Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Bears are back home following a scare in Arizona as they rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win 16-14. The defense was the story once again as they allowed 221 total yards and are now ranked No. 5 in total defense and No. 8 in scoring defense. The unit is second in the NFL in takeaways with eight and as we saw last Monday, Tampa Bay is prone to give it up and overall, the Buccaneers are ranked No. 25 in giveaways. The Buccaneers offense has been one of the big stories in the NFL but they have yet to face a defense like this and Chicago can take a script from Pittsburgh from last Monday night. In the first two games of the season, the Tampa Bay offense did not face a lot of pressure and it took advantage of that but last week, the Steelers applied a ton of pressure from their defensive front and some blitz packages. As great as Ryan Fitzpatrick has been, he looked flustered when he was under pressure and this Sunday will be even worse for him. This has been a horrible spot throughout his career as he has just one win in 18 tried coming off a loss when facing an above .500 team coming off a win. Chicago has a glaring weakness on offense and that is the passing game. Mitch Trubisky is ranked No. 26 in Total QBR but he gets a big break this week as he squares off against the worst passing defense in the NFL as Tampa Bay is allowing 363 ypg through the air. Facing Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger will do that but there are issues nonetheless and they are relying heavily on three rookies. This is the fourth game in the new system for the offense and we will continue to see improvements and this is the perfect week to get it jumpstarted. Head coach Matt Nagy said they will scale it back some but that does not mean it will be going vanilla. Going back, the Bears are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 home games. 10* (264) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our Sunday NFL Enforcer. The Colts are off to a 1-2 start following a loss in Philadelphia last week and come in as a slight favorite back home. While the Colts have looked like an improved team, especially on the defensive side of the ball, there are still concerns entering the Week Four matchup on Sunday. Andrew Luck has shown signs of his former self but he is still not 100 percent back and there are fears his shoulder is far from 100 percent after Jacoby Brissett was brought in last week to throw the ball for the 50-yard hail mary. Luck is ranked No. 13 in Total QBR. It does not help that the running game is non-existent as the Colts are averaging a mere 82.3 ypg which is No. 29 in the NFL. The Texans defense has not lived up to the hype yet this season as they are ranked No. 17 but J.J. Watt looks to be back into the groove and the rushing defense has been solid mainly because they have not allowed big plays. The passing defense has been solid as the Texans are ranked No. 12 and the Indianapolis offensive line is below average and it will be missing some pieces this week. According to Pro Football Focus, the Colts line is ranked No. 22 and the tackles have been the weakness, allowing 31 pressures through three games. The explosive Houston offense that appeared when Deshawn Watson entered the lineup last season has not been great but they are way above average and have the playmakers to compliment Watson. Houston is ranked No. 8 in total offense and Watson has thrown for 300 yards in back-to-back games, the first time a Houston quarterback has done that since 2012. That is hard to ignore as it the fact the Colts are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 71.2 percent of their passes. Here, we play on road teams averaging 265 passing ypg and allowing 7.0 or more passing ypa in two straight games going up teams allowing 230-265 ypg passing. This situation is 29-6 ATS (82.9 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (253) Houston Texans

This is a play on the VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES for our ACC Game of the Year. Virginia Tech is coming off the worst loss of the young season as it lost at Old Dominion by allowing 28 fourth quarter points The Hokies were undefeated and favored by 27.5 points while they ended up allowing 632 total yards. How bad is that? That was the most yards allowed ever under defensive coordinator Bud Foster. To say they will be better this week is quite obvious but the thinking is that it will be considerably better as this week of practice has been extremely intense. With quarterback Josh Jackson sidelined for essentially the rest of the season with a broken fibula, the reigns to the offense have been turned over to backup quarterback Ryan Willis. This is not as bad as it may sound. His athleticism might be more beneficial to the offense as his size, speed, and fluidity with how he moves can help both the zone read and the passing game. He looked good coming in last week and now has had a week to practice with the ones. Duke is off to a perfect 4-0 start but it is somewhat skewed. The Blue Devils predictably destroyed North Carolina Central last week but in their first three wins over Army, Northwestern and Baylor, they were a combined -63 in yardage differential as Army was the only team they outgained. This is the first true test for Duke without quarterback Daniel Jones and All ACC cornerback Mark Gilbert. Surprisingly the Blue Devils have yet to throw an interception in 110 passes through four games and have lost just two fumbles so this will not last. Virginia Tech thrives on forcing turnovers, leading the ACC with a turnover margin of plus 1.67 and it will be more motivated this week than any other week this season looking to get back on track and prove last week was just a fluke. Here, we play on road underdogs that are averaging 230 or more rushing ypg after gaining 6.0. or more rushing ypc last game. Going up against a team averaging between 190 and 230 rushing ypg. This situation is 25-5 (83.3 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (133) Virginia Tech Hokies

This is a play on the NEW MEXICO LOBOS for our MWC Game of the Month. Liberty flamed out for us last Saturday, pun intended, as they were soundly defeated at home against North Texas. The Mean Green dominated from start to finish as they scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and after Liberty cut it to seven points, the Flames crossed midfield only two more times in their next eight possessions. Liberty did get inside the Mean Green 15-yard line twice but tossed an interception and missed a field goal. North Texas racked up 532 yards of offense including 346 yards rushing on 47 carries (7.4 ypc). Now they hit the road as a short underdog and they were soundly defeated in their only road game at Army. New Mexico is off to a 2-1 start with the lone loss coming at Wisconsin which was undoubtedly expected. After a pair of bowl games in 2015 and 2016, the Lobos struggled last season with a 3-9 record as they only returned three starters. One thing to note though is that three of those losses were by three points or less so they were more competitive than the record showed and they have a lot more experience back this season. New Mexico quarterback Tevaka Tuioti got hurt in that Wisconsin game early and missed the New Mexico St. game but is back this week which happens to come after a bye week to give him even more time to get healthy. Tuioti, who has thrown for 382 yards and five touchdowns with one interception on 18-of-29 passing, is a duel-threat that won the job with his athleticism. The running game showed positive signs against the Aggies as redshirt senior running back Tyrone Owens rushed for a game-high 110 yards and a touchdown, while junior running back Ahmari Davis had four rushing touchdowns on 74 yards. Here, we play against teams that are averaging between 4.3 and 4.8 ypc going up against teams averaging between 3.5 and 4.3 ypc, after allowing 225 or more rushing yards in two straight games. This situation is 24-4 ATS (85.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (168) New Mexico Lobos

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our CFB Friday Game of the Month. Coming into the season, I expected Tulane to be one of the most improved teams in the country and while it sits at 1-3, that can still happen. Last season, Tulane was three points away from its first bowl game since 2013 as it lost the regular season finale by a field goal to SMU when the Mustangs scored a touchdown with two minutes left. That gave the Green Wave plenty of motivation in the offseason and they will need to finish games better than they did a year ago, when they dropped four games by six or fewer points. Two of three losses have come by a touchdown or less and one of those in overtime and while the other loss was by 43 points, it was against Ohio St. Memphis is off to a 3-1 start with the three blowout victories coming against garbage teams and the one loss coming against Navy, which is not very good either. Memphis went 10-3 last season and because of the high powered offense, they are huge road favorites which is way too big of an adjustment. The Tigers have played a schedule ranked No. 167 in the nation so they have yet to be tested and while their offense is very solid, their defense is not. They could not put away South Alabama last week as they allowed 467 total yards and they were fortunate that the Jaguars fumbled the ball twice, both inside the Memphis 15-yard line so the game could have been even closer. This is the breakout game that is needed for the Tulane offense. Quarterback Jonathan Banks will start at quarterback again as he continues to look for the form he exhibited at the end of 2017. He ranks eighth in the American Athletic Conference in passing efficiency, completing 49.5 percent of his passes for 792 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. He also has lost three fumbles and been sacked 14 times. The contrarian situation here is to play against road favorites of 10.5 to 21 points that are outgaining their opponents by 125 or more ypg, after gaining 525 or more total ypg over their last two games. This situation is 46-14 ATS (76.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (106) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the MINNESOTA VIKINGS for our NFL Thursday Game of the Month. This is a huge game for the Vikings as they are 1-1-1 and while it is still early, not picking up a win in three straight games and having to travel to Philadelphia for their next game would put them in a tough spot. The Rams are off to a 3-0 start and they have the edge here based on the short week and travel and while the first three Thursday night games have been won and covered by the home team, we see that switching up this week, at least the cover part. This line is inflated due to recency bias and because the home team has dominated there nights. Taking nothing away from the Rams as this team is extremely talented but while they have outscored opponents 102-36, they have not exactly played a brutal schedule. Their opponents, Oakland, Arizona and the Los Angeles Chargers, are 1-8 overall. The Vikings will look to bounce back after the ugly 27-6 home loss to Buffalo. Minnesota, a 17-point favorite, fell behind 27-0 at halftime. While many consider the Rams to have the best roster in the NFL, Minnesota is not far behind from top to bottom. Last week was brutal and can be chalked up as an aberration. In the loss to Buffalo, Pro Football Focus reported that the Vikings offensive line surrendered 29 pressures (two sacks, three hits and 24 hurries), the highest total of any team in Week Three so it is pretty clear Minnesota came in complexly unfocused. While this is a tough travel spot for the Vikings, they have done a good job to accommodate. They left Tuesday evening following practice, a day earlier than they usually fly to road games, to try to better acclimate themselves to the two-hour time change. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins ranks second in the NFL with 965 passing yards. In September games since the start of 2017, he has thrown for 1,749 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, totaling a 101.5 passer rating. 10* (101) Minnesota Vikings

