Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a big number to be laying on the road but Arkansas St. should have no problem naming the score in this one. After six straight victories, the Red Wolves lost at Lafayette last week for their first conference loss and the ability to control their destiny for the Sun Belt Conference title. Now they must win here to gain a share of the title so the motivation is still in place. Arkansas St. actually outgained the Cajuns last week by 229 yards but gave up a defensive score, had to settle for two field goals, missed a field goal and were stopped on downs three times, twice inside the seven-yard line. Texas St. is 2-9 with one of those wins coming against Incarnate Word. The Bobcats have been outgained by every FBS foe by at least 116 yards including three times by at least 315 yards. They have dropped seven straight games and at this point, they are just playing out the string. Arkansas St. has a strong situation in its favor as we play on teams that are +/- 40 ypg rushing going up against teams getting outrushed by 80 or more ypg, after allowing 100 or less rushing yards in 2 straight games. This situation is 23-3 ATS (88.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, the Red Wolves are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games against teams allowing 31 or more ypg. 10* (319) Arkansas St. Red Wolves

There are two teams playing Saturday that need to win their final game to become bowl eligible and one of those is South Alabama. The Jaguars had an opportunity to clinch last week but lost at Idaho which has had a very solid season in its own right. Now they head back home where they are 4-2 compared to just 1-4 on the road and are being asked to lay a pretty inexpensive number with as much motivation as they are going to have. South Alabama has outgained its last four opponents. New Mexico St. will be home for the holidays for the 56th consecutive year as the Aggies come into their final game with a 3-8 record. One win came against 2-9 Texas St., another came by just one point and the final one in overtime. They are 0-6 on the road and they have won only nine road games over the last 11 years. While the New Mexico St. offense is third in the conference, it was held in check last week because quarterback Tyler Rogers, who leads the SBC in total offense, was out and he is doubtful again this week. New Mexico St. is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 road games following one or more consecutive losses. Even though South Alabama owns two wins over FCS teams, but the NCAA approved a waiver due to the cancellation of its game with LSU. 10* (312) South Alabama Jaguars

Temple is rolling as it has won six straight games to win the AAC East over South Florida thanks to 16-point win over the Bulls which was part of this current winning streak. The Owls are on an even more impressive ATS run as they have covered 11 straight games after losing to Army in their season opener. While taking nothing away from winning the East, but Temple was fortunate to miss Navy, Houston and Tulsa from the West so they did benefit from an easier schedule than most. Navy is rolling along as well as it has won four straight and six of its last seven games. It gets the chance to host the championship game based on being ranked 25th in the College Football Playoff poll, which is the second tiebreaker following head-to-head. The Midshipmen have won 15 consecutive games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which is the longest active home field winning streak in FBS football. Here, we play against road teams after outgaining opponent by 175 or more total yards in their previous game going up against an opponent after gaining 6.75 or more yppl in three consecutive games. This situation is 38-14 ATS (73.1 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Navy is 15-6 ATS in its last 21 games after outrushing opponent by 150 or more yards in two straight games while going 10-2 ATS in its last 12 home games. 10* (326) Navy Midshipmen

Washington has played only a few average to below average games this season, one resulting in a loss and two resulting in wins by just a touchdown each. Everything else has been a blowout and the Huskies have outgained their opponents by an average of close to 160 ypg. The blowout over Washington St. in the Apple Cup last weekend was a statement win as many thought the Cougars had a chance for the upset. Colorado has put together a great season with low expectations coming in. The Buffaloes are 10-2 but it really did not come from out of nowhere as they returned 18 starters from a team that lost five of nine games by just one possession. How will they react here though is the question? Colorado was blown out in Michigan and lost to USC before the Trojans got particularly hot. Both teams possess stout defenses but Washington has the edge on offense as it is third in the nation in points scored, averaging 10 ppg more than the Buffaloes. Washington falls into a great situation where we play on teams in the second half of the season that average 34 or more ppg going up against teams allowing between 16 and 21 ppg, after leading in their previous game by 24 or more points at the half. This situation is 58-22 ATS (72.5 percent) since 1992. 10* (306) Washington Huskies

There are nine teams playing on Saturday that must win to reach six victories and gain a bowl game berth. One of those is Vanderbilt which improved to 5-6 with a big win over Mississippi 38-17. The Commodores improved to 3-2 at home with the two losses coming by a combined 10 points to Florida and South Carolina and overall, only one of their six losses have been by double-digits which came at Georgia Tech. The defense has kept them in most of their games this season. Tennessee as it opened 5-0 but had trouble pulling away in most of those then went on to lose three straight games. The Volunteers have recovered to win their last three games but one was against Tennessee Tech of the FCS and another was against 3-8 Missouri. The other came against Kentucky but they were outgained in the process. Additionally, all three of those games were at home and in four road games, Tennessee has been outgained three times. Vanderbilt has the nation’s second-best red-zone defense at 66.7 percent (26 of 39). The Commodores have been particularly good in holding teams to field goals, as opponents have scored only 18 touchdowns in 39 trips inside the 20. 10* (212) Vanderbilt Commodores

Oregon played its bowl game last week as after enduring seven losses in eight games, the Ducks won at Utah to deny the Utes and chance of winning the Pac 12 South Division. They are just 4-7 and while they will be pumped for the Civil War, how much they have left in the tank in the question. Oregon has won eight straight in this series but in all of those instances, the Ducks came in with at least eight wins. Oregon St. is not having a good season wither as the Beavers are 3-8 but they are also coming off a win as they blew out Arizona last week 42-17. Ending the season with two straight wins would be huge as they have not accomplished that since 2007 which happened to be the last time they defeated Oregon. The Ducks are just 1-5 ATS as favorites this season including 0-2 ATS on the road while Oregon St. is 4-0 ATS as a home underdog. The Beavers have a great situation on their side as we play against road teams coming off a win over a conference rival as an underdog of six or more points going up against an opponent off a win by 10 points or more over a conference rival. This situation is 36-11 ATS (76.6 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (190) Oregon St. Beavers

We played on Minnesota last week as it defeated Northwestern and we will back the Gophers again this week. They are 8-3 on the season and none of those three losses were bad losses. All came against teams with at least seven wins and the losses came by three, seven and seven points. The Gophers have a chance to win nine games in a season for the first time in 13 years. Wisconsin is having a very strong season at 9-2 with those two losses coming against Ohio St. and Michigan in consecutive games and both were by just a touchdown. While this game is arguably more important for the Badgers based on the Playoff rankings, Minnesota is not going to back down in this heated rivalry game. The Paul Bunyan Axe is at stake today and even though Wisconsin has won the last 12 editions, seven have been decided by fewer points than what Minnesota is getting here and those were a lot worse Gopher teams. Here, we play against favorites of 10.5 to 21 points with a winning percentage of .800 or better that have won eight or more out of their last 10 games, playing a team with a winning percentage between .600 and .800. This situation is 56-23 ATS (70.9 percent) since 1992. 10* (165) Minnesota Golden Gophers

It has been an up and down season for Miami as it started 4-0 then lost four straight games but has followed that up with three consecutive victories. The defense has been the story in the turnaround as the Hurricanes allowed 28 points against Pittsburgh which is the fewest points the Panthers have scored since Week One and the last two weeks they have allowed 13 and 14 points. The offense has also shown an uptick during the current winning streak. Duke was aiming for a fifth straight bowl game but the goal was denied last week in Pittsburgh as the Blue Devils were hammered 56-14. It has now been four losses in the last five games for Duke as the defense continues to get pummeled. Of their 10 games against FBS opponents, the Blue Devils have been outgained in eight of those and will have a tough time keeping up with Miami as they are not nearly as talented while mentally, they have to be in a tough place after the loss last week, Miami falls into a great situation based on its defense as we play on teams after allowing 14 points or less in two straight games going up against an opponent after allowing 17 points or more in the first half in two straight games. This situation is 71-35 ATS (67 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (168) Miami Florida Hurricanes

We played against Toledo in its last game as it went through the motions against Ball St. in looking ahead to this game while trying to remain as healthy as possible. The Rockets can take the MAC West with the victory and while they do have two losses, they were by a combined seven points and they won the yardage battle in both. Western Michigan has steamrolled the opposition all season with each of its last 10 wins coming by at least 14 points. However, one look at the schedule will show why as of those 10 wins, only two came against teams that will be playing in a bowl game and none with more than seven wins. This line is not giving Toledo the respect it deserves. We play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams averaging 440 or more ypg, after gaining 475 or more total ypg over their last three games. This situation is 44-18 ATS (71 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Broncos are 4-15 ATS in their last 19 home games against teams averaging 425 ypg while Toledo is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games after gaining 6.25 or more yppl in their previous game. 10* (117) Toledo Rockets

This is likely the final game for Texas head coach Charlie Strong as all indications is that he will be fired at the end of the regular season. The Longhorns need a win to secure a bowl bid and while Strong probably will not be around to coach them should they win, the players have his back and they will be playing for him here. TCU is also in need of one more win but it has two games left as it hosts Kansas St. next week. The Horned Frogs have endured some close losses this season but they have been outgained in four of their last six games including a horrible performance at home against Oklahoma St. last week in a 31-6 loss. TCO has rolled over Texas in the last two meetings 48-10 and 50-7 so there is the element of revenge in play here as well. Texas falls into a solid great situation where we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 off a home loss by 14 or more points. This situation is 39-13 ATS (75 percent) over the last five seasons. TCU is just 2-8 ATS this season and while those two wins were on the road, Texas is 4-1 ATS at home this season, the lone setback coming by just four points against a very solid West Virginia team. 10* (128) Texas Longhorns

There are four teams playing on Friday that need to win to get a bowl bid and NC State is one of those teams. The Wolfpack have faltered down the stretch by going 1-5 over their last six games after a 4-1 start but the rivalry aspect can throw this recent streak out the window. Four of their lasses have come by a touchdown or less including two where they actually won the yardage battle as turnovers were the difference. North Carolina has a lot at stake as well but needs a lot of help to attain it. The Tar Heels need to win here and have Virginia Tech lose to 2-9 Virginia on Saturday for them to win the ACC Coastal but the latter is very unlikely to happen. North Carolina can still take care of business here but covering a huge number is a totally different story. The Tar Heels have three wins by a touchdown or less this season and going back, they are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. Meanwhile NC State is 6-0 ATS in its last six road games after two consecutive games where it forced one or less turnovers. Rumor has it that NC State head coach Dave Doeren will be let go his team not go to a bowl game but his players will go all out in trying to save him. 10* (133) NC State Wolfpack

This is a play on the TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Tulsa is coming off a loss at Navy last week by two points which pretty much knocked it out of the AAC West Division race. It was the second conference loss of the season with the other coming against Houston by just a touchdown. The Golden Hurricane has a potent offense that has scored 40 or more points in eight of their ten games this season. UCF became bowl eligible with a win over Cincinnati last Saturday and it has been an incredible turnaround for the Knights which won no games last season. It is a bit skewed however as despite a 4-2 record over their last six games, the Knights have been outgained in all of them. The defense has been solid but this will be a true test. Here, we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are averaging 440 or more ypg going up against teams averaging between 330 and 390 ypg. This situation is 38-10 ATS (79.2 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Tulsa is 7-0 ATS in its last seven road conference games. 10* (391) Tulsa Golden Hurricane

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS for our CFB Game of the Week. San Diego St. has already clinched the MWC West Division as it has blown through the opposition with six blowout victories. The lone defeat this season came at South Alabama after giving up 21 fourth quarter points but it has used that as a motivator and is still in line for a major bowl. Wyoming suffered its first conference loss last week as it fell to UNLV 69-66 in three overtimes. The Cowboys are still in the hunt for the MWC Mountain Division but a loss like that is tough to recover from. This is a horrible matchup for them because of the rushing disadvantage as in all three losses this season, they have been outrushed while San Diego St. is outrushing opponents on the season by an average of 207.5 ypg. Weather is always a concern here this time of year but it will be fine this Saturday. San Diego St. falls into a great situation where we play against home teams after allowing 5.5 or more rushing ypc last game going up against an opponent after outrushing opponent by 100 or more yards in three straight games. This situation is 32-5 ATS (86.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (351) San Diego St. Aztecs

Texas Tech nearly pulled off the upset last week as it lost by a point at Oklahoma St. forcing the Red Raiders to win their final two games to become bowl eligible. They host Baylor next week and while that looked daunting a while back, it is definitely within reach now. The Texas Tech offense is the best in the nation and while the defense is one of the worst, that will not matter here. Iowa St. is below average on both sides of the ball and following a hard fought win over Kansas last week, the Cyclones will have their hands full here. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and both victories this season have come against teams with a combined four wins. Iowa St. has been outgained in seven of 10 games and all seven resulted in losses so if Texas Tech can win the yardage battle, winning and covering this small number is a given. Additionally, we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 that are averaging 440 or more ypg going up against teams averaging between 330 and 390 ypg. This situation is 38-10 ATS (79.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (327) Texas Tech Red Raiders

Northwestern is coming off a blowout win over Purdue last week to get to within one win of bowl eligibility. It has been a solid turnaround for the Wildcats after a 0-2 start as they are on a 5-3 run with two close losses coming against Ohio St. and Wisconsin. They have covered five of six games and because of that, they are now laying points on the road against a quality opponent. Minnesota is 7-3 on the season following a loss last week at Nebraska and those three losses have come by just 17 points combined. The Golden Gophers have had a very favorable schedule, missing both Michigan and Ohio St. but they were expected to have a solid season and they have lived up to those expectations. There is also the issue of payback as Minnesota will be out to avenge a 27-0 loss to Northwestern last season and couple that with the lack of respect based on this line, we will see a full effort from Minnesota in its final home game of the season. Minnesota is 6-0 ATS in its last six games following an ATS loss while northwestern is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games after gaining 325 or more yard passing last game. 10* (332) Minnesota Golden Gophers

