Iowa (-6 ½) at Iowa State – The Cy-Hawk Trophy is up for grabs in Ames, IA. The Hawks opened as 5 ½ point favorites, and after going up to 7 and back down to the opening number, most books are currently posting 6 ½. Iowa had no trouble disposing of their I-AA opponent last week. Iowa State, on the other hand, had all kinds of trouble. Nonetheless, the classy, underappreciated Cyclones ultimately took care of business. Should be a fun game to keep an eye on.
Alabama (-10) at Penn State – This line has been steady all week. ‘Bama opened at -10, which is where the line currently sits for most sites; I’ve seen a few 9 ½ and 10 ½, but all in all, 10 points is the popular line. The Nittany Lions are looking for revenge after losing 24-3 last year in Tuscaloosa. The Penn State defense should be good enough to keep the home team competitive throughout. Alabama’s defense is even better than Penn State’s, but with questions at quarterback, don’t be too surprised if Joe Pa’s team finds a way to pull off the upset.
South Carolina (-3) at Georgia – Like Penn State/Alabama, this line has similarly stayed steady. The opening number was 2 ½, and while I briefly saw some 3 ½ lines midweek, 3 points is pretty uniform from site to site. The Gamecocks have a load of talent on both sides of the ball, but this won’t be a cakewalk. Last year, when South Carolina won the SEC East, they took care of Georgia at home in a close game. Can the Bulldogs exact revenge? Mark Richt fans sure hope so ….
Texas (-7) vs BYU – Another line that hasn’t budged much. Texas opened at -7, moved to 7 ½, and now has come back to the opening number. The Longhorns managed to wear down Rice last week, while BYU needed 2 fourth quarter touchdowns to squeak by Ole Miss. The Cougars are 2-0 all-time against Texas. This should give college football fans a good idea about what to expect from both teams this year.
Notre Dame (-3) at Michigan – Keeping with the theme, this line hasn’t moved much from the opener, which was Notre Dame -3. The first night game at the Big House promises to be entertaining. Of course Michigan doesn’t want to lose this game, but the Irish come in as the more desperate team. Brady Hoke and company will have their hands full.
USC (-8 ½) vs Utah – The Trojans opened as 10 ½ point favorites against their fellow Pac 12 member, but sharps have pulled that down to 8 ½. I think it’s safe to say the wiseguys were not impressed by last week’s performance against Minnesota. If not for Robert Woods, the Trojan ship would’ve been sunk. Utah was something of a paper tiger last year; this is an important game for public perception.
TCU (-1) at Air Force – The TCU Horned Frogs look to rebound from last week’s loss to Baylor against Air Force in Colorado Springs. Texas Christian has to switch gears from Robert Griffin’s aerial assault to Tim Jefferson’s ground attack. That’s a gigantic step to take in one week, especially for a young defense.
Nebraska (-28) vs. Fresno State – The Huskers host the always-dangerous Fresno State Bulldogs in Lincoln. After opening at -26 ½, the line has slowly moved up to 28 at most sites. Nebraska’s offense looked shaky last week against a I-AA team, but offensive coordinator Tim Beck said they kept a chunk of their offense out of the game. We’ll see how well that worked.
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