College football notes and betting trends
The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall provides the Review-journal with college football tech notes and trends from Goldsheet.com:
Friday
■ Oregon at Southern California (-3) (Pac-12 Championship): The Ducks have failed to cover their last three games. USC is 3-0 ATS in its last three games. Edge: Slight to USC.
■ Alabama-birmingham at Marshall (-5) (Conference USA Championship):
UAB was 2-6 against the spread and failed to cover its past five games. Edge:
Slight to Marshall.
■ Ball State vs. Buffalo (-13) (MAC Championship at Detroit): Buffalo was unbeaten straight up and covered four of five games, improving coach Lance Liepold’s spread record to 30-13-3 in the last three-plus seasons. Edge: Buffalo.
Saturday
■ Northwestern vs. Ohio State (-20½) (Big Ten Championship at Indianapolis): Northwestern is 5-1 straight up and ATS this season and
13-3 as a road underdog since 2016. The Buckeyes are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games. Edge: Northwestern.
■ Oklahoma (-5½) vs. Iowa State (Big 12 Championship at Arlington, Texas): Coach Matt Campbell is 2-3 straight up but 5-0 ATS against Oklahoma since arriving at Iowa State in 2016. The
Cyclones are 19-9-1 as underdogs for Campbell. Edge: Iowa State.
■ Clemson (-10½) vs. Notre Dame (ACC Championship at Charlotte, N.C.): A rematch of Notre Dame’s 4034
overtime upset Nov. 7. The Fighting Irish are 4-1 in their last five games as underdogs. Clemson is 11-3-1 ATS in its last 15 games away from home. The Tigers are 4-6 ATS this season. Edge: Slight to Clemson.
■ Tulsa at Cincinnati (-14½) (American Athletic Championship):
Tulsa has won its last six games straight up and is 6-1 ATS this season. The Golden Hurricane are on a 10-3 spread uptick and are 6-1 in their last seven games as underdogs. Tulsa covered last season against Cincinnati. The Bearcats are on an 8-3 spread run since late last season. Edge: Tulsa.
■ Alabama (-17) vs. Florida (SEC Championship at Atlanta): Florida coach Dan Mullen covered four of his last seven meetings against Alabama while at Mississippi State, but didn’t win any of nine meetings against Alabama outright. The Crimson Tide has won and covered its last seven games. Edge: Slight to Alabama.
■ Boise State (-6½) vs. San Jose State (Mountain West Championship
at Sam Boyd Stadium): San Jose State is 5-0 straight up and ATS this season and is on a 14-4-1 spread uptick since late 2018. The Spartans have covered seven straight games as an underdog. Edge: San Jose State.