Another week of College Football is potentially another week to see upsets that are changing the College Football PlayOff situation as we reach the mid-way mark of the regular season.
Last week it was the Alabama Crimson Tide who were knocked from their pedestal and another big Saturday is ready to go.
Florida Gators @ LSU Tigers Pick: It may only be less than two years since the LSU Tigers (3-3) ended the season as National Champions under Head Coach Ed Orgeron, but the 5-5 record in the 2020 season has been followed by a poor start to 2021. The hot seat is warming up considerably underneath Ed Orgeron, who has admitted that he knows full well that the Tigers fans would have been expecting much more from their team than they have seen.
The pressure is on the Head Coach to guide the Tigers out of this difficult time, but injuries have seen them banged up on both sides of the ball and back to back losses to Auburn and Kentucky will have dented the confidence.
No one should disregard the Kentucky Wildcats and the level they are playing at, especially as they remain unbeaten and also beat the Florida Gators (4-2) this season. That defeat likely ends Florida's hopes of returning to the SEC Championship Game with both the Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs looking too strong in this Division, but Dan Mullen will be looking to play spoiler for the Bulldogs later this season and that means putting some momentum behind the performances.
The Gators will get to fully prepare for the Georgia Bulldogs as they have a Bye Week before that game at the end of the month, and that should mean Florida should be fully focused on this game. They are a big road favourite, but the Gators will also be motivated by the upset home defeat to the LSU Tigers in 2020 and I do think Florida can put their hosts under an immense amount of pressure.
Emory Jones has grown at Quarter Back for the Florida Gators having been given the tough task to replace Kyle Trask, while the future may be bright at this position from what we have seen from Anthony Richardson. We may not need to see a lot of the Quarter Back throwing the ball in this game though and that is largely because the Florida Offensive Line has been very strong up front and been able to open up some gaping holes for the team to rush the ball with considerable success.
Sometimes you do have to wonder if they can bully the big Defensive Lines you will face in the SEC, but the Gators have rushed the ball for 5.6 yards per carry in their last three against SEC opponents and that does not include the almost 250 rushing yards produced in the narrow loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. That is encouraging from the Florida side of the ball, but they should also feel confident of imposing themselves on a LSU Defensive Line which has struggled to clamp down on the run all season and who have allowed 6.1 yards per carry and over 200 ground yards on average in their last three games.
Running the ball should open things up for Emory Jones or Anthony Richardson behind Center and the LSU Tigers are going to be without a couple of key Defensive Backs in this game. The Tigers have not been able to stop teams finding balance Offensively and I do think the Florida Gators are going to move the ball with success through much of the four Quarters to be played.
The question then becomes whether the Tigers can do enough when they have the ball to keep this one close and I am not convinced that is going to happen. Kayshon Boutte has nine Touchdown receptions this season, but the injury bug has hurt the Tigers here too with the Wide Receiver expected to miss the remainder of 2021 and that is a huge blow for them.
LSU have not been able to run the ball like they would want to and they are not likely to get a lot of change out of the Florida Defensive Line that has given up 3.2 yards per carry this season. The LSU Offensive Line have only created holes for a little over 83 yards per game on the ground at 2.9 yards per carry, and making the Tigers one-dimensional should give Florida a significant edge on this side of the ball.
Things may have been different for the Tigers if Myles Brennan had not been injured before the season began and the Quarter Back may not return in 2021. Max Johnson did start the upset over Florida and has 17 Touchdown passes with just 4 Interceptions this season, but it is going to be difficult to move the ball with consistency against the Gators without his top Receiver.
The Quarter Back has some solid numbers which suggest he will have some joy, but Max Johnson is likely to be under pressure from the strong Florida pass rush, especially if the Tigers leave him in third and long situations. As the level of competition has ramped up, LSU's Offensive Line have not only struggled in run blocking, but they have given up plenty of Sacks too and the feeling is that the Gators will make those plays which stifle drives.