Pittsburgh is coming off a monster upset of Clemson last week and you know what that means. Letdown and inflated line this week. The Panthers improved to 6-4 with the victory to obtain bowl eligibility and despite a 2-2 record over their last four games, they have been outgained in all four of those contests. That is a definite red flag. The offense has been great all season but the defense has been atrocious coming in at No. 100 overall and that is bad news facing a Duke offense that is finding its identity. The Blue Devils are coming off an upset of their own as they defeated rival North Carolina last week but there is less risk of a letdown as they need to win Saturday and at Miami next week to become bowl eligible. While they have only one road win, they have covered three of those four games and the one they did not, they were outgained by only 10 yards against Northwestern. Duke is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 road games against teams allowing 425 or more ypg while going 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games against teams averaging 5.9 or more yppl. Pittsburgh is 06 ATS in its last six games as a home favorite while going 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games after allowing 575 or more yards last game. 10* (335) Duke Blue Devils

This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We won with Utah a couple weeks back as it played Washington toe-to-toe before the Huskies pulled off the win thanks to a punt returned for a touchdown. That was just the second loss for the Utes, the other coming by just five points against California, and they remain a game behind Colorado in the Pac 12 South. They play in Colorado next week so that makes this a must win situation. Oregon has had a horrible season and this will be the first losing season since 2004. The Ducks chances of a bowl game were dashed last week in a 52-27 blowout loss at home against Stanford. They have been outgained in six of seven conference games and at this point, they just want the season to come to an end which also likely means the end of head coach Mark Helfrich after four years. Utah falls into a great momentum situation where we play against teams after having lost 6 or 7 out of their last 8 games going up against an opponent after having won 3 out of their last 4 games. This situation is 59-23 ATS (72 percent) over the last five seasons. Utah is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after outrushing opponent by 125 or more yards last game. 10* (412) Utah Utes

We played on Cincinnati last Saturday against UCF and it was a tough loss. Despite losing by 17 points, the Bearcats actually outgained the Knights by 22 yards but had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown while losing the turnover battle 3-0. It was the second straight loss for Cincinnati and second straight game where they managed only three points but that changes Friday. The Bearcats need to win their last two games so next Friday will not matter if they do not get the job done here. Memphis is also coming off a loss as it fell at home against South Florida and after a 3-0 start, the Tigers are just 3-4 in their last seven games. They have been outgained in five of those games (Cincinnati has been outgained only four times in its last seven games) so the fact they are over a touchdown favorite on the road is a bit surprising. Memphis is 0-6 ATS in its last six games after scoring 37 or more points in consecutive games while Cincinnati falls into a great contrarian situation where we play on home underdogs with a winning percentage between .401 and .499 after two or more consecutive straight up losses, playing a winning team. This situation is 29-14 ATS (67.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (316) Cincinnati Bearcats

This game was circled by Houston when the season began as running the table to get to the College Football Playoff meant winning this game, the only real marquee game on the schedule after the season opener against Oklahoma. The Cougars slipped up against Navy however as they lost by six points despite outgaining the Midshipmen by 102 total yards as turnovers did them in. Houston would also eventually lose at SMU but that result likely would have been different had it beaten Navy as that loss has been a letdown for the rest of the season. But now the Cougars can get up for a quality opponent and try to ruin the season for Louisville which comes into this game ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff. The Cardinals are coming off a pair of blowout victories but they have not been very consistent following four straight routs to open the season. While the ultimate goal for Houston is gone, it still has an outside shot at a New Year's Six bowl if it can record a second win over a Top Five-ranked team. Houston goes from a 27-point favorite to a 14-point underdog in a span of two games and while the two opponents are clearly not in the same discussion, that is a huge line move involving a team as good as Houston is. Here, we play against road favorites that are averaging 230 or more rushing ypg going up against teams allowing 100or fewer rushing ypg, after outrushing opponent by 150 or more yards last game. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) since 1992. 10* (312) Houston Cougars

Western Michigan does not play until Saturday but the fact it is favored by five touchdowns against Buffalo, a win by Toledo tonight sets up the battle for the MAC West next Friday between the Rockets and Broncos. While a win is expected, a win by a large margin is not as the goal here is to get by and move onto next week without any injuries. Ball St. suffered a tough loss against Eastern Michigan last week as it blew an early first quarter 21-point lead and a late fourth quarter one-point lead to fall by a touchdown. Eastern Michigan reached bowl eligibility for the first time in nearly two decades by virtue of the win, while Ball St. needs to win its final two games to get bowl eligible after a two-year drought. The Cardinals know what is at stake and because they are on the cusp of bowl eligibility, they had to have played somewhat good this season and that has been the case. Of Ball St.'s six losses, five were decided by 10 points or fewer. In three of those losses, the Cardinals lost the turnover battle by at least two and that will be important tonight to take care of the ball. Ball St. falls into a favorable situation as we play on road teams that are averaging between 5.6 to 6.2 yppl going up against team allowing between 5.6 to 6.2 yppl, after gaining 525 or more total yards in their previous game. This situation is 30-10 ATS (75 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (305) Ball St. Cardinals

This is a play on the NEW MEXICO LOBOS for our MWC Game of the Year. New Mexico became bowl eligible last week with a win over Nevada, its fourth straight victory. Going back to last season, the Lobos are 12-6 in their last 18 regular season games so Bob Davie has done an incredible job in turning this program around after three straight 1-11 seasons before his arrival. Utah St. has an outside shot at making a bowl game but must win its final three games to do so. The big reason it is a longshot is because of injuries as starting quarterback Kent Myers was hurt last week in Wyoming and his status in uncertain for this week. Additionally, running back Davante Mays, who led the team in rushing last season, is doubtful. The Aggies have lost two straight and five of their last six games while two of their wins have come against Weber St. of the FCS and 1-9 Fresno St. They have won the yardage battle only three times all season and being the favorite here is questionable. New Mexico falls into a great situation as we play against home team after allowing 5.5 or more rushing ypc last game going up against an opponent after outrushing opponent by 100 or more yards in three straight games. This situation is 30-5 ATS (85.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (215) New Mexico Lobos

This is a play on the IOWA HAWKEYES for our Saturday Star Attraction. Michigan sits at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings as it has blown through the opposition, outscoring opponents by an average of 37.3 ppg. But the Wolverines are another team that has played a weak schedule thus far as it is ranked No. 52 in the nation. They struggled in two games against quality teams, Colorado and Wisconsin, and face a difficult test here even though it may be considered a down year for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 5-4 on the season following a pair of losses in their last two games including a blowout loss at Penn St. last week. The three losses prior to that were by a combined 17 points so they had been competitive and you can guarantee they will put up a full effort Saturday night. This is just the third road game of the season for Michigan and the first two came against Rutgers and Michigan St. which are a combined 4-14 overall including 0-12 in the Big Ten. One huge edge for Iowa is on scoring opportunities as the 92.9 red zone scoring percentage for Iowa is first in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are 26-for-28 in the red zone with 20 touchdowns and six field goals. Iowa is 25-5 ATS in its last 30 games against teams averaging 5.25 or more rushing ypc while Michigan is 11-25 ATS in its last 36 road games after scoring 37 points or more last game. 10* (210) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the USC TROJANS for our Saturday Enforcer. Washington moved up to No. 4 in the College Football playoff rankings and the pressure is only getting worse. The Huskies have outgained every opponent this season but they have played a very soft schedule thus far. Their schedule is ranked No. 68 in the country according to Sagarin which is the lowest ranked schedule of any power team that is ranked in the top 32 of the recent power rankings. Washington struggled in its only real tough game against Utah as it needed a punt return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. USC opened the season 1-3 but has gone onto win five straight games in dominating fashion. The Trojans have outgained all five of these opponents by at least 154 yards and by a total of 1,064 yards. This is obviously a tough test and while they failed miserably against Alabama in their season opener, this is a completely different team now. The insertion of Sam Darnold at starting quarterback has completely rejuvenated the offense and Washington could have a tough time here. Additionally, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points involving teams averaging 440 or more ypg, after gaining 525 or more total ypg over their last three games. This situation is 31-8 ATS (79.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (187) USC Trojans

Auburn is another team that has found a resurgence after a slow start to the season as the Tigers have reeled off six straight wins to improve to 7-2 on the season and there is actually talk about making the College Football Playoff should they win out. They have not looked great the last two weeks however as they snuck by Vanderbilt last week and really should have lost at Mississippi two weeks ago as the Rebels were ready to take the lead but dropped a touchdown pass and the next play resulted in an interception that led to an Auburn for the final 11-point margin. Georgia is having a tough season at 5-4 but in reality the Bulldogs have only had two bad games, a 31-point loss at Mississippi and a two-point win over Nicholls. Georgia has outgained six of nine opponents and been hurt by turnovers which will cause any team to underachieve. Head coach Kirby Smart has an edge here against the Auburn offense as he knows that system well facing the Tigers every year as the Alabama defensive coordinator. Georgia will counter the Auburn ground game with a front seven that ranks third in the SEC against the run. The Bulldogs limit opponents to 3.4 ypc and just under 120 ypg. This cis a big yet underrated rivalry and Georgia would like nothing more than to become bowl eligible against the Tigers and snapping their winning streak. 10* (162) Georgia Bulldogs

It has been a struggle this season for Cincinnati which has dropped consecutive games to fall below .500 for the first time this season. The Bearcats need two wins to become bowl eligible and with the final two games against teams already bowl eligible, this is a big game to win outright. The offense has struggled of late but the defense has helped keep Cincinnati in a number of games. The Bearcats are opportunistic in the back end and particularly strong up the gut with MLB Eric Wilson and tackles Alex Pace, Cortez Broughton and Marquise Copeland. UCF was good to us three weeks ago at Connecticut but in reality it was a fortunate cover as the Knights were outgained in that game. As a matter of fact, they have been outgained in their last five games despite winning three of those outright. In those three wins, UCF won the turnover battle 10-4 while scoring three defensive touchdowns as well as a special teams score. Overall, the Knights are outgaining opponents by just 3.8 ypg and while the Bearcats are much below that, the size of this line is not warranted by that. Here, we play against home team that are averaging between 6.4 and 7.5 passing ypa going up against teams allowing between 6.4 and 7.5 passing ypa, after allowing 4.5 or less passing ypa last game. This situation is 30-9 ATS (76.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (123) Cincinnati Bearcats

We played against Penn St. two weeks ago which ended up being a poor call as the Nittany Lions trounced Purdue in the second half as they avoided the letdown of the win over Ohio St. Now they hit the road again following a blowout win over Iowa at home last week and this will definitely be a test. A win over the Hoosiers and Penn St., which closes conference play with games at Rutgers (2-7, 0-6) and at home against Michigan State (2-7, 0-6), could end the regular season with 10 wins. While that is a definite possibility, we are not giving them this one just because they are favored. Indiana needs one win to become bowl eligible after winning its last two games in dominating fashion. The Hoosiers defeated Maryland and Rutgers by just six points each but they won the yardage battle by 133 and 216 yards respectively and that is classified as dominating. They had four turnovers last week against the Scarlet Knights which was the main cause for the closer for the low victory margin. The Hoosiers have been strong on offense this year and rank third in the Big Ten with 468.8 ypg and the Penn St. defense is pretty average. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points after failing to cover the spread in three out of their last four games, with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 on the season. This situation is 37-12 ATS (75.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (128) Indiana Hoosiers

This is a must win game for Duke as it has six losses and another one will put it out of bowl contention. The Blue Devils three wins this season have been pretty suspect however as one came against North Carolina Central of the FCS while the other two came against Notre Dame and Army despite getting outgained in both of those games. As a matter of fact, Duke has been outgained in all but one of its FBS games and the one exception was by just 14 yards against Virginia despite losing by 14 points. The offense has been pretty poor and a lot of that can be attributed to the loss of starting quarterback Thomas Sirk before the season got underway. This is a big game for North Carolina as well as the Tar Heels as they remain in a tie with Virginia Tech in the ACC Coastal following their third straight win last week. They have only two losses this season and while the season opening defeat against Georgia is a head-scratcher, the loss to the Hokies took place in a hurricane where they could get nothing going on offense. Duke has covered its last four games but it has been done by smoke and mirrors as mentioned and this is a tough spot against a superior team that has just as much motivation and momentum is on the side of North Carolina which is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after allowing more than 450 total yards in its previous game. 10* (111) North Carolina Tar Heels

Toledo bounced back from a bad loss against Ohio with a blowout win at Akron last week to remain on pace to win the MAC West. The Rockets are 7-2 on the season and are one of only five teams in the country that has outgained every opponent. Like Western Michigan, Toledo controls its own destiny as if the Rockets win out, they make it to the MAC Championship but that would take a win over Western Michigan in just over two weeks. This is a very balanced team and one that is out for some serous revenge in what is not a true road game as this game is being played at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, home of the White Sox. Facing the Huskies away from their home stadium brings a bit of a new element to what has developed into a bit of a rivalry. Northern Illinois dropped its first four games but has recovered to win three of its last five to stay in bowl contention. The Huskies dominated in their last two games but those were against Buffalo and Bowling Green which are a combined 3-15 on the season. This team is having a non-predicted down year and will have trouble against the Rockets. Last year, Toledo lost to Northern Illinois 32-27 at the Glass Bowl, helping to ruin the Rockets hopes of making it to the MAC Championship game. That was the sixth straight loss in this series for the Rockets so they will not let up here. The Rockets are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the Huskies are 2-7 ATS against teams with a winning record. 10* (105) Toledo Rockets

