Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the BOISE ST. BRONCOS for our CFB Saturday MWC Championship Annihilator. This play goes against the conference championship rematch sweep situation, but this is a different scenario where the game is not played on a neutral field. We had Fresno St. last week as it won at home to tie Boise St. with a 7-1 conference record and because of the head-to-head win, the thought was that the Bulldogs would get to host. However, that is not how the Mountain West Conference does the tiebreaker as the conference used the average ranking of four computer polls (Anderson & Hester, Billingsley, Colley Matrix and Wolfe) to determine the host team for the title game. Fresno St. got screwed because of this and we will be backing Boise St. this week with a lot of that based on the home field but more so on the line value. The Broncos closed as 6.5-point favorites on the road last week but are now favored by only two points more at home which provides incredible line value. Fresno St. won the yardage battle by only 30 total yards as the Broncos could not convert in vital situations. Boise St. put up 401 yards of offense but four trips into Fresno St. territory came up totally empty including going 0-2 on fourth down and that was the difference. While it may not seem fair, Boise St. has the better body of work. Five of the Broncos eight MWC games were against bowl-eligible teams, while Fresno St. played just three teams that are eligible for bowls. The Broncos only conference loss came on the road against a now nine-win Fresno St. team, while the Bulldogs league loss came at home to five-win UNLV. 10* (324) Boise St. Broncos

After a 2-0 start, Long Beach St. has dropped five of its last six games but as is typical with the 49ers, they have played a tough schedule with losses coming against West Virginia, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona and Oregon St. twice. None of those games were at home and Long Beach St. is back at Walter Pyramid for the first time since November 14 and only for the second time this whole season. The 49ers went 1-9 in their first 10 games last season with those nine losses coming consecutively on the road and they returned home with a big win over Pepperdine and we can expect the same here. Fresno St. is expected to have another good season following n NIT berth last season as it has four starters back from its 20-13 squad but being favored on the road is quite aggressive considering it failed in the other attempt this season at Evansville where the Bulldogs lost as six-point favorites. They are 4-0 at home but 0-2 in true road games and catch the 49ers at a bad time and they are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (578) Long Beach St. 49ers

We are high on Penn St. this season as it has all five starters back this season and is going to be a tough out in some games that it should not be in. But putting the Nittany Lions in the road favorite role here is outlandish as they have lost two of their last three games against good teams after a 5-0 start against poor teams. They were hammered by Texas A&M and lost in their last game at NC State where they were road favorites as well. Iowa will be a team on the rise as well after a 19-15 season and a trip to the NIT. The Hawkeyes have four starters back and are one of the deepest teams in the conference with 11 players that are averaging 13 or more minutes per game. They are coming off a bad loss at Virginia Tech but head back to Iowa City for their first home game since November 16. Iowa finished ahead of Penn St. last season and is picked to finish ahead of the Nittany Lions again yet is getting points at home and going back, the Hawkeyes are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games following three or more consecutive road games. 10* (566) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the AUBURN TIGERS for our CFB Saturday SEC Championship Annihilator. The first thought here is Georgia getting its revenge from its only loss of the season after Auburn coming off ones of its biggest wins in a few years over Alabama. However, history is not on the Bulldogs side based on conference championship rematches. Twenty of 33 conference championship game rematches have resulted in the team that won in the regular season winning again for the league title. The majority have provided the sweep and the strength of the Auburn ranking backs it up further. Five teams ranked in the AP top four at the time of the conference championship game have pulled off season sweeps: 2000 Oklahoma (vs. Kansas State), 2003 LSU (vs. Georgia), 2004 Auburn (Tennessee), 2005 Texas (vs. Colorado) and 2010 Auburn (vs. South Carolina). Four of those teams went on to win the national championship. One concern for the Tigers is the health of running back Kerryon Johnson who has a shoulder injury, but all indications are that he will go. Another concern is being over confident after beating Georgia by 23 points and dominating Alabama last week, but this team does not seem to have that mentality and there is no reason to be overconfident s Auburn has won nothing yet. The Tigers defensive front is for real and only three teams have scored more than 20 points on them this season. 10* (322) Auburn Tigers

Oregon rolled in its first four games of the season, winning by an average of 32.8 ppg but those victories came against overmatched unknowns. The Ducks then went to play in the Phil Knight Invitational in nearby Portland and showed this team still has a long way to go. Despite playing in front of partisan crowds, the Ducks struggled against all three teams, losing to Connecticut and Oklahoma while needing overtime to defeat DePaul. The roster got gutted from the Final Four team from last season as they lost four starters, including three NBA draft picks, with their top five scorers having departed. Additionally, they will be without five-star freshman recruit Troy Brown tonight, their fourth leading scorer and leading rebounder. Boise St. returned home following a loss in the championship game in the Puerto Rico Tip Off where it defeated UTEP and Illinois St., two solid teams, while losing to Iowa St. The Broncos lost some pieces from last season as well, but they have enough back to remember the disappointing loss here last season by five points. For a Boise St. team with eyes on getting to the NCAA Tournament, a game like the one tonight could go a long way in helping them be in consideration for an at-large spot come March. 10* (725) Boise St. Broncos

Minnesota will be the trendy pick here based on the struggles for Oklahoma City and those struggles are well documented. The Thunder are 8-12 following three straight losses with the last two coming against Dallas and Orlando being horrible but those were both on the road where they are 2-9. Oklahoma City is 6-3 at home with two of those losses coming by a combined three points and the other defeat coming against 19-4 Boston. One of those close losses came against Minnesota which has defeated the Thunder twice this season by five total points, so revenge will be in play here. The Timberwolves won in New Orleans two nights ago, but they have not exactly been lighting it up either. They do have a winning record but have lost four of their last seven games with those losses coming against Washington, Miami, Charlotte and Detroit so none have come against truly elite teams. While the season is young, Oklahoma City has heard the rumblings this week, so this is a statement game to show what this team is capable of. The Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games while the Timberwolves are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. 10* (708) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a play on the USC TROJANS for our CFB Friday Pac 12 Championship. USC and Stanford meet for the Pac 12 Championship for the second time in three years and Stanford took it to the Trojans in the title game in 2015. Now it is the Trojans turn to get their payback and keep their slim CFP hopes alive as a big win here and some help on Saturday could get them in albeit unlikely. People say USC is overrated and while it was crushed by Notre Dame and lost to Washington St., the fact of the matter is that the Trojans are 19-2 over their last 21 games dating back to last season. While Stanford is considered the better rushing team, the Trojans are right up there as USC has outrushed all but two opponents this season and on the year including destroying Stanford on the ground in the first meeting this season. The Trojans held UCLA to 80 yards in their last game and they are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game. It has been a good season for the Cardinal but a bit deceiving. They have been outgained in six of their last 11 games after defeating Rice including last week against Notre Dame as well as two other wins. They barely got by California, Utah and Oregon St. and on the season, they are outgaining opponents by only 3.0 ypg while USC is +78.4 ypg in differential. The work ethic for Stanford is outstanding as usual but they just do not have the all-around talent to take down the Trojans. 10* (304) USC Trojans

The Blazers return home following a very successful roadtrip where they went 4-1 and overall, they have won seven of their last nine games. Portland is 7-4 at home where it has won three straight and currently has a half-game lead over Minnesota in the Northwest Division. The Blazers are third in the Western Conference in scoring differential behind Golden St. and Houston and it will be focused on revenge tonight following a season sweep last year and a loss in Milwaukee last month. The Bucks are coming off a 23-point win in Sacramento on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 on this current roadtrip and get back to .500 on the road. Winning consecutive games on the road has been a problem as it has lost three straight road games following a win in its last road game. The defense has been inconsistent all season especially on the road where they are allowing 107.4 ppg. The Bucks are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Blazers are 9-1-2 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. 10* (508) Portland Trailblazers

South Carolina was the Cinderella story last season in the NCAA Tournament, making a Final Four run and finishing the season with 26 wins. Coming anywhere near that will be difficult this season as the Gamecocks lost three double-digit scorers including 2017 SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell who averaged 21.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg. They are off to a 5-1 start but has not been tested with a pair of wins over Western Michigan being the best of the bunch. They have been favored by at least 8 points in every game showing how poor the opposition has been. Temple is 3-1 including a pair of quality victories over Clemson and Auburn. The Owls are coming off a loss against city rival LaSalle, a team that returned all five starters. Temple has four starters back from a disappointing 17-17 team and big things are expected this season. If this is a close game late or if Temple needs to seal the deal, the Owls have a huge edge at the free throw line as they are shooting 81.2 percent from the stripe which is No. 6 in the country while the Gamecocks are hitting just 66.2 percent from the line, good for only No. 271 in the nation. 10* (532) Temple Owls

This is a play on the DALLAS COWBOYS for our NFL Thursday Primetime play. This is an elimination game as the loser is all but done for a playoff run while the winner stays in the hunt as a 6-6 record would put them a game and a half behind the second Wil Card spot in the NFC. The Cowboys are 0-3 since Ezekiel Elliott started serving his suspension but his absence has not been the reason they have been struggling. Dak Prescott has been playing poorly while the defense has not been able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Both these factors should reverse themselves tonight. The Cowboys have only one sack over the last three games after registering 15 sacks over the previous four games. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has been sacked 31 times this season for minus-269 yards and his offensive line is in shambles as center Chase Roullier is out while four other offensive linemen are listed as questionable. In the past three games, Prescott has been intercepted five times, has been sacked 14 times and presided over the only offense in the history of the Cowboys to go three straight games without scoring at least 10 points. Que the Redskins defense. Washington is ranked No. 25 in scoring defense and No. 20 in total defense and it has allowed 33 or more points in four of its last six games. The Redskins are 1-5 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game while the Cowboys are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game. 10* (302) Dallas Cowboys

Evansville is off to a 5-1 start on the season and has covered all four lined games following a close loss against Louisiana Tech in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge. The Purple Aces have overachieved thus far, and they are now playing their first true road game of the season and it comes in one of the toughest environments in college basketball. Evansville finished eighth in the MVC last season and that is the prediction once again for a team that lost Jaylon Brown, who averaged 20.9 ppg and led the conference in scoring. New Mexico has taken a fall over the past few years which led to the firing of head coach Craig Neal to the Lobos are far from a doormat. They won 17 games last season and while The Pit is not quite what it used to be, the Lobos are 25-9 over the last three years here. They are coming off an embarrassing loss in their last home game against Tennessee Tech which is part of a four-game skid so if there is ever going to be an all-out effort, this is the time and laying a short price against a team that hits the highway for the first time sets up a great value play. 10* (760) New Mexico Lobos

We played on Northern Iowa a week ago against SMU and the Panthers won that game outright while pulling off another upset over NC State the following day. They ran out of gas in their third game in three days against Villanova, but they certainly held their own in a 14-point loss against a top five team. To defend that loss, the fact the Panthers did not go to the free throw line shows how the game may have been officiated. The Panthers finished two games under .500 last season, but they were a very young team with only two seniors, so they bring back a ton of experience and are projected to contend in the MVC. They also faced North Carolina in their opener on the road and the Panthers played well in a 17-point loss so playing two elite opponents only helps their cause. UNLV is a team on the rise and is off to a 6-0 start but being a road favorite is a little aggressive considering this is the first time the Rebels have left Vegas after winning just two road games last season. They have dominated opponents which is factoring into this line but a young team playing its first road game is something to stay away from. 10* (746) Northern Iowa Panthers

Alabama made news last week by playing and coming close to winning against Minnesota despite playing 3-on-5 and that is factoring into this line with the betting public loving this team right now. While there are no suspensions, there are key injuries for the Tide as forward Braxton Key, an NBA prospect, is out until next month, key reserve Armond Davis is also out until December while starting freshman and second leading scorer John Petty is questionable tonight with an ankle injury. Louisiana Tech is going to be playing with a mission this season. The Bulldogs went 23-10 last season including a 14-4 record in C-USA which was good for a second-place finish and after getting ousted in the conference tournament semifinals, they were completely snubbed by all postseason tournaments. They have three starters back this season and are off to a 5-0 start while possessing one of the top backcourts you will see as four guards are averaging double-digits in scoring led by Jalen Harris and NBA prospect Jacobi Boykins. The Bulldogs need quality wins, and this will qualify as one of those so expect a huge effort tonight. 10* (753) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Washington is coming off an upset win last night in Minnesota and won its first game without john Wall after the news came out that he will be out two weeks. The Wizards benefitted from a slow-paced game against the Timberwolves but that will not be the case tonight as Philadelphia likes to push the ball as it is ranked No. 4 in the NBA in possessions per game. Washington is ranked No. 12 in the same category but with no Wall, the slower the better as is was shown that Tim Frazier has trouble running the offense. The Wizards are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up win. The Sixers had a three-game winning streak snapped against the Cavaliers on Monday as they lost by 22 points and they conclude their six-game homestand tonight before heading to Boston. Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS as a favorite of four or more points including a perfect 3-0 ATS during this homestand. The home team has won four straight in this series including a Washington victory last month setting up and going back, the Sixers are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (702) Philadelphia 76ers

