Iowa/Kentucky Noon: Two sluggish offenses but rock-solid defenses collide early. These offenses were pedestrian with their starting QBs Petras and Will Levis. Today, Iowa will have third stringer Joe Labas run the offense. Petras (shoulder surgery) is out and 2nd stringer Padilla went into the transfer portal. Kentucky's overrated QB Will Levis is opting out to prep for NFL. And the Wildcats' lead back - Chris Rodriquez (904 yards) also opted out for the NFL draft prep. These teams met January 1st, 2022 at full strength and slothed to a 20-17 Kentucky win. They ran the ball a combined 75 times! Today, more of the same with less athleticism offensively. Iowa's defense allows just 14.4 PPG. Kentucky's defense is a Top 20 unit. We won't fear the low set total. Points will be at a premium here with the lack of explosive plays. We'll stay under in a defensive battle. 

Analysis to follow...

Coastal Carolina/ECU 6:45: Both of these teams have similar explosive offenses and similar yielding defenses. Both record setting QBs - McCall for CC and Ahlers for ECU - are playing. McCall is essentially showcasing his ability as he enters the transfer portal. Both defenses allow 412 YPG and around 30 PPG. CC will have their DC Staggs as their interim HC as Chadwell is off to Liberty. CC has one of their best players - LB Josiah Stewart - out. He's opted to go to Michigan. Look for a shootout here. These teams are a combined 9-1 O/U in December. CC is 10-4 O/U vs non-conference foes and ECU is 5-0 O/U after producing 450+ yards. "Over" it is. 

Houston/Memphis 7:30: Both of these teams showing signs of regression. For Memphis, they've gradually leveled off in the win column since Mike Norvell left after the 2019 season. Silverfield stepped in the defense went south along with the wins. Houston, which was a pre-season pick to win the American Athletic, has played in 3 straight OT games, losing two. Penalties and sloppy plays late have been led to major sideline blowups by HC Holgorsen. Fortunately for both teams, their offenses are productive. Defensively, however, has been ugly. Memphis allows 288 ypg through the air, which is 133rd in the nation. Last year, Houston ran all over them controlling the clock by +9 minutes. Sure, Temple was held to 3 points last week; however, Owls are 122nd in offensive production and average a paltry 15 PPG this season. As for Houston, their defense leaves a lot to be desired. They allow a whopping 34 PPG (117th nationally). Memphis QB Henigan can sling it and should have a big day. Tigers are 4-1 O/U in last 5 home games. This series is 4-1 O/U in its last 5. "Over" the call. 

West Virginia/Virginia Tech 7:30: Blacksburg is a tough place to play for a visiting team. Hokies' defensive minded HC Brent Pry wants to win with tough defense, establishing an effective run game and limiting turnovers. His defense has been solid thus far but not opportunistic (1 takeaway). And Pry will take a conservative approach with his QB Wells (22 INTs/22 TDs in career) to carry out his game plan. On the other hand, WV QB J.T. Daniels is a more accomplished QB with great poise in the pocket. But WV at their best when run game is cooking. So far, Tech run stop unit is outstanding - allowing 40.7 YPG (5th nationally). Hokies 0-7 O/U in September football and this series is 1-5-1 O/U in its last 7 meetings. We'll stay "under". 

Northwestern/Nebraska 12:30 pm: Both of these teams' offenses I expect to be stuck in neutral in the early going. Northwestern was one of the lowest scoring teams in the nation last season and 3rd worst Red Zone offense behind U Mass. This year, still uncertainty at QB but it looks like former South Carolina QB Hilinski will get the nod. Look for NW to rely on run game behind a few dudes, including possible NFL first rounder - OT Skowronski. NW has scored 30+ in just 2 games vs Power 5 conference teams under OC Bajackian. Nebraska, on the other hand, parted ways with QB Martinez and will look for Texas transfer Casey Thompson to guide the offense. We'll look for growing pains early with new OC Mark Whipple who was with Pittsburgh last year. Of course, he had QB Pickett and WR Jordan Allison to light up the scoreboard. He doesn't quite have that kind of talent to work with yet. These teams are playing on a grass field in Ireland for the first time ever. They're a combined 1-8 O/U in their last 9 on grass. "Under" the call. 

