Doc's Big 10 update and trends for this week

[Dr. Jack]

Historical Trends for Saturday September 14th Get a 205 of this years historical trends in Doc’s 110-page complete season Football Journal www.freefootballschedules.com


GEORGIA TECH - CLEMSON This could be as close as you get to a sure thing for the dog has been the pointspread winner 13 straight times and in 20 of the last 25 meetings.

DUKE - NORTHWESTERN The Blue Devils have been bad against the points in this series, covering just 2 of the past 8.

GEORGIA - SOUTH CAROLINA The Bulldogs are a lowly 2﷓6 against the number on their last 6 trips to South Carolina.

FLORIDA ST. - MARYLAND The Seminoles have always won this game and they've covered 7 of the past 10 in the process.

WAKE FOREST - NORTH CAROLINA ST. Until recently, the Deacons had been a door mat in series for decades. Lately however, they have covered 4 of the last 5 contests.

MICHIGAN - NOTRE DAME This is a classic underdog play because the dog has a 14﷓2﷓1 record for the last 17 games.

IOWA ST. - IOWA This should be a form players delight because the favorite has covered 14 of the last 20 meetings.

SAN JOSE ST. - STANFORD The Spartans loss to the handicap last year was their first in eight tries.

INDIANA - KENTUCKY The favorite has been had here, dropping 5 of the previous 7 to the points.

MEMPHIS - SO. MISSISSIPPI The Tigers have been a big flop versus the number dropping 8 of the past 10.

MIAMI (FL) - TEMPLE The Hurricanes have breezed past the points in 5 of the last 6 in this series.


Doc’s Big Ten Update

As each Saturday passes, I am becoming more and more convinced that the Ohio St. Buckeyes may be the best team in the Big Ten. The Bucks
completely handled Kent St., as the Golden Flashes didn't cross midfield
before they found themselves behind, 38-0. A lot of excitement in Columbus over true freshman, Maurice Clarett. Clarett didn't have one
of his best performances against the Flashes as he only had 64 yards in
12 carries. However I believe as the season progresses, he will put up
big numbers. Clarett has unbelievable balance. Ohio St. has been
tagged as an eight point favorite, a number I definitely think they
deserve. A grass field, the Horseshoe is always a big advantage for the
Bucks. This will be Washington State's first road game and their first
real test of the season.

In other Big Ten action, in non-conference play, Southern Mississippi
edged out Illinois, 23-20. Southern Miss was one of my Top Plays this
past week and came up a little short, as they were a 6 point favorite.
In my reasoning for the selection, I had mentioned that the Golden
Flash's return of Derrick Nix would be a big factor in this game. Nix
didn't prove me wrong as he rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns,
despite not playing in the 2nd quarter, after becoming suddenly ill.
The Illini had trouble moving the ball as I had expected. However they
did get two TDs on a 70-yard punt return and a 30-yard fumble return.
What made this loss even more difficult to swallow was the fact that the
Eagles were on the five yard line with less than one minute to go, and
failed to score. The Illlini get a breather this week as they are at
home against Arkansas State.

Michigan had no trouble with W. Michigan, as they beat the Bronco's, 35-12. The Wolverines scored TD's on their first two possessions and built a 29-point lead late in the third quarter. Michigan's performance on offense was impressive, as they had a very balanced attack, 226 yards rushing and 226 yards passing. Michigan is on the road this week at Notre Dame. The ‘Wolves' are a four point favorite and certainly must be considered as a play. The Irish have played extremely well so far with emotional victories over Maryland and Purdue. After spending all this emotion, one has to wonder if they will come down to earth this week. I haven't seen an Over/Under posted, but I look for a low-scoring game and the Under might be the best bet.

The Iowa Hawkeyes got a big win on the road against a decent Miami (OH) club. What the ‘Hawks' have to be pleased with is their rushing
performance, as Iowa senior Fred Russell, gained 150-yards. Iowa is at
home this week against Iowa State. This one used to be a ‘cake walk'
for the Hawks in the early 90's. No longer. In fact Iowa has lost four
straight to the Cyclones. Iowa is a 4-point favorite and should be
ready.

What happened to Michigan State this past Saturday? The Spartans were expected to completely rout Rice. In fact, the line opened at 25 and finished as high as 30. Michigan St. found themselves behind 10-7 at the half. Reports are, the Spartans Head Coach really got on his team
at halftime. The "encouragement" must have got the team's attention, as
they forced four second-half turnovers and completely shut down the
Owls. The Spartans are at home once again this week against
California. The ‘Bears' were a whipping boy for most teams last year,
however this may not be the case this year. California made a coaching
change in Jeff Tedford. Thus far the ‘Bears' are 2-0. This week's game
will be a true test. The Spartans are a 14-point favorite and at this
point I think I would have to pass.

Northwestern scored the first 10 points against TCU and then the Frogs
took control, as they proceded to score the next 41 points. I felt at
the start of the season that this Wildcat team would struggle. The
defense just simply isn't there and the team lacks a big-time signal
caller. The "Cats" are at home this week against Duke and could
possibly get a win. They will be on the road next week against Navy
before their Big Ten opener, Michigan St.

The Indiana Hoosiers continue to struggle as they were soundly beaten
by Utah, 40-13. I used Utah as a selection last week and was
concerned early, as the Hoosiers hung on. In fact they led after the
1st quarter. However the depth and talent just isn't there and
eventually the Hoosiers folded. Indiana travels to Kentucky this week
and plays a pumped Wildcat team. The Wildcats opened the season with a big win over rival Louisville and last week drilled UTEP. The line
opened 13½ Wildcats and is already 17. No real value here but I
question whether it's still enough. We have an excellent scout who has
worked for us for years, who reports the Indiana cause. We'll wait for
his information before making our decision as to whether this game will
be used with our service.

Wisconsin seems to be playing better each week. The Badgers wasted no time in destroying West Virginia. A big 27-point output in the 2nd
quarter did the "Mountaineers" in. Senior QB Brooks Bollinger looked
impressive as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 218 yards and two
touchdowns. What is really impressive about these passing figures is
the receiving corps has two freshmen starting. That will however change this week, as All-American receiver, Lee Evans is expected back. Evans, who led the Big Ten in receiving, has been out because of an injury sustained in Spring practice. The Badgers host Northern Illinois and have been installed as a 21-point favorite. Tough number to consider. Another game we'll look at as the week passes.

The Luck of the Irish once again surfaced as they beat Purdue, 24-17.
What's interesting about this game, Notre Dame did not score an
offensive touchdown. In fact the Irish are 2-0 without scoring an
offensive TD. The ‘Boilers' dominated the stats, including turnovers,
which really killed them. Purdue has lost 13 straight at Notre Dame
Stadium. The ‘Boilers' are home this week against Western Michigan. I
think as the season progresses, Purdue will continue to improve.
Defense is very good which is something they haven't had in years.
Looks like a great week in Big Ten action. I'm certainly looking
forward to it. As we mentioned earlier in this column, a lot of great
match-ups involving Big Ten teams. We used Southern Mississippi -6 over Illinois, and came up short. Along with this selection, we also
recommended Utah -14 over Indiana, which did come in as a big winner.

This week our top game will come out of the Big Ten.
Believe me we won't be on the short end of the stick this week. This week we'll be releasing five games in college football. Possibly
as many as three of these selections will be games involving Big Ten
teams. As of this writing, our Top Game looks like an Underdog, who we feel has a good chance to win straight up.

Good Luck
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