Chicago will be out for some quick turnaround revenge after losing in Phoenix nine days ago which was the first loss in its current five-game slide. Four of those losses were on the road and going back, the Bulls have played six of their last eight games on the road. All against Western Conference teams. Chicago is coming off a home loss against Miami in its last game, but it was a competitive game and the Bulls have covered two straight home games. Coming in, we knew the Bulls would be in for a long season, but the schedule has not helped as they have played the No. 2 ranked schedule in the league. Chicago is the only team in the league to not win a game against the top 16, going 0-12 in those games but going 3-3 against the rest of the NBA. Phoenix has lost three straight games with nine of its last 11 games have come at home, so it has been a favorable run. While Chicago has played the second toughest schedule, Phoenix has played the second easiest. This line came out late due to the questionable status of leading scorer Devin Booker who is battling a toe injury. 10* (506) Chicago Bulls

Utah St. is on its 11th day of a 13-day roadtrip so there is some fatigue settling in. The Aggies are 2-2 on the trip, losing to Gonzaga and Portland St. while winning a tournament in Nashville, defeating northeastern and New Hampshire. The Aggie guards will have their work cut out for them, especially since three of the top four will most likely not play. Brock Miller (foot) and Julion Pearre (calf) are for sure out, while Koby McEwen (ankle) is doubtful. This is not ideal as McEwen is their best player and was names MWC Freshman of the Year last season. Valparaiso is 7-0 and back home following five straight games on the highway. While the Crusaders lost four starters, this team is long and deep. They start 7-foot sophomore Jaume Sorolla, then bring in 7-2 sophomore Derrik Smits and Utah St. does not have the size to match up as 6-11 center Norbert Janicek is out for the season. The backcourt is deep with three double-digit scorers so there are edges both down low and up top. 10* (534) Valparaiso Crusaders

Florida St. is a heavy consensus play for tonight which comes as no surprise as the Seminoles are a team that has been playing at a high level for years while Rutgers has not been relevant in years, but the roles could be reversed this season. The Seminoles are coming off a 26-win season and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. However, they lost the majority of the starters from that team and are now relying on a lot of players stepping up in key roles for the first time in their careers. This is the first true road game for Florida St. and it comes at an underrated venue. While Rutgers won just 15 games last season, it was more than twice as many victories from the previous season. It lost seven Big Ten games by single-digits after losing 15 conference games by double-digits the previous season and it brings back four starters. The Scarlet Knights are off to a 6-0 start and while they have not been tested, this is a team on the rise that will produce some surprises this season. This could be the first. 10* (518) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Xavier is coming off its first loss of the season as the defense was to blame. It led by as many as 15 points in the first half but allowed 73 points over the final 23 minutes of the game. After building that 15-point lead late in the first half, the Musketeers then went scoreless over the final three-plus minutes of the period as the Sun Devils went on a 15-2 run to pull within a bucket going into halftime. Xavier will be out for immediate redemption and there will be added motivation as well. The Musketeers opened last season 7-0 before a trip to Waco and they lost by 15 points, so payback is in play. Baylor is 5-0 including a pair of wins over Wisconsin and Creighton but this will be the biggest test of the season for the Bears which lost a lot of production and experience from last season. This is the first true road game of the season for Baylor and it comes against a pissed off Xavier teams in one of the tougher environments in the country. 10* (512) Xavier Musketeers

This is a play on the BALTIMORE RAVENS for our NFL Monday Night Primetime play. The Ravens enter this game with the No. 7 ranked overall defense and that will be the difference here. It has been an oddly inconsistent season for Baltimore as the defense has tossed three shutouts, but the offense has been a letdown although it is starting to get better because they are getting healthier, namely quarterback Joe Flacco. He has prospered in Monday night games throughout his career and Baltimore has covered five of its last six games in the Monday spotlight. Houston is coming off a home win over Arizona which snapped a three-game losing streak and kept the Texans within reach in the AFC South where they now trail Tennessee by 2.5 games. This will be the first start for Tom Savage on a Monday night and that is a real problem facing the Baltimore defense. His own defense has taken a step back this season as a few key players have been out, most notably J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing while Jadeveon Clowney is banged up as well. Houston is just 1-3 on the road with the lone victory coming against Cincinnati in a game it got outgained in at the Deshawn Watson coming out party. The Texans are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win and we are expecting Savage to struggle in a tough environment. 10* (276) Baltimore Ravens

This line came out late due to the uncertain status of Indiana guard Victor Oladipo who missed the last game with a knee injury and is questionable for tonight. He would like to go against his former team, but his status will be determined close to tipoff tonight, Nate McMillan and Oladipo said. If he goes, he will not be 100 percent which will keep the Pacers leading scorer in check. Indiana is just 5-4 at home including losses in three of its last five games. Orlando has been on a miserable run following a good start to the season as it has lost eight straight games including the first three on this current four-game roadtrip. The defense has been a real problem over this stretch as they have allowed at least 110 points six times while allowing an average of 117 ppg. The Indiana defense is not much better as it is allowing just three fewer ppg on the season and while Orlando is getting outscored by 2.5 ppg on the road, the Pacers are getting outscored by 1.8 ppg at home. The Magic are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game while going 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss. 10* (701) Orlando Magic

This is the first true road game for Maryland but that is not a huge concern in this spot. The Terrapins are 6-1 with three of those games coming on a neutral floor so they have had some exposure to other courts as opposed to their own. The one loss came against a good St. Bonaventure teams and Maryland bounced back from that with a win over New Mexico. The Terrapins defeated Butler earlier in the season by 14 points which was an impressive signature victory. They are dealing with the loss of Melo Trimble, but this team is still pretty loaded as three of five starters returned from their 24-win season and currently have nine players averaging 11 or more minutes per game. Syracuse is 5-0 but has yet to be tested with their best win coming against Oakland. The Orange are extremely young as they lost three key starters as well as two senior reserves that played big roles. They look good defensively but again, have not played anybody and the Achilles Heel that has plagued this team for years is back against as Syracuse is hitting just 63.9 percent from the free throw line which is No. 313 out of 251 Division I teams. 10* (717) Maryland Terrapins

Michigan St. coasted by DePaul and Connecticut, stomping both opponents by over 20 points in the first two rounds of the PK80 tournament. The Spartans will be tested here though, and it does have a favorable matchup as their size can be the difference in this one. North Carolina rolled in its first two games as well and while after leading the country in offensive rebounding a season ago, the Tar Heels lost most of their height heading into this season. They are led by junior forward Luke May, who is averaging 21.2 ppg and 10.8 rpg and is coming off scoring 28 points with 16 boards against the Razorbacks. Michigan St. has the size that can neutralize him though as Jaren Jackson Jr. (6-11), Nick Ward (6-8), Miles Bridges (6-7), Gavin Schilling (6-9), Xavier Tillman (6-8) and Ben Carter (6-9) are part of a big team. Michigan St. has had issues with North Carolina in the past, but this is one of the better advantages it has had, and the line is proving that. 10* (548) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Rams are coming off a loss in Minnesota last week which snapped their four-game winning streak, but they are back home and looking for the offense to back to its high-level play. They did not lose any ground to the Seahawks however after Seattle lost to Atlanta on Monday night as Los Angeles still has a one-game lead in the NFC West. The Rams went from averaging 14 ppg in 2016 to averaging 30.3 ppg in 2017, second highest in the NFL. They could eventually join the 1965 San Francisco 49ers as the only teams to go from last to first in points from one season to the next. New Orleans has won eight straight game following its overtime win over the Redskins last week which snapped a seven-game cover streak as well. The Saints resurgent defense has made a huge difference, but they will be shorthanded today. Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley have both been ruled out after not practicing all week and they also must make do without starting defensive end Alex Okafor. Last week, after Lattimore was injured in the first quarter, the Saints went on to give up more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams will be out for some payback as well as they went to New Orleans last season and got destroyed 49-21 10* (268) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS four our NFL Game of the Week. Carolina is coming off its bye week and is playing like the team from two years ago when it went to the Super Bowl. The Panthers are now 7-3 on the season and trail the Saints by one game in the NFC South with a game in New Orleans next week so they need to keep pace as a lookahead to that game would be devastating. The Carolina defense has been the story this season as it is ranked No. 2 overall while allowing the fifth fewest points in the league at just 18 ppg. The Jets are 4-6 which is a surprise considering their Vegas over/under win total was right around three at most places. They have had some tough losses along the way as five have come by a touchdown or less including a five-point loss at Tampa Bay two weeks ago. They are getting outgained by 40 ypg which seems like a small margin, but they have been outgained by at least 100 ypg in four games so it is skewed. Carolina falls into a huge winning situation today and going back, it has covered six of its last seven road games while the Jets are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games in November. 10* (261) Carolina Panthers

This is a play on the WASHINGTON ST. COUGARS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. It has been a very disappointing season for Washington as it failed to make it back to the Pac 12 Championship after suffering a pair of road losses at Arizona St. and Stanford. The Huskies are coming off a narrow win last week against Utah as it was a flat spot coming off that loss to the Cardinal and while this is a big rivalry, something just does not feel right with Washington which is likely due to not being able to back to the FCP. The defense has been solid once again as the Huskies are ranked No. 4 in the country in total defense but the offense has been held in check as they are just No. 55 in total offense and they will be facing a very underrated Washington St. defense that is ranked No. 11 in the nation. The Cougars opened the season 6-0 but suffered a blowout loss at California even though they were outgained by just 28 total yards. The other loss came at Arizona where they lost by 21 points but outgained the Wildcats by 61 yards. The difference in those losses were turnover they Washington St. lost the turnover battle by a combined 11-3 so what could have been a special season in Pullman was undone by costly mistakes. There is still plenty to play for however as the Cougars would finish tied with Stanford in the Pac 12 with a victory and would head to the Pac 12 Championship because of their win over Stanford three weeks ago. They have struggled here over the years, but this is a different Washington St. team than in the past and coming off a bye week gives them the edge in preparation. The Cougars are 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (183) Washington St. Cougars

The Sixers are one of the pleasant surprised in the NBA this season as they are off to a 10-7 starts and currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They have won four of their last five games while covering all five of those which is affecting the line for tonight and there is a very good possibility that Philadelphia is looking ahead to its game with Cleveland. Orlando opened the season red hot with a 6-2 record, but things have gone downhill since then as the Magic are 2-9 over their last 11 games including seven straight losses. They lost in Boston last night but that was a horrible spot against the Celtics which were coming off their first loss after a 16-game winning streak. This is a good matchup for Orlando which is 5-2 ATS when getting five or more points and the Sixers have done most of their damage as underdogs, going 6-0 ATS when getting fewer than eight points. Philadelphia will be without Ben Simmons tonight which is a huge loss as he has been outstanding in his rookie season. 10* (701) Orlando Magic

St. Bonaventure is coming off a big upset over Maryland yesterday and while it is a big upset over a top program, the Terrapins are not the Terrapins we are accustomed to. The Bonnies head to the finals of the Emerald Classic with a 3-1 record with their lone loss coming against Niagara their season opener and that is a loss that cannot be ignored. St. Bonaventure went 20-12 last season and finished fifth in the Atlantic Ten but failed to go to a postseason tournament so there is plenty of motivation. However, the Bonnies will again be without their leader Jaylen Adams who is out with an ankle injury and his absence is pivotal in this matchup. TCU is another team that was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee, but the Horned Frogs were invited to the NIT and took their frustrations out on the bracket and won the whole thing. They bring back all five starters from their 24-win season and there is a realistic shot of contending in the Big XII with one of the best frontcourts in the conference. All-Big XII forward Vladimir Brodziansky was held in check yesterday as he had a tough matchup with Sam Longwood of New Mexico, but he has no such matchup issues tonight. 10* (753) TCU Horned Frogs

This is a play on the FRESNO ST. BULLDOGS for our CFB Game of the Week. A big game for both sides as Boise St. heads to Fresno St. in a preview of the MXC Championship game. The Broncos wrapped up the MWC Mountain Division as they are 7-0 in the conference following a blowout win over Air Force last week and they have been pretty dominant throughout conference play. We played against them two weeks ago at Colorado St. and they pulled off a minor miracle by scoring two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the game and then winning in overtime. The undefeated record has given them the role of a heavy road favorite and a very solid team that is having a breakout season. Fresno St. won just one game last season but has now won eight games, the most since going 11-2 back in 2013. Two of the losses this year came at Alabama and at Washington so nothing bad about those but a home loss against UNLV was a surprising loss although it did come right after an upset win at San Diego St. so there was some form of letdown for sure. Overall, the Bulldogs are 4-1 at home and their only other game as a home underdog resulted in a 38-0 blowout of New Mexico. Despite going 1-5 at home last season, they went 5-0 ATS as home underdogs and have now covered seven straight games in that role going back to 2015. Additionally, the 8-0 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning record while the Broncos are 4-9 ATS against teams with a winning record. Since there is no neutral site for the championship game, the winner of this game will get to host the MWC Championship next weekend, so Fresno St. has the edge of playing this game at home. 10* (202) Fresno St. Bulldogs