Make no mistake, this is a huge spread for any team to cover, but especially so for a road favourite in a very tough Conference. I have to respect the fact that the Tigers are rarely set as a double digit underdog against any team other than Alabama, but injuries look to have put a muzzle on this team.
The Gators should be able to run the ball right through LSU and I expect the Defensive unit to step up and force Max Johnson into quick throws to stunt any scoring drives.
You also would be foolish to ignore the fact that Florida have not covered in their last five as the road favourite, while LSU are 10-4 against the spread in their last fourteen as the underdog. However, I do think the Tigers are too short-handed to compete with an improving Florida team and the revenge factor should see the Gators over the edge with a win and a cover in Louisiana.
UCF Knights @ Cincinnati Bearcats Pick: We have yet to see a team outside of the Power 5 Conferences being offered a place in the four team College Football PlayOff, but there is every chance things will change in 2021. After moving up to Number 3 in the latest Rankings, some of the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0) fanbase will believe their team is in control of their own destiny and the bare minimum expectation is that this team will head off and retain the American Athletic Conference Championship won last season.
Teams in the top ten have been falling regularly, but the Bearcats will know there is plenty to work for them to still do if they are going to be invited into the PlayOffs. Any defeat would end their hopes and Head Coach Luke Fickell has been reminding his players that they can not lose focus despite some big wins already in 2021.
Road wins over the Indiana Hoosiers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish would have been much more highly regarded if those two teams had performed to the level many expected, but Cincinnati earned plenty of style points when blowing out the Temple Owls in their opening Conference game in Week 6. The Bearcats biggest chance to impress remaining on the schedule is the potential game between unbeaten teams when they are due to host the SMU Mustangs in November, but Luke Fickell won't be happy if his players are looking too far ahead.
Luke Fickell has been really impressive since taking over as Head Coach here and his Bearcats team are 36-6 since the beginning of the 2018 team. Last season they had an unbeaten regular season before a narrow loss to Georgia in the Bowl Game and now they are big favourites to beat a UCF Knights (3-2) team which is in transition.
The last time a non-Power 5 team had a legitimate claim to a place in the PlayOffs, it was the unbeaten UCF Knights in 2017 and 2018 who were ignored. The school produced a 25-1 record in those two seasons and had won twenty-five games in a row before losing to the LSU Tigers in the Bowl.
Gus Malzahn has left the SEC to take over as Head Coach here in replacement of Josh Heupel who has joined that Conference with the Tennessee Volunteers. Losses to Louisville and Navy will have hurt the momentum, but the Knights did beat the East Carolina Pirates in Week 6 and will at least arrive in Ohio with some belief in being able to cause an upset.
It would have been a hugely challenging task to have success even if the Knights were fully healthy, but Dillon Gabriel has been lost at Quarter Back and that means Mikey Keene and his inexperience playing in a hostile environment. He did not play badly in leading the win over the Pirates in Week 6, but this is a completely different challenge against a Bearcats Defensive unit which has plenty of experience returning and who have been producing at a high level.
You have to believe the game-plan will be to make Keene beat them through the air and the Bearcats have been able to clamp down on the run throughout this season. The Knights Offensive Line have played well, but Cincinnati will believe they can win in the trenches, especially if loading the line and forcing Mikey Keene to have to make reads and go through his progressions at Quarter Back.
The Knights may have some success, but the inexperienced Quarter Back will have to make the plays and I am not sure he will be able to move the ball with consistency against this Cincinnati Secondary. The Bearcats can put a strong pass rush together and keeping the Knights in obvious passing Downs will be key for them to get off the field and give the ball to an Offense which has been looking very productive.
Cincinnati are much more experienced Offensively than their counterparts with the Knights, especially in the Quarter Back room where Desmond Ridder continues to impress. He will be backed up by Jerome Ford at Running Back and the Knights have seen their Defensive Line give up some big plays on the ground as the level of competition has increased, which is only encouraging for the Bearcats who have produced 4.9 yards per carry.
