College Football 2011 Week 5 Betting Odds
College Football 2011 Week 5 betting odds can be found at Sportsbook.com here. Below you will find a few betting previews.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (2-1) vs. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (3-1)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Texas A&M -2.5 & 62
Opening Line & Total: A&M -3 & 62
Two teams that could become great rivals in the SEC will square off in the Southwest Classic at Cowboys Stadium as non-conference foes on Saturday, when No. 14 Texas A&M takes on No. 18 Arkansas.
Both teams suffered major setbacks last week as the Aggies blew a 20-3 halftime lead and lost at home to Oklahoma State, while Arkansas got pasted 38-14 in Alabama. A&M allowed OSU’s Brandon Weeden to throw for a school-record 438 yards, and will have its hands full with an excellent Arkansas receiving corps. The Razorbacks have two straight victories over the Aggies, winning easily 47-19 in 2009 and outlasting them 24-17 last year. For the Hogs to win again, they have to nullify Texas A&M’s potent pass rush that leads the nation with 4.7 sacks per game. Razorbacks QB Tyler Wilson has made good decisions all year (7 TD, 3 INT) and will allow his receivers to win this game.
Aggies QB Ryan Tannehill has 297 passing YPG and 6 TD, but threw 3 INT against the Oklahoma State. His talented WR duo of Ryan Swope and Jeff Fuller have combined for 38 catches, 474 yards and four touchdowns. A&M was supposed to have one of the best ground games in the land, but the team ranks 46th in the nation at 171 YPG. Cyrus Gray has 268 yards and four scores, but his 4.2 YPC average is way down from last year’s stellar 5.7 YPC. Christine Michael is gaining 7.1 YPC, but only has 25 carries on the year. Junior LB Sean Porter continues to lead the defense with 3.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL and 23 total tackles in two games.
Arkansas has won 12 straight non-conference games in the regular season. Wilson has played well as Ryan Mallett’s replacement, completing 67% of his passes for 252 YPG. And now he has his full receiving corps healthy with the senior trio of Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright, who combined for 2,260 yards and 17 TD last year. Junior Cobi Hamilton actually leads the team with 271 receiving yards, but only had one catch against Alabama (a 19-yard TD). The running game has been better than expected after the preseason injury to Knile Davis. Ronnie Wingo, Jr. was averaging 75 rushing YPG before the Tide held him to 35 yards on 11 carries last week. Despite forcing only two turnovers (both interceptions) in four games, Arkansas still ranks a respectable 35th in the country in total defense (328 YPG). Junior LB Alonzo Highsmith leads the team with 5.0 TFL and also has 22 total tackles.
AUBURN TIGERS (3-1) at SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (4-0)
Sportsbook.com & Line: South Carolina -10 & 60
Opening Line & Total: S. Carolina -11 & 59.5
Tenth-ranked South Carolina tries to run over defending national champion Auburn when the Tigers visit Columbia on Saturday. The Gamecocks haven’t beaten Auburn since 1933, a stretch of six meetings.
Auburn has surrendered 227 rushing YPG (ninth-most in FBS), while Gamecocks RB Marcus Lattimore is third in the nation with 153 rushing YPG. Auburn scored 91 points in two wins over South Carolina last year, including 56 in the SEC Championship game. But this year is a different story, as the Tigers rank 78th in total offense (374 YPG). Last week, they only scored two offensive touchdowns versus a weak Florida Atlantic defense. Gamecocks embattled QB Stephen Garcia threw 4 INT last week, but will still start on Saturday. Garcia threw for 405 yards and 5 TD in the pair of losses to Auburn last year, and the staff reportedly has all the confidence in the world in his ability to keep his team unbeaten. The Gamecocks are 16-2 SU in their past 18 home games, and they should have no trouble winning by double-digits on Saturday.
Auburn has beaten South Carolina six straight times (4-2 ATS), but the Tigers were favored in all six of those wins. Since 2008, Auburn is 2-6 ATS as a road underdog. QB Barrett Trotter has had some huge shoes to fill as Cam Newton’s replacement, but Trotter has been pretty consistent, completing between 12 and 17 passes every game in 23 to 28 attempts. His completion rate is 62% and he has 783 yards, 8 TD and 3 INT. RB Michael Dyer ran for 301 yards (8.9 YPC) and four touchdowns in consecutive games against Mississippi State and Clemson, but he was held to 68 yards (4.9 YPC) and no scores against FAU. Dyer had 164 yards on 37 carries (4.4 YPG) in the pair of wins over the ‘Cocks last year. In addition to the porous run defense, the Tigers rank 90th against the pass (251 YPG) and 110th in total defense (478 YPG). Part of this is because they only have three total sacks in four games.
Garcia is getting most of the heat for the South Carolina’s sagging offense, and rightfully so with 3 TD and 7 INT (tied for most in nation). But WR Alshon Jeffery, who caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards and 9 TD last year, only has four catches for 69 yards in the past two games against Navy and Vanderbilt. However, this Auburn defense was unable to stop him last year, as Jeffery caught 12 passes for 228 yards and three scores in the two meetings. Freshman WR Damiere Byrd, who will make his collegiate debut Sunday after serving an NCAA suspension, gives Garcia another weapon. With all the stars on the Gamecocks offense, the defense is sometimes overlooked. However, South Carolina ranks 13th in passing defense (161 YPG) and 23rd in total defense (298 YPG) this year. DE Melvin Ingram already has three return touchdowns and freshman DL Jadeveon Clowney has been as good as advertised with four sacks, three forced fumbles and 16 tackles in his first four collegiate games.
