Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CFB Supreme Annihilator. Michigan St. opened the season with a pair of wins over Central Michigan and Richmond but it has all come crashing down. The Spartans were involved in the first big scandal of the college football season with head coach Mel Tucker being suspended last week, and eventually fired this week, and they were no match for Washington which came into East Lansing and rolled 41-7. Michigan St. clearly did not show up as it was unable to move the ball and while the defense was torched through the air, the distractions were too much against one of the best teams in the country. They remain home to host their conference opener which will be their last home game in a month and the line has moved in their direction and is inflated. The Terrapins are off to a 3-0 start but those wins were against Towson of the FCS, Charlotte and Virginia, the latter two ranked No. 149 and No. 110 respectively. Michigan St. is ranked No. 51 which is not good by its standards but easily the best team Maryland has faced. Additionally, all three of those games were at home and Maryland has been a suspect road team of late, going 7-17 in its last 24 road games. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has gotten off to good start with 889 yards passing just at just a 66 percent slip while throwing only five touchdowns and two interceptions. Here, we play against road favorites of 3.5 to 10 points averaging 34 or more ppg and after scoring 37 points or more last game going up against teams allowing between 16 and 21 ppg. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (380) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the BALL ST. CARDINALS for our CFB Upset Special. This is an interesting scenario where Georgia Southern has a positive misleading factor in its favor but also a few negatives that may not be taken into account with this number. It is coming off its first loss of the season against Wisconsin by 21 points but it was a misleading final as the Eagles won the yardage battle but lost the turnover margin 6-0 and no team can recover from that. While they did outgain the Badgers, Wisconsin is not a good team so the fact that yardage advantage happened should be no surprise. The two victories came against The Citadel of the FCS and a pretty bad UAB team and overall, Georgia Southern has played a schedule ranked No. 160. Ball St. opened the season as tough as it can get and even though many are calling the SEC being in a down year, the Cardinals went on the road the first two weeks at Kentucky and Georgia so going 0-2 was a given. They bounced back with a win last week against Indiana St. of the FCS which is far from a quality win but it provided confidence and a chance to cure the ills. Ball St. has played the No. 9 ranked schedule. They got a spark from the running game and will utilize that here against an Eagles defense that was torched last week on the ground and while that might not be a surprise, The Citadel did the same in the opener. Here, we play against road favorites averaging 440 or more ypg and after allowing 6.25 or more yards/play in their previous game going up against a team allowing between 330 and 390 ypg. This situation is 86-41 ATS (67.7 percent) since 1992. 10* (350) Ball St. Cardinals

This is a play on the CLEMSON TIGERS for our CFB Afternoon Dominator. One of the marquee games of the weekend will go a long way in which teams are going to make it to the ACC Championship. Florida St. will have the inside track with a win here as it could hand Clemson two conference losses and early money is banking on that happening but we do not see it. The Seminoles already own a big quality win over LSU which bodes well as far as having the experience of favoring a power opponent and winning for that matter. Obviously, the Seminoles looked horrible last week against lowly Boston College but we are not banking any of that on this play as they were clearly in lookahead mode. The big factor is the matchup as any strength they have is negated by the opposite strength from Clemson. The Tigers opened the season with a bad loss against Duke and not bad because it was Duke because the Blue Devils are an excellent team, but bad from the standpoint where they basically lost the game on their own. Clemson outgained Duke 422-374 but costly turnovers in the wrong places did them in. They have rebounded with a pair of winners over much lesser teams but that is not a bad thing as the Tigers have been able to get those kinks out. The home field edge will come into play here and it would be even more so if it was at night but it is still a great schedule spot. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 averaging 34 or more ppg and after allowing 17 points or less in two straight games going up against teams allowing between 21 and 28 ppg. This situation is 45-16 ATS (73.8 percent) since 1992. 10* (336) Clemson Tigers

This is a play on the SAN JOSE ST. SPARTANS for our CFB Friday Enforcer. All four games on Friday feature home underdogs and the shortest of the bunch is San Jose St. and it is no surprise that Air Force is dominating the early money but this line is low for a reason and betting on just the record will be the popular play here. San Jose St. is off to a 1-3 start during nonconference action with the only win coming against Cal Poly of the FCS. Two of those losses were against USC and Oregon St. from the Pac 12 with the latter being a sleeper contender, and Toledo, which is a top contender in the MAC. While the talent level in the conference is not top notch, quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is one of the top signal callers in the MWC as he is a Preseason Second Team selection after a very underrated season a year ago where he threw for 3,251 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. Overall, nine starters on offense are back. Air Force is off to a 3-0 start and has dominated everywhere but it has played no one. The Falcons are a top team in the conference no doubt and have won eight straight games going back to last season but this is definitely a challenge. They have played Robert Morris of the FCS, San Houston St. which is one year removed from the FCS and a rebuilding Utah St. team so this is easily the first real test and it comes in their first true road game. The Falcons are dominating on the ground as per usual but gone from last season is quarterback Haaziq Daniels who was a three-year starter and ran the triple option to perfection. San Jose. St. has five starters back on defense and while it will not be easy, they can slow it down. Here, we play against road favorites of 3.5 to 10 points off a home win by 17 points or more, in the first month of the season, after closing out last season strong with three or more straight wins. This situation is 29-7 ATS (80.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (314) San Jose St. Spartans

This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. Once the doormat of the CFL after a 0-9 start to the season, Edmonton has made strides of late to come out of the basement after winning four of its last five games. The offense has picked it up over this stretch and the Elks have scored 30 or more points in three of their last four games but those were all against losing teams as have the four wins during this recent run. One teams they have not been able to solve is B.C. as they have dropped both meetings this season while not scoring a point, getting shutout by a combined score of 49-0. B.C. went through a bit of a rough stretch where it lost three of four games but has since won its last two games to get to 9-4 on the season, which is just a half-game behind Winnipeg in the West Division. The Lions have some momentum on their side as they were up against the ropes last week, trailing Ottawa 37-18 entering the fourth quarter but scored 23 unanswered points in a 41-37 win. B.C. failed to cover for the third time in four games and are catching value here and the goal is to get to Week 18 with a shot to overtake Winnipeg in their final meeting of the season. 10* (683) B.C. Lions

This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Dominator. The advance line opened at 9.5 and moved to 10 by Sunday night following the Saquon Barkley injury and has now shot up to 10.5 and 11 in some spots after the news that Barkley will be out a few games. it is a big blow to both Barkley, who is playing for a contract and incentives, and to the Giants but nothing they cannot get past here. The early money is all over San Francisco for obvious reasons and it will likely continue to pour in on the 49ers leading into Thursday. New York is coming off a must needed win and it took a huge second half comeback and while it takes a big step up in competition here, the linesmakers know that. After six quarters of dreadful offense, the Giants finally got things going in the second half against the Cardinals and they can carry that momentum into Thursday. It is a short week with a second consecutive road game but New York stayed out west so it is not at a big disadvantage from that standpoint. The 49ers have won both of their games without much resistance from the Steelers or Rams and while coming into the season as a public team, they are even more so now. From a situational standpoint, they do not have an edge here coming off a divisional game while also playing on a short week in the same timeframe. The defense did show vulnerabilities against the pass last week as they were unable to contain rookie Puka Nacua despite him being targeted 20 times. This is a spot where the Giants rookie Jalin Hyatt could see more coming his way after being targeted only twice last week but gaining 89 yards. Offensively, quarterback Brock Purdy has been decent yet unspectacular and the Giants defense can build on its momentum as well. Excellent contrarian spot. Here, we play on road teams after playing their last game on the road, in the first month of the season. This situation is 32-9 ATS (78 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (301) New York Giants

This is a play on the COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. Georgia St. is off to a 3-0 start with both FBS wins coming by at least 16 points. The Panthers have yet to be tested and they did get a scare in their opener against Rhode Island of the FCS as they won by a touchdown with the difference maker ending being an interception returned for a score. They are coming off their first road game of the season which came against a bad Charlotte team that is expected to finish near the bottom of the 14-team AAC. A bright spot was quarterback Darren Grainger who went off for 466 yards on 27-33 passing and three touchdowns. He will be facing a much tougher test against a Coastal Carolina defense that is allowing just 202 ypg passing on only 55.4 percent completions. The Chanticleers rolled over Duquesne last week in their FCS game and while that was not a good indicator of what to expect, they do have one solid opponent they have played. Coastal Carolina went to UCLA and played the Bruins tough as they fell 27-13 and it was a one-point game going into the fourth quarter and just a one possession game with less than six minutes remaining. That made it four straight losses for the Chanticleers going back to last season but all of those game were away from home and they have rolled in their two home games since and going back, the SBC contenders are 21-2 in their last 23 home games with one of those losses coming against Georgia St. two years ago by two points. As a matter of fact, these teams have met over the last six years with the home team yet to win and that streak finally comes to an end this season behind the best player on the field in quarterback Grayson McCall who can show his stuff in a stand alone game. 10* (304) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Monday Primetime Dominator. Overreaction time ends in Week Two on Monday night between the Browns and Steelers. Obviously, the line needs to be reactive to what happened last week but the adjustments can be too big, which is the case here. The Steelers were -1 on the advance line, but because they were hammered by the 49ers at home coupled with the Cleveland win at home, the line has flipped over a field goal. As a comparison, Pittsburgh closed +1 against San Francisco and now it is getting a point and a half more against a team not on the same level as the 49ers. The Steelers were dominated on both sides of the ball but that was against arguably the best roster in the league and we will get a better effort this week and they have the advantage of remaining home on a short week. Also factoring into the line is the fact Cleveland rolled over Cincinnati last week but the Browns had an advantageous situation. The weather played a big factor as it took away the prolific Bengals passing attack and adding to that was that quarterback Joe Burrow missed all of camp with a calf injury and his rust was evident. Cleveland held Cincinnati to only 142 total yards and while it does possess a strong defense facing a team that put up just 239 yards of offense last week, it will not be a repeat. This is a great bounce back situation with a line in our favor. Here, we play on underdogs or pickems coming off a home loss by 10 or more points, in the first two weeks of the season. This situation is 22-3 ATS (88 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (292) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS for our NFL Non-Division Game of the Month. The Giants had one of the worst efforts in Week One as they were the only teams that did not score a point but we cannot go off one just one week in this situation. Unfortunately, we are not getting a similar overreaction line with New York like other teams but that is based on the opponent. This has already turned into a huge game for the Giants as they are looking right at a 0-3 start should they not show up here as they have to travel to San Francisco next week and there is no chance of a look ahead. Coaching is huge for a recovery and last season under Brian Daboll, the Giants went 7-0 ATS following a loss. Arizona is expected to be the worst team in the NFL with a new staff and a poor quarterback on a bad roster. The Cardinals are coming off a valiant effort against Washington last week as they lost by just four points but were fortunate. The Commanders gave it up three times while the Arizona offense could do nothing, generating only 210 yards on 3.8 yppl. While they face a defense that allowed 40 points, it was not the defense that was at fault as New York allowed only 248 yards to the Cowboys. Offensively, Daniel Jones was under pressure the whole game and it will be a different story this week. Here, we play on road teams off a home loss by 10 or more points, in the first two weeks of the season. This situation is 22-2 ATS (91.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (279) New York Giants

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Ultimate Underdog. We have seen a ton of line movement in a lot of games this week and this is one of those based on the results from last week. Seattle looked atrocious against the Rams on both sides of the ball as it was outgained 426-180 and anyone who was on the Seahawks are certainly hopping off this week. The advance line was 2.5 points and has skyrocketed up to 6 points based on that game as well as the other side of things. Typically no team in the NFL looks as good or bad as they did the previous week and we are expecting a bounce back game from the Seahawks. Detroit is off the upset on Thursday night against Kansas City and while it did outgain the Chiefs in the victory, the difference in the game was the pick six and the fact that the Chiefs receivers were abysmal. The Lions have moved up the power rankings and remain one of just a handful of teams expected to contend in the NFC but now they are overpriced. Detroit could very well be deserving of having an inflated line but it has not really proven much yet especially this early in the season. Offensively, the Lions do have a good matchup but on the other side, the defense is still a work in progress and Seattle will certainly be better than last week. Here, we play on road teams off a home loss by 10 or more points, in the first two weeks of the season. This situation is 22-2 ATS (91.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (269) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the BUFFALO BILLS for our NFL Supreme Annihilator. We played against the Bills and thought that was as dead bet four plays into the game but the Jets defense came through and stifled the Bills once again similar to both games last season. Buffalo is back home and while some are already writing them off, that is a horrible take as this is still a top 10 team and expect Josh Allen to recover. He goes from facing one of the best defenses in the NFL to one of the worst and being at home helps. He has gone 9-4 ATS in his last 13 games following a loss. The defense did catch a break with Aaron Rodgers going down and while they struggled to stop the run, their gameplan was shot and will be ready for a run heavy opponent this week. The Raiders pulled off the mild upset in Denver but is Los Angeles a good team or is Denver once again bad? We lean to the former. There were missed reactions about the Raiders coming into the season as they were anywhere from a sleeper contender to one of the worst team in the league and despite a good defensive effort last week, this defense is not good and that will show up here. Russell Wilson was unable to get the ball down field but still completed 79 percent of his passes and Allen brings in a whole different dynamic. Five of the last eight wins last season were by one possession but those were all after Allen was injured and now we get him healthy coming off an awful game. 10* (274) Buffalo Bills

