FSU Seminoles (19) Host Va Tech Hokies (20) Monday Night

Seminoles and Hokies In Early Season ACC Play

The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles play their season openers on Monday. Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium has the Week 1 contest. This game could do a long way in determining who plays in the ACC Championship Game.

Oddsmakers opened the Seminoles as -6.5-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game's total opened at 52. The line is now Florida State -7 and the total is at 54. ESPN will televise the game at 8 pm EST.

No. 19 Florida State begins the Willie Taggart era tonight. The 20th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies come to Tallahassee for an ACC showdown. Taggart coaches his third team in three years as he comes over from Oregon to replace Jimbo Fisher.

The Seminoles look to build off a four-game winning streak that ended 2017. They extended their streak of winning seasons to 41. Virginia Tech begins play after going 19-8 in the first two years under coach Justin Fuente.

Seminoles Have Lots of Question Marks

Taggart hands the quarterback reins to junior Deondre Francois. He beat out sophomore James Blackman for the job after missing most of 2017 with a knee injury.

Sophomore running back Cam Akers told reporters of the Seminoles' offense: "A lot of weapons, a lot of big plays, a lot of touchdowns, and a lot of points. That's all you can expect." Akers is back after rushing for 1,024 yards. That was the most ever by a Florida State freshman.

Akers also had seven touchdowns in 2017. The Seminoles are experienced along the offensive line as well. Francois threw for 210 yards against Alabama in last year's opener before going down with the injury.

He will look to senior receiver Nyqwan Murray who had 40 catches and 604 yards. Junior Keith Gavin chipped in 27 catches and 278 yards.

Hokies Return Some Key Starters

The Hokies will lean on talented quarterback Josh Jackson. He threw for a freshman school record 2,991 yards along with 20 touchdowns last year. They also boast a load of talent that they are excited to test on the big stage early on.

Jackson looks to take a step forward after registering 3,315 yards of total offense. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes last year. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Sophomore Deshawn McClease had 530 yards and  three TDs last season. He is the leading rusher that returns. Junior Eric Kumah and sophomore Sean Savoy combined for 67 catches for 778 yards in 2017.

Long-time defensive coordinator Bud Foster must introduce seven new starters on his unit. Senior defensive tackle Ricky Walker had 4.5 sacks last year. Junior defensive back Reggie Floyd had 72 tackles and three interceptions return to lead the way.

PREDICTION: Florida State 34, Virginia Tech 27

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Virginia Tech	9-4	6-7	40.00	14.77	25.23	4-3	2-4	3-9-1	1-5-1	2-4
Florida State	7-6	4-8-1	14.00	21.23	-7.23	3-4	1-4-1	6-7	4-3	2-4

Power Stats

Yards Per Point

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	12.68	21.64	-8.96
FLAST	22.57	15.59	6.98

Yards Per Pass

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	15.01	14.96	0.05
FLAST	11.90	10.46	1.44

Yards Per Rush

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
VTECH	4.55	3.39	1.16
FLAST	2.72	3.78	-1.06

Team Records

Virginia Tech Hokies

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	9-4	6-1	3-3	6-7	4-3	2-4	28.15	14.77	13.38
vs Conf	5-3	3-1	2-2	3-5	2-2	1-3	23.13	15.13	8.00
Last 3	2-1	1-0	1-1	1-2	0-1	1-1	17.00	14.67	2.33

Florida State Seminoles

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	7-6	4-3	3-3	4-8-1	3-4	1-4-1	27.85	21.23	6.62
vs Conf	3-5	1-3	2-2	0-7-1	0-4	0-3-1	19.50	25.13	-5.63
Last 3	3-0	2-0	1-0	3-0	2-0	1-0	40.67	15.00	25.67

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	28.15	69	21.23	30
Awy Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	245.50	44	221.00	75
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	175.50	44	117.00	28
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	27.85	71	14.77	4
Hme Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	219.71	79	219.83	51
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	204.86	35	136.50	26

Head To Head Summary

Name	Record	ATS	OU	Score	Rush	YPR	PA	CP	PY	TY	TO +/-
Virginia Tech	2-5	3-4	6-1	27.71	128.29	3.10	30.43	54.46	251.14	379.43	1.86
Florida State	5-2	4-3	6-1	30.71	60.57	2.07	31.43	56.82	257.71	318.29	1.43