Keeping the team in front of the chains has made Cincinnati dangerous and Desmond Ridder has 12 Touchdown passes with 2 Interceptions thrown. The Offensive Line has protected their Quarter Back effectively and the Knights have not been able to generate a pass rush that is likely to rattle Ridder and that balance could see the Bearcats pull away and put another statement win on the board.
I do think Cincinnati are capable of covering this number and it is interesting to hear Desmond Ridder speak about the blow out defeat the Bearcats had at unbeaten UCF in 2018. In the two strong UCF seasons in 2017 and 2018, they beat Cincinnati by 28 and then 25 points and the fact is that the Bearcats haven't forgotten that and are likely going to earn some revenge for those losses.
It should mean they keep their foot on the gas and even the game coming up in Week 8 at the Navy Midshipmen should not be a major reason to not want to embarrass what has been their main rival in this Conference.
The home team is 5-1 against the spread in their last six in this series, while the Knights have failed to cover in their last four road games and are 2-8 against the spread in their last ten Conference games.
There is no doubting how big this spread is, but the Bearcats are motivated to remind the College Football PlayOff Committee about their aspirations and suitability to be involved in the post-season deciders to find a National Champion. That, coupled with the blow outs suffered in 2017 and 2018 that haven't been forgotten, should see the home team play hard until the very end of this game and I think the Cincinnati Bearcats will have the balance Offensively and the power Defensively to cover the mark set.
Michigan State Spartans @ Indiana Hoosiers Pick: Not many were expecting the kind of improvements we have seen from the Michigan State Spartans (6-0) in 2021, but Head Coach Mel Tucker has clearly got the team working for him in his second season at the helm. Mel Tucker has only overseen seven wins in his first two seasons as a Head Coach, but he is one win away from matching that total this season, although the demands of his team is to not lose focus and continue to improve.
The surprising start coupled with some of the top teams falling means the Spartans are back in the top ten of the Rankings, but the last time they were Ranked as high as this did not end well. That was in 2016 under Mark Dantonio and the Ranking sparked a long losing run, something the Spartans will be looking to avoid with some very tough games coming up.
Michigan State fans will be looking for the team to have their most wins in a single season since 2017 when they secured ten, but the Spartans had been just 16-21 in their last three seasons before this surprising beginning. Three road wins have been secured and the Spartans are 3-0 in the Big Ten East, although they have to make sure they are not overlooking this opponent with the big game with the Michigan Wolverines next on deck.
However, that is coming after a Week 8 Bye and the Spartans are the road favourites to remain unbeaten when they visit the disappointing Indiana Hoosiers (2-3). Tom Allen has led Indiana to eight wins in 2019 and he oversaw a 6-2 record in the shortened 2020 season, while they were expected to challenge the likes of Ohio State in this Division, but instead it is going to be a tough task to reach the six wins needed to make it three Bowl Games in succession.
A vastly experienced Indiana team returned in 2021, but they may be without Michael Penix Jr at Quarter Back. Coming out of a Bye will have given Indiana has much time as they need to get Michael Penix Jr ready, but there will have been a lot of soul searching too after the Hoosiers were blown out by the Penn State Nittany Lions without scoring a point.
If Michael Penix Jr cannot go, it will be Jack Tuttle taking the keys for the Offensive unit and this is a Quarter Back with limited experience at this level. The positive for Jack Tuttle is that he will be throwing into a Michigan State Secondary which has given up some big yardage throughout the season, but the negative is that the Spartans Defensive Line could put all the pressure on the Quarter Back's shoulders.
Teams have had considerable success throwing against the Secondary and that is one of those areas that Mel Tucker would like to see his Spartans team improve if they are going to challenge for the Big East Division. However, Michigan State have been able to clamp down on the run and force teams to become one-dimensional against them and the feeling is that they are going to be able to do the same with Indiana.
The Hoosiers Offensive Line have not been able to get a lot of consistency from their rushing Offense and putting Jack Tuttle behind the chains is going to mean he is dealing with what has been a fierce Michigan State pass rush. That is when the inexperience may really show and it is where the Spartans Defensive unit can make some big plays and give their team every chance of winning this game and covering the spread.
