Broncos at Notre Dame – Preview – NCAA College Football
On Saturday (2:30 pm ET, NBC), the Western Michigan Broncos take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in NCAA College Football action at Notre Dame Stadium.
On Saturday, Western Michigan won easily 45-16 against Ball State. The total score of 61 went over the over/under total and they cashed as 5.5–point road underdogs.
On Saturday, Notre Dame picked up a 23-17 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers, with the score a push as the Fighting Irish had been a 6-point home favorite. Under the total went the score.
Against the point spread, Notre Dame is 3-3 straight up and 3-2-1 and it has started to salvage its season with two straight wins. Against the spread, Western Michigan is 2-3 outright and 1-3.
In October, Western Michigan is 5-5 SU and Notre Dame is 7-3 SU.
In the last six games, Western Michigan is 2-4 SU, and it has struggled even more on the road, going just 3-9 SU in its last 12 games away from home.
In the last 6 games at home, Notre Dame is 2-4 SU and is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games overall.
UCLA Bruins @ No. 7 Texas Longhorns – Preview – NCAA College Football
On Saturday, at Memorial Stadium (3:30 pm ET, ABC), the UCLA Bruins take on the No. 7 Texas Longhorns in College Football action
The Longhorns has the over/under total is 43 and they are a 16-point favorite.
Since Sept. 12, 1998, UCLA is 2-0 SU and ATS but the teams have not met in 12 years, when the Bruins beat the Longhorns 49-31. As an 8-point favorite, UCLA covered the spread and the score went over the total.
On Saturday, UCLA was a 31-13 winner against Houston, with the score going under the total and covering as a 3.5–point underdog
On Saturday, Texas beat state rival Texas Tech 24-14, cashing as a 3-point favorite, while the 38 combined points went under the total.
Texas is 3-0 SU; 1-2 ATS and UCLA is 1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS and have win 3 straight games.
UCLA is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road and the total has gone under in 7 of UCLA’s last 10 games on the road.
In the last 5 games at home, Texas is 5-0 SU, but just 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home. In Texas’s last 5 games at home, the total has gone under in 4.
NCAA College Football: Texas Longhorns season preview
In his 12 seasons as head coach of the Texas Longhorns football program, Mack Brown has led his team to top 25 finishes every year (including six top 10 finishes). As he enters his 13th season as head coach, Brown has every reason to believe his team can continue their tremendous success and his Longhorns are strong candidates to play in the National Championship game.
The National Championship game is a destination not unfamiliar to the Longhorns. The 2009 runner-ups went undefeated until losing to Alabama in the championship game. They have lost a good deal of talent on both sides of the ball from that squad, but coach Brown and company have done a good job recruiting to fill those holes.
The biggest hit for Texas from last year to this year is the departure of quarterback Colt McCoy to the NFL. Over his four years with the team, McCoy won more games (45) than any quarterback in NCAA Division I history.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, they will be replacing McCoy with a quarterback who already has experience on college football’s biggest stage. Garrett Gilbert was McCoy’s replacement when he was injured in the first half of the 2010 BCS National Championship game. Although his stat line wasn’t great (15-40, 186 yards, two TDs, four INTs), he showed poise for his age and should benefit from that experience.
Texas’s defense, which was ranked third nationally in total defense in 2009, lost some key defenders in April’s draft. Defensive end Sam Acho will be back after recording nine sacks in his junior season. Texas boasts arguably the best secondary in the nation, with CBs Chykie Brown, Curtis Brown and Aaron Williams.
The consistently brutal Big 12 will make it anything but easy for Texas to repeat as conference champs. Key matchups include September 18 at Texas Tech, October 2 versus Oklahoma, October 16 at Nebraska (a rematch of the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game), and November 25 versus Texas A&M.