Typically, we stay away from laying large points on the road but we will make the exception here as Western Michigan should be able to name the score here. The Broncos are 9-0 and have been simply destroying the competition, outscoring opponents by close to 26 ppg. Blindly betting Western Michigan would have paid off a lot this season with its 7-2 ATS mark but that is not the reason for this play as the matchup dictates it. Once the Broncos get the lead, which they should do without issue, Kent St. does not have a prayer to come back. The Golden Flashes have a pitiful offense as they are ranked No. 128 in total offense and No. 125 in passing offense so the chances of coming back are near impossible. They did score 27 points in their last game against Central Michigan but they took advantage of four turnovers by the Chippewas. Kent St. does possess a pretty solid defense but no one has been able to slow down Western Michigan and making matters worse, the Golden Flashes will be without their best defensive player as Nate Holley has been suspended from the team as he is facing kidnapping charges. He leads the team in tackles and in second in the country in that category so it is a huge loss. The Golden Flashes are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record while the Broncos are 14-4 ATS in their last 18 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. 10* (103) Western Michigan Broncos

The news was good for Ohio St. on Tuesday when the College Football Playoff rankings were announced and it came in at No. 6. That comes on the heels of a pair of narrow wins over Wisconsin and Northwestern sandwiched around a loss at Penn St. The Buckeyes have now failed to cover four straight games after opening the season 4-0 ATS and the recent lack of dominating play is helping with this number. Nebraska suffered its first loss of the season last week at Wisconsin in overtime which likely dashed any sort of hope of making the playoff. That is a tough loss to recover from after coming back from a 17-7 fourth quarter deficit only to end up losing. While they started out 7-0, the Cornhuskers were not very dominant in doing so and it has come against a schedule ranked as the lowest of all Big Ten teams. This team could fight back hard and try and pick up the upset to move back up the standings but something says there will not be much fight especially against an Ohio St. team that is overdue for a domination. Nebraska is 11-25 ATS in its last 36 road games against teams averaging 200 or more rushing ypg while Ohio St. is 48-25 ATS in its last 73 games against teams averaging 200 or more rushing ypg. 10* (416) Ohio St. Buckeyes

The Ducks are having one of the most disappointing seasons around as they are 3-5 after coming into the season ranked in the AP Top 25. Oregon lost five straight games prior to getting back on track last week against Arizona St. in a 19-point romp that should not have been even that close. That momentum will carry forward here in what may be considered a must win game for bowl eligibility or else the duck will have to win their final three games of the season. USC has hit its stride as it has won four straight games and is starting to look like the team it was supposed to be like coming into the season. While the run is solid, the Trojans are being asked to lay a huge number against a team that despite its record, it still very solid. On top of that, they have a game at Washington next week so there is definitely the possibility of a lookahead to that one. Oregon falls into a great situation where we play on road underdogs that are averaging 400 or more total ypg, after outgaining opponent by 225 or more total yards in their previous game. This situation is 78-36 ATS (68.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (393) Oregon Ducks

Here we have two teams separated by just a game and a half both overall and within the conference yet this line is telling us something totally different. Louisiana Tech is hot no doubt as it has won five straight games but only one of those came against a team above .500 and that was a three-point win over Western Kentucky at home. North Texas is coming off a loss at UTSA and that resulted in a win for us last week but we are backing the Mean Green now as they played better than the 14-point loss indicates. They outgained the roadrunners by 91 yards but lost the turnover battle 4-0 which was the difference. Prior to that, they had won three of four games and thy have been home underdogs of 20 or more points only once since 2012 and that resulted in a cover last year against Western Kentucky. Louisiana Tech is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games after a cover as a double digit favorite and 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games after gaining 300 or more rushing yards last game while the Mean Green are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss. 10* (390) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the MEMPHIS TIGERS for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We played against SMU last week and were unfortunate as Tulane blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead. That was the second straight win for the Mustangs which are now 4-4 on the season, the most wins they have had in a season since 2013. It is also one more win than the last two seasons combined so something is going right in Dallas. They are still getting outgained on the season however and catch Memphis in a very bad mood. The Tigers have dropped two straight games to fall to 5-3 and even worse for Memphis backers, it has failed to cover five straight games. The three losses have come against solid teams, Navy and Tulsa of the AAC and while Mississippi is having a down year, it is still from the SEC and that was a rivalry revenge game on top of it. We have a phenomenal situation on our side as well as we play against home teams in the second half of the season where the line is +3 to -3 in a game involving teams averaging between 4.3 to 4.8 ypc, in conference games. This situation is 40-12 ATS (76.9 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Memphis is 21-9 ATS in its last 30 games off an upset loss as a favorite. 10* (403) Memphis Tigers

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PANTHERS for our ACC Game of the Year. After a solid 4-0 start to the season, Miami has now lost four straight games and high aspirations have turned into just trying to save the season. Typically, this would be a spot to play on the Hurricanes however this teams looks as though it has shut it down and last week did not help. Notre Dame jumped out to a 20-0 lead but Miami fought back to take a 27-20 lead but could not hold on and that is a tough one to recover from. Pittsburgh had won three straight before losing against Virginia Tech last week and at 5-3, the Panthers could be in even better position. The three losses have come by a combined 11 points and all of those have come down to the final minute. Miami is 0-6 ATS in its last six games against teams averaging 34 or more ppg while the Panthers are 27-12-1 ATS in their last 40 games following a straight up loss. 10* (361) Pittsburgh Panthers

This is a play on the ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS for our Saturday Enforcer. Both Air Force and Army are one win away from bowl eligibility so this is a big game for both sides. Army comes in with a 5-3 record and honestly it could be 8-0 right now. The Black Knights lost to Duke by seven points as they were killed by three turnovers, lost to Buffalo in overtime despite outgaining the Bulls by 179 total yards and lost to North Texas as they committed a school record seven turnovers. Army has outgained all eight opponents and all five wins have come by more than a touchdown. The Falcons are also 5-3 but they have not been quite as dominant as they are outscoring opponents by just 7.5 ppg compared to 15 ppg for Army. Air Force has failed to cover four straight games and while that is a streak we like to go against, the Falcons are in a tough spot flying to the east coast and might be doing it without starting quarterback Nate Romine who was injured last game against Fresno St. Air Force is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 road games against teams averaging 5.25 rushing ypc and 7-16 ATS in its last 23 road games teams averaging 31 or more ppg. 10* (330) Army Black Knights

We will be laying points on the road in this one as we are catching a short number based on recent results and contrarian factors. Central Michigan started the season 3-0 but has gone 2-4 since then but the schedule has played a pretty big role in that. The Chippewas are 1-5 ATS over their last six games and the one win took overtime to cover so going against the streak is part of the contrarian value. On the flip side, after a 0-6 start, Miami Ohio has reeled off three straight wins after a 0-6 start but all three wins have come against teams with losing records. Miami is just 1-3 at home with the lone victory coming against Kent St. by only four points, the same team that Central Michigan lost to in its most recent defeat. Going back, the RedHawks are 5-18 in their last 23 home games and they cannot be trusted against a quality team that has struggled of late. Here, we play against home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that have a winning percentage between .250 and .400 playing a team with a winning record, in conference games. This situation is 46-15 ATS (75.4 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Miami is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread while the Chippewas are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss. 10* (317) Central Michigan Chippewas

The season was looking bleak for Arkansas St. which opened 0-4 including three blowout losses capped off by an embarrassing loss against Central Arkansas of the FCS. The Red Wolves then had their bye week and it could not have come at the right time. Preseason contenders in the Sun Belt Conference, Arkansas St. has now won its last three games and sits just a half-game behind Troy and Appalachian St. for first place in the conference. Things have been bad for Georgia St. all season as it is just 2-6 including 1-3 in the SBC. The Panthers have had some close losses including a great effort in Wisconsin and because of the competitiveness, they have covered their last six games. That is keeping this line shorter than it should be (Arkansas St. was favored by 16.5 points at home last season). Georgia St. could be without starting quarterback Conner Manning who has missed the last two games with an arm injury. Arkansas St. has a solid situation on its side as we play against teams after having lost 6 or 7 out of their last 8 games going up against an opponent after having won 3 out of their last 4 games. This situation is 32-7 ATS (82.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (311) Arkansas St. Red Wolves

This is a play on the MISSISSIPPI REBELS for our Saturday Enforcer. It is gut check time for Mississippi as it is coming off a pair of losses against Arkansas and LSU to fall to 3-4 overall on the season. The other two losses came against Florida St., a game really never should have lost, and against Alabama at home where they actually outgained the Tide by 35 total yards. With the season on the line this week, Mississippi has to step up and avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2013. Additionally, they are below .500 this late into the season for the first time since 2012 when they were 5-6 headed into the Egg Bowl. This is a big reason they are home underdogs this week but the fact that Auburn has turned its season around is also playing into it. The Tigers started the season 1-2 but have won and covered four straight games including a shellacking of Arkansas last week, a team that clearly gave up if anyone happened to watch any of it. Three of these wins have been at home however and the lone road victory came against Mississippi St. which is much worse than the Rebels. This Mississippi team's spirit hasn’t sunk to 2011 levels yet when it closed the season on a seven-game losing streak, but the season has taken a really negative turn, and it is head coach Hugh Freeze's job to figure out how to get things going in the right direction again. the Rebels have a solid situation in their favor as we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points after allowing 17 points or more in the first half in two straight games going up against an opponent after scoring 50 points or more last game. This situation is 22-3 ATS (88 percent) since 1992. 10* (180) Mississippi Rebels

This is a play on the UTSA ROADRUNNERS for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. This is one of those under the radar games where we have one team getting a little too much respect based on the line. North Texas is off to a solid 4-3 start under first year head coach Seth Littrell and the offense has shown signs of life after a 1-11 season where the Mean Green produced just 15.2 ppg. Still, they are just No. 115 overall in yardage so they have been fortunate along the way. North Texas has outgained just one opponent from the FBS, one of its wins came in overtime, another against an FCS opponent and got another fortunate win last week. Army jumped ahead 7-0 but North Texas took its first lead 14-7 on an interception return for a touchdown, one of seven turnovers for the Black Knights, and never gave the lead back. Army won the yardage battle 396-320 but 178 of those yards were wiped out by the seven miscues. The Mean Green scored 21 points off the turnovers. UTSA is coming off a tough loss last week as it fell to UTEP in five overtimes. The Roadrunners outgained the Miners by 81 total yards and had 10 more first down but could not come up with the clutch plays when needed. That was just their second home loss of the season, the first coming against Arizona St. by just four points. They own a quality home win against Southern Mississippi and fall into a spot where we play on home favorites in the second half of the season that are averaging between 390 to 440 ypg going up against teams allowing between 390 and 440 ypg, after allowing 6.75 or more yppl in their previous game. This situation is 36-12 ATS (75 percent) since 1992. 10* (190) UTSA Roadrunners

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our October Game of the Month. Tulane put up a clunker for us last week as the Green Wave lost in Tulsa 50-27 but that will not stop us playing them again this week. At 3-4, Tulane has already matched its win total from each of the last two seasons as this is definitely an improved team despite what happened last week. The quality of the losses is a sign of the turnaround as the first three defeats came by just 20 points combined and all four losses have come against teams with an overall record of 20-7. While the Green Wave do not have a huge home field advantage, it is important to note that they should see some extra bodies in the stands this week with LSU on its bye week. SMU is coming off the biggest win since upsetting TCU back in 2011. The Mustangs took care of Houston last week 38-16 as they jumped ahead 21-0 and never looked back. While it was a big victory, a lot of it can be put on Houston as the Cougars have looked to have cashed out on the season as a loss to Navy ended their playoff hopes and they almost lost to Tulsa the following week. SMU is just 1-3 on the road as it defeated a poor North Texas team and since then, it has not been competitive on the road. While the Mustangs lost by just three points in overtime at Tulsa, they were outgained by 150 yards and Tulsa was guilty of looking ahead to Houston the following week. The Mustangs have now covered twice as double-digit underdogs and that is a great spot to go against here especially at a short price. SMU is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 games off a win by 10 points or more as an underdog while the Green Wave are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against teams with a losing record. 10* (164) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our Saturday Star Attraction. Washington was flying under the radar just a few short weeks ago but that is no longer the case. The Huskies were favored by 3.5 points at home against Stanford, a team that is clearly not very good this year and now they are favored by a touchdown more on the road against a much better team. Make no mistake, this is a very good Washington team and being ranked No. 4 proves that. It controls its own destiny for the College Football Playoff but now comes the biggest test of the season which is part of a tough three-game stretch. Utah is off to a 7-1 start and it could easily be 8-0 right now. The lone loss came at California by just five points as the Utes outgained the Golden Bears by 80 total yards and controlled the time of possession by more than 24 minutes. They have been outgained only twice all season and those differences were just -10 and -20 yards but won both of those games by double-digits nonetheless. Despite the solid start to the season, Utah is ranked only No. 18 so this is team feeling slighted and will be out to prove what they are made of. The Utes are second in the nation in time of possession at 36 minutes per game and that is a recipe of success to defeat the Huskies. Also, according to ESPN stats and info, Utah holds opponents to an average of third-and-8.3. Only Alabama, Miami, and Michigan have better numbers than that. Going back, Utah is 17-5 ATS in its last 22 games after gaining 225 or more rushing yards in two straight games. 10* (200) Utah Utes

