Season record: 21-14-1
Last week: 3-2-1 (Florida State -17.5, Washington -3, Missouri +2.5, Miami +3.5, North Carolina State/Duke under 46.5, UAB/UTSA over 67.5)
A bit of an up-and-down day as Florida State, Missouri, and the under in North Carolina State and Duke hit rather easily. However, Miami and the UAB/UTSA over fell just short. Washington also won by 3 to give us our first push of the season.
We are now over halfway through the college football season. It is time to buckle down as head down the stretch.
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) @ #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) | October 21 | 11:00 AM CT | Ohio Stadium
Line: Ohio State -4 | Total: 46.5
The road to the Big Ten Championship runs through Columbus as Penn State meets Ohio State. Defense will be on display as both teams have been special on that side of the ball. Penn State leads the country in yards allowed per game at 193.7 yards per game, while Ohio State is seventh at 263.5 yards per game.
While these teams have been great on defense, their quarterbacks have left more to be desired. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is averaging only 6.9 yards per attempt, which is tied for 82nd in the country. Allar also has not thrown for at least 200 yards in three straight games. For Ohio State, Kyle McCord is averaging 9.7 yards per attempt on the season. However, in conference play, McCord is completing just 61.1% of his passes.
In Ohio State’s biggest game of the season to this point, they defeated Notre Dame 17-14. Against another top defense in Penn State, I expect a similar result. Give me under 46.5.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-2) @ Indiana Hoosiers (2-4) | October 21 | 11:00 AM CT | Memorial Stadium
Line: Rutgers -5 | Total: 40.5
What do we know about Rutgers? They beat bad teams and Indiana is a bad team.
The Hoosiers are still searching for a quarterback after both Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby have struggled.
The pair has combined for four touchdown passes to go along with five interceptions.
The Rutgers defense will not make things, either, as they allow only 276.4 yards per game.
While the Scarlet Knights do not have much of a passing game of their own, they do have a stud running back in Kyle Monangai. Monangai got back on track last week as he ran for 148 yards and a touchdown in the win over Michigan State. He should have success against the Indiana defense which allows 174.6 rushing yards per game against FBS competition.
Give me Rutgers -5.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-3) @ #24 Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1) | October 21 | 2:30 PM CT | Kinnick Stadium
Line: Iowa -3.5 | Total: 32.5
Another Iowa game and another hilariously low total. The Hawkeyes continue to survive despite their putrid offensive output.
While Iowa may not have a passing game, running back Leshon Williams has added punch to their rushing attack. Last week against Wisconsin, Williams had their only touchdown on an 82-yard run.
In the past two games, Williams has carried the ball 38 times for 248 yards.
That could continue against the Minnesota defense, which has struggled against the run. The Golden Gophers have allowed 6.13 yards per carry in their last two games.
For all the grief that the Iowa offense gets, the Minnesota offense is not much better. The Golden Gophers average only 313.3 yards per game, which puts them 121st nationally. Look for the struggles to continue as they take on an Iowa defense that allows only 4.28 yards per play.
I am taking Iowa -3.5.
Pittsburgh Panthers (2-4) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-3) | October 21 | 2:30 PM CT | Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
Line: Wake Forest -1 | Total: 46.5
Sometimes a team just needs a vibe shift. That is exactly what happened for the Pittsburgh Panthers. After losing four straight, Pittsburgh made a change at quarterback. Christian Veilleux took over and led the Panthers to a big win over Louisville. While Veilleux’s numbers were not great (12/26, 200 yards), he sparked the offense when needed.
Another significant thing Veilleux did was not turn the ball over. Pittsburgh entered the Louisville game with a -4 turnover margin, and against the Cardinals were +3 in that department.
For Wake Forest, Mitch Griffis remains the starter after being benched against Virginia Tech. Griffis has struggled as the Demon Deacons have lost three straight. In that stretch, he has completed only 30 of 72 passes for 374 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. He is also among the worst quarterbacks in the country when it comes to lost sack yardage.
That is bad news against a Pittsburgh defense that has 20 sacks on the season.
Pittsburgh +1 is the pick.
OUTTA HERE!
Clarknado Sports 