Post by Makers on Dec 31, 2015 4:42:42 GMT -5
Pac 12....5-2 SU 4-3 ATS
AAC.......1-5 SU 1-5 ATS
SEC 3-1 SU and ATS
Thursday's Semifinals
**Clemson vs. Oklahoma**
-- Clemson is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, facing fourth-seeded Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens. As of Wednesday, most spots had OU favored by four points with a total of 64. The Tigers were +160 on the money line (risk $100 to win $160).
-- Oklahoma (11-1 SU, 9-3 ATS) is gunning for its first national championship since beating FSU 13-2 in the BCS Championship Game at this same venue in January of 2001. That victory over the ‘Noles came in just the second season of Bob Stoops’s tenure. Clemson is looking for its first national title since 1981 when it beat Nebraska 22-15 in the Orange Bowl under the direction of Danny Ford.
-- Clemson (13-0 SU, 6-7 ATS) won the ACC Championship Game by winning a 45-37 decision over North Carolina in Charlotte. The Tigers covered the number as 6.5-point ‘chalk,’ while the 82 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 67.5-point total. Sophomore QB Deshaun Watson was the catalyst, accounting for five TDs and 420 yards from scrimmage. Watson completed 26-of-42 throws for 289 yards and three TDs compared to one interception. He ran 24 times for 131 yards and two TDs. Wayne Gallman produced 187 rushing yards and one TD on 28 totes. The sophomore RB also had four receptions for 68 yards and one TD. Artavis Scott had seven catches for 96 yards and one TD.
-- For the season, Watson connected on 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,517 yards with a 30/11 TD-INT ratio. Watson also gets it done with his legs, rushing for 887 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 5.4 YPC. Gallman has rushed for a team-high 1,319 yards and 10 TDs with a 5.5 YPC average.
-- Scott is Watson’s top target, hauling in 84 receptions for 805 yards and five TDs. Jordan Leggett has 34 catches for 442 yards and a team-best seven TD grabs. Charone Peake has 40 catches for 563 yards and five TDs.
-- Clemson owns seven wins over bowl-bound foes, including victories at Miami (58-0), at North Carolina State (56-41), vs. Notre Dame (24-22) and at Louisville (20-17).
-- Clemson is suddenly dealing with a major distraction after announcing the suspensions of three players on Wednesday morning. The most significant loss is that of WR Deon Cain, who has made 34 receptions for 582 yards and five TDs. Cain won’t play in the CFP finals if Clemson advances, either. The players violated unspecified team rules.
-- Oklahoma has nine wins by double-digit margins. The Sooners went unbeaten in nine games against bowl-bound opponents. They suffered their lone loss of the year by a 24-17 score against Texas.
-- OU’s top wins include victories at Baylor (44-24), at Oklahoma State (58-23), at Kansas State (55-0), at Tennessee (31-24 in overtime), vs. TCU (30-29) and vs. West Virginia (44-24).
-- As this space noted this past summer, Stoops made a brilliant hire when he plucked offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley away from East Carolina. Riley’s Air-Raid offense at ECU led QB Shane Carden and Justin Hardy to the top of the record books in the program’s history. In fact, Hardy became the all-time leading receiver at ECU before his senior season even started, while Carden surpassed all the records previously set by long-time NFL veteran QB David Garrard.
-- Riley’s impact on the offense was instant and spectacular. OU finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 45.8 PPG. The Sooners rank sixth in total offense and sophomore QB Baker Mayfield enjoyed a breakout campaign. The transfer from Texas Tech has connected on 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards with a 35/5 TD-INT ratio. Mayfield is a dynamic scrambler as well, rushing for 420 yards and seven TDs.
-- Oklahoma sophomore RB Samaje Perine enjoyed another outstanding season, rushing for 1,291 yards and 15 TDs while averaging 6.1 YPC. If Perine can match his 2015 numbers as a junior, he’ll surpass the great Billy Sims as OU’s all-time leading rusher. Joe Washington, the former Washington Redskins RB who often subbed for John Riggins in 3rd-and-long situation, ranks second on OU’s all-time rushing list, while Adrian Peterson is third.
