Relax, hit couch and take points with LSU
There have been plenty of reasons to stay up late and party in the past week. Who could blame anyone for going a little too hard during Red Sox World Series games (and the subsequent parade), a Monday night Patriots victory and even Halloween. The work week has been rough. A couch day is needed to recover. Tomorrow is that day. The forecast shows a 90 percent chance of rain, so those leaves are staying in the yard. Grab a blanket and a pizza, and enjoy a day of fantastic college football from noon until well after midnight. The marquee matchup takes place in Baton Rouge, where top-ranked Alabama visits No. 4 LSU in prime time. The undefeated Crimson Tide have not been tested this season and are favored by 14½ points. The Tigers’ only loss was at Florida on Oct. 6, but they bounced back with a 36-16 rout of then-No. 2 Georgia. It’s time to see how good Heisman Trophy favorite Tua Tagovailoa (that’s Tongue-oh-vie-lowah to the lay person) really is. The LSU defense is at a completely different level than anything ’Bama has seen so far, but is it really good enough to stop Tua’s freight train? I’m not sure Tigers QB Joe Burrow is good enough to help LSU pull off the upset, but I do know only two of the 14 meetings between these teams since 2005 have been decided by more than 14 points, and neither of them happened in Baton Rouge. Plus, that extra halfpoint looks enticing. This line is too high because Alabama has been absolutely crushing inferior opponents. LSU will stand up and fight. Take the points. In other games:
TONIGHT
Virginia (-7½) vs. Pittsburgh — I loved Virginia last week. I feel almost the same passion this time for the No. 23 Cavaliers, who are stifling opponents with a balance of efficient offense and runstuffing defense. The Panthers allow 437.5 yards per game and will get trampled in Charlottesville.
TOMORROW
Iowa State (-14½) at Kansas — The Cyclones have been impressive in three straight wins. The Jayhawks made noise last week by beating TCU, but the Horned Frogs have given up. This won’t be the same blowout as last year’s 45-0 mess, but a fourHokies touchdown win is possible for Iowa State. West Virginia at Texas (over 58) — Both teams like to play with tempo. The No. 15 Longhorns probably want to slow the pace a little, as they did in a 28-14 win last year, but they are averaging 35.3 points in the past three weeks and cannot go away from what works. Meanwhile, Will Grier and the No. 12 Mountaineers will feast on Texas’ weak secondary. Georgia (-8½) at Kentucky — This is a great spot to bet the No. 6 Bulldogs, who bounced back from their loss to LSU by crushing Florida and have a defense that can stifle Kentucky running back Benny Snell. The No. 11 Wildcats shouldn’t be 7-1, but they’ve lulled opponents to sleep with the ground game and capitalized on mistakes. Won’t happen this time. Penn State (+10½) at Michigan — That’s just too many points to give the No. 14 Nittany Lions, who have turned around after two straight losses. The No. 5 Wolverines want a rout as revenge for last year’s 42-13 laugher, but they’ll more likely win on a late touchdown and a defensive stop. Virginia Tech (+2) vs. Boston College — The No. 24 Eagles looked great against Miami last week with AJ Dillon back, but they have been terrible on the road against teams you’d think they should beat (Purdue, N.C. State). Hokies QB Ryan Willis will do just enough to win. Northwestern (+9½) vs. Notre Dame — The Wildcats have won four straight and have proven lively underdogs, beating Wisconsin at home and Michigan State on the road. They nearly upset Michigan. The No. 3 Irish are undefeated, but other than Michigan, who’s good on that schedule? Stranger things than an upset here have happened. Texas Tech (+13½) vs. Oklahoma — Both quarterbacks (Kyler Murray, Alan Bowman) can put up points in bunches, and both defenses, especially the No. 7 Sooners, give them up in bunches. The total of 77 seems a little high, but the home underdogs should hang around. Washington State (-10) vs. California — If you’re not too tired from all that couch recovery, stay up late and watch the No. 10 Cougars exact revenge for last year’s 37-3 loss to the Bears. Wazzou quarterback Gardner Minshew doesn’t look like much, but he’s on a tear and will cruise to a fifth straight victory.
Last week: 5-4-1 Season: 34-39-3