College football forecast: Expect points in Purdue-Syracuse game

This is how terribly my college football season has gone:

For most of last week, Penn State was locked in as one of my five picks in this space. At the last minute, for no logical reason, I decided to switch to Miami, which closed as a 27½-point favorite over Southern Mississippi.

The Hurricanes got off to a sluggish start and led only 10-7 at halftime. Late in the fourth quarter, it was Miami 30-7 and all hope of a cover appeared to be lost.

And then, an opening.

Miami was forced to punt after going three-and-out, and Golden Eagles returner Natrone Brooks fumbled the ball with 11 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes recovered at Southern Miss’ 24-yard line.

Rather than taking a knee and shaking hands, Miami coach Mario Cristobal trotted his offense back on the field and ran one more play. There was hope after all.

Starting running back Henry Parrish Jr. got the carry, but he was tackled after a 7-yard gain and the clock expired with the Hurricanes unable to cover. Bummer.

Meanwhile, Penn State blasted Ohio 46-10 and easily covered -27½ for a double karate chop to my fictional bankroll.

But this week, there are no changes at the final hour. I’m sticking with my top five picks, including Purdue-Syracuse over 60.

Purdue is averaging 43.5 points under the controls of quarterback Aidan O’Connell, and the Boilermakers game plan is expected to feature plenty of passes with running back King Doerue (calf) sidelined.

The Orange have shown an improved supporting cast around standout running back Sean Tucker and should be able to move the ball against a Purdue defense that is missing linebacker/safety Jalen Graham.

Here are four more plays for Saturday:

Mississippi-Georgia Tech U63½: The Rebels haven’t announced a starting quarterback, and this team’s identity might revolve around the defense anyway. Ole Miss is allowing 6.5 points per game and has held seven straight opponents to 21 points or fewer, the longest streak among Power Five teams.

Mississippi -16½ over Georgia Tech: See above. Also, Yellow Jackets coach Geoff Collins doesn’t appear to be the right fit in Atlanta and might be the next coach fired if this game turns sideways. He is 10-26 in his fourth season with Georgia Tech.

Oklahoma-Nebraska U66½: The Cornhuskers offense wasn’t the issue under coach Scott Frost, fired after a 1-2 start. But Oklahoma is familiar with Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson from his time at Texas. And the Sooners defense is well ahead of the offense under coach Brent Venables.

North Texas-UNLV under 63½: The Mean Green prefer to control the ball with their running game and chew up clock. They’re facing a UNLV run defense that is allowing 1.9 yards per carry and ranks 13th in the country against the rush. The Rebels aren’t consistent enough through the air to take advantage of North Texas’ suspect pass defense.

Last week: 1-4

Season: 2-8

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.