*3 Star Play Over* There should be a bunch of tempo in this game. Washington State 13th in tempo in the country. Boise State 41st despite playing from the lead much of the time.

Ashton Jeanty is the best running back in the country. Boise State has an unreal six rushing plays of 60 yards or more already this season! They are averaging 8.81 yards per carry. Washington State has had significant trouble defending the run. The Cougars are 107th in the nation in YPC allowed and they have allowed 22 rushes for 10 yards or more already this season.

John Mateer has been good for Washington State. The Cougars have scored 37 points or more in three games already this year. Washington State is going against a Boise State defense that isn't very good. The Broncos are 78th in success rate allowed and 119th in explosiveness allowed.

These two teams are first (Washington State) and tenth (Boise State) in explosiveness on offense. Both of them are top 40 tempo teams too. A lot of pace and explosiveness in this one. The weather forecast looks great with virtually no wind also.

Take the over.

*3 Star Play Under* The Troy Trojans are 102nd in the nation in tempo. That is despite the fact that they have been playing from behind a lot this year. UL Monroe is 132nd out of 134 teams in the country in tempo. The Warhawks clearly want to play very slowly. 

UL Monroe has just 3 plays of 30 yards or more this season. This offense isn't explosive at all. Troy is 83rd in offensive success rate. The Trojans are just 100th in rushing play success rate on offense. 

UL Monroe has done a good job keeping everything in front of them. They have allowed only 3 plays of 30 yards or more on defense despite playing Texas and UAB. 

These are two teams who are limited on offense and struggle to punch it in once they get into the red zone. The tempo that this game will be played at means there shouldn't be very many possessions.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Kent State Golden Flashes lost two quarterbacks for the season in last week's game against Penn State. Ulatowski will start here because he really is the only option. Ulatowski has been dealing with a finger injury too, and he isn't 100 percent healthy. Even when everyone is healthy this is a terrible offense. Kent State averages 1.67 yards per carry on the season. The Golden Flashes have no explosiveness. They have only 7 plays of 20 yards or more in four games.

Eastern Michigan is typically a conservative team who likes to win lower scoring contests under Chris Creighton. Eastern Michigan is 107th in explosiveness in the country, so the Eagles aren't breaking many big gainers either. Eastern Michigan is averaging just 2.90 yards per carry. 

Last year these two met and it was 28-14 with low offensive success rates. I see Kent State being ultra conservative here with no playmakers and a hurt quarterback. Eastern Michigan should play from the lead and slow things down too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The James Madison Dukes just score 70 points in an epic 70-50 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. James Madison has found a really good quarterback in Alonza Barnett. He can win with him arm or his legs at any time. 

James Madison is 21st in the country in explosiveness on offense. The Dukes have had a nice balance of run and passing success.

Ball State ranks dead last in the country in total defense so far this year. The Cardinals are atrocious against the run. They just allowed Central Michigan to run for 335 yards last game, and the Chippewas aren't a rushing powerhouse by any means. Ball State allowed 34 points against Missouri State (FCS). James Madison should put up a big number here.

Ball State has picked up the pace a bit. They are throwing it around and Kadin Semonza is at least a decent quarterback. They did win big, but James Madison allowed UNC's Criswell to throw for 475 yards.

Ball State is giving up 8.88 yards per play which is just crazy. This total is several points too low.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Navy Midshipmen rushing attack is much more dynamic this year than it was last season. Navy has seen all 3 games go over the posted total. Navy has reached 49 points, 38 points, and 56 points by themselves on offense in their three contests. They are averaging 6.45 yards per carry on the season. Navy ran for 361 yards against Memphis last week in a 56-44 win.

UAB plays at a quick pace. The Blazers are 26th in the nation in tempo. UAB has a solid quarterback in Zeno. They should get some decent chances against a Navy team that is weakest in the secondary. 

UAB defensively is 102nd in the nation in yards per carry allowed. They were beaten badly on the ground by UL Monroe.

Navy is playing at a faster pace than they have in recent seasons. They aren't breaking any records, but they are no longer playing at an extremely slow pace. Navy already has 12 plays of 30 yards or more on the season too.

Take the over here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Buffalo Bulls upset the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday 23-02, but Buffalo couldn't do anything on offense in that game. They finished with just 184 total yards. Buffalo is averaging only 4.5 yards per play on the season. The Bulls are 122nd in the nation in offensive success rate. 

UConn just ran for 421 yards against Florida Atlantic this past weekend. I wouldn't expect a repeat here. UConn only ran for 88 yards against Maryland. They only had 4.6 yards per play overall against Duke. 

Defensively, Buffalo has been elite at preventing big plays. Opponents have only two plays of 30 yards or more all season against the Bulls.

Both of these teams are running the football on about 65% of their offensive plays. Both of these teams have the ability to get into the backfield and get the opposition behind the chains at times. 

A lot of running and the clock moving quickly here.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Toledo Rockets just destroyed Mississippi State in Starkville this past weekend. Nothing about their win looked like a fluke. Their offensive was humming. Now, the Mississippi State defense is certainly bad, but it was still impressive for a MAC school against an SEC team.

Western Kentucky brought in backup quarterback Veltkamp last week in their win over MTSU after Finley was injured. Veltkamp went a whopping 27/30 for 398 yards passing and 5 TD's/0 INT's. A ridiculous line. 

On the other side, Western Kentucky allowed a really bad MTSU offense to put up 9.5 yards per play on them. The Blue Raiders were slinging it around in the second half with very little defense at all holding them back. I think Toledo's Gleason will have a lot of success throwing it here.

Toledo's tempo was slower last week because they were blowing out Miss State, but they have generally been top 35 in the nation in tempo. Western Kentucky is 34th in tempo. There should be a lot of possessions in this game with both offenses being pretty explosive as well.

I see the offenses having the upper hand. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The N Texas defense- it’s nearly impossible to say anything nice about them. Gave up 7.1 YPP to S Bama and 8.3 YPP to Tex Tech. N Texas was an over train last year and I don’t see anything to make me think they are anything different this year. 116th in explosiveness allowed.

Wyoming's offense is bad, but this will be the worst defense they have faced yet. On the other side though, the Wyoming defense is MUCH worse than expected. They allowed 6.8 YPP against BYU. They allowed 7.0 YPP against Arizona State even though the Sun Devils shut it down in the 4th quarter. We aren’t accustomed to seeing bad Wyoming defenses, but it looks like this group is weak.

Chandler Morris is an over quarterback. He will hit some big gainers but could throw a pick six at any time.

Another plus in this one is the game time temperature of 92 degrees. Those very hot temperatures have been good to over bettors in the past. The defenses can have a tough time tackling in the heat.

Take the over here.

*3 Star Play Over* The East Carolina Pirates are first in the nation in tempo. They are going to get a lot of plays off and very quickly. Liberty plays at about an average pace, but they are well known for their explosive plays with Salter at quarterback and Chadwell as a bright offensive mind at coach.

East Carolina has had major trouble with turnovers and red zone efficiency on offense this year. If those can regress toward the mean, the Pirates have the ability to score a lot of points with the pace they are playing at. Liberty's biggest weakness by far is their secondary, and East Carolina is going to throw the ball early and often.

East Carolina is good on the defensive front, but the Pirates secondary can be beaten. I expect Salter to be able to create some plays with his legs and his arm in this one.

I had this number a good amount higher than this total.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Colorado State Rams offense has been a huge disappointment so far this year. Colorado State was shut out by Texas which is at least somewhat understandable. They were also held to only 9 points by Colorado, and the Buffaloes defense is only mediocre. 

Tory Horton is reportedly doubtful for this game. Horton is easily the best player on this Colorado State offense, and with him slowed down or not playing at all, this offense isn't even close to the same. Fowler-Nicolosi is still young and the running game hasn't been consistent. 

UTEP is 108th in the nation in yards per play on offense. They haven't had much of an identity on offense so far this year. The Miners only put up 10 points on Liberty and could only score 24 against Southern Utah in an overtime game.

These two offenses are near the bottom of the nation in explosiveness on the season thus far.

The weather on Saturday in Fort Collins is notable too. The current average of four weather forecasts calls for 18 mph winds with gusts of about 33 mph during this game. There is a chance for showers as well. This kind of wind can really change a game and make the play calling more conservative.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Buffalo Bulls have a new coach in Pete Lembo. He is a defensive minded coach, and Buffalo's secondary is a clear strength. The Bulls still have to find an identity on offense though. 

Buffalo is terrible on the offensive line. The Bulls also have big weaknesses at both the quarterback and running back positions. The overall lack of talent on this offense is striking. Buffalo scored 0 against Missouri earlier this year. They just scored 34 against UMass, but had just 5.2 yards per play in that game. 

Northern Illinois is coming off that huge win at Notre Dame. I'm really impressed with the coaching staff of the Huskies and their strength on the defensive line. Northern Illinois plays at a slow pace. They are 107th in the nation in tempo so far this year. 

Both of these teams run the ball about 64% of the time on offense. There should be a lot of moving clock and I wouldn't expect many possessions in this game. 

I think both defenses can prevent the explosive plays quite well.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Mississippi State Bulldogs are a completely different type of team under Jeff Lebby this year. Their goal is to play as quickly as possible and be aggressive on offense. They'll look to throw it around quite a bit. Blake Shapen is a good fit at quarterback for this system. 

Toledo lost a superstar defensive back in Quinyon Mitchell from last year. The Rockets secondary is much weaker than it has been in recent seasons. Toledo is without star LB Gant from last year too. 

Toledo has a good quarterback in Gleason and a really good group of wide receivers. The Rockets should be able to move the ball against a Bulldogs defense that is way down from a year ago as well. 

Both of these teams are ranked in the top 18 in the country in terms of pace of play. There should be a bunch of possessions here.

There is a small chance of some rain during this one, but the winds are very minimal and that is the key. 

Take the over here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The UAB Blazers just lost 32-6 to ULM last week in an embarrassing performance. UAB's defense is 68th in the nation in yards per carry allowed, and their two opponents played have been Alcorn State and ULM. That's a very weak schedule of rushing attacks. 

Arkansas is coming off a heartbreaking double OT loss against Oklahoma State. Still, the Razorbacks offense showed us a lot in that game. Arkansas put up 648 yards of offense and 7.0 YPP. Taylen Green looks great in Petrino's offense. Arkansas is playing very quickly too. There is no reason to believe UAB can even slow them down in this game.

The Arkansas defense is susceptible against the pass, and I think Zeno and company can do some work through the air here. UAB is a top 30 tempo team, and they will be pushing for extra possessions in this one.

This number has dipped a couple points, and at this number I have to go with the over.

Take the over here. 