This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Signature Enforcer. The Chiefs were unable to please the home crowd following their Super Bowl win as they lost an ugly opener against Detroit, a game they could have started to put away but mistakes cost them. Patrick Maholmes had a fairly average night but he was not totally at fault as of his 18 incompletions, eight were flat out dropped passes. Kansas City was missing two of its top players on each side of the ball in the opener but both are expected back. Tight end Travis Kelce will return to help in the passing game on offense and that is huge against this defense that is not good in the middle and Kelce exposed that last season with 20 catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the two meetings. Jacksonville opened its season with a victory but that was against the Colts which are one of the worst teams in the league and now the Jaguars go from facing a rookie quarterback to going up against Maholmes coming off a loss. The Jaguars allowed 280 yards to the Colts but it is a different story this week. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has come into his own after some early struggles but will face a tougher test here. He struggled against the Chiefs in the playoffs last season and while his regular season game was much better, he was still sacked five times. Last week against Kansas City he would have been in a better place but now Chris Jones is expected back, which adds a whole new element. 10* (275) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS for our CFB Ultimate Underdog. Wyoming has quietly put together two straight winning seasons and over the last seven seasons, the Cowboys have finished below .500 only once and that was the 2-4 COVID season in 2020. Head coach Craig Bohl has turned the program around and Wyoming should be better this season as it returns 15 starters including 10 from an already strong defense. They opened the season with an impressive come-from-behind win over Texas Tech in double overtime as they rallied from a 17-0 deficit. Wyoming followed that up with a less than impressive win over Portland St. by 14 points but a letdown was not a surprise especially with this game on deck. While this is their first road game, the spot and line set up great. Texas is coming off a monumental win at Alabama last week to improve to 2-0 and it has moved up to No. 4 in the AP Poll and in its own letdown spot this week with its Big XII opener on deck next week at Baylor. To their credit last season, they rolled over UTSA following their one point loss against Alabama but a loss is different than a win and that certainly affects the future line going forward. The Longhorns have played mistake free football as they have yet to turn it over, going +5 in turnover margin and while they were able to move the ball well against the Crimson Tide, they go up against a sneaky good defense here. 10* (201) Wyoming Cowboys

This is a play on the GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS for our CFB Star Attraction. Mississippi is coming off a fight last week at Tulane as it was a misleading final score. The Rebels were up by just one touchdown with less than two minutes remaining and were able to make it a two-score game on a 56-yard field goal and then scored on a fumble recovery to seal it. They outgained the Green Wave by only 21 total yards and this outcome probably would have been a lot different has Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt been able to play. That score result as well as the 73-7 shellacking of Mercer to open the season is inflating this number and it continued to rise after opening. Mississippi will not have an easy out here and with Alabama on deck, there could very well be a look ahead. Georgia Tech is 1-1 as it opened with a tough five-point loss against Louisville as it won the yardage battle but was -1 in turnovers and then bounced back last week with a 48-13 win over South Carolina St. Even though that was an FCS opponent, the Yellow Jackets have to feel good about their offense that has already scored more points in both games than they did in 11 games last season. This is nearly an identical situation as last year when it won an FCS game and then faced Mississippi only to lose 42-0 but that was with Geoff Collins as head coach who was fired immediately after. Brent Key has this team believing and is 5-5 since taking over with two of those losses coming by one possession. 10* (189) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is a play on the ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS for our CFB Supreme Annihilator. Arkansas went through the motions last week against an undermanned Kent St. team and won by a score of just 28-6. The Razorbacks are 2-0 as they were favored by 38 points in both of those games and this is an important game to put together a solid effort on both sides of the ball. It is a brutal stretch coming up with four games against LSU, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Alabama with none of those taking place at home. The Razorbacks have held Western Carolina and Kent St. to 102 yards rushing on 65 carries (1.6 ypc) and while this will be a bigger test, it is not that much of a challenge coming in. Quarterback K.J. Jefferson has been efficient as he has completed nearly 74 percent of his passes for 382 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. BYU is also 2-0 but it is an unimpressive 2-0. The Cougars narrowly defeated Sam Houston St. 14-0, its first year at the FBS level, and then took out Southern Utah 41-16 last week but they outgained the Thunderbirds by only 48 total yards. They are led by quarterback Keydon Slovis who is with his third program in three years and he has been average fitting into another new system, completing just over 64 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and one interception. The running game has been non-existent as BYU has rushed for 158 yards on 57 carries (2.8 ypc). Tough atmosphere in the first night game in Fayetteville this season. 10* (198) Arkansas Razorbacks

This is a play on the FLORIDA GATORS for our SEC Game of the Month. Florida caught a tough scheduling break to open the season as it had to travel to Utah which came in on a 27-2 run its last 29 home games. The No. 10 ranked defensive line in the country held the Gators to 13 yards rushing on 20 carries and without that, they could get nothing going. Quarterback Graham Mertz played a solid game going 31-44 for 333 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Florida got its game together last week against McNeese St. and while it was far from a test, it got the needed reps to get the balance back and rushed for 327 yards with Mertz not needed and not playing the whole game. He can light this Tennessee defense up as the Volunteers were No. 128 last season in passing defense and came into this season with the No. 8 ranked secondary in the SEC. Tennessee had no issue with Virginia to open the season but came out slow last week against Austin Peay and won by a score of just 30-13. Call it a possible lookahead to this game but giving up 260 yards passing to the Governors is uncalled for. Quarterback Joe Milton III is still inaccurate while he did not play well in his lone road start at Vanderbilt and this is a much tougher test. The Volunteers will try and establish the run where it has been pretty average and Florida has been solid in both game stopping the run as it improved its talent along the front seven in the transfer portal. Upset alert in Gainesville. 10* (176) Florida Gators

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our CFB Upset Special. North Texas came up small for us last week as the Mean Green lost to Florida International by a touchdown despite outgaining the Panthers as turnovers did them in. Three to be exact including an interception that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown. North Texas now goes from an 11.5-point road favorite to a 4.5-point road underdog against a team that is not 15 points better. The 0-2 start is playing into the line which is an overreaction. The defense has been bad over the first two games but they face an offense that has struggled against FBS foes and with a bye week on deck, full focus will be on display. Louisiana Tech is off to a 2-1 start and while it rolled over Northwestern St. last week, that was an FCS opponent and the Bulldogs have not looked good in the two FBS games they have played. They got destroyed at SMU 38-14 as the offense mustered only 269 total yards which came after a season opening win against Florida International by five points. They did win the yardage battle by a 268 yards but they struggled in key situations which led to five field goal attempts while committing a pair of costly turnovers. This is the first season for quarterback Hank Bachmeier who is a transfer from Boise St. and he has regressed each game while completing 67 percent of his passes for 684 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. 10* (179) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the HAMILTON TI-CATS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. We won with Winnipeg last week in its revenge game against Saskatchewan in a 51-6 blowout victory and now the Blue Bombers are in a letdown spot in a long travel week. This is clearly one of the top teams in the CFL and the lines have reflected that and they again come in as a big road favorite with the public all of them again. Winnipeg is one of the top teams because of its offense but the defense has been a letdown, namely on the road. In seven home games, the Blue Bombers have allowed just 261.9 ypg but in six road games they have allowed 372.2 ypg and have allowed at least 28 points to three teams that have started rookie quarterbacks. They face another one today in Hamilton quarterback Taylor Powell who got off to a rough start but has come into his own as the Ti-Cats have let him open up the offense. Over his last four starts, he is 89-123 (72.4 percent) for 1,062 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception and his yards per game has gone up in each game. The Ti-Cats are 5-7 and fighting for a playoff spot and while they have struggled at home this season, they are now better equipped to improve and with the offensive line back to full strength, they should keep that going. Here, we play on home underdogs or pickems with a winning percentage between .400 and .499 in the second half of the season. This situation is 35-10 ATS (77.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (676) Hamilton Ti-Cats

This is a play on the EAST CAROLINA PIRATES for our CFB Signature Enforcer. East Carolina has started 0-2 but it has been a tale of two different scenarios. The Pirates went to Ann Arbor and hung around admirably against Michigan in the 30-3 loss as they held the Wolverines to 122 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.9 ypc). Last week, they had their home opener against Marshall and East Carolina had a 13-10 lead before a lengthy weather delay completely changed the flow of the game and the Pirates came out of the break flat and allowed 21 fourth quarter points to lose 31-13. East Carolina has qualified for a bowl the last two seasons and while they lost a few key starters, a couple games under their belt in a benefit. This is a great bounce back spot as the Pirates are 14-3 ATS in heir last 17 games as single digit underdogs when coming off a double-digit loss. Appalachian St. is coming off a tough loss against North Carolina for a second straight season as it lost in overtime 40-34. The Mountaineers got bludgeoned on the ground, allowing 319 yards on 45 carries (7.1 ypc) after allowing 134 yards on 27 carries (5.0 ypc) against Gardner Webb of the FCS where they outgained the Bulldogs by just 29 total yards. Like the Pirates, they are down a lot of starters form last season including quarterback Chase Brice and Joey Aguilar was bottled up last week. Appalachian St. has been awful in this role of late, going 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games when laying points against FBS opponents. 10* (147) East Carolina Pirates

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our CFB Afternoon Dominator. Kansas St. is off to a 2-0 start coming off its 10-4 season and based on this line, last year is still being taken into consideration. The Wildcats were favored by 14.5 points against Troy at home last week so if that was on the road, they would be favored by only five more points than they are against a team from the SEC this week. Both wins have been impressive on the scoreboard but they were against SE Missouri St. of the FCS and while the Trojans were riding a 12-game winning streak, their first win came against Stephen F. Austin where they allowed 30 points. Offensively, Kansas St. still has a good quarterback in Will Howard they lost running back Deuce Vaughn and four of their top six receivers and finally face a defensive test. Missouri has not exactly looked impressive in its two victories as it did roll South Dakota but failed to cover and then narrowly beat Middle Tennessee St. last week by four points. This is a good matchup despite the uptick in the level of competition. Despite the loss of Vaughn, the Wildcats are a run first team and Missouri has held its first two opponents to 109 yards rushing on 64 carries (1.7 ypc). Yes, this came against two lesser teams but the Tigers bring back eight starters that improved its rushing yards allowed by over 100 ypg from 2021 and gave up just 3.7 ypg and that is against heavy SEC competition. They are out for some revenge following the 40-12 loss in Manhattan last season. 10* (130) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the UTSA ROADRUNNERS for our CFB Friday Enforcer. UTSA has come up on the short end of covers in its first two games and now it is in a situation in the spotlight to show what this team is actually made of. The Roadrunners opened the season with a three-point loss against Houston and then defeated Texas St. by seven points last week and based on the stats, both should have been easy wins. They outgained Houston and Texas St. by 78 and 130 total yards respectively but they are down 4-0 in turnovers which is the contributing factor. UTSA has controlled the line of scrimmage as it has rushed for 366 yards on 89 carries (4.1 ypc) while allowing just 137 yards on 64 carries (2.1 ypc) and this should come as no surprise as the Roadrunners came into the season with the No. 5 ranked offensive line and No. 1 ranked defensive line in the AAC. Army is also off to a 1-1 start but its competition has been a lot lighter. The Black Knights lost to ULM in their first game despite being an 8.5-point favorite but bounced back last week with a 57-0 win over Delaware St. of the FCS which is bad enough but it is ranked No. 108 out of 128 FCS teams. While it rolled last week, Army was outgained by the Warhawks as the offense still needs work. It is a new look Army team on offense this season s head coach Jeff Monken replaced his nine-year offensive coordinator despite averaging 5.8 yppl last season, the most since 2017, with Drew Thatcher who is implementing a new offensive shotgun zone read scheme. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points averaging between 3.5 and 4.3 ypc and after allowing 125 or fewer rushing yards in two straight games going up against a team allowing between 3.0 and 3.5 ypc. This situation is 32-9 ATS (78 percent) since 1992. 10* (112) UTSA Roadrunners

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALOUETTES for our CFL Friday Enforcer. This is the second game of a home-and-home between Toronto and Montreal with the Argonauts coming off a 39-10 win last week. Since losing to Calgary last month, Toronto has won four straight games to improve to a league-best 10-1 with the offense scoring at least 39 points in all of those victories. It was gifted last week with four Montreal turnovers while the Alouettes also committed nine penalties so their 316 yards of offense was for naught. Cody Fajardo had his best game of the season as he went 21-24 for 236 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Following a four-game winning streak, Montreal have dropped its last three games to fall to 6-6 with the defense needing a big effort here. Chad Kelly had an efficient game but did not find the endzone and while the points have come, he has not been great. He has completed 68 percent of his passes in his last three games but has tossed four interceptions to go along with five touchdowns. Three of the four wins have come at home where they are a perfect 6-0 with the lone road victory coming at Hamilton. We are seeing only a three-point line swing from Saturday which is giving us solid value with the Alouettes. 10* (672) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the MINNESOTA VIKINGS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Dominator. Week One overreactions will be prevalent in the lines this week and it starts with the first game of Week Two based on score results. Minnesota hits the road following an opening loss at home against Tampa Bay 20-17 and we easily won that one with the Buccaneers outright victory. The Vikings were unfortunate as they outgained Tampa Bay 369-242 but lost the turnover battle 3-0 and it is rare to pull out a victory with that discrepancy. Minnesota was unable to produce any sort of running game as it rushed for just 41 yards on 17 carries (2.4 ypc) and while Kirk Cousins was able to move the ball at will with 344 yards on 33-44 passing, he was responsible for all three turnovers with one interception and two fumbles. The defense played good enough to win and will need another strong effort. The Eagles won in New England 25-20 as they nearly blew a 16-0 first quarter lead. Philadelphia scored its first touchdown of the season on a 70-yard interception return as the offense was not very good. The Eagles were outgained 382-251 as they struggled on third down going 4-13 and were forced into four field goals and play calling was a concern with new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and it could take time for this unit to come together. The defense did a good job limiting the Patriots rushing attack but Mac Jones threw for 316 yards with that one interception being the difference. Here, we play against home favorites after a game where they committed one or fewer turnovers going up against an opponent after a game where they committed three or more turnovers. This situation is 45-18 ATS (71.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (103) Minnesota Vikings