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. In trying to get as much information for this game, it has been announced by North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora that Nathan Elliott will get the start at quarterback for the Tar Heels over Chazz Surratt, who is back following a three-game suspension. Elliott has struggled as he has passed for 670 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions through the first three games. He did have a solid game last week against Pittsburgh but he is taking a massive step up in the opposing defense here. Pressuring the quarterback is something Miami does extremely well and the North Carolina quarterbacks could be in for a very long night. Through the first four games, Miami has 46 tackles for loss to lead the nation. They had 111 in 2017 and are on pace for 138 this season. If Miami gets out to an early lead as they should as a prohibitive favorite at home, that will set up the Hurricanes pass rushers nicely. On the other side, Miami coach Mark Richt declined to say which quarterback would start on Thursday. Malik Rosier opened the season as the starter and he struggled through the first three games so freshman N'Kosi Perry got the nod last week against FIU and he was very solid so likely will see both quarterbacks again here as well. It is not all about the quarterback for the Hurricanes and we should see a healthy dose of the ground game which can flourish in this matchup. Over the last two games, North Carolina has allowed 224.0 rushing ypg as East Carolina ran for 220 yards, while Pittsburgh ran for 228 yards. Miami is averaging 209.5 ypg on the ground. The Hurricanes have won the yardage battle in each game this season, even in the loss to LSU, and they are outgaining opponents by 225.5 ypg. The Hurricanes are 21-5 ATS in their last 26 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game. 10* (104) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. Coming into this game, many would have thought these records would have been reversed with Pittsburgh being undefeated and Tampa Bay being winless. Instead, the Steelers are winless and are in dire need of a victory before their Sunday night showdown against the Ravens and we feel they step it up big time on the road. Despite not picking up a victory, Pittsburgh has outgained both opponents and it can take advantage of a very soft defense tonight. One thing working in their favor is that the game will be played in prime time as the Steelers have won their past 10 prime time games, including their last five on the road. Line movement has been working in their favor as well as the Steelers got as high as three-point favorites in some spots, but they are now either an underdog or a pickem across the board. Those type of line movements are often a market overreaction to recent history and that is usually the case when they occur in primetime games. Tampa Bay is off to a surprising 2-0 start behind the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick and an offense that leads the NFL in total yardage and scoring offense. The problem is the defense as Tampa Bay is No. 31 in yards allowed and No. 29 in yppl and making matters worse, the Buccaneers will be without Vita Vea and Beau Allen, which are two significant injuries along the defensive line. The Steelers defense got lit up last week as they tried to disguise things while trying to matchup against the Chiefs pre-snap motion but they will keep in less complicated this week. Pittsburgh gets cornerback Joe Haden back tonight which is a huge lift for the secondary. Here, we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 after allowing 99 or fewer rushing yards in two straight games going up against an opponent after gaining 50 or fewer rushing yards last game. This situation is 28-8 ATS (77.8 percent) since 1983. 10* (489) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS for our NFL Game of the Month. We played against Carolina last week as it lost in Atlanta but we will be backing the Panthers as they head back home in a favorable contrarian matchup. Their first home game resulted in an eight-point win over the Cowboys as the defense dominated for three and a half quarters. Carolina had a streak of 21 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher snapped against the Falcons when Tevin Coleman ran for 107 yards, but the Panthers catch a break this week as Joe Mixon is out with a knee injury so Cincinnati has to turn to Giovani Bernard who has only three 100-yard rushing games in his career. Offensively for Carolina, the key will be not be Cam Newton but Christian McCaffrey. His strength goes against a Cincinnati weakness as while he is a talented rusher, what sets him apart is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make people miss in space and the Bengals linebackers are not good in pass coverage. Cincinnati has been among the early-season surprises in the NFL, winning their first two games by identical 34-23 scores. The Bengals are ranked third in scoring but just No. 18 in total offense so that offense may not be as good as one may think. They have benefitted from a defensive touchdown and despite the 2-0 record, they have been outgained in both games. The defense is tied for No. 27 in total defense so of the seven 2-0 teams, this could be the biggest fraud. Carolina is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 home games over seven years after allowing 6.5 or more yppl in their previous game while going 5-0 ATS in its last five games after allowing more than 30 points in its previous game. 10* (464) Carolina Panthers

This is a play on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. Taking nothing away from what the Chiefs have done to start the season but the overreactions are hitting hard and that brings value to the other side. More than 70 percent of bets are on Kansas City, which enters Week Three as the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Quarterback Pat Mahomes looks like he could be the real thing and everybody is loving this team right now with their impressive wins the Chargers and Steelers. But there is more to it than that and not in a good way. Kansas City has been outgained in each of the first two games due to a defense that is ranked dead last and it is not even close as it is allowing 508 ypg. While it is only two games, to put that into perspective, Tampa Bay had the worst defense last season at 378.1 ypg. The 49ers were able to pick up their first win of the season last week at home against Detroit. They did have a chance to beat Minnesota as they lost by eight points no thanks to four turnovers, one that took place in the redzone and another that was returned for a touchdown. Kansas City is one of three teams to open the season with two straight road games, Houston and Seattle being the other two, and while the public thinks that this is a huge edge for the home team, that is hardly the case. Play against home teams in Week Three after opening the season with two straight road games. This situation is 26-9-2 ATS (74.3 percent) since 2003. Making this play even stronger is the fact the Chiefs are 2-0 ATS and San Francisco is 0-2 ATS and going the opposite way in this ATS matchup in Week Three has resulted in a 68 percent winning result. 10* (479) San Francisco 49ers

This is a play on the UL-MONROE WARHAWKS for our CFB Game of the Week. We were on the Warhawks last week as a four-touchdown underdog and it was a competitive game as they were down by just 14 points with six minutes left in the third quarter but the Aggies went on to score 24 points over the final 18 minutes of the game. UL-Monroe returns home for its conference opener after playing the last two games on the road which included an upset of Southern Mississippi. The Warhawks are capable of a big bounceback and the Trojans have a history of letdowns after big wins. Case in point last season when they defeated LSU on the road only to get bounce the following week at home against South Alabama as 19-point favorites. Troy is coming off a huge win last week at Nebraska but it was a game it never should have won, or one that Nebraska never should have lost. The difference was a fake fair catch on a punt that led to a touchdown as the Trojans were outgained by 111 total yards and lost the first down battle 22-12. Troy is expected to contend in the SBC East just like the Warhawks are expected to contend in the SBC West so the home team should have a significant edge, especially in a night game. UL-Monroe falls into a great situation where we play on teams in the first month of the season, after closing out last season with two or more straight losses, returning eight or more offensive starters including quarterback going up against an opponent returning five or fewer defensive starters. This situation is 62-29 ATS (68.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (398) UL-Monroe Warhawks

This is a play on the LIBERTY FLAMES for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. North Texas is another team coming off a huge win over a Power 5 team as it rolled over Arkansas by 27 points on the road. Saying the Mean Green dominated the Razorbacks would be an overstatement however as they did outgain them, but only by 40 yards, as they benefitted from six interceptions. One that was returned for a touchdown as well as returning a punt for a touchdown. This is a big letdown spot, especially with a lookahead game against Louisiana Tech who is the leading contender in C-USA West. Liberty opened its first season at the FBS level with a blowout win over Old Dominion as an underdog. The Flames followed that up with a loss at Army that was not as bad as the final score indicated as they lost the turnover battle 3-0. They were supposed to play last week but the game was postponed due to Hurricane Florence and it actually helped as they were able to rest some nagging injuries and were able to start prepping for North Texas three days sooner. they have a high-powered offense led by quarterback Stephen Calvert who has thrown for 652 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception this season. The Flames are 7-6 in games in which head coach Turn Gill and his staff have extra time to prepare. Liberty will be out to prove itself here after applying to get into C-USA and getting denied and settling for Independent status. North Texas is 4-15 ATS in its last 19 road games off an upset win as an underdog while Liberty is 12-1 ATS in its lined games. 10* (402) Liberty Flames

This is a play on the IOWA ST. CYCLONES as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. Some beat writer in Ames said he could not believe that 0-2 Iowa St. is close to a three-touchdown favorite over Akron and called in incomprehensible. That is what most of the public is probably thinking after the Zips upset Northwestern last weekend as 21.5-point underdogs. But scores sometimes do not tell the true story and that is the case there as Akron trailed 21-3 at halftime but were able to generate three defensive touchdowns in the second half so it was a very misleading final. It was the first win over a current Big Ten opponent for Akron since 1894. Not a typo. Iowa St. played well last week against Oklahoma with backup quarterback Zeb Noland surprisingly shredding the Sooners defense with 360 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Cyclones managed only three points in its opener against Iowa but that is when starting quarterback Kyle Kempt got hurt and Noland was forced into the game with no preparation. In last year's game against Akron, when Iowa St. ran out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and outgained Akron, 170-34 in total yards, the lessons that followed are things that are still engrained in the Cyclones memory this year. This is going to be a very emotional game for the Cyclones and they will be honoring and playing for slain golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena and you can bet they will be giving 110 percent. Akron is 0-8 ATS in its last eight games following a win as a double-digit underdog while Iowa St. is 6-0 ATS in its last six games following a loss. 9* (312) Iowa St. Cyclones

