2012 Week 12 College Football Betting Odds
Carrie Stroup here with your 2012 Week 12 College Football betting odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com, where you can receive up to $250 in FREE CASH here.
LSU TIGERS (6-1) at TEXAS A&M AGGIES (5-1)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: LSU -3 (-105) & 52
Opening Line & Total: Tigers -3 (-115) & 52
No. 18 Texas A&M looks for a signature win to the season when it hosts No. 6 LSU on Saturday afternoon.
These schools have met 50 times (LSU leads series 27-20-3 SU), but just once since 1995, a 41-24 Tigers win in the Cotton Bowl. LSU is suffering through a current four-game ATS skid, but was able to outlast South Carolina 23-21 last week, holding the Gamecocks to just 34 rushing yards. The Aggies barely beat sizable underdogs in the past two weeks by two and three points, respectively, to Ole Miss (+12.5 'dog) and Louisiana Tech (+9.5 'dog), but freshman QB Johnny Manziel destroyed the Bulldogs for 576 total yards of offense and 6 TD in the wild 59-57 victory. The Aggies know they won't be scoring a lot of points on Saturday against one of the best teams in the nation, and they are not a team that usually prevails in low-scoring slugfests like this game should turn out to be. The Tigers finally figured out how to run the football last game (258 yards), an area of weakness for the Aggies recently (162 rush YPG in past two weeks). Also, road teams after being beaten by the spread by 21+ points total in their previous three games against an opponent after going over the total by 28+ points total in their previous three games are 55-21 ATS (72.4%) in the past five seasons.
LSU QB Zach Mettenberger has yet to throw a touchdown pass in any of his three SEC games, completing just 49% of his passes for 475 yards (6.2 YPA), 0 TD and 2 INT in conference play. But if his team rushes the football like it did last week against South Carolina (258 yards, 2 TD on 4.9 YPC), Mettenberger won't be needed to attempt a lot of passes. Jeremy Hill was the star against the Gamecocks with 124 rushing yards and both touchdowns, but Kenny Hilliard (415 rush yds, 6 TD), Michael Ford (279 rush yds, 2 TD) and Spencer Ware (240 rush yds) have all proven capable of eating up yards on the ground this season. On the defensive side of the ball, LSU ranks second in the nation in yards allowed (220 YPG) and eight in scoring defense (14.0 PPG). The pass defense has been outstanding (130 YPG, 2nd in FBS), but that has a lot to do with a top-notch pass rush averaging 2.9 sacks per game. DL Sam Montgomery had two sacks in last week's win over South Carolina.
Manziel has been much better than expected in Kevin Sumlin's high-octane passing attack. He ranks second in the country in total yards (393 per game) and usually makes sound decisions, completing 67.4% of his passes for 14 TD and just 3 INT this year, with all three coming in the past two games. Manziel is a dual threat with 676 rushing yards (7.4 YPC) and 10 touchdowns already, but he knows his team can't continue to give the ball up like it has done eight times in the past two weeks. LSU's defense has forced at least two turnovers in five straight games, totaling 16 for the season, so ball protection will be even more vital for A&M on Saturday. As for the Aggies defense, it was lit up by Louisiana Tech last week for 57 points and 615 total yards, including 450 yards and 5 TD through the air. But like LSU, Texas A&M also knows how to pressure the quarterback, racking up 3.2 sacks per game this season (T-11th in FBS).
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (6-1) at FLORIDA GATORS (6-0)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Florida -3.5 & 41
Opening Line & Total: Gators -3 (-115) & 42.5
No. 7 South Carolina may not have its best offensive player when it travels to The Swamp on Saturday to face undefeated No. 2 Florida.
Marcus Lattimore is listed as questionable for Saturday's showdown because of a hip injury, meaning he could miss his second straight game in this rivalry. In 2010, he rushed for 212 yards and 3 TD in a 36-14 upset win at Florida, the first of two straight victories for the Gamecocks in this series. However, the Gators had won 18 of the previous 19 meetings before that surprising loss two years ago. South Carolina was held to 34 rushing yards in last week's 23-21 defeat at LSU, while Florida rushed for 326 yards (177 by QB Jeff Driskel) in last week’s 31-17 victory over Vanderbilt. These clubs rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in FBS in scoring defense despite having both played five SEC games already.
