Oklahoma State, Baylor favorites in Week 11

OddsSharkNov 10, 2015, 12:43 PM EST
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys will try to continue their rise up the rankings when they visit the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday as 14-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Cowboys climbed seven positions to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 rankings this week following their stunning 49-29 win over TCU, picking up their fourth straight against the spread victory while pegged as 6.5-point underdogs.

Undefeated Oklahoma State takes an 11-game straight up win streak into Saturday afternoon’s Cowboys vs. Cyclones betting matchup at Jack Trice Stadium, but maintain just a half-game lead atop over the Baylor Bears atop the Big 12 conference standings.

It has been another rough season for the Cyclones, who are 3-6 SU after tallying just two total wins a year ago.

The team is a respectable 3-3 ATS in their last six, all against Big 12 rivals, including a 24-0 victory over Texas as 3.5-point underdogs two weeks ago, but has just one SU and ATS win in their last six against the Cowboys, beaten by an average margin of 29.4 points in those five losses.

Meanwhile, No. 4 Baylor will look to keep pace with the Cowboys in the Big 12 standings when they battle No. 10 Oklahoma this week as slim 3-point chalk.

The Bears picked up an important 31-24 win over Kansas State last week to improve to 8-0 SU, but failed to cover a 17-point spread for their second straight ATS loss.

Jarrett Stidham threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns in his first appearance as the Bears’ starting pivot. However, the team’s 38 points scored against Kansas State marks their lowest offensive output since their meeting with the Wildcats in last season’s regular season finale.

The 8-1 Sooners need a victory to remain in contention for top spot in the Big 12. Oklahoma has won four straight SU and ATS, but has dropped three of four to the Bears, ending a 14-game win streak.

The Horned Frogs will try to bounce back from their loss to the Sooners when they battle the hapless Kansas Jayhawks as 44.5-point chalk this week. The loss ended No. 13 TCU’s 16-game SU win streak, while the Jayhawks travel to Fort Worth searching for their first SU win in their last 13.

In other Week 11 college football betting action, No. 3 Alabama visits No. 20 Mississippi State as 7.5-point chalk, No. 2 Ohio State is favored by 16.5 over Illinois, and No. 1 Clemson visits Syracuse as a 28-point favorite.

With Golson out, Maguire, Patrick lead No. 17 Florida State past Syracuse

AP Photo
Associated PressOct 31, 2015, 5:35 PM EDT
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) No Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook? No problem.

No. 17 Florida State showed no sign of a letdown despite missing its top two playmakers, putting up one of its best offensive games of the season in a 45-21 win over Syracuse on Saturday.

Sean Maguire passed for three touchdowns and Jacques Patrick ran for three scores as the Seminoles put up 550 yards of offense at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The points tied a season high and the yardage was the second-highest this year for Florida State, which improves to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ACC heading into next Saturday’s Atlantic Division showdown at No. 3 Clemson.

After winning its first three games, Syracuse has dropped five straight and is 1-3 in the ACC.

Golson was held out due to a concussion, and Maguire was announced as the starter before kickoff. The junior completed 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He had 302 yards in the first half, which is the first time a Florida State quarterback had done that since Chris Weinke had 302 yards in the first half against Clemson in 2000.

Patrick got his first career start after Cook suffered an ankle injury in last Saturday’s loss at Georgia Tech. Patrick, who had three carries coming into the game, had 24 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns. His longest run of the day was a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that extended the Seminoles’ lead to 45-21.

Travis Rudolph caught all three of Maguire’s touchdown passes and had five catches for 191 yards. It is the first time in Florida State history that it has had players with three touchdowns receiving and three touchdowns rushing in the same game.

After Syracuse took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on an Eric Dungey 1-yard touchdown run, Florida State took control of the game by scoring on three consecutive drives. Rudolph tied the game with a 75-yard touchdown where he broke four tackles en route to the end zone after catching the ball at the Syracuse 31. Rudolph then gave the Seminoles the lead with a 45-yard catch in the end zone.

The Orange got within 21-14 on a Dungey 1-yard touchdown, but Syracuse decided to squib kick late in the first half despite Florida State having all three timeouts. The Seminoles took advantage as they got the ball on their own 42 and scored with nine seconds remaining in the half on a Patrick 1-yard run up the middle.

Dungey, who came into the game leading the ACC in passing efficiency, completed just 11 of 24 passes for 120 yards along with rushing for 46 yards on 10 carries.

Syracuse QB Terrel Hunt out for season

Associated PressSep 5, 2015, 6:23 PM EDT
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Syracuse quarterback Terrel Hunt will undergo surgery on his right Achilles tendon and miss the rest of the season, the school announced Saturday.

Hunt, a senior who missed the last seven games of 2014 with a broken calf bone in his left leg, was injured Friday night in the Orange’s 47-0 victory over Rhode Island in the opener.

Hunt, a co-captain, played one series before leaving the game midway through the first quarter. He rolled to his left and stepped awkwardly before diving forward. He got up on his right foot but then dropped to the turf and walked to the locker room on crutches.

Hunt has played in 19 career games for the Orange and ranks 10th in team history with 2,621 passing yards. He has accounted for 24 career touchdowns (11 passing, 13 rushing) and shares the Syracuse single-game record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback with 156 last season against Maryland.