*4 Star Play Over* The East Carolina Pirates are playing much faster this year. They are running the air raid and pushing the pace to the extreme. They are 4th in the nation in tempo. East Carolina has turned the ball over quite a bit in opponent territory so far this year, but they have been moving the ball well. East Carolina had 466 yards of offense against a pretty decent Old Dominion defense last week. 

Appalachian State just gave up 66 points to Clemson last week. Cade Klubnik went 24/26 passing against this secondary. They'll look much better in this game than that, but there are troubling signs for the Mountaineers defense overall. 

Appalachian State's offense is excellent in the passing game with Joey Aguilar. They have the best wide receivers in the Sun Belt, and they'll be very tough covers for East Carolina. They are 28th in the nation in tempo so far this year. 

These two teams played last year and Appalachian State won 43-28. Now, East Carolina is playing much quicker than they did a year ago. 

I think this total is set too low by a good amount. Look for a lot of passing and a fast pace. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* Washington State won 70-30 over Portland State last weekend. John Mateer was in a tight quarterback battle with Cam Ward before last year, and Washington State is in pretty good shape at quarterback with him and Eckhaus both in the fold this year. Mateer threw for 352 yards and 5 TD's on just 17 attempts. Washington State put up a whopping 12.5 yards per play in week one.

Texas Tech won 52-51 in overtime over Abilene Christian in week one. They allowed 615 yards to FCS Abilene Christian. This Red Raiders secondary lost a ton from last year, and they allowed more than 500 passing yards to Abilene. 

Ben Arbuckle is a great offensive coordinator and I think Washington State will be ready with tempo and a ton of deep looks down the field against this weakened Texas Tech secondary.

On the other side, Washington State allowed 30 points against Portland state, and this Cougars defense is down a lot from last year. They are bad against the run and Tahj Brooks is a really underrated running back for Texas Tech. Morton is a good passer who should have a big game here.

Who's going to get stops? I don't think there will be very many.

Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Tennessee Volunteers offense looked like a well oiled machine against Chattanooga last week. Yes it was Chattanooga, but the Mocs are actually a pretty decent FCS team. Nico Iamaleava is a budding star at quarterback. The Volunteers were winning so big that he didn't play a large portion of the game, but when he was in he looked fantastic. Remember, it was Nico who carved up an amazing Iowa defense in the bowl game last year.

Tennessee vowed to play tempo to the extreme this year, and they played ridiculously fast in game one. They averaged just 19.44 seconds between plays, and that is with slowing down some late with a huge lead. They'll push the tempo here.

NC State struggled with Western Carolina. NC State's defense was very poor in that game. In fact, Western Carolina ran for 6.32 yards per carry in that game. Tennessee's offensive line is very good and I think they'll clear quite a few holes here.

The weakness of the Tennessee team is their secondary. The Volunteers will give up big plays through the air. That's exactly where I think McCall and the NC State offense can have success. With NC State likely playing from behind here, I expect them to throw it around and hit some big ones against this Volunteers secondary.

I like both offenses chances of moving the ball a lot in this one.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and Arkansas State Red Wolves both want to play fast. I expect a bunch of possessions in this game with both teams running their uptempo offense. 

Tulsa put up 62 points on Northwestern State in game one. Francis played very well at quarterback. Arkansas State allowed 7.1 yards per play against Central Arkansas. The Red Wolves defense appears to still have major problems this season.

Arkansas State has a star quarterback in Jalen Raynor. Raynor has good WR's to throw it to, and this Tulsa secondary is a bottom 20 secondary in the country. I think Arkansas State moves the ball well in this one. 

Two defenses who have a history of being weak and giving up a ton of explosive plays. Two offenses who play fast and will take chances down the field. I see a lot of points here.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* South Alabama coming off a shootout game against N Texas. They had 582 yards of offense, but still lost by 14 points. The Jaguars ran tempo for much of the game. They averaged only 22 seconds between snaps- very quick. They ran 84 plays in game one. Gio Lopez looks like a pretty decent QB for this S Alabama system. He threw for 432 yards and ran for 62 on 13 carries. Ohio’s secondary is completely new and they were absolutely torched by McCord and Syracuse last week.

Kane Wommack is a great defensive mind, and him being gone hurts South Alabama in a big way. Ohio had 10 rushes for 10 yards or more in game one against Syracuse. I don't think Syracuse's defense is good, but they are better than the South Alabama defense.

South Alabama should push the pace, and Ohio's defense is no longer the stout unit they were in the past. South Alabama gave up 52 points against North Texas.

I think this total is too low.

Take the over.

*4 Star Play Over* The Syracuse Orange showed their improvements on offense last week in their 38-22 win over Ohio. Syracuse averaged 6.86 yards per play. The Orange got a good game out of Kyle McCord. Gadsden is an elite tight end and I expect a big season from him. LeQuint Allen is an underrated running back too. 

For as good as the offense looked for Syracuse, the defense looked that bad. They allowed 6.54 yards per carry against an Ohio running attack that I don't expect to be very good. They were gashed by a team that had very little deep passing attack to keep them honest. The worst news of all for Syracuse was their star Marlowe Wax, the team's best defender, was injured and the coaching staff said they expect him to miss a few weeks.

Georgia Tech played very slowly tempo wise in the game against Florida State as part of the game plan, but they played at a normal pace last week. The Yellow Jackets offense is really tough to defend with an excellent OC in Buster Faulkner and a dual threat quarterback in Haynes King. They should get a lot of big gainers on Syracuse.

The Yellow Jackets defense is still a problem. They played a Florida State offense with issues and then a Georgia State offense that is extremely weak. They still are allowing 4.13 yards per carry. This is a defense I don't trust. 

Syracuse pushed the pace in week one and I think they will here too. Georgia Tech's offensive efficiency should continue.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Florida Atlantic Owls have a terrible offensive line and a subpar quarterback in Cam Fancher. Florida Atlantic is going to struggle badly on offense this year. They put up just 10 points on a Michigan State team that isn't loaded by any means on defense. Florida Atlantic does have a very tough defense with the front seven being a clear strength.

Army used 31 seconds between plays in week one, and they will be one of the slowest paced teams in the country this year. They are expected to be extremely run heavy this year. In their first game, Army attempted 8 passes and ran the ball 46 times. I would expect something similar here unless they get down big early. With the spread inside a field goal, that isn't too likely.

The Army defense could struggle against high powered passing attacks, but Florida Atlantic is definitely not that type of team. 

I think this one will be a tight hard fought battle where the defenses have the advantage. 

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Charlotte 49ers have played slowly on offense under Poggi. I would expect them to do their best to try to win sloppy low scoring games. The Charlotte defense is the strength of the team. Poggi is a defensive minded coach. Charlotte was able to pick up a bunch of secondary transfers in the portal. The pass defense should improve this season. The defensive line was a solid unit last year and should be again. 

Charlotte lacks the star power at QB/RB/WR to put up a lot of points on hardly anyone. They have some solid TE's and they will use them as much as they can. 

James Madison gets a whole new look this year. Chesney has been a good coach for many years and I like the hire of him. I think it is likely that JMU will want to establish the run with this offense. The wide receivers are a weakness for the Dukes. The James Madison defense is clearly way down from last year, but I still think it is an above average Sun Belt defense. I think they can limit big plays.

I expect a fairly slow tempo for both teams. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Texas A&M Aggies have defensive mastermind Mike Elko as their new head coach. Elko is one of the best defensive minds in the nation. It's also especially interesting in this one because he knows Riley Leonard, the new Notre Dame quarterback, as well as anyone. Leonard was the quarterback for Elko last year at Duke.

I expect the extremely young Notre Dame offensively line to struggle badly against Scourton and the stars on the defensive line for Texas A&M. Notre Dame is unlikely to have much time throw the ball down the field here. I think they'll play things pretty safe on offense.

The Notre Dame defense has stars on the defensive line in Cross and Mills as well. Texas A&M has a new offense to learn and an extremely tough defense to test it out against here. I think the Aggies will play at a slower pace than most teams this year on the whole.

The two defenses have the upper hand here, and the defensive lines have the single biggest advantages. I think it will be tough to move the ball here, and when the teams do move the ball I think they'll settle for field goals pretty often.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Michigan Wolverines still have an absolutely elite defensive line. I think Mason Graham is going to be a major problem for nearly every opponent this year. Michigan should dominate Fresno State's offensive line in this one. Mikey Keene is a solid quarterback, but I don't think he'll have much time at all to throw here. The Fresno State running backs aren't going to have room to run either.

Michigan's offense lost so much from last year. McCarthy was a great leader and he made things happen when the play was busted. I expect Orji to get most of the snaps at quarterback for Michigan here. He's a good scrambler, but I don't know that Michigan trusts him a lot in the passing game yet. Fresno State is an excellent secondary, and I do expect them to make things tough on the Michigan passing attack.

Michigan should play slowly under Sherrone Moore, and I would expect a very run heavy attack. The Wolverines play Texas next weekend in one of the biggest non-conference clashes of the season this year. Why would Michigan put a lot on tape here for Texas to see? The Wolverines should be happy to run the ball and be pretty vanilla on offense.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* Kennesaw State is in their first season of FBS action. I expect them to run the ball early and often from their pistol option offensive attack. They should also play very slowly and attempt to reduce the amount of possessions here. 

UTSA should be a little less explosive without Frank Harris at quarterback. The Roadrunners have big games against Texas State and Texas coming up right after this. The Roadrunners are unlikely to show anything too much in a game like this. I think they'll be less likely to want to run up the score than they would in a different situation.

The UTSA defensive line should be too much for the Kennesaw State offensive front that is a clear question mark heading into the season.

UTSA should win comfortably here and I think Kennesaw State struggles to do much scoring at all.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide meet in what should be an epic semifinal in the Rose Bowl. Michigan was the more consistent team through the year, but Alabama's talent is second to none. The Wolverines offense has struggled a bit to get going at times this year. The Wolverines defense has been solid as ever this year.

Michigan defensively has no clear weakness. The Wolverines are 6th in YPC allowed and 6th in the country in opposing QBR allowed. While Alabama has been quite explosive on offense, Michigan has done a great job not giving up big plays this season. 

Alabama's offense has relied more on explosives than normal. Milroe is a fantastic play maker, but he does take too many big negative plays. I think the Michigan pass rush can give him a difficult time here. 

The Alabama defense is supremely talented. They are good against the run, and the secondary is elite. Michigan is 112th in explosiveness on offense. The Wolverines are just 75th in the country in yards per carry. Without Zinter, their best offensive lineman, I think Michigan will have a hard time just running it right at Alabama here. 

Michigan is dead last (133rd) in the country in pace of play. The Wolverines are going to be happy to move very slowly and take a lot of time on their drives. Alabama is 105th in tempo, so they play pretty slowly as well.

I like the defenses to make it hard for the opposing offenses here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Memphis Tigers have been able to make almost every game they play in a shootout this year. In fact, eight of their last nine games have gone over this total. The one that didn't go over was still at 52 points. 

