Editor's Note: Judd Hall has hammered the books this month with a 10-5 record in college football. He's locked and loaded with more winners this week. Don't miss out!
There were a couple of upsets in the Top 10 last weekend in college football with Ohio State and Virginia Tech getting upset. We could have had an even bigger upset had the officials not paved the way for Florida to beat the Razorbacks. It wasn’t a great week for me on the College Handicapping Challenge as I went 2-3. Here’s to bouncing back by taking some road teams to cover this Saturday.
Indiana (+5 ½) at Northwestern
The Hoosiers looked like the same hapless program that we’ve all come to know and love after losing badly to Ohio State and at Virginia. That skid made it look like that tough loss in Ann Arbor was going to derail Indiana this year. But the Hoosiers bounced back with a 27-14 home win over Illinois. And that score doesn’t show how dominant Indy was in this battle…especially through the air with 333 yards passing.
Northwestern has not fared as well as I had hoped this year in losing three of its last five games this season. The Wildcats showed they couldn’t stop the pass this past week by letting Michigan State rack up 281 yards through the air. Of course, that’s what happens when you are a middle of the pack pass defense unit that gives up 227.1 YPG and 12 passing scores this season. Look for the Hoosiers to come away with a win in a shootout.
Final Score: Indiana 36, Northwestern 28
Oregon (-7 ½) at Washington
If you had the Ducks pegged as tops in the Pac-10 after seven weeks of play, then you’re a damn liar. I thought things were just going to go from bad to worse for Oregon after losing at Boise State to start the year, and LeGarrette Blount in the process. The Ducks have definitely proved me wrong by ranking second in scoring offense in the league (32.5 points per game) and third-best scoring defense (16.3 PPG) this season. The Quack Attack should be even stronger with Jeremiah Masoli returning to the lineup this week.
Washington has shown that they can get up for big home games this season. The Huskies pulled off the outright upset against USC earlier this year. Also, they stole a win away from Arizona two weeks back in Seattle. I will grant you that victory over the Wildcats isn’t nearly as big as the other one.
This series has been one-sided for a while with the Ducks going on a 5-0 straight up and against the spread run. Also, Oregon is 2-0 SU and ATS when listed as a road “chalk” after at least 14 days off.
Final Score: Oregon 38, Washington 17
Penn State (-4 ½) at Michigan
The Nittany Lions aren’t showing any hangover effects from the home loss to Iowa a few weeks back as they’ve outscored their last three opponents 107-20. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Penn State has the No. 5 defense in the nation, allowing only 238.9 YPG this season.
I wouldn’t let a 63-6 win for the Wolverines over Delaware State cloud your judgment about this team. Michigan has still lost two straight games against FBS talent. Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson have not fared well against teams with any sort of defense this season. I don’t see them having much luck against PSU’s stopping unit either.
Final Score: Penn State 26, Michigan 14
Navy (-2 ½) vs. Wake Forest
The Midshipmen are the only home squad that I’m backing this week in the Challenge. Navy currently ranks fifth in the nation with 279.0 YPG on the ground this season. The Middies have given a few teams fits this year – just ask Ohio State and Pittsburgh.
Wake Forest has been a tough team to figure out. One minute you think the Demon Deacons are on their way up after scoring 72 points in their last two wins. Then they beat the hell out of you like they did last week with 38-3 loss at Clemson. Something to consider about Wake’s losses is that they’ve allowed at least 170 rushing yards each time. Considering that the Middies are averaging way above means we’ll fade the Deacons.
Final Score: Navy 37, Wake Forest 28
Auburn (+7 ½) at LSU
Auburn started the year with five straight wins thanks to an offense that racked up at least 37 points in four of those triumphs. The Tigers’ attack has gone M.I.A. in two straight losses, scoring 23 and 14 points respectively. I’d say that the defense had more to do with those setbacks. Auburn has allowed 852 yards in its last two games. If you’re giving up those kind of yards, you’re going to be losing.
A lousy defense would be a bad thing against any other team except for LSU. The Bayou Bengals currently rank 91st in the nation with a scoring attack that is averaging 23.0 PPG this season. There is nothing about Les Miles’ team that I like in this spot.
If you need more reason to back Auburn, try that 7 ½-point road pups that are coming off of 5-12 SU and 10-4-3 ATS going back to 1996. So go to your bookie this weekend and say you want to put a dime on the Tigers and just hang up. They love that.
Final Score: LSU 18, Auburn 13
You can reach Judd Hall via e-mail at judd@vegasinsider.com