This is a play on the AUBURN TIGERS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. A possible trip to the CFP is on the line in the Iron Bowl as an Alabama win sends it to the SEC Championship to face Georgia while the same holds true for Auburn as well. The Tigers have just one conference loss, a four-point loss at LSU that was decided in the final two minutes. It was a game Auburn could have won but it does not matter as far as the SEC West is concerned and if nothing else, it helps the Tigers with this line as they likely would be favored here if they were 7-0. They have dominated every other SEC opponent and their only other loss on the season came by eight points at Clemson. This is the lowest number of points Auburn has received in this series since 2010 when the Tigers won outright in Alabama which shows how much more even these teams are now. Alabama is coming off an exhibition win over Mercer last week to improve to 11-0 and some say even a loss here could get them into the playoffs still but based on its schedule, it is unlikely. The Crimson Tide have had a favorable schedule as they have played only three true road games and the last two were struggles as they defeated Texas A&M and Mississippi St. by eight and seven points respectively. While Auburn lost to LSU on the road, Alabama defeated the Tigers at home, but it was outgained in that contest. Auburn is 1-1 against top ten teams while Alabama has yet to face one, the only team in the entire conference that has yet to. The Tide are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning record. 10* (226) Auburn Tigers

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our CFB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Duke snapped a six-game slide with a blowout win over Georgia Tech last week to keep its bowl hopes alive and now at 5-6, the Blue Devils need this win to go bowling after missing the postseason last year for the first time since 2011. While they were not able to slow down the Yellow Jackets rushing attack, they outgained Georgia Tech on the ground 319-277 while racking up 6.3 ypc. Duke can keep that going here as Wake Forest is allowing over 200 ypg on the ground and is ranked No. 104 in rushing defense. The Blue Devils defense could be the difference here as well as they are ranked No. 28 in both total defense and scoring defense. The Demon Deacons have won two straight games to become bowl eligible including a big win over NC State last week despite getting outgained by 168 total yards. That was the fifth time this season that Wake Forest has been outgained by at least 117 total yards and it has been outrushed in six of its last seven games. That makes Duke a live underdog giving it a chance to win this game outright but the fact the Blue Devils are getting double-digits in the line is even more enticing. They were road favorites against Army in their last road game and now we are seeing a 15-point swing and the gap between Army and Wake Forest is not that big. The Blue Devils are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game while going 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (157) Duke Blue Devils

Phoenix is coming off a loss against Milwaukee in overtime on Wednesday which snapped a two-game winning streak. The Suns are now 7-12 on the season overall but have gone a more respectable 7-9 since the coaching change was made. The Suns scoring differential at home is skewed because of blowout losses against Portland and Houston by 48 and 26 points respectively and they do own impressive home wins over Utah and Minnesota and nearly pulled off another one against the Bucks. This is a horrible spot for New Orleans which improved to 10-8 overall following a couple signature wins over Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Five of their last six games have come at home where the Pelicans are 4-1 in those games and is currently on a two-game road losing streak. If the two big recent home wins are not bad enough, New Orleans travels to Golden St. tomorrow night so the letdown/lookahead angle is in full effect tonight. The Pelicans are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Suns are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (518) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS for our CFB Friday Star Attraction. Texas Tech is coming off a 27-3 loss against TCU despite outgaining the Horned Frogs and it is now forced to win on the road to become bowl eligible which is more than possible. Going to a bowl game seemed more than likely for the Red Raiders but they have lost five of their last six games against a very tough schedule. Being held to three points last week was no surprise considering TCU is seventh in the nation in scoring defense, but they should have a lot more success here even though Texas has had a solid year defensively. The Red Raiders are 19-6-2 ATS in their last 27 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. The Longhorns have won two straight games to become bowl eligible and it has been a major turnaround for Texas under first year head coach Tom Herman. The Longhorns caught a break last week when West Virginia lost starting quarterback Will Grier early in the game and the Mountaineers offense could get nothing going after that. Of their five losses, three have come by five points or less including two overtime losses by a field goal so the record could be substantially better. Still, laying double-digits against a quality team that is outgaining opponents by close to 40 ppg is a bit aggressive here as the only two times they have layed double-digits in the Big XII came against Baylor and Kansas which are a combined 2-20 on the season. Going back to the Texas defense, the injury list is long and depth issues could be a big problem against a potent offense like that of the Red Raiders. 10* (141) Texas Tech Red Raiders

West Virginia comes into the Advocare Invitational ranked No. 20 in the country after opening the season with a 23-point loss to Texas A&M but it has recovered with four straight wins including a less-than-inspiring effort against Marist in the first round yesterday. The Mountaineers were favored by 29.5 points but won by just six points as they shot only 35.1 percent from the floor compared to 55.3 percent for the Red Foxes but they dominated the boards 41-28 including a 22-3 advantage on the offensive glass. They look to shoot better today and still have a dominant rebounding advantage. Central Florida defeated Nebraska yesterday to improve to 4-0 on the season but the Huskers are picked to finish No. 13 in the 14-team Big Ten and the other three wins came against nobodies. The Knights finished fourth in the AAC last season but are expected to fall back after an impressive 24-win season. They lost three starters and are without their best player as B.J. Taylor broke his foot in the first game and is out four-six weeks. He averaged 17.4 ppg in 29 games last season and his absence will be problematic here. 10* (546) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is a play on the SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS for our CFB Friday Enforcer. A lot is at stake in Florida today as South Florida and Central Florida battle for the AAC East Division title and a chance to meet Memphis in the AAC Championship next week. The winner of the conference championship game most likely will gain a slot in a major bowl game, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange or Peach. The Bulls have outgained every opponent this season including their lone loss of the season against Houston which the Cougars won in the final seconds. They have failed to cover four straight games, but they were favored by double-digits in all of those and now the role has switched as South Florida is now a huge underdog. The South Florida defensive improvement provides confidence against the Central Florida offense, which leads the nation in scoring at 48.2 ppg. The Bulls are 21st nationally in total defense, a drastic departure from 2016, when they ranked 120th.While the Knights offense is the headliner here, the South Florida offense is not far behind as it is a very consistent running attack, which ranks eighth nationally at 276.9 ypg. It features running backs Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson, along with dual-threat quarterback Quinton Flowers who is one of the feel-good stories of the season. When the season began, the Bulls were picked to win the AAC East by an overwhelming margin and now it is big underdog despite doing almost everything it has needed to do. The Knights are having a special season after going winless just two years ago and this has the makings of a classic rivalry game which makes the overadjusted line more appealing on the underdog side. 10* (137) South Florida Bulls

This is a play on the HOUSTON COUGARS for our CFB Friday Afternoon Dominator. Navy is coming off a tough loss against Notre Dame as it fell 24-17 after giving up a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter. The Midshipmen are now in a tough spot coming off that rivalry game and with their biggest rival on deck in the annual Army/Navy season finale. With its win over Air Force and the Army win over the Falcons, the Commander-In-Chief Trophy will be at stake as well. Moreover, Navy cannot enhance a bowl position with a win here as it is in the Military Bowl with Army taking the spot in the Armed forces Bowl. Houston is coming off a loss at Tulane as a favorite which sets up a good bounce back spot here in what has been a season that could have been. The Cougars are 6-4 and will be playing just 11 games this season as its game against UTSA to open the season was cancelled so the players know what is at stake. The Houston seniors enter this game with 36 career wins and need two more wins to tie the school record that was set by the Class of 2017. Since taking over as Houston's quarterback three weeks ago, D'Eriq King has rushed for five touchdowns and thrown four with only one interception and the offense has finally found some consistency. The Cougars will be out for payback as well as it went to Annapolis last season ranked No. 6 and lost 46-40 knocking them out of the CFP possibilities. This marks the second straight game that Navy is playing an opponent on its Senior Day. 10* (130) Houston Cougars

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI REBELS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. With Mississippi sitting at 5-6, this would typically be a must win game for bowl eligibility but with a self-imposed postseason ban in place, the Rebels are essentially playing its bowl game on Thursday. It was a long season for Mississippi with the coaching issues and essentially nothing to play for but give the Rebels credit for not tossing in the towel from the start. They opened the season 2-0 but then endured three straight bad losses but they recovered to win three of their final six games with two of those losses coming by just one possession. The Rebels have lost the yardage battle only three times this season (Alabama, Auburn, LSU) and they have the offense to keep up here and stay within this number. This game means everything to both teams so there will be no lack of effort. The Bulldogs rebounded from their devastating loss against Alabama by beating Arkansas last week to improve to 8-3 and they too would like nothing more than to put the hurt on their rival. The schedule of late favors the Rebels as the Bulldogs will be playing their third SEC game in 12 days when they host the Rebels. Mississippi will also be playing its third game in 12 days, but one of those was a relatively easy non-conference victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. Rivalry games take on a whole different meaning even when teams are not considered equal and while many will be calling for a Mississippi St. domination, it will be closer than most expect. 10* (113) Mississippi Rebels

Texas is coming off a miserable season, one of its worst ever and now the pressure is on head coach Shaka Smart in his third season. The good news is that his recruiting efforts are going to pay off with his best roster in his tenure and the Longhorns were able to start the season early in the summer with a trip to Australia and that makes such a big difference early in the season. Texas has 11 players averaging double-digits in minutes, so the depth of this team is a big advantage as well. Butler is 3-1 but suffered a bad loss against Maryland in its only real game of the season. The Bulldogs are going through another coaching change and while good things are expected, they are predicted to finish fifth in a relatively weak Big East Conference after the top three teams. After a last place finish in the Big XII last season, Texas is expected to make a top four finish this season which is big turnaround in a vital season for Smart. This is a loaded tournament and the Longhorns can make a name starting tonight. 10* (744) Texas Longhorns

This is a play on the DALLAS COWBOYS for our NFL Thanksgiving Day Enforcer. The Chargers have won four of their last six games after a 0-4 start to keep within reach of the Chiefs in the AFC West. They are coming off a rout last week against the Bills as their quarterback change backfired and now they head to Dallas as a road favorite for the first time this season. Los Angeles outgained Buffalo by just 36 yards as turnovers were the difference and it was outgained in its three previous games while getting outgained on the season overall. This is a good team that has suffered some close losses, but this line shift does not make a ton of sense considering that the Chargers are 5-16 in their last 21 road games the last three years. A big part of the line move is due to the Cowboys playing poor the last two games without Ezekiel Elliott as they were dominated by the Falcons and Eagles but those are two of the top teams in the NFC. Dallas is still 5-5 and just one game out of the second Wild Card spot so the season if far from lost. The absence of Elliott is huge, but Alfred Morris has been just fine as he has rushed for 144 yards on 28 carries (5.1 ypc) in the two games and his carries have been limited because Dallas was playing from behind. The Chargers have the worst rushing defense in the NFL as they are allowing 138.9 ypg and their 4.9 ypc allowed is second worst. This is going to take some pressure off Dak Prescott which he needs at this point. The Cowboys are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing record while the Chargers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game. 10* (110) Dallas Cowboys

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFL Thanksgiving Day Crusher. This is the second straight season Minnesota and Detroit has met on Thanksgiving Day with the Lions winning last season as slight favorites. Now they are home underdogs as they look to narrow the gap in the NFC North as they trail the Vikings by two games and can get the season sweep and move to within a game with five games remaining. Detroit has won three straight games to move to 6-4 with a schedule that has been difficult in that it has not had a chance to play back-to-back home games all season and will not do so the rest of the season, the only team in the NFL to not have consecutive home games. The Lions have had only one bad game this season which was against New Orleans as the other three losses came by a combined 12 points. Minnesota comes in as a favorite here because it has won six straight games while covering the last five. Case Keenum has done a spectacular job at quarterback in taking over for Sam Bradford but the Lions have had the edge in the passing game in each of their last five games. The Vikings have a top five defense, but repeating the effort they had last week against the Rams will be a challenge. Detroit used to be a pushover on Thanksgiving Day but it has won four straight after nine straight losses dating back to 2004. While the Vikings have covered five straight, they are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games while the Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last six Thursday games. 10* (108) Detroit Lions