In addition to Lattimore's injury, star DE Jadeveon Clowney has been hampered by a foot injury and several key Gamecocks players have been hit with the flu bug. The Gators have been too sound on both sides of the ball to let this game slip away at home. And history shows that home favorites riding an SU win streak of at least six games are 118-64 ATS (65%) over the past 10 seasons. The pick here is <b>FLORIDA</b> to win and cover. Although Lattimore is the key to the Gamecocks offense, the team still rushed for 215 yards in last year's 17-12 home victory over Florida without him. QB Connor Shaw had 88 of those yards and two touchdowns, but attempted just 12 passes in last year's win. This season, Shaw has been pretty accurate with the football (69.4% completions), and has thrown 2 TD passes in each of the past four games. But he threw a pair of interceptions at LSU last week, his first picks in nearly a month. Several South Carolina players have been sick throughout the week, including WR Bruce Ellington (265 rec. yds, 2 TD), WR Ace Sanders (159 rec. yds, 4 TD), OL Mike Matulis and CB Jimmy Legree, who had a 70-yard interception return last week. Although South Carolina's defense has been outstanding this year, ranking fifth in FBS in scoring defense (12.3 PPG) and 12th in total defense (296 YPG), many of their star players are dealing with injuries. DE Jadeveon Clowney (foot) and DTs Byron Jerideau (ankle) and J.T. Surratt (ankle) are all expected to play on Saturday, but DT Kelcy Quarles (shoulder) is not.
Driskel has thrown only four touchdown passes in six games this year, but he ran all over Vanderbilt last week with 177 yards on just 11 carries (16.1 YPC) with three touchdowns. RB Mike Gillislee ranks second in the SEC with 615 rushing yards and has a team-high 7 TD, but he has been wildly inconsistent all year, going for 148, 83, 115, 56, 146 and finally 67 rushing yards last week. Many of his offensive linemen are dealing with injuries, most notably Matt Patchan (pectoral) who is out indefinitely. Fellow OLs James Wilson (eye), Jonotthan Harrison (arm) and Xavier Nixon (upper body) have been upgraded to probable for Saturday. Although the Gamecocks D-Line is battered, they are still plenty capable of penetrating this Gators offensive line allowing 3.0 sacks per game (2nd-most in SEC). Florida's defense is looking pretty healthy though, as LB Jelani Jenkins (hamstring) will start on Saturday despite missing three out of his past four contests. Florida ranks sixth in the nation in points allowed (12.3 PPG) and 13th in total defense (297 total YPG).
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (6-0) at TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (3-3)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Alabama -20 & 55
Opening Line & Total: Crimson Tide -19.5 & 56
No. 1 Alabama hits the road on Saturday night to face a Tennessee team looking to snap a two-game losing skid.
Tennessee was 10-2 in this series from 1995 to 2006, but Alabama has won five in a row (4-1 ATS). That includes the past two by scores of 41-10 in 2010 and 37-6 last year behind 284 passing yards and 2 total TD from AJ McCarron. The Tide junior is throwing very well this season with 12 TD and 0 INT. Alabama has yet to allow more than 14 points all year and is 3-0 ATS in non-home games. Vols junior QB Tyler Bray has thrown for 288 YPG and 16 TD this year, but his offense has five straight multi-turnover games leading to a 1-4 ATS mark.
McCarron had a big game in last year's 37-6 romp over Tennessee, completing 17-of-26 passes for 284 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Dating to last year, he has gone nine straight games without throwing an interception, spanning 208 pass attempts. RB Eddie Lacy started the season slow (42 rushing YPG in first three games), but he has been running all over people with 365 yards in the past three contests, scoring three times in last week's 42-10 rout at Missouri. Freshman RB T.J. Yeldon also had a huge performance against the Tigers with 144 yards and 2 TD on just 18 carries (8.0 YPC). Defensively, the Tide have just been unbelievable. They lead the nation in scoring defense (7.5 PPG), total defense (181 YPG), passing defense (126 YPG) and rushing defense (55 YPG). They also rank second in the SEC in sacks (6.8 per game) and have forced 3+ turnovers in five of six contests this year. The return game has also been top-notch, most notably 28.4 yards per kickoff return (7th in nation).
Bray did not face the Tide last year, and played sparingly against them in 2010, going 5-for-14 for 39 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT in a 41-10 home loss. Although he has thrown two touchdown passes or more in all six games in 2012, he has also thrown at least one pick in each of the past four contests, totaling 7 INT. If the Vols have any chance in this game, junior RB Rajion Neal (500 rush yds, 5 TD) will have to come up big. He had back-to-back 100-yard efforts versus Akron and Georgia, but was held to 40 yards (on nine carries) in last week's 41-31 loss at Mississippi State. Although Alabama has the nation's best defense, Tennessee has an outstanding offensive line allowing just three sacks all season, which is tied for the fourth-fewest in the nation. Defensively, this Vols team has given up 430 total yards per game, the 2nd-most in the SEC. They have been scorched both in the running game (179 YPG) and in the passing game (251 YPG). Although it failed to force a turnover in last week's loss, Tennessee has racked up at least three takeaways in half of its games in 2012.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