This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS for our NFL Monday Signature Enforcer. The Jets were in the playoff hunt last season as they rolled into Week 13 with a 7-4 record but went on to lose their final six games to finish 7-10 as the offense could not get out of its own way. New York averaged only 11 ppg over those final six games while scoring just 15 points combined over the final three games so it was clear adjustments had to be made on that side of the ball. Overall, the Jets were 30th in EPA per play and they made the splash move of the offseason with the trade to get Aaron Rodgers and added to that with the signing of running back Dalvin Cook late into training camp to possess one of the best one-two running back options with a healthy Breece Hall behind him. While the offense has no where to go but up, the defense of New York will be a difference maker all season. The Jets ranked No. 6 EPA per play on defense and it did its job against Buffalo last season, holding the Bills to 17 and 20 points in the two meetings and those two games were two of the three lowest point totals for the Bills during the regular season with the other being 19 points scored in Miami in September in the oppressive heat. Quarterback Josh Allen posted a 64.4 passer rating in those games while completing less than 56 percent of his passes albeit being injured in one of those games. The line swing from last season is huge as the Bills were favored by 10 points here last November but are still the favorite and not in a good situation as opening Monday night divisional favorites are 4-17-1 ATS when the total is upward of 42. 10* (482) New York Jets

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our Sunday Star Attraction. This line has surprised a few with Chicago actually being favored in this game and the early money has proven that with this line opening at 3 and being bet down to a point as of Tuesday afternoon. The Bears are a team still in transition but the signs are pointing up and namely, those of quarterback Justin Fields. He took some early lumps but last season, he showed what he is capable of. He played his best against the best as he had a 103.4 passer rating against playoff teams last year which was 19.22 points better than his total 2022 rating and also 23.7 points better than his career passer rating of 79.7. Green Bay is not a playoff team but still a good team and a step up in the division. And now he has D.J. Moore to throw to. With Aaron Rodgers and his 24-5 record against Chicago departed, this is the chance for the Bears to finally strike and why not right out of the gate. The Packers have a solid roster and are expected to contend in the NFC North based on the odds but actually have only a one game higher win total than the Bears at 7.5. The Wild Card here obviously is Trey Lance who is taking over at quarterback and all indications are that he is ready but is he ready for Game One on the road in a brutal environment? We say not yet. While the Bears defense was bad last season at No. 31 in yards per play, they will be better, yet on the other side, Green Bay was not much better at No. 28. 10* (470) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our Sunday Ultimate Underdog. The Rams went through an injury plagued season last year and bottomed out at 5-12 after winning the Super Bowl. The numbers are calling for Los Angeles to not be good once again as it has a win total of just 6.5 and is at +1,000 to win the NFC West but this could very well be a surprise team, that is if they can stay healthy. They are unfortunately most likely going to be down Cooper Kupp in this one with his hamstring injury but the offense should be just fine with a healthy Matthew Stafford at quarterback and good replacements behind Kupp along with the rebound of Cam Akers. Seattle was a bad team defensively and while it brought in some good pieces, there is still a lot of questions after finishing No. 23 in yards per play. Overall, Seattle was a pleasant surprise last season but there should be regression and that should come from quarterback Geno Smith as potential success this season is for him to at least replicate what he did last season. But he faded down the stretch with over half of his 11 interceptions coming in the last six games. He completed 64 percent or more of his passes in all of his first 12 games but did so just once in his last five. He won Comeback Player of the Year with no expectations but now the pressure is on. The Rams defense is getting younger, quicker, and it should be stronger as long as the rotation up front is better around Aaron Donald. 10* (477) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS for our Divisional Game of the Month. We are going to the first lined game of the schedule with Carolina heading to Atlanta in a divisional opener. This number is where it typically stands for a divisional game although it has gone up a half-point in some places but that should not be a factor here. Atlanta is coming off consecutive 7-10 seasons under coach Arthur Smith, who has stated that there has been noticeable energy and confidence throughout the summer and the locker room atmosphere is different and in a good way. The Falcons have made improvements, most notably on defense where they were No. 27 overall and No. 23 in points allowed as they signed safety Jessie Bates III, defensive linemen David Onyemata and Calais Campbell and linebacker Kaden Elliss. Offensively, Desmond Ridder has the job at quarterback after making four starts last season with each one getting progressively better. He has the weapons including rookie running back Bijan Robinson who is expected to be a playmaker. Carolina is starting fresh with new head coach Frank Reich and a rookie starter at quarterback in Bryce Young. He is surrounded by several recently added signees in running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and receivers DJ Chark and Adam Thielen. The issue is Young is still a rookie and going back over a decade, rookie quarterbacks on the road are 21-120-1. The Panthers defense is good but below average and that will not be enough here. 10* (454) Atlanta Falcons

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS for our Sunday Signature Enforcer. The Vikings were one of the positive surprises in the league last season as they ended up 13-4 and won the NFC North by four games and there is definitely going to be regression. The line dictates they start right where they left off but the problem is where they left off was not good as they fell at home to the Giants in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs and that was probably a truer indication of the teams than its regular season record. Minnesota was 11-0 in one score games last season and it won seven of those games by less than what it is laying here and the Vikings finished the season No. 1 in NFL Luck Ratings and yes that is an actual thing. The offense revolves around wide receiver Justin Jefferson with quarterback Kirk Cousins getting the ball to him as much as possible and the addition of rookie Jordan Addison will aide in the loss of Adam Theilen. The loss of Dalvin Cook is significant as the running game is unproven. Defensively, Minnesota was horrible as it finished No. 30 in yards per play allowed. Tampa Bay can benefit from that with Baker Mayfield taking over at quarterback. No, he has not been good but he has been put in some bad situations with revolving coaches and coordinators and has plenty of weapons here. Defensively, Tampa Bay finished 11th in opponent EPA per play last season and should remain strong in 2023 with a top front seven unit. Overinflated line. 10* (461) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our CFB Signature Enforcer. UCLA is coming off a win over Coastal Carolina by 14 points that took a 13-0 fourth quarter to get it done but it was sloppy as the Bruins won the yardage battle by only 76 total yards while throwing three interceptions from their quarterback due as neither Ethan Garbers or Dante Moore took charge of the offense. While a lot of teams simply play fast which makes them immune to the new play clock rules, UCLA does not as they are more methodical and head coach Chip Kelly voice his displeasure for the rule change and this could be an issue in the early stages of the season until they get into that comfort zone. The Bruins hit the road in a tough environment as big favorites where they cannot be trusted at this point. San Diego St. snuck past of Ohio in its opener and what looked like a cakewalk last week against Idaho St. as a 34-point favorite turned into a closer than expected game as the Aztecs won by just six points. The Bengals did score a garbage touchdown with under a minute left but it was uninspiring and can be chalked up to a lookahead to this game. The passing game has been nonexistent as San Diego St. threw for only 85 yards against Idaho St. after throwing for just 164 yards against Ohio but Jalen Mayden has gone 30-46 so the efficiency is there, just nothing being broken away. That should come in time and that could be here after Grayson McCall went 27-42 for 271 yards but had two costly interceptions. Live underdog with a lot of points to work with. 10* (324) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES for our CFB Ultimate Underdog. Minnesota escaped with a win against Nebraska as it benefitted from two late turnovers by the Huskers that led to the final 10 points of the game to secure the backdoor win. The Gophers were able to stop the Nebraska passing game, holding it to 114 yards through the air but the other three facets were bad. Minnesota allowed 181 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.9 ypc) while its own running game was nonexistent as it rushed for 55 yards on 25 carries (2.2 ypc) so that alone should have put them on the wrong side of the scoreboard. The Gophers had to replace four-year starter Tanner Morgan at quarterback and it showed. Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 196 yards which is not dreadful but he was only 24-44 and threw a pick. Eastern Michigan finished 9-4 last season and was co-champions of the MAC West and the Eagles are in the conversation of contending in the division again. They are coming off an uninspiring win over Howard last week as they built a 28-6 lead and let the gas off following a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns. Granted, that can skew a score but it also skewed the stats as the Eagles were outgained overall because of that as those two scores took possessions away from the offense. The Eagles have the second rated secondary in the MAC which is bad news for the weak Minnesota passing game, to go along with the best special teams in the conference and those two intangibles alone can sway an entire game and with this line, we have a ton to play with. 10* (347) Eastern Michigan Eagles

This is a play on the RICE OWLS for our CFB Non-Conference Game of the Month. Rice hung around for a while at Texas last week as it was down just 16-3 at halftime but the athletes of the Longhorns took over with a 21-0 third quarter and the Owls fell 37-10 but were able to stay within the big number. They are back home for this rivalry game and take a big step down in class while still catching a big number. Despite going 5-7 last season, they were able to participate in a bowl game because there were not enough qualified teams to fill the 41 bowls and Rice topped the list of 5-7 teams on Academic Progress Rate. The Owls have 15 starters back so there is plenty of experience and they added former blue chip quarterback J.T. Daniels who played at Georgia and West Virginia and while he was not good last week, he will get there in his second game. Houston escaped with a 17-14 win over UTSA despite getting outgained 417-334 as it benefitted from a 3-0 turnover edge that led to a 14-point swing. Allowing that many yards and few amount of points is an anomaly so it was a complete misleading final score. Only five starters return to an offense that averaged 36.1 ppg and 456 ypg and the opening game numbers showed that as it was bailed out. The Cougars were horrible defensively and lost eight of their nine top tacklers and while they allowed only 14 points, it should have been much worse. They are arguably the better team but not by much if at all and this line is not pairing up with that. 10* (358) Rice Owls

This is a play on the BOISE ST. BRONCOS for our CFB Star Attraction. Here we have two teams coming off opposite results and the line is reflecting that as this line has flipped favorites from two weeks ago. We played against Boise St. last week as it was overmatched against Washington in the 56-19 loss. They head back to Boise for their home opener and it will be a test for sure the Broncos still possess one of the best home fields in the country and this is just the third time in the last decade plus they have been home underdogs. The Broncos allowed 490 yards passing which was what was expected with a young secondary against an elite quarterback on the road. Offensively, the Broncos bring back quarterback Taylen Green who had a solid yet unspectacular season but does have solid running ability and looked decent at times last week with 244 yards passing but overall it was not great. Eight additional starters are back and they face a weaker defense this week. UCF rolled over Kent St. which is arguably the worst team in the FBS (preseason rank 132 of 133 teams) so take it for what it is worth. The Knights could not be stopped offensively as they racked up 723 total yards but John Rhys Plumlee still threw two interceptions against that defense and heads to a tough place. The defense was pretty good last year and have seven starters back but benefitted from an easy early schedule where they allowed only 14.3 ppg in their first six games but gave up 30.6 ppg in the final eight games against decent and not even great offenses. 10* (382) Boise St. Broncos

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN as part of our CFB Chalk Three-Pack. North Texas came up small for us last week and that was a bad read on California which has definitely improved. The Mean Green have made it to three straight bowl games and with 15 starters back, they will be better than what we saw last week. They hired Eric Morris as the new head coach and he comes over after leading the Washington St. offense last season and he will be bringing in a more spread out attack. North Texas has to replace quarterback Austin Anue but it is not a big downgrade with ULM transfer Chandler Rogers taking over. Helping him out is the return of the entire offensive line, ranked preseason No. 1 in the AAC, and the top six rushers as well as leading receiver Roderic Burns. They go from facing a Pac 12 team to a doormat team from C-USA. We have seen this line come down from opening because of the blowout loss from North Texas and not because Florida International has done anything special. The Panthers have played two games as they lost the opener at Louisiana Tech by only five points which may look good but they were outgained 450-182 as they benefitted from turnovers and the inability of the Bulldogs to covert which led to five field goal attempts. They followed that up with a 14-12 win over Maine of the FCS where they were outgained again 378-305. While a switch at quarterback led to 292 yards passing, Keyone Jenkins was just 15-30 and on the flip side, they were outrushed 165-13 (4.0-0.5). Not a good look. 10* (373) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS as part of our CFB Chalk Three-Pack. Ohio is coming off a win over Long Island last week following a Week 0 loss against San Diego St. and it was not a pretty victory. The Bobcats won 27-10 which did not come close to covering the 34-point spread and while the defense did its job, the offense was putrid as they gained only 303 total yards. They relied on the running game as they threw the ball only 15 times and that was due to a lack of confidence. Ohio lost quarterback Kurtis Rourke after he played only two series against San Diego St. in its opener and he was absent last week which puts the Bobcats in a tough situation here. Backups C.J. Harris and Parker Navaro cannot win games with their arms as there is little trust. Rourke could possibly go here but they might not chance it with a massive revenge game next week against Iowa St. and they do not want to further risk him heading into MAC season where they are expected to make a championship run. Florida Atlantic was two points away from bowl eligibility last season as it lost its final game to Western Kentucky 32-31 to finish 5-7 and good things are expected this season with a trip to the AAC Championship in play. The Owls have 18 starters back and are coming off a 42-20 win over Monmouth as they let up the gas in the third quarter in a very balanced offensive attack where they rushed for 213 yards and threw for 280 yards behind a great performance from Nebraska transfer Casey Thompson. Lay it early if possible before the official Rourke decision. 10* (368) Florida Atlantic Owls