This is a play on the USC TROJANS for our CFB Friday Enforcer. Everybody is down on the Trojans and with the way they have played, rightfully so. This team is much better than what its 1-2 record shows and to its credit, the Trojans have played the sixth toughest schedule in the nation. Offensively, the line has struggled, especially last week against Texas as it did not generate any push for the running backs while allowing three sacks. The good news is the last two games were on the road and now the Trojans head home and they remain undefeated at home in 16 games during Clay Helton's tenure and they will be looking to increase that streak to 17. The Trojans are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up loss. Washington St. has rolled over its first three opponents as it has outscored Wyoming, San Jose St. and Eastern Washington by a combined score of 131-43. Those three teams have given the Cougars a strength of schedule ranking of No. 135 which is the easiest of any Pac 12 team and is the 28th easiest schedule in the nation. Washington St. brought back only four starters on offense and while it has put up a ton of yards, again, the schedule has a lot to do with that. The USC defense will be tested still but it should pass as long as it does the right things. Between Texas and Stanford, there have been far too many penalties and missed tackles the past two weeks, and if this team wants to keep any hope alive of playing in a respectable bowl game at seasons end, the defense needs to be more consistent from top to bottom. 10* (310) USC Trojans

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Thursday Enforcer. Cleveland is a couple kicks away from being 2-0 on the season, instead it remains winless since December 24, 2016 as it has gone 19 games without a victory. This is one of the last big chances to grab a victory as the upcoming seven-game schedule is not easy as the Browns have three difficult road games and the four home games are against the Ravens, Chargers, Chiefs and Falcons. Cleveland was fortunate to tie with Pittsburgh as it was outgained by 145 yards but it won the yardage battle last week against New Orleans as this defense has come to play thus far in the early part of the season. The players know they are close and are in a good spot in a nationally televised game. The Jets shocked many on opening Monday night as they defeated the Lions thanks to a 31-point third quarter but despite winning by 31 points, they only outgained Detroit by 10 yards. They did a better job on the stat sheet last week against Miami as Sam Darnold threw for 334 yards but he threw two picks and was not nearly as efficient as in his first game. This is a very difficult spot for a rookie quarterback coming off a Sunday game and playing on the first short week of his career. Additionally, this is the third game in 11 days for New York and Darnold will have to deal with a hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, who loves to call blitzes, especially against young quarterbacks. In the first two games, the Browns blitzed 40 times out of 84 dropbacks, a league-high 47.6 percentage, against two Hall of Fame quarterbacks and that number figures to climb against Darnold. 10* (302) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. We played on Temple two weeks ago against Buffalo and it lost on a late touchdown by the Bulls, which are showing they are MAC contenders. The Owls bounced back last week with a blowout win over Maryland and the 21-point victory was backed up by a 234-yard differential over the Terrapins and that momentum comes at the right time heading into their conference opener. Temple backup quarterback Anthony Russo got the start last week over Frank Nutile who sat with an undisclosed injury and he was very solid so whoever gets the start this week will be in good shape as the Tulsa defense is allowing opponents a .682 completion percentage. Temple is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games against teams allowing a .580 or higher completion percentage while going 15-3 ATS in its last 18 games after one or more consecutive wins against the spread. Tulsa opened the season with a less than impressive win over Central Arkansas and backed that up with a pair of losses against Texas and Arkansas St. While the two losses ended up being somewhat close, the Golden Hurricane fell behind 21-0 and 27-7 and made their comebacks late when the opposition was playing prevent. They have been on the same level as Temple on offense but the defense has been much worse and they have just four sacks, which is No. 93 in the nation, and have yet to intercept a pass. On top of it, this is a tough trip for Tulsa as it has to travel east on a short week whereas Temple got to make a short trip homer from Maryland. 10* (304) Temple Owls

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. Chicago blew a big chance last week as it blew a 20-0 lead against Green Bay but it did show that the Bears have turned a corner after four straight miserable seasons where they have gone 19-45. The Bears are back in Chicago for their home opener as head coach Matt Nagy looks for his first victory. It has not been a good start for first year head coaches as they have gone a combined 2-11 heading into tonight but Chicago has a good matchup edge. The Seattle defense is in rough shape for tonight. Linebacker Bobby Wagner became the third Pro Bowl veteran ruled out tonight as he will miss with a groin injury and this is a big deal. Second-year free-agent Austin Calitro will start for Wagner and since he cannot play weakside linebacker Mychal Kendricks to play weakside linebacker against the Bears after just two practices with the team. Both starting cornerbacks are hurt and rookie right cornerback Tre Flowers is doubtful to play while they cut their starting defensive tackle Tom Johnson for concern with depth behind banged-up strong safety Bradley McDougald. The offense struggled last week against Denver as it managed only 306 total yards. The goal heading into this season was to run the ball better and Seattle managed only 64 yards on 16 carries and it will not get any easier on Monday night. The offensive line allowed six sacks and although a couple of those were on quarterback Russell Wilson for not throwing the ball away, it was clear right tackle Germain Ifedi was outclassed by linebacker Von Miller. Now comes Khalil Mack. The Bears offense was vertical in the first half but they pulled back in the second half for no apparent reason. Of 21 passing attempts after halftime, nine did not even cross the line of scrimmage while five more were within 5 yards of the line. The Bears need to open it back up. 10* (290) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS for our Sunday NFL Enforcer. The Jaguars went to New York and took care of the Giants behind their powerful defense as they allowed just 324 total yards and 68 of those came on one play, a touchdown run by Saquon Barkley. The challenge will be tougher this week however but Jacksonville should be up for that challenge as it has had this game circled for eight months. The Jaguars have a chance to erase the bad feelings that came from a tough loss in the AFC Championship and they are well aware of the magnitude of this game. Jacksonville was second in the NFL last season in takeaways with 33 but it only had one in the last meeting and that is the key to winning or losing against New England. When the Patriots have a positive turnover differential in the Belichick era, they are 143-15 and when they lose the turnover battle, they are 37-42. The Jaguars style offensively and defensively gives them a chance to win this statistic no matter the opponent. More good news is that Jacksonville pass rusher Dante Fowler, who sacked Brady on two occasions in the AFC Championship, will make his season debut after sitting out the opener due to suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The Patriots were firing on all cylinders last week against Houston as the offense put up 389 yards of offense but it will be tougher heading out on the road in what is expected to be a tough environment. The defense played well also and while the Jacksonville offense is not going to put a scare into anybody, it is efficient and limits its mistakes. Quarterback Blake Bortles can extend plays and hurt defenses with his legs, as seen on his 41-yard run against New York last weekend. Jacksonville has covered seven straight games as an underdog going up against an opponent off a win. 10* (284) Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFL Game of the Week. One of the takeaways from Week One into Week Two is overreaction from the first game of the season. That is represented in several lines this week with this being one of those. The Colts are coming off a loss in the first game back for Andrew Luck as they were defeated by the Bengals by 11 points but it was misleading. Indianapolis was driving late in the fourth quarter down four points but tight end Jack Doyle fumbled the ball and Cincinnati returned it for a touchdown. The Colts outgained the Bengals by 50 yards but because of the loss and the big Washington win, the early line from last week of -3 went up to -5 at the true open and has gone up even more since then. While Luck may not be 100 percent in his comeback, he played well last week and this has been a great spot throughout his career as the Colts are 22-6 ATS when coming off a loss with Luck at quarterback. Washington was very impressive against Arizona in its opener as it outgained the Cardinals by 216 yards and held them to just six points which was a garbage touchdown with five minutes left with the score at 24-0. Again, an overreaction to one game and while the Redskins did dominate, doing it again seems unlikely even though they do head home. Most impressive was the fact they ran for 182 yards on 42 carries (4.3 ypg) which caused them to hold the ball for over 17 more minutes than the Cardinals. That being said, playing out west in the opener was a disadvantage because of travel to and from. The Redskins are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game while the Colts are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (261) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our CFB Game of the Week. Washington lost its opener against Auburn which took place in Atlanta and it was a poor performance from the offense. Granted, the Tigers possess a strong defense but the stop unit the Huskies face this week is no slouch either as the Utes are ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense. The Huskies bounced back with a 42-point win over North Dakota last week but it was not overly impressive as they made plays when they should have, but it was far from the crisp domination expected from a top-10 team facing an FCS opponent. Washington has struggled running the ball and it will be difficult getting it going this week against a Utah defense that allowed 117 yards rushing to Northern Illinois last week, but only 2.7 ypc. The Utah offense has been vanilla in their two wins and while it is not exotic, there will be a few new wrinkles that the Huskies have not seen. The offensive line needs to be better after allowing six sacks last week but this is an experienced unit that brought back four starters, three of which are seniors with the other two being juniors. One aspect of the offense that goes unnoticed is the offensive coordinator. Troy Taylor is in his second year which is big as when he arrived at Utah he was the ninth offensive coordinator in ten years so no turnover is important. Washington is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games after allowing nine points or less last game while Utah is 15-3 ATS in its last 18 games after allowing 275 or fewer total yards in two consecutive games. Additionally, we play against road favorites of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams outgaining opponents by 100 or more ypg, after gaining 6.25 or more yppl in their previous game. This situation is 54-22 ATS (71.1 percent) since 1992. 10* (206) Utah Utes

