By Marc Lawrence
It's Halloween weekend and with it the potential of upsets galore on the College Football card. Which teams will be tricking and which teams will be treating? Answers to these questions follow below.
Here are the teams currently ranked in the Top 25 of the current USA Today/Coaches Poll. Listed below as stats, fact and trends surrounding this week's football card. Home team in CAPS. All results are ATS - Against The Spread - unless noted otherwise...
Thursday, October 29th
North Carolina at (14) VIRGINIA TECH
Tar Heels: 5-1 Game Eight... 4-1 aft Fla St... 0-3 A off 3+ HG... 1-4 w/ conf rev
Hokies: SERIES: 3-1 L4... 14-3 SU and ATS reg sea Thursdays (7-0 DD favs)... 4-1 H w/ rest... Beamer: 15-4-1 home off a loss vs. greater than .500 opp... Hokies 0-2 SU this season in Atlanta but 5-0 SU elsewhere this season... lined opp W-L record this season: 33-13
Friday, October 30th
(20) West Virginia at SOUTH FLORIDA
Mountaineers: 0-3 after Connecticut... 1-5 weekdays
Bulls: SERIES: 3-0 L3... 3-1-1 after Pittsburgh... 53-13 SU last 66 home games 5-2 HF / HD 3 < pts... 0-6 weekdays... 0-3 Game Eight
Saturday, October 31st
(1) Florida vs. Georgia
Gators: 4-0-1 aft Miss St... 9-1 A/N vs conf rev... 8-1 as conf favs 20 < pts... have held all six line opp to season low - or 2nd low - yards this season
Bulldogs: SERIES: Dog 5-2-1... 5-1 dogs w/ conf rev... Richt: 5-0 dog 7 or more points / 5-0 dog or fav less than 3 points with rest... playing with revenge from worst loss ever last season
(3) Texas at (13) OKLAHOMA STATE
Longhorns: SERIES: 3-1-1 L5 A... 3-1 after Missouri... 6-2 in 2nd of BB RG... 0-4 Game Eight... 1-6-1 as conf RF's 10 < pts... Brown: 0-8 ATS RF vs .800 opp
Cowboys: 6-0 w/revenge vs 1000 opp... 5-0 H in between RG... 8-1 Game Eight... 1-4-1 after Baylor... 2-6-1 as HD's 10 < pts
(4) Southern Cal at (12) OREGON
Trojans: SERIES: 5-1 L6... 5-0 after Oregon St... *7-1 RF's 8
Ducks: 7-0 H after Wash... 6-2 conf HD's 20 < Pts... 5-2 dogs w/ conf rev... 0-3 H off BB RG... 4-0 atop PAC 10 with 3-1 USC breathing down their backs
San Jose State at (5) BOISE STATE
Spartans: 3-0 Game Seven... 3-1 after Fresno St... 1-4 A w/ conf rev... 1-4 dogs 24 > pts... 2-7 A w/ rest... Tomey: 2-6 as dog of 25 or more points... Spartans lined opp are 25-10 this season
Broncos: SERIES: 3-1 L4 H... 9-1 H off BB RG... 7-1 Game Eight... 5-1-1 as conf favs 24 > pts... 3-1 before LA Tech... 37-0 SU and 28-8-1 home vs. con, but just 6-4-1 ATS when laying 28 or more points
Unlv at (6) TCU
Runnin' Rebels: 0-3 conf dogs 24 > pts... 1-8 in 2nd of BB RG... 1-6 before Colorado St... 1-4 after New Mexico
Horned Frogs: SERIES: 5-1 L6... 8-0 H vs conf rev... 3-1 after BYU... 2-6 H Game Eight... 2-6 favs 27 > pts
(7) Cincinnati at SYRACUSE
Bearcats: SERIES 3-1 / 3-1 L4 A... 5-1 A vs conf rev... 4-1 after Louisville... 1-6 conf RF's 20 < pts... 2-8 favs vs < .500 conf opp
Orange: 15-5 SU and 17-3 ATS at home off a home win of eight or more points... 5-1 before Pittsburgh... 6-2 vs conf off SU non-conf win... 6th straight HG - only 2nd team since 1980 to enjoy this much home cooking
Indiana at (8) IOWA
Hoosiers: 1-7 Game Nine... 1-5 in 2nd of BB RG... 1-4 after N'Western... 2-8 A w/ conf rev... blew 28-3 lead at Northwestern last week... need 2 wins in final 4 games to gain bowl eligibility