This is a play on the GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES as part of our CFB Chalk Three-Pack. UAB welcomed in the Trent Dilfer era with a 35-6 win over North Carolina A&T and it was a game where the Blazers knew what was coming with the Aggies running the ball 41 times while throwing it only eight times and with a talent discrepancy, they were no match. Things will be a lot tougher this week as they not only face a strong FBS opponent but one that will bring a new element. The jury is still out after facing a team from the FCS as UAB has a roster full of questions as it brings back only seven starters overall from last season, three on offense and four on defense. Jacob Zeno was spectacular at quarterback last week going 38-41 for 291 yards and three touchdowns but he will have a much bigger test to overcome here as his inexperienced line that came into the season with only 11 total starts could be overwhelmed. It is a short line as this is a public team with the known name of Dilfer and past success but this is a rebuilding year. Georgia Southern blanked the Citadel 34-0 to win its opener and it also goes up in class but it is not a huge leap to a weak FBS team. Ironically, the Eagles also faced a team that threw it only eight times so the secondary will get a challenge it has not seen yet but should be more than up to the task. Offensively, the Eagles moved from the option to a more spread offense last season and it worked and now David Brin is at quarterback and he looked good and should once again behind one of the best lines in the conference. 10* (370) Georgia Southern Eagles

This is a play on the WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. We won with Saskatchewan in this matchup last week as it kicked a field goal to force overtime and then eventually claimed the victory on a missed two-point conversion attempt for Winnipeg. It was a great situation for the Roughriders and for quarterback Jake Dolegala who has taken over the starting job. He threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns against B.C. in Week 11 before passing for 326 yards but did not find the end zone against Winnipeg. The reason for the good situation was that Saskatchewan was coming off a bye before facing Winnipeg and now it hits the road for the first time in a month. The loss for the Blue Bombers snapped a five-game winning streak and they remain one game ahead of B.C. in the West Division. Winnipeg has revenge on the mind at home where it is 5-1 and outscoring opponents by 13.3 ppg. Turnovers could be key here as the Roughriders averaged 2.8 turnovers per game through their first eight games but have not turned it over in the last two games during their winning streak and now they again face the most opportunistic defense in the CFL with 30 takeaways. 10* (686) Winnipeg Blue Bombers

This is a play on the UTSA ROADRUNNERS for our CFB Supreme Annihilator. UTSA killed us last week as it lost in Houston 17-14 in a game it should have won but mistakes cost the roadrunners. They outgained the Cougars 417-334 and that advantage would normally cover any 2.5-point spread handicapping turnovers is nearly impossible and it came from an unexpected source. Quarterback Frank Harris is in his seventh season and holds more than 30 team records, including passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense but he cost them the game as he tossed three interceptions on his first three drives of the second half. The first came at the Houston 22-yard line and the last led to the eventual winning touchdown for the Cougars. It is safe to say, he is ready to make amends for that especially in their home opener where local philanthropist Harvey E. Najim purchased 7,100 tickets to make this place full. Texas St., not Colorado, is coming off the biggest upset last week as it went to Baylor and defeated the Bears by 11 points as a 27-point underdog. The Bobcats were outgained by 83 yards as the defense allowed 524 yards but forced four field goal attempts as Baylor was not clutch and also committed two turnovers. That victory coupled with the UTSA loss is keeping this line down even though it has been bet up slightly since opening. More shocking is the fact that Texas St. has been picked to finish dead last in the SBC as it has only 11 starters back and is working with a ton of transfers. now it is time for UTSA to roll. 10* (342) UTSA Roadrunners

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS for our CFB Afternoon Dominator. Overreaction or underrated? Maybe it is a little bit of both for Colorado as it stunned TCU last week as a three-touchdown underdog and we are seeing upwards of a 12-point line swing as the Buffaloes were +8.5 just two weeks ago at MGM. Colorado won with 87 new players on the roster and while it was a big upset, a lot of the blame has to go on the Horned Frogs who had to replace a ton from their playoff team of last season. With the victory, the Buffaloes have entered the AP Top 25 which is a joke to begin with and this is a typical overreaction. The line will be big behind Colorado at the ticket window and we are already seeing 80 percent of the money on the Buffaloes and this is before the majority of the public has put their money in. Nebraska is coming off a loss at Minnesota in a game it could have and should have won. The Huskers had a 295-251 yardage advantage including 181-55 on the ground but were -3 in turnovers. Two of those turnovers came in the last five minutes of the game right around midfield when Nebraska had a 10-3 lead and those led to the final 10 points for the Gophers. It was a very disappointing loss for the Huskers and head coach Matt Rhule in his debut but they will come off the mat and be ready while Colorado is still celebrating. The scheduling is big as well as the Huskers will have had a couple extra days to get ready while Colorado is playing on a normal schedule coming off an up and down game in extremely hot and humid weather. 10* (317) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. The two worst teams in the East Division square off to open Week 14 and we are presented with a great scheduling spot. Ottawa has lost five straight games and is coming off a needed bye week but three of those were on the road and the two home losses were by a combined five points. That includes a four-point loss against Hamilton but that was when Bo Levi Mitchell was still at quarterback for the Ti-Cats and he is done for the season. Quarterback Dustin Crum has been inconsistent this season and is coming off an uneven performance against Edmonton prior to the bye. However, he has strung together some great games and three stick out where he picked up wins against Calgary and Winnipeg and another in a loss against Toronto. Hamilton has lost three of its last four games since Taylor Powell has come in at quarterback and he has not been horrible but just inconsistent as well and now he has just three days to prepare for this one after playing on Monday. 11 times this season, a team has played with less than five days of rest and those teams have gone 2-9 straight up and against the number. This is the perfect spot for Ottawa to get back into the win column. 10* (682) Ottawa RedBlacks

This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Thursday Kickoff Winner. This is an intriguing opening night matchup with the reining Super Bowl Champions against one of the top sleeper teams coming into the season. Kansas City won its final five regular season games to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC and rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit against the Eagles to claim its second Super Bowl in four years and there is little reason to believe they will not be in the running again. The number is fairly big in this matchup but giving head coach Andy Reid this much time to prepare, the Chiefs will be ready. Counting just the regular season and excluding the COVID year, Kansas City is 28-5 at home and will no doubt want to make a statement. The Lions will want to make their own statement as well as they are hyped up for a big season and are the favorites to win the NFC North at +140 and fourth in the NFC at +1,100 to win the conference. Detroit closed strong last season with wins in eight of its last 10 games but only three of those wins were against playoff teams and two of those were at home. Early money has come in on the Lions dropping this line from 7 to 6.5 in some places and that is under the key number we want if attainable. We have the Super Bowl hangover in play as past champions have struggled to make the playoffs the following season in a lot of cases but it does not start with the opening game. We do not expect the Chiefs to miss the playoffs anyway and they fall into the great spot of hosting this game. Since the inception of the NFL Kickoff Game where the defending Super Bowl Champions host the opening Thursday night game, with two exceptions in 2013 (Ravens scheduling conflict) and 2019 (Bears/Packers NFL 100th anniversary game), the defending champions have gone 15-3 although one of those losses was last season with the Rams. 10* (452) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our CFB Monday signature Enforcer. After finishing no worse than No. 3 in the final CFP rankings for six straight years, the Tigers finished No. 19 and No. 7 the last two seasons and they are ready to get back to the top. Clemson is ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll and is the slight favorite to win the ACC but nothing is guaranteed and it is being overpriced because of what should be the norm. The Tigers bring back a ton this season after going 11-3 and they are finally settled at the quarterback spot with Cade Klubnik taking over for the inconsistent D.J. Uiagalelei who transferred out to Oregon St. But it will not be a seamless transition as two of the top receivers are gone but he is behind a very strong offensive line. Clemson regressed defensively but should get back to its dominance but this is not an easy test. Duke put together a 9-4 season last year and some will think of it as a fluke because it was considered a soft schedule but teams cannot dictate who they play, it just comes to them and the Blue Devils took care of business. The four losses were all by one possession and by just 16 points combined so it could have been even better. Duke did benefit from a +16 turnover margin and that tends to trend back toward the mean the following season but there is more than enough to make up for that. The Blue Devils have 18 starters back including 10 on offense led by quarterback Riley Leonard who grades out as the second best quarterback in the ACC heading into the season. The defense improved by 17.7 ppg and nearly 170 ypg from 2021 and that can be attributed to the defensive mind of head coach Mike Elko. 10* (236) Duke Blue Devils

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Monday Enforcer. Don't look now but Edmonton is on a winning streak as it has won two straight games after opening the season with nine consecutive losses. The Elks were able to break their 22-game home losing streak last week with their 10-point win over Ottawa and that is cause for a letdown spot but the sudden resurgence has brought this line down. The offense has taken a step up since quarterback Tre Ford has taken over the starting spot as they have averaged nearly 27 ppg over their last three games and despite a poor showing last week against Toronto, the Calgary passing defense has been looking good. The Stampeders have dropped three straight games to fall to 3-8 and each game going forward is huge especially with Saskatchewan winning last night. Calgary played well last week on the road in Toronto, a team it had previously beaten and that was the third straight road loss as well. The Stampeders are back home where they are 1-4 but the last three losses were by a combined six points with the other coming against B.C. that opened the season. Quarterback Jake Maier has been inconsistent but is coming off a massive performance, throwing for 387 yards and four touchdowns and now faces one of the worst defense in the league. 10* (678) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the LSU TIGERS for our CFB Sunday Star Attraction. Head coach Brian Kelly took over an LSU program with no expectations and led them to a 10-4 season. This team is loaded with experience and talent and this first game will be a true indication of where it has come. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the way last season as he threw for over 2,900 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns. One issue that has to be addressed is pass protection as LSU was the second worst in the SEC in sacks allowed but four starters are back and it will be better. The remaining top four rushers are all back, although John Emery is out here, and the Tigers added Logan Diggs from Notre Dame where he ran for 822 yards. The Tigers have improved defensively each of the last two years and are stacked for improvement again. Florida St. is getting a lot of sleeper CFP love and rightfully so. The Seminoles closed out last season with six straight wins, are right behind Clemson at +155 to win the ACC and have entered this season ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Poll. Quarterback Jordan Travis was Second Team ACC last season and is exceptional but he lost a lot of production from his receiving corps and while the transfer portal will help, that could take some time and the tigers will be keying in on Johnny Wilson. The offensive line is solid but this will be the toughest defense it sees all season. The Seminoles improved dramatically on defense last season but had a tough time against the run and that will be a problem here. LSU was 10-1 when going for 140 yards and Florida St. allowed at least that six times. 10* (231) LSU Tigers

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Sunday Enforcer. Winnipeg remains the best team in the CFL as it is 9-2 and slightly ahead of Toronto in the power rankings. The Blue Bombers have won five straight games following a 2-2 stretch and now in a rivalry game it has dominated over recent seasons again has them significant favorites. Winnipeg has won eight straight meetings, the last three being blowouts including a 45-27 win here in Week Two and the line is reflecting that adding to the recent run it has been on. It is not a good scheduling spot especially with the fact the Blue Bombers have failed to cover their last three road games. Saskatchewan is coming off an upset win over B.C. last time out which snapped a 1-4 slide and the Roughriders are back at .500 and in good position to make the playoffs. They are coming off a bye week after playing for seven straight weeks so not only does the rest help but the offense should benefit even more. Quarterback Jake Dolegala will be making his second straight start as he takes over for Mason Fine. He came in relief in Week 10 and did not look good but he was thrown into the fire. After a week of practice with the first team, he was on point going 18-29 for 239 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and now he has had even more time to work with the offense. 10* (674) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS for our CFB Saturday Signature Enforcer. Tulane had a magical season in 2022 as it went 12-2, tied with the 1998 team for most wins in school history, culminated by an amazing comeback in the Cotton Bowl against USC. We see a regression for sure and while it will not be same as that 1999 team that went 3-8, the Green Wave caught a lot of breaks last year catching some teams at the right place at the right time. Six starters are back on offense including Second Team AAC quarterback Michael Pratt who was sensational but all of his playmakers from last season are gone. The defense will be a solid unit once again with eight starters back but they face a really tough opening test. After finishing last season No. 9 in the final AP Poll, they come in No. 24 this season and while polls can be meaningless, it shows regression there as well. South Alabama finished 10-2 during the regular season last year, losing the two games to UCLA and eventual SBC Champion Troy by a combined five points. The Jaguars will be contenders again as they bring back nine starters on each side of the ball where both units dominated throughout. Quarterback Carter Bradley returns and despite setting the school record for passing yards in a season, he was only Fourth Team SBC but is preseason Second Team this year behind Grayson McCall. Six of his top seven receivers are back as well as the top three rushers along with four of five offensive linemen so yes they are loaded. The defense had its best showing in a decade and are extremely experienced and should be even better. 10* (219) South Alabama Jaguars