-- OU has one of the country’s top wideouts in Sterling Shepard, who has 79 receptions for 1,201 yards and 11 TDs. Dede Westbrook, a true freshman, has 42 catches for 674 yards and four TDs.
-- Oklahoma owns a 4-0 spread record as a single-digit ‘chalk’ this season.
-- Clemson is in the underdog role for the first time this season. The last time the Tigers were underdogs was last year’s Orange Bowl where they smashed Oklahoma by a 40-6 count as five-point puppies. With Watson out with an injured knee, Cliff Stoudt threw for 319 yards and three TDs without an interception. Scott had eight receptions for 114 yards and one TD, while the defense forced five interceptions, including a 47-yard pick-six by Ben Boulware.
-- The ‘over’ is 8-4 overall for OU, hitting at an 8-2 clip since the ‘under’ appeared in its first two games.
-- The ‘over’ is 8-5 overall for Clemson after cashing at a 7-2 clip in its last nine games.
-- ESPN will provide television coverage at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
**Alabama vs. Michigan State**
-- Alabama and Michigan State are seeded No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, going into the CFP semifinals. These schools will collide at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday night for an 8:00 p.m. Eastern kick on ESPN. As of Wednesday afternoon, most betting shops had Alabama (12-1 SU, 7-6 ATS) installed as a 10-point favorite with a total of 45.5 points. The Spartans were +300 on the money line (risk $100 to win $300).
-- Alabama won the SEC for a second straight season and the third time in four years by collecting a 29-15 win over Florida at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta earlier this month. The Crimson Tide failed to cover the spread as a 16.5-point favorite. Derrick Henry rushed for 189 yards and one TD on 44 workmanlike carries. Jake Coker completed 18-of-26 passes for 204 yards and two TDs without an interception. Calvin Ridley had eight receptions for 102 yards, while Ardarius Steward had four catches for 64 yards, including a 32-yard TD grab in major traffic that gave the Tide its first two-possession lead (22-7) of the game late in the third quarter.
-- Henry won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the second player in Alabama’s storied football history to do so. The true junior was spectacular all season, rushing for 1,986 yards and 23 TDs while averaging 5.9 YPC. Henry also has 10 catches for 97 yards. He came up big in the biggest games, producing 271 rushing yards at Auburn, 236 at Texas A&M, 210 vs. LSU and 204 at Mississippi State. Henry ran for at least two TDs in seven different games.
-- Coker struggled in September, but he has played much better down the stretch. For the season, the FSU transfer has completed 65.7 percent of his throws for 2,489 yards with a 17/8 TD-INT ratio. Coker has five TD passes without an interception in the last three games.
-- Coker has one of the nation’s top group of wideouts, including freshman sensation Calvin Ridley. The five-star recruit has been as advertised, bringing down a team-high 75 receptions for 893 yards and five TDs. Stewart has 54 catches for 600 yards and four TDs.
-- Don’t be surprised if versatile RB/WR Kenyan Drake is a major part of Lane Kiffin’s offensive gameplan. Drake broke his arm in early November at Mississippi State and wasn’t much of a factor when he returned against the Gators. For the season, Drake produced 906 all-purpose yards and two TDs. Those stats don’t do the senior playmaker justice, however. Drake has 22 career TDs and 1,434 career rushing yards.
-- Since losing 43-37 at home to Ole Miss in Week 3, Alabama has won 10 in a row. Nine of those victories have come by margins of 13 points or more. The Tide’s toughest test since the Rebels came in a 19-14 non-covering home win over Tennessee when Henry’s TD late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
-- Michigan State (12-1 SU, 5-7 ATS) is led by senior QB Connor Cook, who has a 24/5 TD-INT ratio. For his career, Cook has thrown 71 TD passes compared to just 20 interceptions. The Spartans are 34-4 in Cook’s 38 career starts. He has completed 56.9 percent of his passes this year for 2,911 yards.
