Spread Options: Dr. Saturday's Week 7 picks against the spread
Another sub-.500 week means more money for those of you who keep fading us. Congratulations. Overall record: 24-36
Washington State at Cal (OVER 54), 10:30 p.m. ET FRIDAY: Did you know that Clemson and Syracuse have a higher over/under than this #Pac12AfterDark matchup? Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season. This number speaks to the improvement in both teams’ defenses, though we’re hoping things get weird.
TCU at Kansas State (OVER 51): Noon ET: With quarterback Alex Delton starting for Kansas State, here’s another game that could get weird. It would be very Bill Snyder if he and offensive coordinator Dana Dimel found an offensive system that scared TCU for 3.5 quarters or even pulled the upset outright. TCU’s defense has been good, but Kansas State is dangerous here.
Florida State (-7) at Duke, Noon ET: After losing with Florida State being favored at Wake Forest we haven’t learned our lesson. FSU quarterback James Blackman grew up in the second half against Miami and looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket. That confidence should translate well in a road test.
Michigan (-7) at Indiana, Noon ET: The Wolverines turned the ball over five times in a second-half monsoon vs. Michigan State. This line feels significantly depressed because of that loss to the Spartans and we’re jumping all over it. So, naturally, you should pick Indiana.
Texas Tech at West Virginia (UNDER 75.5), 3:30 p.m. ET: Here’s the test for Texas Tech’s improved defense. The total for Oklahoma State’s win in Lubbock was 75 and we think the Cowboys offense is better than West Virginia’s.
Vanderbilt (+3.5) at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. ET: How far has Vanderbilt fallen in its losses to Alabama and Georgia (along with Florida) to merit being an underdog at a team that lost by more to Alabama than the Commodores did? We’re going with Derek Mason’s team to rebound.
Purdue (+17) at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. ET: Purdue is currently a half-game behind Nebraska for second in the Big Ten West. Every other team outside of those two and Wisconsin has at least two conference losses. Purdue’s improved offense keeps the game within striking distance in Madison, but impressive freshman Jonathan Taylor seals it with a late touchdown run.
Missouri (+30) at Georgia, 7:30 p.m. ET: Missouri is not a good football team. But the Tigers showed signs of life against Kentucky and who knows if they could have taken the lead had officials not screwed up at the end of the game. Georgia wins this game easily, but Mizzou covers late.
UCLA at Arizona (UNDER 77.5), 9 p.m. ET: Arizona hasn’t officially said that QB Khalil Tate will start after his FBS-record rushing performance last week, but given Rich Rodriguez’s comments and, well, those 327 rushing yards it’s probably a safe assumption. But even if UCLA can’t stop Tate, we’re thinking the safe play in the highest total of the weekend is to take the under. Logical analysis hasn’t exactly gotten us very far this year so we might as well start going with hunches.
Boise State at San Diego State (OVER 46), 10:30 p.m. ET: The last time we took a total in a San Diego State game we were wrong. So let’s go with an over this time. This game could be the first in a two-game series if Boise State ends up winning the Mountain West’s Mountain Division and SDSU keeps its grip on the West.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
