Just when coach Butch Jones seemed to be getting it going with back-to-back wins at South Carolina and vs. Kentucky, Tennessee got bad news earlier this week. Star senior linebacker A.J. Johnson and sophomore CB Michael Williams have been suspended indefinitely from all team-related activities pending the result of a police investigation. Johnson and Williams are the subject of sexual-assault allegations stemming from an incident in Knoxville early Sunday morning.
Also, DB Brian Randolph is suspended for the first half of Saturday's home game vs. Missouri, after being ejected for a late hit on Kentucky QB Patrick Towles last week.
Johnson leads the SEC in tackles with 101, while Williams has started five games and made 23 tackles. Randolph has 76 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception. As of Thursday morning, most books had the Volunteers favored by 3.5 points.
After capturing a 34-27 win at Texas A&M as a 3.5-point underdog, Missouri has taken the cash in eight consecutive road assignments. Going back to 2007, the Tigers are 25-9 ATS run in their last 34 road games.
Quick Hitters
-- Notre Dame will be without a pair of defensive linemen for Saturday's home game vs. Louisville. Sheldon Day and Daniel Cage won't play against the Cardinals due to knee injuries. On the bright side, QB Everett Golson has been upgraded to 'probable' even though he's dealing with a shoulder injury. As we noted last week, U of L starting QB Will Gardner is done for the season. Most spots have the Irish favored by 3.5.
-- Virginia Tech RB Marshawn Williams tore his ACL in a 17-16 come-from-behind win at Duke. Frank Beamer has now seen his top three RBs get injured this season. Williams had rushed for 471 yards and four TDs. J.C. Coleman, who has 160 rushing yards and a 3.5 yards-per-carry average, is expected to get the starting nod Saturday at Wake Forest. The Hokies, 15-point favorites against the Demon Deacons, are an abysmal 1-7 ATS in their last eight games as road favorites.
-- Arkansas picked up the first SEC win of Bret Bielema's tenure in last week's 17-0 home win over LSU. The Razorbacks have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games. They take on Ole Miss as 3-point home underdogs this weekend. As road favorites during Hugh Freeze's tenure, the Rebels own a 3-3 spread record. Arkansas is 2-3 ATS as a home dog on Bielema's watch.
-- Oklahoma State QB Daxx Garman is 'questionable' for Saturday's game at Baylor. Garman sustained a concussion in last week's 28-7 home loss to Texas. Garman won his first four starts for the Cowboys, who lost starting signal caller J.W. Walsh in Week 2. However, in the last six games, Garman has been intercepted 10 times compared to just four TD passes. Mike Gundy's team has lost four in a row and is mired in a 0-5 ATS slide. Baylor, a 28.5-point favorite vs. OSU, is on a stellar 16-3 ATS run in its last 19 games as a home favorite. The Cowboys are 9-13 ATS in 22 games as road dogs under Gundy.
-- Oklahoma will give QB Cody Thomas a second straight start Saturday vs. Kansas. Trevor Knight remains 'out' since suffering a concussion in a home loss to Baylor. Thomas was shaky in a 42-30 win at Texas Tech. He completed only 10-of-20 throws for 133 yards with one TD pass and three interceptions. Thomas did produce 103 rushing yards and one TD on eight carries. The Sooners failed to cover the number for the fifth time in their last six outings. They are favored by 25 against the Jayhawks.
-- Although Connecticut has limped to a 1-3 spread record in four games as a home underdog this season, we should note that the Huskies are 20-7 ATS as home puppies going back to 2005. They beat UCF by a 37-29 count as 9.5-point home dogs two weeks ago. UConn is +9.5 at home vs. Cincinnati this week.
-- Clemson QB Deshaun Watson returned to the field last week after being out since Oct. 11. However, in the first quarter of a loss at Georgia Tech, Watson suffered a (new) knee injury. He won't play vs. Georgia State this weekend. The Tigers, 41-point favorites, have failed to cover in five straight games.
Picks
Vanderbilt +30.5 at Mississippi State. Vandy is 3-0 against the spread as a road underdog this season. Going back to 2004, the Commodores have cashed tickets at an incredible 30-13-1 ATS clip in the role. They have had two weeks to prepare for the Bulldogs, who are in vintage sandwich spot. Dan Mullen's team is coming off a monster game at Alabama with the most important Egg Bowl in decades on deck next weekend.
UL-Lafayette -10 vs. Appalachian State. UL-Lafayette has won six in a row behind a power running game featuring two excellent RBs and a hot senior QB. During the six-game win streak, Terrance Broadway has an 8/2 TD-INT ratio. I'll lay the points here.
More college football betting info: Week 13 lines | Power ratings | Matchups
Brian Edwards is a college football handicapper who contributes a weekly column 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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