-- Cook’s favorite target is Aaron Burbridge, who has 79 catches for 1,209 yards and seven TDs. Macgarrett Kings has 38 receptions for 492 yards and five TDs, while R.J. Shelton has 41 grabs for 484 yards and four TDs. Cook likes to look for junior TE Josiah Price down in the red zone. Price has a team-best six TD catches.
-- The departure of workhorse RB Jeremy Langford led to a three-man platoon system that has proven to be effective this year. True freshman L.J. Scott has rushed for a team-high 691 yards and 11 TDs with a 4.9 YPC average. Gerald Holmes has run for 534 yards and eight TDs, averaging 4.9 YPC, while Madre London has 489 rushing yards, three TDs and a 4.3 YPC average.
-- Michigan State won outright at Ohio St. without Cook, who didn’t play due to an injured shoulder. The Spartans won 17-14 thanks to a dominant defensive performance, as they held the Buckeyes to merely 132 yards of total offense. They wrapped up the Big Ten East title by beating Penn St. 55-16 as 7.5-point home favorite on Nov. 28.
-- Michigan State won the Big Ten Championship Game 16-13 over Iowa as a three-point ‘chalk.’ Trailing 13-9 with less than 10 minutes left against the then-unbeaten Hawkeyes, Cook led the Spartans on a 22-play, 82-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes of clock. Scott broke multiple tackles before lunging into the end zone from one yard out with 27 seconds left for the game-winning score. Several plays before, Cook ran for two yards on a QB sneak from inside the five on fourth and one. Cook had crucial completions to Price for 13 yards and Burbridge for 16 yards during the game-winning march.
-- Michigan State has been an underdog 17 times since 2011, compiling an incredible 14-3 spread record with 11 outright victories. The Spartans have won four straight bowl games as underdogs, including last year’s 42-41 comeback win over Baylor as 2.5-point ‘dogs at the Cotton Bowl. They trailed by 20 early in the fourth quarter before rallying for the thrilling victory.
-- Michigan St. owns quality wins galore, including victories vs. Oregon (31-28), at Michigan (27-23) and vs. Indiana (52-26). The Spartans’ only loss came in controversial fashion when Nebraska won a 39-38 decision in Lincoln thanks to a long pass in which the receiver caught the ball after going out of bounds.
-- Alabama’s stop unit is led by All-American LB Reggie Ragland, who has a team-high 90 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six passes broken up and six QB hurries. Junior DE Jonathan Allen has a team-best 10 sacks, while junior safety Eddie Jackson has a team-high five interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes. The Tide ranks third in the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 14.4 PPG. They are second in total defense, first versus the run and 18th against the pass.
-- Michigan State is ranked No. 21 in the country in scoring defense, giving up 20.5 PPG. The Spartans are 24th in total defense and most important, they are ninth in rush defense, allowing 113.1 yards per game. When they faced an elite RB like Henry at Ohio State, Ezekiel Elliott was held to a season-low 33 rushing yards on 12 carries. Elliott ran for at least 101 yards in every other game for the Buckeyes this year.
-- These teams met at the 2010 Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Alabama cruised on that New Year's Day to a 49-7 win as an eight-point favorite.
-- Michigan State has played at this venue once in the aforementioned win over Baylor last season. Alabama has opened the season here twice, thumping Michigan in 2012 and Wisconsin (35-17) earlier this year.
-- MSU head coach Mark Dantonio served as an assistant on Nick Saban's staff in East Lansing from 1995-1999.
-- The ‘under’ is 7-6 overall for the Spartans, cashing at a 3-1 clip in their last four outings. This is MSU’s third-lowest total of the season. The ‘over’ has been a winner in both of its previous games that had a total in the 40s.
-- The ‘under’ is 8-5 overall for Alabama, but it has seen the ‘over’ hit in two of its last three games. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in the Tide’s five games that had totals in the 40s.