This is a play on the UTSA ROADRUNNERS for our CFB Game of the Week. Seeing Houston as a home underdog is going to have many scrambling to get on the Cougars but it looks like it is going to be a tough season. After going 12-2 in 2021, the Cougars opened last season in the top 25 with some big expectations only to finish a disappointing 8-5. To their credit, they did suffer two overtime losses but on the flip side, Houston won half of its games by only one possession and that was with having First Team AAC quarterback Clayton Tune who is now in the NFL. Only five starters return to an offense that averaged 36.1 ppg and 456 ypg and taking the place of Tune will be Texas Tech transfer Donovan Smith who is talented but turns the ball over and also gone are the two top receivers from last season. The Cougars were horrible defensively and lost eight of their nine top tacklers. That is good news for UTSA which is the preseason favorite in the AAC following the last two seasons where it went a combined 23-5. The Roadrunners are loaded again with eight starters back on both sides of the ball. They have the best quarterback in the conference in Frank Harris who is back for his seventh season, yes seventh, where he holds more than 30 team records, including passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense. He does lose his top receiver but the next four are all back as it leading rusher Kevorian Barnes who was also a First Team player despite being a freshman playing only seven games. The offensive line is deep and there will be no drop off from their 36 ppg average each of the last two seasons. 10* (211) UTSA Roadrunners

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our CFB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. North Texas has not been able to get over .500 since 2018 which led to head coach Seth Littrell being let go after seven seasons but it is not a do over. The Mean Green have made it to three straight bowl games and with 15 starters back, the cupboard is not bare. They hired Eric Morris as the new head coach and he comes over after leading the Washington St. offense last season and he will be bringing in a more spread out attack. North Texas has to replace quarterback Austin Anue but it is not a big downgrade with ULM transfer Chandler Rogers taking over. Helping him out is the return of the entire offensive line, ranked preseason No. 1 in the AAC, and the top six rushers as well as leading receiver Roderic Burns. One intangible is Morris knows the opposing defense and shredded them last season for 343 yards passing. California should be improved after three straight losing seasons including a 4-8 record last season. The Golden Bears lost some close games and they bring back 15 starters but being favored on the road by this many points after going 1-12 in their last 13 road games is a bit aggressive. Jack Plummer was great at quarterback last season but he is off to Louisville and California will have to find a new starter for a second straight season and there is no one competing that has been in this system. The defense does bring back nine starters but they were horrible last season, allowing 27.8 ppg and nearly 430 ypg and will not have much to go off of here. North Texas can easily win outright with the points being a premium. 10* (214) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the WASHINGTON HUSKIES for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. A first look at this number will put a lot of people on Boise St. getting over two touchdowns especially with what the Broncos did last season and expectations for this season. However, those expectations are in the very below average MWC and they will likely start the season 0-2 before facing FCS North Dakota as they are overmatched here. Boise St. ended up 10-4 last season but the schedule played a big part in that as of those 10 wins, seven were games in which they were favored by double digits so those were inflated. Offensively, the Broncos bring back quarterback Taylen Green who had a solid yet unspectacular season but does have solid running ability. Eight additional starters are back but lighting it up here will be a challenge. Defensively, they were No. 5 in passing defense so it looks as though they could challenge the Huskies but faced hardly any above average passing teams and have only five starters back on the entire defense. Washington finished 11-2 last season with the two losses coming back-to-back on the road at UCLA and Arizona St. by eight and seven points respectively, closed last season with seven straight wins and finished No. 8 in the AP Poll. The Huskies come into this season No. 10 in the preseason AP Poll and will again be in the hunt in the loaded Pac 12. Quarterback Michael Penix was second in the country in passing yards and led an offense that improved by 18.2 ppg and 196 ypg from 2021 and he has his top five receivers back. He should have no problem lighting this defense up. 10* (198) Washington Huskies

This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. Temple went just 3-9 for a second straight season but the Owls improved on both sides of the ball from 2021 and four of the losses last year were by one possession. They should continue to improve as they bring back 16 starters that includes seven on offense led by quarterback EJ Warner, the son of Kurt. He was the AAC Freshman of the Year after throwing for over 3,000 yards on a 61 percent completion percentage clip and while he did throw 12 interceptions, half of those were in his first four career starts. He loses his top receiver but will get transfer help and has an experienced and improved offensive line. The Owls will be stronger defensively with nine starters back and get a perfect first opponent. Akron had only one win last season against an FBS opponent and while the Zips also improved on both sides of the ball from 2021, but this is still a big work in progress. Offensively, the Zips bring back quarterback D.J. Irons, who is also the leading returning rusher and while he was not awful, he had no protection. They were the worst in the conference in tackles for loss allowed and No. 118 in the country in sacks allowed. It is a big work in progress on defense with a revamped defensive line and not much experience at linebacker. Akron is tied with Kent St. in the MAC for the worst combined ratings of the offensive and defensive lines and that is where it all starts. Temple was favored only once last season against an FBS opponent and easily covered so laying a number with the Owls is not an issue. 10* (172) Temple Owls

This is a play on the BOWLING GREEN FALCONS for our CFB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. After four straight bowl appearances from 2012-2015, Bowling Green went south quickly with six straight losing seasons and no bowl games but the Falcons turned things around last season. They did finish with a losing record but that was due to a bowl loss and they are building on that heading into this season. The offense has been bad for years and while they did show improvements last season, they should take a big step this season. Bowling Green brought in quarterback Conner Bazelak through the transfer portal after being a two-year starter at Missouri and for most of last year at Indiana, throwing for 7,370 career yards with 36 touchdowns. He should be able to sling it around with good protection from the offensive line which can open up the running game. Liberty had its fourth straight winning season a year ago but there could be some regression this season despite what looks like a very easy schedule. Gone is head coach Hugh Freeze to Auburn and in comes former Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell who is very solid but there are numerous questions at both of the coordinator positions. The Flames have to replace 14 starters and while there is experience at quarterback with great depth, Chadwell will not have Grayson McCall and his remarkable season around. Defensively, it is close to a total overhaul from a unit that led the nation in tackles for loss and was third in sacks and now has to replace eight starters. This line is too big and based too much on the past and not the present. 10* (161) Bowling Green Falcons

This is a play on the GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS for our CFB Friday Star Attraction. Louisville has a new head coach as Scott Satterfield left to take over at Cincinnati and the Cardinals brought in Jeff Brohm from Purdue which is basically a lateral move. It might seem like a great hire considering the Boilermakers won the Big Ten West but they did it with an easy schedule and five of the seven FBS wins were by one possession. Back to Louisville, it has a project on its hands, namely the offense. This was a very balanced offense and Brohm is bringing in a more wide open passing attack which could flourish later in the season but not now. Jack Plummer takes over at quarterback after coming over from California where he was solid but there are unknowns at receiver as the top two and four of the top five are gone while three starters have to be replaced along the offensive line. Georgia Tech opened the season 1-3 and Geoff Collins, who entered the season on the hot seat, was let go and it was pretty evident he was a bog part of the recent year struggles as the Yellow Jackets rallied around Brent Key to close the season 4-4. Going 5-7 by playing the No. 6 ranked schedule in the country is not horrible and while they are in the same boat as Louisville in terms of returning starters, the same systems are still in place. Quarterback Haynes King won the starting job and while he is new to a system as well, it is not as pass heavy and the running game should be strong. This is especially the case with four starting offensive linemen returning. While hot a true home game, this is a significant neutral field number. 10* (154) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is a play on the CONNECTICUT HUSKIES for our CFB Thursday Ultimate Underdog. It was a disaster of a start for Connecticut and first year head coach Jim Mora in his first season in Storrs as it lost its first four FBS games by an average of 33.8 ppg. The Huskies then turned a corner as they defeated a very good Fresno St. team to start a 5-1 run and they became bowl eligible for the first time since 2015. While they lost to Marshall, the added practice time was very beneficial and they bring back 17 starters. The defense has eight coming back on a unit that made dramatic improvements from the previous four seasons. Joe Fagnano on the starting quarterback job over Zion Turner and this is pretty significant. He was a multi-year starter at Maine, where he threw for more than 5,600 yards and he is familiar with the Huskies system as their new offensive coordinator is Nick Charlton, who was the Black Bears head coach from 2019 through 2021. NC State is coming off a disappointing season as it closed 4-5 following a 4-0 start and while it is not a complete rebuild, many key parts have to be replaced. Quarterback was an issue last season but there is help with Brennan Armstrong coming over from Virginia and reuniting with offensive coordinator Robert Anae so this should be a potent part of the offense but later in the season. The Wolfpack lost three of their top four receivers while the offensive line will be a work in progress, coming in ranked No. 10 out of 14 teams in the ACC. The defense finished No. 20 overall and No. 15 in scoring but six starters have to be replaced. NC State rolled over Connecticut 41-10 last season so there is revenge in play for the Huskies and the 23-point line swing from that game is telling us the story as well. 10* (144) Connecticut Huskies

This is a play on the HAWAII WARRIORS for our CFB Game of the Month. Year one for head coach Timmy Chang did not go as planned and while not much was expected, a 3-10 season was a big disappointment. Things should be better as after a rough start where the Warriors lost their first four FBS games by 53, 32, 46 and 19 points, four of the last six losses were by a touchdown or less so they became more competitive. They have only five starters back on offense but the quarterback, two starting receivers and a key running back return with the offensive line needing the biggest overhaul. That is not a huge concern in this matchup, however. Defensively, Hawaii was not good but has nine starters back from a unit that improved dramatically down the stretch. Vanderbilt was a win shy from its first bowl games since 2018 and with a decent group of 17 starters back, the Commodores can make some improvements. But they do not have any business laying a number this big as they have been a double-digit favorite over FBS competition just twice the last four seasons and failed to cover both, losing one outright. The point being, this is not a program accustomed to this spot. Playing in the SEC is not optimal for Vanderbilt and while this is a big step down in competition, the intangibles are not in their favor. Offensively, the passing game will be fine but quarterback A.J. Swann is just a sophomore and they have to replace their top two running backs and that is bad news for a team that likes to grind it out. There is experience on defense but nothing spectacular. 10* (311) Hawaii Warriors

This is a play on the NAVY MIDSHIPMEN for our CFB Opening Kickoff Winner. The hype behind Notre Dame is pretty typical every year but this season it is not getting as much love. The Irish come in ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Poll after finishing No. 21 in the final CFP Poll last year which followed up a pair of top five finishes. This is the lowest preseason ranking since 2017 when they were unranked but expectations and high and this is Notre Dame with the name alone adding value to the opponent. The big gain for the Irish is Wake Forest transfer quarterback San Hartman who should flourish but it could take a bit with five of the top six receivers gone. They will be solid defensively again with eight starters back but the first game presents an unknown. After 15 full seasons at Navy, head coach Ken Niumatalolo was let go and defensive coordinator Brian Newberry was promoted in hopes of turning around a program that is coming off three straight losing seasons. This recent run is another cause for this inflated line as that is all there is to go off of when in reality, the Midshipmen have some hidden advantages. The main one is the fact Notre Dame does not have much to look at for preparation as while the system is not dramatically changing, there are new wrinkles in the offense coming from Grant Chesnut, who was hired as offensive coordinator after having the same position at Kennesaw St. for nine years. Different looks and more of a pass game can keep Notre Dame off balance. Excellent value for the 2023 season opening game from Ireland. 10*(299) Navy Midshipmen

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALOUETTES for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Winnipeg still sits atop the CFL in rankings but by the slimmest of margins at this point and while still the class of the league, the Blue Bombers are getting a little too much respect here. A week ago, Winnipeg rallied from 22 down on the road without their quarterback to win and last week against Calgary, the game of inches ended in its favor. This line opened at -7 and has moved in the Bombers direction mostly because quarterback Zach Collaros is returning after his brief injury but the same thing is taking place on the other side and seems to be ignored. The Alouettes won their fourth straight game in thrilling fashion, rallying down two scores late in the fourth quarter to defeat Ottawa behind backup quarterback Caleb Evans but starter Cody Fajardo is back tonight. He is fourth in the league in average yards per pass attempt and quarterback efficiency rating and it helps being behind the top rated offensive line in the league. The defense is the key factor though as the Alouettes defense is flying under the radar as they are ranked No. 1 total defense, yards per play and opposing quarterback rating while sitting No. 2 in rushing defense, passing defense and scoring defense. Expect a much closer game than what this line is telling us. 10* (681) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFLX Sunday Enforcer. The threat of Hurricane Hilary approaching the west coast led to discussion about this game either being moved or canceled but it will go on as scheduled thanks to SoFi Stadium being able to close up. New Orleans is coming off a 26-24 win over Kansas City last week as it built a big early lead only to see it slip away but scored the final nine points to secure the victory. All three quarterbacks played solid for the Saints with Derek Carr getting the start and it is still unclear how much he will play tonight. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that starters will likely not see the field in the same fashion as a week ago which could mean no playing time for some. The Chargers rolled over the Rams thanks to a massive rushing night with 214 yards on the ground. The system from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has looked good throughout camp and we should see more passing this time around. The quarterback situation on this side is still an unknown as well as Justin Herbert, who did not play last week, likely will not suit up again. Backup Ethan Stick did not compile a ton of yards but was efficient by going 14-21 and a touchdown and we will likely see more of Max Duggan who was limited to only three passing attempts. 10* (430) Los Angeles Changers