This is a play on the NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH for our CFB Star Attraction. Notre Dame is coming off a closer than expected win over Ball St. as it won by just eight points as a 34-point favorite. The Cardinals went 2-10 last season so the line was based on that but they were young and injuries took their toll and they are expected to be one of the most improved teams in the nation. But give credit to the Notre Dame defense as after giving up an 85-yard scoring drive on the Cardinals' first offensive possession, the Fighting Irish allowed only 36 total yards on the next 19 plays. It was the second close win against the Irish, the first coming against Michigan two weeks ago. This is a big game to remain undefeated as they travel to Wake Forest next week, which is a sneaky tough spot and then they have tough games at home against Stanford and at Virginia Tech. Vanderbilt is also off to a 2-0 start. The Commodores defeated Middle Tennessee St. by 28 points but outgained the Blue Raiders by just 53 yards and last week they took care of an overmatched Nevada team. Look across the internet and people are putting Notre Dame on upset alert but Vanderbilt is not a team that should be able to keep up here. The Commodores are picked to finish dead last in the SEC East by a lot of outlets as they have just 12 starters back. The effort for Notre Dame last week was not good and head coach Brian Kelly shouldered the blame for that and vowed to have his team better prepared this week. Vanderbilt has had its struggles on the road under head coach Derek Mason as it is 5-16 in 21 games. 9* (138) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Oklahoma is off to a 2-0 start with easy victories over Florida Atlantic and UCLA and this will be the first road game of the young season for the Sooners. There will be plenty of motivation for Oklahoma after losing at home to Iowa St. last season, snapping an 18-game winning streak in this series while also snapping the Sooners 14-game winning streak. With a home game against Army on deck, these is no lookahead factor so we will see a fully focused team that can run the table in getting into the playoffs with the chances of a Pac 12 team making it now very unlikely. Oklahoma has lost just nine games at home since 2005 and in the eight follow up meetings, the Sooners have gone a perfect 8-0 straight up and ATS. That is important here after Iowa St. went into Norman last season and defeated the then-No. 3 Sooners 38-31. That is not good news for Iowa St. which lost its season opener last week against rival Iowa by 10 points as the Cyclones managed just three points and 188 total yards. Making matters worse, they lost their starting quarterback Kyle Kempt with a knee injury and he is out this week. Last season in nine games, he completed 66.3 percent of his passes while throwing 15 touchdowns and just three picks. They will have to try and run the ball but they struggled last week with just 19 yards on 25 carries (0.8 ypc) and going back, the Cyclones are 14-34-3 ATS in their last 51 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game. This being a game at starts at 11 AM local time, that does help the home team. 10* (127) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BENGALS for our NFL Thursday Star Attraction. Public reaction after one week has the Ravens as one of the top teams in the NFL following their convincing 47-3 win on opening Sunday. Granted, this is a good team but we are not ready to put them at the top of the football hierarchy just yet. Baltimore has not made the playoffs since 2014 and there is no significant difference in its roster with the exception of upgrades at wide receiver. The win last week came against one of the worst rosters in football so getting carried away with it is a bit of an overreaction. Joe Flacco had a great game and is getting all of the accolades but the other side cannot be overlooked. The Bengals took care of the Colts last week thanks to a late turnover that stalled a possible winning drive and put the game out of reach. Andy Daulton is constantly being criticized but last week, he completed 21 of 28 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Indianapolis. Dalton has plenty of dangerous targets, from perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green to tight end Tyler Eifert to running back Joe Mixon. The running game could be a big difference as the Ravens do not have one. Ravens starting running back Alex Collins carried just seven times for 13 yards and lost a fumble while Mixon put together a solid opening game. With the exception of two Week 17 meetings, five of the last seven meetings has seen this line falls between 2.5 and 3.5 which is typical for a divisional game such as this so the value is on the home side anything under a field goal. Additionally, road teams that are coming off a win in their season opener where they scored 40 or more points are 10-21-2 in the last 33 instances. 10* (102) Cincinnati Bengals

This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. Boston College and Wake Forest have both opened with a pair of wins and even though the Eagles have blown out their two opponents, the quality of competition has been awful and both of those games were at home. They are coming off a 7-6 campaign where they closed 5-1 during the regular season so they do have some solid momentum going. The problem here is the line as they have no business laying this number considering they have not been a conference road favorite this big since 2014 which ironically came here in a non-cover against the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest survived Tulane in overtime in its season opener but that was not an easy road trip. The Demon Deacons returned home last week and rolled over an overmatched Towson team in a 31-point victory. Dave Clawson has done a great job in turning this program around as Wake Forest has put together two straight winning seasons after posting seven consecutive losing campaigns. With 14 starters back, including eight from an offense that averaged 466 ypg and 35.3 ppg, another bowl game is on the horizon. Wake Forest is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games as an underdog and it falls into a spectacular situation where we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams outgaining opponents by 100 or more ypg after gaining 475 or more total yards in two consecutive games. This situation is 28-5 ATS (84.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (104) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. Most of the talk about Oakland has been negative, centering on how new head coach Jon Gruden has not been on the sidelines for ten years and the poor handling of the linebacker Khalil Mack situation. Gruden made a lot of moves this offseason by bringing in so many veteran players as he turned over a roster that has done very little, in a very long time. There is concern over his old style and how he is going to adjust after not coaching for 10 years but that is offset by the fact he showed nothing during the preseason so the Rams have little to go off of. There is concern that the Raiders are the oldest team in the NFL but that is overblown completely especially when the average age is 27.4 years. As for the Rams, they upgraded their roster with a lot of high-profile moves but early season cohesiveness could be an issue. The Rams rested their offensive starters all preseason, only giving suspended guard Jamon Brown any work. The starting defense only played seven snaps in the third game against the Texans, but that was barely two series of action. As for that defense, while all of the talk is about the strength of the defensive line, there are issues at linebacker and that could be a big problem against the Raiders power running game. This is a great early season situation for the Raiders as going back to 1980, Monday Night home underdogs is season opener are 15-5 ATS. 10* (482) Oakland Raiders

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFL Game of the Week. Houston and New England met last September and that was the Deshawn Watson breakout game. While he did throw two picks, he went 22-33 for 301 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans easily covered. He is healthy and Houston is in for a big season. The Patriots not favored by nearly as much this time around but this number is too high for a depleted New England team to be laying. Tom Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league but we could see some struggles early in the season as he has no one to throw to. Additionally, he could struggle here staying upright as the Patriots lost left tackle Nate Solder to the Giants in free agency, and then proceeded to lose first-round pick Isaiah Wynn to a torn Achilles back in August. While New England has been a perennial strong starters, it is just 2-2 over the last four years, and the win gap for those two victories has only gotten smaller with an average of 4.5 ppg and it has failed to cover four of its last five season openers. The Texans defense was one of the worst last season but they should get back to form this year as defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus return and they added safely Tyrann Mathieu to help in the secondary. While Watson is the key to the offense, this is a big spot for Lamar Miller to put up a big game to keep the Patriots defense off balance. 10* (465) Houston Texans

This is a play on the OLD DOMINION MONARCHS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. One angle we like to look at early in the season is playing on teams that are expected to be improved from last season but came out of the gates slow. If they truly are supposed to be better, they will bounce back sooner rather than later and we are expecting that with Old Dominion this Saturday. The Monarchs got crushed against Liberty which was playing its first game in the FBS as they lost by 42 points and were outgained by 290 yards. Those are some ugly numbers but in this case, it brings the spread down this week for a team that is already in desperate need of a win before the season spirals out of control, especially with this being an early conference game. Florida International played a better game last week as it lost to Indiana by just 10 points but the game was at home and the Panthers were still outgained by 138 yards. We should see some regression from them this season as they went 8-5 but half of their wins came by just one possession and that usually spells a step back the next year. Butch Davis is a solid coach but this is just his second year here so most of his experienced players are those recruited by Ron Turner. Here, we play on teams that were outgained by 75 or more ypg last season, returning 8 or more offensive starters and QB going up against an opponent returning five or less defensive starters. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, home underdogs in Game Two that lost straight up as road favorites are 7-2 ATS since 1988. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 2-6 ATS their last eight September games. 10* (320) Old Dominion Monarchs

This is a play on the SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Georgia had its chance last season as it nearly won the National Championship but lost to Alabama in overtime in what was a classic final. The Bulldogs had no issues with Austin Peay in their opener last week as they rolled to a 45-0 win but the competition takes a big step up this week. It is hard to gauge how the offense will shape up with the loss of running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel who combined for an incredible 2,608 yards rushing last season and as good as Jacob Fromm is, losing that tandem is tough to adjust to. Last season, Georgia possessed one of the best defenses in the country as it returned 10 starters but things will not be quite as stout this season as they lost six starters including All-American linebacker Roquan Smith whose 137 tackles are just short of their top three returning tacklers. South Carolina went through a mediocre three-year stretch before putting together a solid 9-4 season last year and big things are expected in 2018. The Gamecocks also rolled in their season opener against Coastal Carolina so that does not give a great indication of what to expect either. One thing we can take from that is the performance of quarterback Jake Bentley who looked extremely sharp and he has one of his top targets back in Deebo Samuel who was lost after three games last season. South Carolina falls into a simple yet effective situation where we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that had a winning record last season. This situation is 84-44 ATS (65.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (348) South Carolina Gamecocks