Kudos to Penn St. for knocking off Ohio St. last Saturday night, the first time the Nittany Lions have defeated a ranked opponent since 2013. Now they are ranked for the first time since 2011 and while they easily cashed a ticket for us, the outright win itself was a little fraudulent. Ohio St. won the yardage battle 413-319 but had a field goal blocked which the Nittany Lions returned 60 yards for a touchdown. This is now the letdown game of the week as Penn St. hits the road for the first time since September 24. The Nittany Lions have lost seven straight road games and you have to go back to 2012 when they won a road game by more than seven points. Purdue got waxed at Maryland at the beginning of October but other than that, has not played that bad. The Boilermakers fought hard in their last two games against Iowa and Nebraska, the latter coming in the first game after head coach Darrell Hazell got fired. They played with more heart last Saturday than they have all year as they were down by just three points heading into the fourth quarter. Overall, Purdue is 3-4 and with winnable games down the line, this is a team striving for a bowl game which would be the first one since 2012. Additionally, the Boilermakers fall into a great contrarian situation where we play on home underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points with a winning percentage between .401 and .499 after two or more consecutive straight up losses. This situation is 34-11 ATS (75.6 percent) since 1992. Purdue is 7-0 in its last seven games after gaining 100 or fewer yards rushing while Penn St. is 0-8 ATS in its last eight road games. 10* (140) Purdue Boilermakers

Virginia stunk it up last week against North Carolina as it lost by 21 points so it may be surprising we are backing the Cavaliers again taking on one of the best teams in the nation. After opening the season with two bad losses, they are 2-3 since then and while that may not seem overly impressive, Virginia won the yardage battle in two of those losses so this recent record could easily be 4-1. Giving Louisville a challenge to win this game outright may not happen but it is rare to see a home underdog line this big. Making a comparison, Michigan was favored by less than this number on the road against a horrible Rutgers team and Virginia is not horrible. Louisville comes in ranked no. 5 in the nation and despite a loss to Clemson, it remains in the playoff hunt. After rolling in their first four games, the Cardinals have not looked the same. They lost to Clemson, played an ugly game against Duke and while they rolled last week against NC State, they were catching the Wolfpack off an overtime loss against Clemson in a game they should have won outright in regulation. Louisville possesses one of the best offenses in the nation so it will not be stopped but can be slowed down similar to the way Duke did it and that is with time of possession control. Virginia falls into a great contrarian situation as we play on underdogs of 31.5 or more points with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 after failing to cover the spread in two out of their last three games, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 46-17 ATS (73 percent) since 1992. 10* (144) Virginia Cavaliers

West Virginia won again last week and has moved up to No. 10 in the nation. Nobody saw this coming but this is arguably the worse of the remaining undefeated teams from power conferences. The defense has led the charge which is surprising as the Mountaineers returned just four starters on that side of the ball. They had a very easy schedule in the first half of the season now starts the rugged back end of it even with a few easy games sprinkled in there. This is the toughest test so far for West Virginia and this is no easy place for opponents to play. Oklahoma St. is off to a 5-2 start but it could be even better. The Cowboys never should have lost to Central Michigan on a botched call by the officials which led to a Hail Mary. The other loss came against Baylor but they trailed by just four points late in the fourth quarter and were outgained by just 31 total yards. Defensively, this team is not great but the offense can take advantage of the Mountaineers defense which the jury is still out on. Freshman running back Justice Hill can keep West Virginia honest enough on defense for quarterback Mason Rudolph to beat the Mountaineers deep. The receiving corps is terrific and Rudolph is one of the top pocket-passing quarterbacks in the country. In the last road game for West Virginia, it was favored by fewer points against Texas Tech than it is here and the Red Raiders are far below the Cowboys. The Mountaineers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against teams with a winning record while the Cowboys are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (156) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

We played against South Florida last Friday and the Bulls fell behind late in the third quarter and were unable to recover. That puts them in a good spot this Friday as they have a chance to remain in first place in the AAC East and improve to 5-1 at home. South Florida was riding a three-game winning streak prior to last week all of which were dominating performances against conference opponents and it will certainly be put to the test this week. The public is all over Navy and the line has dropped below the key number of seven because of that. The Midshipmen are 4-0 in the conference and are on a two-game winning streak. The marquee win came against Houston three weeks ago but they were fortunate to win that game as they were outgained by 102 yards. These last two games have been at home and on the road, Navy is 1-1 including a bad loss at Air Force in its most recent road game. The Navy defense suffered a blow when linebacker and co-captain Daniel Gonzales went down with a season-ending foot injury in that game. The defense will be tested for sure against the Bulls offense that averages 487.1 ypg and 42.4 ppg, good for No. 21 and No. 11 in the nation respectively. The Bulls also own the better defense and they will be out to avenge a 29-17 Halloween loss last season at Navy. The Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game while Navy has failed to cover its last four road games. 10* (114) South Florida Bulls

After a crazy three-overtime game against Texas St. to open the season where 110 points were scored, Ohio has seen its last seven games stay under the total. A lot of that has had to do with the opposition and the matchups involved but that changes tonight. The defense has allowed 21 points or less four times but one of those came against Gardner Webb of the FCS while the other three came against offenses that are ranked No. 127, No. 117 and No. 104 in total offense and No. 123, No. 114 and No. 111 in scoring offense. Toledo is a little better than those squads as the Rockets are No. 7 in the nation in total offense and no. 13 in scoring offense. Toledo tied a season low with 31 points scored against Central Michigan last week and while its own defense has been pretty solid, it too has faced some weak offenses along the way. Throw away the three points allowed against Maine of the FCS and the Rockets have given up an average of 25.7 ppg. Two of the best defensive efforts came against Arkansas St. and Fresno St. and they are ranked No. 1245 and No. 121 respectively in scoring offense. Going back, Toledo is 12-1 to the over after having won four of its last five games while the over is 5-1 in the Bobcats last six games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game. These teams have not met since 2010 which is not a good thing for the coaching staff to try and prepare defenses which gives the offense on both sides a clear advantage. 10* Over (103) Ohio Bobcats/(104) Toledo Rockets

Appalachian St. is 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference, trailing Troy by just a half-game, and it is one of only four teams that realistically has a chance to claim the conference championship. The Mountaineers were picked by many to win the conference after going 13-3 in their first two years in the Sun Belt. They have won four straight games and while dominating those games in the process, they now face their toughest test of them all despite what the record may show. Georgia Southern won the Sun Belt Conference in 2014 with a perfect 8-0 record while going 6-2 last season and with 13 starters back, it was expected to contend once again. The Eagles have not disappointed as they are 3-1 in the conference despite playing an awful schedule thus far. Five of their first seven games have been on the road including their last four contests so playing at home once again in a nationally televised games is going to have them pretty amped up. Georgia Southern has not been on this field since September 17 and it does not lose here often, going 31-3 over its last 34 home games. While Appalachian St. has been solid as road favorites the last two years, they have faced some poor teams and Georgia Southern has been a home underdog just once ever and that resulted in a 26-point outright win over Western Michigan last season. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams outrushing opponents by 50 or more ypg, after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game. This situation is 43-20 ATS (68.3 percent) over the last 5 seasons. 10* (110) Georgia Southern Eagles

While we are going contrarian in the first total, we are going contrarian in this total as well. Because of these runs, this is where the value comes into play as linesmakers have to set the numbers based on those runs as the public is all over big streaks. Pittsburgh opened the season with a low scoring game against Villanova of the FCS but since then, the Panthers have gone over the total in six straight games. The offense has scored at least 36 points in every one of those games but the Panthers have faced off against some pathetic defenses along the way. The best stop unit they have faced was against Georgia Tech which is ranked No. 27 in total defense. The other five teams are ranked No. 53, No. 104, No. 61, No. 113 and No. 108. Virginia Tech comes into this game ranked No. 11 in total defense and no. 16 in scoring defense so Pittsburgh is going to be tested for sure. Pittsburgh relies heavily on the ground game and Virginia Tech is about as good as anybody in the country in stopping the run as the Hokies allow 103.6 ypg and 2.9 ypc. The Virginia Tech offense has played above average this season but it is skewed a bit based on the competition and venue. The Hokies have played only two road games and managed to score just 17 points against an awful Syracuse defense and 34 points against an average North Carolina defense in hurricane conditions. The Hokies have gone under in six straight ACC road games while the Panthers are 6-2 to the under in their last eight games following a bye week. 10* Under (107) Virginia Tech Hokies/(108) Pittsburgh Panthers

This is a play on the PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS for our Saturday Star Attraction. Ohio St. narrowly escaped Madison with a victory last Saturday night and while things are expected to be easier this week based on the much higher pointspread, it should not be as easy as most expect. The Buckeyes needed overtime to defeat the Badgers and in their only other road game, even though it resulted in a 21-point win over Oklahoma, they outgained the Sooners by just 39 total yards. The atmosphere on Saturday will be the toughest they have seen thus far this season. Penn St. is 4-2 which is the fifth straight year it has started at least 4-2 and the last four seasons, it has been a loss to Ohio St. that ended the solid run to start. Both losses at home have been very competitive games however including the last game played here that went into double overtime before the Buckeyes prevailed 31-24. The Nittany Lions have won two straight games including their best effort of the season against Maryland but most important, they are coming off a bye week so the extra prep time and rest will be a big advantage especially after the Ohio St. close call last week in a very physical game against Wisconsin. Running back Saquon Barkley is coming off the best game of his career and will look to do the same against the Buckeyes while quarterback Trace McSorley has shown the ability to make big plays both with his are and his legs. The Nittany Lions have a very strong situation in their favor as we play on home underdogs of 14.5 or more points after two or more consecutive straight up wins, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 36-10 ATS (78.3 percent) since 1992. 10* (404) Penn St. Nittany Lions

As has been the case numerous times, some losses are tougher to get over than others and Tulsa is in that spot this Saturday. The Golden Hurricane had a great opportunity to take down Houston as they rallied back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game at 31 but them fumbled the ball late in the quarter which the Cougars ran back for a touchdown. They then put together a 74-yard drive in just over a minute but were stopped twice inside the Houston two-yard line to end the game. That will be tough to overcome. Tulane is off to a 3-3 start and those three wins have already matched its win total from both 2014 and 2015 showing what a solid job head coach Willie Fritz in doing in his first season in New Orleans. The quality of the losses is a sign of the turnaround as the three defeats have come by just 20 points combined and those were against teams with an overall record of 14-4. Fritz came over from Georgia Southern which is known for its rushing ability and he has instilled that here in Tulane. The Green Wave are averaging 233.7 ypg on the ground, double of what they averaged last season, which is No. 22 in the country and they will square off against a Tulsa defense that is allowing 174.2 ypg rushing so Tulane will be able to move the ball unlike last week as Memphis has a much better defense. Going back, Tulsa is just 3-15 ATS in its last 18 games as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points while the Green Wave are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (375) Tulane Green Wave

It has been a disappointing start for TCU which is 4-2 on the season but situations have not gone its way. The Horned Frogs lost to Arkansas in overtime despite outgaining the Razorbacks by 169 yards and then they had to face Oklahoma which was coming off a bad loss against Ohio St. and had won 32 straight regular season games following a defeat coming in to that one. They followed that one up with a lackluster effort against Kansas and snuck out of there with a one-point win but the good news is that TCU is coming off a bye week so the extra time off could not have come at a better time. West Virginia is off to a perfect 5-0 start and will look to start 6-0 for the first time since 2006. This is the toughest test however and they are favored by double the points than they were in their last home game against Kansas St. West Virginia's defense will have to try and find a way to slow down TCU quarterback Kenny Hill, who has passed for 2,142 yards and 12 touchdowns and he is tied for the team lead with seven rushing touchdowns. This is a very balanced attack from the Horned Frogs that will keep the 3-3-5 defense off balanced. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams averaging 440 or more ypg, after gaining 475 or more total ypg over their last 3 games. This situation is 39-16 ATS (70.9 percent) over the last 5 seasons. Additionally, TCU is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games off a conference win by 7 points or less while West Virginia is 0-6 ATS in its last six games as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 10* (325) TCU Horned Frogs

This is a play on the TEXAS A&M AGGIES for our Saturday Enforcer. The game of the day rolls into Tuscaloosa as Texas A&M looks for the big upset on the road. The last time the Aggies came here to face a top ranked Alabama team, they walked out with a 29-24 outright victory and this game has a lot of similar feel to that one. Alabama is the clear cut no. 1 team in the country and while many think it is unbeatable, that is hardly the case. The Crimson Tide are coming off their most complete effort of the season but all that does is give us additional line value and this number has already risen 2.5 points from its opening. One big factor that Alabama could have issues with is the Texas A&M offensive line as this is the toughest one the Tide have seen this season. The Aggies have allowed just five sacks while running back Trayveon Williams is averaging 8.6 ypc and that is on 82 carries showing how dominant he has been. Backing that up is quarterback Trevor Knights and his 7.7 ypc and he has arguably the best top to bottom receivers in the country who can thrive against the weak Alabama secondary. We have two situations in our favor here. First, we play against home favorites of 10.5 to 21 points that are allowing 100 or fewer rushing ypg, after allowing 1.0 or less rushing ypc last game. This situation is 41-12 ATS (77.4 percent) since 1992. Second, we play on road underdogs after two or more consecutive losses against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages of .800 or greater. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (405) Texas A&M Aggies