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Sunday Enforcer. Saskatchewan is coming off a bad loss at Montreal and it has lost four of five and trending the wrong way but we are catching an overreaction line tonight. The quarterback situation has been tough for Saskatchewan as starter Trevor Harris is out and now his backup Mason Fine had to leave last week with a hamstring injury forcing Jake Dolegala to come in and he did not look very good. Dolegala will get the start Sunday and the line has risen because of it but this is a different scenario as he is not being thrown into a game with no preparation as he has practiced all week and a gameplan has been put in place. The Saskatchewan offense will benefit from the return of receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker, who will be making his 2023 debut. B.C. has established itself as one of the top teams in the CFL and it is coming off a big bounce back win against Calgary last week and while the Lions are the better team, they are getting a little too much credit laying this number on the road against a rival. The Roughriders are 2-1 in their last three home games, the only loss coming by two points against Calgary. Here, we play on home underdogs or pickems in the second half of the season with a winning percentage between .400 and .499 after one or more consecutive losses against the spread. This situation is 26-4 ATS (86.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (678) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFLX Game of the Week. This number has steamed up considerably but for good reason as official news has come in on the gameplans for these teams and we will be backing the first time head coach seeking his first victory in his home debut. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced after joint practices this week that he saw enough from most of his starters and that they will not play this week, namely quarterback Justin Fields. It will be P.J. Walker under center to at least start the game and he was shaky at best last week and then Nathan Peterman and Tyson Bagent to follow so the quarterback rotation is not strong. The Colts lost in Buffalo last week and head coach Shane Steichen will be seeking his first win and he will want it in front of the home crowd. Quarterback Anthony Richardson came out slow last week with an early pick but settled down with a pair of good drives that resulted in a turnover on downs and a missed field goal. Gardner Minshew and San Ehlinger were both very efficient during their time and Indianapolis does have the edge in the rotation. 10* (414) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFLX Afternoon Annihilator. With a couple notable injuries already taking place in camp, Miami will simply aim to get out of Texas unscathed and like the game last week against Atlanta, we are not going to see many veterans on the field. Last season, the Dolphins played Tua Tagovailoa in the second preseason game but we likely are not going to see him today based on his own injury history from last season. Mike White and Skylar Thompson will see the most time on the field and while both are very capable, they looked bad last week and playing with a bunch of unproven pieces makes that difficult. The quarterback situation in Houston has been outlined better with CJ Stroud getting a few more reps after tossing only four passes last week and then being backed up by veterans Case Keenum and Davis Mills who both looked very good against New England last week. The Texans picked up the victory for first year head coach DeMeco Ryans and he wants to keep that winning mentality going which he brought over from San Francisco and will certainly want to bring that in front of the home fans even though it is only preseason. 10* (410) Houston Texans

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. Winnipeg is riding a three-game winning streak and remains tied with B.C. for first place in the West Division at 7-2. The Blue Bombers are coming off a big rally to defeat the Elks last week, scoring 21 unanswered points to end the game. It did come with a price though. Quarterback Zach Collaros was injured last week and Dru Brown will get the start for Winnipeg. Coming in relief last week, he passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He was 10-of-15 on 10+ yard attempts, including 5-for-6 on 20+ yard attempts with two touchdowns but this was against Edmonton which allows the highest quarterback passer rating in the league. Calgary got smothered by B.C. last week 37-9 which came after a solid win over then undefeated Toronto and the Stampeders have found themselves in a situation it is not too familiar with as it is 3-6 and looking at missing the playoff for the first time since 2004. The Stampeders are back home where they are 1-3 but the last two losses were by a combined five points with the other coming against B.C. The offense is the strength as they are No. 3 in total offense with 339.3 ypg and Jake Maier will be looking for more production down field. Here, we play against teams with an offense averaging 7.5 or more yppl, after gaining 8.0 or more yppl in three consecutive games. This situation is 23-4 ATS (85.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (674) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. This was not an advantageous line move from -3 to -3.5 but the key numbers have lost some of their value in the NFL because of longer extra points and more frequent two-point conversion attempts and this is especially the case in the preseason where key numbers mean nothing. Based on rotations and playing time in this matchup, a big edge goes to the Eagles after a week of joint practices. It was announced that Deshaun Watson will not play and Joshua Dobbs remains questionable for Cleveland which means rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson should get the start and most of the playing time. While he has looked good in two games, those were against the lowest of the depth players and this Eagles defense is deep past the starters. On the other side, Marcus Mariota will get the start for Philadelphia and this is exactly who you want playing the majority of the first half in a preseason game, a league veteran with numerous starts to his credit. This was the plan for Gardner Minshew in the second preseason game lat year so we are expecting the same script. Philadelphia dominated the joint practices and that should carry over and while winning is not the biggest objective, the Eagles will want this one after their inexcusable loss last week against the Ravens despite winning the yardage battle by 60 yards and time of possession by over 10 minutes. 10* (402) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Edmonton remains the only winless team in the league and last week almost provided the biggest upset this season as the Elks had Winnipeg on the ropes with a 12-point lead late in the third quarter but allowed the final 21 points and another defeat. Four losses have come against B.C. and Winnipeg and in the other five defeats, two were against Saskatchewan where they were outgained by a total of just 40 yards, two against Ottawa and Toronto where they were not totally dominated and the last against Hamilton where they actually outgained the Ti-Cats by 103 yards. One positive last week was the quarterback play of Tre Ford who made his first career start and was pretty solid if unspectacular but that one game is a good building block and he now faces the worst defense in the league not named Edmonton. Hamilton is coming off a bye week following a loss against Montreal. That was the second start for rookie Taylor Powell who looked lost at times and was just 20-31 for 202 yards and two interceptions. This line opened at -4 and has been bet up which is no surprise and all it has done is added value to a very winnable game for the Elks. Here, we play on underdogs or pickems revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite, off a home loss against a division rival. This situation is 39-14 ATS (73.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (671) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS for our NFLX Sunday Enforcer. This is one of the rare preseason opening games where we will see longer than usual play from the starters and in the case of New Orleans, its key backups. For Kansas City, the offensive starters are going to open the game and play an opening series and if all goes well, that will likely be it. If the Chiefs stall, we could see them on the field for another drive but only if they come up with a stalled first possession. Three key players on offense will not dress as running back Isiah Pacheco, tight end Jody Fortson and wide receiver Kadarius Toney have all been declared out. The back end of the receiving corps is thin with rookie Rashee Rice, second year wideout Justyn Ross and veteran Richie James getting plenty of snaps. The gameplan is more set on the other side. As reported by beat writer Jeff Duncan, New Orleans will go with its offensive starters for two drives not exceeding 15 snaps while the second unit will see double that action meaning viable playing time for the veterans. This line has come down, which was short for the home team to begin with, despite a big majority of the money coming in on New Orleans creating a rare preseason reverse line move. 10* (132) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFLX Game of the Week. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley does not take the preseason serious as far as winning and playing his starters and that will be the case again this season. Quarterback Justin Herbert will not see the field and starting will be Easton Stick and Staley said Stick would "play a lot. I'm really looking forward to Easton playing a lot in the preseason." In this case, he is likely to play the first half and rookie Max Duggan will relieve him at some point in the second half. With Kellen Moore the new offensive coordinator, it will be brand new to everyone. On the other side, Rams head coach Sean McVay did not play his starters in the preseason a year ago, but he has stated that will change this season as he takes a "very different approach". Quarterback Matthew Stafford will not see any action so the main snaps will be taken from rookie Stenson Bennett who has looked great in camp and Brett Rypien who are battling for the backup role so there is plenty at stake. They will be facing a defense that is a new one as the Chargers are moving to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley. This line has moved but for good reason based on what we expect on the field and this is a game the Rams want more after the disaster that took place last season to get a winning attitude back. 10* (130) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. We won with Calgary last week as it handed Toronto its first loss of the season in what was a very bad spot for the Argonauts with a bad line on top of it but we will fade the Stampeders here. They snapped a two-game skid with the victory but now they are back on the road against an opponent that will be more than ready. Calgary quarterback Jake Maier has struggled most of this season, throwing a league-high 11 interceptions and averaging just 7.5 passing ypa. The Lions went into last week at 6-1 but faced a revenge-minded Winnipeg team playing at home and B.C. got lit up 50-14 as it was outgained by 324 total yards. The Lions want to rebound from that and they will do so with quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. back under center as he has not played since July 22. He leads the league in completion percentage and is No. 3 in passing efficiency. B.C. won the first meeting by 10 points but it was more lopsided than that as the Lions won the yardage battle by 171 total yards so while Calgary is out for revenge, we want no part of road revenge. Here, we play on teams coming off a loss against a division rival going up against an opponent off an upset win as an underdog. This situation is 116-71 ATS (62 percent) since 1996. 10* (686) B.C. Lions

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. We won with Montreal last week as it rolled an overmatched Hamilton team that has no answer at quarterback but we are going against the Alouettes this week as they are an overpriced favorite. Montreal has won two straight games to move to 4-3 on the season but will be facing a much tougher defense this time around. While Cody Fajardo had a strong 318-yard performance, he did throw two interceptions and only managed one touchdown as the offense continues to struggle and has been inefficient. Saskatchewan squeaked out a win over Ottawa 26-24 thanks to a late 54-yard field goal by Brett Lauther. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Roughriders as they are now 4-4 overall with the defense clamping down of late as they have allowed 261, 212 and 266 yards over their last three games. on the other side, quarterback Mason Fine is coming off his best game of the season in three starts and is now averaging 294 passing ypg. Here, we play on teams after allowing 325 or less total yards in three consecutive games going up against an opponent after outgaining opponent by 120 or more total yards in their previous game. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (683) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFLX Friday Enforcer. With the retirement of Tom Brady, the Buccaneers are out looking for their starting quarterback and neither Baker Mayfield nor Kyle Trask has taken the lead as the No. 1 guy. Mayfield will get the start tonight and his training camp has been inconsistent so even though he is a proven starter will many reps under his belt, it is still a new system with new players. Trask will get into the game as well and likely followed by John Wolford so there are veterans leading the way but very unproven. On the other side, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already confirmed quarterback Kenny Pickett will be starting and stated "everyone who's healthy" will play. How long they will play is still unknown but Tomlin is planning to utilize players that will be starting and/or playing significant time this season in an effort to help Pickett get comfortable and be more ready to start the regular season. Behind Pickett are two veterans at quarterback as well in Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph and the difference here is that they have been here under this system so they know what they are doing. Pittsburgh is the road favorite which is not typically the case in the preseason but the experience factor is playing into this. 10* (109) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALOUETTES for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. We are making a rare move and going with the steam in this matchup as Montreal opened as an underdog and the line has shifted to the Alouettes being favored and for good reason. Montreal snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Calgary last week and it should be moted that those three losses came against the top three teams in the league. The Alouettes have a huge edge at quarterback with Cody Fajardo having a great season in his first one with the Alouettes as he is No. 3 in the CFL in passing yards and No. 4 in passing efficiency. He is also working behind the best offensive line in the league. It was bad news for Hamilton last week even though it defeated Ottawa to make it three wins in its last four games. The Ti-Cats lost starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell even though he played the entire game as he has been placed on the IL with a leg injury. Rookie Taylor Powell will make the start and while he looked good in his most extensive action in Week Seven, it was a dump off performance as he will have a tough time getting the ball downfield against this defense that is coming off a strong effort against Calgary. Montreal signed Shawn Lemon, the defensive player of the year from the West Division last season, this week to shore up the defensive line. 10* (675) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. After winning the Grey Cup last season, Toronto could not have asked for a better start this season as it is 6-0 while covering all six of those games with only one game being decided by single digits. The Argonauts are in a tough spot heading west for just the second time this season and despite the great start, the defense has issues. Toronto is giving up a league-high 321.7 passing ypg while allowing a CFL-high 70.8 percent completion percentage. Calgary has found itself in a situation it is not too familiar with as it is off to a 2-5 start following a pair of losses to East Division teams. The Stampeders are back home where they are 0-3 but the last two losses were by a combined five points with the other coming against B.C. The offense is the strength as they are no. 4 in scoring offense at 23.4 ppg with the passing attack leading the way with 276.5 ypg. After not finding the endzone last week, expect a much difference performance here. Great value in this overpriced line. Here, we play on home teams after failing to cover the spread in five or six out of their last seven games, with a losing record. This situation is 86-48 ATS (64.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (674) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. Saskatchewan took a blow last week with starting quarterback Trevor Harris going down with a knee injury and he is out for the season. This is not a horrific situation for the Roughriders however as backup Mason Fine came in last week and threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He knows this system as it was built around him coming into the season since Harris remained unsigned so this transition should be seamless. Saskatchewan has been involved in close ones as four of their five games have been decided by four points or less. B.C. bounced back from its first loss of the season against Toronto as it rolled two a home win over Montreal going into a bye last week. The Lions are arguably the best team in the CFL with Winnipeg stating its case but this is a big overreaction line which we can take advantage of. After two dominating performances to open the season, B.C. has outgained its last three opponents by only 41.7 ypg. Here, we play on road underdogs or pickems coming off two straight division games going up against an opponent off a non-division game. This situation is 78-38 ATS (67.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (675) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALOUETTES for our CFL Friday Enforcer. The reigning Grey Cup Champions Argonauts are off to a 3-0 start after rolling over previously undefeated B.C. last time out but that was an ideal spot with the Lions coming off a massive road win at Winnipeg. Toronto has covered all three games as well, winning all by double-digits which puts value on the other side. The one advantage Toronto seems to have here is rest as it is coming off a bye week, already its second this season, but that could be a detriment as the early season momentum could come to a halt. Montreal opened the season with a pair of wins over Ottawa and Hamilton sandwiched around a bye but has followed that up with two blowout losses. However, those were against the two top teams in the West Division and now the Alouettes are back home. They have been outgained only twice in their four games and those were by a combined 13 total yards. It is a short week for Montreal but coming off those two losses makes that a good spot to put those defeats behind them right away. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points with a turnover margin of +0.75 per game or better on the season, after two consecutive games where they forced three or more turnovers. This situation is 36-13 ATS (73.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (684) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Edmonton came through for us last week as it covered against Saskatchewan by losing by just a point yet it is still seeking its first victory of the season. The Elks head back home after a two-game roadtrip at 0-5 and this is the best opportunity to date to seize that first victory. The Elks have been outgained in all five games but only one of those was overly lopsided, including just one yard last week, and they have been outgained by only an average of 65.8 ypg in the other four games. Hamilton was in a similar spot last week as it came into its home game against Ottawa with a 0-3 record and defeated the RedBlacks 21-13 for its first victory of the season. It was far from dominant as the Ti-Cats won the yardage battle by only 15 yards and while it was their third straight game of outgaining their opponents, the total yardage has only been +23 yards combined. Hamilton is in a tougher spot here as it is playing on two fewer days of rest and now travels west for the first time since opening week when it was shellacked by Winnipeg, getting outgained by 233 yards. Here, we play on underdogs or pickems off a loss by seven points or less to a division rival going up against an opponent off an upset win as an underdog. This situation is 37-13 ATS (74 percent) since 1996. 10* (682) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. Winnipeg is off to a 3-1 start as after suffering its first loss of the season against B.C. two weeks ago, it took care of Montreal last week 17-3. While the Blue Bombers held the Alouettes to just three points, they gave up 363 yards with bad weather being the biggest attribute to a low scoring game. Winnipeg rolled in its opener against Hamilton as it outgained the Ti-Cats by 233 total yards but the Blue Bombers have been outgained in each of their last three games and now come in favored by the most they have been and against a quality opponent. Calgary is 1-2 to start the season but is trending in the right direction and is in a good situational spot here. The Stampeders struggled against B.C. in their season opener as the offense managed only 15 points and 271 total yards but bounced back big the next two weeks as they put up 442 and 410 total yards against Ottawa and Saskatchewan respectively. Now, Calgary is coming off a bye week and facing a Winnipeg team playing on short rest and coming back from the east coast. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points off an upset loss to a division rival as a home favorite going up against an opponent off a road win. This situation is 25-7 ATS (78.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (673) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Edmonton was pegged to be one of the worst teams in the CFL once again and that prediction is already looking true as the Elks are off to a 0-4 start and have failed to cover any of those games. That brings in line value this week especially. Edmonton lost to Ottawa last week by 19 points as a 1.5-point underdog and while Saskatchewan is a better team than the RedBlacks, this is too big of a line move. The Elks have been outgained in all four games but only one of those was overly lopsided and they have been outgained by only an average of 87.3 ypg in the other three games. Saskatchewan is 2-1 to start the season and it is coming off a bye week following an upset win in overtime at Calgary. The Roughriders opened the season with a win at Edmonton which was just a four-point victory and we are now seeing a 10-point line swing which is too much based on the venue switch. While Saskatchewan has won the yardage battle in all three of its games, it has been by only 39, 52 and 26 total yards so it has been far from dominant and that will not get it done in trying to cover a line this big. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 off an upset win as an underdog. This situation is 41-16 ATS (71.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (671) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Monday Enforcer. British Columbia is coming off a huge win last week as it rolled over Winnipeg 30-6 to plant an early seed as the team to beat in the West Division. That was the second road win of the season over a quality opponent as the Lions defeated Calgary in their season opener and after staying our west for the first three weeks of the season, they head to the other side of the country in a tough spot. The 24-point win over the Blue Bombers was a blowout based on the score but they outgained them by only 24 total yards as they benefitted from clutch plays on defense including seven sacks. Toronto is off to a 2-0 start in defending its Grey Cup as it defeated Hamilton in its opener and then rolled past Edmonton last week in a game that was not as close as the 43-31 final score indicates. The 31 points allowed seems like a lot for a stout defense but two of the Edmonton touchdowns were scored in garbage time during the final three minutes of the game. The Argonauts improved their defense in the offseason on a unit that carried them to the championship a season ago. The line is wrong here as the Lions are getting a little too much credit for the early success. Here, we play against favorites of a field goal or more off a win over a division rival, in the first month of the season. This situation is 34-12 ATS (73.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (686) Toronto Argonauts

