College football odds on Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders are all change as Dwight Dasher is out against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
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The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders are an upstart
Sun Belt squad that few college football handicappers are talking about. The
Blue Raiders won 10 games in 2009 and enter the 2010 season on a seven-game
winning streak. On Thursday, they host a Big Ten program in one of the biggest
games in school history. A win over a BCS conference school would give them
some serious credibility to start the year.
Golden
Gophers @ Blue Raiders Matchup
College Football Betting Line: Keep up to date with the Minnesota -2.5 - line movement.
Total: 49
The Minnesota
Golden Gophers Can Win Because...:
Because Dwight Dasher is out. After Middle Tennessee State's superstar -
and do-it-all quarterback - was suspended by the NCAA after accepting a $1500
loan, the Gophers immediately benefited.
Dasher was the Sun Belt's preseason Player of the Year
and without him, the program is a bit shaken. Instead, the Gophers defense that
lost nine starters will face a quarterback that has never played in Division I
football.
The Gophers offense is on its third offensive coordinator
and the general feel is that the unit won't get worse than last year. They have
an experienced squad and quarterback Adam Weber is much better than his numbers
indicated. He's a veteran passer and that should help keep the team
level-minded on the road to start the year.
The Middle
Tennessee State Blue Raiders Should Win Because...:
Because this is their Super Bowl. This is arguably the
biggest home game in school history and with or without Dasher, they are going
to be jacked up and focused. Obviously, playing without Dasher makes this far
more challenging. Two junior college transfers, Logan Kilgore and Jeff Murphy,
will run the offense but neither has played in Division I football before and question marks are there over the push to the BCS Championship.
But the offense may not need to do a whole lot if
defensive coordinator Randall McCray can get his aggressive defensive front
working. The Gophers offensive line finished 113th in the nation in
sacks allowed last season and the Blue Raiders plan to find out if they've
improved.
The Gophers offense has been turnover prone and
inconsistent through the air and McCray knows that first hand. He spent the
last four seasons with Wisconsin, so there is a level of familiarity here.
Outlook &
Football Betting Prediction:
The NCAAF betting line has swung by seven points since the
opening with the news of Dasher's suspension. Originally, the Blue Raiders odds were
a 4.5-point favorite but now they are a 2.5-point home underdog.
It's the first time a Big Ten team has made a trip to
Murfreesboro and the contest will be nationally televised. Needless to say, the
Blue Raiders could really use their star quarterback in this one. On top of
that, Minnesota's main weakness - the defense - catches a huge break with
Dasher suspended.
Minnesota may not be among the elite teams in the Big Ten
but they are still good enough to wear down a Sun Belt squad in the second
half. That's exactly what they'll do en route to a win and cover.
College Football
Pick: Golden Gophers Odds -2.5