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	Home	Score	Line	Total	OU Result	ARY	APY	ATY	ATT	HRY	HPY	HTY	HTT	Away Team Attempts	Home Team Attempts	Away Team Completions	Home Team Completions
Nov 8, 2012	FLAST	VTECH	28-22	-15	326	311	2	87	298	385	3
Dec 4, 2010	FLAST	VTECH	33-44	53	288	341	2	179	263	442	0
Oct 25, 2008	VTECH	FLAST	20-30	82	161	243	2	89	159	248	0
Nov 10, 2007	FLAST	VTECH	21-40	116	151	267	3	188	207	395	1
Dec 3, 2005	FLAST	VTECH	27-22	47	225	272	0	41	335	376	2
Jan 1, 2002	VTECH	FLAST	17-30	43	269	312	2	104	326	430	2
Jan 4, 2000	VTECH	FLAST	29-46	278	225	503	3	30	329	359	1

College Football Betting Odds & Trends

Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
VTech is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia Tech's last 6 games
VTech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia Tech's last 5 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Virginia Tech's last 5 games when playing Florida State

Florida State Seminoles
FState is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Florida State is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games
FState is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Florida State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
FState is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Virginia Tech
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida State's last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech

Team Last 5 Games

Virginia Tech Hokies

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 28, 2017	OKLAST	21-30	L	6.5/60.5	L/U	248	270	518	141	351	492	2	A
Nv 24, 2017	VIRGNA	10-0	W	-6.5/48.5	W/U	202	143	345	5	186	191	0	A
Nov 18, 2017	PITT	20-14	W	-14/48.5	L/U	157	218	375	55	311	366	-1	H
Nv 11, 2017	GATECH	22-28	L	-3/47.5	L/O	105	153	258	261	140	401	-1	A
Nov 4, 2017	MI-FL	10-28	L	2.5/49.5	L/U	102	197	299	219	210	429	1	A

Florida State Seminoles

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 27, 2017	S.MISS	42-13	W	-11.5/48	W/O	214	238	452	131	129	260	-1	H
Dec 2, 2017	UL.MON	42-10	W	-25.5/63.5	W/U	305	199	504	38	262	300	2	H
Nov 25, 2017	FLA	38-22	W	-5/43.5	W/O	88	128	216	96	184	280	-3	A
Nv 18, 2017	DELAST	77-6	W	-51/		246	236	482	15	177	192	-2	H
Nov 11, 2017	CLEM	14-31	L	16/44.5	L/O	21	208	229	227	151	378	0	A

Next up:
Virginia Tech home to William & Mary Saturday, September 8
Florida State home to Samford Saturday, September 8

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Mets vs. Dodgers MLB Betting Preview and Pick

Dodgers Now Lead NL West

Jacob deGrom looks to continue his phenomenal season when the Mets open a three-game series against the Dodgers. The Dodgers now lead the National League West.

Monday, September 3 at 8:10 PM ET

Dodger Stadium

Mostly Cloudy 67°F

Wind: 1mph Blowing Out

 Odds: Dodgers -140-moneyline favorites. The total is 7 Under -125.

deGrom has been almost unhittable

Jacob deGrom (8-8, 1.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) allowed one earned run on eight hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts over eight innings to get a no-decision in a 2-1 loss against the Cubs last Tuesday. 

deGrom has allowed just six earned runs over his last six starts (43 2/3 innings) to lower his ERA from 1.82 to 1.68. Opponents are hitting just .208 against deGrom and he's second in the National League with 182 innings pitched, second with 224 strikeouts and third with an 0.98 WHIP.

The Mets have scored 562 runs (24th in the majors). They are putting up 4.13 runs per game (24th), hitting .235 (30th) with 140 home runs (23rd).

New York ranks 18th with a 4.21 ERA, 15th with a 1.29 WHIP and 3rd with 1194 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 28th with a 4.98 ERA. 

Michael Conforto leads the Mets with 20 home runs and 55 RBI, Todd Frazier has 16 home runs and 53 RBI and Brandon Nimmo has 15 home runs, 40 RBI and a team-best .387 OBP.

Wood has dominant outing in Texas

Alex Wood (8-6, 3.42 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) threw seven scoreless innings in last Wednesday's 3-1 win against the Rangers. He surrendered just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Wood has a 2.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in his last four starts.

The Dodgers have scored 644 runs (9th in the majors). They are putting up 4.70 runs per game (9th), hitting .244 (20th) with 191 home runs (2nd).

