The big news of the week came out Wednesday morning when Florida State QB Jameis Winston was suspended for the first half of Saturday's critical ACC showdown vs. Clemson.
With Winston out for the first 30 minutes, third-year sophomore Sean Maguire will get the first start of his career. As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Maguire saw playing time in mop-up duty of nine games. He completed 13-of-21 passes for 121 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Maguire was a 3-star recruit in the 2012 class from out of Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey.
The Seminoles were favored by 19.5 or 20 this morning before the line was yanked off the board. The line was reposted FSU -17 , but underdog money pushed it to 16.5 at multiple shops.
Quick Hitters
-- West Virginia starting cornerback Daryl Worley has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. Worley had 17 tackles and a team-high two interceptions through three games.
-- Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton is out for Saturday's game at Arkansas State due to a knee injury. The Aggies are optimistic that Keeton, who saw his 2013 season ended by an ACL tear, will be able to return for an Oct. 3 game at BYU following an open date. Keeton has enjoyed a dynamic career, but he's struggled through three games with a 2/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He came into the year with a 56/13 career TD-INT ratio and 14 rushing TDs. In last week's 36-24 win over Wake Forest, Darell Garretson completed 11-of-16 passes for 121 yards with one TD and one interception. Garretson made seven starts as a true freshman last season, posting a 10/7 TD-INT ratio.
-- Since 2004, Kansas State owns a 10-4 spread record as a home underdog on Bill Snyder's watch (stat excludes home dog spots from 2006-08 under Ron Prince.) The Wildcats host Auburn on Thursday night, and as of Wednesday afternoon, they were 8.5-point underdogs.
-- LSU is off to a 3-0 start both straight up and against the spread going into Saturday's home game vs. Mississippi State. Most spots have the Tigers favored by 9.5. Although Les Miles's squad is 2-0 ATS in a pair of home 'chalk' situations this season, it has limped to a 24-34-1 ATS mark as a home favorite during his 10-year tenure. As for the Bulldogs, they own a 5-10 spread record in 15 games as road underdogs on Dan Mullen's watch. Mississippi State has lost 11 in a row in Baton Rouge and hasn't tasted a victory at Tiger Stadium since 1991.
-- Duke has cashed tickets at a 9-1-1 ATS clip in its last 11 games as a home favorite going back to a 2011 win over Tulane. The Green Wave returns to Durham this weekend as a 17-point road underdog.
-- San Diego State won't have the services of its best WR Ezell Ruffin for Saturday's game at Oregon State. Ruffin has a broken collarbone that will keep him out for 6-8 weeks. Ruffin, who had a team-high 68 receptions for 1,136 yards and three TDs last year, had made six catches for 117 yards in the Aztecs' first two games.
-- Arizona State QB Taylor Kelly is out indefinitely with a foot injury. He definitely won't play in next Thursday's game at UCLA. Kelly, a second-team All Pac-12 selection in 2013, has a 63/21 TD-INT ratio over the last three seasons. Junior QB Mike Bercovici will start for the Sun Devils against the Bruins. Bercovici has attempted 24 career passes.
Picks
Missouri (-13.5) vs. Indiana. I made Missouri a 21-point favorite in this game. The Tigers have won their first three games by scoring margins of 28, 25 and 20 points. Maty Mauk has been terrific with a 12/3 TD-INT ratio, while RBs Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy are both averaging 5.5 yards per carry. The Hoosiers, who just lost outright at Bowling Green against its back-up QB, are getting too much respect from the oddsmakers here.
Oklahoma (-7) at West Virginia. I've been impressed with this West Virginia team this year, but I made the Sooners 11.5-point 'chalk' for this game in Morgantown. The Mountaineers gave OU fits in Norman last season, but that was when the QB situation was unsettled. Trevor Knight is playing well right now, and I see OU winning this game by a double-digit margin.
More handicapping help: Week 4 lines | Power Ratings | Linemakers videos
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 .
Sign up for The Linemakers’ free newsletter and follow us on Twitter .