Posted on 11/8/2007 3:08:24 PM

NCAAF Betting – Rutgers At Army

By Charles Jay

ABOUT RUTGERS: The Good News -- Rutgers has its running game. Ray Rice, who has averaged 140 yards a game and 159 over his last four outings, is one of the best in the country. And QB Mike Teel has made a habit of throwing the ball downfield a lot more this year, averaging 8.84 per pass attempt, which is the fourth best figure in the country. The Rutgers offensive line has allowed only five sacks on the year

The Bad News -- Rutgers is now out of the running for the Big East title and a BCS bid, something that coach Greg Schiano was unquestionably focusing on this season. Results for the Knights have been inconsistent - the effect of the win over South Florida, which was #2 nationally at the time, has been mitigated by losses to Maryland, U-Conn, Cincinnati and West Virginia. Rutgers is 117th in the nation in net punting average.

RUTGERS NCAA FOOTABALL BETTING TRENDS:

* RUTGERS has covered two of its last six games

* RUTGERS has won 16 of its last 22 games SU

* RUTGERS has covered four of its last six road games

* RUTGERS has covered two of its last seven as a road favorite

ABOUT ARMY:

The Bad News -- Army ranks 117th in the country in offense. Against Air Force they gained just 17 net rushing yards. the rushing game has averaged 2.3 yards an attempt. Those offensive line problems translate to the passing game, as Army has allowed 27 sacks.

The Good News -- Army is ranked fifth in the nation in punt returns, which creates a matchup advantage with Rutgers' poor rating in net punting.

ARMY NCAA FOOTABALL BETTING TRENDS:

* ARMY is on an 0-3-1 ATS run

* ARMY has covered three of its last 11 home games

* ARMY is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games

* ARMY has won seven of its last 10 home games SU

* ARMY is 1-5 ATS after playing Air Force

* ARMY has covered one of its last six games as a home underdog

WHO: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) at Army Cadets (3-6 SU, 3-4-1 ATS)

WHEN & WHERE: Friday, 8 PM ET, Michie Stadium (artificial turf) in West Point, NY (Televised on ESPN2)

BETUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING LINE: Rutgers -19 (Total 48)

LAST POINT SPREAD RESULT: Rutgers suffered its second straight loss last Saturday, dropping a 38-19 decision to Connecticut as a one-point underdog. Army last its third straight game last Saturday, as the Cadets lost 30-10 at Air Force as a 17-point dog.

HEAD-TO-HEAD college football betting trends:

* RUTGERS has covered the last four meetings

* RUTGERS has averaged 35.5 ppg in the last four meetings

* The underdog has covered three of the last four meetings

LAST MEETING: In 2003, Rutgers visited West Point and scored a 36-21 victory as a seven-point favorite, outgaining Army by a 427-306 count.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Even though they may be disheartened by their position in the stronger Big East, Rutgers is still playing to get in the best bowl it can. Meanwhile, Army seems to be without direction. The defensive line can not do the job, so Rice may have a field day. When Army was in an ESPN night game previously, the Cadets committed about 17 turnovers in two minutes to get blown away by Air Force. In front of this national TV audience, and on the heels of two straight defeats, do not expect Rutgers, the 19-point favorite in the BetUS college football betting odds, to be without focus. They'll win this in a runaway.

Visit BetUS for more analysis and all of your NCAA Football Odds!

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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com loves to help people pick winners. He is a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)