We spend much of our time in this space looking to identify point spread trends either before they exhaust, or early enough to take advantage of pending streaks. Yet there are so many angles to the weekly point spread puzzle that sometimes it makes sense to look beyond the current streaks to identify trends and patterns.

Late spread covers perhaps shouldn't be regarded as flukes; rather, an identifiable pattern. This brings us to Jonathan Smith's Michigan State team, which, despite what looks like another completely unremarkable season in East Lansing, has nonetheless managed unlikely spread wins in four of its last five games ... each of those four through the proverbial "back door." Knowingly or unknowingly, Smith's decision to kick what seemed like a meaningless last-minute 34-yard f

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