Los Angeles ranks 2nd with a 3.41 ERA, 2nd with a 1.16 WHIP and 4th with 1313 strikeouts. Their bullpen ranks 12th with a 3.85 ERA. 

Max Muncy leads the Dodgers with 31 home runs, Yasmani Grandal has 22 home runs and 60 RBI and Cody Bellinger has 21 home runs, 63 RBI and a team-best 124 hits.

 

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MLB Trends:

The New York Mets are:

10-1 in their last 11 when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game

4-1 in their last five after allowing two runs or less in their previous game

18-6 in deGrom's last 24 starts during game 1 of a series

The Los Angeles Dodgers are:

2-5 in Wood's last seven starts when their opponent allows two runs or less in their previous game

0-4 in Wood's last four home starts

Jacob deGrom has a 1.78 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 13 road starts. He has a 1.24 ERA and an 0.99 WHIP with a complete game in his last six starts. deGrom will continue to make his case for the National League Cy Young. 

MLB Pick: Mets +130 at Jazz Sportsbook

Check odds here: https://goo.gl/dVwAAb

Odds as seen on ESPN Chalk: https://goo.gl/ji6GJZ

 

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Arizona Diamondbacks vs. LA Dodgers MLB Betting Preview -- August 31

Dodgers Look to Rebound in Game Two

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their four-game series after Arizona's 3-1 win last night. The win increased their lead over Los Angeles in the National League West to two games.

Friday, August 31 at 8:10 PM ET

Dodger Stadium

Clear 69°F

Wind: 1mph

Odds: Dodgers -125-moneyline favorites. The Total is 7.5 Under -125.

Greinke dominates the Mariners

Zack Greinke (13-8, 2.93 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) allowed an unearned run on five hits. He had two walks with six strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a 5-2 win against the Mariners last Sunday.

Greinke is having a terrific season so far. He ranks fourth in the National League with 168 2/3 innings pitched, fifth with 13 wins, 5th with a 1.05 WHIP, sixth with a 2.93 ERA and seventh with 171 strikeouts.  

The Diamondbacks have scored 593 runs (17th in the majors). They are putting up 4.43 runs per game (17th), hitting .239 (26th) with 146 home runs (19th).

Arizona ranks 3rd with a 3.52 ERA, 5th with a 1.21 WHIP and 3rd with 1194 strikeouts.

Their bullpen ranks 2nd with a 3.09 ERA. Paul Goldschmidt leads the Diamondbacks with 30 home runs, 76 RBI, a .395 OBP and 146 hits. David Peralta has 26 home runs, 74 RBI and a team-best .303 batting average.

Ryu bounces back

Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) gave up two runs (one earned) on 11 hits (one home run). He also had a walk with eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-3 win against the Padres last Sunday.

Ryu has a 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB) in 45 1/3 innings. He has a 5.40 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP in two starts against the Diamondbacks this season. He has given up three earned runs in five innings.

The Dodgers have scored 635 runs (7th in the majors). They are putting up 4.74 runs per game (7th), hitting .245 (17th) with 187 home runs (2nd).

Los Angeles ranks 2nd with a 3.44 ERA, 2nd with a 1.17 WHIP and 2nd with 1288 strikeouts.

Their bullpen ranks 12th with a 3.89 ERA.

Max Muncy leads the Dodgers with 30 home runs.  Yasmani Grandal has 22 home runs and 60 RBI. Cody Bellinger has 21 home runs, 63 RBI and a team-best 123 hits.

 

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MLB Trends:

The Arizona Diamondbacks are:

10-4 in their last 14 Friday games

18-8 in their last 26 during game 2 of a series

7-1 in Greinke's last eight road starts

7-1 in Greinke's last eight Friday starts

5-1 in Greinke's last six starts during game 2 of a series

7-2 in Greinke's last nine starts against National League West opponents

6-2 in Greinke's last eight starts against a team with a winning record

19-8 in Greinke's last 27 starts after allowing two runs or less in their previous game

9-4 in Greinke's last 13 starts

35-16 in Greinke's last 51 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance

4-1 in Greinke's last five starts against the Dodgers

9-4 in the last 13 meetings

The Los Angeles Dodgers are: 

3-11 in their last 14 during game 2 of a series

0-4 in their last four home games against a team with a winning record

7-19 in Ryu's last 26 starts against a team with a winning record

2-7 in Ryu's last nine home starts against a team with a winning record

1-4 in Ryu's last five starts during game 2 of a series

0-5 in Ryu's last five Friday starts

The Diamondbacks opened the series with a close win. They should have the advantage with Zack Greinke on the mound.