It has been a very uneven season for head coach Bronco Mendenhall in his first season at Virginia but he has his team trending in the right direction. After an embarrassing home loss to Richmond of the FCS and a blowout defeat at Oregon the following week, the Cavaliers have turned things around. They are 2-2 since then and while that may not seem overly impressive, Virginia won the yardage battle in both losses so this recent record could easily be 4-0. Last week in the 14-point loss to Pittsburgh, Virginia allowed a defensive and a special team touchdown which was the ultimate difference. North Carolina is off to a 5-2 start which does include a win against FCS member James Madison and the Tar Heels have been inconsistent in the other games. They have been outgained in three of the six games against FBS opponents and there should be a letdown this week following their upset win at Miami last week. The team that best establishes its running game could see the most success in this potential shootout. Both teams rank poorly in the rushing defense category, with the Tar Heels allowing 216 ypg on the ground. This will be the 121st meeting between the two teams so the Cavaliers will be out to snap a six-game skid in the series and while it may not seem like it, they can remain in the hunt in ACC Coastal with a victory. Virginia is 6-0 ATS in its last six games as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points and is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after allowing 37 points or more last game. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a losing home record. 10* (336) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the UCF KNIGHTS for our AAC Game of the Year. We played against UCF last week and came away with a late win on Temple as the Owls drove 70 yards on four plays in just 31 seconds to score the game winning touchdown. In some cases, a devastating loss like that could carry over but that is not the case with the Knights which are now 3-3 and that record could easily be 5-1 as another one of their losses came in overtime against Maryland. Head coach Scott Frost reiterated that fact as well. "Just stick together. They've come too far to quit now. One more play here and there and this team could be 5-1. Nobody would have said we could be 5-1 when we started this thing. I don't think many people thought we could be 3-3. We're close to being a really good team. It won't be very long around here before we're winning all these games." After a 0-12 season a year ago, there will be no quit in this team. Connecticut is 3-1 at home but the wins have been pretty unimpressive and overall on the season, the Huskies have been outgained in five of their six games against FBS teams. Connecticut falls into a negative situation as we play against teams that are averaging between 3 to 3.5 ypc going up against teams allowing between 3 to 3.5 ypc, after being outrushed by 125 or more yards last game. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, under head coach Bob Diaco, Connecticut is 5-13 ATS after one or more consecutive straight up losses. 10* (359) UCF Knights

This is a play on the KANSAS JAYHAWKS for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Oklahoma St. is 4-2 on the season but has been outgained in three of its five games against FBS foes. The Cowboys were fortunate to defeat Pittsburgh at home, beat Texas despite getting outgained and most recent, are coming off a narrow win against Iowa St. at home where they had to rally from a fourth quarter deficit. This is a very underachieving team that has no business laying this type of number on the road and historically, it has been a losing proposition. Going back to 2011, in their last five games when favored by 20 or more points on the road, the Cowboys are 0-5 ATS. Kansas snapped a 15-game losing streak in its season opener as it defeated Rhode Island and even though that was against an FCS team, there was a pretty big celebration because of it. The Jayhawks came out flat in their next game and since then three of the last four games have come on the road. The only home game resulted in a one-point loss against TCU in a game they could have won if not for three missed field goals in the fourth quarter. Other than a hideous performance against Texas Tech, when the Red Raiders threw for eight touchdowns, the Jayhawks have defended the pass adequately. In the five other games combined, opponents have completed 47.9 percent of their passes. Oklahoma St. is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games versus teams averaging 120 or fewer rushing ypg. The home team has covered the last five meetings in this series including a pair of covers by Kansas as it lost both game by just 13 points combined. 10* (332) Kansas Jayhawks

Temple won a big game for us last Saturday as the Owls rallied from a 25-7 deficit to pull off the minor upset over Central Florida thanks to a late drive that resulted in the winning touchdown with just a second remaining in the game. Temple is now 4-3 on the season following arguably its best season in program history a year ago when it went 10-4 and here we are again with the Owls getting the no respect card. While the Owls have not defeated anyone of real significance either, seven-point losses against 5-1 Memphis and 4-2 Penn St. can certainly be considered quality defeats. Especially the one against the Tigers where they won the yardage battle 531-327 but allowed a defensive score and a special teams touchdown. South Florida is off to a 6-1 start but has not won a single quality game. In the Bulls five FBS wins, three conference wins have come against teams a combined 1-8 in the AAC while the other two victories have come against 1-6 Northern Illinois and 3-4 Syracuse. The lone defeat came against Florida St. and while at the time it was a quality defeat, that is not the case anymore as the Seminoles are struggling. Temple was ranked No. 21 in the nation when these teams met last season and the Owls got thumped 44-23 so there is huge revenge on the board for Friday. Temple is 6-0 ATS in its last six games against teams allowing 425 or more ypg while going 11-3 in 14 games under head coach Matt Rhule against teams averaging 31 or more ppg. 10* (310) Temple Owls

This is a play on the BOISE ST. BRONCOS for our Thursday Star Attraction. Boise St. will be out for a little payback this week following an 11-point loss at BYU last season and they are in excellent position to do so while coming through with the cover as well. At 6-0, many are saying the Broncos are struggling since they have not been dominating teams like they have in the past but at this point, wins are wins and because of some of the closer than expected games, the linesmakers have had to make adjustments. They are now favored by single digits for the first time all season and for just the second time in their last 10 regular season games going back to last season. Boise St. has won its last 16 home games as a single digit favorite going back to the 1998 season whole covering 15 of those games. The only non-cover happened to come against BYU in a 7-6 win here in 2012. The Cougars have won three straight games including a home win over Toledo, a road win over Michigan St. which is not looking nearly as good as it once did and an overtime win over Mississippi St. last Friday. That makes this a great spot to go against BYU especially considering it has lost the yardage battle in four of six games. Most of that is due to a horrible passing defense that is going to get exploited here by Brett Rypien who is ranked No. 14 in the country in passing efficiency. Going back, the Cougars are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (308) Boise St. Broncos

This is a play on the VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES for our Thursday Enforcer. We played against Virginia Tech last week and while we were not thinking the Hokies would lose outright as a 23-point underdog, we are glad they did as they are in a great this week. They were coming off a revenge win over East Carolina and were likely looking ahead to this game against Miami, which also happens to be a revenge game, so Virginia Tech clearly was not focused last week. Miami got off to a solid 4-0 start but has lost its last two games each by a possession and while the season is not yet lost, it is slipping quickly. The Hurricanes have been outgained in each of their last three games which happened to be all three conference games. The Hokies have a big edge on offense as Miami is thin on defense, and the Hurricanes might be without three key defensive linemen. Demetrius Jackson is out, Chad Thomas is listed as questionable and Gerald Willis will miss a second straight game so the Hokies tempo could wear out a thin defensive line rotation. Virginia Tech was outgained for the first time last week and while Frank Beamer was a legendary head coach, Justin Fuente is quickly proving he is one of the best young coaches in the game. Thursday night in Blacksburg is never an easy time for opponents and the Hokies have covered 21 of their last 31 Thursday games while Miami is 9-21 ATS in its last 30 games off an upset loss to a conference rival as a favorite. 10* (304) Virginia Tech Hokies

This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our Saturday Enforcer. After going 0-12 last season, Central Florida is off to a solid 3-2 start but it is a skewed record in a way. One victory came against South Carolina St. of the FCS while the win at East Carolina was fortunate even though it was by 18 points. East Carolina outgained the Knights 521-373 but was done in by five turnovers including one interception that was returned for a touchdown. Additionally, the Knights returned a kickoff for a touchdown so the bounces definitely went their way. Temple is off to a 3-3 start following the sensational 10-4 season a year ago. The Nittany Lions lost at Penn St. by a touchdown in a game they were in throughout and the most recent loss at Memphis is similar to the Knights most recent win but just the opposite. The Owls outgained Memphis 531-327 but they committed three turnovers and were just 4-15 on third down. One of the turnovers came on a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown and after getting to within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Memphis returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score. So we have a pair of misleading games going against each other and that is important because this line is based on the final scores and not the stats. Temple falls into a great situation where we play on road underdogs after outgaining their last opponent by 225 or more total yards. This situation is 143-82 ATS (63.6 percent) over the last five seasons. The Knights are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games while the Owls are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (129) Temple Owls

This is a play on the SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES/LSU TIGERS OVER for our Saturday Totals Dominator. This could be considered a contrarian totals play based on the fact that LSU has stayed under the total in each of its first five games this season and that is certainly part of it but additionally, the matchup calls for a quick paced game. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 7 in the country in total offense with 531 ypg while averaging 318.7 passing ypg and 40.2 ppg. There were reports early in the week that Southern Mississippi senior quarterback Nick Mullens was uncertain about this game but he has been upgraded to probable so the offense should not miss a beat. The Tigers might have turned a corner in the first game under interim coach Ed Orgeron with 634 yards, a school record in SEC play, in a 42-7 win over Missouri. Both defenses are ranked pretty high as Southern Mississippi is No 16 while LSU is No. 21 but The Golden Eagles have played a very easy schedule while the Tigers have played no one with a pulse on offense. Southern Mississippi defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro said the LSU offense may throw a few new wrinkles at them while offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said he figures to see a base Tigers defense. LSU is 7-0 to the over in its last seven games after outrushing opponent by 125 or more yards last game while the over is 5-2 in the Golden Eagles last seven non-conference games. 10* Over (151) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles/(152) LSU Tigers

Virginia Tech is off to a solid 4-1 start following its blowout win at North Carolina. While that 31-point victory may look good, it is a bit deceiving as that game was played in horrible weather conditions and the Hokies benefitted from four North Carolina turnovers. Virginia Tech is now ranked No. 17 in the nation and that is a partial reason this line is inflated. Syracuse fell to 2-4 on the season after a 28-9 loss at Wake Forest last week but that is another skewed game where it was played in horrible weather and despite the 19-point defeat, Syracuse was outgained by just four total yards. That was the third straight game away from home for the Orange and they are back in the Carrier Dome for the first time since September 17. They are 1-2 at home but the two losses came against 4-1 Louisville and 5-1 South Florida. While Virginia Tech can be considered an elite opponent as well, the line for this is out of control as it is the most points Syracuse has gotten at home since it faced No. 1 Clemson last season and lost by just 10 points. This is a much better Syracuse team than the record shows and while the home field is not a great one, the situation is a great one especially considering that the Hokies play this coming Thursday at home in a revenge game against Miami. The Hokies are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a losing home record while the Orange are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (128) Syracuse Orange

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our Big Ten Game of the Year. Michigan St. is having a dreadful season thus far. After coming into the preseason as the No. 12 ranked team in the AP Poll, the Spartans have fallen completely out following three straight losses. A loss to Wisconsin looks bad on the scoreboard but they actually outgained the Badgers, they lost to Indiana in overtime on the road but won the yardage battle there too and last week, it was no doubt an ugly loss. Now is the time to b ounce back and they get to do so against a poor Northwestern team with a pointspread loaded with value. The Wildcats last played two weeks ago and pulled the upset over Iowa but it is pretty clear that the Hawkeyes are not a very good team either. The only other victory came against Duke where they outgained the Blue Devils by just 10 total yards. For Michigan St., starting quarterback Tyler O'Connor was replaced late last week against BYU by Damion Terry, and both are listed as the possible starter this week along with Brian Lewerke. This is not necessarily a bad thing for the Spartans as it gives Duke all sorts of problems in who to prepare for. The Spartans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss while the Wildcats are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a ATS win. 10* (144) Michigan St. Spartans

The Broncos will face off against Akron this weekend in a battle of the top contenders in the MAC, as the Broncos hold the No. 1 spot in the MAC West and the Zips have the top spot in the MAC East. Western Michigan has won six straight games for its best start since 1941 and entered the Top 25 for the first time ever at No. 24. While this could be considered a play against situation because of that alone, this team is focused in the job at hand and will certainly not be taking the Zips lightly. Despite all of the continued success, in the weekly press conference held for the football team, head coach P.J. Fleck assured their fans that he and the rest of the Western Michigan football team are not stopping at six wins. The Broncos are ranked in the top 30 in scoring offense, total offense, scoring defense and total defense. The Broncos shouldn't have much trouble moving the ball against the, who are near the bottom of the conference in all major defensive statistical categories. Nationally, Akron is ranked No. 109 in total defense and No. 102 in scoring defense. The Zips are off to a solid 4-2 start on the season but one of those wins came against VMI of the FCS and they have been outgained in four of their five games against FBS competition. Western Michigan is 7-0 ATS in its last seven road games after scoring 42 or more points last game while the Zips are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (115) Western Michigan Broncos

Typically, we shy away from pointspreads that are as big as this one is but we have a great situation at hand with Baylor. The Jayhawks are actually coming off a great game against TCU that is feasibly should have won. Kansas won the yardage battle 470-366 but committed four turnovers and its only two touchdowns came by way of TCU turnovers. The Jayhawks missed a 54-yard field goal as time expired that would have won the game and that was the third straight possession that resulted in a missed field goal. While a win would have had us go against Kansas as well, a loss like that makes this next game that much worse. This is a very unique situation for Baylor. Not many teams get up for Kansas and while it can be said the Bears may not be getting super charged up, they are not going to look past the Jayhawks either. The close game last week is one reason but the other is that Baylor is coming off a bye and has a bye next week which is the unique situation referenced earlier. The Bears are off to a 5-0 start and are outgaining opponents by an average of 227.4 ypg and while the schedule has helped with that, Kansas is not any better than the teams they have already faced. Going back, Baylor is 17-4 ATS in its last 21 home games after gaining 525 or more total ypg over its last two games. Meanwhile, Kansas is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 road games and going back further, it has covered just seven of its last 30 road games. 10* (184) Baylor Bears

This is a play on the TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Texas Tech is coming off a loss at Kansas St. last week to fall to 3-2 on the season, both losses coming on the road. The loss to the Wildcats was one of the biggest misleading final scores from last weekend as Texas Tech outgained the Wildcats 592-335 and had 12 more first downs but went 0-3 on fourth down. The Red Raiders five touchdown drives were all 68 yards or more which inflated the yardage but they tossed an interception that was returned 35 yards for a touchdown and also gave up a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Basically, it was a game the Red Raiders should have won. Now they are catching points at home because of that misleading final score along with the fact that West Virginia comes into this game undefeated and ranked No. 20 in the most recent AP Poll. The Mountaineers have not had this good of a start since 2012 so this year is a bit of an overreaction and they will have a tough matchup here. West Virginia is No. 64 in the nation in passing defense. The Mountaineers have allowed 909 passing yards to their opponents and four of their nine touchdowns allowed have been through the air. On average, West Virginia gives up 227.3 ypg and the Red Raiders will be able to move the ball all day. This is the first true road game for the Mountaineers which are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record while Texas Tech is 15-4 ATS in its last 19 home games after gaining 575 or more total yards in its previous game. 10* (156) Texas Tech Red Raiders