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Thursday Season Opening Enforcer. Everyone has likely heard of the Super Bowl hangover but it does not pertain to the first week of the next season. Since the NFL began its current format for the Kickoff Opener with the winners of the previous Super Bowl playing host to the first game of the season, defending champions are 11-2 in those games (not counting Baltimore in 2013 since its game was moved to the road because of an Orioles scheduling conflict). The defending home team went 8-4-1 ATS. Going back further prior to the Thursday Kickoff Opener, defending Super Bowl Champions have gone 15-2 straight up and 11-5-1 ATS the last 17. One of those two losses was last season when Kansas City surprised the Patriots but it was definitely a fluke as the Chiefs scored three fourth quarter touchdowns thanks to the emergence of Kareem Hunt, who at that time was a relevant unknown. The Eagles look to keep their momentum going from their Super Bowl win over New England and they will go with Nick Foles at quarterback to give Carson Wentz another 10 days to be fully cleared. We know what Foles can do and we take advantage of this based on the line move that has gone under the key number of three. Atlanta will be playing with some revenge after coming two yards short of advancing to the NFC Championship. We are not an advocate of road revenge especially in a case like this with a short number against a team celebrating its first ever championship. The Eagles are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games while going 6-0 ATS in its last six games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last two seasons. 10* (452) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our CFB Sunday Star Attraction. LSU is one of the most inexperienced teams in the country as it is ranked No. 129 out of 130 teams so the schedule is not in its favor to open the season. Sure, there is talent as there always is in Baton Rouge, but it may take some time for this program to click. Head coach Ed Orgeron has replaced most of his staff after finishing 9-4 in 2017 so they have implemented new schemes. After trotting star running backs to start each of the last five seasons, this may be the first instance in a long time that the Tiger running game may not actually be a strength. Making matters worse, the offensive line is a mess. Starting right guard Ed Ingram is suspended indefinitely, forcing the Tigers to turn to JUCO transfer Damien Lewis to solve the issue on the offensive interior. The turnaround in Miami is officially in place and it once again is a national title contender. The Hurricanes opened last season with a 10-0 record but lost their last three games because of a banged up offense. They bring back 14 starters, seven on each side, and the real strength is the defense which is not a good thing for the Tigers and the offense that is breaking in a quarterback, running back and wide receivers along with the aforementioned offensive line. Joe Burrow is talented at quarterback but he never had the opportunity to play in meaningful snaps at Ohio St. and he will be facing a Miami defense that is loaded at all three levels. 10* (217) Miami Hurricanes

This is a play on the LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS for our CFB Game of the Week. Laying a significant number on the road is never ideal but it is justified here. Louisiana Tech has put together four straight winning seasons and while last year was the worst of the bunch, the Bulldogs went on to win their fourth consecutive bowl game. One thing that has eluded them is a C-USA Championship as they have gone to the title game twice, only to fall short. This could be one of their best team over this stretch as they bring back 15 starters and are the tenth most experienced team in the nation. They are led by quarterback J'Mar Smith who threw for almost 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions and in front of him are four returning starters on the offensive line. South Alabama will be going through some early season struggles. The Jaguars have a new head coach in Steve Campbell who has never been a head coach, or even a coordinator at the FBS level. He is bringing in a high powered aerial offense but the personnel is not in place for it to succeed quite yet. The Jaguars are still unsettled at the quarterback position as there were three possible starters listed on the depth chart released this week. Redshirt freshman Cephus Johnson won the job and this will be his first start. Overall, the Jaguars are one of the least experienced teams in the nation. In front of Johnson is just one returning starter as the offensive line is ranked No. 124 out of 130 teams in experience with just 23 total starts. The Jaguars are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 home games while Louisiana Tech has covered its last six game against the Sub Belt Conference. 10* (177) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our CFB Friday Ultimate Underdog. The college football season kicked off last weekend with Hawaii and Colorado St. and we saw the Rams get embarrassed on national television as they lost by nine points as 17-point favorites. They made a late charge after falling behind by 30 points, but it was too little too late. Colorado St. outgained the Warriors by 36 total yards, so it was a game it could have and should have won. That loss will direct the betting public to Colorado and we have seen a move already as this line was seven points before the action last week and we have seen it rise to -7.5 in most places as 80 percent of bets placed at offshore books are on the Buffaloes. Colorado was looking to make it to two straight bowls last season and was well on the way to do so starting off 5-4 but it dropped its last three games to miss out. Some expect the Buffaloes to improve this season, but it could take some time as they bring back only 10 starters and are just No. 107 in the experience rankings heading into the season. With a multi-dimensional offensive attack to defend, Colorado will have their hands full come Friday. Their run defense struggled mightily a year ago and has two inexperienced starters at both end positions. The Buffaloes allowed 451 ypg last season which was 108 more ypg than the previous year. They do bring back starting quarterback Steven Montez Jr. but they lost their top three receivers as well as leading running back Phillip Lindsay who rushed for 1,507 yards. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points after gaining 525 or more total yards in their previous game. This situation is 116-61 ATS (65.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (147) Colorado St. Rams

This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Tulane was three points away from its first bowl game since 2013 as it lost the regular season finale by a field goal to SMU when the Mustangs scored a touchdown with two minutes left. That gave the Green Wave plenty of motivation in the offseason and they will need to finish games better than they did a year ago, when they dropped four games by six or fewer points. They have 14 starters back including nine on the offense that had its best season since 2007. Wake Forest went to its second straight bowl game last season as it defeated Texas A&M in a thriller 55-52. Despite an 8-5 record, the Demon Deacons only outgained opponents by 9 ypg. Tulane has two big edges in this game. The first is at quarterback. Wake Forest starting quarterback Kendall Hinton was suspended for the first three games of the season by the coaching staff and true freshman Sam Hartman is slated to start and he is a pretty big unknown at this point. On the other side, junior-college transfer senior Jonathan Banks returns to lead the triple option based offense. He ran for 729 yards on 128 carries last season and was solid through the air as well which can be rare for an option quarterback. They run the option attack from the shotgun and pistol formations, using a no huddle style to keep opponents from subbing. Last year, the Demon Deacons had a trouble stopping the Georgia Tech triple option, giving up 427 yards on 6.5 ypc. Head coach Willie Fitz has been tough to prepare for early in the season as his teams are 12-3 ATS in the first month of the season. 10* (140) Tulane Green Wave

This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Wyoming has made it to a bowl game in each of the last two seasons and while many thing there will be a dropoff due to the loss of first round draft pick quarterback Josh Allen, there should be no dropoff. Allen was not great last season as he completed just 56.3 percent of his passes while throwing for only 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns. Even better news is that only one other starter on the offense has to be replaced. Head coach Craig Bohl is the real deal and the rebuild seems to finally be complete. Now it is time to take it to the next level like he did at North Dakota St. where he went 43-2 from 2011-13 with three straight national titles. The Cowboys did it with defense last season as they cut their ppg allowed nearly in half to just 17.5 ppg and shaved 118 ypg off from 2016. Wyoming brings back eight starters from that unit. The Aggies made it to their first bowl game in 57 years, but it will be difficult making it to two straight despite a favorable overall schedule. While the defense should be formidable for New Mexico St., the offense has to replace five starters including their quarterback, top running back and two top receivers. The offense was terrific thanks to the high-powered passing game that finished sixth in the nation averaging 340 yards per game and while there is potential this season, it may take a while to get going. Three starters return to a line that struggled in pass protection and there is no depth whatsoever. While both teams have solid defenses, the Wyoming offense is much more experienced than that of the Aggies which will be the ultimate difference. 10* (291) Wyoming Cowboys