The Memphis defense gives up loads of big plays. They have given up 71 plays of 20 yards or more on the season. Iowa State is first in the nation in explosiveness on offense. Becht has done a great job as quarterback for the Cyclones.

Iowa State's secondary was pretty good during the year, but they are shorthanded here. TJ Tampa is a star in the secondary and he has opted out. Malik Verdell is injured and is questionable to play too.

Seth Henigan and the Memphis offense should be able to do enough to get this game over the number. Memphis is averaging 39.6 points per game this year. This is a better defense than they usually face, but I think the Memphis team speed on offense can get them some scores.

Iowa State has a huge advantage on offense, and I like Memphis to be able to score when playing from behind.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The SMU Mustangs defense was underrated all season long. SMU ranked fourth in success rate allowed in the country. They were 12th in the nation in YPC allowed. The strong run defense of SMU is key here since Boston College runs it on 60% of their plays for the year as a whole. Boston College has been even more run heavy in recent weeks.

Castellanos for Boston College has been banged up and the BC offense has been much more buttoned up of late. Boston College comes into this game very short handed at both running back and wide receiver based on the transfer portal. I don't trust the BC offense to get much done here.

SMU is without Preston Stone at quarterback. They are more conservative with Jennings at quarterback. This Mustangs offense is solid, but not spectacular.

Fenway Park is the venue here and this game has a history of a lot of windy games with poor weather in general. It's an 11 am eastern kickoff in Boston in winter. The long range forecast calls for rain showers and a decent amount of wind. I like the under even without weather, but this could be a nice bonus too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* FSU put up just 3.9 yards per play on a bad Florida defense last week. I know it is a rivalry game, but that is concerning. Florida had been getting torched weekly until last week. FSU 4th in explosiveness on offense for the year, but likely less explosive with Tate Rodemaker at QB. 

Louisville defense 40th in YPP allowed, but 21st at PFF in overall defense grade. 6th in defensive line yards. FSU is 111th in offensive line yards. I don’t think FSU can just run it down their throats. 

Louisville 91st in OFF Line yards. FSU 13th in DEF Line yards. I think the Cardinals ground game has trouble getting going too. The FSU defense has been underrated throughout the season. Louisville's Plummer has been inconsistent at quarterback this year.

There is some rain and a little wind in the forecast as well.

Take the under.

*3 Star Play Under* Preston Stone is a key loss for SMU at quarterback. Jennings has very little experience at quarterback.

SMU gave up just 4.4 yards per play in the AAC. Amazing! The Mustangs held 4 of their last 7 opponents to 14 points or less. 

Tulane’s offense didn’t really work nearly as well as expected this year. Tulane was 108th in rushing play success rate on offense- very low for a Willie Fritz coached team. SMU 11th in rushing play success rate allowed.

SMU has a great pass rush. 5th in the country in pass rush grade at PFF. 40 sacks!! Pratt is good but I think he’ll be under pressure more than normal here. 

Tulane plays at a slow pace. They run on 60% of offensive plays.

SMU offense should be a bit more conservative with Jennings. If anything I would expect more running. The Tulane run defense has been elite. The way to beat the Tulane defense has been passing.

Take the under.

*3 Star Play Under* The Toledo Rockets won 17-7 last year in the MAC Title game against an Ohio Bobcats team without their star quarterback. Toledo ran the ball over and over again in that game and grinded it out. Now, Toledo goes into the title game in the MAC against a Miami team without star quarterback Brett Gabbert.

Aveon Smith has struggled badly for Miami. Miami is going to want to run the football as much as they can and move very slowly. They don't want a high scoring game, because their offense simply isn't good enough to win shootouts. Toledo does give up successful running plays, but they are excellent in the secondary and they don't give up explosive plays. Miami's drives should take a bunch of time off the clock. 

Toledo had just 4.3 yards per play in their 21-17 win over Miami in the regular season. The Rockets want to run the ball a lot, but Miami has the best run defense in the MAC. Miami has allowed 21 points or fewer in every MAC game they have played this year. 

I don't think we'll see many big plays here. Toledo likely wins, but Miami's defense won't make it easy.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Rutgers defense ranks first in explosiveness allowed. The Maryland defense ranks 8th in explosiveness allowed. These two are very good at not giving up that huge play. 

Rutgers is 127th in the nation in tempo. The Scarlet Knights are going to play slowly, and they are going to run the football as often as possible.

Rutgers is 10th in the nation in yards per play allowed. Schiano's defenses always play very hard and this one is no different. The strength of their defense is their secondary. Maryland likes to throw the ball and Rutgers should have the guys to slow them down.

Maryland's defense is much improved this year. They are 25th in the nation in yards per play allowed.

The Rutgers offense has scored 16 points total in the last two years against Maryland. They will likely struggle again here. Rutgers is much better defensively this year than the last two years.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Virginia Tech Hokies offense has hit a whole new gear in recent weeks. With Drones at quarterback instead of Wells, this is a much more explosive offense. Drones has been very good running and good enough in the passing game too. VA Tech put up 7.6 yards per play on a very good NC State defense last week. They put up 8.3 YPP two weeks ago on the Boston College defense.

Virginia has a good young quarterback in Colandrea. He is a big play guy either way at this stage in his career. He throws too many picks and a pick six is always a possibility, but he is creating big plays for the Cavs on offense too. Virginia has 6.4 YPP on a good Louisville defense two weeks ago and an impressive 6.3 YPP against Duke last week too.

Virginia has picked up their pace of late. 

These two teams are 114th and 120th in the country in explosiveness allowed. The weather calls for a nice day here. Expect some big plays.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The MTSU Blue Raiders passing attack has been much better in the last few weeks. Quarterback Nicholas Vattiato has 12 touchdown passes compared to just 4 interceptions in MTSU's last four games. The offense has picked up their pace significantly too, and it has been working. 

Sam Houston State's offense was dreadul early in the season, but they have been much better in the last five games.

Both teams are snapping the ball every 24.1 seconds which is far quicker than the national average. A total set this low for a game played at this pace is pretty rare unless there are elite defenses.

The MTSU defense is 77th in the nation in YPP allowed and Sam Houston is 99th. MTSU is 11th in the nation in explosiveness on offense.

It's the last game for both and I think the offenses will show up.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* Jayden Daniels has impressed me the most of any player in the country this year. He was very good last year in Brian Kelly's system, but this year he has been elite. LSU is clearly putting up as many stats as possible for Daniels to try to get him the Heisman Trophy. Daniels is one of the two favorites (Bo Nix) for the award. Nix is likely to get more games to play while Daniels will not. This is LSU's last chance to feature Daniels and put up a big number.

The Texas A&M secondary is banged up right now, and LSU should be able to hit some explosive plays on them. Texas A&M has a good defense overall, but Miami put up 48 points on them and Ole Miss scored 38. The LSU offense is the best one they have faced all seaosn.

The LSU defense is one of the worst in the SEC. While we don't know if it will be Henderson or Johnson at quarterback for A&M here, I think they can score enough regardless. LSU has allowed 117 plays of 10 yards or more this year.

LSU will score a lot here. I expect A&M to do enough too.

Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Eastern Michigan Eagles take on the Buffalo Bulls in Buffalo on Tuesday night. Eastern Michigan and Buffalo are 9th and 10th in the MAC in yards per play on offense. 

Buffalo had high scoring games in the non conference, but in MAC contests they have had a bunch of low scoring games. Buffalo has seen 5 of their 7 games in the MAC finish at 38 total points or lower. Eastern Michigan has had five games finish at 36 points or lower.

These two are the least explosive offenses in the MAC. They rarely get big plays and the defenses should have the edge.

The weather should play a big role here. There is rain in the forecast with sustained winds 17 mph and gusts to 25 mph. That should make the play calling even more conservative.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The NC State Wolfpack have gone full out stall mode on offense of late. In their last three games they are the second slowest paced team in the country. NC State is a run heavy offense that doesn't have much explosiveness at all. NC State is 114th in explosiveness in the country.

The VA Tech defense has given up some big plays, but on a down to down basis they have been good. I don't think NC State is the type of team who can break those big gainers. VA Tech's defense is 23rd in the country in havoc. They are 24th in success rate allowed. 

VA Tech's offense has been much better with Kyron Drones at quarterback. They are running about 60% of the time on offense. NC State's defense has been excellent of late. The Wolfpack are 17th defensive line yards and 22nd in rushing play success rate allowed. 

VA Tech ranks in the bottom ten in the country in terms of tempo in the last three games alone. Two running teams with very slow paced offenses.

NC State's last four games have finished: 24-3, 24-17, 20-6, and 26-6. Four of their last six games have finished with a total of 32 points or fewer.

Take the under here. 

*This line has moved since I selected it early this week. I would still take this as long as it is at or above the key number of 41. Thanks and good luck.* 

*3 Star Play Over* The UAB Blazers had a rare very poor showing on offense last week. Navy slowed that game down and UAB didn't play to their potential on offense. UAB overall for the season though is 25th in success rate on offense and the Blazers have scored 35 points or more four times. On the other side, UAB has allowed 41 points or more six times. UAB's tempo is 19th quickest in the country and that often turns their games into shootouts. 

Temple's offensive stats are skewed because E.J. Warner missed time and the Owls offense could do nothing in his absence. With Warner in the fold, Temple's offense is very good throwing the football. The Owls are 17th in tempo in the country. Temple's defense is 110th in YPP allowed in the country. They are especially terrible against the pass. Jacob Zeno is a good quarterback for UAB and he should have success. Temple has allowed 36 points or more six times this year.

I see a back and forth game.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Michigan Wolverines didn't throw a single pass in the second half against Penn State. Michigan just edged their way down the field and controlled things with the running game. 

One major reason Michigan running the football so much is important to a total is the Wolverines ranks 132nd (or second slowest) in tempo in the country. They move very methodically. Michigan is 103rd in the country in explosiveness. I have little doubt they'll move the ball well against Maryland, but it should take a lot of time off the clock. Maryland is 13th in the country in explosiveness allowed, so they don't give up big plays very often.

The Michigan defense is 3rd in the country in success rate allowed. They are second in opposing QBR allowed. Michigan is 19th in YPC allowed, but Maryland is only 93rd in the nation in YPC.

Michigan has Ohio State next week and the Wolverines would be well suited to get a lead and get out of here with a win playing conservatively.

The weather here is a plus too. The blend of four forecasts calls for 16 mph winds with gusts of about 28 mph here. That tends to make teams both more conservative and helps the defenses.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The UCLA Bruins saw Ethan Garbers and Dante Moore both get banged up in their loss to Arizona last Saturday. Neither of them practiced on Monday. Ethan Garbers wasn't even at the practice and Moore watched practice without his helmet on. That leaves UCLA thin at QB and would make them more predictable on offense.

