Pups Pack Bark and Bite at Betting Window: 

Normally, there is such a ridiculous amount of games on Saturdays in the fall that it's impossible to analyze them all and seek out some sort of pertinent trend. But yesterday, there were just 14 Division I games on the slate, several with big-time BCS bowl ramifications.

And the last big weekend of the regular season for college football definitely proved to be a dog-day afternoon. And a dog-day evening, for that matter.

The favorites mustered only a split of those 14 games straight-up, going 7-7. At the betting window, it was a rout by the underdogs, who went a stout 11-3 against the spread (ATS). There were some definite surprises in there, too.

How about No. 21 Nebraska completely putting the clamps on No. 2 Texas, before losing on a last-second field goal 13-12 in the Big 12 title game? And it took a replay review just for the Longhorns to get the opportunity for that field goal, as QB Colt McCoy made one of the most boneheaded plays ever in nearly running out the clock on the play prior to the kick. The Huskers easily cashed as a 14-point pup at the "neutral" Cowboys Stadium.

Should it really be Texas-Alabama for the national title? How about TCU-Alabama, instead. That would definitely get talk of a playoff rolling in a hurry.

Then there was No. 2 Alabama, in its showdown with No. 1 Florida. The Crimson Tide were 5-point dogs, yet didn't trail for even a minute in ultimately blasting the Gators 32-13 at the Georgia Dome.

Plus, Southern Cal and California --- two teams that early in the year looked certain to be in the BCS bowl picture --- bowed out quietly in upset losses Saturday. The Trojans (-7) tumbled to Arizona 21-17 at home, while the Golden Bears went to Washington as a 10-point chalk and got throttled 42-10.

Double-digit chalks at least batted .500 against the oddsmakers, going 4-0 SU and 2-2 ATS. Louisiana Tech (-23.5) had the biggest number to cover, and did so with ease in a 55-20 home win over San Jose State, and Wisconsin (-12) trounced host Hawaii 51-10. Aforementioned Texas didn't even score 14, let alone cover that number, and Boise State (-47) let off the gas in a 42-7 home beatdown of New Mexico State.

 NFL Two-Minute Drill: 

We'll send you into a big Sunday of NFL games with a boatload of noteworthy NFL betting trends:

The home team is 12-4-1 ATS in the last 17 contests between the Broncos and Chiefs, with today's tilt at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Broncos are on ATS slides of 5-15-1 in the AFC West, 5-15-1 against losing teams and 6-21-1 as a favorite.

The Chiefs have covered in five of their last seven, all as an underdog, though they are 5-13 ATS in their last 13 at home.

The Steelers, hosting Oakland, are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 December starts and 7-3 in their last 10 at home.

The Raiders are in ATS ruts of 16-37 in December and 10-23-1 in non-division roadies.

The SU winner is 9-1 in Oakland's last 10 games.

The Texans, visiting Jacksonville, are on pointspread upswings of 4-1 on the road, 5-1-1 against winning teams and 5-1 after an ATS loss.

The Jaguars carry negative ATS streaks of 2-11 at home, 7-19 against losing teams and 4-9 in the AFC.

The Titans are 5-0 SU and ATS in their last six --- after an 0-6 SU start (1-5 ATS) --- and they are on further ATS runs of 17-7 as a pup and 8-1 as a division dog, heading into Indianapolis.

The Colts are 2-7 ATS in their last nine AFC South affairs, though they sport positive ATS streaks of 7-2-1 overall and 5-0 against losing teams.

The under has hit in eight of the last nine between Tennessee and Indy.

Philadelphia, traveling to Atlanta, is on pointspread sprees of 15-7 on the road, 6-1 after an ATS setback and 6-3 as a non-division road chalk.

The Falcons have cashed in four of their last five at home, but are also 5-16-1 ATS in their last 22 as a home pup of 3.5 to 10 points.

The Bengals are on ATS purges of 1-7 as a home favorite and 0-4 against losing teams, with Detroit up today.

The Lions are on pointspread freefalls of 0-5-1 overall, 0-4-1 on the road and 1-6-1 as a double-digit dog.

The underdog has cashed in all 11 of Cincinnati's games this year.

The unbeaten Saints are riding ATS hot streaks of 13-4-1 overall, 20-8 laying points and 7-1-1 on the highway, with the Redskins on deck.

Washington is 6-11-2 ATS in its last 19 games overall and 4-9 ATS in its last 13 at FedEx Field.

Carolina is 5-1 ATS in its last six division games and 8-3 ATS in its last 11 as a favorite, as it hosts Tampa Bay today.

The Buccaneers are on a 1-14 SU nosedive (5-10 ATS) and are on ATS slides of 4-9 overall, 3-9 after a SU loss and 3-8 against losing teams.

The Rams are a putrid 1-20 SU (9-12 ATS) in their last 21 outings, and they are on a 12-27 ATS plunge following a SU loss, with the Bears awaiting today.

Chicago is on spread-covering skids of 0-4 overall, 0-5 against the NFC and 3-6-1 as a non-division home chalk.

The Patriots, visiting Miami, sport positive ATS streaks of 38-18-1 on the highway, 15-4 in non-division road games and 21-5-1 following a SU loss.

The Dolphins are 6-1 ATS in their last six AFC East games, but they are a dismal 14-37-1 ATS in their last 52 home games.

The Chargers are on ATS rolls of 4-0 overall, 8-1 in December and 4-1 laying points, heading into Cleveland.

The Browns are 1-16 SU in their last 17 games (5-11-1 ATS) and are 1-7-1 ATS in their last eight at home.

The Seahawks, hosting the 49ers, are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 as a division chalk, but they've cashed in just three of their last 10 starts overall.

San Francisco is on a 6-0-1 ATS run as a road dog.

The Cowboys are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 against NFC foes, but they are in a 3-10 ATS rut within the NFC East and have gone 3-8 ATS in their last 11 roadies, with the Giants up today.

New York is 1-5 SU and 0-6 ATS in its last six games, but the Giants are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 outings as an underdog.

The SU winner is 8-0-2 ATS in the last 10 clashes between the Cowboys and Giants.

The Vikings, at Arizona, are 5-1 ATS in their last six on the road, but they've gone just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against winning teams.

The Cardinals are on ATS surges of 11-5 overall, 7-1 getting points, 5-1 as a home pup and 6-1 against winning teams.

• Al DeMarco, General Manager of VegasAdvisors.com and a 25-year veteran of the handicapping industry, is a featured contributor on FoxSports.com. He's also the featured handicapping expert on Comcast Sports TV in Chicago and a regular guest on the nation's top sports talk radio stations throughout the football season. Get his daily advice and betting strategies at  VegasAdvisors.com

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