Hyun-Jin Ryu has been excellent for the Dodgers. He's completed six innings or more in just four of his nine starts lately. This could put some added stress on a Los Angeles bullpen that has been inconsistent as of late. I like Arizona at plus money in this divisional showdown. 

MLB Pick: Diamondbacks +115 at Jazz Sportsbook

Check odds here: https://goo.gl/dVwAAb

Odds as seen on ESPN Chalk: https://goo.gl/ji6GJZ

 

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Stanford (13) Hosts San Diego State to open 2018

Stanford Looks to Rebound and Compete for Pac-12 Title

The fans at Stanford Stadium will see the San Diego State Aztecs and the Stanford Cardinal when they open their 2018 college football season. The Friday night tilt starts at 9 pm EST. Fox Sports 1 will have the telecast.

Oddsmakers opened the Cardinal as -14.5-point favorites versus the Aztecs, while the game's total opened at 53. Stanford is now 13.5-point favorites. The total has settled at 49.

Most fans expected Stanford running back Bryce Love to be in the NFL this week. Instead the scholar-athlete will be in the lineup Friday. Love returns for his senior season. He led all Power 5 running backs last year in yards rushing (2,118), yards per carry (8.1) and 100-yard games (12).

Stanford is Loaded for the 2018 Campaign

Stanford won the Pac-12 North for the fourth time in the past six seasons last year. They return 18 starters, including Love, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Love finished with 19 touchdowns and had 13 rushes of at least 50 yards.

The loaded Cardinal offense also features their top four receivers from last year. Junior quarterback K.J. Costello, who took over as the starter midway through last season, is back as well.

Stanford is looking to avenge last year's 20-17 loss to San Diego State, which has relied on its stellar running game to go 32-9 over the past three seasons.

The Aztecs Look to Dominate on the Ground

The Aztecs have had back-to-back 2,000-yard rushers in D.J. Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny. They could extend the streak with Juwan Washington. He will receive a heavy workload after rushing for 759 yards seven touchdowns last season.

Senior quarterback Christian Chapman returns behind a strong offensive line for the Aztecs. They are picked to finish second in the West Division of the Mountain West.

San Diego State ranked 21st nationally in scoring defense last season. They return a strong secondary led by safety Tariq Thompson, who finished with five interceptions.

San Diego State has won three consecutive games against Pac-12 teams. They have beaten California (2016), winning at Arizona State (2017) and downing Stanford (2017).

PREDICTION: Stanford 31, San Diego State 17

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
San Diego State	10-3	8-5	29.00	20.23	8.77	3-4	5-1	5-7-1	2-4-1	3-3
Stanford	9-5	7-6-1	40.25	22.71	17.54	4-2	3-4-1	7-7	3-3	4-4

Power Stats

Yards Per Point

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
SD.ST	13.71	15.33	-1.62
STANFO	11.11	17.86	-6.74

Yards Per Pass

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
SD.ST	11.88	12.04	-0.16
STANFO	12.34	12.07	0.27

Yards Per Rush

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
SD.ST	4.94	3.75	1.19
STANFO	8.03	4.59	3.44

Team Records

San Diego State Aztecs

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	10-3	5-2	5-1	8-5	3-4	5-1	30.77	20.23	10.54
vs Conf	6-2	2-2	4-0	6-2	2-2	4-0	30.38	17.38	13.00
Last 3	2-1	2-0	0-1	2-1	2-0	0-1	37.33	25.00	12.33

Stanford Cardinal

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	9-5	6-0	3-5	7-6-1	4-2	3-4-1	32.36	22.71	9.65
vs Conf	7-3	5-0	2-3	4-5-1	3-2	1-3-1	29.90	23.20	6.70
Last 3	1-2	1-0	0-2	3-0	1-0	2-0	34.33	30.00	4.33

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	30.77	45	22.71	34
Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	104.50	120	223.50	80
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	318.50	2	174.83	84
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	32.36	38	20.23	23
Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	191.50	97	131.67	1
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	253.50	17	146.00	34