Trenton Bourguet was injured very early in the Arizona State blowout loss to Utah. Because of other injuries, Arizona State was down to Jacob Conover (4th string QB) and he went 5/22 and was a disaster against Utah last week. Conover might be the man again Saturday. Coach Dillingham said if the game were today Bourguet wouldn't be able to play. 

The UCLA defense has been fantastic all year. Arizona State's defense has been better than expected. After a poor effort last week, I think the Sun Devils defense will at least play better here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The pace will help a lot here. Wash State 31st in tempo this year. Cal is 11th. Lots of pace and plenty of possessions here.

The Cal defense is very bad. There are 123rd at PFF in defensive grade. They are also 130th in passing play success rate allowed. We know Washington St will throw it a bunch. 60% of their plays are a pass. Cam Ward is hot and cold, but I like his chances of having a good game against this secondary. Cal’s Dline 122nd in havoc rate. Wash State OLine poor in pass blocking, but they won’t get dominated here like they are some games.

Cal’s strength on offense is clearly in the running game. Ott is a tremendous runner and they have some depth behind him and a fairly mobile QB. Wash St 100th in rush play success rate allowed. Wash State 11th in Pac 12 in YPC allowed. I think Cal gets the ground game going here.

Washington State has had a couple lower scoring games of late which has kept this number down, but I think this sets up as a track meet type game with the offenses having a bunch of success.

Take the over.

*3 Star Play Over* The Arkansas Razorbacks are playing much different under new offensive coordinator Kenny Guiton than they did under Dan Enos. That's a good thing for the team and for the over. Their offense was terrible and the play calling was bad earlier this year. Arkansas played nearly two seconds per play quicker last week than they did on average the rest of the season. 

Arkansas also has Rocket Sanders back and Coach Pittman said he's healthier coming into this game than he was going into last weekend. Sanders had his best game of the year last week against Florida. He makes this offense much better when he is at least pretty healthy. 

Auburn's running game should have some success against a mediocre Arkansas defense. The Razorbacks just allowed 36 points against Florida. Auburn's passing attack has been slightly better of late to give them some balance.

I think this number makes sense for the season as a whole, but it is too low based on the changes for Arkansas. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The weather is key in this one. Right now the National Weather service says 85% chance of rain during this one. Sustained winds of about 20 mph and gusts as high as 30 mph. If that comes to fruition that absolutely is enough to make a big impact on the game.

6 of Utah’s 9 games have finished with 41 points or fewer total. Whittingham knows they don’t want a shootout against this Huskies team.

Washington has played a lot of high scoring games this year, but the weather and an opponent with a weak offense and very strong defense is coming up in this one.

Take the under.

*3 Star Play Over* The UAB Blazers have played eight games against FBS opponents. The lowest combined score has been 58 points. They have hit 70 points or higher in four of their eight games. They have only stayed in the 50's once. 

UAB's passing attack is very good with Jacob Zeno back in the fold. Zeno was 29/35 for 484 yards and 5 TD's passing last week. Navy has a passing defense that is ranked in the bottom ten in passing play success rate allowed. 

UAB's defense is atrocious against the run. They are 132nd out of 133 in the country in rushing play success rate allowed. They are 130th in YPC allowed. We know Navy will run the football a lot, and they should have success against this UAB defensive front. 

UAB will push the pace in a big way. Both defenses are weak. This total has moved down to the point I have to fire on an over. 

Take the over here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Colorado Buffaloes made a offensive coordinator change late last week. I didn't like the move at all. Sean Lewis is a really good offensive coordinator, but the move was made to Shurmur and Lewis was demoted. Shurmur was brought in likely to run the ball more and play at a slower pace. The Colorado offensive line has been so bad that Shedeur Sanders has gotten banged up badly. He clearly isn't himself right now. 

Colorado played 2.5 seconds per play slower last week than they have for the year overall. The Buffaloes were pass heavy, but they playing from pretty far behind and they were unable to get any offense going at all until very late in the game. 

Arizona's defense is flying under the radar. The Wildcats defense is much better of late. Arizona is  25th in explosiveness allowed. You aren't going to get big plays on them. They can get in the backfield often too with their talented linebackers. The Colorado OLine is going to be in trouble here.

Colorado's defense has played somewhat better of late. They have at least slowed down UCLA and Oregon State in the last couple weeks. Arizona's offense is a good one, but they are playing at a pretty slow tempo.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Temple Owls offensive numbers are skewed. E.J. Warner is everything to this offense and he missed a couple games recently and they were absolutely hapless in those games. Temple is a good offense with Warner on the field though. He came back last week and was great against Navy. Now, Temple goes to take on a weaker defense in USF.

USF is 132nd in the nation in explosive plays allowed. The Bulls are 1st in the nation in tempo though. Their games have been absolutely shootouts. They lost 59-50 last week against Memphis. In USF's last six games, five of them have finished at 70 total points or higher. 

Temple had games finish at 74 and 83 points total before Warner was hurt. Temple is a fast paced team as well. 

There should be a lot of possessions and I like this one to be a back and forth game.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Georgia offense is better than people realize. Georgia's Carson Beck is playing good football right now. Even without Brock Bowers, Georgia has solid weapons in the passing game. Georgia put up 486 yards and 7.4 yards per play against Florida last week. The Bulldogs are capable of big things on offense.

Missouri's offense has been much improved this year. The play caller here is doing a good job taking advantage of Missouri having one of the best WR rooms in the country this year. Brady Cook has been excellent and Burden and company are a tough cover for anyone. 

Georgia's defense is clearly very good, but what good offense have they faced this year? This is one of the weakest opposing offenses schedules you could find. Missouri will be the best offense they have seen this year. 

The Missouri defense allowed 21 points to Vandy. They gave up 27 points to Kansas State. LSU put up 8.1 yards per play and 49 points on them. The Tigers defense is worse than they were a year ago.

Take the over here. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Memphis Tigers won 45-42 over North Texas last weekend. Memphis gained 600 yards of total offense, but they allowed 591 total yards. Both teams averaged better than 8 yards per play. 

Memphis has 44 plays of 20 yards or more on the season. They are solid offensively and are pretty explosive. South Florida has 44 plays of 20 yards or more on the season as well. What about the defenses? Both defenses have given up loads of explosive plays this year. USF is 130th in explosiveness allowed (out of 133 teams).

USF is second in the nation in tempo. The Bulls are absolutely flying on offense. Alex Golesh and this group want to turn every game into a track meet. USF has seen four of their last five games finish with 70 combined points or more. USF has allowed 56 points twice in their last three games. 

Memphis is allowing 5.47 yards per carry in AAC play. USF is 123rd in yards per play allowed on the season.

The pace here will be very quick and I like this one to be high scoring.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Kansas State Wildcats are a run heavy offense. They are running the ball on 61% of their offensive plays in Big 12 play. Texas is first in the Big 12 in run defense, and the Longhorns big defensive front should slow down Kansas State much better than the Wildcats recent foes have. 

Kansas State's secondary was weak early in the season, but they have been amazing of late. In their last two games, Kansas State allowed 3 points against TCU and 0 points against Houston. 

Texas is without Quinn Ewers at quarterback. Maalik Murphy wasn't asked to do very much last week against BYU. I think Ewers will be missed especially because of his ability to throw the ball deep. 

Kansas State likely wants to run the ball and play slowly here. Both teams have looked excellent on defense lately. I expect a tight hard fought battle.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The new clock rules have really made a difference in the higher total games. There is only so much time to score with the clock moving even after first downs. There will certainly still be some very high scoring games, but they have become more rare. 

Totals of 62 points or higher are 34-20 to the under this season.

Colorado has allowed 35 sacks. This Buffaloes offensive line is going to be beaten badly here. PFF rates the UCLA pass rush the e highest of anny in the country. Sanders is going to be under a lot of heat here. Colorado does play quickly but they aren’t always efficient.

The Colorado run defense isn't good, but it has been less bad in recent weeks. They are allowing only 3.94 YPC in Pac 12 play.

Only one of UCLA’s games against FBS competition has finished higher than 45 points.

Ethan Garbers is a more conservative quarterback and I think that could lead to less pick sixes and short fields for the opposition which Moore had done all too often.

Take the under here.

*3 Star Play Over* The Vanderbilt Commodores defense has been atrocious this year. They have given up 126 plays of 10 yards or more on the season thus far. In the SEC, they are allowing 6.85 yards per play. Vanderbilt gives up big plays in bunches, and Ole Miss is the definition of a big play offense.

Ole Miss has 52 plays of 20 yards or more already this season (3rd best in the country). The Rebels can do it through the air or on the ground. I don't think they'll get to 4th down very often in this game at all. 

Vanderbilt's offense isn't great, but through the air they have some explosiveness. That is a good fit here since Ole Miss has been weakest in the secondary. Ole Miss is 84th in total QBR allowed. They are 90th in pass play success rate allowed.

The two teams are 7th and 14th in the nation in explosiveness on offense. 

These two met last year and Ole Miss won 52-28. Ole Miss had 9.9 yards per play. Vanderbilt's defense is worse this year. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Ohio Bobcats are nothing like they were last year. Ohio is excellent defensively this year. They are bottom 10 in the country in tempo. The Bobcats are happy to win low scoring games with strong defense this season. 6 of Ohio’s 8 games have finished with a combined total of 37 points or fewer.

The Miami OH defense has been tremendous especially in MAC play. They are allowing an average of 11.25 points per games in the MAC. Salopek is a star linebacker that leads the way for them.

Miami OH will be without star quarterback Brett Gabbert who had season ending surgery after an injury in the second half of the Toledo game. Aveon Smith is a decent backup, but there is a significant drop off from Gabbert to Smith. Smith is a runner first and he makes the Miami OH offense much more predictable. Gabbert’s big play ability in the passing game is no longer there.

Both teams rank in the bottom 25 in the country in terms of tempo. There shouldn't be many big plays here. It's a very low total, but I think it's low for a good reason.

Take the under.

*3 Star Play Under* The Charlotte 49ers have shown us their game plan pretty clearly at this point. Charlotte wants to play as slowly as possible and run the football and control the time of possession. Charlotte is using 31 seconds between plays in their conference games. The 49ers rank in the bottom 10 in tempo in the country. 

Charlotte is 126th in the nation in rushing play success rate, but they are running the ball on more than 60% of their offensive plays in the conference. Charlotte's defense is much improved under Biff Poggi who is a defensive minded coach. The 49ers are 32nd in success rate allowed. They are giving up just 4.52 yards per play in conference action so far.

Florida Atlantic has been a big disappointment on offense so far this year. The Owls have been held to 187 points or fewer in four of their seven games. They gained just 2.9 yards per play against a mediocre UTSA defense last week. 