AAC.......1-5 SU 1-5 ATS
SEC 3-1 SU and ATS
Thursday's Semifinals
**Clemson vs. Oklahoma**
-- Clemson is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, facing fourth-seeded Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens. As of Wednesday, most spots had OU favored by four points with a total of 64. The Tigers were +160 on the money line (risk $100 to win $160).
-- Oklahoma (11-1 SU, 9-3 ATS) is gunning for its first national championship since beating FSU 13-2 in the BCS Championship Game at this same venue in January of 2001. That victory over the ‘Noles came in just the second season of Bob Stoops’s tenure. Clemson is looking for its first national title since 1981 when it beat Nebraska 22-15 in the Orange Bowl under the direction of Danny Ford.
-- Clemson (13-0 SU, 6-7 ATS) won the ACC Championship Game by winning a 45-37 decision over North Carolina in Charlotte. The Tigers covered the number as 6.5-point ‘chalk,’ while the 82 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 67.5-point total. Sophomore QB Deshaun Watson was the catalyst, accounting for five TDs and 420 yards from scrimmage. Watson completed 26-of-42 throws for 289 yards and three TDs compared to one interception. He ran 24 times for 131 yards and two TDs. Wayne Gallman produced 187 rushing yards and one TD on 28 totes. The sophomore RB also had four receptions for 68 yards and one TD. Artavis Scott had seven catches for 96 yards and one TD.
-- For the season, Watson connected on 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,517 yards with a 30/11 TD-INT ratio. Watson also gets it done with his legs, rushing for 887 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 5.4 YPC. Gallman has rushed for a team-high 1,319 yards and 10 TDs with a 5.5 YPC average.
-- Scott is Watson’s top target, hauling in 84 receptions for 805 yards and five TDs. Jordan Leggett has 34 catches for 442 yards and a team-best seven TD grabs. Charone Peake has 40 catches for 563 yards and five TDs.
-- Clemson owns seven wins over bowl-bound foes, including victories at Miami (58-0), at North Carolina State (56-41), vs. Notre Dame (24-22) and at Louisville (20-17).
-- Clemson is suddenly dealing with a major distraction after announcing the suspensions of three players on Wednesday morning. The most significant loss is that of WR Deon Cain, who has made 34 receptions for 582 yards and five TDs. Cain won’t play in the CFP finals if Clemson advances, either. The players violated unspecified team rules.
-- Oklahoma has nine wins by double-digit margins. The Sooners went unbeaten in nine games against bowl-bound opponents. They suffered their lone loss of the year by a 24-17 score against Texas.
-- OU’s top wins include victories at Baylor (44-24), at Oklahoma State (58-23), at Kansas State (55-0), at Tennessee (31-24 in overtime), vs. TCU (30-29) and vs. West Virginia (44-24).
-- As this space noted this past summer, Stoops made a brilliant hire when he plucked offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley away from East Carolina. Riley’s Air-Raid offense at ECU led QB Shane Carden and Justin Hardy to the top of the record books in the program’s history. In fact, Hardy became the all-time leading receiver at ECU before his senior season even started, while Carden surpassed all the records previously set by long-time NFL veteran QB David Garrard.
-- Riley’s impact on the offense was instant and spectacular. OU finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 45.8 PPG. The Sooners rank sixth in total offense and sophomore QB Baker Mayfield enjoyed a breakout campaign. The transfer from Texas Tech has connected on 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards with a 35/5 TD-INT ratio. Mayfield is a dynamic scrambler as well, rushing for 420 yards and seven TDs.
-- Oklahoma sophomore RB Samaje Perine enjoyed another outstanding season, rushing for 1,291 yards and 15 TDs while averaging 6.1 YPC. If Perine can match his 2015 numbers as a junior, he’ll surpass the great Billy Sims as OU’s all-time leading rusher. Joe Washington, the former Washington Redskins RB who often subbed for John Riggins in 3rd-and-long situation, ranks second on OU’s all-time rushing list, while Adrian Peterson is third.
