No. 7 Louisville decided to make things a bit interesting this past Saturday in a 27-13 victory over Kentucky as a 12.5-point road favorite. By holding on to cover, the Cardinals boosted my AAC pick of the week record to a perfect 3-0. The AAC is a combination of what was left of the Big East and a number of teams from Conference USA. More importantly, this new conference should continue to offer a solid opportunity to make some cash with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System all season long.

The following is a brief betting report for all the Week 4 games in the AAC as well as my top pick of the week. All the lines quoted have been provided by BetOnline.

Saturday, Sept. 21

Florida International Golden Panthers vs. No. 7 Louisville Cardinals (-41) 
Total Line: 56.5

FIU comes into this matchup 0-3 both straight up and against the spread after getting outscored 115-23. The Golden Panthers are ranked near the bottom of Division IA in both total yards and points per game. Louisville continues make a run for the Top 5 with three solid wins. Teddy Bridgewater has thrown for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 70 percent of his passes.

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (OFF)  
Total Line: OFF

The Razorbacks are a perfect 3-0 SU (1-2 ATS) behind a running game that is averaging 294.3 yards a game and a defense that has allowed a total of 12.7 points a game. Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen remains questionable for this game. Rutgers has issues at quarterback as well after Gary Nova took a hit to the head in last week’s 28-10 win over Eastern Michigan as a 28-point home favorite. The Scarlet Knights are 2-1 SU (1-2 ATS)

Cincinnati Bearcats (-22) vs. Miami (Ohio) Redhawks   
Total Line: 54.5

The Bearcats bounced back from a stunning 45-17 loss to Illinois in Week 2 as 7.5-point road favorites with a 66-9 rout of Northwestern State as 30-point favorites as home this past Saturday. The Redhawks are still searching for their first win after back-to-back lopsided losses to Marshall and Kentucky to start the season. They averaged a total of 180.5 total yards of offense in those two games.

Arkansas State Red Wolves (-4) vs. Memphis Tigers    
Total Line: 54

In a renewal of a longstanding rivalry in Conference USA, Arkansas State comes into this matchup 2-1 both SU and ATS after beating Troy last Thursday, 41-34, as a 6.5-point home favorite. The Tigers lost their first two games of the season to Duke and Middle Tennessee SU but covered in the 17-15 loss to the Blue Raiders as eight-point road underdogs. Memphis has beaten the Red Wolves SU in five of the last six meetings at home.

SMU Mustangs vs. No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (-28)   
Total Line: 79

SMU is coming off a bye after squeaking by Montana State 31-30 its last time out as an 8.5-point home favorite. It opened the season with a 41-23 loss to Texas Tech as a 4.5-point underdog at home. The Aggies came up short in last week’s 49-42 shootout against No. 1 Alabama but covered as 8.5-point underdogs at home. Texas A&M behind Johnny Manziel is ranked fourth in the nation in passing and scoring.

No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (-17.5) vs. Connecticut Huskies    
Total Line: 51

Michigan fell to No. 15 in the polls from No. 11 after struggling to get by Akron this past Saturday 28-24 as a 35.5-point home favorite. The letdown comes as no big surprise after the Wolverines beat Notre Dame 41-30 the previous week as 4.5-point home favorites. The Huskies are off to a 0-2 start both SU and ATS after losing to Towson and Maryland in their first two games by a combined 26 points.

AAC Pick of the Week

Rice Owls vs. Houston Cougars (-2.5)       
Total Line: OFF

The Cougars opened the season with a 62-13 rout of Southern University as 40.5-point home favorites and then went on the road to beat Temple 22-13 as three-point favorites to go 2-0 both SU and ATS. They will be well-rested for this Battle of the Blue at Reliant Stadium after coming off of last week’s bye. Houston has gotten it done on the ground so far with an average of 295.5 yards a game. Ryan Jackson has run the ball 32 times for a total of 229 yards and three touchdowns.

Rice lost to Texas A&M 53-31 on opening weekend as a 28-point road underdog, but it knocked off Kansas last Saturday 23-14 as a six-point favorite at home. This is another team that loves to run the ball with an average of 249 yards a game. This game renews another old matchup from Conference USA, with Houston holding a 6-2 SU advantage in the last eight meetings. Look for the Cougars to stay true to this trend with a victory this Saturday by more than the 2.5-point spread.

3-Unit Play Take Houston -2.5 over Rice (Saturday, Sept. 21, 3 p.m.)

Year to Date Record:  3-0 (+1100)

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