Charlotte has seen 4 of their 7 games (including 3 of their last 4) this year finish with a combined total of 29 points or fewer. This is the type of game Charlotte wants to play with their lack of big playmakers on offense.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns were off last weekend. Louisiana has played five FBS opponents this year. The final combined total points scored in those games were: 69, 62, 83. 59, and 64 points. 

Louisiana is 12th in the nation in yards per play. They are balanced team who can beat you through the air or on the ground. 

Georgia State is 41st in the nation in yards per play on offense. The Panthers play quickly (39th in the nation in tempo). Georgia State is 11th in the nation in explosive plays on offense. 

Defensively, Georgia State is 121st in explosiveness allowed. The Panthers allowed 35 points against Rhode Island and 25 points against a really bad Charlotte offense. Even in their win last week, Georgia State gave up 6.7 yards per play against Marshall.

Take the over in this one. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Buffalo Bulls defense looked terrible in the non-conference slate. They have played better against MAC competition. Obviously the MAC is a weak conference, but this has been a common trend for Buffalo. The defense ends up being above average in MAC play. 

Buffalo has given up just 4.83 yards per play in three MAC games. Kent State's offense is averaging a miserable 3.89 yards per play in the MAC. For the season as  a whole, Kent State is 132nd out of 133 teams in the country in yards per play.

Buffalo's offense has very little big play ability. In fact, Buffalo has only five plays of 30 yards or more all season long. Kent State's biggest weakness as a defense has been giving up the big play, but I don't think Buffalo will take advantage of that.

Buffalo is 127th in the nation in yards per play on offense. 

These are two really weak offenses.

The weather forecast here calls for 16 mph winds with gusts above 20 mph and showers during the day on Saturday. This is a long range forecast, and the weather is just a bonus.

Take the under. 

*This line has been moving down some throughout the week. I would still play this as long as it is 42 points or higher. Thanks and good luck.* 

*3 Star Play Under* The Tennessee Volunteers offense is extremely reliant on being able to run the ball this year. Joe Milton's efficiency has been very poor in games against good opponents. Tennessee scored just 20 points against Texas A&M. They scored only 16 points against Florida. Alabama will easily be the best defense the Volunteers have faced. Alabama ranks #1 in overall defense grade at PFF.

Alabama held a very good Ole Miss offense to 10 points at home earlier this year. Alabama is very run heavy this year on offense. Jalen Milroe is inconsistent through the air. Alabama has run the ball on 63% of their plays so far this year.

Tennessee's defense is much improved from a couple years ago. The Volunteers are 5th in the nation in success rate allowed. They are 7th in defensive line yards. I think they could give the Alabama offensive line a tough time here.

This total looks low when you consider what these two teams did last year, but these teams are very different than a year ago. I think the low total is justified.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The UTSA Roadrunners got their star quarterback Frank Harris back last Saturday. Harris had been badly banged up earlier this year and tried to play through it. He then had to sit out for a period of time. UTSA's offense finally looked like what we expected last weekend. UTSA put up 49 points and 7.3 yards per play in their win over Temple last weekend. 

UTSA's defense has disappointed this year. The secondary in particular lost a lot of talent from a year ago, and the drop off has been significant. Temple put up 542 yards in that 49-34 loss to UTSA last weekend. 

UAB has been throwing the ball a lot. Zeno is a quality quarterback for the Blazers. UAB ranks 19th in success rate on offense. They are throwing the ball on 53.6% of their offensive plays. UAB hasn't had a game against an FBS opponent finish with less than 58 points total this year. Two of their four against FBS opponents finished with 81 and 84 points.

The UAB defense is extremely weak. They are 130th in success rate allowed. They have allowed 35 points or more in every game against an FBS opponent this season.

A fast track here for two offenses ranking in the top 20 in tempo.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under*  Oregon State is 105th in the nation in tempo. 56.5% of their plays on offense are a run. I think they want to establish the run in this one. Oregon State is a good run defense (3.21 ypc) on the year. Oregon State should at least hold its own against the run of UCLA.

UCLA’s Dante Moore is capable of big things, but Chip Kelly doesn’t look like he fully trusts him yet.. He also has an OLine that isn’t pass protecting well. 110th in pass blocking grade.

I knew the UCLA defensive front was good, but I didn’t expect them to shut down a great passing attack like Washington State last week. Washington State had a 19%!!! Success rate on passing downs last week. UCLA is 1st in the nation in yards per play allowed. They have a 93.2 PFF overall defense grade. 2nd best in the country. UCLA 6th in explosiveness allowed. An excellent defense so far this year.

UCLA hasn’t played a game against an FBS opponent this year that finished with more than 45 total points. 

I’m on the under.

*4 Star Play Under* The Air Force Falcons are 133rd in tempo out of 133 teams in the country. They are running the football on 94% of their offensive plays. With the new clock rules, the Air Force games are really going to move quickly. There aren't many possessions in their games. The Falcons have only faced one good run defense (Sam Houston) and that game was 13-3. 

Wyoming has played against some pretty good offenses this year, and I tend to think the Wyoming defense is a little better than their year to date stats look. Craig Bohl's teams have a history of being very good at defending the triple option as well. 

Andrew Peasley isn't a good quarterback. He just had a fantastic game against Fresno State, but I don't expect to see a repeat of that. Air Force is 4th in yards per play allowed this year. The Falcons are a veteran defense that does not give up big plays.

The last three meetings between these two teams were 20-6, 24-14, and 17-14. I don't see any reason to expect this one to be a higher scoring game.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The weather forecast in this one calls for rain throughout the day on Saturday and sustained winds of 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph. That is significant enough to change the way the game is played. 

Buffalo prefers to throw the football, but they are unlikely to be able to throw it downfield much in this weather. Buffalo is averaging just 3.51 ypc (111th in the country). Bowling Green should be able to cheat up in the box to stop the run more here.

Bowling Green on offense is 118th in success rate so far this year. The Falcons are 99th in success rate in the running game. Buffalo's run defense is 51st in success rate allowed on the ground. PFF grades Buffalo as the 31st ranked run defense in the country. 

With the weather and game plans being changed by it, I'll take the under.

*3 Star Play Under* These two teams met last year and the final was Troy 10 Army 9. While I don't expect a game that low again, I do think this total is too high.

Army is 131st in pace of play this year. They run the ball on 75% of their plays on offense. Army is going up a Troy defense that is ranked #7 in the country in run defense by PFF. Troy is 12th in the nation in yards per carry allowed. I think Army will find it hard to move the football here.

Troy's offensive line is their biggest weakness. They get too many big negative plays and get behind the sticks. 

The weather is an extra help here too. The forecast calls for half an inch or more of rain during the day at West Point. Winds of 10-12 mph are expected as well. There should be even less of a downfield passing attack from these two teams based on the weather.

Expect a lot of running and the clock to keep ticking here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Tennessee Volunteers offense hasn't been nearly as explosive or consistently good this year. Hendon Hooker was a perfect fit for the offense, and to this point Joe Milton really hasn't been. Milton can make a highlight play once in a while, but his passing efficiency numbers are very poor. He hasn't been able to stretch the field, and now without Bru McCoy the wide receivers aren't nearly as good. Tennessee will want to run the football here, but Texas A&M is 6th in YPC allowed.

Tennessee and Texas A&M have both been excellent at getting into the backfield and creating big negative plays with their front seven. I think it will be tough for the offenses to stay ahead of schedule here. The Volunteers defense is much better than it was a couple years ago. Tennessee ranks 10th in the nation in success rate allowed.

The weather should be a bit of a boost here for the under too. A chance of showers (not much rain) and winds of 17 mph with gusts to 28 mph is the average of four forecasts here. Those kinds of winds are the key. It should help keep the play calling a bit more conservative.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Charlotte’s biggest strength as a team is their defensive line. Biff Poggi is a unique guy and he knows defense. I think Charlotte is better suited to slow down the unique option that Navy is running than most teams. I know Navy isn’t just a triple option team now, but let’s be honest they are definitely still an option team.. They have run the ball on 79% of their offensive plays this year. 

Navy is 123rd out of 133 teams in tempo. With all those running plays and the new clock rules, the clock will keep moving a lot when they have the ball. Even if they score it should take a lot of time off the clock.

Charlotte is running the ball on 58% of their offensive plays. I think they want it to be even higher than that, but they have been down big in some games and had to start throwing it more. Charlotte 115th in tempo. 

Conservative play calling from both teams and I don’t see many big plays from either side. A game that likely gets completed in 3 hours or less. I’ll take the under expecting a 21-17 type game. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Eastern Michigan Eagles are 132nd out of 133 teams in the country in offensive explosiveness. Kent State's defense isn't good, but they have been burned by big plays quite a bit. Eastern Michigan hasn't proven capable of getting big gainers consistently even against weaker defenses. 

Eastern Michigan is 125th in tempo, and the Eagles run the ball a lot. They use up a bunch of time on their drives. Austin Smith isn't a good passer and the opposing defenses have started to figure out that Eastern Michigan is a weak downfield passing team.

Kent State's offense is awful. The Golden Flashes are 132nd in the nation in yards per play. Kent State is running the ball on nearly 65% of their plays, but they are 131st in rushing play success rate. Eastern Michigan is 15th in explosiveness allowed. The Eagles aren't likely to give up big plays here.

The long range weather forecast calls for showers and sustained winds during this game. I'm going to go ahead and bet the under as I expect a move down during the week. 

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Oregon State Beavers rank 4th  in yards per carry allowed on the season. Cal's offense is heavily reliant on the running game. Jadyn Ott is a good running back, but the Cal offensive line is 120th at PFF in run blocking grade. I think Cal will find it difficult to get things going on the ground in this one.

Oregon State is 90th in tempo, and the Beavers want to run the football. Cal is 35th in YPC allowed. Oregon State's  passing attack has not been explosive. Musgrave was a big loss for the Oregon State offense. The main guys Oregon State can lean on is Fenwick and Martinez at running back. DJU has been pretty good at QB, but the offense appears designed to play it relatively safe with him in the passing game.

Oregon State's battle with SD State finished with 35 points total. Oregon State and Utah finished with 28 points total.

Cal played a 14-10 game against Auburn. They also just finished with only 4.2 yards per play in a 24-21 win over Arizona State. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Boise State Broncos are going to give both Taylen Green and Maddux Madsen playing time at quarterback in this one. Boise State has put up 42, 34, and 32 points in their last three games. The Broncos have a star running back in Jeanty, and both of the quarterbacks are playing well. Boise State ranks 14th in the nation in rushing play success rate. San Jose State's defense ranks 121st in rushing play success rate allowed. 

San Jose State has a pretty good offense led by Cordeiro at quarterback. The Spartans should have the ability to throw it fairly well against a Boise State secondary that is way down from a year ago. The Spartans put up 6.8 YPP against a solid Air Force defense in their last game. Boise State ranks 129th in the nation in YPP allowed on the season. 

