College Football Week 14 Weekend Preview
State school, or non-state school? That is the question for NCAA sports betting fans this weekend when three state schools battle their in-state rivals.
First on the college football schedule is Florida at Florida State. The Gators are rolling right now, coming off a 70-19 rout of Citadel last week.
Tim Tebow was nearly perfect in the win, completing 9-of-11 pass attempts for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while backup John Brantly looked pretty good too. Brantly came in for Tebow after the game was well in hand and completed 8-of-11 pass attempts for 110 yards and a TD. As good as the Gators’ passing game was, their running game was even better and racked up 394 yards on the ground. Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody led the way, combining for 258 yards and two TDs on only 20 carries.
Florida State kept their slim ACC Atlantic Division hopes alive last week with a 37-3 rout of Maryland as a 2-point favorite on the NCAAF odds. Christian Ponder paced the offense while passing for 143 yards and a TD and also rushing for 81 yards with another TD. The Seminoles’ defense was the real star in the win, holding the Terrapins to 252 yards while collecting six sacks and forcing four turnovers.
Last season the Gators smoked the Seminoles 45-13 as a 14-point favorite to extend their winning streak against Florida State to four games. In Saturday’s matchup the Gators are a 15.5-point favorite on the NCAAF odds.
In the Pac-10 this weekend Oregon and Oregon State clash in the annual Civil War, with the Beavers one win away from a trip to the Rose Bowl. The Beavers are 7-1 against the conference this season and thanks to their upset win over USC they hold the tiebreaker over the 7-1 Trojans.
First, though, they have to beat the Ducks. Both Oregon State and Oregon played their last game against Arizona. The Ducks were off last week and defeated the Wildcats 55-45 as a 6-point favorite two weeks ago. The Beavers met up with Arizona last week and escaped with a 19-17 win despite battling numerous injuries.
Against the Wildcats the Beavers were missing starting quarterback Lyle Moevao, and starting running back Jacquizz Rodgers (who leads the Pac-10 in rushing) was injured in the first quarter and did not return. There’s a good chance Moevao could return this weekend, while Rodgers will likely be a game-time decision.
Last season the Beavers edged the Ducks 38-31 as a 1.5-point underdog. The Beavers are a 3.5-point favorite in Saturday’s game.
Rounding out the in-state battles is a Big 12 clash between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Sooners need a victory and a big performance this weekend to win the Big 12 South and earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Oklahoma did just that last week against Texas Tech when they destroyed the Red Raiders 65-21 as a 7-point favorite. Sam Bradford had a monster game, passing for 304 yards and four touchdowns, while DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined to rush for 231 yards and five touchdowns.
The Cowboys have had two weeks to prepare for the Sooners after defeating Colorado 30-17 two weeks ago. Zac Robinson rebounded from an ugly performance against Texas Tech a week earlier to pass for 217 yards with a TD and rush for 61 yards with another TD. Robinson will likely need to play mistake-free football for the Cowboys to keep up with the Sooners on Saturday.
Oklahoma crushed Oklahoma State 49-17 last season as a 13.5-point favorite. That was the Sooners’ fifth-straight win over the Cowboys and they’re a 7.5-point road favorite in Saturday’s game.