Most Michigan State fans will accept that bigger tests are to come for them, but the games that have been completed has underlined the kind of balance that the Spartans have had Offensively. That is so important to teams who want to go on and win Divisions and it makes it tough to believe this Indiana Defensive unit can slow down the Spartans.
Payton Thorne has been consistent at Quarter Back and the Spartans Offensive Line have opened up big holes for Kenneth Walker to exploit. The latter arrived in a transfer from Wake Forest and had over 1100 rushing yards for the Demon Deacons and put those up at 5.4 yards per carry, and Walker has come in here to produce 913 yards in 2021 at 7.1 yards per clip.
Kenneth Walker has 9 Touchdowns on the ground and he is facing an Indiana Defensive Line which has allowed an average of 4.3 yards per carry in their last three games. I expect the Spartans to impose themselves in the trenches and that will only make that much more comfortable for Payton Thomas who has almost 1600 passing yards that go along with 14 Touchdowns thrown and just 2 Interceptions.
With very little pass rush being produced, the Indiana Secondary have been carved up at times and I do think Payton Thomas can back up Kenneth Walker and give the Spartans the balance to be very difficult to stop when they have the ball. This should give them every chance to cover as the road underdog and earn revenge for an embarrassing 24-0 home loss to the Hoosiers in 2020.
That motivation cannot be ignored even if Indiana have been very successful with rest under Tom Allen's guidance as Head Coach. The Hoosiers have covered in their last four off a Bye Week, and they are 7-3 against the spread in their last ten home games, but they are only 3-10-1 against the spread in their last fourteen as the home underdog.
Add in the fact that Indiana are 0-7 against the spread when facing an opponent who not only have revenge on their minds, but who have won back to back games going into that revenge meeting. At the same time, Michigan State are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine as Conference favourites of less than 6 points with revenge on their side and I do think the Spartans can be picked as the road favourite here.
Michigan State have covered in their last six as the road favourite and they are 4-0-2 against the spread in 2021. The favourite has also improved to 12-4 against the spread in the last sixteen between these rivals for the Old Brass Spittoon with Indiana covering as 7 point road favourites last season.
I think the Bye Week coming up should mean we see the very best of the Spartans and I also believe they are capable of making the big plays on both sides of the ball to remain unbeaten. They can then prepare for the huge game with their big rivals Michigan on Halloween weekend at the end of the month with plenty of confidence in how they are performing.
Texas A&M Aggies @ Missouri Tigers Pick: This might not have been the season the Texas A&M Aggies (4-2) fans would have been hoping for, but the team are well on course for another Bowl appearance under Jimbo Fisher. They would have been hoping to challenge for the SEC West Divisional title, but the Aggies started off poorly in the Conference.
The entire atmosphere around the team will have changed in Week 7 when the Texas A&M Aggies upset the Alabama Crimson Tide at College Station. Even with that win behind them, the Aggies are still an underdog to make the SEC Championship Game, but it will give the team something to build upon as they get set to face a former Big 12 rival in the latest Conference game.
A trip to Columbia is never going to be easy, but the Missouri Tigers (3-3) are just 0-2 in Conference games and were blown out by the Tennessee Volunteers in their first home SEC game. The Tigers have previously won the SEC East since joining this Conference, but they have been beaten by the Kentucky Wildcats and the focus for the team is reaching six wins and making sure they eligible for a Bowl Game in December.
One of the main issues that have troubled the Missouri Tigers has been stopping teams from putting up big points and that has put a lot of pressure on the Offensive side of the ball to keep up on the scoreboard. They have tried to do their best to do that and Tyler Badie is one of the top Running Backs in the nation at this level- he has an ability to not only pound the ball on the ground, but Badie is a real threat catching the ball out of the backfield and his all-purpose yards and Touchdowns scored are impressive.