Head To Head Summary

Name	Record	ATS	OU	Score	Rush	YPR	PA	CP	PY	TY	TO +/-
San Diego State	1-0	1-0	0-1	20.00	171.00	3.49	29.00	72.41	187.00	358.00	0.00
Stanford	0-1	0-1	0-1	17.00	174.00	7.91	20.00	45.00	64.00	238.00	3.00

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	Home	Score	Line	Total	OU Result	ARY	APY	ATY	ATT	HRY	HPY	HTY	HTT	Away Team Attempts	Home Team Attempts	Away Team Completions	Home Team Completions
Sep 16, 2017	STANFO	SD.ST	17-20	174	64	238	3	171	187	358	0

NCAA Football Betting Odds & Trends

San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
San Diego State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
San Diego State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
San Diego State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road

Stanford Cardinal
Stanford is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Stanford is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Stanford's last 5 games
Stanford is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Stanford is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Team Last 5 Games

San Diego State Aztecs

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 23, 2017	ARMY	35-42	L	-6.5/46	L/O	255	25	280	440	6	446	1	A
Nov 24, 2017	NEWMEX	35-10	W	-20/47.5	W/U	265	198	463	82	167	249	0	H
Nv 18, 2017	NEVADA	42-23	W	-17/55.5	W/O	289	205	494	34	414	448	-1	H
Nov 4, 2017	SJ.ST	52-7	W	-23.5/51	W/O	554	94	648	33	167	200	-2	A
Oct 28, 2017	HAWAII	28-7	W	-7/54	W/U	334	83	417	35	160	195	1	A

Stanford Cardinal

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 28, 2017	TCU	37-39	L	3/49.5	W/O	157	212	369	147	341	488	-1	A
Dec 1, 2017	USC	28-31	L	3.5/58.5	W/O	151	192	343	176	325	501	-1	A
Nov 25, 2017	NOTRD	38-20	W	3/57.5	W/O	152	176	328	154	261	415	-3	H
Nv 18, 2017	CAL	17-14	W	-14/56	L/U	193	185	378	155	182	337	0	H
Nov 10, 2017	WASH	30-22	W	6.5/50	W/O	195	211	406	135	190	325	-1	H

Next up:
San Diego State home to Sacramento State Saturday, September 8
Stanford home to USC Saturday, September 8

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Wisconsin (4) Opens 2018 Season Against Western Kentucky

Wisconsin Faces the Dangerous Hilltoppers

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Wisconsin Badgers will open their 2018 seasons on Friday night. Camp Randall Stadium will be the site of the action. ESPN will televise the game starting at 9 pm EST.

Oddsmakers opened the Badgers as -33-point favorites versus the Hilltoppers, while the game's total opened at 51. The line is now Wisconsin 37 and the total is at 51.5.

Fourth-ranked Wisconsin looks to live up to its lofty ranking on Friday. The Badgers went unbeaten in the regular season last year. That was en route to their third Big Ten West Division title in the last four years. They fell to Ohio State in the conference championship game.

The Badgers hope to build on their record-breaking 13-win season by earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Wisconsin Returns Some Experience in Key Positions

Wisconsin returns several key players on offense. Including Heisman Trophy candidate Jonathan Taylor. He set an NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,977 yards. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook is back after throwing 25 touchdowns passes. The lefthander will be without two major weapons.

Taylor racked up ten 100-yard games to go along with 13 touchdowns in his record-breaking freshman campaign. He is poised for another big year with all five starters returning on the offensive line. They include All-Americans Beau Benzschawel, Michael Deiter and David Edwards.

Junior Quintez Cephus, who was the team's top returning receiver, was suspended indefinitely. He was charged with two counts of sexual assault. Danny Davis will sit out the first two games for his role in the alleged incidents.

Wisconsin has won 22 consecutive home openers. They can extend its non-conference winning streak at Camp Randall to 40 games with another victory.

Western Kentucky is Looking to Rebound

Western Kentucky is coming off its first losing season since 2010. They have hopes to earn the biggest win of Mike Sanford Jr.'s two-season tenure by knocking off a Big Ten opponent. It would be the first time in school history after losing its previous seven meetings.

Senior quarterback Drew Eckels will replace Mike White. White threw for 4,177 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. Eckels hopes to prove the critics wrong after the Hilltoppers were picked to finish fifth in Conference USA's East Division.

Senior D'Andre Ferby is the favorite to start at running back after rushing for a team-high 373 yards in 2017. There are four other players vying for playing time in a crowded backfield.

