NCAAF: THURSDAY COLLEGE DOUBLEHEADER
Major conference college action begins tonight with SEC’s Auburn versus Big East’s West Virginia. We also have a preview of New Mexico at Air Force out of the MWC.
When the schedule came out this looked like a great non-conference tilt, but each team has had problems.
Auburn (+3) at West Virginia
In the 12 days each squad has had off, it’s been about rebuilding offensive continuity, with each far down the ladder in total offense in the country. West Virginia is 79th, at 342.2 yards per game and Auburn is far worse at a reprehensible 107th nationally, with a lousy 292.6 YPG.
The oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have noticed, placing a Total of 38 points on this contest. The number is accurate with West Virginia (4-2, 1-4 ATS) averaging 22.2 points a game and Auburn 19.1 PPG, especially considering the Tigers have a grand total of 16 points on the road this year.
West Virginia is a three point home favorite and is 13-4 ATS versus offensive teams averaging 4.5 yards or less a play. The Mountaineers expects to get quarterback Pat White back from a concussion and they still control their own destiny for a BCS bowl game. Any win against the SEC is good news for the Big East, thus adding incentive.
Blog rumors are surfacing that Tommy Tuberville is on the hot seat and another sorry offensive effort turns up the heat even more. The Auburn defense is still up to their usual standards, allowing just 13.1 PPG. About the only other positive aspect Auburn (4-3, 1-6 ATS) can come with is an 8-1 ATS mark before playing Ole Miss. ESPN will have this 7:45 pm ET contest, with the Tigers 6-2 ATS as road dogs in this first ever meeting.
Thursday Night Football Prediction: West Virginia covers
New Mexico (+5) at Air Force
It’s that time of the season, when New Mexico (4-4, 5-3 ATS) always seems to come together as a team and play its best football.
New Mexico is as rested as it has been all season, thanks to last weekend’s 70-7 demolishment of San Diego State. The game was over by halftime, with the Lobos leading 49-0, allowing coach Rocky Long to rest his starters for the majority of the second half.
They’ll go into tonight extremely healthy, a rarity for them. The flip side is their 0-7 ATS mark after leading in their previous game by 24 or more points at the half.
Air Force’s (5-2, 4-2 ATS) situation was quite different from their opponent’s. Down 28-20 at UNLV, the Falcons needed a touchdown and a field goal to escape Sin City 29-28.
Air Force practiced for an hour on Sunday, 80 minutes on Monday and an hour on Tuesday, and none of the workouts were in full pads as coach Troy Calhoun tried to walk the line between giving his players plenty of rest and making sure they were prepared. All this strict preparation has not always paid off in the past with the Flyboys 3-9 straight up on Thursday’s.
The Air Force is a five-point favorite with a total of 45.5. The running game is churning out 300 yards a game (3rd in the nation) and they are 10-2 ATS against MWC opponents over the last two seasons.
New Mexico is 12-4 ATS in road games after two or more consecutive ATS wins. The Lobos are 1-5 and 2-4 ATS at Colorado Springs and have lost four in a row straight up and ATS to the Air Force. The ever popular CBS-CSTV has this MWC matchup at 8 pm ET.
Thursday Night Football Prediction: New Mexico covers
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