-- OU has one of the country’s top wideouts in Sterling Shepard, who has 79 receptions for 1,201 yards and 11 TDs. Dede Westbrook, a true freshman, has 42 catches for 674 yards and four TDs.
-- Oklahoma owns a 4-0 spread record as a single-digit ‘chalk’ this season.
-- Clemson is in the underdog role for the first time this season. The last time the Tigers were underdogs was last year’s Orange Bowl where they smashed Oklahoma by a 40-6 count as five-point puppies. With Watson out with an injured knee, Cliff Stoudt threw for 319 yards and three TDs without an interception. Scott had eight receptions for 114 yards and one TD, while the defense forced five interceptions, including a 47-yard pick-six by Ben Boulware.
-- The ‘over’ is 8-4 overall for OU, hitting at an 8-2 clip since the ‘under’ appeared in its first two games.
-- The ‘over’ is 8-5 overall for Clemson after cashing at a 7-2 clip in its last nine games.
-- ESPN will provide television coverage at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
**Alabama vs. Michigan State**
-- Alabama and Michigan State are seeded No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, going into the CFP semifinals. These schools will collide at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday night for an 8:00 p.m. Eastern kick on ESPN. As of Wednesday afternoon, most betting shops had Alabama (12-1 SU, 7-6 ATS) installed as a 10-point favorite with a total of 45.5 points. The Spartans were +300 on the money line (risk $100 to win $300).
-- Alabama won the SEC for a second straight season and the third time in four years by collecting a 29-15 win over Florida at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta earlier this month. The Crimson Tide failed to cover the spread as a 16.5-point favorite. Derrick Henry rushed for 189 yards and one TD on 44 workmanlike carries. Jake Coker completed 18-of-26 passes for 204 yards and two TDs without an interception. Calvin Ridley had eight receptions for 102 yards, while Ardarius Steward had four catches for 64 yards, including a 32-yard TD grab in major traffic that gave the Tide its first two-possession lead (22-7) of the game late in the third quarter.
-- Henry won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the second player in Alabama’s storied football history to do so. The true junior was spectacular all season, rushing for 1,986 yards and 23 TDs while averaging 5.9 YPC. Henry also has 10 catches for 97 yards. He came up big in the biggest games, producing 271 rushing yards at Auburn, 236 at Texas A&M, 210 vs. LSU and 204 at Mississippi State. Henry ran for at least two TDs in seven different games.
-- Coker struggled in September, but he has played much better down the stretch. For the season, the FSU transfer has completed 65.7 percent of his throws for 2,489 yards with a 17/8 TD-INT ratio. Coker has five TD passes without an interception in the last three games.
-- Coker has one of the nation’s top group of wideouts, including freshman sensation Calvin Ridley. The five-star recruit has been as advertised, bringing down a team-high 75 receptions for 893 yards and five TDs. Stewart has 54 catches for 600 yards and four TDs.
-- Don’t be surprised if versatile RB/WR Kenyan Drake is a major part of Lane Kiffin’s offensive gameplan. Drake broke his arm in early November at Mississippi State and wasn’t much of a factor when he returned against the Gators. For the season, Drake produced 906 all-purpose yards and two TDs. Those stats don’t do the senior playmaker justice, however. Drake has 22 career TDs and 1,434 career rushing yards.
-- Since losing 43-37 at home to Ole Miss in Week 3, Alabama has won 10 in a row. Nine of those victories have come by margins of 13 points or more. The Tide’s toughest test since the Rebels came in a 19-14 non-covering home win over Tennessee when Henry’s TD late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
-- Michigan State (12-1 SU, 5-7 ATS) is led by senior QB Connor Cook, who has a 24/5 TD-INT ratio. For his career, Cook has thrown 71 TD passes compared to just 20 interceptions. The Spartans are 34-4 in Cook’s 38 career starts. He has completed 56.9 percent of his passes this year for 2,911 yards.