The total has come down a bit here, and I will side with the over. The weather here looks perfect for this contest. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Louisville Cardinals offense has been feast or famine so far this year. Louisville is all about breaking explosive plays. Louisville has broken 22 plays of 30 yards or more on the season. They are 20th in explosiveness on offense this year. Their defenses faced are: GA Tech, Murray State, Indiana, Boston College, NC State. Of those five defenses, not a single one of them is ranked in the top 65 in the country in yards per play allowed. Notre Dame is 10th in yards per play allowed. 

Notre Dame's defense is designed to not give up big plays. The Fighting Irish have allowed only 52 plays of 10 yards ore more in five games. The Notre Dame secondary is the best Louisville has played, and the the Fighting Irish run defense is very strong. Louisville's Jack Plummer has looked bad when under pressure and I think he'll get heat in this one.

Louisville's defense is 20th in success rate allowed this season. The Notre Dame offense is at their best when running the football and taking time off the clock. Notre Dame's wide receivers are the weakness of the team and they are shorthanded right now too.

Notre Dame has been in two low scoring contests in the last two weeks. This one should be higher than those two, but I like to stay lower than this posted total.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Old Dominion Monarchs offense is a completely new system this year under new OC Kevin Decker. Decker's teams at Fordham set all kinds of records for scoring. His innovative sets were constantly applauded by other FCS teams. Decker is doing a nice job with Old Dominion's offense too. 

Old Dominion is flying up and down the field with their new uptempo system. Old Dominion is 11th in tempo in the country (out of 133). Old Dominion just put up 41 points and 8.0 yards per play on a good Marshall defense last week. They have only had one low scoring game this year and that was their game against FCS Texas A&M Commerce. That game was played in very poor weather conditions. 

Southern Miss previously had a very good defense, but the Golden Eagles defense is a clear weakness now. They are 130th out of 133 in the country in yards per play allowed at 6.99. They have managed to give up 17 plays of 30 yards or more already this season. Old Dominion is going to get some explosive plays here.

Southern Miss is better on offense than they have been in recent years. Old Dominion has played a weak schedule of opposing offenses, and I believe the Monarchs defense is still fairly weak.

This one has dropped to a key number here and I'll side with the over.

Take the over. 

*This line has moved up some during the week. I would play this up to 59, but not higher than that. Thanks and good luck* 

*4 Star Play Over* The USF Bulls brought in Alex Golesh in the offseason as their new head coach. In the offseason he said an extremely high priority for the team was pushing the pace to the extreme this year. USF ranks 5th in the nation in tempo so far this year. 

The USF offense wasn't firing on all cylinders right away, but there are great signs the last couple weeks. USF put up 42 points and 8.5 yards per play two weeks ago on Rice. This past weekend they put up 435 yards and 44 points on Navy. They now go against a UAB defense that grades out as worse than Rice or Navy on defense.

UAB is playing very fast under Trent Dilfer too. UAB ranks 13th in the nation in tempo. The Blazers have played two really good defenses the last two weeks in Georgia and Tulane. They put up a solid 21 on Georgia and 23 on Tulane. UAB is throwing the ball on 57% of pass plays, and the USF secondary is a clear weakness.

The pace will be there and I think both teams will put up a big number.

Take the over. 

*This line has moved up some since earlier in the week. I would play this for a 4 star rating up to 69 points and for 3 stars at anything higher than that. Thanks and good luck.* 

*4 Star Play Under* The Ohio Bobcats defense has really impressed me this season. Ohio is 12th in the nation in yards per play allowed. In their last three games against Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, and Bowling Green they have allowed a total of 24 points. Against FAU, the defense gave up no touchdowns. The FAU touchdown was a pick six. Holding a Big 12 team to 7 points is excellent. Bowling Green just went to GA Tech and won too. 

Kent State's offense is 132nd in the nation in yards per play. The Golden Flashes have very little chance of having any true success on offense in this game. Ohio's defense is too good.

The question is- how many points will Ohio score? Ohio's offense is just 121st in yards per play so far this year. I do think they'll have success against Kent State's weak defense in general. However, Ohio has shown a strong tendency to slow the pace and not run up the score when they have a big lead. Ohio has won two games by 17 or more. They haven't scored a single point in the fourth quarter of either of those games. Ohio is 122nd in the nation in tempo. In the Bowling Green game where they had a big lead, they played one of the slowest tempos of any team in a game this season. 

Kent State likely struggles to get to 10. Ohio has bigger fish to fry and I'm not convinced they'll try to run up the score.

The long range forecast shows some winds in the 15 or 20 mph range here too.

Take the under. 

*This one has moved down a bit during the week with the news of the weather being windy. I would play this for 4 stars down to 45, and for 3 stars lower than that. Thanks and good luck.* 

*3 Star Play Over* The North Texas Mean Green have played four games so far this year. The total scores in those four games finished at: 79 points, 75 points, 77 points, and 76 points. 

North Texas is 16th in the nation in tempo. The Mean Green will push the pace all through the season. North Texas is 17th in the nation in explosiveness on offense. North Texas is averaging a nice 6.41 yards per play on offense. They are up against a Navy defense that ranks 118th in the nation in success rate allowed. 

The North Texas defense is arguably the worst in the nation. North Texas allowed 46 points against a brutal FIU offense. They are 127th in the nation in yards per play allowed at 6.75. Navy's offense is 44th in the nation in yards per carry. North Texas is dead last in the nation in yards per carry allowed at 5.88 ypc allowed. The Mean Green are likely to get burned by the option quite a few times here. Navy's Horvath has shown the capability to throw a few decent deep passes the last couple games too.

With the two weak defenses, I have to go over this number.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Texas State Bobcats are a team I circled in the preseason that I wanted to bet a lot of overs on. GJ Kinne has completely changed the way this team plays. They brought in multiple good QB transfers. Texas State is 15th in tempo in the country. They will continually play as fast as possible. The Bobcats are very explosive on offense too. They already have 31 plays of 20 yards or more which is sixth most in the country. 

The Southern Miss defense was good in the past, but they are no longer good. Southern Miss lost star defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong to Florida, and they definitely miss him. The Golden Eagles just gave up 44 points to lowly Arkansas State. Southern Miss is 131st out of 133 teams in the country in explosiveness allowed. I think they'll give up big gainers here.

The Southern Miss offense is 42nd in explosiveness and Texas State's defense is 116th in explosiveness allowed. Southern Miss does have 7 plays of 30 yards or more this year. Their passing game is a bit better than it has been.

This number has been knocked down to a point where I have to bet this one to go over the total.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Miami Redhawks have a really good quarterback in Brett Gabbert. Gabbert is being very aggressive with throwing the ball downfield this year. Gabbert has one of the highest average of depth of targets in the country at 13.2 yards per pass attempt. Gabbert is a good decision maker and he gets rid of the ball pretty quickly. Rashad Amos has been a pretty good running back for the Redhawks this year as well. This team has been able to have more balance so far this year. Miami is 9th in explosiveness on offense, and I think they'll bust several big gainers in this game. 

Kent State is a really bad team. The Golden Flashes defense has already allowed 12 plays of 30 yards or more on the season. The Kent State offense has looked a little better in recent weeks. They are up against a Miami defense that isn't as good as they have been in recent years. The Redhawks are 108th in YPP allowed. I don't think Kent State will score a lot here, but I think they can score enough.

Miami's offense should have their way and this total has dropped to a number far below average in college football. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Boston College Eagles offense is definitely better than I expected with Thomas Castellanos doing a good job making some big plays from the quarterback position. Castellanos can sometimes come up with some miracle plays that are big hitters. Boston College has 16 plays of 20 yards or more in two games in the ACC (FSU and Louisville). 

The Boston College defense is worse than anyone could have expected. They are 127th in yards per play allowed this year. They are 132nd in opposing QBR allowed. They have already allowed 14 plays of 30 yards or more on the season. This secondary is really bad.

Virginia's Anthony Colandrea is quite the experience. He's a youngster who can make some things happen and takes chances. He also is more than capable of throwing a pick six at any point because he tries to throw into spots that just aren't there. The Cavs are 20th in explosiveness on offense, and it is primarily thanks to him going downfield as often as possible. 

The Virginia defense is far worse than a year ago. The Cavs are 128th in success rate allowed on defense. 

Boston College is 13th in tempo on the season. I think this total is a few points too low.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Florida Gators travel to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. This has the makings of a game with very few possessions because of the pace both teams play at this season.

Florida is 128th in tempo and Kentucky is 115th in tempo. Both teams are taking more than 30 seconds between snaps. With the new rules in college football this year, teams like these two are going to be able to eat up quite a bit of clock in each drive. 

Austin Armstrong is a fantastic defensive coordinator. The Florida Gators defense is much improved this year. Florida is second in the nation in success rate allowed. They are creating pressure on the quarterback and Devin Leary isn't particularly mobile. 

Kentucky's defense has been solid for several years in a row. The Wildcats offense looks better on paper than it is because they really haven't been tested by a single good defense yet. 

Last year when these two teams met the two offenses struggled badly. They put up 4.4 and 4.3 yards per play in that game. Florida is definitely better on defense this year, and the Gators are playing slower on offense.

A hard fought low scoring game.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Minnesota Golden Gophers aren't the same team they were a year ago. Minnesota had a top 10 defense in the country last year. Minnesota has only played one good offense so far this year (N Carolina) and yet they are 86th in the nation in yards per play allowed. Minnesota is 128th in third down defense. The Golden Gophers defensive front is far weaker than it has been in recent years.

Louisiana has a good offensive line and a mobile quarterback who can make some big plays. The Ragin' Cajuns are averaging 6.26 ypc on the season. They have scored 31 points or more in each of their games so far this season. The Louisiana defense has allowed 38 points to Buffalo and 38 points to Old Dominion.

I think Minnesota's games are being totaled too low right now based on their past history. This Minnesota team has a new OC who is playing somewhat faster and the Golden Gophers defense is far weaker.

Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Indiana Hoosiers have wisely chosen to play a completely different way this season. Indiana is no longer playing as fast as possible. They are trying to run the football and play at a slower tempo. Tom Allen knows his team needs lower scoring games. Indiana ranks 109th out of 133 teams in the country in pace of play this season.

Akron is 119th in tempo so far this year. They have been behind in every game too, so they have been unwilling to pick up the tempo even when they are playing from behind. Irons has been very bad at quarterback for Akron, and Undercuffler has been getting most of the snaps. He isn't good either. Akron has absolutely no ground game. They are averaging 1.63 yards per carry on the season. The Zips defense has been better than expected. Akron is allowing only 3.09 ypc on the season thus far. 