"I think that all five guys are going to play against Wisconsin," Sanford told reporters. "We've had opportunities in scrimmages to see who ran the best and that was going to decide the starter but all five of them have done really good things."

PREDICTION: Wisconsin 41, Western Kentucky 13

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Western Kentucky	6-7	3-10	23.25	26.85	-3.6	2-4	1-6	7-6	4-2	3-4
Wisconsin	13-1	9-5	43.33	13.93	29.4	4-4	5-1	8-6	4-4	4-2

Power Stats

Yards Per Point

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
WKU	14.58	14.05	0.53
WISCSN	11.79	18.81	-7.02

Yards Per Pass

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
WKU	10.37	11.85	-1.48
WISCSN	14.14	11.93	2.21

Yards Per Rush

Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
WKU	2.43	4.43	-2
WISCSN	5.58	3.16	2.42

Team Records

WKU Hilltoppers

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	6-7	4-2	2-5	3-10	2-4	1-6	25.46	26.85	-1.39
vs Conf	4-3	2-1	2-2	3-4	2-1	1-3	29.14	30.00	-0.86
Last 3	1-2	1-0	0-2	1-2	1-0	0-2	25.00	35.33	-10.33

Wisconsin Badgers

Name	Record	Home	Away	ATS	ATS Home	ATS Away	Offense	Defense	Diff
Overall	13-1	7-1	6-0	9-5	4-4	5-1	33.79	13.93	19.86
vs Conf	9-1	5-1	4-0	6-4	3-3	3-1	30.90	14.10	16.80
Last 3	2-1	0-1	2-0	2-1	0-1	2-0	28.67	17.00	11.67

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	25.46	89	13.93	3
Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	312.00	12	161.00	12
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	32.14	128	93.25	8
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	33.79	28	26.85	66
Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	198.50	93	192.57	22
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	212.38	30	172.43	63

Head To Head Summary

Name	Record	ATS	OU	Score	Rush	YPR	PA	CP	PY	TY	TO +/-
Western Kentucky	0-1	0-0	0-0	6.00	115.00	2.17	4.00	25.00	28.00	143.00	1.00
Wisconsin	1-0	0-0	0-0	24.00	193.00	4.39	23.00	43.48	141.00	334.00	2.00

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	Home	Score	Line	Total	OU Result	ARY	APY	ATY	ATT	HRY	HPY	HTY	HTT	Away Team Attempts	Home Team Attempts	Away Team Completions	Home Team Completions
Sep 29, 2001	WKU	WISCSN	6-24	115	28	143	1	193	141	334	2

College Football Betting Odds & Trends

WKU Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games
W Kentucky is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
Western Kentucky is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Western Kentucky's last 8 games
Western Kentucky is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Western Kentucky is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Wisconsin is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games
Wisc is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home

Team Last 5 Games

WKU Hilltoppers

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 16, 2017	GA.ST	17-27	L	-6.5/54.5	L/U	-2	351	349	143	276	419	2	A
Nov 24, 2017	FIU	17-41	L	-3/57	L/O	46	355	401	122	251	373	3	A
Nov 17, 2017	MIDTEN	41-38	W	0/56	W/O	53	485	538	137	294	431	1	H
Nov 11, 2017	MARSHL	23-30	L	10/52	W/O	34	334	368	144	190	334	1	A
Nov 4, 2017	VANDY	17-31	L	12.5/53.5	L/U	-6	355	349	174	220	394	0	A

Wisconsin Badgers

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	ATS Result	offensive rush yards	offensive passing yards	offensive total yards	defensive rush yards	defensive passing yards	defensive total yards	turnovers	Location
Dec 30, 2017	MI-FL	34-24	W	-6.5/45.5	W/O	142	258	400	174	203	377	-2	A
Dec 2, 2017	OHIOST	21-27	L	3.5/51	L/U	60	238	298	238	211	449	-1	H
Nov 25, 2017	MINN	31-0	W	-18/43	W/U	287	169	456	93	40	133	1	A
Nov 18, 2017	MICH	24-10	W	-6.5/42	W/U	182	143	325	58	176	234	0	H
Nov 11, 2017	IOWA	38-14	W	-12/45.5	W/O	247	135	382	25	41	66	1	H

Next up:
WKU home to Maine Saturday, September 8
Wisconsin home to New Mexico Saturday, September 8

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