By now you have heard that the Eagles are biggest underdog in the Super Bowl since 2009 and the dogs have ruled this game by going 11-4 over the last 16 Super Bowls (Super Bowl XLIX closed as a pickem). We were on the underdog last year, but overtime killed that, but we will be backing the underdog again this year based on Philadelphia possessing the better defense which has been a huge aspect in the outcome of this game. This is the eighth Super Bowl for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and they have gone 5-2 in the previous seven editions. The average margin of victory in those seven games is 3.7 ppg with the biggest margin of victory being six points from last season in overtime. There have been many better Patriots teams than this one, yet they have not been able to dominate the big game and we expect the same here as the Eagles present a huge challenge. The Eagles were not expected to make any sort of run after Carson Wentz went down but Nick Foles has been sensational, yet no one gives him a chance. He is coming off two great postseason games against Atlanta and Minnesota defenses that came in ranked No. 9 and No. 1 respectively overall. Granted, those games were at home but even going to a neutral environment should not affect things much considering that New England is ranked No. 29 in total defense in the NFL. Ignore the talk about how much the Patriots defense has improved since Week Five because they have played the weakest schedule in the NFL over that stretch. The Patriots have allowed opposing quarterbacks to produce an 89.5 passer rating. Since 2001, only the 2008 team, which failed to qualify for the postseason, was worse (89.8). Foles does not need to have a similar game like last week for the Eagles to win as he has a defense behind him that can take the game over, just like the Jaguars did for three quarters. The Philadelphia defense is quick and athletic, and it is not so different in skill level or speed from the Jacksonville defense that should have put the AFC Championship away. 10* (101) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Eagles won for us last weekend and we are backing them again for a lot of the same reasons, namely the defense that is underrated. What was written last week goes for this week as well. The loss of Carson Wentz is huge for the Eagles as many are saying the Super Bowl is now out of reach and that is being shown in this line. While there is a downgrade at quarterback for Philadelphia, Nick Foles is more than adequate to carry the team with his 87.4 career passer rating to go along with 61 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He was above average last week against the Falcons, going 23-30 for 246 yards. The one thing being overshadowed is the Eagles defense that is No. 4 in the NFL in both total defense and scoring defense. That defense is even better at home where they are allowing just 13.4 ppg and 280.6 ypg and this is where the difference will lie once again. If not for a miracle, the Vikings would not be here but here they are and are laying points on the road as well. If this was the Saints and Drew Brees, who has plenty of playoff experience, the line would be the same and the Saints may have been the play. Minnesota does not have the same amount of experience and while it possesses the No. 1 defense, as mentioned, the Eagles stop unit is not too shabby either. Case Keenum has had a great season but take him off the turf with his speedy receivers and his numbers go down as he has a QB rating of 105.1 in nine games on turf indoors and just an 88.7 QB rating in six games on grass. 10* (314) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS for our NFL Game of the Month. Jacksonville won its second straight playoff game despite losing the yardage battle, but it was different this time around. The Jaguars were outgained by 167 yards against the Steelers and that can be looked at one of two ways. Jacksonville could have been dominated on the field and was fortunate to win the turnover battle or we can find out how the yardage differential was generated which can make a big difference. While the former was partly true with the turnover advantage, most of the Pittsburgh yards came late in the game when the Jaguars were ahead, so a lot of those Pittsburgh yards were garbage yards. The Jaguars ran 61 offensive plays, and the Steelers defense finished with no sacks, no takeaways, only one tackle for loss when defending the Jacksonville 35 running plays, and only four hits on quarterback Blake Bortles. That efficiency can work against the Patriots as well as winning the game will mean mistake-free play. The defense matches up so well with the Patriots offense as they have the pass rush to get to quarterback Tom Brady, they have the physical corners to that negate the New England wide receivers who do not have the breakaway speed to begin with and they have the inside strength that can take Rob Gronkowski out of the game. This line is telling us the Jaguars have a 20 percent chance of winning and their chances are better than that with this defense no matter where this game is being played. The Patriots are publicly inflated based on name and history, but they would have been better off seeing Pittsburgh instead of Jacksonville and we will see why on Sunday as this will be no cakewalk to the Super Bowl. 10* (311) Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Game of the Week. We played against Jacksonville last week and it survived an ugly game at home against the Bills as the defense stepped up when needed but the offense was horrific with just 230 yards. While Blake Bortles managed the team during the season to get the Jaguars to this point, he is not the answer as he missed so many throws against Buffalo and the Steelers will make him pay this week unless he improved immensely in a week which is not likely. You can look at the first meeting where Jacksonville won 30-9 but the Jaguars were outgained by close to 60 yards, scored two defensive touchdowns, Ben Roethlisberger tossed five interceptions and Leonard Fournette ripped off a 90-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes left when the game was already decided. It was the worst game of the season for the Steelers by far and while finding motivation in the playoffs is never an issue, Pittsburgh should bring a little extra this week based on that performance. Pittsburgh was a suspect call against the Patriots from finishing the season 11-0 so it is playing at a high level and despite most of the players having two straight weeks off, that should give them a lot of extra energy and these veteran players do not have to worry about rust. The best possible news is the return of wide receiver Antonio Brown who misses two and a half games with a calf injury. The Steelers add to their 7-1 ATS run in home playoff games. 10* (306) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Saturday Enforcer. The loss of Carson Wentz is huge for the Eagles as many are saying the Super Bowl is now out of reach and that is being shown in this line. While there is a downgrade at quarterback for Philadelphia, Nick Foles is more than adequate to carry the team with his 87.4 career passer rating to go along with 61 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. The one thing being overshadowed is the Eagles defense that is No. 4 in the NFL in both total defense and scoring defense. That defense is even better at home where they are allowing just 13.4 ppg and 280.6 ypg and this is where the difference will lie. We won with Atlanta last weekend over the Rams as it got fortunate because of a pair of fumbles and it was outgained by 39 yards overall. The cover was never in jeopardy, but the public will see that win and give the Falcons too much credit. Despite a 6-3 record on the road, Atlanta is getting outscored on average as the defense has not played as good away from home which comes as no surprise. The playoff experience is important as mentioned last week but there is too much of an adjustment with this line as the Falcons go from +6.5 road underdogs to -3 road favorites and this is the first time since the NFL expanded the playoff field to 12 teams that a No. 1 seed is an underdog in the divisional round. 10* (302) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the BUFFALO BILLS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Bills snuck into the playoffs thanks to Baltimore losing at home against Cincinnati and while many will not be giving them a chance, they are the type of team that can keep their momentum going. The elation they showed after they made the playoffs shows how much this means to them and their fans, yet the number shows they have no chance. We figure the questionable status of LeSean McCoy is inflating this number somewhat, but he made it to the practice field on Thursday, so he could be able to give it a go. The offense will have struggles against the Jacksonville defense, but we are banking on the bills defense to hold its own as well in what we expect to be a lower scoring game, and the total is backing that up, which favors the underdog. Buffalo enters the playoffs with a -57 scoring differential, the fifth worst in the Super Bowl era but that can be attributed to two bad games against New England, a fluky bad effort at home against New Orleans and the Nathan Peterman experiment against the Chargers. Jacksonville went 6-2 at home this season, all six wins against non-playoff teams and the two losses against playoff teams. Conversely, Buffalo went 3-5 on the road but half of those games were against playoff teams and half of those resulted in wins over Atlanta and Kansas City. The Jaguars were one of the big surprises in the NFL this season but still remain one of the least trustable teams in the league. Limping in with losses in their final two games and playing the easiest schedule in the NFL make them very vulnerable. 10* (105) Buffalo Bills

This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS for our NFL Saturday Enforcer. While many feel that it was a disappointing season for the Falcons, it was not all that bad. Sure, back-to-back losses at home against Buffalo and Miami with a bye week in-between were bad, everything else was fine. The other four losses came against higher seeded playoff teams and two of those were by three and five points. Atlanta avoided the Super Bowl loss hangover to make it back into the playoffs and it was the only team from the NFC playoff team from last year to make it back this season. The Falcons finished with the third best conference record at 9-3, one game worse than the Eagles and Vikings and they outgained opponents by 46.4 ypg. Additionally, the experience from last year is a big edge. They played the fourth toughest schedule in the league and are ranked higher in the power rankings yet are close to a touchdown underdog in most places. The Rams had a great year in the first season under head coach Sean McVay, but it could be considered a mirage. The offense finished No. 10 and the defense finished No. 19 and the main reason their scoring differential was so high was due to 28 takeaways and that cannot be counted on here, especially against an Atlanta team that gave it up just 18 times. They outgained opponents by 34.2 ppg (taking Week 17 out of the equation) against a schedule that was No. 17 in the NFL and their one win against the top 10 is the second fewest among all playoff teams (Tennessee had zero). Lack of playoff experience will be felt which makes the inflated line even more troublesome. 10* (103) Atlanta Falcons

This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our Rose Bowl Dominator. This is a classic matchup of strength versus strength and we give the edge to the Sooners. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has been battling the flu this past week and luckily it hit early enough where he has had time to recover. What it has done however is move this line a significant amount and from the opening this line has moved 4.5 points. The Sooners have faced a powerful defense three times this season and fared well each time. Oklahoma put 31 points on Ohio St. in Columbus, scored 38 against TCU in Norman and then hung 41 on the Horned Frogs in the Big XII Championship Game. All those scoring outputs were far above what the opposing defense gave up on average this season. The talking heads are claiming that they have not faced a defense as tough as this one from Georgia and while that may be the case, the Bulldogs have not faced an offense as good as this. Georgia has faced just one top-20 offensive S&P+ opponent which was Missouri and the Tigers were one of two teams that put up 28 or more points on the Bulldogs. One aspect of the Sooners offense that is overlooked is the offensive line which is one of the best in the country. The Sooners allow just 1.62 sacks per game and the Georgia front has managed just 26 sacks this season, which is No. 62 in the country so Mayfield should not be under much duress. On the other side, the underrated Oklahoma defense will have to stop the Georgia rushing attack with the goal having the Bulldogs play from behind which they will have a tough time doing. 10* (272) Oklahoma Sooners

This is a big letdown game for Auburn as a loss in the SEC Championship knocked it from the CFP to a bowl game against a Group of Five team. It has been proven to be tough for these teams to get up for their lesser opponents as since the creation of the CFP, the Group of Five representative is 2-1 in New Year's Six games against Power Five competition while going 3-0 ATS. The Knights won the American Athletic Conference title and have remained perfect behind an offense that has averaged 49.4 ppg. They rank fifth in yards per game (540.5) and are led by sophomore Mckenzie Milton, the nation's second-leading quarterback in efficiency behind Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield. While the Auburn defense can out-physical most teams, that will not present an issue here as Speed has been the UCF weapon of choice since head coach Scott Frost took over the program in 2016. He specifically recruited undersized, fast and confident Florida skill players to run the Chip Kelly-inspired system he brought from Oregon. Auburn will not have Carlton Davis, with Malzahn announcing Sunday the junior cornerback has gone home due to an illness. Obviously, the Tigers possess a potent defense, but the absence od Davis is a big void. The strength of schedule based on the conferences is what is driving this number up, but Auburn went 3-3 against the top 30 so it is beatable making this double-digit number very attractive. 10* (267) Central Florida Knights

This is a play on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Rams have clinched the NFC West, clinched the No. 3 seed in the NFC and have no chance to move up in the playoff standings. Thus, they have decided to rest numerous players including Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp, numerous offensive linemen as well as Aaron Donald on defense. Clearly, this is a game they could care less about and staying healthy is the ultimate goal. On the other side, this is a big game for the 49ers to carry momentum into next season. They got off to a 0-9 start but have since won five of their last six games including four straight with all four of those led by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He has been solid with a 69 percent completion percentage while putting up a 98.9 passer rating, not bad for someone with six career starts. On the season, the 49ers are getting outgained by fewer than 17 ypg which is not bad for a team that is five games under .500. San Francisco has covered five of seven road games this season and while none have been as a favorite, this is a different situation with motivational edges totally on their side. 10* (331) San Francisco 49ers