BYU pulled off the upset in East Lansing last week as it defeated Michigan St. 31-14. It was a rare inflated victory as prior to that, the Cougars prior five games this season were all decided by three points or less. It was the second straight win for BYU to improve to 3-3 on the season but a much more impressive 5-1 ATS, one of only eight teams in the nation with at least five wins against the spread and that is giving us value in this inflated number. It has been a disappointing start for Mississippi St. as it is 2-3 following a home loss against Auburn last week. That was the Bulldogs worst loss of the season after the first two defeats came by a combined four points. They have dropped two straight against the number but have covered their only game this season when getting at least a touchdown. This is a game with two potent offenses that like to play fast and is a game that could go either way so the spread is definitely in our favor. Going back, the Bulldogs are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss while the Cougars are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams from the SEC. Additionally, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams that are outrushing opponents by 50 or more ypg, after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game. This situation is 41-20 ATS (67.2 percent) over the last five seasons. On top of that. Mississippi St. is 9-0 ATS in its last nine games after playing its last game at home. 10* (111) Mississippi St. Bulldogs

Appalachian St. enters this game off a pair of victories including a win over Georgia St. to open October and start the Sun Belt Conference season at 1-0. The Mountaineers have dominated this conference since they joined it as they are 14-3 since 2014 and since a 1-5 start in that 2014 season, they are 20-4 overall with three of those losses coming against Clemson, Tennessee and Miami Florida meaning they are 20-1 in their last 21 games against non-power conferences. UL-Lafayette is coming off a pair of overtime losses, both on the road but both of those were against two very poor teams in Tulane and New Mexico St. The Cajuns struggled at home to defeat McNeese St. and South Alabama and the only quality team they have faced came against Boise St. and they were blasted by 35 points. If you take a look at their rushing defense, it shows they have been very solid but again, those numbers are skewed because of the competition they have faced. Appalachian St. is averaging 213 ypg on 4.5 ypc and has won the yardage battle in four of five games, the only exception being the game against the Hurricanes. This is a big number to be laying on the road but the Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS the last two seasons as a road chalk, winning all six games outright by an average of 28.2 ppg. Additionally, we play against conference home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points with a winning percentage between .250 and .400, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 43-14 ATS (75.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (101) Appalachian St. Mountaineers

This is a play on the OREGON DUCKS for our Saturday Enforcer. We won with Washington last Friday night which sets us up for a great spot to go against the Huskies this week. They have been the talk of college football this week as they went from No. 10 to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll and are being considered as a serious threat to make the College Football Playoff. Coming off that huge win which everyone saw on national television, Washington is now a big road favorite in one of the most hostile environments in college football. Oregon has no doubt taken a step back following three straight losses. One of those losses took place in Eugene as the Ducks fell to a very improved Colorado team by just three points as a two-touchdown favorite. Now we are seeing a line shift of 23 points and there is no way it should be that big of a move. It is desperation time for Oregon and facing an opponent like that is never easy. Washington struggled in its only other road game this season as it needed overtime to defeat Arizona, a team that plays just as fast as the Ducks. Here, we play on home underdogs with a winning percentage between .400 and .499 after two or more consecutive straight up losses, playing a winning team. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Washington is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 road games off a home win by 28 points or more while Oregon is 8-0 ATS in its last eight games after allowing 475 or more total ypg in its last three games. 10* (386) Oregon Ducks

This is a play on the ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS for our Saturday Star Attraction. Alabama has not missed a beat since winning its National Championship a year ago as it is off to a perfect 5-0 start. While the Tide have pretty much dominated, one look at the schedule will tell part of the reason why. They have faced a USC team that is way down this year and the only real true test was a game at Mississippi where they won by five points and were actually outgained by 35 total yards. While Arkansas has not defeated Alabama since 2006, it has played them tough the last two years, trailing by three points heading into the fourth quarter last year and losing by just one points two years ago in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks are 4-1 with the lone loss coming on the road at Texas A&M and matchup well with the Tide once again. Arkansas is a very physical team and one that can go toe-to-toe with Alabama. Their balance on offense is also a big asset as Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen has already thrown for 1,232 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions while running back Rawleigh Williams III is second in the conference in rushing yards with 559. Since 1997, Arkansas has been a double-digit underdog at home only eight times and the Razorbacks are 6–2 ATS in those eight games. Here, we play against road favorites after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in four straight games going up against an opponent after outrushing opponent by 125 or more yards last game. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (402) Arkansas Razorbacks

This is a play on the CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS for our MAC Game of the Year. Central Michigan is coming off a pair of losses including losing big to Western Michigan last week in its MAC opener. That put s a huge amount of emphasis on this game to get into the conference win column especially with games at Northern Illinois and at Toledo on deck. The Chippewas came into the season as contenders in the MAC West and still are but now have a sense of urgency going forward. Ball St. meanwhile was picked last in the MAC West and are 0-1 in the conference after losing to then winless Northern Illinois last week. The Cardinals only lost by four points but they were outgained by 226 yards as the defense surrendered 653 yards to the Huskies. They face a big challenge this week with Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush who is the active FBS leader in passing with 10,891 career yards. Indiana's Richard Lagow, Florida Atlantic's Jason Driskel and Northern Illinois's Anthony Maddie all had big days against the Cardinals, but none of those three guys had much experience coming in. Additionally, the Chippewas have four receivers with at least 13 catches and 200 yards this season. Going back, the Chippewas are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss while Ball St. is 0-6 ATS in its last six games after being outgained by 175 or more total yards in their previous game. 10* (372) Central Michigan Chippewas

Buffalo ran into a wall last week as the offense was completely shut down at Boston College which possesses the top ranked defense in college football. Things will be better this week however as they take a big step down in competition. The Bulls were coming a very big and emotional overtime over Army the previous week so they likely got caught in a letdown against the Eagles. Many will look at the season opening loss against Albany at home but it was a game they should have won as they won the yardage battle by 165 total yards but committed four costly turnovers. Kent St. is off to a 1-4 start and has already played two teams from the FCS, beating Monmouth but losing to North Carolina A&T. A 48-0 loss at Alabama can be thrown out but even besides that, the Golden Flashes have not looked very good. Overall, they are ranked No. 112 in scoring offense and No. 96 in scoring defense and again, those are with two FCS teams in the mix. Kent St. is coming off a tough loss against Akron as it had the game won by scoring a go ahead touchdown with a minute left but allowed the Zips to go 57 yards on five plays for the game winning score and those losses are tough to get over. Buffalo has a great situation on its side as we play on home teams that are averaging between 3.5 to 4.3 ypc going up against teams averaging between 3 to 3.5 ypc, after gaining 100 or less rushing yards in two straight games. This situation is 28-4 ATS (87.5 percent) since 1992. 10* (320) Buffalo Bulls

With its win over Colorado St. last weekend, Wyoming has already surpassed its win total from all of last season and has a chance to match its win total from two years ago. The Cowboys are a very experienced team and are playing some of their best football in a very long time. That win over the Rams came after a tough road load at Eastern Michigan the previous Friday where they allowed the game winning touchdown with just 1:35 remaining. Despite a return home, they are getting double-digits which seems a little bit aggressive in this spot. Air Force is off to a 4-0 start and while it has dominated at home, it did struggle in its lone road game. The Falcons defeated Utah St. by a touchdown but were outgained by 88 yards in the process. They are coming off a big win over rival Navy and next week they play New Mexico in Dallas and they will be out for revenge there as they lost to the Lobos which set the tone for a loss in the MWC Championship and a loss in their bowl game. Air Force has won 15 straight games at home but is just 7-18 in its last 25 roadies. Here, we play against road favorites after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in four straight games going up against an opponent after outrushing opponent by 125 or more yards last game. This situation is 38-11 ATS (77.6 percent) since 1992. The underdog has covered seven of the last eight meetings in this series and we can expect that to continue. 10* 374) Wyoming Cowboys

Houston is ranked No. 6 in the nation and is making a strong case to become a team from a non-power conference to make the College Football Playoff. The Cougars have what it takes on both sides of the ball to get there and the recent speculations have turned them into a very public team and thus, overinflated lines. They were favored by eight points against Cincinnati in their first road game of the season and this line is telling us that the Bearcats are nine points better than Navy and that is far from the case as the Midshipmen are actually 22 spots ahead of Cincinnati in the power rankings. Navy is coming off a loss against a very underrated Air Force team but come in with a 2-0 record in the AAC. Granted, those wins were against teams non-comparable to Houston but this is still a very solid football team. Navy has not been a home underdog of more than two touchdowns since 2003 so it is getting very little credit in this spot based on all of the Houston hype and the Tom Herman rumors. The Midshipmen have a unique offense that is particularly tough for opponents to prepare for because it requires the opposing defense to learn new defensive sets with little time to prepare. Houston is coming off a 42-14 shellacking of Connecticut, avenging its lone loss of last season so that revenge win could cause a letdown. Navy has won 12 straight home games and it is 16-6 ATS in its last 22 games against teams who give up 17 or less ppg. 10* (356) Navy Midshipmen

This is a play on the GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. We lost a tough one with Georgia Tech last week as Miami won by two touchdowns despite getting outgained by the Yellow Jackets 361-355. Georgia Tech committed three turnovers including a pair of fumbles on consecutive drives inside its own 20-yard line that were returned for touchdowns which was the difference. After racking up an average of 30 ppg, Georgia Tech has scored just 28 points combined the last two games but those came against the No. 7 and No. 12 ranked defenses in the nation. Pittsburgh has a defense that is ranked No. 72 overall while coming in No. 91 in points allowed. The Panthers have allowed an average of 37 ppg in their four games against FBS opposition and while they won last week by 16 points, it took a late touchdown followed by a pick-six to end the game to make the margin what it was. Georgia Tech falls into a solid situation where we play on road teams coming off a home loss by 14 or more points with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 on the season. This situation is 71-33 ATS (68.3 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Georgia Tech is 15-4 ATS in 19 games under head coach Paul Johnson after a game where it forced no turnovers. 10* (325) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Clemson pulled out a big win for us last Saturday night but we will go against the Tigers Friday in a big letdown spot. The win over Louisville moved them from No. 5 to No. 3 in the latest AP Poll and put them back in the drivers seat in the ACC Atlantic. Clemson was outgained by 61 yards against the Cardinals however and while it is not that big of a deal, it does question them going forward in this situation. Clemson is definitely looking a lot better than it was after the first two games of the season but now it is laying a touchdown more here than it was laying in its last road game at Georgia Tech and Boston College is arguably better than the Yellow Jackets. The Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak and while victories over Wagner and buffalo are not overly impressive, what is impressive is how dominant they were in those wins. Now at 3-2, Boston College has already matched its win total from last season and it could easily be 4-1 right now had Georgia Tech not convert a fourth and 19 in its game winning touchdown drive. This Eagles defense is for real and going back to last season, they have allowed 20 or fewer points in 13 of 17 games and right now they are ranked No. 1 in the country in total defense and No. 16 in scoring defense. Boston College falls into a great situation where we play on home underdogs of 14.5 or more points after two or more consecutive straight up wins, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 35-9 ATS (79.5 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Clemson is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games after allowing 525 or more total yards in their previous games while under fourth-year head coach Steve Addazio, Boston College is 6-0 ATS when playing against a team with a winning percentage of .750 or better. 10* (312) Boston College Eagles

After rolling past Rice in their opener, the Hilltoppers have gone 0-4 ATS so we are getting value with them here. They are coming off a win over Houston Baptist which really in not saying much but it was an important victory in that Western Kentucky needed a bounce back victory after losing to Vanderbilt by a point in overtime prior to that. The Hilltoppers are 1-0 in the conference with that victory over Rice and going back to 2014, they are riding a 13-game Conference-USA winning streak. Louisiana Tech defeated UTEP in its last game to pick up its first conference win of the season after dropping its C-USA season opener at Middle Tennessee. It was a misleading final score however as the Miners lost by 21 points but had the total yardage advantage 415-387. UTEP had two turnovers and while those did not do any scoring damage, six of their nine drives went into Bulldogs territory, including four inside the 22-yard line but they could come up with just score. Some of that can be pinned on the Bulldogs defense but UTEP has had scoring issues all season long as it is ranked No. 125 in the nation in scoring average. The offense has been solid but the Western Kentucky has been good as well, allowing no more than 24 points in regulation besides the Alabama game. Here, we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after gaining 6.5 or more rushing ypc last game. This situation is 42-12 ATS (77.8 percent) over the last five seasons. The Bulldogs are 11-23 ATS in their last 34 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the Hilltoppers are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. 10* (307) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Two of the Sun Belt Conference favorites square off on Wednesday in what looks to be a very high scoring game. Georgia Southern is off to a 2-0 start in the conference with wins over South Alabama and UL-Monroe and both of those were very low scoring contests that stayed under the total by 24.5 points and 13 points respectively. Those came against two of the lowest scoring offenses in the country and while Arkansas St. has struggled on offense, it has gotten progressively better. The Red Wolves are 0-4 including an embarrassing loss last time out against Central Arkansas. This is their conference opener and while the offense has the ability to put up a good number of points, their defense has been real troublesome as they are allowing 36 ppg, which is ranked No. 107 in the country. Arkansas St. has struggled against the run especially and that is not a good sign against a powerful Eagles rushing attack. This is the lowest total Georgia Southern has seen this season and both teams have seen three of their four games stay under the number which sets up good value. We play the over where the total is between 49.5 and 56 involving teams that winless on the season and coming off a home loss. This situation is 46-17 (73 percent) to the over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, Arkansas St. is 8-0 to the over in its last eight games against teams average 4.75 or more ypc while under head coach Blake Anderson, the Red Wolves are 14-1 to the over against conference opponents. 10* Over (301) Georgia Southern Eagles/(302) Arkansas St. Red Wolves