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Game of the Month. This one may look easy for the public but that is not the case. The reigning Grey Cup Champions opened their season with a bye week before finally hitting the field last week in front of their home fans to celebrate and defeated Hamilton 32-14. The Argonauts were actually outgained in that game so the final score was a bit misleading and coming off that triumphant victory against a rival no less and now having to travel cross country with less rest puts them in a very tough spot and yet the linemakers are forced to inflate this line with the public fully behind Toronto. Edmonton has been a bottom feeder in the league but this team should be a big improvement this season as it was a goal line stand away from a win in Week One against Saskatchewan before getting shutout last week against B.C. One positive to take from last week is that the defense allowed only one touchdown and the spot is great here in both the situation and the line. The Elks were getting basically the same number on the road last week as they are at home this week and this comes against two teams that are not far off from each other and that presents huge value. Here, we play against favorites off a win over a division rival, team that had a winning record last season playing a team that had a losing season. This situation is 22-4 ATS (84.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (678) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. It is early in the season but this has the makings of one of the top games thus far to the start of the campaign. Winnipeg has been the class of the league for a few years now with two Grey Cup wins and other trip to the final last season and with that, the Blue Bombers will continue to be overpriced. They easily defeated a pretty poor Hamilton team in their opener and while they followed that up with a win over Saskatchewan last week, Winnipeg was actually outgained by 63 yards in that game but benefitted from three Roughriders turnovers while returning a punt for a touchdown. British Columbia is also off to a 2-0 start as it rolled passed Calgary on the road in its season opener, outgaining the Stampeders by 166 total yards, and then pitched a home shutout against Edmonton last week 22-0 as it won the yardage battle by 279 total yards. Still, they were not at their best as they had just one touchdown and had to settle for five field goals. The Lions obviously take a step up in class here but they are getting too many points in a game that can easily go either way. This is a statement game for the Lions to show that they belong in the conversation as the best team in the West Division. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points off a win over a division rival, in the first month of the season. This situation is 33-11 ATS (75 percent) since 1996. 10* (671) British Columbia Lions

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. With the Miami loss on Friday, the Heat are all but done in this series despite what they have accomplished prior to the NBA Finals as teams down 3-1 in a series have come back to win it just once in 36 tries and needing to win two more games in Denver will be next to impossible. Denver won both games in Miami by nearly identical scores and after each game, the Nuggets are showing how much bigger and athletic they are in this matchup and scrappiness can take Miami only so far. Denver was 9-0 in the postseason at home prior to the Game Two loss so it will be out to not only make up for that, but to close this series out tonight at home where it would capture its first ever NBA Championship. Miami got beat handily in the opener here and after getting accustomed to the high altitude after a six-day stint here, Miami was able to take Game Two on its best shooting night of the series but now after being away for a week, the Heat are right back where they started. The venue chance has given Miami no value as the line could be shaded even higher but it is another manageable one for the Nuggets. Here, we play against underdogs with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 when trailing in a playoff series. This situation is 39-14 ATS (73.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (522) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The headline after the Game Three loss for Miami was effort which is hard to believe when it comes to the NBA Finals but sadly that was the case as the energy levels on both sides were near opposites. The Heat had Denver right where they wanted them as they stole home court and showed a way to defend the Nuggets that many teams have been uncapable of and completely regressed on Wednesday. If the Heat want to win Game Four, they are going to need more scoring from Jimmy Butler even though he had a team high 28 points in Game Three nut more importantly, they need to get their physical nature back. The scrappiest team in the NBA lost the battle for loose balls and arguably the best postseason team on the boards got outrebounded 58-33, the most lopsided margin in an NBA Finals game in more than 40 years and over half of those Miami boards came from one player. In the playoffs overall, four different Heat players have averaged at least five rebounds per game but in Game Three, only one, Bam Adebayo managed that many. The task is not easy against the sizable Nuggets but effort does go a long way. 10* (520) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Game of the Year. While saying Miami has seized control of this series is a bit of a stretch, the Heat did what they needed to do and that was coming back home with a 1-1 series split following their Game Two victory. Also, while saying Game Two was a must win was 100 percent correct, Game Three is just as important as to not give home court right back to Denver and hand the momentum back to the Nuggets in the very next game. The three factors that Miami needed to accomplish, they did so in Game Two as they actually went to the free throw line, making 18 of 20, shot better from long range where they were 17-35 and got better production from their role players. Now Miami heads home where it has the momentum and gets the Nuggets out of Denver where they are a totally different team. The Nuggets are 23-25 on the road which includes a 4-3 record in the postseason and while that does include three straight wins, those all followed previous victories so they had that momentum in their corner. Miami is 34-17 at home and while it has really struggled to cover as a favorite, it has gone 6-3 ATS in its nine games as a home underdog and there is value in this number based on the venue switch. The Heat are live dogs once again in what is one of their biggest games of the season. 10* (518) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Nuggets proved once again it is really hard to win in Denver but the Heat did themselves no favors in the loss. Miami shot just 40.6 percent from the floor including 33.3 percent from long range and those numbers clearly have to improve to even think about sniffing a victory. But the biggest issue was the fact the Heat went to the free throw line two times the entire game, breaking an NBA playoff record for fewest attempts. There was no aggressiveness from the offense and simply put, Miami needs to attack and first and foremost, that comes down to Jimmy Butler who was only 6-14 from the floor and he has shown in the past to be passive and the Heat cannot have that happen. The role players who have made a big difference in the postseason also have to be better as Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson shot a combined 2-23 (8.7 percent) in the game. For the Heat to win this series, they have to steal a game in Denver and this has to be the one and they do benefit from already having played a game in the altitude and now being here for six days. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a game involving two teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg, after scoring 105 points or less in two straight games. This situation is 49-23 ATS (68.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (515) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA signature Enforcer. Denver has the clear advantage of having a ton of rest heading into the NBA Finals as well as playing at home where the Nuggets have been unbeatable in the postseason, going 8-0 in their first eight games. That being said, they are favored by their second biggest amount in the playoffs which is overaggressive entering the Finals against a team that has been very solid on the road. Denver has a prominent home court edge with the atmosphere and because of that, the public will be riding it here but the extra time off could be a disadvantage especially when being asked to lay a huge number. Miami has gone 6-4 on the road in the postseason including the Game Seven blowout win over Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals when it easily could have fizzled under the pressure and as mentioned in the analysis of that victory, coaching played a big part of that. Taking nothing away from Denver head coach Mike Malone who has done an incredible job with creating this team but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has the experience and accolades to have this team ready for Game One. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 off a road win by three points or less, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 69-32 ATS (68.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (513) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston barely survived Game Six as it won on a last second tip in to force a Game Seven and while it seems the Celtics have the big advantage, that might not be the case in this game as the biggest intangible that is not in their favor is coaching. That was even evident at the end of Game Six as the inbound play that the Celtics ran was horrible but they got away with it. One thing that Miami can take solace in from Game Six is that they nearly won despite their two biggest players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, going a combined 9-37 (24.3 percent) from the floor and it is highly unlikely that both have back-to-back poor games. Admittedly, the pressure has clearly shifted from being on Boston and going over to Miami as it was ready to become just the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals and is now in the position of being the first team ever to blow a 3-0 series lead. There have been only 36 Game Seven road winners in the NBA playoffs but it has happened 15 times in the past 12 seasons so Miami winning this game outright is far from out of the question. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 off a road win by three points or less, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 68-32 ATS (68 percent) since 1996. 10* (509) Miami Heat