SMU is coming off a huge season where it went 30-5 but suffered a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and it is starting right where it left off. The Mustangs have started the season a perfect 4-0 with all four wins being blowout victories but they have played nobody, and this is a team that is in major transition. SMU is still on probation in that it is getting fewer scholarships and comes into this season needing to replace three important starters with a young roster that has not played together very much. The Panthers finished two games under .500 last season, but they were a very young team with only two seniors, so they bring back a ton of experience and are projected to contend in the MVC. Northern Iowa has rolled in its last three games against low-level competition, but they faced North Carolina in their opener on the road and the Panthers held their own in a 17-point loss and that experience against an elite team will help here. This line has a lot to do with what happened last season for SMU and it start this season, but it is overly aggressive in what should be a very competitive game. 10* (556) Northern Iowa Panthers

Idaho comes in to the season as the favorites to win the Big Sky Conference after going 12-6 last season, which was good for a tie for third, and 19-14 overall. That was good for an invite to the CIT which was important for extra playing time and practices. The Vandals are loaded as they bring back all five starters as well as point guard Perrion Callandret who took a medical redshirt last season after averaging 14.0 ppg in 2015-16. They are off to a 2-1 start with the lone loss coming at Nevada, the favorite to win the MWC. Santa Clara had a winning record last season as it finished a game over .500 but its season ended in the WCC Semifinals and did not get to play in a postseason tournament. The Broncos have three starters back, but the losses will be hard to replace especially Jared Brownridge who finished his career as the No. leading scorer in program history. Santa Clara is 1-2 to start the season with all three games coming at home including a 30-point loss to aforementioned Nevada. The only victory came against Division III La Verne University. The experience of Idaho will show in Alaska. 10* (585) Idaho Vandals

Louisiana Tech is going to be playing with a mission this season. The Bulldogs went 23-10 last season including a 14-4 record in C-USA which was good for a second-place finish and after getting ousted in the conference tournament semifinals, they were completely snubbed by all postseason tournaments. They have three starters back this season and are off to a 4-0 start including a victory over George Mason by 13 points in the first round of the Cancun Challenge. This is one of the top backcourts you will see as four guards are averaging double-digits in scoring led by Jalen Harris and NBA prospect Jacobi Boykins. Evansville pulled off the upset over Fresno St. to get to the finals and improved to 5-0 on the season while covering all three lined games. The Purple Aces have overachieved thus far and have a tough matchup here as their strength is in the backcourt but cannot match up with the Bulldogs. Evansville finished eighth in the MVC last season and that is the prediction once again for a team that lost Jaylon Brown, who averaged 20.9 ppg and led the conference in scoring. The Bulldogs keep rolling. 10* (592) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

San Antonio improved to 8-2 at home following a pair of wins over Oklahoma City and Atlanta and it has enjoyed a favorable schedule as eight of its last 10 games have been at home. The Spurs are 3-4 on the road and two of those wins came against Chicago and Dallas, two of the worst teams in the NBA. They have been a road underdog twice this season and lost both games, a 12-point defeat at Minnesota and a 14-point loss at Boston. San Antonio is 0-5 ATS in its last five road games. The Pelicans have won six of their last nine games while going 3-1 at home over that stretch. New Orleans is ranked fourth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage and while the Spurs present a strong defense, they are 1-4 against teams ranked in the top ten in effective field goal percentage. San Antonio has won six of the last seven meetings but was favored by at least 6.5 points in all those games, so this line shows the difference in these teams right now. 10* (522) New Orleans Pelicans

The Clippers have lost nine straight games, but they have not lost to any teams that are in the category of Atlanta. Five of those losses came against winning teams while the other four came against teams that are all 7-9 so the recent schedule has been a tough one. There are no excuses for big losing streaks like this with what is supposed to be a quality team, but this is the opponent Los Angeles needs to face to break this skid. Atlanta has lost two straight games as it is now just 3-14 overall. The offense has sputtered most of the season and it is coming off a season low 85 points against San Antonio. The Clippers defense is not on that same level, but this is one of the worst offenses it has seen over the recent losing stretch. The Hawks are 0-5 this season as a home underdog and the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage below .400. 10* (507) Los Angeles Clippers

Boston is rolling right now and anyone that had Dallas in the Celtics last game endured a horrible beat as the Mavericks blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost the cover in overtime. The Celtics have won 16-straight games, so it is no surprise they are the biggest public consensus on the board tonight as they have gone 14-1-1 over that stretch so not many people will step in front of them, but they are vulnerable as they have had to come back from double-digits down in their last three games. Miami will be fired up to snap the Boston winning streak as it is coming off a 25-point home loss against Indiana on Sunday and it has now lost two straight home games. While the Heats have been outscored at home, they are outshooting opponents 45.7 percent to 41.9 percent here so the play has been better than the 3-5 record shows Miami lost the first meeting here by six points, but the difference was from the free throw line while committing 19 turnovers. 10* (512) Miami Heat

The Penguins are in a great spot to roll and with the high price tag, we will be playing the puckline to get some great value. Pittsburgh is coming off a loss at home against Chicago on Saturday which was its first regulation loss at home, so it has had a long time to stew about it. The Penguins are now 6-1-1 at home and are paying the price for the solid record but it has not been an easy ride as eight of their last 11 games have come on the road so the time off is a big advantage and they have won 20 of their last 28 games playing with three or more days of rest. In addition to making up for the home loss, the Penguins want to bury the Canucks as the lost the first meeting in Vancouver 4-2 earlier in the month after sweeping the season series the last two seasons. The Canucks defeated Philadelphia last night as it snapped a two-game slide, but they have not won consecutive games since late October as they are 0-4 in their last four games following a win. Also, the Canucks are 6-26 in their last 32 games after scoring five goals or more in their previous game. 10* (68) Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 Puckline

Two teams that will be outside the playoffs this season square off in Los Angeles in the lone game on the NBA slate for Tuesday. Chicago continues its four-game west coast roadtrip following a loss in Phoenix on Sunday where it was outscored by seven points in the fourth quarter and lost by eight points. The Bulls are just 1-7 on the road but one look at the schedule shows they have played some strong teams and while the Lakers are an improving team, they do not fit into that group. Chicago is 0-7 against top ten teams but a much more respectable 3-4 against teams outside the top ten. The Lakers are coming off a win over Denver on Sunday which snapped a two-game slide and they are favored by more than four points for just the second time this season, the first resulting in an outright loss against Phoenix this past Friday. Los Angeles is 5-6 against teams outside the top ten so these teams matchup well with each other giving an edge to the undervalued underdog. Going back, the Bulls are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while the Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (701) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES for our CFB Tuesday Enforcer. While a bowl game is no longer an option for Eastern Michigan, this is an important game to end the season to go into the offseason with momentum heading into next year. It has been a tough season as the Eagles suffered many close losses, so they will be ready to take their frustrations out here on an outmanned team. Eastern Michigan suffered three overtime losses and a five-point loss against Toledo with all four of those teams going to bowl games while also losing by a point to Army and four points to Kentucky. Despite finishing below .500 on the season, Eastern Michigan will post its best two-season win totals in more than a decade. The Eagles currently have 11 wins over the last two seasons, which is the most since totaling 11 in the 1994-95 seasons. In addition, if it wins this game, the 12 wins will be the best two-year stretch since winning 13 games from 1988-89. It has been a rough season for Bowling Green as it opened 0-5 both straight up and against the number and that knocked the wind out of the Falcons early where they could not recover. They closed their home schedule last week against Toledo and were crushed 66-37 to finish 0-5 at home so coming back from that in a meaningless game on the road will be a challenge. Bowling Green ranks last in the MAC in total defense (517.2 ypg), rush defense (252.1 ypg), and pass defense (265.1 ypg). The Eagles were favored by double-digits two other times this season and covered both of those games and going back, they are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game. 10* (104) Eastern Michigan Eagles

We won with Penn St. last night as the Nittany Lions rolled over Pittsburgh and while we think this is a very good team, they take a huge step up in competition here and will have a tough time keeping up. Penn St. is 5-0 but has defeated no one good and that includes the Panthers who are in for a very long season. The Nittany Lions have covered all three of their lined games which is keeping this number a reasonable one. They will have size advantages over a lot of teams this season as they are big down low with five players averaging at least 5.2 rebounds per game. The problem tonight is they will be facing a bigger and more athletic team, so their typical advantage will not be in play here. Texas A&M is coming off an average season where it went 16-15 overall including 8-10 in the SEC and did not go to a postseason tournament. The Aggies are loaded this season as they are led by forward Robert Williams who was a projected first round NBA draft pick but decided to come back for one more season and could be the No. 1 overall pick next year. Overall, they have four starters back while also adding graduate transfer Duane Wilson to compliment J.J. Caldwell who will return from a suspension on November 30. Depth and experience to go along with a stingy defense will lead Texas A&M to the Legends Classic Championship. 10* (742) Texas A&M Aggies

California is coming off a difficult loss yesterday as it blew a double-digit second half lead against Wichita St. and it was outscored 54-35 in the second half, ruining a chance for a monumental upset. The Golden Bears are now 2-2 on the season with the other loss coming against UC Riverside at home while the two wins came against Cal Poly by three points and Wofford. The loss to the Shockers will be hard to recover from for this extremely young team that has been picked to finish dead last in the Pac 12 after losing four starters, a part-time starter and their best incoming recruit. It is going to be a long season, and this is a bad matchup to have after a bad loss as the Bears are a pressing team and will be facing a VCU team that has pressed hard for years and will know how to break it after practicing it so much. VCU lost to a good Marquette team yesterday and will look to rebound to get back over .500. The Rams also lost a lot to graduation and are breaking in a new head coach as well, but Mike Rhoades was an assistant here, so he knows the program and has reinstalled the full-court Havok system. The other loss on the season came against Virginia which was considered a quality loss. Look for the Rams to be the team to bounce back on Tuesday. 10* (733) VCU Rams

Another pair of undefeated teams square off late Monday night in Las Vegas as Mississippi plays Utah in the second game of the MGM Grand Main Event. The Rebels are coming off a solid season where they went 22-14 including 10-8 in the SEC but they were not quite there to get a berth into the NCAA Tournament and had to settle for the NIT where they won two games. Mississippi lost a ton as four starters departed and is still without Karlis Silins who was a projected starter coming into this season. The lack of proven players has shown early on as the Rebels have struggled the last couple games to put Eastern Kentucky and Georgia State away and now comes its best test of the young season. They had to rally twice in the second half to stay undefeated. Utah has rolled in its first three games including a win over Missouri in its last game although the Tigers were without Michael Porter Jr. Still, we can put that team on the same page as Mississippi. The Utes are doing it with defense once again as they are allowing opponents to shoot just 33.7 percent from the floor including 21.2 percent from long range. This is a very balanced team on offense with six players averaging between 9.0 and 14.0 ppg. Going back, the Utes are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. 10* (579) Utah Utes

This line may seem off to some based on who these teams are, but this is in fact correct and it is going to get a lot of public action on Pittsburgh. The Panthers are coming off a tough season where they went 16-17 including a 4-14 record in the ACC. They lost four starters to graduation while another one, Cameron Johnson, transferred to North Carolina while also losing five other players that decided to leave the program early. So, it is a complete rebuild in Pittsburgh and we are already seeing the signs it lost to Navy on the road and Montana at home while struggling to get past Santa Barbara in their last game. While the Panthers lost everyone, Penn St. has most everyone back as all five starters return from a team that went just 15-18 but showed signs of getting over the hump. The Nittany Lions has big wins over Michigan St., Maryland and Minnesota but faded down the stretch and missed the postseason. They are 4-0 this season, winning all four games by double-digits including a 13-point victory over the same Montana team that beat Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Panthers are 12-36-4 ATS in their last 52 games following a straight up win. 10* (567) Penn St. Nittany Lions

After starting the season 6-2, the Magic have gone through a 2-6 run including four straight losses, all against Western Conference teams. The last one came on Saturday against Utah by 40 points which is easily their worst loss of the season and the fact it came in front of the home crowd will provide plenty of motivation tonight for that not to happen again. Orlando has been solid at home for the most part as it was 4-2 heading into Saturday with one of those losses coming against Boston and a solid victory over San Antonio. While the Magic were getting blown out last game, Indiana was doing the blowing out yesterday as the Pacers rolled over the Heat in Miami by 25 points. That was their third straight win to move over .500 for the first time since November 3 and going back, they have also won three straight road games. This is a tough back-to-back situation and the Pacers are 1-3 this season in the second game of a back-to-back while going 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games playing with no rest. Orlando head coach Frank Vogel said to his team after that Utah loss, everyone in the locker room, including himself, will be judged by how they respond to their 40-point defeat. Going back, the Magic are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss. 10* (508) Orlando Magic