The Tigers have been pretty good on this side of the ball, but the Offensive Line will have a tough task in imposing themselves on an Aggies Defensive Line which has held teams to 3.9 yards per carry as they have entered Conference play. With the performances of the Tigers Offensive Line, the feeling is that they will have some success, but it won't be consistent and that will mean needing a bit more from Quarter Back Connor Bazelak.
He has played pretty well this season, but Connor Bazelak will want to improve on this Touchdown-Interception ratio which stands at 12-5 so far this season. Connor Bazelak has shown improvement from 2020 and he has been well protected by his Offensive Line, while I do think there are considerable holes in the Aggies Secondary that can be exploited.
Avoiding mistakes will be key for Connor Bazelak in a game that could see both teams move the ball up and down the field with success.
Texas A&M will have bigger expectations on their shoulders after the win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 6, but Jimbo Fisher will be looking for his players to remain focused having already been beaten by Arkansas and Mississippi State in SEC play this season. They will still have backup Quarter Back Zach Calzada leading the Offensive unit having produced his best game of 2021 since coming in for Hayes King.
Zach Calzada had struggled in the first two games started, but he had a strong showing against the Crimson Tide and will be looking to pick up from where he left off. The benefit for the young Quarter Back is that the Aggies Offensive Line should have their way with the Missouri Defensive Line that has struggled to contain the run all season and being in third and manageable spots should see Texas A&M have plenty of success.
Isaiah Spiller might have less than 500 rushing yards and only three Touchdowns, but I think he will have a strong outing in this one. The Aggies are very much expected to be involved in a back and forth with the Missouri Tigers, but this may still be too many points for the home team to be receiving.
The emotional win over the Alabama Crimson Tide will be difficult to replicate for the Aggies and it is hard to see them laying so many points on the road considering the two SEC defeats already suffered. This is more of a selection that is going against the spot for the Aggies, despite the fact that the Missouri Tigers have failed to cover in their last six at home.
This feels like a game that will see both teams have Offensive success and, with that in mind, it is hard to lay more than a Touchdown worth of points with the road team. Missouri have not covered this season, which is a worry, but I think they can score enough points to stay with an Aggies team that may find it tough to back up what is arguably the biggest win they will have this season and especially with the SEC West title likely beyond them anyway.
Kentucky Wildcats @ Georgia Bulldogs Pick: There won't be many who will be surprised to see the Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) at the top of the SEC East, despite the fact they lost their four season grip on the Division in 2020. Now they may be the favourites to win the SEC Championship and represent the Conference in the College Football PlayOff, while a win in Week 7 will put Georgia in a very strong position to win the SEC East before heading into a Bye Week.
Most would have figured the Week 9 game against the Florida Gators would be the biggest obstacle between the Bulldogs and the Divisional title, but the 2021 season has offered up a surprise. That team is the one that will be visiting Athens on Saturday when the Kentucky Wildcats (6-0) arrive with an unbeaten record and the same 4-0 record within the Conference as the Bulldogs.
If they can somehow pick up the upset as a huge road underdog, the Wildcats will be in pole position to win the SEC East and I think Mark Stoops' team would be expected to do enough to win the Division considering what is left on the schedule. Some may feel Kentucky could have built their record on a weak schedule, but the Wildcats will head into Week 7 off the back of consecutive wins over the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers and Mark Stoops needs to be given credit having rejuvenated this school on the Football field having led them to at least seven wins in four straight seasons before the 5-6 record last season.
In saying all that, this is a massive challenge for the Kentucky Wildcats who are facing what many consider to be the best Defensive unit in the SEC and very arguably the best Defensive unit in College Football. The Bulldogs have allowed a total of 33 points in their six games played this season and only 23 points have been given up in their four Conference wins.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Kentucky Wildcats having belief in themselves to challenge those Defensive numbers, but it is a tough match up for them. Much of their success is based on a strong ground game, but the Wildcats are facing a Defensive Line that has been clamping down on the run for fun all season and it is going to be a tall task for Chris Rodriguez Jr to help the Wildcats get much more out of this Defensive Line than any other team has managed.
