COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRENDS
Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall is editor of The Gold Sheet (Goldsheet.com). He provides the Review-journal with college football tech notes and trends. Follow @ thegoldsheet on Twitter.
■ Clemson (-13½) at Syracuse:
The game will be played almost four years to the day since Clemson’s last loss at Syracuse. The Orange have covered three of the past four meetings, and Clemson hasn’t covered its past six games (0-5 in 2021). Edge: Syracuse.
■ Central Florida at Cincinnati (-21): The Knights are 7-18 against the spread in their past 25 games on the board. Central Florida is 1-1 ATS in the rare underdog role since 2019. The Bearcats are 4-1 ATS this season and 9-3 ATS in their past 12 games on the board. Edge: Cincinnati.
■ Nebraska (-3½) at Minnesota: The Cornhuskers have covered their past six games since a loss to Illinois. Nebraska is 8-2-1 ATS since late 2020. Minnesota is 1-4-1 ATS in its past six home games, but the Golden Gophers have won and covered three of the past four games in the series. Edge: Nebraska.
■ Michigan State (-4½) at Indiana: The Hoosiers won 24-0 last season and have covered the past two meetings. The Spartans are 6-0 straight up and 3-0 ATS on the road. Indiana has failed to cover its past five games against FBS teams. Edge: Michigan State.
■ Auburn at Arkansas (-4): The Razorbacks lost 30-28 to Auburn last season but covered. The Tigers are 4-9 ATS in their past 13 road games. Coach Sam Pittman is 12-4 ATS at Arkansas (5-1 this season). Edge: Arkansas.
■ Brigham Young at Baylor (-6): The Cougars are 16-2 straight up and 11-6-1 ATS since last season. BYU is 5-2 ATS in its past seven road games. Edge: BYU.
■ Purdue at Iowa (-11½): The Boilermakers have failed to cover their past three games and are on a 2-8 spread skid since early 2020. Purdue upset Iowa last season. The Hawkeyes are 10-2 ATS since that Purdue loss. Edge: Iowa.
■ Pittsburgh (-5) at Virginia Tech: The Panthers have covered six of the past seven meetings. Pittsburgh is 9-3 ATS on the road since 2019. The Hokies are on a 6-12 spread skid. Edge: Pittsburgh.
■ Miami at North Carolina (-7½): The Tar Heels have won and covered the past two seasons against Miami, including a 62-26 rout last season. North Carolina is 3-1 straight up and ATS at home this season. The Hurricanes are on a 6-13 spread skid. Edge: North Carolina.
■ Utah State (-7) at UNLV: The Rebels are 0-11 straight up for coach Marcus Arroyo but have covered their past two games. Both covers came on the road. Arroyo is 0-5 ATS at Allegiant Stadium. The Aggies have won and covered the past two meetings. Edge: Utah State.
■ Texas Christian at Oklahoma (-13½): The road team has covered five of the past six meetings. The Horned Frogs are 7-7 ATS in their past 14 games as underdogs but 5-1 ATS in their past six road games. Oklahoma is 1-4 ATS against FBS teams this season. Edge: TCU.
■ Mississippi (-2½) at Tennessee: The Rebels have failed to cover their past two games, and the Volunteers have revved up and destroyed their past two conference foes. Mississippi is 2-3 ATS in its past five conference road games and 1-4 ATS overall in its past five conference games. Edge: Tennessee.
■ Alabama (-17) at Mississippi State: The Crimson Tide haven’t lost to Mississippi State since
2007. Alabama is 5-2 ATS in its past seven conference road games and has covered five of the past six meetings, including the past three. The Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS in conference home games since last season. Edge: Alabama.
■ UCLA at Washington (-2): The Bruins are 6-2 ATS in their past eight conference road games. Jimmy Lake is 2-7 ATS as Washington’s coach. Edge: UCLA.
■ Army at Wisconsin (-14): The Black Knights are 9-6 ATS since last season and have covered their past three games as underdogs. The Badgers are 1-5 ATS in their past six games as home favorites. Edge: Army.
■ Arizona State at Utah (pick): The Sun Devils have won and covered their past three games and have covered four consecutive conference games. The Utes got their first cover last week after failing to cover their first four games this season. Edge: Arizona State.