This is a play on CLEMSON for our Saturday Star Attraction. After starting the season pretty slow with ho-hum wins over auburn and Troy, Clemson turned it into high gear against South Carolina St. and then last Thursday, it rolled over a very good Georgia Tech team on the road. While the victory was by just 19 points, the Tigers outgained the Yellow Jackets 442-124. Because of the slow start, Clemson fell from No. 2 in the polls to No. 5 but that will certainly change with a win here. Louisville has taken the college football world by storm as it came into the season ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and has risen all the way to No. 3 with some incredible offensive performances. In four games, the Cardinals have put up no fewer than 59 points while averaging 63.5 ppg. One of the outbursts came against Florida St. and many think that was impressive, the defense of the Seminoles is garbage this season. Clemson has a defense that could prove up to the task in slowing down Louisville. Despite losing eight starters off last year's group, coordinator Brent Venables has the Tigers' defense clicking on all cylinders once again. Clemson ranks No. 3 in the country in total defense (218.5 ypg) and No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense (11.0 ppg). Clemson has won 18 consecutive regular-season games and 18 straight home games yet comes in as the home underdog after opening as the favorite. They will use that lack of respect come Saturday. 10* (164) Clemson Tigers

Many may not know this is a rivalry game between Memphis and Mississippi known as the Mid-South Rivalry and this edition is really big for the Rebels. They are coming off a blowout win over Georgia last week following a tough loss to Alabama the previous week but there will be no chance of a letdown here this week especially with it being homecoming and the fact they have a bye next week. Memphis upset Mississippi 37–24 last season which was the first time the Tigers defeated the Rebels since 2004, and over a ranked opponent since 1996. The Tigers were expected to lay down last week against Bowling Green but instead they won by a whopping 74 points so there was clearly no lookahead. A lot of that had to with the struggles of Bowling Green which is off to a 1-3 start and has allowed 77 points on two different occasions. The other victories came against SE Missouri St. and Kansas so there has not been a good win of any sort as proven by the fact of the Tigers schedule ranking of No., 178 in the country. Conversely, Mississippi has played the No. 8 ranked slate in the nation so it comes in much better prepared which is a big reason the line is as big as it is. Mississippi is the only school in the country to face three top-15 opponents in its first four games of the season. The Rebels are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record while the Tigers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. 10* (116) Mississippi Rebels

This is a play on OKLAHOMA for our Saturday Big 12 Game of the Year. We are not even a quarter of the way into the season and Oklahoma has already matched its loss total from all of last season. The Sooners lost to Houston at the start of the season and then were beaten by Ohio St. 45-24 despite getting outgained by just002039 total yards. They are in a great spot this week however as they have had an extra week to stew over that loss to the Buckeyes and come in as a team that does not lose consecutive games. Bob Stoops came to Oklahoma back in 1999 and after a 3-0 start, he lost consecutive games to Notre Dame and Texas. Since then, he has never lost consecutive regular season games again, going a perfect 32-0 following a defeat last time out. That is pretty incredible. TCU is off to a 3-1 start, the lone defeat coming in overtime against Arkansas. The only two wins against FBS teams came against Iowa St. and SMU, not exactly elite competition. The defense has been far from the normal potent unit that TCU fans are accustomed to. The Horned Frogs are allowing 26.3 ppg and this has become a problem ever since joining the Big 12 back in 2012. As far as focus goes for the Sooners, there will be plenty of it. They won by just a point last season but have not forgotten the fact that quarterback Baker Mayfield missed the whole second half after a helmet-to-helmet hit. It has been two decades since Oklahoma started a season 1-3 or worse and we expect that streak to stay alive after Saturday. 10* (201) Oklahoma Sooners

Wake Forest is off to a 4-0 start for the first time in a decade but it is probably the most overrated 4-0 record in the country. The Demon Deacons opened the season with a snoozer, a 7-3 win over Tulane despite getting outgained by 105 yards. They then defeated a bad Duke team before routing Delaware of the FCS. Last week they defeated Indiana on the road but it was one of the most skewed finals of last weekend. Indiana outgained the Demon Deacons 611-352 but Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow threw five interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown while two others led to 10 points. Additionally, Indiana turned the ball over on downs twice inside the Wake Forest 30-yard line. NC State meanwhile is coming off its bye week knowing full well this is a must win game. The Wolfpack are off to a 2-1 start but have games against Notre Dame, Clemson and Louisville in the next three weeks so it can ill afford to look past Wake Forest. The Finley-McClendon combo under center will make things difficult for opposing defenses, especially as the schedule gets much more difficult. There is not as much on the line for Wake Forest as The Demon Deacons only need to pick up two wins in the rest of the season to become bowl eligible, and has home games against Syracuse, Army, Virginia, and Boston College. The Demon Deacons are 1-5 ATS in their last six games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game while the Wolfpack are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (190) NC State Wolfpack

We won two weeks ago with Colorado as it was able to stay within the number at Michigan. The Buffaloes followed that solid performance up with an outright victory at Oregon last week and they might still be celebrating that victory. Looking past the Beavers is quite possible especially following a revenge win last season in Corvallis and having to travel to USC next week to face the Trojans. Colorado has definitely improved and is already just one win away from its win total from all of last season but there is no way the Buffaloes should be laying this kind of chalk as this is the most they have been favored by against a team from the FBS since 2004 when they layed 20 points against North Texas. Oregon St. is off to a 1-2 with losses coming at Minnesota by just a touchdown and at Boise St. last week by two touchdowns. The Beavers covered both of those inflated spreads and they are seeing another one today. Losing 11 of their last 12 games going back to last season has a lot to do with that but like the Buffaloes, this is an improved team that will be out to snap an 11-game conference losing streak. The Buffaloes are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a losing road record while going 5-15 ATS in their last 20 games as favorites and none of those FBS spreads were even close to what they are putting down here. 10* (187) Oregon St. Beavers

This is a play on GEORGIA TECH for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. We lost with Georgia Tech last Thursday night as it was completely dominated by Clemson which was a bit of a surprise considering how well the Yellow Jackets were playing coming into that game. The Tigers brought their A game for the first time this season and unfortunately it came against Georgia Tech. that line closed at 10.5 so is Miami just three points worse than Clemson? I do not believe so. The Hurricanes are off to a 3-0 start and while they have been impressive in blowing out all three opponents to move up to No. 14 in the polls, the ease of the schedule has had a lot to do with it. They have played the 174th ranked schedule in the nation which is the easiest schedule of all teams ranked No. 30 or better. This is by far the biggest challenge of the season for Miami and a bigger challenge may be staying focused here with Florida St. on tap for next week, a team the Hurricanes have lost six straight meetings against. The Yellow Jackets, who were held to just 124 yards last week against the Tigers, pose a different kind of challenge with their unique triple-option offense that relies on misdirection and the young Miami front seven will have troubles. The home team has won the last three meetings the last three years with relative ease and the outright victory here is more than possible. Georgia Tech has covered 13 of its last 19 games after scoring fewer than 20 points in its last game. 10* (158) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Pac 12 looks like it is going to be wide open this season and the two frontrunners in the North Division square off on Friday night in Seattle. While Stanford is getting most of the accolades thanks to victories over USC and UCLA to open 2-0 in the conference, Washington is feeling quite a bit underappreciated here. The Huskies are off to a 4-0 start and while the schedule has not been overly tough, that is helping with the number here. Exceptional teams take care of business and Washington has done just that as it has outgained all four opponents by an average of 124.5 ypg. Conversely, Stanford has outgained its three opponents by only 13 yards combined and while the schedule can be to blame, it only gets tougher here. The passing game has been an issue for the Cardinal all season on both sides of the ball and it only gets worse here. Jake Browning had a great season as a true freshman for Washington and he has been nearly unstoppable this season thus far, passing for 904 yards at a 70.5 percent completion clip while tossing 14 touchdowns and just two picks. The Stanford passing defense has done a good job however it will be missing both starting cornerbacks, Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder, as they were hurt last week against UCLA. That is a huge disadvantage against the speed of the Huskies. This is the first top ten matchup that Washington has played since 1997 so this home game is going to be crazy and will be an atmosphere that Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns has yet to see. This is the best defense Washington has had in years and will no doubt be up to the challenge of containing Christian McCaffrey after he gashed them for 300 all-purpose yards last season. 10* (110) Washington Huskies

This is a play on ARIZONA ST. for our Pac 12 Game of the Year. Arizona St. spotted UTSA a 28-15 lead last Friday night before scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. It was a misleading final score however as the Sun Devils outgained the Roadrunners by 147 total yards but lost the turnover battle 3-0 which made the game closer than it probably should have been. Nonetheless, they are 3-0 heading into conference action and continue to fly under the radar and that suits them just fine. California is off to a 2-1 start following an upset win at home last Saturday against Texas. This is another misleading final however as the Bears were outgained by 61 total yards but benefitted from two Texas turnovers that led to 14 points. Their defense was horrid once again as they allowed 568 total yards including 307 yards on the ground. Overall, California is ranked No. 118 in total defense and No. 126 in rushing defense and will face a Sun Devils offense that is No. 18 and No. 16 respectively in those categories offensively. There is revenge involved here as well as Arizona St. lost in the final seconds in Berkley which gave them a losing Pac 12 record for the first time since 2011. Arizona St. is 20-4 in its last 24 home games with three of those losses coming against ranked teams and the other coming in triple overtime. 10* (402) Arizona St. Sun Devils

This is a play on MARSHALL for our Saturday Enforcer. Louisville is coming off one of the greatest wins in program history as it absolutely annihilated then No. 2 ranked Florida St. by a score of 63-20. It was the third straight game to open the season that the Cardinals have scored at least 62 points but if there ever was a spot to go against a juggernaut like them, this is it. There will surely be a letdown following that victory but adding to the possibility of a sleepwalk is the fact Louisville travels to Clemson next week for another massive game. Clearly this is a public team now and the linesmakers have needed to make adjustments and it is much too big of one in this case. Adding to the size of the number is the fact that Marshall is coming off a 65-38 loss to Akron at home. This could be the most deceiving final score of last weekend however as the Thundering Herd won the yardage battle by 36 yards but in the second quarter Akron had a fumble return for a touchdown, a blocked punt return for a touchdown and an interception in the redzone that led to another touchdown. Additionally, they had an interception return for a touchdown to close out the game. Marshall was -3 in turnover margin and not many teams can win by doing that. A repeat of that here spells disaster but the thinking is that the Thundering Herd right the ship. Remember, this is a team that is going to contend for the C-USA Championship. 10* (352) Marshall Thundering Herd

We played on Bowling Green last Saturday and got a bit unlucky as the game ended up being played in a monsoon and turnover were the difference as the Falcons committed four in total which led to 21 Middle Tennessee points. Bowling Green was outgained by only three yards and had a 24-20 first down advantage. This is another one of those games which proves looking at just the score does no good and can be very misleading. The Falcons are expected to contend in the MAC East and while conference action starts next week, it comes against lowly Eastern Michigan so there is no chance of a lookahead. The same cannot be said for Memphis which travels to Mississippi to face the hated Rebels in the Mid-South Rivalry. The Tigers are 2-0 as they have already had their bye week but it can be argued that they have had three bye weeks as the first two games have come against SE. Missouri St. and Kansas. Last week, they outgained Kansas by just 80 yards as they were able to win the turnover battle 6-0 as the Jayhawks turned it over four times in Memphis territory. Memphis is still an unknown but is expected to take a drop back after losing quarterback Paxton Lynch and head coach Justin Fuente to Virginia Tech. Bowling Green is 12-2 ATS in its last 14 games after three or more consecutive losses against the spread while Memphis is 5-21 ATS in its last 26 games after scoring 42 points or more last game. 10* (385) Bowling Green Falcons

A pair of undefeated teams square off in Kalamazoo and we will be grabbing the generous number here. Georgia Southern is coming off a poor effort last week at home against UL-Monroe as it won but by just two points as it had to rally from a 14-0 first quarter deficit. Still, the rushing game was once again dominant and on the season, the Eagles are averaging 356.3 ypg on the ground which is close to what it averaged last season when it went 9-4 and won its first ever bowl game and that was also against a team from the MAC. Western Michigan is 3-0 following a big road win at Illinois last week, its second win over a Big Ten team this season which is pretty impressive for sure. But they have come against two of the worst teams in the conference so we are not overly impressed. While the Broncos will be out for some payback from the loss in Statesboro last season, this is not the ideal situation. Still celebrating the win from last week and heading on the road next week to face rival Central Michigan puts Western Michigan in a very tough sandwich spot. Additionally, we play against home favorites after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game going up against an opponent after outrushing opponent by 200 or more yards last game. This situation is 35-8 ATS (81.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (341) Georgia Southern Eagles

It has been a tough start to the season for Rice as it has dropped its first three games but those came against teams that are a combined 8-1. The Owls were able to stay within the number last week against Baylor and they should have no issues this week in getting their first victory. There is definitely value in this line as they went to North Texas last season and won by two touchdowns and were favored by the same amount that they are favored by at home this year. North Texas is 1-2 with the lone victory coming against Bethune Cookman of the FCS. The Mean Green were shutout at Florida last week while gaining just 53 yards of offense and while we are not making a comparison between the Gators and Owls, it shows what little talent North Texas has. It went 1-11 last season and is still in rebuilding mode as witnessed by a 13-point home opening loss against a pretty poor SMU team. This is the first time Rice has been favored this season and it is a role they have had great success in as the Owls are 10-2 in its last 12 games when laying points. Meanwhile, North Texas has lost 14 consecutive road games, covering just three of those in the process. This includes a 0-4 ATS mark when getting single digits, losing those games by an average of 19.5 ppg. This is a must win game for the Owls which travel to Southern Mississippi next week. 10* (338) Rice Owls

