After sparking Florida to a 10-9 comeback win Saturday at Tennessee, freshman quarterback Treon Harris was suspended indefinitely from all team activities on Monday. Harris is the subject of a sexual assault complaint, although no charges have been filed. The alleged incident occurred on the UF campus early Sunday morning. Therefore, Jeff Driskel will remain UF's starting QB when it takes on LSU as a 1.5-point home underdog Saturday night.
Sticking in the SEC, Alabama won't be at full strength Saturday when it faces a tough bounce-back spot at Arkansas. RB Kenyan Drake, who scored six touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's first four games, is done for the season after breaking his leg in last week's loss at Ole Miss. Starting center Ryan Kelly is out for at least a week, possibly longer. Starting LB Denzel Devall will be out 3-4 weeks due to an ankle injury. 'Bama is 10.5-point road 'chalk.'
More quick hitters
-- BYU had a rough Friday night. Bronco Mendenhall's team saw its unbeaten record go up in flames by losing 35-20 to Utah St. as a 21-point home favorite. Even worse, star junior QB Taysom Hill was lost for the season with a broken leg. Hill was a Heisman candidate who had rushed for 463 yards and eight TDs, in addition to producing 975 passing yards with a 7:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. In relief of Hill against the Aggies, back-up Christian Stewart struggled mightily. He completed only 10-of-29 throws for 172 yards and was intercepted three times. Nevertheless, he'll get the starting nod Thursday at UCF.
-- Illinois QB Wes Lunt is out for the next 4-6 weeks after breaking his leg in a 38-27 home loss to Purdue. Lunt has been one of the few bright spots for the Illini, which has failed to cover the spread in four straight games. Lunt had completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,569 with a 13/3 TD-INT ratio. Illinois, a 25.5-point road underdog Saturday at Wisconsin, is an atrocious 1-9 ATS as a road 'dog during Tim Beckman's tenure.
-- Florida St. is dealing with injuries galore going into Saturday's game at Syracuse. RB Karlos Williams is 'doubtful' with an ankle injury, WR Rashad Greene is a question mark (concussion) and starting center Austin Barron is 'out.' Williams has rushed for a team-high 353 yards and five TDs, while Greene has 38 catches for 576 yards. Back-up QB Sean Maguire is also 'out' with a hand injury so if Jameis Winston gets injured at the Carrier Dome, the Seminoles will have to turn to a QB (John Franklin or Troy Cook) that hasn't attempted a pass at the collegiate level.
-- Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel is 'doubtful' Saturday at Miami. Before suffering bruised ribs late in the first half of the Bearcats' fourth game, Kiel had 1,257 passing yards and a 15:3 TD-INT ratio. Tommy Tuberville has indicated that practice will determine this week's starting QB. Munchie Legaux, who suffered a nasty knee injury last September, completed only 5-of-13 throws for 39 yards in relief of Kiel in last week's 41-14 home loss to Memphis. Juco transfer Jarred Evans is the other possibility. Also, Cincy's leading rusher Hosey Williams is out for a month with a knee injury.
-- Oklahoma RB Keith Ford will miss a third straight game Saturday against Texas. Ford had rushed for 197 yards and three TDs before getting injured in the team's third game.
-- Louisville WR DeVante Parker is expected to make his season debut Saturday at Clemson. Parker broke his left foot at practice in late August. He finished the 2013 campaign with 55 receptions for 885 yards and 12 TDs, earning first-team All-AAC honors.
-- As if Michigan coach Brady Hoke didn't have enough concerns, he must now make do without leading rusher Derrick Green (broken clavicle) for the rest of the season. Green had rushed for 471 yards and three TDs while averaging 5.7 yards per carry. The Wolverines take on Penn St. at home on Saturday.
PICKS
Central Florida -3.5 vs. BYU. Without Hill (see above), BYU has to travel across the country (and into the heat of Central Florida) on a short week of preparation. UCF has won back-to-back games and owns a 25-15-1 spread record as a home favorite since 2005.
Washington St. +17.5 at Stanford. Mike Leach's team has covered the spread in six straight games as a road underdog. Also, the Cougars are 2-0 ATS as double-digit dogs this season, winning outright at Utah. The Cardinal has limped to a 6-9 spread record in its last 15 games as a home favorite.
More handicapping help: Week 7 lines | Power Ratings
Brian Edwards is a college football handicapper who contributes weekly columns to The Linemakers on Sporting News. For more valuable information and insight, follow him on Twitter @vegasbedwards and visit his website, BrianEdwardsSports.com.
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