Hawkeyes: SERIES: 5-2 L7 / lost here in 2007 as 10-point HF's... 6-0 after Mich St... 14-2 H off BB RG... 4-1 vs conf rev... *2-7 favs 16 > pts
Tulane at (9) LSU
Green Wave: SERIES: Visitor 8-3... 4-1 dogs 27 > pts... 3-1 after S Miss... 1-4 in 2nd of BB RG... 1-3 bef Texas El Paso... 37 straight losses to ranked opp
Tigers: 4-1-1 aft Auburn... 11-3 non-conf favs 24 > Pts... 1-5-1 vs non-conf rev... 1-5-1 before Alabama... 1-4 Game Eight... in middle of Auburn/Alabama sandwich
(10) Penn State at NORTHWESTERN
Nittany Lions: 3-0-1 conf RF's 9 > pts... 10-3 Game Nine... 7-3 after Michigan... 1-4 in 2nd of BB RG... in bad spot off Michigan w/Ohio State up next (3-7 favs before Buckeyes)
Wildcats: SERIES: 4-1 L5 H... 5-0 dogs in 2nd of BB HG... 4-1 Game Nine... 3-1 after Indiana... 2-9 as DD HD's off SU win... rallied from 28-3 deficit to beat Indiana last week
(11) Georgia Tech at VANDERBILT
Yellow Jackets: 5-0 after Virginia... 4-1 A vs SEC... Johnson: 16-3 away vs opp off loss, including 15-0 as a dog or favorite of less than 11 points... 4-1 in 2nd of BB RG
Commodores: 5-1 after S Carolina... 8-2 dogs vs ACC... 1-4 as DD HD's... 2-6 H in between away games
New Mexico State at (15) OHIO STATE
Aggies: 2-0 dogs more than 32 points
Buckeyes: 16-0 SU and 11-5 ATS before PSU - but only 1-3 ATS as a favorite of more than 21 points
Southern Miss at (16) HOUSTON
Eagles: 4-0 conf dogs 8 > pts... 3-0 Game Nine... 4-1 after Toledo... 7-3 A off BB HG... Eagles with over 100 yards the better defense
Cougars: SERIES: 3-1 L4 / 4-1 L5 H... 3-1 before Tulsa... 0-4-1 after SMU... *1-7 conf favs 14 < pts... 1-3 Game Eight... failed to gain 500 yards for time time this season last week vs SMU
(18) Miami Fla at WAKE FOREST
Hurricanes: SERIES: 3-0 L3... 2-0 after Clemson... 1-4 favs Game Eight... 1-4 conf RF's 4 > pts... 2-7 vs conf rev... Shannon: 3-11 con fav
Demon Deacons: 9-1-1 Game Nine... 6-1 conf HD's 2 > pts... 5-1 bef Ga Tech
Wyoming at (19) UTAH
Cowboys: 1-3 SU and ATS off shutout loss... lost last two games to Utes by 90-7 count
Utes: 9-1 L10 double-digit con favs... OT winners at home in conference games are 62-47-1 ATS next
(21) South Carolina at TENNESSEE
Gamecocks: SERIES: 5-1 L6 A... 6-2 vs conf rev... 6-2 after Vandy... 6-2 conf RD's 6 < pts
Volunteers: 8-2 in 1st of BB HG... 7-3 vs conf before non-conf HG... 3-1 before Memphis... 0-5 as HF's w/ conf rev... SEC HF's 9-19 after Alabama
(22) Ole Miss at AUBURN
Rebels: SERIES: 4-17 SU (favored three times - lost twice SU)... 3-9 L12 as road chalk
Tigers: 4-2 L6 as HD... 0-3 SU, ATS and ITS L3G after 5-0 ... low scoring series has seen these two average 26 total PPG last four meetings
Kansas State at (23) OKLAHOMA
Wildcats: SERIES: 7-1 L8 A... 1-3 Game Nine... 2-6 A w/ conf rev... 4-14 conf RD's 4 > pts off BB HG
Sooners: 1-5 conf HF's 22 > pts... 1-4 after RG vs Kansas... 2-8 H Game Eight... held all 7 opponents to season low - or 2nd low - yards this season
(25) Notre Dame vs. Washington State
Fighting Irish: 8-19 L27 as favs of -20 or more points... last six Irish games this season decided by seven or fewer points... game in San Antonio
Cougars: 3-0 non-con dogs of 20 or more... 3-1 this season as dogs of 20 or more
Other ranked teams:
(2) Alabama, (17) Pittsburgh
and
(24) Arizonaoff this week.
Don't miss this weekends Pregame Pros picks from Marc