Auburn at Mississippi State
Thursday, 9/9/10, 7:30 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Auburn -2.5
Current Betting Line: Auburn -2
Opening Total: 52
Current Total: 55
Current Moneyline: Auburn -130/MSU +110
All odds taken from Bookmaker Sportsbook who offers a 20% signup bonus to all new wagering accounts
Auburn opens up its SEC schedule on Thursday night against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi in front of a national ESPN audience. The Tigers are 43-28-5 in SEC openers, including a spectacular 16-1 mark in its last 17 such games. The team also leads the all-time series against the Bulldogs, 58-23-2, having won 21 of the last 28 in the series. In its last 12 conference opening tilts, Auburn has outscored its opponents by an astounding 386-136 margin and this will be the seventh straight year that they open up SEC play versus Mississippi State. It’s important to note that since the 2004 season, the squad has compiled an impressive 31-17 record in conference play.
The Tigers offense will be led by quarterback Cameron Newton, who was named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his sparkling debut in a 52-26 home thrashing of an outmanned Arkansas State team. He currently leads the conference in rushing (171 ypg) and total offense (357 ypg), while also setting a school record for rushing yardage by a signal caller in a season opener. Second-year coach Gene Chizik has the luxury of knowing that his quarterback is protected by a stout offensive line that has a combined 113 starts. “He did some things when maybe something wasn’t there,” Chizik said of Newton. “He turned some bad plays into good ones.” Auburn heads out on the road for the first time this year, knowing that they’ve produced a 1-8 ATS road mark the last three years and are also a disappointing 5-11 against the college football point spread against conference opponents over that span.
Mississippi State limited Memphis to just 41 rushing yards in opening the 2010 season with a 49-7 blowout victory last Saturday. The Bulldogs ranked ninth nationally last season and led the SEC by averaging 227 rushing yards per game, but the team was paced by the play of quarterback Tyler Russell, who ultimately replaced junior Chris Reif. The freshman completed 13 of 16 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns. State’s 49 points were the most in a season opener since 1974 and the most in any game since 2002.
Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen knows that the level of competition rises in a hurry with Thursday’s contest. “That is a whole different ballgame when you start conference play, especially with a solid opponent,” Mullen stated. “I am expecting a big time atmosphere.” The Bulldogs have posted a 6-8 overall record on ESPN Thursday Night telecasts and six of the school’s nine largest crowds have come during the Mullen Era. Don’t overlook the team’s 9-7 ATS mark against the SEC over the last three campaigns and the total is 7-9 O/U in those games. It’s also important to note over that span, Mississippi State is 2-0 as a home underdog of three points or less.
Bettors will be impressed that the Tigers have totaled at least 500 yards of offense in five of their last 14 games, but that hasn’t always translated well in covering the spread the next week. Auburn is 3-15 in their last 18 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game. Mississippi State isn’t offering much appeal with a 0-5 ATS mark in their last five Thursday games.
Maddux Sports has already released a premium pick on this game. You can get on board for this easy winner by visiting our Thursday college football picks page of the website. We have won 7 of our last 8 football selections and will look to continue the winning today.
