Spread Notes

College FB Spread Notes
By Al McMordie

The anticipation was worth the wait. College football is in full swing and, as always, there have already been surprises, upsets, blowouts and thrillers. None was more thrilling than Oregon on Saturday, coming back from the dead in the last minute and a half to stun Oklahoma, 34-33. Several teams have even played consecutive overtime games (Buffalo, Boston College), a betting trend that is going to be interesting to follow. The world of football is as rough and violent as a Clint Eastward western. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from college football’s early season action.

The Good: Nevada, Louisville and Missouri offenses. A lot of folks wondered what Missouri would do without QB Brad Smith, who went to the NFL after four years as the Tigers starting quarterback. Well they are even better! Missouri (3-0) has been impressive, averaging over 223 yards rushing AND passing per game! The key is sophomore QB Chase Daniel. Head coach Gary Pinkel took some criticism last season for throwing Daniel into a few games, but it has already paid dividends. Daniel accounted for 332 yards of total offense in their 34-7 win over Mississippi. He just threw a fourth quarter touchdown to bail out Missouri in a 27-17 win over New Mexico Saturday. The team totaled 396 yards.

Nevada doesn’t get a lot of ink, but Chris Ault’s Pistol offense is unique and effective. The Wolfpack is 2-1 against the spread, losing at Fresno State and Arizona State before an easy win over Colorado State. The offense is balanced and has plenty of experience, led by QB Jeff Rowe. In their win Saturday Rowe completed 19 of 22 passes. By the way, Nevada plays at home this weekend and they are 12-2 SU, 11-2 ATS their last 14 home games.