CLEMSON TIGERS (4-0) at VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (4-0)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Virginia Tech -7 & 51
Opening Line & Total: VT -7 & 49.5
Tajh Boyd and the No. 13 Clemson offense looks to stay red-hot when it takes on No. 11 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Boyd has 730 passing yards and 7 TD in the past two games, leading his team to 73 combined points against Auburn and Florida State. The Hokies haven’t played a good team yet, but rank among the nation’s top-six teams in rush defense (43 YPG, 2nd), total defense (231 YPG, 4th) and scoring defense (10.0 PPG, 6th). Since 1998, Virginia Tech is 5-0 (SU and ATS) versus Clemson, outscoring the Tigers 174 to 61. Clemson is 3-7 SU in its past 10 road games, and the Hokies rarely lose at home, going 47-7 SU (87%) since 2003. They are also 9-5 ATS as a home favorite in the past three seasons.
Clemson has gained nearly 1,100 yards in its two big wins over Auburn and FSU. Freshman WR Sammy Watkins has been Boyd’s favorite target during these two contests with 14 receptions for 296 yards and 4 TD. Boyd has been money on third downs, as his team converted 23-of-35 (66%) of their third downs in the past two games and 53% (35-of-66) for the season. The defense has been a work in progress, allowing 406 yards per game (90th in nation) and 25.0 PPG (66th among FBS schools). The biggest reason for the deficiency starts with the defensive line, as Clemson has just four total sacks and has the third-fewest Tackles For Loss (3.0 per game) in the entire country.
The Hokies D-Line is the exact opposite, as DEs J.R. Collins and James Gayle combined for 12 tackles and four sacks in Saturday’s 30-10 win at Marshall. The team already has 14 sacks and 32 TFL (tied for 10th in nation), which has led to the gaudy defensive rankings. RB David Wilson is the key to the offense, as his 129 rushing YPG ranks seventh in the nation. QB Logan Thomas had a rough first two games (17-of-39, 240 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT), but has been better in his past two contests, completing 65% of his passes for 521 yards and two scores. However, he has thrown four interceptions in his past three games. Senior WR Danny Coale is adjusting to his new QB nicely, with 14 catches for 235 yards in the past two games.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (4-0) at FLORIDA GATORS (4-0)
Sportsbook.com Line: Alabama -4 & 44.5
Opening Line & Total: ‘Bama -4 & 45
Two of the top dozen teams in the nation clash in a key SEC battle when No. 3 Alabama travels to No. 12 Florida on Saturday night.
Alabama won last year’s meeting 31-6, but was outgained by a Florida squad that committed four turnovers. The Tide rank second in the nation in both scoring defense (8.0 PPG) and total defense (184 YPG), but the Gators are fifth in the nation in yards allowed (232 YPG). The new-look offense under OC Charlie Weis is scoring more than 40 points per game and the Gators actually have more rushing yards (259 YPG) than the Tide (231 YPG) this season. Florida coach Will Muschamp was an assistant under Alabama’s Nick Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins, so he shouldn’t be surprised by what he sees. Although Alabama is 12-2 SU (10-4 ATS) in away games since 2008, this Gators offense could prove too much to handle for the Tide.
Alabama looked great in last week’s 38-14 pounding of Arkansas. QB A.J. McCarron went 15-of-20 for 200 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT. Trent Richardson rushed for 126 yards (7.4 YPC) and added 85 receiving yards, including a 61-yard TD reception.
Richardson is now averaging 141 total YPG, 6.6 yards per carry and has scored nine times. In two career games against Florida, he has carried the ball 21 times for 143 yards (6.8 YPC). Sophomore Eddie Lacy is also running all over opponents this year with 365 rushing yards, 4 TD and a whopping 8.9 yards per carry. The defense was even more impressive last week, limiting a quality Arkansas offense to 226 total yards, including 17 rushing yards on 19 carries. The Razorbacks entered the game averaging 517 yards of offense. The Tide could be short-handed as LB C.J. Mosley suffered an elbow injury last week and will be a game-time decision. Mosley returned an interception for a touchdown against Florida last year.
The Gators ground game has been unreal. They ran for 405 yards against Kentucky, as Jeff Demps gained 157 yards on just 10 carries and Chris Rainey added 105 on 7.0 YPC. Demps now has 320 rushing yards on 9.4 YPC for the season. Rainey leads the team with 411 rushing yards and also leads the Gators in all receiving categories -- 11 catches for 214 yards and two scores. QB John Brantley has played well in the past two weeks, both versus SEC opponents. He is 22-for-37 for 328 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT in wins over Tennessee and Kentucky. Brantley will need to show a big improvement from his performance in last year’s loss to Alabama, when he completed just 16-of-31 passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and two picks.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