Will Levis has played well at Quarter Back and has been managing games well, but the problem will be that he will have to do a lot more than he is comfortable with if the Wildcats are struggling to run the ball. The Quarter Back has thrown 11 Touchdown passes, but Will Levis has added 6 Interceptions to that and now will have to be aware of the Georgia Secondary which have been able to make the big plays and turn the ball over.
Nothing we have seen so far this season suggests Kentucky are going to have a lot more Offensive joy than the other opponents that Georgia have played and I do think they are going to have drives stall. Short fields can be produced by the Bulldogs Defensive unit with their ability to force Quarter Backs into pushing too hard and making mistakes, and it is a particular worry for the Kentucky Wildcats that they have scored a total of 3 points in their last two games against the Bulldogs.
It has to be part of the reason the Bulldogs are being asked to cover such a big spread and the question is whether Georgia can produce enough points to do that. The Defensive unit should play their part, while the Bulldogs Offensive Line have been bullying teams up front and helping the team put up some big numbers on the ground.
I have to respect the performance level of the Kentucky Defensive Line, which is talented, but they have been challenged a little more in recent games. The Florida Gators Offensive Line had some success establishing the run and the feeling is that the Georgia Offensive Line is stronger and can get their talented Running Back corps going.
That is the foundation from which Georgia can play their best Offensive Football, even with a potential backup Quarter Back being behind Center. Stetson Bennett is experienced at this level and has played well enough over the last two weeks, but it is a clear drop off from JT Daniels who looks like he may be sidelined at least one more week with a chance to get healthy in the Bye.
Stetson Bennett has not needed to do a lot aside from making sure his Running Backs have gotten the ball in his last two starts, but he did produce 231 passing yards in the win over Auburn in Week 6. Managing the game is key and Bennett has 8 Touchdown passes with 2 Interceptions this season having struggled in his last few starts in 2020, and I expect the Quarter Back to have time in the pocket as long as the Georgia Bulldogs continue to smash teams on the ground.
The Kentucky Secondary has played pretty well and only given up an average of 210 yards per game through the air in their last three. However, they do allow a large completion rate and the feeling is that the Bulldogs can establish the run and not need Stetson Bennett to make too many plays to get their side of the scoreboard moving.
This could be a fun game if the Wildcats are at their best and they have covered in their last two games against the Georgia Bulldogs, although they have lost those games by an average of 16 points per game. The 21 point defeat here two years ago is the closest margin of victory in the last four games between these teams in Athens, but I think this Bulldogs team is capable of doing a little better and covering the decreasing spread.
Mark Stoops is a Head Coach that also needs plenty of respect and he does tend to get the best out of his Kentucky team which means they are a very competitive underdog. However, Georgia have been very good as a favourite under Kirby Smart and the feeling is that the Bulldogs will win in the trenches on both sides of the ball, which ultimately will see their team making the big plays to eventually pull clear of a massive mark.
TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma Sooners Pick: He didn't just enter the season as the Heisman favourite, but many believed Spencer Rattler would be the first Quarter Back taken in the next NFL Draft. Things have not worked out even close to expectation levels and Rattler was benched in Week 6 after the Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) fell into a big hole against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry.
Fans had already begun to tire of some of the Rattler inconsistencies and they have been hoping Lincoln Riley would have turned to Caleb Williams sooner than he has. But now the level of expectation around Caleb Williams will have gone through the roof after the top Quarter Back prospect coming out of High School helped the Sooners rally and remain unbeaten in their late victory over the Longhorns.
Lincoln Riley has yet to state who will be the starting Quarter Back for the Sooners, but at this stage it would be a bigger surprise if Caleb Williams is not the choice of the Head Coach. Being at home will help Williams who will be dealing with a new level of expectation after the strong outing in the win over Texas, while Spencer Rattler has to be wondering what the future will hold for him.