-- Cook’s favorite target is Aaron Burbridge, who has 79 catches for 1,209 yards and seven TDs. Macgarrett Kings has 38 receptions for 492 yards and five TDs, while R.J. Shelton has 41 grabs for 484 yards and four TDs. Cook likes to look for junior TE Josiah Price down in the red zone. Price has a team-best six TD catches.
-- The departure of workhorse RB Jeremy Langford led to a three-man platoon system that has proven to be effective this year. True freshman L.J. Scott has rushed for a team-high 691 yards and 11 TDs with a 4.9 YPC average. Gerald Holmes has run for 534 yards and eight TDs, averaging 4.9 YPC, while Madre London has 489 rushing yards, three TDs and a 4.3 YPC average.
-- Michigan State won outright at Ohio St. without Cook, who didn’t play due to an injured shoulder. The Spartans won 17-14 thanks to a dominant defensive performance, as they held the Buckeyes to merely 132 yards of total offense. They wrapped up the Big Ten East title by beating Penn St. 55-16 as 7.5-point home favorite on Nov. 28.
-- Michigan State won the Big Ten Championship Game 16-13 over Iowa as a three-point ‘chalk.’ Trailing 13-9 with less than 10 minutes left against the then-unbeaten Hawkeyes, Cook led the Spartans on a 22-play, 82-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes of clock. Scott broke multiple tackles before lunging into the end zone from one yard out with 27 seconds left for the game-winning score. Several plays before, Cook ran for two yards on a QB sneak from inside the five on fourth and one. Cook had crucial completions to Price for 13 yards and Burbridge for 16 yards during the game-winning march.
-- Michigan State has been an underdog 17 times since 2011, compiling an incredible 14-3 spread record with 11 outright victories. The Spartans have won four straight bowl games as underdogs, including last year’s 42-41 comeback win over Baylor as 2.5-point ‘dogs at the Cotton Bowl. They trailed by 20 early in the fourth quarter before rallying for the thrilling victory.
-- Michigan St. owns quality wins galore, including victories vs. Oregon (31-28), at Michigan (27-23) and vs. Indiana (52-26). The Spartans’ only loss came in controversial fashion when Nebraska won a 39-38 decision in Lincoln thanks to a long pass in which the receiver caught the ball after going out of bounds.
-- Alabama’s stop unit is led by All-American LB Reggie Ragland, who has a team-high 90 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six passes broken up and six QB hurries. Junior DE Jonathan Allen has a team-best 10 sacks, while junior safety Eddie Jackson has a team-high five interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes. The Tide ranks third in the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 14.4 PPG. They are second in total defense, first versus the run and 18th against the pass.
-- Michigan State is ranked No. 21 in the country in scoring defense, giving up 20.5 PPG. The Spartans are 24th in total defense and most important, they are ninth in rush defense, allowing 113.1 yards per game. When they faced an elite RB like Henry at Ohio State, Ezekiel Elliott was held to a season-low 33 rushing yards on 12 carries. Elliott ran for at least 101 yards in every other game for the Buckeyes this year.
-- These teams met at the 2010 Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Alabama cruised on that New Year's Day to a 49-7 win as an eight-point favorite.
-- Michigan State has played at this venue once in the aforementioned win over Baylor last season. Alabama has opened the season here twice, thumping Michigan in 2012 and Wisconsin (35-17) earlier this year.
-- MSU head coach Mark Dantonio served as an assistant on Nick Saban's staff in East Lansing from 1995-1999.
-- The ‘under’ is 7-6 overall for the Spartans, cashing at a 3-1 clip in their last four outings. This is MSU’s third-lowest total of the season. The ‘over’ has been a winner in both of its previous games that had a total in the 40s.
-- The ‘under’ is 8-5 overall for Alabama, but it has seen the ‘over’ hit in two of its last three games. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in the Tide’s five games that had totals in the 40s.