Iowa/Kentucky 1:00: Expect old school football with teams that like to pound the football and play great defense. Iowa offense not potent (123rd in the nation) and should be even less potent today without their 1100+ rusher Tyler Goodson who opted out (NFL prep). Iowa's QBs' Petras or Padilla don't strike fear in defenses. And Kentucky is solid defensively. Iowa counts on their defense to set them up in field position; after all, they're #1 in forcing turnovers and Kentucky is prone to turnovers. The Wildcats do, however, run the ball well. They have a 1200+ rusher in Rodriguez and an 1100+ receiver in Wan' Dale Robinson. Their other two receivers opted out. Iowa is 14th in the nation in scoring defense and rarely gives up explosive plays. We'll look for a ground and pound clock eating game with limited scoring. "Under" the call. 

Central Michigan/Washington State Noon: Both teams present explosive offenses. Now Washington State will not have its top 2 running backs (Borghi and McIntosh) and their starting tackles; however, they've shuffled their line throughout the season and managed to put points on the board. In this instance, they face a poor secondary of Central Michigan. The Chippewas are aggressive in their blitz schemes (3.1 sacks per game) but give up explosive plays. Washington State has skill players Jordan (801 yards/9 TDs) and Harris (955 yards/7 TDs) that can torch the CM secondary. QB De Laura can sling it (23 TD/9 INTs/ 64%). And RB Nakia Watson gets his opportunity to showcase his running skills. On the other hand, CM has an explosive offense that Washington State will have trouble with. RB Lew Nicholls III ran for 1710 yards and 15 TDs and can catch the ball out of the backfield. QB Richardson has a wealth of athletes including vertical threat Pimpleton. And Washington State won't have its starting corners including Jaylen Watson (opted out NFL). Washington State 4-0 O/U as chalk, CM 10-3 O/U as a dog and 7-3 O/U vs non-conference. "Over" the call. 

Iowa State/Clemson 5:45: A matchup that looks to be lower scoring. Clemson, which never got its offense in rhythm under QB Uiagalelei (9 TD/8 INT 54.7% completions), most likely will struggle vs a the Top 10 Iowa State defense. Cyclones play 3-3-5 presents problems to most teams. They limit explosive plays and can create havoc on QBs with DE Will McDonald IV (11' sacks) leading the way. Moreover, Clemson limited in vertical threats now that E.J. Williams (Covid) and Ross (foot) are out. They do have RB Shipley (true freshman) who came on strong to establish a run game for the Tigers mid-season. They look to lean on him tonight. On the other hand, Iowa State's All-American RB Breece Hall opted out to prepare for the NFL draft and that's a big loss. He was the fuel to the Iowa State offense and QB Brock Purdy leaned on him heavily. Now Clemson's ball hawking secondary can keep their focus on TE Kolar and WR Hutchinson. Technically, Clemson is 1-7 O/U in December, 0-6 O/U vs the Big12 while Iowa State is 0-8 O/U in bowls. "Under" the call. 

Air Force/Louisville 3:15: Thought this 'total' would be a bit higher considering the contrasting offenses that are explosive and difficult to prepare for. Cardinals possess one of the most versatile QBs in the game in Malik Cunningham who has multiple weapons to go to. Air Force defense is very good but this is surely the best they've faced all season. On the other hand, Cardinals will face the vaunted Air Force triple option which is difficult to prepare for. Louisville hasn't been a good run stopping unit this season and just got pounded by a Kentucky team in their last game of the season. Louisville is 5-2 O/U after allowing 200+ yards rushing, and they're 6-2 O/U in non-conference play. AF is 4-1 O/U as a bowl dog. "Over" the call. 

Fresno State/San Jose State 3:30: Both teams have something on the line for them here besides the Valley Trophy. Fresno can with the Mountain Division title with a win and a loss by San Diego State on Friday. San Jose State needs a win to be bowl eligible. I'm going to look for a defensive battle. Since 2016, the last 4 in this series have gone "under" scoring a combined 30, 37, 44 and 33, respectively. San Jose State ranks 106th offensively. QB Nick Starkel missed October with a collar bone injury and is struggling on account of no run game and limited help from skill personnel. Starkel's completing just 52.9% of his passes. Fresno has a solid defense ranked 32nd in the nation in points allowed (21.3 PPG). On the other hand, Fresno offense solid but Spartans' defense a scrappy bunch that keeps them in games. Spartans 0-4 O/U as a home dog. We'll stay "under".