Belichick thrives in situations like he has this Sunday
And down the stretch they come. No, we're not
talking horse racing. Instead it's the conclusion of the 2008 College
Football season and with it an exciting finish awaits.
Here is this week's take on some of the big game on taps on the
College and NFL cards this weekend. Remember, Series History reflects
results in head-to-head battles between the two teams. All results are
ATS (Against The Spread) unless noted otherwise.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Penn State at Iowa
Series History: Hawkeyes lost, 27-7, at Happy Valley last year. Iowa
is 6-2 last eight games, including 5-1 as a dog and 4-0 if Lions are
off a win.
Penn State Key Stat: Lions' opponents combined record in lined games is 27-38 this season.
Iowa Key Stat: Hawkeyes are 5-1 as home dogs of 7 or more points.
You Need To Know: Undefeated road favorites from Game Six out are
3-14 when facing an opponent with revenge that allows less than 15 PPG
on the season.
Alabama at LSU
Series History: Tigers won, 41-37, at Tuscaloosa last year. LSU is
5-0 SU the last five games in the series. The visiting team is
visiting has failed ATS only once in the last ten meetings.
Alabama Key Stat: Tide is 1-7 as a road favorite against a winning team of a win of more than 17 points.
LSU Key Stat: Tigers are 7-3 as home dogs of less than 10 points.
You Need To Know: Defending National Champions are 13-4 as dogs versus undefeated opponents.
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Series History: The Red Raiders gained 718 yards in a 49-45 loss at
Stillwater last year, dropping to 0-2-1 the last three meetings n the
series.
Oklahoma State Key Stat: including last year's win in the Independence Bow, the Cowboys are 9-0 in their last nine lined games.
Texas Tech Key Stat: Raiders are 1-6 as favorites off a SU underdog win versus an opponent off a win.
You Need To Know: The last 8 Big 12 teams to have defeated Texas are 0-8 in their next game.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Buffalo at New England
Series History: Pats beat the Bills, 56-10 and 38-7, in both meeting last season and are 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS the last 9 meetings.
Buffalo Key Stat: Bills are 1-7 as division dogs with revenge.
New England Key Stat: Bill Belichick is 10-1 in his career at home against division foes off back-to-back losses.
You Need To Know: Buffalo has not scored more than 17 points in any of the last nine games against New England.
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Series History: Steelers beat the Colts, 21-18, as 9.5-points dogs
at Indianapolis in the last meeting in this series in a 2005 playoff
game. Pittsburgh is 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS the last ten meetings.
Indianapolis Key Stat: Tony Dungy is 14-5 as a dog off a win versus a non-division opponent off a SU and ATS win.
Pittsburgh Key Stat: Mike Tomlin is 2-7 off a win of 14 or more points.
You Need To Know: The Colts have held 3 of their last 4 opponents to season low - or 2nd low - yardage.
New York Giants at Philadelphia
Series History: Giants beat the Eagles twice last season, 16-13 and
16-3, as underdogs in both games. The underdog is 5-0 the last five
games in the series.
New York Key Stat: The Giants are 2-13 in November versus an opponent off a double-digit win.
Philadelphia Key Stat: Andy Reid is 19-8-1 with division revenge.
You Need To Know: New York is 0-5 in Game Nine of the season the last five years.
Other Top Trends for this weekend: Ohio State is 10-0 after facing Penn
State; Michigan State is 18-3 in Last Home Games; UCLA is 11-1 as a
home dog; The favorite is 0-8 in Jacksonville's games this season;
Atlanta is 1-10 off a double-digit ATS win when facing a .500 or
greater opponent.
This Week's Super System Says: PLAY AGAINST any favorite who upset Notre Dame in its last game.
ATS W-L Record Since 1980: 19-4-2