Season record: 6-7
Last week: 2-2 (Army -33.5, Michigan State +6.5, Mississippi State/Memphis over 64, BYU +3.5)
Another ho-hum 2-2 week. Army failed to cover again, but this time they were victims of a bad beat.
Tough break, but onwards we go…
Liberty Flames (3-0) @ Syracuse Orange (2-1) | September 24 | 7:00 PM CT | Carrier Dome
Line: Liberty -6 | Total: 52.5
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis takes center stage on Friday night. Willis, who is being hailed as a future first rounder, has thrown for seven touchdowns and rushed for four more on the season. He will face off against the Syracuse defense that has done a great job of limiting opponents. The Orange only allow 3.61 yards per play, which is second in the country.
However, the Syracuse offense is a different story. Despite cranking out 686 yards and 62 points against lowly Albany, Syracuse only scored seven points against their only FBS opponent, Rutgers, this season. The Orange went two of fourteen on third down and turned the ball over four times in the loss.
The Liberty defense ranks in the top 10 nationally, only allowing 234 yards per game. I like their chances against Syracuse. Give me Liberty -6.
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (1-2) @ Army Black Knights (3-0) | September 25 | 11:00 AM CT | Michie Stadium
Line: Army -8.5 | Total: 48.5
Army is off to a 3-0 start and has been doing it largely in dominant fashion.
Army is going to run, run, run. Then they will hit you with a pass unexpectedly. Miami (Ohio) begins MAC play next week, so do you think they will be ready for the physicality Army will present?
Forget about it! I am once again backing the troops and taking Army -8.5.
Louisville Cardinals (2-1) @ Florida State Seminoles (0-3) | September 25 | 2:30 PM CT | Doak Campbell Stadium
Line: Louisville -2 | Total: 62.5
If these two teams were facing off after week one, I would have a different feeling about this game. Florida State lost in overtime to Notre Dame while Louisville was blasted by Ole Miss. Since then, Louisville has won two straight, including a last-minute win over Central Florida. Florida State, on the other hand, has lost two straight. The Seminoles lost a heartbreaker to Jacksonville State before getting pummeled by Wake Forest.
Things are not going well in Tallahassee. To make matters worse, Florida State is dealing with injuries on the offensive line.
Maybe I am a sucker here, but I am taking Louisville -2.
#24 UCLA Bruins (2-1) @ Stanford Cardinal (2-1) | September 25 | 5:00 PM CT | Stanford Stadium
Line: UCLA -4.5 | Total: 58.5
We learned that UCLA’s defense has some issues as they gave up 455 passing yards to Fresno State. The Bruins suffered their first loss of the season in dramatic fashion as Fresno State scored the game-winning touchdown with fourteen seconds left.
Stanford has found its offensive groove as of late. It was ugly against Kansas State in their opener, but the Cardinal have scored over 40 points in wins over USC and Vanderbilt. Quarterback Tanner McKee has been efficient. McKee has thrown for 5 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 71% of his passes.
As for UCLA, they are no stranger to offense. The Bruins average 40.3 points per game. It is also no secret that they do their best work on the ground, averaging 190 rushing yards per game. Perhaps they will have success against Stanford who is allowing 5.85 yards per rush.
We should get some points here so I am going over 58.5.
Kentucky Wildcats (3-0) @ South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1) | September 25 | 6:00 PM CT | Williams-Brice Stadium
Line: Kentucky -5 | Total: 48.5
Kentucky goes on the road for the first time this season to face South Carolina. The Wildcats are coming off a less than impressive 28-23 win over UT-Chattanooga.
For South Carolina, quarterback Luke Doty makes his first start of the season. The sophomore came in and completed 13 of 26 passes for 153 yards against Georgia last week. It was not nearly enough in a 40-13 loss.
We have seen what the Kentucky offense is capable of as they put up 520 yards and 35 points up against Missouri. It appears as the team goes as running back Chris Rodriguez goes. Rodriguez ran for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns against Missouri before being held in check last week.
Georgia ran for 184 yards on 31 carries last week against South Carolina. I expect Kentucky to have similar success with Rodriguez so give me Kentucky -5.
OUTTA HERE!
Clarknado Sports 