The Kansas Jayhawks have amassed a grand total of two Big 12 wins dating back to the 2014 season. Their first of the 2017 season looks highly unlikely heading into Week 8 with a matchup against the undefeated TCU Horned Frogs set to go down in Fort Worth. Off a solid 26-6 win and cover in Manhattan, the heavily favored Horny Toads return home to face a KU squad they took lightly last season and barely won.
Watch this regular season Week 8 matchup live on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET from Amon G. Carter Stadium. This game will be broadcast live on FOX.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas +38
TCU -38
Odds Analysis
Initial movement for this game saw TCU fall to 37.5-point home chalk after opening -38. Off a physical game against Kansas State, the betting public clearly expects Gary Patterson’s kids to simply just go through the motions in this one. Another factor that could see the line going in the way of the Jayhawks is the fact that KU has covered each of these program’s last five meetings as 30-point underdogs on average.
After getting destroyed in Ames as 22.5-point underdogs last week, I have no desire whatsoever to take the points in this matchup but wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see the betting line continue to shrink as the game gets closer to kickoff.
Key Stat
314.0 YPG – Only Texas Tech, South Alabama, Nevada, SMU, East Carolina and UCONN surrender more passing yards per game than that of the Kansas defense. After coming up with a decent effort last week in limiting the Cyclones to just 212 yards through the air, the Jayhawks are likely to have their hands full once again this week trying to contain Kenny Hill and TCU’s No. 39 ranked passing attack that averages over 258.0 yards per game. He just threw for 297 yards against the Wildcats, and will no doubt be looking to add to his stat line on Saturday.
Matchup to Watch
It’s safe to say Kansas’s ground game isn’t going to do much in the way of taking advantage of the Horned Frogs No. 11 ranked rush defense. With that the case, you can expect Kansas to air it out early and often in hopes of getting the best of TCU’s Achilles Heel on the defensive side of the ball. With TCU dominating opposing rushing attacks in allowing just 98.3 yards per game, it comes as no surprise to see the pass defense ranked No. 88 in the country. With TCU thoroughly smacking its lesser opponents, the ability to cover this lofty number will have everything to do with the home team wanting to step on the visitor’s throats or not.
Free ATS Pick
Even though Iowa State came up with one of the biggest upsets of the season at Oklahoma the previous week, Kansas was simply unable to take advantage in one of the premiere letdown spots. Turnovers and poor special teams play allowed the Cyclones to get out in front quickly and never look back. I expect that to occur once again this week as well. With that, I’d look to hammer TCU on the first half lines more than I would on the full game spread. The Horned Frogs will lose interest in this one quickly, and if that were to occur, it will allow Kansas a much better shot of kicking in the backdoor.
College Football Odds: Horned Frogs 40, Jayhawks 3
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
