Minnesota Golden Gophers at Bowling Green Falcons

The Falcons of Bowling Green (1-0 SU & ATS), having just pulled an upset over a nationally-ranked team, wil try to chalk up win #2 on Saturday when they take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) in an inter-conference matchup that is set to take place at 7:30 PM ET at Perry Stadium (artificial turf) in Bowling Green, OH.

Saturday, September 6

BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: BOWLIONG GREEN -6

Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* MINN has lost ten of its last 11 games

* MINN has lost its last five road games SU

* MINN has covered three of its last nine road games

* BG has won and covered five of its last six games SU

* BG has played its last four games UNDER the total

* BG has won four of its last five home games SU

Bowling Green not only beat a nationally-ranked team last week, they did so after coming back from a two-touchdown deficit, and in impressive fashion too, as the Falcons held Pittsburgh to a lone field goal in the last 41 minutes of the game and turned LeSean McCoy, who some had been touting as a Heisman candidate, into a non-factor. But talk about dinking and dunking! Tyler Sheehan, the talented quarterback, completed 24 of 40 passes but for only 163 yards. Good thing we also have some affirmation of his downfield abilities, as he threw for 388 yards against this Gopher crew last season.

While Bowling Green was scoring its upset, Minnesota was trying to avoid going down to defeat to another MAC squad in Northern Illinois; however, Duane Bennett's TD run with 22 seconds left put the Gophers into the win category by a 31-27 margin.

They've been talking quite a bit about improving the defense in Minnesota, and such an upgrade would certainly be welcomed; after all, Tim Brewster's team was dead last nationally in yards allowed last year (giving up 518.7 per game), and they returned only one player with starting experience to a 115th-rated secondary that yielded 28 TD's with only seven interceptions. This is the stop unit that created an encouraging first college start for Northern Illinois' redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish, who produced 326 yards through the air. And it's what Sheehan, a 64% passer last year, will be working against.

So the question becomes whether Minnesota can trade points. Adam Weber, the Gopher QB. was mistake-free in the opener but threw 19 picks last year. He can run well enough to keep Bowling Green honest. And let's acknowledge that the Falcons were a team rated 109th in the nation in defending the run last year. There is the "letdown" factor after a rare upset win over a ranked team, which also got redemption for the humiliating 63-7 loss to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl in January. The line allows Minnesota enough room to sneak through as the six-point dog in the BetUS NCAA football betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: MINNESOTA +6 **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of /www.ebookies.com gives it more than the old college try as a contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)