely, but it is worth noting that they managed to score 28 points against Georgia in last year’s meeting. I like the way the Missouri passing offense sets up against the Bulldogs and I expect to see it bomb away for four quarters on Saturday afternoon. Keeping in mind that Mizzou allowed three offensive touchdowns in the first half against Purdue last week and Georgia hung six touchdowns, including five on offense, against Middle Tennessee State, I don’t believe the ‘Dawgs will have much trouble shredding the Tigers on Saturday. We’re dealing with a relatively high posted total in this one, but it’s warranted in my opinion. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Washington State and USC at 10:30 pm et on Friday.

I'll back the 'under' in Los Angeles on Friday night. The 'over' has gone a combined 4-2 in games involving these two Pac-12 squads so far this season. Washington State really shook loose offensively last week, scoring 59 points in a blowout win over Eastern Washington but that was to be expected. After facing Wyoming, San Jose State and aforementioned Eastern Washington this will obviously be the Cougars toughest test to date. While the Washington State defense can be vulnerable at times, it's not as if the USC offense has been rolling. The Trojans managed only two touchdowns last Saturday night against Texas. The week previous USC traveled to face Stanford and could only muster a field goal. Even against UNLV, the Trojans didn't score a touchdown until the final two minutes of the first half. While the Trojans did allow 37 points in Saturday's loss to the Longhorns, it gave up just one touchdown in the first half, and Texas returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the third quarter. The 'under' has gone 3-0 in the last three meetings in this series and while we're dealing with a relatively low total this time around, I believe it's warranted. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF AAC Total of the Year. My selection is on the 'under' between Tulsa and Temple at 7:30 pm et on Thursday.

I'll back the 'under' at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night. Tulsa has suffered back-to-back losses since opening the season with a win over FCS squad Central Arkansas. Even in that 38-27 win over Central Arkansas, the Golden Hurricane were only at 24 points until a couple of late fourth quarter scores put the game away. In their second game against Texas they didn't find the end zone until the final two minutes of the third quarter. Then last week against Arkansas State, Tulsa scored a touchdown midway through the first quarter but then didn't hit paydirt again until the fourth quarter. We won with the 'under' in Temple's surprising blowout win at Maryland last Saturday. That game got to 49 total points but it's worth noting that it featured three defensive or special teams touchdowns. Prior to that, the Owls had started the season 0-2 and in their last game didn't score a touchdown until the final play of the first half against a middle of the road Buffalo defense. In the Owls season-opener against FCS squad Villanova they didn't find the end zone until past midway through the third quarter. With all of that said, their defense has held up pretty well and I would expect more of the same on Thursday night. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Ohio State and TCU at 8 pm et on Saturday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in this big early season showdown between the Buckeyes and Horned Frogs on Saturday night. Ohio State has faced no resistance in its first two games, rolling to home wins over Oregon State and Rutgers. But now the Buckeyes head to a neutral site (AT&T Stadium in Arlington) to face a much tougher opponent in TCU. The Horned Frogs have given up just 19 points through their first two games this season, albeit against two weak opponents in Southern and SMU. Last week, TCU got caught flat-footed on SMU’s opening drive and gave up a 51-yard touchdown run. But that was basically it as it tightened things up and didn’t let the Mustangs find the end zone again. Similarly, the Horned Frogs allowed a 55-yard touchdown pass against Southern in its opener. Look for TCU to really guard against giving up those big TD plays against an elite Ohio State offense this week. On the flip side, the Horned Frogs didn’t score an offensive touchdown until nearly midway through the second quarter against an awful SMU defense last Friday night. They had two defensive and special teams touchdowns in that contest, something you certainly can’t bank on seeing against a fundamentally-sound Ohio State squad. Most are calling for a shootout here, I’m just not sure we’ll see it play out that way on the field. Take the under (10*).

NCAAF Rivalry Total of the Month. My selection is on the ‘under’ between New Mexico and New Mexico State at 8 pm et on Saturday.

We saw a relatively high-scoring game between these two rivals last season with New Mexico State prevailing by a 30-28 score. I believe it will be a struggle to get to that total in this year’s meeting, however. New Mexico opened the season with a wild 62-30 win over Incarnate Word, a cupcake matchup to open the season that the Lobos took full advantage of. They actually held their own last week as well, despite facing one of the best teams in the country in Wisconsin on the road. I like the way the Lobos held up defensively in that one early on, not giving up a touchdown until the final three minutes of the first half. The question is whether New Mexico will suffer from any lingering effects after facing a big, physical football team like Wisconsin. The good news is the Lobos will be going up against a New Mexico State offense that is still trying to find its way even as it plays its fourth game of the season on Saturday. Because of a first-year starter at quarterback and issues on the offensive line, the Aggies have really had to scale back the offense and I can’t see them really opening things up, or finding a great deal of success against a familiar opponent in New Mexico this week. The Lobos did gain a bit of traction running the football in a blowout loss to Utah State last Saturday and will aim to control the football and the clock again here. Defensively, the Aggies are dealing with some key injuries but on a positive note, didn’t give up an offensive touchdown against Utah State until the final six minutes of the first half last week. After facing Minnesota and Utah State on the road in back-to-back weeks, I’m sure the Aggies will be happy to be back home and facing a rival opponent. In what should be a tightly-contested affair I’ll back the ‘under’. Take the under (10*).