K-State a lovable ‘dog
One of the great underdog stories of the college football season is being authored by Kansas State coach Bill Snyder.
The Wildcats have been underdogs seven times while compiling a 6-1 record against the spread with five outright wins. Nevertheless, bettors are getting another chance to back Snyder in the same role today.
Kansas State is an 8½-point underdog at Texas, and I’ll take the points and also suggest getting a small taste of Snyder’s team on the money line for a plus-270 return.
Wildcats junior quarterback Collin Klein has been nothing short of sensational. He has rushed for 1,009 yards and 24 touchdowns, while passing for 1,504 yards with a 10-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Kansas State (8-2) has thrived on the road, going 3-1 straight up and 4-0 ATS. The loss came to unbeaten Oklahoma State, 52-45. The Wildcats suffered their only home defeat to Oklahoma.
The Longhorns are coming off a 17-5 loss to Missouri in which their offense produced nothing other than a game-opening field goal. That was against a Tigers defense that had allowed 42, 31 and 45 points in the three previous games.
The Wildcats have dominated the Big 12 Conference rivalry with Texas in the past decade. Kansas State cruised to a 39-14 victory as a 3½-point home underdog last year and owns a 6-1 spread record against the Longhorns since 1998.
I’m also bullish on this game to go over 53½ points. In six of the Wildcats’ past seven games, at least 71 combined points were scored.
Three more plays for today (home team in CAPS):
■ Virginia (+17½) over FLORIDA STATE — In his second season in Charlottesville, coach Mike London has Virginia on its way to a bowl for the first time since 2007. The Cavaliers have won five of their past six games and are 4-1 ATS in their past five.
The Seminoles saw their four-game ATS winning streak snapped in last week’s 23-19 victory over Miami. Florida State, in a lookahead spot with rival Florida looming next week, will win, but I like the Cavaliers to cover the inflated number.
■ Vanderbilt (-1) over TENNESSEE — James Franklin has done a fabulous coaching job in his first year at Vanderbilt. He has the Commodores one win from their second bowl bid since 1982. They have covered in five consecutive games, and the reality is Vanderbilt (5-5) could have beaten Georgia, Arkansas and Florida in narrow losses.
Although the Volunteers get back quarterback Tyler Bray this week, I expect Vandy running back Zac Stacy (891 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per carry, nine touchdowns) to lead his team to victory as a short favorite at Neyland Stadium.
■ Southern California (+14½) over OREGON — I love backing quality teams as double-digit underdogs. That’s the case here with USC (8-2), which has one of the nation’s most potent quarterback-receiver combos in Matt Barkley and Robert Woods. Barkley has a 29-to-6 TD-to-interception ratio, and Woods has 92 catches for 1,126 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Ducks are dangerous because they can strike quickly, but give me more than two touchdowns with the Trojans.
Last week: 2-3 against the spread
Season: 26-20-2
Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