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. We won with Boston the last two games and we are riding the Celtics again in Game Six and the series has become a series and they can become the first team to win a series after trailing 3-0 in 150 previous chances. While that feat looks daunting based on the raw percentages, it is a skewed stat as the lower seed was rarely the team to take that series lead and of the 14 teams that made it to Game Six after falling down 3-0, only one was the higher seed. It was another confidence building win in Game Five not only because of the actual victory but also because they played the game that got them to where they are this season, efficient shooting and strong defense. The Celtics shot 50.6 percent from the floor, their second straight game over 50 percent but it was the defense that allowed fewer than 100 points for a second straight game. Offensively, Boston relies heavily on three-point shooting where they finished No. 6 in shooting percentage during the season, and it hit 40 percent in Game Four from long range and followed that up by making 41 percent in Game Five from behind the arc. Here, we play against home underdogs in the second half of the season in a game involving two teams allowing between 108 and 114, after a loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 61-36 ATS (62.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (501) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston avoided elimination with a Game Four win and it was a confidence building one not only because of the actual victory but also because they played the game that got them to where they are this season, efficient shooting and strong defense. The Celtics shot 51.2 percent from the floor, their second best in the series but it was the defense that allowed a series low 43.6 percent that was the difference. That is the style of defense that led them to the No. 3 defensive efficiency rating in the league and continue that, this will become a series once again. Offensively, Boston relies heavily on three-point shooting where they finished No. 6 in shooting percentage during the season, and it hit 40 percent in Game Four from long range. The Heat have been one of the worst teams in the NBA offensively all season as they finished No. 30 in scoring and No. 26 in shooting including No. 27 from behind the arc, and it cannot keep pace when facing a strong defense that defends constantly and Boston knows that is what has to be done to send this series back to Miami. We are playing a premium number here as we are seeing a 10-point swing from the last game but this has the makings of a blowout, something that has been prevalent throughout the entire playoffs this season. 10* (550) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Eastern Conference Game of the Month. The Lakers were in this situation last night and had their chance to extend the series but unfortunately did not come through for us and Boston now looks to extend its series. The difference here is that the Celtics can hang their hat on knowing they have two more games at home if the series gets extended to its length should they win tonight. Boston played its worst game of the postseason in the 128-102 Game Three loss as it was outshot by 17 percent from the floor while the 128 points allowed were the second most given up in the playoffs and the 56.8 percent shooting was the highest allowed in the postseason. Because of that awful performance and the hole they have dug, the line has flipped considerably as Miami has gone from a 4.5-point closing underdog to a favorite of as many as two points in some places with the public wanting no part of this Celtics team at this points. Boston should come out with a ton of urgency based on the embarrassment of Miami becoming the first No. 8 seed in league history to win a playoff game by 25 or more points. Here, we play on teams revenging two straight losses where opponent scored 100 or more points, off two or more consecutive upset losses as a favorite. This situation is 49-22 ATS (69 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (545) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. After the loss on Saturday, the Lakers find themselves in an insurmountable 3-0 hole and the chances of winning this series are as close zero percent as possible. Of the 149 teams that have lost the first three games of a best-of-seven series, none have been able to come back and win it. Los Angeles did have opportunities to cut the series to 2-1 as it led Game Three in the fourth quarter by a point but allowed the Nuggets to go on a 13-0 run keyed by reserves making big shots. Denver has had the two best players on the floor in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the latter who has scored 37 points in each of the last two games, and a big problem for the Lakers have been the ability of the Nuggets big men making three-pointers as Jokic and Michael Porter, Jr. are a combined 16-34 (47.1 percent) from long range so that perimeter defense needs to step up. One thing historic thing on the side of the Lakers is that of the 152 conference finals, only 23 have resulted in a sweep and pride can be a big factor in these games if nothing else. Here, we play on favorites revenging a home loss, off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 52-18 ATS (74.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (544) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Lakers were in must win mode yesterday and failed to get it done and Boston is in the same spot tonight but in a different situation and one that is more favorable even though they are on the road. Boston was horrible defensively in Game One, allowing 54.1 percent shooting and knocked that down nearly 10 percent in the next game but its own offense was the downfall even though the Celtics outshot the Heat. Not being at home is obviously difficult but Boston has been very good on the road as it is 29-18 which includes a 4-2 record in the postseason. Miami has pulled off quite the stretch in defeating top seed Milwaukee before taking out the Knicks in six games and now winning the first two games of this series on the road. The Heat are in great position for the series but they will be getting a best effort from Boston tonight. Miami is 33-15 at home but that includes just a 3-4 record as a home underdog. Here, we play on favorites revenging a straight up loss as a favorite of seven or more points going up against an opponent off two or more consecutive upset wins as a road underdog. This situation is 30-6 ATS (83.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (541) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. This is a must win for the Lakers to avoid a 3-0 series deficit and the line is reflecting that as we are seeing a 10-point swing from Game Two which is too big of adjustment. Los Angeles lost the first two games despite an equal shooting percentage in each game which shows how big the Denver home floor is and while the Lakers head home, this is a different scenario than what they have seen. Memphis lost all three games here but it finished 0-17 as a road underdog all season and Golden St. lost all three games as well but the Warriors were a miserable road team all season. Denver has been better on the road than both of those teams yet is catching a bigger number than in any of those previous six games the Lakers were laying. The Nuggets are 2-3 on the road in the postseason but all three losses were competitive and came down to the final minutes which makes the underdog the play. Here, we play against teams when trailing in a playoff series, with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 44-19 ATS (69.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (539) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The public will be migrating to Boston in this game after losing Game One and the line is reflecting that with the Celtics bigger favorites tonight after their 123-116 loss on Wednesday. Defense was not on display for either side as the Celtics allowed Miami to shoot 54.1 percent from the floor which was their second worst performance of the postseason and while that should improve, so should the other side. Miami also had its second-worst defensive showing of the playoffs as Boston hit 51.9 percent of its shots from the floor and with both teams expected to improve, the big underdog is the side in an anticipated lower-scoring game. Game One was the epitome of the postseason for Boston which has showed up at times and completely disappeared in others and the biggest culprit of that was Jason Tatum who did not score in the fourth quarter and just touched the ball 13 times. Credit Miami for some of that as while Boston was No. 3 in the NBA in defensive efficiency, the Heat made their living there as well as they were No. 7 in efficiency and were tied for No. 2 in the league on the road. One edge mentioned for Game One for Miami was coaching and that was displayed and will not go away here. 10* (537) Miami Heat

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA 3rd Rd Game of the Year. Denver took Game One of this series against the Lakers and it ended up being closer than it should have been as the Nuggets built a 21-point lead in the third quarter only to take their foot off the gas and allow the Lakers cut the deficit to three points late in the game and had a chance for the tie with 45 seconds remaining. It was a push for most and it is safe to say Denver is not going to let that happen again as going to Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead with a statement win in Game Two is on the forefront. We are getting early value as this line has stabilized at 5.5 after seeing Game One close at 6.5 in some places and even a rare 7.5. As mentioned, Denver rarely loses here as it is now 41-7 on the season and that was after a 6-3 start while two of the last four losses came without Nikola Jokic in the lineup so the Nuggets have gone 35-4 in those other 39 games. Los Angeles had its opportunity to steal a road game and grab home court advantage and that chance will be more difficult here. The Lakers are 7-15 ATS after successfully covering the spread in two or more consecutive games this season while Denver is 16-7 ATS in home games off a home win this season. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a playoff game, in the 2nd game of a playoff series. This situation is 32-5 ATS (86.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (536) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston dominated the third quarter of Game Seven against Philadelphia to roll over the Sixers but the Celtics were a couple minutes away of being eliminated in Game Six if not for Jason Tatum to finally show up late and he carried that over into the final game. The line is reflecting that final outcome but it is a toss up with what Boston team shows up here as the Celtics were far from dominant in either series. The rolled over Atlanta in the first two games at home and also rolled the Sixers in two home games but the other three home games saw them lose outright. Boston is 9-21 ATS in its last 30 games after two consecutive covers as a favorite. Miami took out top seed Milwaukee in five games and then beat the Knicks in six games and looked very good in doing so. The Heat have peaked at the right time and they do have a significant coaching advantage heading into this series and the extra time off is an added bonus. It was a regular season series split with Miami winning the last two games and one factor Miam needs to have on its side is free throws as they were outshot 93-65 and outscored 77-52 in the four games. Miami is 24-13 ATS in its last 37 games as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points in a game involving two teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg, after scoring 105 points or less in two straight games. This situation is 47-22 ATS (68.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (533) Miami Heat

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. The Lakers have made it to the Western Conference Finals thanks to their strong play on their home floor as they beat Memphis three times, which finished the season 0-19 as a road underdog and then defeated Golden St. three times, which was awful on the road the entire season at 13-35 away from home. Once they get home, things could get interesting but they open on the road where they are 2-4 in the postseason and 22-25 overall which is not horrible but this is the toughest environment in the league and they lost both trip here during the regular season by 11 and 13 points. The Nuggets have the opportunistic spot in Game One at home to strike first with a short price where they 40-7 on the season and that was after a 6-3 start. Two of the last four losses came without Nikola Jokic in the lineup so this is a very dangerous team at home at full strength and in the postseason, they are 6-0 with the average margin of victory being 12.5 ppg and only one of those games being decided by fewer than nine points. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered two of their last three games against the spread, playing only their 2nd game in seven days. This situation is 33-6 ATS (84.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (532) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA 76ERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston was able to pull away late in Game Six to bring the series back home despite turning the ball over 17 times, the most in their 12 postseason games. The Celtics are now big favorites back on their home floor which has not been a big advantage of late as they have dropped three of their last four games in Boston. The offense does not bring in a lot of momentum as the Celtics have shot only 40.5 percent over their last two games and it has been a downhill regression from the start s they have shot more than 46 percent from the floor only twice since Game One and while the defense has kept it afloat, it has not created east opportunities. The Celtics have forced more than 11 turnovers only once in the series and they have taken it away by an average of only 9.5 per game and as long as the Sixers can shoot anywhere close to the 50.6 percent that they put up in Games One and Five in Boston, they can keep this close with a chance to win it outright again. The Sixers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while the Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. 10* (509) Philadelphia 76ers

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Golden St. staved off elimination with a Game Five win at home in a game that was close for a while as it was tied at 54 but the Warriors went on a 16-5 run to take an 11-point lead into halftime and did not look back. The Warriors had their second best offensive shooting game of the postseason as they shot 51.1 percent from the floor but this was only the fourth time in 12 playoff games they have shot 50 percent or better but despite the relatively easy win, the defense allowed the Lakers to shoot 48.3 percent and it has not been good throughout as the Lakers have shot 46.9 percent through the first five games. The Lakers were in this spot in their opening series as they lost Game five on the road against the Grizzlies before returning home to wrap up a series win in Game Six in an absolute blowout and Los Angeles is now 5-0 at home in the postseason and it has won eight straight games at home. Anthony Davis was questionable after taking a hit to the head but has been cleared and should be ready for another big game. Here, we play against underdogs when trailing in a playoff series, with a winning percentage of between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 37-12 ATS (75.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (504) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Boston is coming off its worst game of this series as it lost its second straight game forcing them to win the final two games to move into the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics shot a series worst 39.8 percent from the floor and that was its worst shooting performance since March 5 against the Knicks, a span of 28 games so we can expect a better effort tonight and the same can be said on the other side of the floor. Philadelphia shot 50.6 percent from the field against one of the best defenses in the league and on the season, the Celtics are 15-5 following a game where they allowed the opposition to shoot 50 percent or better including four straight wins and two in the postseason. Boston has been efficient in this series by not giving it up much but it has not produced turnovers on defense as in the three losses, the Celtics have forced only 7.3 turnovers per game which has let to very few easy scoring chances. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have both been great throughout but the one player that is vital is Al Horford who has gone 214 from long range over the last two games and any success from him opens this entire offense up. Here, we plat on teams revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite of seven points or more, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 47-12 ATS (79.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (553) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES LAKERS for our NBA Divisional Game of the Month. Down 3-1 in this series following a pair of losses in Los Angeles, it is obviously must win time for Golden St. at it needs to take the final three games which is going to be a tall order. Heading back home, this is a game the Warriors should win to send the series back to Los Angeles but in this spot, the line has been overadjusted because of the must win scenario. The Lakers closed as 2.5-point favorites on Monday and we are seeing a 9.5 to 10-point swing which is too big for the change in venue and while we saw a similar shift when the series went from Golden St. to Los Angeles, the situation is much different with the pressure that is on the line. As expected, the Warriors did shoot better in Game Four coming off a 39.6 percent effort in Game Three but in three of their last four playoff games where they have shot 46 percent or better, they have followed it up with games of 40.0 percent, 37.2 percent and the aforementioned 39.6 percent. The defense has not been good throughout as the Lakers have shot 46.6 percent through the first four games and Golden St. has held Anthony Davis in check only once in those games. We are catching excellent value in what should be a close game which have been few and far between in the entire postseason. Here, we play against teams when trailing in a playoff series, with a winning percentage of between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 42-17 ATS (71.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (551) Los Angeles Lakers

This is a play on the DENVER NUGGETS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Denver had opportunities in both Game Three and Four to steal a game in Phoenix to have a chance to close out this series at home but now the Nuggets have to take care of their home floor again before heading back to Phoenix which is not ideal but going down 3-2 in this series would be a disaster. In Game Four, Landry Shamet hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter so it was an unlikely hero that carried Phoenix which remains without Chris Paul as it heads back to Denver with a 19-26 record on the road following two pretty non-competitive games to open this series. The Nuggets have the opportunistic spot in Game Five at home with a short price where they 39-7 on the season and that was after a 6-3 start. Two of the last four losses came without Nikola Jokic in the lineup so this is a very dangerous team at home at full strength. Phoenix is just 9-24 this season as an underdog and its cover percentage of 40.6 percent is not much better and going back, the Suns are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record while the Nuggets are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a losing road record. 10* (548) Denver Nuggets

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Star Attraction. We made a bad call on the Warriors in Game Three as they lost by 30 points, the second straight game in this series decided by 27 or more points which is pretty ridiculous at this stage of the season. The are not seeing a line shift at all from the previous game and Golden St. can only improve here after committing 19 turnovers. The last two games where they committed 19 or more turnovers, the responded with a combined 18 turnovers in the next two games and the shooting should only get better as well. Golden St. has been ice cold from the floor, shooting only 42.3 percent from the floor over its last five games which makes this team due for a show and this is the ideal spot to get hot once again after shooting 47 percent or better in nine of its previous 11 games. The Warriors shot 39.6 percent in Game Three and this is a similar spot after coming off a 40.6 percent showing in Game One and shot nearly 10 percent better in Game Two. Los Angeles has been efficient with the ball as it has averaged only 9.7 turnovers per game through the first three games of this series and it is imperative for the Warriors to create more on defense to lead to easier opportunities going the other way. The Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (543) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the NEW YORK KNICKS for our NBA Signature Enforcer. Miami was one game away from not even making the playoffs and is now one win away from taking a commanding 3-1 series lead following one of their best defensive efforts of the season. The Heat allowed just 34.1 percent shooting from the floor in Game Three as New York converted only 31 field goals. The Knicks had a similar game against Cleveland in Game Two where they made only 29 shots but bounced back by shooting 47 percent in a 20-point Game Three win. Miami has now covered six straight games including the first three in this series and we are seeing a subtle half-point swing in this line as the public is continuing to ride the Heat despite still possessing one of the worst cover percentages at home at 40.9 percent. Miami caught a scheduling break between Game Two and Three with three days off which gave Jimmy Butler extra time for his ankle injury to get better but now with just one day in-between, there could be a slight regression. New York comes in at 26-19 on the road so winning away from home has not been an issue and this is a good recovery spot as the Heat are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Knicks are 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points. 10* (541) New York Knicks