A Las Vegas Review-Journal handicapper is backing Indiana as a road underdog against Michigan on Saturday, citing a classic "anti-swagger spot" for the Hoosiers after their 22-game winning streak was snapped by Ohio State last week. The line has moved from 6½ to 7½ points, apparently because Michigan is turning to quarterback Tommy Carr, the grandson of former coach Lloyd Carr, for his first career start in place of Bryce Underwood. Carr replaced Underwood at halftime last week and led the Wolverines to a 20-18 victory after trailing 3-0.
The handicapper is also taking Pittsburgh as an underdog against No. 1 Miami, though not predicting an outright upset like last week's BYU win over Notre Dame. The Hurricanes needed double overtime to beat unranked Florida State 43-35 last week. Pittsburgh is 5-2 but has lost two straight while replacing quarterback Mason Heintschel, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Longtime handicapper Marc Lawrence notes that Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi is 5-1 against the spread in revenge games and 8-1 ATS in road games against undefeated teams.
In the Big Ten, Minnesota is a home underdog against Iowa, and the handicapper is 3-1 against the spread in Golden Gophers games this season. Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey is averaging 222½ passing yards per game, and the handicapper believes the defense can contain Iowa enough to keep the game within a touchdown. Lawrence notes the Golden Gophers are 5-0 ATS in a specific situation, though the detail was cut off in the report.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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