Navy has gotten used to ruling the roost among the service academies. The Midshipmen have won and 'covered' four straight against Air Force and prevailed in seven of their last eight against Army.
Rookie Falcons coach Troy Calhoun looks to buck that trend when he takes his team to Annapolis this Saturday. Air Force lost its final four games in 2006, but it has thrived under Calhoun, winning their first three games this season prior to last Saturday's visit to BYU.
Paul Johnson has put the Middies back on the college football map the past four seasons, posting a 35-15 mark and leading his team to four straight bowl games. However, Navy has struggled this season, losing its last pair and failing to cash three straight before hosting Duke last Saturday.
Trends and angles for the entire Week 5 menu appear below.
SOUTHERN MISS at BOISE ST
Boise State has thrived on its blue 'Smurf' turf, cashing 14 of its past 19 at home and at a 22-11-1 clip as favorites. The Broncos are 50-2 straight up in Boise since '99. Upset-minded Southern Mississippi is 9-2 as road dogs off a SU dog win. However, the Golden Eagles are just 4-9 as non-conference dogs on the highway and 4-10 ATS away versus quality teams.
WEST VIRGINIA at USFWest Virginia will be looking for revenge after losing to South Florida last year as 21-point home favorites, 24-19. The Mountaineers have thrived on the highway, winning 13 of 14 SU and cashing 10 of 13. They have also clicked in 12 of 14 ATS when playing on a weekday. The Bulls were 5-2 ATS against Big East foes last season. They have also 'covered' four straight conference openers.
DUKE at MIAMIDuke has 'covered' 20 of 29 on the road while Miami has come up short in 14 of its last 20 as favorites.
NORTH CAROLINA at VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech has spanked North Carolina by a combined score of 65-13 the past two seasons. The Hokies are 17-7-1 ATS versus ACC foes.
AKRON at CONNECTICUT Akron has come up short at a 6-2-1 clip on the road of late. Connecticut has cashed eight of its last dozen at Rentschler Field.
INDIANA at IOWAIowa has 'covered' in four of the past five series showdowns with Indiana. However, the Hoosiers upset the Hawkeyes last year as 19-point home dogs, 31-28. Indiana is 8-16 ATS on the conference road and 6-12 ATS away from home when facing quality teams. The Hawkeyes have cashed 18 of their last 24 conference tests at home and 26 of 34 as home chalk. They are only 3-7 as double-digit favorites.
MISS ST at SOUTH CAROLINAMississippi State is 6-0-1 ATS on the highway lately. The Bulldogs have cashed four straight on the road in revenge mode. South Carolina has won and 'covered' the last four series encounters. The Gamecocks are caught in a sandwich, coming off last week's battle with LSU and with Kentucky on tap next. USC has cashed six of its last seven as favorites but it is 8-15-1 ATS at Williams-Bryce Stadium against conference foes.
TEMPLE at ARMYArmy has failed in five of its last six as favorites and dropped five straight ATS decisions at home. The Cadets are 3-17 as favorites of more than seven points.
BUFFALO at BALL STBall State has 'covered' four straight at home versus an opponent with revenge. Buffalo has cashed seven of its last 10 on the road. The Cardinals are 4-1 as favorites and 11-6-1 ATS when facing MAC opposition. They have also clicked in six of seven as favorites coming off back-to-back SU losses.
NIU at CMUNorthern Illinois has won nine straight with Central Michigan (8-1 ATS). The Chippewas have 'covered' six straight and nine of their last 11 at home and 11 of their last 14 as favorites. CMU is also 11-2 ATS at home off a non-conference game. The Huskies have flopped in seven of their past 10 conference tests ATS.
MICHIGAN at NORTHWESTERNMichigan has won seven of eight against Northwestern and cashed three of four. The Wolverines are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games on the road and 9-3 ATS versus conference foes away from home. The Wildcats have cashed five of six as home dogs of less than 10 points with revenge.
