NCAA Football Week 6 Top Matchups
After some poor performances in week 5 of the NCAA football season several heavy weights have been dropped from the AP poll rankings including USC, Penn State, and Texas. Some of these upsets may have set you back a little bit on your bankroll, but there is no need to worry, we have some great matchups for week 6 and great picks for each of them.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (-12) @ Kansas State Wildcats
Thursday, Oct 7 – 7:30 PM
These two undefeated teams will face off Thursday night in Manhattan, KS where the Kansas State Wildcats will be looking to leap frog a handful of teams in the rankings. Each comes in with a 4-0 record after a bye week on both sides last week.
The Cornhuskers return to the field after a 17-3 win over South Dakota State, a game in which they did not cover the 41 point spread. With this marginal win the Huskers dropped to 1-2-1 ATS on the season. Kansas State retained their perfect record on the season with a 17-13 win over Central Florida, but also failed to cover the spread which was set at 6 ½ points.
Kansas State RB, Daniel Thomas, has had all the attention in Manhattan. In just 4 games this season he has already rushed for over 600 yards and 6 TD’s. His strength and size make him a difficult opponent to stop and Nebraska will need to be at its best at the front line.
On the opposite side of the field will be the other player in the spotlight – Nebraska’s QB Taylor Martinez. Martinez won the starting position over the returning QB Zac Lee from last season, and has not disappointed. Martinez has thrown for 532 yards and run for another 496. His 10 touchdowns, 2 in the air and 8 on the ground, have Nebraska fans holding out hope for a shot at the BCS championship. With a QB of his abilities, the Wildcats will need to be extremely efficient in their secondary as well as up front – otherwise things could go south very quickly for KS.
Special Notes
Since 2004 Nebraska has won 5 straight games against Kansas State including a 17-3 win last year at home. They are also 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games favored on the road. Kansas State has covered 6 of the last 7 Big 12 games but is just 2-5 ATS when under dogged at home.
WE MEET OR BEAT ANY BONUS BetOnline.com
Michigan State Spartans@ Michigan Wolverines (-4 ½)
Saturday, Oct 9 – 3:30 PM
This in-state rivalry is always a fantastic game to watch, and now, compounded by the fact that both teams are 5-0 and sit adjacent to each other in the rankings at 17 and 18, the game gets that much better.
Denard Robinson is the weapon of choice for Rich Rodriquez’s offense. The sophomore starter has already accumulated over 1900 yards combined passing and rushing with 15 TD’s to go along. So far, no defense has been able to contain the double threat and Michigan State will need to play very tightly to do so.
Michigan State is flying under the radar as a possible Big 10 Champion. However, they don’t have the stats to impress – just 39th in passing and 20th in rushing.
This game could turn into a real shootout as both offenses are very talented. Although the sportsbooks have Michigan as a 4 ½ point favorite there are so many different avenues this game could take it can be very tricky to make an accurate prediction.
Check in with our experts to see what pick they are taking on this game.
USC Trojans @ Stanford Cardinals (-8 ½)
Saturday, Oct 9 – 8:00 PM
Southern California is definitely coming into this game with a chip on their shoulder after being knocked out of the rankings by Washington last week. But Stanford’s talent will be a huge obstacle for USC to get back into the top 25.
Stanford is a solid favorite to win this game being favored by 8 ½ points and according to computer calculations has a 62% chance of winning. Prior to the loss to now #3 ranked Oregon, Stanford was sitting at 9th in AP rankings. QB Andrew Luck has accumulated 1253 yards and 13 TD’s this season to date. Stepfan Taylor has been spectacular as well with 378 yards on the ground and 2 TD’s.
Special Notes
The Trojans are 9-6 SU since 1995 when playing Stanford. However, last year Stanford rolled USC in a 55-21 victory as a 10 ½ point road underdog. This game really come down to who is motivated more as these teams are very familiar with each other and always put on a show.
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