The Sooners will be hosting the TCU Horned Frogs (3-2) who have been inconsistent this season and who will need to avoid a second Big 12 loss if they harbour real ambitions of playing in the Championship Game. Head Coach Gary Patterson has had to deal with injury, but they have snapped a run of back to back defeats in Week 6 and will be looking to carry the momentum over to this game.
His Defensive mindset should help in preparing the Horned Frogs to try and slow down the Oklahoma Sooners Offensive unit, while Gary Patterson will feel he can give Caleb Williams a couple of looks that may confuse him. However, this has not been the kind of Horned Frogs Defense that we have become used to seeing under Patterson and you do have to wonder if they have the confidence to stop the Sooners moving the ball up and down the field.
Caleb Williams is a dual-threat Quarter Back, which will make it that much tougher for the Horned Frogs to contain the Oklahoma Offense, and I do think the Sooners could have one of their more consistent outings. The Offensive Line is likely going to be bully the TCU Defensive Line around, especially as the latter have allowed an average of just shy of 280 yards per game on the ground in their last three games.
Those yards have been picked up at an eye-watering 6.0 yards per carry and there is little doubt that the Oklahoma Sooners will be able to exploit those holes and especially with a Quarter Back like Caleb Williams behind Center. With the Sooners likely operating in third and manageable spots, Williams is likely going to have a strong showing throwing the ball too and I do think the Sooners are going to put up some big points in this game.
The question then becomes whether the TCU Horned Frogs can keep up with their hosts, but that will be much more difficult if both Max Duggen and Zach Evans are unable to suit up. Both are questionable for the game, but at this point you would expect the Horned Frogs to give their starting Quarter Back and starting Running Back all of the time they need to make sure they are ready to go.
Without them you would expect the Sooners to pull away for a pretty comfortable win, but even with both Duggan and Evans in the line up, it won't be easy for the Horned Frogs to have a consistent success Offensively. The Sooners have given up some big points in their last couple of games, but they do look to match up pretty well with what the Horned Frogs are going to want to do in this game.
TCU like to run the ball and use that to open up the passing lanes, but the Oklahoma Sooners have a tough Defensive Line and are more exploitable through the air. The Defensive Line should be able to make enough plays against Zach Evans or his replacement to at least put TCU in a difficult position to sustain drives and that may lead to a good looking win for the Sooners.
I would expect Max Duggan to have some big throws, but the excitement around the Oklahoma Sooners should see the fans make it difficult for TCU to sustain their drives. The Sooners should have too many points for a TCU team who have lost to the SMU Mustangs and Texas Longhorns already this season and three of the last four wins for the Oklahoma Sooners in this series have come by 19 or more points.
The favourite is now 5-1 against the spread in the last six in this series.
The Oklahoma Sooners are 7-3 against the spread in their last ten Big 12 Conference games, while the TCU Horned Frogs are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven road games as the underdog. In what should be a high-scoring game, the Sooners should have the consistency to finish off more drives with Touchdowns than the TCU Horned Frogs and that should see them pull clear for a strong win.
MY PICKS: Florida Gators - 12 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Cincinnati Bearcats - 21 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Michigan State Spartans - 4.5 Points @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Missouri Tigers + 11 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Georgia Bulldogs - 21.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Oklahoma Sooners - 13.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Texas Tech Red Raiders - 18 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet
Mississippi State Bulldogs + 17.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Iowa State Cyclones - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Week 6: 3-3, - 0.27 Units (6 Units Staked, - 4.50% Yield)
Week 5: 5-6, - 1.41 Units (11 Units Staked, - 12.82% Yield)
Week 4: 4-3, + 0.56 Units (7 Units Staked, + 8% Yield)
Week 3: 5-3, + 1.44 Units (8 Units Staked, + 18% Yield)
Week 2: 7-3, + 3.45 Units (10 Units Staked, + 34.50% Yield)
Week 1: 5-6-1, - 1.45 Units (12 Units Staked, - 12.08% Yield)
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