This is a play on FLORIDA for our Saturday Star Attraction. We were high on Tennessee coming into the season and we played on the Volunteers in their first game but did not come close to covering as they needed overtime to defeat Appalachian St. they then defeated Virginia Tech by 21 points but the Hokies lost five fumbles and actually won the yardage battle by 70 yards. Last week, it was another average outing as they beat Ohio by just nine points so clearly there is something not right with this team so laying anything close to a touchdown against a quality opponent is overaggressive. The talent is there for this team to make a serious run but the same can be said on the other side. Florida is also 3-0 and while it has not played a tough slate, the Gators have absolutely dominated as they lead the country in total defense and scoring defense. It is no fluke as the stop unit was expected to be the strength of the team. On the other side, we are aware that quarterback Luke Del Rio is out but Austin Appleby is not a dropoff at all. He is a graduate transfer from Purdue where he started for two seasons and while there was no success, it is Purdue we are talking about. He comes in with a ton of confidence to lead this offense. Obviously, revenge comes into play here as Tennessee has lost the last 11 meetings in this series but winning and covering are two different things. This is a toss-up that can go either way so we will grab the generous points. 10* (383) Florida Gators

This is a play on SYRACUSE for our Afternoon Dominator. It has been a rough start for Syracuse but the schedule has had a lot to do with that. The Orange got crushed by Louisville two weeks ago and last week they were beaten badly at home once again by USF. Despite the loss by 25 points, Syracuse played much better than that score shows as it outgained the Bulls by 95 yards, controlled more than 16 minutes of the clock and had 10 more first downs. The Orange struggled on third and fourth down and lost the turnover battle 3-0 while USF completed four scoring drives in less than two minutes apiece and scored another touchdown on a punt return. Connecticut had the exact opposite type of game as it defeated Virginia 13-10 last week despite being outgained 381-277. A Cavaliers interception late in the fourth quarter set Connecticut up for the game-winning field goal and Virginia actually had a chance to tie the game but missed a 20-yard field goal as time expired. Those results have inflated this line and any chalk for the Huskies is not good as they are 0-13-1 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite and under head coach Bob Diaco, they are 0-7 ATS against teams allowing 3 or more ppg. Additionally, we play on road teams where the line is that are averaging 440 or more ypg going up against teams averaging between 330 to 390 ypg. This situation is 33-8 ATS (80.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (321) Syracuse Orange

We played on Wyoming in Week One as it defeated Northern Illinois in overtime and while the victory may seem that good anymore considering the Huskies are now 0-3, the Cowboys are a solid team that can make some noise this season. Wyoming had a miserable season last year as it went just 2-10 but there is optimism this year as the Cowboys welcome back 17 starters. The offense struggled last season but was extremely young and there are nine returnees on that unit and we have seen a dramatic improvement so far. Eastern Michigan is 2-1 for the first time since 2011 but it is a very unimpressive 2-1. An opening win over Mississippi Valley St. was far from strong and a win at Charlotte last week was misleading as the Eagles won the yardage battle by just 11 total yards against one of the worst teams in the FBS. The points may look tempting considering Wyoming has struggled mightily away from home the last few years but looking at the road schedule the last three plus years shows an absolutely brutal slate as the lone non-conference loss to a non-power team was at Texas St. and the Bobcats went 6-6 that season. Because of so many starters back for the Cowboys there are a lot of memories from last year when Eastern Michigan went into Laramie and rolled over the Cowboys by 19 points. The Cowboys fall into an excellent situation where we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after outrushing its opponent by 200 or more yards last game. This situation is 38-12 ATS (76 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, Eastern Michigan is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games after a win by 17 or more points while going 5-17 ATS in its last 22 games after scoring 37 points or more last game. 10* (307) Wyoming Cowboys

Clemson is a big road favorite for obvious reasons despite the fact it has fallen from No. 2 to No. 5 in the AP Poll as the linesmakers know what the public likes and does not like. The Tigers were a few points away from the National Championship last season and came in with high expectations so while despite some early season struggles, the public still loves them. This is not a clear fade the public play however as the feeling is that not only is Clemson overvalued but Georgia Tech comes in very undervalued with a lot of that based on last season as well. The Yellow Jackets went 3-9 including a 1-7 record in the ACC and after a 2-0 start, they were unable to get anything going. Six of its nine losses were by one possession so the Yellow Jackets were closer to having a good season than the record shows. Georgia Tech returned its quarterback, top three running backs and top two receivers so after slipping in offense last season, a rebound was expected and we have seen just that. Georgia Tech is hoping the primetime setting Thursday will rekindle the sort of atmosphere that helped produce the only highlight a season ago when it defeated Florida St. Clemson surely cannot slip up here if it wants to continue its National Championship run but the sudden resurgence of Louisville has opened the Tigers eyes and with a home game against the Cardinals on deck, looking ahead to that game would not be surprising. Going back, the Tigers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 conference games while the Yellow Jackets are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. 10* (304) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This is a play on USC for our Saturday Star Attraction. USC came into the season ranked in the AP Top 20 but quickly fell out after an embarrassing 52-6 loss to Alabama opening weekend. It was hard to gauge whether the Trojans were that bad or if Alabama is that good and we are leaning toward the latter after USC bounced back last week with a 38-point win over a very good Utah St. team. Despite the bombing against the Tide, the Trojans are still contenders in the Pac 12 South and the title run begins with a big one. Stanford opened its season with a win over Kansas St. and got a fortunate scheduling break prior to conference action as it had its bye weeks last week. However, that can go against the Cardinal here as playing more than one game heading into this one would have been beneficial especially given the fact they did not play that well against the Wildcats. They managed just 272 yards of offense while allowing 335 yards on the other side and USC has the talent on both sides to take advantage. The loss of four-year starting quarterback Kevin Hogan is huge for Stanford as running back Christian McCaffrey cannot do it all against a defense this good. USC lost both meetings to Stanford last season, once in the Pac 12 opener and the other in the Pac 12 Championship so revenge comes into play here despite this being played on the road. The Trojans fall into a great situation where we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in the first month of the season, bowl team from prior season who lost their last two games. This situation is 32-9 ATS (78 percent) since 1992. 10* (203) USC Trojans

This is a play on KENTUCKY for our Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We played against Kentucky last Saturday and it paid off nicely as Florida thumped the Wildcats 45-7 while winning the yardage battle by 415 yards. Kentucky has now been outscored 79-7 since taking an early 35-10 lead over Southern Mississippi so we must seem crazy backing them here but the situation could not be any better. Based on the size of the line, Kentucky should have no issues on Saturday and we agree as this is a game the Wildcats should be able to name the score while getting ready for their second SEC game next week against South Carolina. While Kentucky will be prime for a turnaround, New Mexico St. is still celebrating its win over rival New Mexico, snapping a four-game losing streak in the Rio Grande Rivalry. It needs to be noted however that the Aggies were outgained in the game where they were 11-point home underdogs and now are not that much bigger of an underdog on the road against a team from the SEC. They are 3-21 on the road since 2012 which includes a loss in their only road games this season at UTEP by 16 points and despite a poor start to the season, Kentucky is a lot better team than the Miners. New Mexico St. is 0-19 all-time against the SEC and while can be considering a meaning less stat, it does show how much lower in class this program has been for years. Kentucky is 24-9 ATS in its last 33 games when it rushes for 200 or more yards and should be no problem here while New Mexico St. is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 games after a win by three or less points. 10* (160) Kentucky Wildcats

The public helps dictate lines and that is certainly the case here as Michigan has turned into a big pubic darling. Granted, the Wolverines have covered both of their games but they came against Hawaii, which was making a return trip from Australia and UCF, a very poor team from the AAC. Michigan is now ranked No. 5 in the country and actually received one first place vote so the lines have to adjusted because of that as well. This is no doubt an excellent team but they take a big step up in competition here. Colorado is taking a big step up as well as it has also played a weak schedule but this is its best start as far as wins and point differential through two games since 1998. The Buffaloes went just 4-9 last season but of those nine losses, five came by just one possession so they were very more competitive than the record shows. That is important because they have 18 starters back from that team and while many picked them to finish last in the Pac 12 South, they could very well be a sleeper team and pull some surprises. Beating bad teams is what good teams do, and that is exactly what the Buffaloes have done through two weeks. While an upset here is unlikely, Colorado has the athletes to keep it well within range of the overinflated spread. Here, we play on road teams that are allowing 200 or fewer total ypg over their last two games, with an experienced quarterback going up against an opponent with inexperienced quarterback. This situation is 44-16 ATS (73.3 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Michigan is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games after scoring 37 points or more in two straight games. 10* (127) Colorado Buffaloes

This is a play on NORTHERN ILLINOIS for our NCAAF Non-Conference Game of the Year. We played against the Huskies opening week as they lost in overtime at Wyoming as a touchdown favorite. We nearly pulled the trigger on them last week at South Florida in a bounce back spot and it is a good thing we did not as they were beaten badly by 31 points. Now comes the ultimate bounce back spot as Northern Illinois is 0-2 and head back to DeKalb for its home opener and because of the early results, it is getting no respect. The Huskies have not been a double-digit home underdog since 1998 when it ended up going 2-9 on the season. The poor start is part of the reason for the line as is the fact San Diego St. has been unbeatable for a while now. After opening the season 1-3 last year, the Aztecs went on to win their final 10 games and have opened 2-0 this year with wins over New Hampshire and California. The 12-game winning streak is second only to Alabama which has won 14 straight games. The win over the Golden Bears was quite a bit deceiving however as San Diego St. was outgained by 141 total yards but benefitted from four California turnovers, returning one interception for a touchdown while also returning a kickoff 100 yards for another score. The Aztecs are just 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games while northern Illinois has covered six straight games coming off a game where it committed no turnovers. 10* (152) Northern Illinois Huskies

Oklahoma St. got a horrible break last week after the referees, who were from the MAC by the way, gave Central Michigan an untimed down after an intentional grounding penalty and the Chippewas turned that into a game-winning Hail Mary. The Cowboys were ranked No. 17 heading into the game and fell out of the rankings for obvious reasons but the fact of the matter is that they never should have been in the situation of being able to lose on a Hail Mary even though Central Michigan is a very solid team. Nonetheless, that loss will have them seething and Pittsburgh is coming to Stillwater at the worst possible time. The Panthers struggled to put away Villanova in their season opener and were fortunate to hold off Penn St. last week. That was a big game as those teams do not like each other despite that game being the first meeting since 2000. The Panthers are expected to contend in the ACC Coastal Division but that is an extremely weak division so it is not really saying much. They open conference play next week at North Carolina so there could very well be some lookahead to that game. Pittsburgh has one of the best running backs in the country in James Connor and a solid offensive line but the quarterback situation is dicey and it will be optimal for the Cowboys to stack the box and force Pittsburgh to make big throws which seems unlikely it can do. We play against teams after closing out last season with two or more straight losses going up against an opponent in the first month of the season, bowl team from prior season who lost their last three games. This situation is 26-5 ATS (83.9 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (174) Oklahoma St. Cowboys

This one is pretty straight forward and while it is a smaller public play, it is worth taking the side as Alabama has the ability to roll here. The Time crushed USC in their opener and then did a number on a good Western Kentucky team last week as they outgained the Hilltoppers by 236 total yards. Now they hit the highway for their first true road game of the season but this is not just any road game. Alabama has lost two regular season games the last two years and both of those came against Mississippi, both coming by six points. They will be out to avenge those losses in a tough environment nut remember Alabama is 19-2 in its last 21 road games so this team is not scared of any environment. The Rebels blew a big lead against Florida St. in their first game and had a pretty uneven effort against Wofford of the FCS last week and while that can be attributed to a lookahead to this one, they should have still had a better effort. Mississippi is no longer going to be sneaking up on anyone and that includes the linesmakers which have been behind the curveball the last few years. The Rebels have the best quarterback in the SEC with Chad Kelly, Alabama arguably has its best defense in years and has not forgotten that Kelly lit them up for 341 yards last season. Alabama falls into a simple yet very effective situation where we play on favorites of 10.5 to 21 points that had a winning percentage of .800 or greater last season, after one or more consecutive straight up wins. This situation is 24-4 ATS (85.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (193) Alabama Crimson Tide

This is a play on BOWLING GREEN for our Saturday Afternoon Dominator. After going 10-4 last season and winning the MAC Championship, Bowling Green has not gotten off to a great start. The Falcons were absolutely destroyed at Ohio St. in their opener while escaping with a one-point win over North Dakota last week thanks to a missed two-point conversion in the final seconds. However, these results are giving the Falcons enormous value and this is still a very talented team that is again expected to contend for the title in the MAC. The good news on offense is RB Fred Coppet, WR Ronnie Moore, and C Tim McAuliffe, who were injured against North Dakota, practiced Wednesday and are probable for the game Saturday. Middle Tennessee will be a big factor in C-USA this season but placing it in the role of a road favorite is pretty aggressive. After annihilating Alabama A&M in their opener, the Blue Raiders brought little to the table against Vanderbilt, allowing 47 points to the Commodores, the most points they have scored since putting up the same amount against Austin Peay of the FCS last season. That lack of defense will be big for the Falcons to get their offense rolling. This line opened at -3.5 and has shot up three points, further adding to the value. Here we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that were an excellent passing team from last season with a completion percentage of 62 percent or better, in non-conference games. This situation is 28-4 ATS (87.5 percent) since 1992. Additionally, Bowling Green is 15-1 in its last 16 games after two consecutive games with a turnover margin of -1 or worse. 10* (132) Bowling Green Falcons