We played against Creighton in its last game but the Bluejays won at Northwestern as the Wildcats home court advantage not be as strong as in the past because of the relocation. The Bluejays shot lights out once again and they are shooting over 55 percent on the season while averaging 97.7 ppg. Creighton did suffer a loss in that last game however as starting senior forward Toby Hegner suffered a high ankle sprain and he will be out for a while. The Bluejays have covered both lined games this season which helps with this line while going back, they are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win. UCLA is also off to a 3-0 start, but it has not looked good in doing so. It narrowly defeated Georgia Tech in China while needing overtime to defeat Central Arkansas at home. It is obvious that the distraction stemming from the shoplifting incident carried over into basketball, but the Bruins shook those first two games off with a 28-point win over South Carolina St. last time out. After allowing an effective field goal percentage of 55.2 percent over its first three quarters back in the United States, including a mark of 59.5 percent by Central Arkansas, UCLA tightened up its defense in the second half against South Carolina St., holding the Bulldogs to a 44.3 percent effective field goal percentage. 10* (570) UCLA Bruins

This is a play on the DALLAS COWBOYS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL as they have won seven straight games, so their bye week came at a poor time. Philadelphia also has a six-game ATS winning streak which is inflating the number as the Eagles are road favorites for just the second time this season. Not only are they coming off their bye but prior to that, they had three straight home games, so they have not travelled since a Monday night game in Carolina on October 12. Philadelphia was a field goal underdog then and are now making a seven-point swing since that last road game. Philadelphia is the public darling right now as despite laying road chalk, it is the second biggest consensus on the NFL card. Going back, the Eagles are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game. The Cowboys did not look good in their first game without Ezekiel Elliott at they lost 27-7 but it was a bad spot beyond that as they were playing a very desperate Atlanta team that desperately needed a victory. That was just the third game all season that Dallas has been outgained and while the offense is down without Elliott, the defense will be the story here as it needs to get pressure to Carson Wentz who is off to a solid start and he will pick the Cowboys apart without any pressure. If the Cowboys win Sunday, it's a bonus for a team that could use one, but if the Eagles lose, it could set them up for a second half collapse thanks to a rugged closing schedule. Philadelphia has played the second easiest schedule in the NFL but that changes starting this week. 10* (474) Dallas Cowboys

Chicago is coming off a win over Charlotte on Friday which was just its third of the season and it has yet to pull off back-to-back wins this season. The Bulls have struggled with their offense considerably although they are coming off a 123-point performance against the Hornets which can be considered an aberration as they had topped 100 points only four other times in their previous 12 games. Chicago is 1-6 on the road with a scoring differential of -9.6 ppg. Phoenix has not fared much better this season as it is 6-11 overall but has gone a more respectable 6-8 since the coaching change was made. The Suns scoring differential at home is skewed because of blowout losses against Portland and Houston by 48 and 26 points respectively and they do own impressive home wins over Utah and Minnesota. Winning the winnable games is a necessity and this is one of those games as it opens a three-game homestand before hitting the road for a six-game, east coast trip. 10* (710) Phoenix Suns

The finals of the Puerto Rico Tip Off take place Sunday in South Carolina after a day off on Saturday. The Broncos defeated UTEP by just a bucket in the opener but came to life the next day and rolled over Illinois St. On the heels of a rough shooting outing in the opener against UTEP, senior Chandler Hutchison posted the 12th double-double of his career with 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against the Redbirds. He will look to back it up again against a depleted backcourt of Iowa St. that lost three double-digit scorers from the perimeter last season. We played against Iowa St. in its season opener and noted how there is little quality talent on this team. Donovan Jackson is the most productive returning player as he was fifth on the team in scoring with 6.4 ppg. Fred Hoiberg's staff neglected to recruit high school prospects his last two years at Iowa St. and those kids who would now be contributing as juniors and seniors, and ready to step into star roles, do not exist on the Cyclone roster. While both teams are in a rebuild, the Broncos are not nearly in as bad of shape as the Cyclones which narrowly escaped in the first two rounds. 10* (733) Boise St. Broncos

The Patriots have gotten their swagger back as they have won five straight games and have covered the last three. They are coming off a blowout win in Denver and actually remained in Colorado to practice getting used to the thin air of Mexico City. How much that really helps is yet to be determined but it should not a significant advantage. Despite the five-game winning streak, the Patriots were actually outgained by the Buccaneers and Jets and won the yardage battle in their last three games by just 60, 65 and 57 total yards so they have hardly been dominant. The offensive line will be shorthanded as right tackle Marcus Cannon is out with an injury and center David Andrews came down with and illness and will also be out. The Patriots starting offensive line is not great as it is, and with two starters out, it will be even less worse off. Add to that the fact that the Patriots statistically have the worst defense in the NFL, so the Raiders offense should have a big game too. Oakland is coming off its bye week following a win at Miami two weeks ago and if it wants to stay in the playoff hunt, this is must win game. Currently, the Raiders are two games behind Kansas City in the AFC West while sitting just a game out of the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. Defensively, they match up well with New England as they will be able to take away the short, quick passing game of Ton Brady and the Patriots offense. The Raiders have thrived in this spot as they are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a bye week. 10* (472) Oakland Raiders

Cleveland let us down last week as it failed to cover against the Lions and lost by 14 points despite outgaining Detroit by 68 total yards. The Browns now head home where they last played on October 22 and are 0-4 on the season but they have been close as three of those four losses have come by three points including games against Tennessee and Pittsburgh. Cleveland had to wait until Week 17 to pick up its first win last season and while things are on the down side again, this is a much better team than the 0-9 record indicates. On the season, Cleveland is getting outgained by just 3.3 ypg which is a truer signal of how it is playing and catching more than a touchdown at home is exceptional value. The Jaguars are the biggest surprise in the AFC as they are now 6-3 following an overtime win over San Diego last week which was their third straight victory. They possess one of the top defenses in the NFL which is a big reason they are favored this much but this is a number that Jacksonville is not used to. The Jaguars have not been favored by a touchdown or more on the road since 2008 and while the defense can be trusted, Blake Bortles cannot. He has an 81.8 quarterback rating which is eighth lowest of all qualified quarterbacks. Cleveland is in the same boat with a below average quarterback but an above average defense that is ranked No. 10 overall and No. 4 against the run. the Jaguars are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. 10* (464) Cleveland Browns

New Orleans has now won and covered seven straight games and is again being bet hard by the public this week to continue that run. The Saints ran all over Buffalo last week and there is not much bad to say about this team right now as the offense is clicking while the defense is playing at its highest level in years. What this does do it add value to the other side which is the case here when going up against a long winning streak. Wins over Carolina and Detroit were nice but the other five wins were against teams that likely will not be in the playoffs with the exception of Green Bay if Aaron Rodgers comes back. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, who passed for 281 yards in the Lions 52-38 loss in New Orleans, is the only quarterback since Week Two to pass for more than 156 yards against the Saints. That shows the type of signal callers the Saints have faced over this stretch. Kirk Cousins will get a chance to sling it around again and he looks to rebound from a loss against Minnesota last week. The key here is running the ball effectively. With starting running back Rob Kelley on injured reserve, Samaje Perine will be in the spotlight. While the Saints defense is vastly improved, it is just No. 16 against the run, suggesting that there is an opportunity for the Redskins to show more balance on offense. This should help in the redzone where Washington was just 2-4 last week against the Vikings. The Redskins have been a solid road team with wins over Seattle and Los Angeles and going back, they are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 road games. 10* (465) Washington Redskins

This is a play on the VANDERBILT COMMODORES for our NCAA Football Game of the Year. Last season, Vanderbilt went to Missouri with a 4-5 record needing to win two of their last three games to make it to a bowl game but lost to the Tigers 26-17 and were forced to win their final two games which they ended up doing. That creates a revenge angle for this season but there are more situational advantages that are even stronger. The Commodores are 4-6 again this season so they will have to repeat their 2-0 finish to make it to a bowl game and the schedule is good enough to do it. They are coming off a loss against Kentucky in a game that was much closer than the final score indicates but four interceptions did them in. Vanderbilt opened the season 3-0 including an impressive win over Kansas St. but then hit a brutal part of the schedule where it played Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, all resulting in losses. A win over Western Kentucky stopped the bleeding and now they need to step up again and win here and at Tennessee next week which makes this the final home game for 15 starters on the two-deep chart. Missouri needs one win to become bowl eligible, either here or next week at Arkansas. The Tigers are coming off their last home game which could put them in a letdown spot. The schedule has set up perfectly as they had dropped five straight games but then two easy non-conference games came after that and then games against Florida and Tennessee came at the perfect time. Both had lame duck coaches that ended up being fired the next day after the game, so they clearly faced teams that looked to had given up on their coach. Now the Commodores are in the ideal spot and catching more than a touchdown at home. 10* (382) Vanderbilt Commodores

This is a move you see now and again but not to this extent. The Celtics are going from home underdogs to road favorites and it is almost a complete flip where they are going from +7 to -7 in a reverse venue change. Boston is the hottest team in the NBA with 14 straight wins and after coming back twice from 17 points down against Golden St. to pull off the win on Thursday, this is the prime letdown spot. Boston has won seven straight road games but only two of those have come by more than what they are favored by tonight. This includes a three-point win over the Hawks less than two weeks ago. Atlanta is the worst team in the Eastern Conference with a 3-12 record, but the value cannot be overlooked here as the Hawks are in prime upset mode here. They are coming off a win over Sacramento in their last game on Wednesday but there will be no letdown scenario based on who they are playing. Going back, the Celtics are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against teams with a home winning percentage of less than .400 while the Hawks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (508) Atlanta Hawks

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. We lost with Duke last week as it could have come one win away from bowl eligibility but now it needs to win its final two games to get back to the postseason. Six straight losses have put the Blue Devils in this situation with four of those coming by seven points or less and the other two coming against Miami and Virginia Tech. the problem for Duke has been a lack of offense as it has scored no more than 21 points during this losing streak, averaging just 12.2 ppg over this stretch. They catch a defense that has not been playing well and is extremely tired as this is the fourth road game in six weeks for Georgia Tech which is coming off an upset win against Virginia Tech last week. The Yellow Jackets improved to 5-1 at home with that victory but they are 0-3 on the road and while losses against Miami and Clemson were expected, a loss to Virginia was not ideal and it is safe to say that the Cavaliers and Blue Devils are on a level plane. Georgia Tech brings in as challenge as far as its option running game is concerned but Duke will not be caught off guard after having a bye week and then playing against the option last week at Army. The Blue Devils held Army to 226 yards rushing on 57 carries (4.0 ypc) which was a season low for the Black Knights, so the defense did its job. Now it is up to the offense to get things going. Duke is 0-5-1 ATS in its last six games which is adding value to this line and despite the run, the Blue Devils are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (328) Duke Blue Devils

We played against Baylor last week and because of the loss, it sets the Bears up for a big game this week. It has been a horrible season in Waco for first year head coach Matt Rhule, but this was expected although maybe not to the extent that has been played out. The Bears are 1-9 on the season with the lone victory over Kansas but this week can be considered their bowl game as it is the final home game of the season as they close the season the day after Thanksgiving at TCU. For 13 seniors, winning their final home game where they have now lost eight in a row would at least send them out with something. The defense has been a big problem, but the offense has been able keep it competitive in a lot of their games as the Bears are No. 51 in total offense as four of their nine losses have come by one possession. It has been a successful year for Iowa St. which owns upsets over Oklahoma and TCU, but it could be fading late. The Cyclones have lost two straight games and have been outgained in three straight games and taking the win over Kansas out of the picture, they have been outgained in six of eight games against FBS teams. The passing defense has been a struggle, and this is not a good matchup as the Bears lead all of FBS with seven plays from scrimmage 70 or more yards and Baylor ranks fifth in FBS with six passes of 60 or more yards and leads the country with six passes of 70 or more yards. The quarterback situation for Iowa St. is a concern as Jacob Park is on a leave of absence and Kyle Kempt is battling through an undisclosed injury, leaving freshman Zeb Noland as the possible starter. 10* (378) Baylor Bears

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Rutgers and Indiana both come in at 4-6 and both needing to win out to make it to a bowl game making this an elimination game. Looking at the total body of work and what has happened on the field records notwithstanding, the Hoosiers are the team that should be in this position and Rutgers should not. The Scarlet Knights have won three of their last five games to get to this point, but they were outgained in all of those and they have yet to outgain an FBS opponent this season. Rutgers is -148.1 ypg in yardage differential against its nine FBS opponents. After winning just two games last season, Rutgers has doubled that output but that does not mean it is that much better. Indiana only has one bad loss meaning losing a game it should have won and that came against Maryland by three points despite winning the yardage battle by 138 yards. Indiana is 0-5 against the top 30 while going 4-1 against teams outside the top 30 and they finish the season at Purdue which could be another elimination game as well. The Hoosiers have been hurt by turnovers as they are -8 in margin which is tied for No. 116 in the nation. This is the final home game of the season for Indiana and the contrarian angle makes this play even stronger with good line value as the Hoosiers have not covered a game since September 23 against Georgia Southern, going 0-6-1 ATS since then. Meanwhile, Rutgers has gone 5-0 ATS in its last five games. The market has been overadjusted because of these streaks and not exactly what has taken place on the field. 10* (322) Indiana Hoosiers

