If I Were A Betting Man: Week 10 picks
FARRELL: What are the Vols waiting on?
Virginia Tech is back in the national spotlight this week as the No 13 Hokies travel to undefeated Miami for the ABC primetime game. Second-year coach Justin Fuente, fresh off a 10-4 record in Year 1 in Blacksburg and nice rebuild at Memphis prior to that, is a hot name that will undoubtedly get bandied about as the SEC coaching carousel turns.
One landing spot that has been debated is Tennessee, where Butch Jones is clearly on his last legs. The question is, would Fuente leave Virginia Tech for Tennessee? Is it a better job?
In the 16-year history of Rivals.com, Tennessee has finished with a higher recruiting ranking than Virginia Tech 15 times. However, in those same 16 seasons, Virginia Tech has finished higher in the final AP Top 25, or with a better record than UT if both teams were out of the AP poll, 13 out of 16 times when you include the likely outcome of this season.
At what point do on-field results outweigh recruiting results when it comes to the perception of a job? At what point is Virginia Tech considered a better job than Tennessee?
Justin Fuente may answer that question in the next few months.
Note: The lines listed are from Covers.com
Week 9 record: 2-3
Week 9 net payout: - $320
Season record: 24-21
Season net payout: - $75
Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Miami, 8 p.m., ABC
The Hokies get their second shot at a Big Game after failing against Clemson earlier this season. The defense has given up just 20 total points in the last three weeks. The favorite has won and covered in this matchup four years in a row, and the Hokies have covered six of their last eight visits to Miami. Give me the Hokies.
The bet: $50 on the Hokies to win (-65)
Navy (-9) at Temple, Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN
The Mids have two losses — a three-pointer at Memphis and a 10-pointer to undefeated UCF. They face a Temple squad that sits 3-5 and coming off loses to UConn and Army. Army’s option attack rolled up 248 rushing yards. Navy will get even more.
The bet: $100 on Navy to win (-335)
LSU (+21) at Alabama, 8 p.m., CBS
A rather large money line gamble here, but is there any way Nick Saban and Alabama lose this game? Alabama has the coaching advantage, the quarterback advantage and the homefield advantage. In addition, the Crimson Tide can be mad they are ‘only’ No. 2 in the CFB Playoff rankings. Yes, a bit lame to go money line, but LSU’s defense has been able to contain Alabama in their last three meetings (20 points per game). The guess is the Tide covers, but the non-guess is Saban's team wins.
The bet: $100 on Alabama to win (-950)
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Over/Under 76.5, 4 p.m., FS1
Lots and lots and lots of points, right, kids? Oklahoma State is averaging 44.5 points per game. Oklahoma is averaging 42.9 points per game. Surely this is going to be the over, right? Lee Corso is here to say, not so fast, my friends. Oklahoma State is giving up 24.4 per game and OU 25.3. Yes, touchdowns and yardage will be plentiful, but this is a crazy, crazy high number for a big game with a lot at stake. Coaches and players tend to reel it in just a bit when things get tight.
The bet: $50 on the under