s--k
Goodbye to Romance College Football
Saturday considerations:
Duke +351
Devils snapped 6 game losing streak with impressive win over GT. Now Duke can salvage the season with a 6th win here and bowl trip. D hasn't been the big problem in their losing streak, it has been the O. QB Jones is running alot again, something I am happy to see. Last 3 games avg 17 att netting 59 ypg avg. He was avg only 6 att per game the previou 3 weeks prior to the current stretch. Not sure if Cut or him were trying to showcase the arm or the passing game more, but he is a dual threat and needs to be used as such. So that is back. He is also completing 67% the last 2 weeks off the bye after going through a really rough patch. Duke is actually probably better running it and WF ranks 12th ACC in run D...giving up 800y to GT and ND will do that to you. But even vs more conventional run Os, they have allowed 176 ypg (4.35) in their other ACC games and the trend is down the last several games after more respectable D games earlier this season. WF has allowed 562 ypg the last 2 weeks and were outgained 502-334 in the win vs NCSt. WF's two best players on D have missed or not been 100%. DE Ejiofor was listed as starter last week, but DNP. He is listed as starter again this week with no update on his status. S Jessie Bates did play last week, but is not fully healthy.
North Carolina +534
Depending on your BC number, NCSt is 0-2 ats since losing to Clemson. Pack has a history of having to respond after heart breaking loses and they will have to do it again as last week was a tough one with the would-be winning TD fumbled through the EZ with under 2m left, then they get the ball back and throw INT in EZ. NCSt still good team, but feel like some wind has come out of their sails following the ND-Clemson losses. UNC may be playing their best football of the season right now, played well enough to nearly beat Miami, upset a mediocre Pitt team on the road and got to beat up on a Western Carolina team last week. Things are going to speed up this week for the Elliot led O, he's 38-59-475-6-0 in his 2 starts. NCSt won last year in an upset and in fact, NCSt has not been favored in this series since 2007 and this is the biggest point spread since 2003! In those last 14 their have been 9 upsets. The avg margin of victory in those last 14 games is 11 pts, 8 of which were 1 score games...and 0 of those last 14 had the favorite winning large enough to cover this spread. The two largest margins of victory over this span were 28 and 31 pts, both by the underdog!
South Carolina +410
Carolina is having their best season since they won 11 games 3 straight years 2011-2013. SC had won 5 straight, but Clemson has now won 3 straight (2 blowouts and an unexpected close game). This SC team may not always be getting the results the box scores have implied they should, but they have found a way to make timely plays, key stops and turnovers with regularity. SC has been competitive in just about all their games this year. It might sound like a stretch to say SC was competitive vs UGA, and that's true, Georgia was always in control of the game, but a couple plays here or there and they are in that game (or a couple plays the other way and they don't even cover). Still, SC finds a way to stay in games with their three loses being just by 10, 7 and 14. Clemson has won their IA games since the Syracuse loss by just 12.6 ppg (only cover was in the waning seconds vs FSU). Going back to that Syracuse game, everyone likes to focus on the Bryant injury and then being knocked out, but Syracuse did rack up 440 yards on them. The only other competent O that Clemson has faced since then is NCSt who outgained them 491-415 in Raleigh. SC probably not as well equipped as NCSt, but I think they are pretty damn close and certainly as good or better than Syracuse and much much better suited to compete than 2016. Clemson O is avg a full TD less vs their IA teams at this point last year compared to now. Clemson shows some chinks in the armor I think and as a home dog in a rivalry game with some tools, this should be a close game and upset could be in play. SC has pulled 4 upsets this year and is 6-0 ATS as a dog.
Duke +351
Devils snapped 6 game losing streak with impressive win over GT. Now Duke can salvage the season with a 6th win here and bowl trip. D hasn't been the big problem in their losing streak, it has been the O. QB Jones is running alot again, something I am happy to see. Last 3 games avg 17 att netting 59 ypg avg. He was avg only 6 att per game the previou 3 weeks prior to the current stretch. Not sure if Cut or him were trying to showcase the arm or the passing game more, but he is a dual threat and needs to be used as such. So that is back. He is also completing 67% the last 2 weeks off the bye after going through a really rough patch. Duke is actually probably better running it and WF ranks 12th ACC in run D...giving up 800y to GT and ND will do that to you. But even vs more conventional run Os, they have allowed 176 ypg (4.35) in their other ACC games and the trend is down the last several games after more respectable D games earlier this season. WF has allowed 562 ypg the last 2 weeks and were outgained 502-334 in the win vs NCSt. WF's two best players on D have missed or not been 100%. DE Ejiofor was listed as starter last week, but DNP. He is listed as starter again this week with no update on his status. S Jessie Bates did play last week, but is not fully healthy.
North Carolina +534
Depending on your BC number, NCSt is 0-2 ats since losing to Clemson. Pack has a history of having to respond after heart breaking loses and they will have to do it again as last week was a tough one with the would-be winning TD fumbled through the EZ with under 2m left, then they get the ball back and throw INT in EZ. NCSt still good team, but feel like some wind has come out of their sails following the ND-Clemson losses. UNC may be playing their best football of the season right now, played well enough to nearly beat Miami, upset a mediocre Pitt team on the road and got to beat up on a Western Carolina team last week. Things are going to speed up this week for the Elliot led O, he's 38-59-475-6-0 in his 2 starts. NCSt won last year in an upset and in fact, NCSt has not been favored in this series since 2007 and this is the biggest point spread since 2003! In those last 14 their have been 9 upsets. The avg margin of victory in those last 14 games is 11 pts, 8 of which were 1 score games...and 0 of those last 14 had the favorite winning large enough to cover this spread. The two largest margins of victory over this span were 28 and 31 pts, both by the underdog!
South Carolina +410
Carolina is having their best season since they won 11 games 3 straight years 2011-2013. SC had won 5 straight, but Clemson has now won 3 straight (2 blowouts and an unexpected close game). This SC team may not always be getting the results the box scores have implied they should, but they have found a way to make timely plays, key stops and turnovers with regularity. SC has been competitive in just about all their games this year. It might sound like a stretch to say SC was competitive vs UGA, and that's true, Georgia was always in control of the game, but a couple plays here or there and they are in that game (or a couple plays the other way and they don't even cover). Still, SC finds a way to stay in games with their three loses being just by 10, 7 and 14. Clemson has won their IA games since the Syracuse loss by just 12.6 ppg (only cover was in the waning seconds vs FSU). Going back to that Syracuse game, everyone likes to focus on the Bryant injury and then being knocked out, but Syracuse did rack up 440 yards on them. The only other competent O that Clemson has faced since then is NCSt who outgained them 491-415 in Raleigh. SC probably not as well equipped as NCSt, but I think they are pretty damn close and certainly as good or better than Syracuse and much much better suited to compete than 2016. Clemson O is avg a full TD less vs their IA teams at this point last year compared to now. Clemson shows some chinks in the armor I think and as a home dog in a rivalry game with some tools, this should be a close game and upset could be in play. SC has pulled 4 upsets this year and is 6-0 ATS as a dog.