Temple is playing its best football at the right time as it can become bowl eligible with a victory here or next week at Tulsa. The Owls would rather get it done here in the final home game for their seniors as opposed to taking a chance against a Golden Hurricane team on the road out to play spoiler. Additionally, one more victory would give the Temple seniors the most victories for any class in the history of the program. Temple opened the season 2-3 and while it has gone just 3-2 in its last five games, it has won the yardage battle in each of those games and the two losses came by a combined seven points. The fact Temple is catching two touchdowns at home is huge value and going back, the Owls are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games as double-digit home underdogs. UCF has a lot on the line as well as it is currently undefeated at 9-0 but the Knights are in a tough spot to stay focused. No matter the outcome here, the AAC East will be on the line next week when they host South Florida for a chance to go to the AAC Championship. After covering their first five games, the Knights are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games so the market made the adjustment as needed but it has failed to come back in line, so we can continue to take advantage of the overadjustment. The UCF offense remains the highest scoring team in the nation, but this is a tough Temple defense that is once again playing at a high level. The Knights are 12-27-1 ATS in their last 40 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game while the Owls are 20-8 ATS against teams with a winning record. 10* (332) Temple Owls

We have been high on SMU this season and we will back them once again. The Mustangs became bowl eligible three weeks ago but has dropped its last two games since then, a seven-point loss against undefeated UCF and a three-points loss at Navy. This is their third straight tough opponent, but the matchup is in their favor here compared to the last two games which they still almost pulled out. SMU is ranked No. 9 in scoring offense and No. 12 in total offense in the nation so it is more than capable of keeping up with the potent Tigers offense. Even though we do not advocate road revenge, SMU is out for a little bit of payback after losing 51-7 to the Tigers last season. Memphis has won five straight games since losing to Central Florida as it got thumped pretty good in that game. Looking at its game against Navy, the Tigers won by three points so there was not much of a difference there compared to the SMU loss to Navy. The other Mustangs AAC loss came against Houston but they won the yardage battle and while Memphis defeated the Cougars, it lost the yardage battle. Memphis has a very comparable offense to that of SMU while the defense is right on par as well as the Tigers are ranked No. 111 in total defense compared to No. 121 for the Mustangs. In what should be a shootout, the double-digit line is very inviting which always leaves the backdoor open. The Mustangs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game while the Tigers are 4-10-2 ATS in their last 16 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. 10* (373) SMU Mustangs

Portland is riding a two-game winning streak to move to 8-6 on the season but that can be considered a poor record based on the schedule it has played. The Blazers have played the easiest schedule in the NBA and the recent stretch has played a big part in that as 10 of their last 11 games have been at home where they have gone an average 6-4. They are 2-2 on the road while this is just the second game on the highway in November and going back, the Blazers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing straight up record. The schedule has been drastically different for Sacramento which has played the eighth toughest schedule in the league as nine of its first 14 games have come on the road. The Kings are coming off a three-game roadtrip on the east coast where they went 0-3 but they head home riding a two-game home winning streak which came against Oklahoma City and Philadelphia. There will be motivation tonight as the 126-80 drubbing to the Hawks marked the sixth-worst loss in franchise history, and their biggest since February 2, 2008. The Kings are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games and that streak continues with a big effort tonight. 10* (718) Sacramento Kings

This is a play on the MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS for our Friday Night Lights play. This is a matchup of the two most disappointing teams in C-USA as both were supposed to contend for the top spot in the East, but both are sitting at 3-3 in the conference and 5-5 overall. Western Kentucky is playing its last home game of the season and that is an angle we take a look at is there are other advantages that can play into that but that is not the case here. The Hilltoppers are coming off a loss against Marshall which was their third straight loss following a four-game winning streak that got them into the divisional race. The problem is that not only has Western Kentucky been outgained in all three games of this losing streak, but it was outgained in all four games during that winning streak. A team that has been outgained in seven straight games and has outgained only one FBS team by a total of 29 yards cannot be trusted. The problems for Middle Tennessee are much different however as its issues are injury based, namely one person. First Team C-USA quarterback Brent Stockstill got hurt back on September 9 and missed a total of six games, with John Urzua starting for the Blue Raiders in his absence. The Blue Raiders went 2-4 without Stockstill and have gone 3-1 with him in including wins in the last two games, albeit against subpar competition. Even when he was out, the rest of the team played well as they outgained three of six opponents including East Division leaders FAU and FIU. The Blue Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss while the Hilltoppers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up loss. 10* (317) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

**7:30 PM ET Start** Providence is coming off another successful season where it went 20-13 and it is expected to be another great season for the Friars which return the bulk of their production. They are coming off a win over Washington yesterday in the first round of the 2K Classic and are heavy favorites to bring home the championship tonight. They opened the season with a blowout win over Houston Baptist but followed that up with a head-scratching loss against Minnesota where they melted down in the second half. High expectations lead to inflate lines early in the season which is the case her and adding to that is the fact they are playing a team that has won a total of 34 games over the last three seasons. St. Louis made the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons, but the last three years have been a struggle where it has lost 21 games each season. This is a different team now however and could be one of the biggest surprises in the country. The Billikens have been picked to finish in the upper half of the A-10 thanks to four starters back as well as one of the best freshmen in the country and big name incoming transfers. Jordan Goodwin is a five-star recruit who is second on the team in scoring behind Javon Bess who came over from Michigan St. This team is talented and deep and is getting this many points because of the past and not the present. 10* (780) St. Louis Billikens

This is a play on the PITTBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Thursday Primetime play. If the season ended today, Tennessee would be in the playoffs by way of winning the AFC South, the worst division in football. The division is the only one in the NFL that does not have a team placed in the power rankings top 10 with the titans coming in at No. 20. Tennessee is 6-3 but it has played the easiest schedule in the league and despite that, it has been outscored on the season and it is outgaining opponent by just less than a yard per game. The running game has been outstanding, but the Titans now face the best defense they have seen this season. This is a team where the future is bright, but it is not there yet and playing on the national stage against a team that has been doing it for years will be a bit too much. The Steelers have quietly gone 7-2 thanks to four straight wins, three of which have come on the road. They have played two-third of their games on the highway, going 2-1 at home including an impressive win over Minnesota and the one loss came against Jacksonville despite outgaining the Jaguars as turnovers did them in. Pittsburgh is ranked No. 2 in the NFL in total defense and it has allowed more than 18 points in regulation only once which was that Jacksonville game and even then, 14 of the 30 points were scored by the Jaguars defense. The offense has been inconsistent in getting into the endzone, but the Steelers are ranked No. 10 in total offense and they will face a vulnerable Titans defense. The Steelers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning record while the Titans are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (312) Pittsburgh Steelers

When Gordon Hayward went down in their season opener and they opened the season 0-2, the Celtics odds to win the Eastern Conference went up considerably. 13 consecutive wins later and the struggles for the Cavaliers have shot Boston back into the mix and it will be out to prove tonight that it belongs in elite company. The schedule has not been overly difficult which has helped but the Celtics are the only team in the NBA to not lose a game against the top 10, going 3-0 against such teams. They are 4-0 ATS this season against teams with a winning record and they have covered all five games this season as underdogs. Golden St. brings in a seven-game winning streak, so it is again playing at a high level after an average start of 4-3. The Warriors are a bucket away of covering all seven of those games as well but are overvalued here. In their last road game, they were favored by nine points over Denver and are laying less than a bucket less against the second-best team in the NBA which is not a proper adjustment. The Warriors are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. 10* (502) Boston Celtics

**2:00 PM ET Start** Boise St. is coming off another 20-win season and expectations are high once again for the Broncos. They have opened the season 2-0 as they routed Eastern Oregon on Friday (104-65) and Southern Utah on Sunday (90-69) but things will be not as easy Thursday afternoon. Boise St. has the best player on the floor in Chandler Hutchinson, who is the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, but they will be challenged with depth early on. They lost a couple of key players from last season including point guard Paris Austin who transferred to California after averaging 12.3 ppg and leading the team in assists. UTEP is coming off an easy win over Louisiana College after jumping out to a 32-0 lead. The Miners roster is comprised of eight newcomers including five freshmen and only five returners from last year's fourth-seeded C-USA team that went 15-17 overall but an impressive 12-6 in conference play. They do return four starters and were granted a sixth year out of center Matt Willms while getting graduate transfer Keith Frazier from SMU, who is a former McDonald's All-American. The confidence level of the Miners is high as they have won 14 of their last 18 games and they were able to open the season with a summer trip to Costa Rica that gave them an extra 10 practices and three competitive games. 10* (520) UTEP Miners

Northwestern achieved many firsts last season including their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament which resulted in a win in the first round and a tough loss to Gonzaga in the round of 32. The goals are higher this season as the Wildcats have four starters back from their 24-win season and they were ranked in the initial AP Poll for the first time in program history. They have not looked great through two games but we can blame that on the lack of competition but that changes here, in at least name. Creighton is off to a 2-0 start as well but this is a team that will have a different look than it did at this same time a year ago. Creighton lacks a true point guard and it showed last year how it derailed their season when point guard Maurice Watson tore his ACL and the Bluejays limped to the finish line. They have just 38 assists in 73 made field goals and while they have been shooting lights out, they face their toughest defensive test of the season. Northwestern is playing its home games off campus this season at the Allstate Arena which is a half hour away and that will hurt later in the season when they will be playing early games. Playing a game at 8:00 PM local time will not affect the student crowd and the Wildcats home court advantage will be in full effect. 10* (736) Northwestern Wildcats

We played against the Spurs last night and got the cover by a half-point and we will fade them again tonight in a much tougher matchup playing with no rest. They improved to 2-3 on the road with the victory and overall, they have won five of their last six games but all five of those wins came against teams with losing records. This is already the fourth back-to-back of the season for San Antonio and while it has gone 2-1 in the second game, in all three instances the Spurs were coming off a loss. Minnesota has gone 4-1 at home compared to 4-4 on the road and it is coming of a three-game roadtrip where it went 1-2. Minnesota is off to the second-best start in team history and has scored more than 100 points for a team-record 12 straight games. The Timberwolves are ranked No. 8 in the NBA in offensive efficiency. San Antonio has won 12 straight meetings in this series including a home victory earlier this season, but the tide turns here as this is the best Minnesota team during this time and it is back home. Going back, the Timberwolves are 23-11-1 ATS in their last 35 games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (708) Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans has won its first two games of this three-game homestand and going back, it has won five of its last six games and seven of its last 10 to improve to 8-6 on the season. The Pelicans look to finally be gelling as the offense is coming together, currently ranked No. 11 in scoring offense and tied for No. 7 in shooting as they are hitting 47.3 percent from the floor. It needs to be noted that the only loss during this recent six-game stretch came in Toronto so there is the revenge factor going into tonight as well. The Raptors are coming off a win last night in Houston as they put up 129 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the floor including 46.7 percent from long range. Toronto had lost its last game in Boston on Sunday and it has had a tough time playing consistently as the Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win. They too have a solid offense as witnessed last night but the defense has held them back from putting together a better start to the season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (712) New Orleans Pelicans

This is a play on the MIAMI REDHAWKS for our CFB Wednesday Star Attraction. Unfortunately, Eastern Michigan will not be going to back-to-back bowl games as it lost at Central Michigan for its seventh defeat. It has been a season of what could have been as the Eagles were looking to top their seven wins from last season but after opening 2-0, they went on to lose six straight games, three in overtime and three by a combined 10 points so even a split of those games would have sent them bowling again but instead, it is time to simply play out the season. Coming off that loss last week will be difficult to regroup from and the lone highlight left for the season is playing their final home game next week against Bowling Green. With nothing to play for here, look for a very uninspired effort from Eastern Michigan. On the flip side, Miami has everything to play for. After a 2-5 start, the RedHawks were forced to win four of their last five games to make it to a bowl games and so far, they have won two of three with the final two games coming against teams with zero motivation, Ball St. being the other coming next week. Miami is not unfamiliar with this as last season, it started 0-6 and went on to win its final six games to go bowling. The RedHawks can build off that as can quarterback Gus Ragland who returned last week and led Miami to a big win over Akron and he is now 10-5 in 15 starts dating back to last season. While an argument can be made that this will be another really close game based on the close call for the Eagles before but those were all games with something to play for. This one is not. 10* (308) Miami Ohio RedHawks