These two teams are 101st and 126th in explosiveness on offense. With a slow pace and the lack of explosive plays, I think this will be a lower scoring game.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The UConn Huskies were excited about Joe Fagnano starting as their quarterback for this season. He didn't get to play for long before he was injured. Fagnano is now out for the season. Roberson is back as the Huskies signal caller, and we have a lot of history on him. Roberson isn't very good and the team doesn't take many deep shots with him under center. UConn becomes very one dimensional on offense. The Huskies offense has been really weak this year. They are 124th in offensive success rate.

Duke's defense ranks 4th in explosiveness allowed. The Blue Devils are built to not allow big plays. It is hard to imagine UConn putting together long scoring drives against anyone, and Duke is better defensively than most of UConn's opponents.

The UConn Huskies defense is 23rd in explosiveness allowed. Duke is good on offense, but they are run heavy and do play at a slow pace. 

The weather here should be an issue. The average of four forecasts now calls for winds of about 15-18 mph and 1.5 to 2 inches of rain during the day. This should make both teams even more conservative on offense.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The primary reason for this selection is the weather. Through the years college football games that are windy and rainy have been great to under bettors. Of course there can be a wide range of results, but on the whole it is a clear net positive for lower scoring games. Wind is the most important, but adding in rain to the wind makes it that much harder for the offenses. 

The average of four forecasts here calls for winds of about 21 or 22 mph. There should be sustained rain throughout this game as well. There are gusts of 30 or 35 in the forecast too.

In this game, we have a Miami team that ranks 127th in the nation in pace. The Hurricanes have shown they are more than willing to slow the game down and let the clock run with the new rules implemented this year in college football. 

Temple is a very poor rushing team. If they can't have Warner throwing it around this offense just isn't very good at all. 

Both of these defenses have been pretty good this season. They should have an advantage in these conditions.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Boston College defense has been awful this year. The Eagles allowed 7.3 YPP against Holy Cross a couple weeks ago. Last week Florida State put up 31 points on them with Jordan Travis banged up. It was also very windy in last week's contest. 

Boston College is playing very quickly. They rank 25th in the nation in tempo. The Eagles seem to have found a pretty good quarterback option in Castellanos. He has big play ability but can also turn it over. The Eagles putting up 29 points in the wind against FSU last week was a big step forward for the offense.

Louisville's offense should be good with Jeff Brohm leading the way and Plummer at quarterback. The Cardinals are 10th in the nation at 7.44 YPP on offense thus far. Louisville wants to play quickly too. Louisville has quick strike ability in the passing game, and the BC secondary is a major weakness.

The weather report for this one looks good.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Purdue Boilermakers defense has disappointed so far this year. Their secondary isn't very good, and Purdue has been torched by the big play. The Boilermakers have allowed 22 plays of 20 yards or more. They have played Fresno State, Va Tech (terrible offensively), and Syracuse. Wisconsin has the most offensive talent of the teams Purdue has faced this year. 

The Badgers offense hasn't been great this year, but I expect improvement under Longo. Mordecai is an above average quarterback. With two star running backs who are also good pass catchers, Wisconsin has too many weapons for this Purdue defense.

The Wisconsin defense is way down from a year ago. Wisconsin is 88th in success rate allowed so far this year. The Badgers secondary is down the most. Hudson Card and OC Graham Harrell should be able to move the ball and score on this Badgers defense. Wisconsin gave up 455 yards to GA Southern last week. If Davis Brin hadn't thrown all kinds of red zone interceptions, GA Southern would have scored a bunch of points in that one.

These two are 40th and 42nd in tempo in the country. I think this total is a few points too low.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Akron Zips offense is in really bad shape. DJ Irons has played terribly and the team has no rushing attack. Akron just ran for a grand total of 4 yards against Morgan State last weekend! Akron needed a fluke defensive touchdown in the final seconds to win 24-21 over Morgan State last week. The Zips have had 279 and 270 yards of offense against Temple and Morgan State. Now, they go against a good SEC defense. I don't know if Akron can top 10 points here.

Kentucky's offense hasn't been nearly as good as expected so far this year. Devin Leary has struggled and the offense has lacked explosive plays. The Wildcats only put up 28 points against Eastern Kentucky last weekend. 

These two teams both play very slowly. Two bottom 25 tempo teams with the new clock rules and Kentucky should have a large lead they are looking to sit on late in the game here. 

I think this total is a few points too high.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The UAB Blazers are a completely different team this year under Trent Dilfer. He has sped the team up drastically, and they are airing it out a lot on early downs. Overall, UAB has passed on 59% of their offensive plays, which is the 10th highest rate in the nation. UAB's offensive line isn't very good, but the Louisiana pass rush is weak. The Ragin' Cajuns secondary has allowed too many big plays as well. I think Jacob Zeno and company could hit several big plays on them throughout this game. 

Louisiana put up 38 on Northwestern State and 31 points on Old Dominion. The Ragin' Cajuns have veteran quarterbacks and a solid offensive line. Louisiana would have even more points this year were it not for poor red zone offense. They have two turnovers inside the 20 yard line already and have TD's on just 3 of 7 trips into the red zone. That should regress positively over time. The UAB defense was once a big strength, but they just allowed 49 points to GA Southern last week.

This total is a few points lower than I made. Both of these teams are quite a bit different from last year and the oddsmakers often have a hard time adjusting on these teams. 

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Tulane Green Wave were not the same offense without Michael Pratt last week. Pratt has a knee injury and missed their 37-20 loss against Ole Miss. Pratt is still listed as questionable for this coming weekend, but there are signs he would either miss this coming weekend or be playing at far less than 100%. Pratt is key to the team without Tyjae Spears at running back like they had last year. Tulane only averaged 4.2 YPP against Ole Miss last weekend.

Southern Miss was crushed by Florida State, but the Seminoles offense is going to make a lot of defenses look bad this year. Southern Miss is an above average defense. The Golden Eagles offensively are extremely reliant on Frank Gore Jr. in the running game. They simply cannot throw it well enough to keep defenses honest. 

Tulane's defense is led by new DC Shiel Wood who is a defensive mastermind. The front seven on defense has been stuffing the run extremely well for Tulane. I think they'll make Southern Miss throw it on them, and the Golden Eagles likely can't do that. 

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Old Dominion Monarchs got a new offensive coordinator in the offseason. The former Fordham OC had record setting offenses that played lightning fast in FCS. Old Dominion is already moving very quickly so far this season. The Monarchs are 20th in tempo out of 133 teams. Old Dominion is also getting pretty good quarterback play from Wilson, the QB who was formerly at Fordham and is playing in the same offensive system now. The Monarchs put up 38 points against Louisiana last weekend.

Old Dominion's defense is still very weak. They allowed 31 points against Louisiana, and they allowed 36 against a weak Virginia Tech Hokies offense too. 

Wake Forest always prefers to play fast on offense. They have scored 37 and 36 points in their first two games. The Demon Deacons have too much talent at the wide receiver spot for the ODU secondary to handle. 

The Demon Deacons defense gave up 6.7 yards per play against Vanderbilt. 

Two fast paced teams and I believe this one gets past the total.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Auburn Tigers offense is clearly going to be better this year. Peyton Thorne is at least a decent quarterback (not great) and Hugh Freeze is a terrific offensive mind. Auburn has very good running back depth, and the talent in the backfield is excellent.

Cal's offense looks completely different this year. Jake Spavital is the new OC and he has this team running at a very fast tempo. Cal was top 35 in the country in tempo in week one and that is even with them winning 58-21 and slowing things down late in the game. This is a new look offense that will take some shots downfield, but they will also run the ball very well. Cal's Jaydn Ott is a star running back. Auburn allowed more than 5 yards per carry in the SEC last year. They allowed 5.15 ypc last week against UMass in their win. Ott is coming off a game where he averaged 9.4 ypc. He should break some big ones here.

The Cal defense is much weaker on the defensive line than they have been in past years. They generate very little pass rush. They aren't very good at stuffing things in the middle. Auburn's run game should have success here.

Auburn will want to play relatively quickly with Freeze. Cal is going to play fast. The number here has gotten too low. This isn't the same Cal team from the last few years.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Alabama Crimson Tide should play quite a bit differently this year than they did a year ago. They no longer have star quarterback Bryce Young who is now an NFL starter. The Crimson Tide should run the football a lot more than they did in the past. I also expect them to play at a slower pace. A team that runs the ball a lot and plays at a slow pace is a team that could have quite a few less possessions under the new rule with the clock running after first downs other than the last two minutes of the half. I think Alabama is one of those teams.

The Crimson Tide defense is excellent. In fact, I think the Alabama defense will be quite a bit better than a year ago. 

Texas is a really good team overall. I see very few weaknesses on the Longhorns team. I do think they will load up the box and do a solid job limiting explosive runs by Alabama here. Quinn Ewers has still been inaccurate on deeper throws, and the Alabama secondary is a strong unit led by McKinstry. 

I expect both defenses to be well prepared for this huge game in Tuscaloosa. 

I'll take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The MTSU Blue Raiders lost a ton on offense from last year. The Blue Raiders have a new quarterback who isn't very good, and an offensive line that will struggle against quality defensive fronts all season. MTSU was able to gain only 3.5 yards per play against Alabama. I'm not suggesting Missouri has a defense as good as Alabama, but the Tigers are very solid defensively. 

Missouri has some very good run stuffing defensive tackles. The Tigers should be able to do a great job against the MTSU run game. Missouri's offense isn't a big play offense, and they don't play at a very quick tempo. Missouri had only 3 plays of 20 yards or more against FCS team South Dakota in week one. The MTSU defense is good led by a strong defensive line. 

MTSU played at an extremely slow tempo against Alabama even though they were down big the entire game. I expect the Blue Raiders to keep that tempo slow in this one. 

Missouri put up 28 points in the first half against S Dakota, but only scored 7 in the second. The Tigers have been a team that has let up when up big in the second half in the past. 

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Marshall Thundering Herd defense has been excellent the last few seasons, and I expect it to continue to be that way with Huff as their head coach. Marshall has a really good defensive line that is especially good at stuffing the run. East Carolina is without Holton Ahlers who started at QB for four years for the Pirates, and there is a significant drop off to anyone they put under center this season. I expect East Carolina to play it safe with their offensive game plan. 

The single biggest strength of the entire East Carolina team is their run defense. Marshall wants to run the ball with Rasheen Ali, but I expect East Carolina to make it more difficult for them than most teams will be able to. Marshall's Cam Fancher isn't a guy I trust to make big plays. Fancher can scramble a bit, but he doesn't take many shots downfield. He is a dink and dunk type of quarterback. 

The new clock rules should matter more in a game like this where both teams lack big playmakers on offense, and they want to run the football a lot. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The San Jose State Spartans played a quick tempo last week against USC, and they put up 6.0 yards per play. While USC isn't a great defensive team, for the Spartans to put up those kind of numbers and have success offensively even in a neutral game state in the first half was impressive. 