SYRACUSE at MIAMI (O)Syracuse had cashed 16 of 20 outside the Big East prior to dropping its first three this year. Miami (O) has dropped five of six ATS at home and lost six in a row SU.
UTAH ST at UTAHUtah has 'covered' six of eight against Utah State, but both spread losses were at home. The Utes are 6-2 ATS in their last eight at Rice-Eccles Stadium and they have cashed 14 of 16 as home chalk of more than 11 points.
CALIFORNIA at OREGONOregon is 4-1 ATS against California, getting the green in the past two clashes at Eugene. The Ducks have 'covered' nine of their last dozen at home. The Bears are 8-4 ATS on the Pac-10 road, but 0-4 as dogs.
ALABAMA at FLORIDA ST.Alabama's Nick Saban faces his former offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, who is now Florida State's OC. The Tide and the Seminoles will be meeting for the first time since 1974.
OLE MISS at GEORGIAMississippi is 10-2 as road dogs of more than nine points with revenge. The Rebels are 6-11 ATS on the road. Georgia is just 11-18-1 as favorites.
AUBURN at FLORIDAAuburn's seven-game road winning streak could be in jeopardy. The Tigers have cashed three straight against Florida, but lost three in a row at Gainesville. Auburn is 4-0 as dogs and 8-4 as road pups. The Gators are 8-14-1 versus SEC foes at home. They have 'covered' six of eight versus quality teams at home, though the Tigers boast the same spread record versus quality teams on the road.
UCLA at OREGON ST
UCLA has won and cashed four straight against Oregon State. The Bruins are 8-2 as dogs when facing an opponent with revenge.
PENN ST at ILLINOIS
Penn State has come away with the cash in its last four visits to Illinois and it has won seven of the past eight series meetings. The Illini have barked in seven of their last 11 as home underdogs.
MICHIGAN ST at WISCONSINWisconsin has a 4-2 ATS edge in the last six series scrapes. Michigan State is 3-6-1 as dogs and 9-15 ATS versus conference competition on the road. The Spartans have failed to cash 11 of 17 against quality-teams on the highway.
IOWA ST at NEBRASKANebraska is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 clashes against Iowa State and it has cashed five straight in Lincoln. The Cyclones flunked six of eight conference tests last season ATS and are 9-15 ATS of late on the Big-12 road. The Huskers are 14-9-1 against conference foes at home. They have failed in four of five ATS at home when facing an opponent with revenge.
KANSAS ST at TEXASTexas has struggled against Kansas State, dropping four of five spread decisions, including two in a row at Austin. The Longhorns lost to the Wildcats last year as 16-point road favorites, 45-42. Kansas State is 4-11 ATS on the road and 3-6 as road dogs. The Wildcats have also come up short in nine of 12 on the highway when facing a conference opponent.
UNLV at NEVADAThis traditional rivalry has some striking contrasts. UNLV has dropped 15 of its last 18 spread decisions on the road while Nevada has cashed 14 of 17 at home and 15 of 16 as favorites. The Rebels have dropped three of their last four ATS in Reno. They are 1-7 ATS after Utah and 1-8 ATS when playing the first of back-to-back road games.
UTEP at SMU
SMU has clicked in eight of its last dozen in Dallas. UTEP has cashed seven of nine as dogs, but failed in nine of 11 as conference road short-enders and in 11 of 16 ATS versus conference rivals.
LSU at TULANE
LSU may show some mercy on Tulane after playing South Carolina last week and with Florida up next. The Tigers are 9-0-1 ATS versus non-conference foes and they have cashed eight straight as non-conference favorites of more than 24 points. The Green Wave is 4-16 as dogs, 2-10 ATS at home and 3-9 as dogs under the Superdome.
COLORADO ST at TCUTCU has outscored Colorado State 88-20 the past two seasons. The Horned Frogs have 'covered' nine of 11 at home and nine of 10 at Fort Worth off back-to-back road games. However, TCU has failed at a 7-1 clip in its fourth game of the season.
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