The Mavericks have gotten off to a tough start to the season as expected since we knew it was a rebuild that was going to take place and the Mavericks have just two wins through their first 12 games. They are coming off a pair of losses against Cleveland at home and Oklahoma St. on the road and as is the case with most of the NBA, the home play of the Mavericks has been a lot better. Four of their last 10 games have been at home and that includes a win over Memphis and the three losses were close as Dallas missed the covers by a combined 2.5 points, so it has been very competitive. It has not exactly been a great start for San Antonio per its standards and while it looks like the Spurs have turned the corner with wins in four of their last five games, we are not buying that. This is coming from a six-game homestand and this is their first road game in November. The Spurs are 6-2 at home but just 2-3 on the road including three straight losses. San Antonio has struggled to finds a rhythm without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker and while this looks like a blowout on paper, it is never that easy. 10* (506) Dallas Mavericks

Under head coach Kevin Keatts, UNC-Wilmington won 78 games in three years and won or tied for the CAA regular season championship in all three seasons. Keatts has moved on as he took the job at NC State and in comes C.B. McGrath who was an assistance at North Carolina, so the transition will not be seamless. In addition, the Seahawks must replace four starters while the five-player recruiting class that was coming in all decided to go elsewhere so the roster is very raw and inexperienced. It is going to be a tough start for UNC-Wilmington which won its first game over NC-Wesleyan but hits the road for the first time against a much-improved opponent. Davidson missed the postseason for the first time since 2011 last year but the Wildcats will be contending in the Atlantic Ten Conference this season. They bring back four starters and got an early start to the season as they went on a summer exhibition tour in Europe which teams can do once every five years and that extra time together makes a big difference early in the season. Davidson rolled in its first game as well as it went an incredible 26-53 from long range against Charleston Southern and that is not good news for the Seahawks that struggled defensively against a D-II team. 10* (508) Davidson Wildcats

This is a play on the AKRON ZIPS for our CFB Tuesday Enforcer. We had to wait for confirmed information before making a move in this game and it has been confirmed that Akron quarterback Thomas Woodson will be behind center for the Zips. He was suspended last week for the game against Miami and there was no indication from head coach Terry Bowden on whether the suspension who be lifted or not but the best player on the offense is back. We played and won with Ohio last week which was catching points at home against Toledo and dominated from start to finish. That was the third straight home game for the Bobcats which hit the road for the first time in a month. Ohio controls its own destiny in the MAC East as if it wins out, it will be going to the MAC Championship. Standing in the way of the back-to-back championship game trips for the Bobcats are the Zips, who are still alive in their own way for the MAC East. With a win this week against the Bobcats and a win in the Nov. 21 matchup at home against Kent St., it would be the Zips heading to Detroit. They are 4-2 in the conference with the only other loss coming against Toledo and while they are 2-2 on the road in MAC play, they are 2-0 at home. This is one of those games where we know Ohio is the better team overall, but the situation sets up great for Akron as the home field is a big edge in this conference with the top two teams from each division going a combined 17-3. The Bobcats are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the Zips are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. 10* (302) Akron Zips

Denver closed a six-game homestand with a three-game winning streak and overall, the Nuggets went 5-1 and now they hit the road for the first time in November. The only loss came against Golden St., so they have taken care of business everywhere else, but the road has been an issue. They are 2-3 on the highway with the wins coming against Atlanta and Brooklyn, two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, while the three losses came against Utah, Charlotte and New York and Portland is ranked higher than all three of those teams. The Blazers have dropped two straight games and it has been a very average start as they are 6-6 despite the fact eight of their last nine games have come at home. In total, after this game and the Wednesday game against Orlando, Portland will have played 10 of 11 games at home and while the results so far have been average, it does have the rest edge where there has been no travel. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while the Blazers are 13-6-1 ATS in their last 20 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game. 10* (714) Portland Trailblazers

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Monday Primetime Play. This is a big game for both teams for playoff purposes as Miami is sitting at .500 and is a half-game out of the second Wild Card spot in the AFC while Carolina is 6-3 and is a game ahead of four teams for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. The Dolphins are coming off a tough loss against Oakland which followed an ugly loss against Baltimore in London and then a bye week, so it has been a while since Miami has tasted victory. It is well documented that the Dolphins offense is having a tough year, but their defense has kept them in the playoff hunt as they are ranked No. 10 in total defense. The Panthers possess the top ranked defense in the NFL so the stop units should dictate the game on both sides. The Carolina offense is nothing special as it is ranked No. 24 in the league and it is one of 12 teams averaging fewer than 20 ppg. Cam Newton's passer rating is a fair bit worse than Jay Cutler's (78.4 to 87.4) and the Panthers minus-8 on turnovers is fourth-worst in the NFL. For Miami, last season proved that even a disastrous start can be overcome and, at least for the offense, Dolphins coaches are optimistic that the close loss to Oakland was the turning point. While Carolina is 4-0 ATS this season as an underdog, it is just 1-4 ATS as a favorite including four straight losses. Going back further sees the Panthers just 5-14 in their last 19 games when laying points. The Panthers are 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game while the Dolphins are 8-3-2 ATS in their last 13 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game. 10* (275) Miami Dolphins

The Cowboys are the second biggest consensus on the entire college hoops slate and a big reason is name. Oklahoma St. is a big-name program and only laying 13.5 points against an unknown team looks to be easy money. That is hardly the case and this is a tough matchup against a team that can keep up. Both teams are coming off comfortable opening victories, so we do not have to dive into those but should bring up the fact that the up-tempo offense the 49ers possess is for real as they shot 62 percent while scoring 116 points albeit against a D-II school. Charlotte is loaded offensively and while it struggled last season on defense, it brought in players to help. Overall, the 49ers have four starters back so chemistry is in place. Oklahoma St. made a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season but lost head coach Brad Underwood who left for Illinois and while Mike Boynton Jr. was an assistant and is familiar with the roster, this is his first ever head coaching job. The Cowboys lost three starters including two important pieces in Juwan Evans (19.3 ppg and Phil Forte III (13.3 ppg) so there are voids to fill, and it may take a while. They rolled Pepperdine, but the Waves are a horrible team and the 49ers are getting just a field goal fewer points. 10* (729) Charlotte 49ers

San Diego opens the season two days later than most teams but are in a good spot to open it the right way. The Toreros 13-18 season but they bring back a load of talent and experience making this the best team under head coach Lamont Smith who is in his third season. Six of the top seven scorers are back for San Diego and Isaiah Wright, a point guard transfer from Utah, is now eligible. This is the first true point guard Smith has had at his disposal and that makes a huge difference. San Jose St. rolled over Antelope Valley in its season opener and never hearing of Antelope Valley shows how much of an unimpressive win it was. The Spartans made progress last season but encountered two huge losses over the summer as head coach Dave Wojcik stepped down in July and their best player, All-MWC First Team forward Brandon Clarke who averaged 17.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg, transferred to Gonzaga a month after that. The team is in transition right now as a new system was put into place, so it could take some time for them to come together. This line flipped right after opening and it is the right move. 10* (519) San Diego Toreros

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Chargers are coming off their bye week so traveling to the east coast is not a disadvantage this time around. They have won three of their last four games and are sitting just 2.5 games behind the Chiefs in the AFC West, so they are still in the hunt after a 0-4 start. Three of their last four losses have come against the Chiefs, Eagles and Patriots and that is some pretty strong competition Additionally, four of their five losses have come by just one possession and they are catching a very favorable number this week. In comparison, in their last game at New England, they were getting 6.5 points against the Patriots and are getting just a field goal less against Jacksonville, which makes no sense from a comparable spread standpoint. Jacksonville has been a pleasant surprise this season with a 5-3 record and it has been especially good the last two weeks by outgaining the Colts and Bengals by 286 and 260 yards respectively, but the Colts and Bengals are not good. The defense is one of the best in the league and it is legit, so the Chargers will have a challenge on offense but at the same time, the Jaguars have been tested only once by a strong offense and they allowed 27 points to the Rams. The Chargers have the offense that can cause problems with their balance. The Chargers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record while the Jaguars are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game while going 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points. 10* (257) Los Angeles Chargers

Washington won for us last week despite getting outplayed on the field as it defeated Seattle by a field goal despite getting outgained by 193 total yards. The Redskins head back home feeling good about themselves with a 4-4 record and right in the Wild Card mix. Three of their four losses have come against NFC East foes including two losses at home, but they are 2-0 against non-divisional opponents including their most impressive win of the season against Oakland. They are again catching points at home and it is interesting to note that they faced the Vikings here last season with a 4-4 record while Minnesota was 5-3 and they were favored. Three of the next four games for the Redskins are on the road so taking care of business at home is imperative. The Vikings are coming off their bye week after having won four straight games which is very similar to last season when they went into their bye week on a five-game winning streak and got thumped by Philadelphia. The recent winning streak has come against some weak opposition as they played the Bears in the first start for Mitch Trubisky, the Packers which were without Aaron Rodgers, the slumping Ravens and the winless Browns in London. Minnesota is 2-1 away from home, the two wins came against Chicago and Cleveland and Washington is clearly a step above both of those teams. The defense is one of the best in the NFL, but this is the first test in a long time and we are not sold that Minnesota should be favored in this spot. The Redskins are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record while the Vikings are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a bye week. Washington keeps the momentum going while slowing down Minnesota. 10* (252) Washington Redskins

The Bills are coming off a humbling effort last Thursday as they lost to the Jets in New York and the final score makes it look better than it was they scored two late garbage touchdowns. It was the worst loss of the season for Buffalo as its other two losses came by a combined 10 points. Both of those defeats were on the road as well and Buffalo came back to win its next game at home. Overall, the Bills are 4-0 at home despite getting outgained in three of those. This is the time of year where Buffalo has a big home field advantage as temperatures will be in the low 40s and it is especially advantageous when facing a warm weather team or a dome team. The Saints are the second hottest team in the NFL right now behind the Eagles as they have won six straight games following a 0-2 start. All of the victories have been rather easy as all have come by at least eight points, so it comes as no surprise that they have covered all of those games as well. The defense has been the biggest surprise as New Orleans has allowed 17 points less in five of those victories, so it has been a complete turnaround from the last few years and the first two games of the season. Of course, the offense cannot be overlooked as the Saints are ranked No. 2 overall and No. 6 in points scored so they are playing at a high level on both sides of the ball. The Bills have the No. 6 ranked scoring defense, so it will be a battle of strengths and we have to give the edge to the home team in this situation. Another edge that cannot be overlooked is Bills head coach Sean McDermott has seen the Saints numerous times with his time at Carolina. 10* (264) Buffalo Bills

Cleveland remains one of two winless teams in the NFL and are on a 1-24 run so backing the Browns may seem ludicrous but they are in an excellent spot this week based on the scheduling as well as past history in the NFL. They have covered only once in their last seven games but have been involved in some close games as four of their eight losses have come by a field goal and Cleveland has outgained four of eight opponents as well. The Browns lost their last game in London and are coming off their bye week which is a key factor here. Going back to 1980, teams that are 0-5 or worse are 18-3-1 ATS when coming off their bye week. Defensively, Cleveland has been surprisingly good as it is ranked No. 9 overall and No. 4 against the rush and Detroit has a less than average rushing attack. The Lions snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over the Packers on Monday night and the scheduling could not be worse. They are coming off two straight nationally televised primetime games including that divisional game against the Packers and have two divisional games on deck including a showdown with Minnesota on Thanksgiving. While Detroit has won the yardage battle in its last two games, it was outgained in its previous five games and even though this is Cleveland they are facing, they are overpriced and have never been good as big favorites by going 7-15 ATS in their last 22 games when favored by more than a touchdown. Additionally, the Lions are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games. This is a tricky spot for Detroit as looking past the Browns could result in an outright loss which would derail a chance of winning the NFC North. 10* (265) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our MWC Game of the Year. Colorado St. is coming off a loss at Wyoming last week in a game that could have gone either way as the weather played a big role. The second half was played in a blizzard and the typically potent Colorado St. offense could muster a mere field goal in the final 30 minutes. The Rams averaged 34 ppg over their previous seven games so the 13 points scored against the Cowboys was an anomaly and we can expect a bounce back this week. They have dropped two straight games and are a game and a half behind Boise St. in the MWC Mountain Division but a win here and some help could push them to the top as their last game is against 1-9 San Jose St. next week. Colorado St. has failed to cover its last four games which is giving us value in the number as is the fact Boise St. has won five straight games. A win over San Diego St. was solid but it struggled against Wyoming and wins over Utah St. and Nevada are far from impressive. The Broncos started the season slow and are peaking at the right time, but this is the first time they have been favored on the road against a winning team and that is an overaggressive move. Colorado St. is +69.2 ypg in yardage differential while Boise St. +67.1 ypg so there is very little difference in on the field play which further diffuses the Broncos being a road chalk. The Rams go from a road favorite to a home underdog which is a situation we love to take advantage of. Going back, the Broncos are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning record while the Rams are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a winning record. 10* (218) Colorado St. Rams