Oregon State's offensive line is one of the best in the nation. Both Fenwick and Martinez are excellent running backs who are going to put up some big numbers this year. San Jose State's defensive line lost a ton of talent from last year. The Spartans are going to be much weaker on defense this season. DJ Uuiagalelei adds a dimension to the Oregon State offense too. Brian Lindgren is a great offensive coordinator and I like him to have a good plan set for this game.

Oregon State's defense lost a lot from the secondary, and Speights is a big loss at linebacker as well. The Beavers are still decent defensively, but there is a clear drop off. 

San Jose State will push pace and hit some big plays here. Oregon State should consistently move the ball and put up a pretty big number here.

Take the over in this one. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Penn State Nittany Lions have a fantastic defense. I think Penn State has the most talented defense in the Big Ten, and that is saying a lot with the talent Michigan and Ohio State have on defense. Penn State has the best secondary in the nation. The Nittany Lions have great linebackers as always, and their defensive line is elite at stopping the run.

West Virginia has a new offensive coordinator in Chad Scott. It has been made clear in the offseason that the goal of this West Virginia new offense is to run the football and play with a much slower tempo. They will be helped in that regard by a pretty good offensive line and the new clock rules which will help them hold onto the football for longer. I am skeptical that they'll be able to score very many points here though against this excellent Nittany Lions defense.

The Penn State offense has a new quarterback in Allar. I think he will be good in time, but the first game it wouldn't surprise me if they are a bit more cautious than normal. Penn State has good running backs and I think they'll run it plenty here. West Virginia's defense is better against the run than against the pass.

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Texas State Bobcats are going to have a whole new look this year. G.J. Kinne is their new head coach this season. He comes over from Incarnate Word where his teams were prolific offensively. Incarnate Word scored 55 points or more in seven of their games last year. Kinne is terrific at working with quarterbacks, and Texas State has an improved quarterback room this year with Hornsby and Finley. 

Kinne has been talking about ever since getting hired how much he wants the team to push the tempo of the game. All of their practices have emphasized playing as fast as they can. I expect them to be moving at a very quick pace here in game one.

Baylor's offense should be too much for a weak Texas State defense. The defensive line and linebackers are both badly outmanned here. Texas State is going to struggle on defense even in the Sun Belt, and Baylor should be able to put up a big number on them in this one. 

The Baylor defense wasn't elite last year, and on paper they are less talented this year. Baylor is weak in the secondary and Texas State will look to go vertical quite a bit this year. I won't be surprised if Texas State hits some big gainers on Baylor here.

This number has been pulled down because of the new rules, but I think the pace will be very quick here and I like the value on this one.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* Both of these teams have new offensive coordinators. Both coordinators are expected to push the pace.

Cal has the same head coach, but Justin Wilcox is on the hot seat and he decided he needed to switch things up and get rid of the antiquated offense. Jake Spavital was brought in to completely change things up on offense. Cal will play much quicker and look to take more shots down the field. The team upgraded at both wide receiver and tight end in the offseason. We don't know who will be the starting quarterback, but I think they have three pretty decent options. 

North Texas got Chandler Rogers to transfer in from UL Monroe. He may start or it could be Jace Ruder or possibly even Stone Earle. The Mean Green have three guys who are capable. Eric Morris was hired as the new head coach this year, and Morris will call the plays here. In the scrimmages this team has played significantly faster and they have thrown the ball much more. 

The Mean Green defense switched to a 3-3-5, but I don't like their secondary. Running a 3-3-5 with a weak secondary can lead to a lot of big plays given up. Cal's defense has good linebackers, but overall they aren't nearly as strong on defense as they were a few years ago.

This one has been bet down below the key number of 56, and I'm going to side with the over. I expect the tempo to stay very quick in this one.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Michigan State Spartans host the Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday night. Michigan State's defense is unique because they are very strong against the run, but terrible in the secondary. That makes this a good matchup for the defense. Central Michigan has one of the worst passing attacks in the country. The Chippewas will want to run it, but I think the Spartans defensive front will be too strong. 

Central Michigan's offense should be one of the worst in the MAC this year, but their defense is above average. They have a lot of veteran in the front seven on defense. Michigan State also has very little passing game, and the Spartans are going to want to run the football a lot.

With the new clock rules- a game between two teams looking to run the football a lot will really move much quicker.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have a very talented offense. Hank Bachmeier transferred in from Boise State, and he gives this team a big upgrade at quarterback. 

Last year, FIU beat LA Tech in double overtime 42-34. LA Tech had a third and fourth string quarterback under center for that game. This time around LA Tech has a very solid quarterback under center. He is also surrounded by very good skill position weapons. Smoke Harris is a star on the outside and on kick returns. The offensive line returns intact and should be improved. FIU's defense is overmatched in this one.

The LA Tech defense allowed 6.12 yards per carry last year. That is just insane. FIU isn't that good offensively, but they do return their quarterback in James. The other thing that helps in a game like this for the over is FIU's willingness to take shots down the field and to go for it on 4th down. That is a clear positive for the over. 

The weather here is interesting. It is going to be very hot and humid on Saturday in Ruston. This game starting at night makes it a bit cooler, but gametime temperature is set to be in the upper 80's with high humidity as well. All trends show that heat has been a clear net positive for more scoring in college football in the last decade.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Tulane Green Wave are led by star running back Tyjae Spears. Spears is averaging 8.9 yards per carry over his last seven games. Tulane's Michael Pratt has a 25/5 touchdown to interception ratio. The Green Wave are far more dynamic on offense than most believe. 

The USC defense has been bad all year. USC is 128th in success rate allowed against the run. The Trojans are 113th against the pass. If they aren't forcing loads of turnovers, they are giving up a bunch of yards and points. 

Tulane's defense has been hurt by the best offenses they have played. They are up against the most talented offense they have played all season here. Tulane's run defense is a particular concern here. USC's offensive line ranks 8th in offensive line yards. Tulane's defense ranks 100th in stuff rate and 118th in havoc. 

Caleb Williams is said to have healed up pretty well during the team's long break between games. USC should be able to put together quick scoring drives against a Tulane defense that is outmanned.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Georgia Bulldogs offense is far better than most give it credit for being. Georgia is 4th in the nation in offensive success rate. The Bulldogs are 7th in yards per play. They have 69 red zone scores in 71 trips into the red zone. In those 71 trips into the red zone, an impressive 48 possessions have ended in a touchdown. 

Ohio State's offense is 9th in the nation in success rate, but they are 2nd in the nation in yards per play. The Buckeyes have 40 plays of 30 yards or more on the season thus far. Ohio State's passing game should do some damage in this game. Georgia is 11th in QBR allowed, but the Bulldogs didn't face many really good passing attacks. LSU put up 505 passing yards on them in the SEC Championship game. The Buckeyes wide receivers are the best in the country, and C.J. Stroud should be able to hit some big gainers here.

Ohio State gave up all kinds of explosive plays against Michigan, and the Buckeyes secondary is vulnerable. Stetson Bennett has improved a lot as a passer, and his ability to keep plays alive with his legs will bother Ohio State here too. Georgia's Brock Bowers is going to have a huge game here.

I think both offenses will have success here.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The NC State Wolfpack defense has been great all year. NC State does have a couple opt outs on defense, but the majority of their star studded defense decided to play here. I think NC State is motivated here, and I expect to see a good performance from this defense.

Maryland's offense was good during the season, but the single biggest strength of the Terrapins was their deep group of talented receivers. Three of their top four receivers opted out of this game. The wide receivers are now unproven and that will make life tougher on Taulia Tagovailoa. The Maryland running game wasn't very good during the season, and NC State has a top ten defense against the run. 

The NC State offense hasn't gotten more than 5.0 YPP in a game since their win over UConn way back at the beginning of the season. They were the worst offense in the ACC. I don't expect them to come out and have a lot of success either. 

This should be a sloppy game throughout. 

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Toledo Rockets have the best defense in the MAC. The MAC is a league where there are loads of high scoring shootouts between a lot of teams who have virtually no defense. Toledo is by far and away the best defensive team in the league.  They rank 12th in yards per play allowed on defense. They are 8th in the nation in success rate allowed. 

Liberty was a solid team defensively for much of the year as well. The Flames are 27th in YPP allowed and 10th in success rate allowed. Liberty's defense played poorly late in the season, but I think the players knew Freeze was out the door and now that he is actually gone it is more likely we see a more motivated Liberty team again.

The two offenses have been very inconsistent. Both offensive lines have given up quite a few tackles for loss. 

The weather in Boca Raton calls for 15 mph winds and gusts of 25-30 mph during this game. The current forecast also calls for an 80% chance of rain during this game. 

I like the under some even with a normal weather setup, but if this weather comes to fruition it is a huge positive for the under.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Louisville Cardinals defense was underrated through the year this year. Louisville finished 40th in YPP allowed. The Cardinals sacked opponents a whopping 42 times on the season. They are an aggressive defense, but they still were a solid 52nd in explosiveness allowed.

Malik Cunningham and Tiyon Evans have both opted out of this game. Cunningham was the guy that made things go for this Cardinals offense. He created big plays out of nothing. Evans was very efficient as well. Tyler Hudson is also not expected to play here.

Louisville is without their head coach from the season as Satterfield goes over to Cincinnati. What a weird spot here in this bowl game.

Cincinnati is also without their coach after Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin. The Bearcats are expected to be without Josh Whyte (TE) and Tre Tucker (WR). Their center also entered the transfer portal. 

Cincinnati's offense didn't end the season playing well. The Bearcats had just 4.9 YPP against Tulane and 5.0 YPP against Temple. 

Fenway Park is the site for this bowl game. The weather here calls for 10-20 mph winds through the game with even a small chance of rain/snow. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* It's Kansas State vs. TCU in the Big 12 Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.

The first game between these two was a wild one. Kansas State led 28-10 before TCU came storming back and won 38-28. At one point in that game, Kansas State was down to their third string QB (and that didn't go well). Will Howard is expected to get the majority of the playing time here. Howard has been playing great. He has 11 TD's and just 1 interception since the first meeting between these two. Howard threw for 225 yards on only 20 pass attempts in the first meeting with TCU.

Kansas State is averaging 40.2 points per game in their last five games overall. The Wildcats have a big play guy in the backfield in Vaughn and he should have a big game here.

On the other side, TCU is loaded and balanced on offense. Max Duggan is in the Heisman Trophy talk because he has been so consistently tremendous. TCU has been without their star wide receiver (Johnston) of late, but he is expected back and at 100% for this game. 

TCU is 9th in the country in yards per play on offense. They are 5th in the nation in explosiveness. 

On a fast track here I think both offenses will have a lot of success, and there should be big gainers coming from both sides. 

This should be a tight game, and overtime is a possibility as well.

Take the over here.