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Chargers playoff hopes are slim, but they are doable. First off, they must win their game against the Raiders and there are nine different scenarios that can get them the No. 6 seed in the AFC. Of those, all nine have to have Jacksonville upset Tennessee and that is more than possible considering the Jaguars have elected to not rest their starters despite having the No. 3 seed locked up. Since the games kick off at the same time, the Chargers will be playing throughout to win unless there is an early Tennessee blowout which we do not see happening. Los Angeles caught fire possibly a little too late but considering it started the season 0-4, the fact that it still has a chance in the playoffs shows the fight in this team, namely Philip Rivers who has been playing exceptional with the exception of the game in Kansas City two weeks ago. Running back Melvin Gordon is listed as questionable so hopefully he can make it work. The Raiders have been a huge disappointment this season and they have now lost three straight games to fall to 6-9 and there is little to no fight left in this team. They are just 2-5 on the road and do not be surprised to see them roll over this week. 10* (326) Los Angeles Chargers

This is a play on the WISCONSIN BADGERS for our CFB Game of the Week. There is a long list of overrated teams this season in college football and Miami is right at the top of the list. The Hurricanes finished the season 10-2 and there was talk about them going to the CFP should they have defeated Clemson in the ACC Championship, but they proved they did not belong in any of that talk as they were blown out 38-3. They narrowly defeated Florida St., Georgia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina in a four-game stretch in October and the other loss came against Pittsburgh which finished the season 5-7. Miami is ranked No. 60 in total offense and making matters worse, it will be without its best running back, wide receiver and tight end for this game. Many were proclaiming Wisconsin a fraud as well since its schedule was as easy as it gets but the difference between the Badgers and the Hurricanes is that the Badgers were rarely challenged as they blew out most every opponent. They played Ohio St. tough in the Big Ten Championship but could get nothing going in the running game, but the Buckeyes are No. 6 in rushing defense while Miami checks in at No. 43. Conversely, Wisconsin has the No. 2 ranked rushing defense and the No. 1 overall ranked S&P Defense according to Football Outsiders. While this may be a home game for Miami, the Badgers are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 road games. 10* (263) Wisconsin Badgers

This is a play on the MEMPHIS TIGERS for our Liberty Bowl Dominator. We picked Memphis to win the AAC at +625 in our futures report and it came oh so close as an overtime loss against Central Florida prevented the Tigers from the title. After finishing No. 26 in the country with 464.4 ypg on offense last season, the Tigers put up 548.2 ypg this season, currently No. 4 in the nation and they will be facing a strong Iowa St. defense that held its own in the offensive-happy Big XII. Since much of the success was accomplished in a Group of Five conference, the Tigers offensive players realize replicating their recent performances against a power five school in a high-profile bowl game would offer them a certain form of validation. The Cyclones defense will get its stops but putting the clamps on the Memphis offense will be impossible, so it will be up to the Iowa St. offense to keep up. That could prove difficult despite playing a below average Memphis defense as the Cyclones are ranked No. 76 in total offense, averaging fewer than 400 ypg. Iowa St. has gone over 23 points only once in its last five games which is not a good sign. The Cyclones finished as the best team in the country against the number as they went 10-1-1 ATS which helps the cause here, keeping this number at a playable one that should be higher. 10* (260) Memphis Tigers

This is a play on the NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES for our Arizona Bowl Dominator. Trying to decipher which team will be more motivated to play in one of these lesser bowl games can be tricky but that is not the case in the Arizona Bowl. New Mexico St. is making its first bowl appearance since the 1960 Sun Bowl, ironically which resulted in a win over Utah St. The Aggies needed to win their final two games to become bowl eligible and they did just that with convincing wins over Idaho and South Alabama as they won the yardage battle by 188 and 138 yards respectively. The Aggies will become independent next season and will persist as an FBS program with the ultimate goal getting an invite from the Mountain West Conference to join so a win here goes a long way. Utah St. also finished 6-6 on the season but it was not a very good 6-6. The Aggies do not possess a quality win and they lost to five bowl teams by an average of 26 ppg so they are fortunate to be here. This is an extremely young team that was not expected to make it to a bowl game so there will be motivation here as well, just not nearly as strong. The Aggies finished No. 71 in total offense and No. 74 in total defense which are two very poor rankings for a postseason team. Conversely, New Mexico St. finished No. 22 in total offense and No. 69 in total defense and with the Sun Belt Conference top passing offense averaging 353 ypg, New Mexico St. keeps the pressure on from the start. This will feel like a home game as New Mexico St. fans are expected to pack Arizona Stadium to near-capacity. 10* (254) New Mexico St. Aggies

This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS for our Belk Bowl Dominator. Teams with new coaches or no coaches going into a bowl game are rarely the way to bet and that is the case here with the Aggies. Kevin Sumlin is gone, Jimbo Fisher will be watching from a suite which leaves Jeff Banks as the interim coach for the game today. Aggies defensive lineman Kingsley Keke said the current coaching dynamic has made for "kind of a weird feeling." The same likely goes for some assistant coaches, including Banks, who are hoping to land a spot on Fisher's staff. It has been a tough month for everyone on this team and the regular season did not end well as the Aggies lost to LSU by 24 points while getting outgained by 319 yards. The regular season did not end great for Wake Forest either as it lost to Duke but it is better equipped to make a rebound. Wake Forest comes in with a high-powered offense that should challenge the Aggies. Quarterback John Wolford has been outstanding with 25 touchdowns and just three picks and he could be facing a young Texas A&M secondary without starting safety Armani Watts, one of the Aggies top defenders. The Demon Deacons have averaged more than 39 ppg over the last five games of the season, a stretch that included four bowl-bound opponents. Texas A&M is ranked No. 64 in total defense and No. 81 in scoring defense so this is not a typical stop unit which regressed as the season went on. The Demon Deacons are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record while the Aggies are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up loss. 10* (248) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our Holiday Bowl Dominator. Michigan St. will be pumped following its dismal 3-9 season from last year after finishing with double-digit wins the three previous seasons and it can hit that again with a victory tonight. A blowout loss against Ohio St. was the only big blemish as losses against Notre Dame and Northwestern occurred despite winning the yardage battle in those games by 141 and 108 yards respectively. Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio always strives for balance on offense, and this season was no exception (499 runs, 402 passes). That type of balance is key against a Washington St. defense that was a potent unit and the balance can keep the Cougars off balance. Washington St. got off to a strong start at 6-0 and was highly ranked but then the defense started to get exposed and a 37-3 loss at California led to a lethargic 3-3 finish. The offense is not in very good shape for the Cougars as quarterback Luke Falk has a wrist injury and while he is probable, reaggravating that injury is more than possible. He will be without his two best receivers. Tavares Martin Jr., who led the team in catches, yards and touchdowns, and Isaiah Johnson-Mack, who was second on the team in catches, yards and touchdowns, have been dismissed from the team. That is 130 receptions, 1,386 yards and 14 touchdowns gone. Washington St. will find a way to move the ball but the explosive unit that we are accustomed to will be lacking. 10* (277) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS for our Military Bowl Dominator. The consensus is on Navy this afternoon based on this being a home game for the Midshipmen but that is not necessarily an advantage since teams would rather not play at home, especially teams from the northeast. The stadium will not be all Navy fans so there is no home field edge based on that and in this matchup, the Cavaliers have a big advantage in several key areas. The biggest factor could be motivation as this is the first bowl game for Virginia since 2011 so the job Bronco Mendenhall has done in Charlottesville is outstanding and should not go to waste. Another edge for the Cavaliers is the preparation time as they have been off two more weeks than Navy and getting ready for the triple option, that extra time is huge. Virginia already possesses one victory over an option team this season, a victory over Georgia Tech. Offensively, the Cavaliers have a potent passing attack that is ranked No. 43 in the country and should flourish here as Navy has struggled to get any pressure to the quarterback all season. Additionally, the Midshipmen are ranked No. 110 in redzone defense. Virginia meanwhile possesses a strong defense that is No. 36 overall including No. 5 in redzone defense. Both teams come limping in with three-game losing skids to end their regular season and Virginia seems to be better equipped and prepared to end the season with a win. 10* (241) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the MISSOURI TIGERS for our Texas Bowl Dominator. This is a case of who is not playing for Texas as the Longhorns will be missing up to eight players, including many key contributors, after multiple declarations for the NFL Draft, injuries and suspensions. Texas will be without linebacker Malik Jefferson, the co-Big 12 defensive player of the year, who is out with a turf toe injury, as well as defensive backs Holton Hill and DeShon Elliott, who are skipping the game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Tackle Connor Williams will also miss the game due to his decision to enter the NFL Draft, and sophomore receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey was one of three players recently suspended for a violation of team rules. This is a big reason the line has increased but it has not gone up nearly enough to compensate for the Texas personnel issues. Missouri is back in the postseason for the first time since 2014 after winning its final six games following a 1-5 start and it will be carrying that momentum into its bowl game. Both head coach Barry Odom and his players said on Tuesday that since getting to Houston on Friday, the practices they have had have been their best of the season, so this is a team playing with confidence. With all the injuries and early-departures on the Texas defense, the Tigers passing attack will flourish under quarterback Drew Lock. Missouri has scored at least 45 points in every game during this winning streak after averaging 18.4 ppg in its first five games against FBS teams. 10* (239) Missouri Tigers

This is a play on the SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GOLDEN EAGLES for our Independence Bowl Dominator. Motivation plays a huge role during the early stages of bowl season as often times you will get teams typically not playing these lesser bowl games as expectations were not met. This is certainly the case with Florida St. as it came into the season with National Championship aspirations but an opening loss to Alabama coupled with the loss of quarterback Deondre Francois sent the Seminoles on a downhill spiral. Give them credit for winning their final three games to become bowl eligible but those games were against Delaware St., ULM and Florida so losing those games was not going to happen anyway. Motivation is low and making matters worse, their coach walked out on his team before the season ended so Florida St. is a mess right now. There is plenty of motivation on the other side as Southern Mississippi would like nothing more than to take down a Power Five opponent in a bowl game. The Golden Eagles played two teams from that group during the regular season and lost both which adds to the effort today. Southern Mississippi should have a bit more consistency on offense with Kwadra Griggs under center this time around. In eight combined quarters against P5 teams thus far, Griggs only played three of those quarters. Plus, four defensive starters will be out for the Seminoles giving the Golden Eagles ample opportunity to succeed on offense. 10* (235) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