After a 2-0 start to the season, things have gone sour for the Cavaliers as they have dropped seven of their last 10 games including horrible losses to Brooklyn, New York and Atlanta. They are coming off a loss to Houston on Thursday and look to right the ship against an opponent they should have no trouble with. The defense has been a real issue, but Dallas is a horrible offensive team as it is shooting just 42.4 percent from the floor which is second worst in the NBA. Dallas is coming off just its second win of the season as it pulled a big upset in Washington on Tuesday. Any positive momentum is lost because of the extended time off and prior to that, the Mavericks had dropped six straight games. They put up 113 points against the Wizards and the other two times they scored 110 or more points, they followed those up by scoring 88 and 89 points next time out. Going back, the Mavericks are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game while going 0-8 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (709) Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI ST. BULLDOGS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Alabama has not been tested much this season, but it is coming of a tough matchup last week against LSU where it won by 14 points but got outgained for the first time this season. That was the third consecutive home game for the Tide and with a bye prior to last week, they have gone five weeks without playing a road game going back to October 7. This is just the third true road game of the season and while they destroyed Vanderbilt, the struggled to put away Texas A&M as they won by eight points and won the yardage battle by only 47 yards. While LSU was a good test, this is the biggest test for Alabama to date. Mississippi St. comes in with a 7-2 record as it lost back-to-back games against Georgia and Auburn but both of those were on the and the Bulldogs have reeled off four straight wins since then. They are coming off a disappointing 6-7 season but made some changes, namely on the defensive side where they hired Todd Grantham who is known for turning around defenses. He is up to it once again. Last season, the Bulldogs ranked 110th in total defense, 120th in passing defense, and 70th in run defense. This season they are ranked seventh in total defense, 8th in passing defense, and 23rd against the run so it has been a huge turnaround and that type of defense can keep these types of games close. Alabama has won nine straight meetings in this series, but this is arguably the best Mississippi St. team it has seen with 2014 being right up there and that game resulted in a five-point victory. The Tide are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game while the Bulldogs are 21-5 ATS in their last 26 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (178) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

We played against Georgia last week as it won by just 14 points and we will be going against the Bulldogs again this week in what is their toughest game since going to Notre Dame back in September. This has been the most dominant Georgia team we have seen in a long time, but the schedule has played a part in this as it has played the No. 52 ranked schedule in the nation which is weak for a team from the SEC which is in a down year with the exception of a few teams. That win over Notre Dame was impressive but if the Bulldogs faced Notre Dame now, the result would be different as the Irish are a much-improved team now. They are 3-0 on the road in the conference but all those games were against teams with a losing record which makes this test even tougher. Auburn is 7-2 on the season with single-digit losses at Clemson and LSU and there is still talk of the Tigers making it to the CFP. Despite two losses, Auburn could move up considerably with a win here and a win over Alabama to end the season and should Alabama lose this week, the tigers could get into the SEC Championship. That is all down the road though and the Tigers need to take care of business here first and this will be a fired-up atmosphere as this is the first home game in over a month as Auburn has played three straight road games with a bye in there as well. This is an offense that can cause some problems for the Georgia defense and while the Bulldogs get the pub about having a great defense, the Tigers are ranked No. 14 overall and No. 9 in scoring defense. The Bulldogs are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game while the Tigers are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game. 10* (188) Auburn Tigers

This is a play on the LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Louisiana Tech was supposed to contend in the C-USA West Division, but it has not been able to do so as it is 2-3 in the conference and out of first place by 2.5 games. The Bulldogs could very well be in the running however as two of the conference losses came by just one point while the other came in overtime against Southern Mississippi. Additionally, Louisiana Tech lost to South Carolina by just one point so instead of 4-5, it could be 8-1 with a few bounces their way. That 4-5 record means that the Bulldogs have to win two of their final three games to make it to a bowl game and with UTEP and UTSA remaining, the postseason will likely happen. That have lost their two games at home after going 11-1 at home against C-USA foes the last three seasons so there will be plenty of motivation. We played against Florida Atlantic last week and came away with a fortunate cover as the Owls ran out of their own end zone for a safety. It was their fifth straight win following a 1-3 start to the season and Florida Atlantic has a one-game lead in the C-USA East Division. That lead is over rival Florida International who the Owls happen to face next week so there could be a lookahead to that game. The Owls have been outgained in three of their five conference victories as turnovers have been the difference as the Owls lead the nation in turnover margin at +16.This is just the third time over the last four years that the Bulldogs have been home underdogs and you can bet head coach Skip Holtz let his team know about it. Going back, the Owls are 2-10-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record while the Bulldogs are 4-0 ATS in their last four games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (180) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Here we have two teams going in complete opposite directions which sets up the perfect contrarian play, and the public is biting on this line. Duke takes a break from ACC play where it is 1-5 which includes five straight losses. But the schedule has been rough. The only team is arguably should have beat was Pittsburgh and we had them in that game, but the Blue Devils were done in by two long touchdown runs of 79 and 92 yards by the Panthers. Duke has not covered since it defeated North Carolina back on September 23 which is a streak we like to buck, and time is running out for the Blue Devils. They need to win two of their final three games and it will not be easy after this game as they have Georgia Tech and Wake Forest to close the season, so this is one they have to take. Army meanwhile has won five straight games to improve to 7-2 including a win at Air force last week as they defeated the Falcons 21-0. The Black Knights have been somewhat fortunate as they defeated Eastern Michigan by a point and Temple in overtime while beating Buffalo by just four points earlier in the season. They bring in the best running game in the country, but Duke does have a solid rushing defense and the Blue Devils have been great against option teams over the last three years, going a perfect 6-0 ATS. Additionally, Duke is coming off a bye so there has been extra preparation for the option attack. The last time Army defeated Air Force came in 2012 and it put up a dud in its next game against Rutgers and considering the seniors on this team had not defeated Air Force before last week, this has letdown written all over it. Army is just 1-6 ATS in its last seven games against losing teams. 10* (141) Duke Blue Devils

It took nine games for the Bears to finally win a game this season and it came at the expense of Kansas, arguably the worst team of all Power Five squads. While it has been a disappointing season, winning their first game was big for Baylor but do not expect that to carry forward as the Bears want this season to be over. Going back to last season, the Bears are 1-14 over their last 15 games so this dreadful stretch has been going on for some time. Baylor has yet to win a home game all season and while that would normally provide motivation, this is not a home game even though the Bears are listed at the home team as this game is being played in Arlington. The Bears are getting outgained by 79 ypg on the season as the defense is allowing a whopping 6.7 yppl which is tied for ninth worst in the country. Texas Tech can take advantage of this atrocious defense as it is ranked No. 9 in total offense and No. 17 in scoring offense. The Red Raiders meanwhile have lost four straight games, but the schedule was not in their favor as all those games were against winning teams. This is a must win game since Texas Tech needs to win two of its final three games and the last two are against TCU and Texas so there is still no guarantee of a bowl game, but a win here keeps them in the running. The defense has been horrid during this losing streak, but the Bears offense is a shell of what it used to be and in a shootout, they will not be able to keep up. The Bears are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game while the Red Raiders are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (155) Texas Tech Red Raiders

This is a play on the UNLV REBELS for our CFB Friday Night Lights play. It has been an extremely long season for BYU which came into year with expectations of double-digit wins following a 9-4 2016 season. The Cougars opened the season against Portland St. and nearly lost and that was a sign of things to come. They went on to lose their next seven games before breaking through with a win over San Jose St two weeks ago which also snapped their 0-8 ATS run. BYU also covered last week at Fresno St. as it lost by a touchdown and at this point, there is little to get motivated for. The quarterback situation is a mess once again as Tanner Mangum went out again last week with an Achilles injury and his backup Beau Hoge banged up his ankle and his status is questionable, so Koy Detmer Jr. could make the start and he has played just one game where he went 7-20 for 91 yards and three interceptions. UNLV opened the season 2-5 including that unprecedented opening loss against Howard but it has won two straight games to remain in bowl contention as it needs to win two of its final three games. Both of those are winnable games but winning this one is important since those games are both on the road making this their final home game of the season for the 14 seniors on the two-deep chart. The offense is peaking at the right time as the Rebels have averaged 29 ppg over their last four games and the rushing offense is one of the best in the nation at No. 13. They should have no issues moving the ball once again. This is the first last home game situation of the season and makes it even stronger being a nationally televised game. 10* (124) UNLV Rebels

We lost with Utah on Tuesday as it fell at home against the Sixers but now it has a better matchup with a worst team and a line that is nearly half of what it was against Philadelphia. The Jazz are now 5-2 at home and had their four-game streak of scoring 100 or more points snapped and will be out to halt their three-game losing streak. They are coming off a dreadful shooting performance as they shot just 30.3 percent from the floor including going 9-39 from long range as they were forcing unneeded shots since they trailed pretty much the entire game. Miami is coming off a win over Phoenix, which is struggling bad right now, to move to 2-2 on this current roadtrip and 2-3 on the highway overall. The Heats have lost three straight games following a win and has won back-to-back games only once all season and both of those were at home against a pair of below-average Eastern Conference teams. Miami is just 1-5 on the season against top 16 teams and going back, the Heat are 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Look for the Jazz to snap their skid tonight. 10* (512) Utah Jazz

Iowa St. has been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 2012 but that streak will be in serious jeopardy this season. The Cyclones are going through a serious rebuild and things could be sticky early in the season. They lost First Team All-Big XII point guard Monte Morris as well as double-digit scorers Deonte Burton, Matt Thomas and Naz Mitrou-Long. Donovan Jackson is the most productive returning player as he was fifth on the team in scoring with 6.4 ppg. Fred Hoiberg's staff neglected to recruit high school prospects his last two years at ISU and those kids who would now be contributing as juniors and seniors, and ready to step into star roles, do not exist on the Cyclone roster. Missouri won eight games last season, fired head coach Kim Anderson and hired Cuonzo Martin. The Tigers do not lack talent as they have a strong roster with potential lottery pick Michael Porter Jr. and four-star center Jeremiah Tilmon. Additionally, Blake Harris and Jeremiah Tilmon, who were supposed to be in Washington and Illinois respectively, decided to come to Missouri after their coaches were fired. This team is young, but expectations are high and getting off to a flying start is imperative which begins on Friday. 10* (552) Missouri Tigers

Even though it is early in the season, this is a huge game for Oklahoma City which has lost six of its first 10 games with its revamped roster that is supposed to challenge Golden St. in the Western Conference. The Thunder have lost their last three games including a loss at Sacramento in their last game which gave the Kings just their second win of the season. The offense has stalled as they have averaged only 93 ppg during the three-game skid while shooting just 39.7 percent and while the poor play is no excuse, they have faced some tough defenses and slow paces but that changes tonight. Denver is off to a 3-1 start on this current homestand and while a win over Toronto was a good one, that is the only good one on the entire season. The Nuggets have played a schedule that is ranked No. 28 in the NBA and the other five wins have come against Brooklyn twice, Miami, Atlanta and Sacramento, all of which have losing record. Granted, so do the Thunder but we all know the talent is there and a turnaround will happen, and this is the starting point. The Nuggets have failed to cover their last four games against teams with a losing record and are just 1-4 ATS this season following a win. 10* (709) Oklahoma City Thunder

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Play. With the loss to the Redskins last Sunday, the Seahawks fell a game behind the Rams in the NFC West and can ill afford another loss here with the Rams double-digit favorites at home on Sunday over Houston. Seattle opened the season 0-2 on the road but has won its last two roadies including a win over the Giants the only time it was favored on the highway. The Seahawks managed only 14 points against the Redskins, but they did put up 437 yards of offense and they are now No. 4 in total offense in the NFL. They have an Arizona defense that is ranked No. 23 overall and No. 27 in scoring after last season finishing No. 2 and No. 14 in those categories respectively. The Cardinals won against San Francisco on the road last week, but it was not a great effort as they won the yardage battle by only 39 yards. They got a big game from Adrian Peterson but take away his 159 yards rushing, and Arizona had a mere 209 yards of offense from the rest of the team. Drew Stanton made his first start in place of Carson Palmer and he was average at best and now he faces a real defensive test. Seattle has been up and down on defense, but it is still ranked No. 6 in scoring defense and Stanton has had his troubles. In two games against Seattle, he is 22-44 for 233 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions for a 37.4 quarterback rating. Arizona has held its own in this series, but this is a different Arizona team than we have seen in the past. Going back, the Seahawks are 7-0 ATS in their last seven Thursday games while the Cardinals are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game. 10* (111) Seattle Seahawks