This is a play on the UCLA BRUINS for our Cactus Bowl Dominator. This was one of those wait and see games because of the status of some players and because of what has transpired, the public is all over Kansas St. which gives us significant line value on the Bruins. UCLA won its final game to become bowl-eligible at 6-6, but quarterback Josh Rosen is not expected to play, and coach Jim Mora was fired after a 5-6 start. Give the Bruins credit for not quitting and we can expect a good amount of fight tonight under interim head coach and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch. There will not be a huge disadvantage at quarterback for UCLA as redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson, the third quarterback to play for the Wildcats this season, started the final three games, throwing for 515 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his passes. It is impossible to ignore the fact that the Wildcats were outgained in each of their last nine games while getting outgained by 64 ypg on the season. Overall, Kansas St. is ranked No. 96 in total offense and No. 97 in total defense which are numbers that a legitimate bowl team should not possess. The Wildcats will be shorthanded on the offensive line which is a big aspect as they will be without right tackle and top blocker Dalton Risner. 10* (234) UCLA Bruins

This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Monday Primetime Play. The win by the Vikings on Saturday and victories by the Saints and Rams Sunday put a little bit of pressure on the Eagles heading into Monday night. They could have coasted into the position of home field advantage for the playoffs but now they need to win tonight or next week against the Cowboys. That being said, this line has jumped up into double-digits and it is an overadjusted number based on public perception and what is at stake. The loss of quarterback Carson Wentz is huge and while Nick Foles did a good job filling in the Eagles win by five points, they were outgained by 163 total yards. The Raiders have officially been eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Dallas last week and Kansas City winning yesterday and there is nothing left to play for but pride and because this is a nationally televised game, there will be no quit with the Raiders. Defensively is where the game can be decided for the Raiders as the pass rush has improved since Ken Norton Jr. was dismissed as defensive coordinator after Week 11 and replaced by John Pagano because the pass rush has improved immensely. Oakland had 14 sacks through 10 games and has put up 14 sacks over its last 10 games. Additionally, the Raiders had just 68 total pressures from edge defenders under Norton, 25th in the NFL, to 46 pressures over the last four games which is tied for second, under Pagano. 10* (131) Oakland Raiders

This is a play on the FRESNO ST. BULLDOGS for our Hawaii Bowl Dominator. It was a special season for Fresno St. as it went 9-4 and despite losing the MWC Championship to Boise St., the Bulldogs have a lot of momentum built following their 1-11 season from a year ago. They can hit double-digit wins for the first time since 2013 and they will be looking for their first bowl win since 2007 as they have lost six straight bowl games. This is a trend not to worry about as a new coaching staff is in place and Jeff Tedford is the reason as his days at California produced solid results before he was let go after 2012. Fresno St. is outgaining opponents by nearly 70 ypg as quarterback Marcus McMaryion has been extremely efficient and the defense has been potent all season as it is ranked No. 16 overall and No. 9 in points allowed. Houston defeated Navy to end the regular season, but it was a poor second half as the Cougars went 3-3 over their final six games. The potent offense from last season took a step back as it is averaging a touchdown less per game while the defense is allowing nearly 100 more ypg than it did last season. Houston could be shorthanded on offense with top receiver Linell Bonner nursing an arm injury. The Cougars went 3-5 ATS this season as single digit favorites and this is one of those small price situations where the wrong team is favored. That is just fine however as Fresno St. is a perfect 6-0 ATS this season when getting points. 10* (228) Fresno St. Bulldogs

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS for our NFL Game of the Year. We had Atlanta in the first matchup two weeks ago and it was a fortunate victory as the Saints had a chance to win but Drew Brees tossed a late pick to secure the victory for the Falcons. The division is still on the line with the Saints, Falcons and Panthers all still alive for the NFC South and any three of those teams can clinch a playoff berth with a victory. The scenario is simple for the Saints as if they win out, they claim the division and they have the easiest road with this home game and them a game against Tampa Bay next week to close out the season. New Orleans is 6-1 at home with the only loss coming against New England in its home opener. Since that loss, the Saints are 10-2 with the two losses coming by a combined nine points and they have something to prove this week as they have now lost three straight games to the Falcons. Atlanta played Monday which is a disadvantage in this rematch and it did not look very good against Tampa Bay as it made the plays to get it done but was unable to pull away against what is considered an inferior team. The passing defense struggled and while the Saints are a more balanced team, Brees can still pick them apart if the running game gets going early. The Falcons are 1-5 ATS in their last six games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game. This is a spot the Saints have thrived in as they are 22-4 ATS in their last 26 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (116) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the TENNESSEE TITANS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. Not sure of the rationale behind this number but certainly a lot has to do with the Rams rout last week at Seattle. Los Angeles now has a two-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West and are likely a lock for the playoffs and winning the division as it has a home game against San Francisco in its season finale, so a win here really is not a must. There is no doubt the Rams are for real and while they have been favored twice on the road in the second half of the season, those games were against the Cardinals and Giants, two teams not sniffing the playoffs. Despite a pair of losses on the road, Tennessee remains in the playoff hunt as it is 8-6 and currently locks down the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the AFC. With a home game against Jacksonville next week, the Titans can win the division if they win out and the Jaguars lose this week against the 49ers on the road which is more than possible. The best part is that the Titans game is early so winning will be at the forefront instead of scoreboard watching. The Rams have been great on the road at 6-1 but Tennessee brings in a 5-1 home record and with everything on the line, this is going to be a tough environment for the Rams. It can be argued that they were in a tough environment last week, but that game was over early, so it was pretty docile. The Rams are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game including 0-2 straight up and ATS this season while the Titans are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. 10* (110) Tennessee Titans

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO ST. AZTECS for our Armed Forces Bowl Dominator. While it was a great season for the Aztecs with a 10-2 record, it was disappointing not to the Mountain West Conference as losses against Boise St. and Fresno St. in consecutive weeks knocked them out of contention. San Diego St. closed the season strong however as it won its last four games in blowouts style and while none of those came against current bowl teams, it provided much needed momentum that was lacking midway through the season. Army is known for its rushing offense as it leads the country, but San Diego St. has its own potent rushing attack as it is ranked No. 11 in the nation led by running back Rashaah Penny who finished fifth in Heisman voting after bursting onto the scene with 2,027 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging a whopping 7.4 ypc. The Aztecs are looking for their third consecutive bowl win after beating Cincinnati 42-7 in the Hawaii Bowl in 2015 and topping Houston 34-10 in the Las Vegas Bowl last season. A win against Army would make it the first time in the San Diego State history to win three consecutive bowl games in a row. It was a great season for Army as well as it lost just three games and defeated Navy for a second consecutive season. The schedule was soft however and the four wins over bowl teams came by a combined 13 points. As mentioned, the rushing game leads the way, but the difference is on defense as the Black Knights allow 5.0 ypc compared to 3.5 ypc for the Aztecs. A victory would give San Diego St. an unprecedented third straight 11-win season. 10* (224) San Diego St. Aztecs

This is a play on the FIU PANTHERS for our Gasparilla Bowl Dominator. FUI exceeded expectations this season as it posted its first winning record since 2011 to make it to its third ever bowl game. The Panthers closed with two straight wins to go 8-4 on the season and a win tonight would give them the most wins in program history. Credit needs to be given to head coach Butch Davis who is in his first season at FIU which shows what good coaching can do. Temple closed the season strong by going 3-1 over its last four games to become bowl eligible. The Owls struggled this season against good opposition as they went just 1-5 against bowl teams and are at a disadvantage playing this gamed in Florida. These teams are very similar to each other and we give the offensive edge to the Panthers. Senior quarterback Alex McGough closed the season on a tear as he threw just two interceptions and completed more than 70 percent of his passes. He'll match up against a Temple defense that leads the AAC in passing yards allowed at 210.0 ypg but has surrendered 21 touchdowns through the air while picking off just eight passes. Additionally, the Owls will have their work cut out for them as they square off against a Panthers offensive line that has allowed just 22 sacks all season. Temple made a quarterback change late in the season and it sparked the offense but the FIU defense is underrated as taking away games against UCF and FAU, the Panthers allowed just 22.9 ppg and Temple is 1-5 this season when being held to fewer than 25 points. Going back, the Panthers are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. 10* (216) FIU Panthers

This is a play on the AKRON ZIPS for our Boca Raton Bowl Dominator. Florida Atlantic is the biggest favorite of the bowl season and it is not even close as it opened at 17.5 and has climbed all the way up to -23 in some spots. The Owls have cruised over the second half of the season, winning their final nine games with all but one coming by double-digits. They were outgained in four of those games however with all of those coming against current bowl participants and while they will be playing this game on their home field, it is too big of a price. Playing in a bowl game is a reward for a great season and it usually comes with a trip to a fun destination but that is not the case for Florida Atlantic so while playing at home is nice, there is some disappointment along with it which brings motivation into question. Many players and fans were disappointed because the team was not going to travel, robbing them of the true bowl experience. Akron comes in at 7-6 after winning the MAC West and playing in Florida is a big deal. This is just the third ever bowl game for the Zips with the first two being played in Detroit and Boise, so they so get the true bowl experience. Akron has played much better after a 1-3 start and it comes down to the defense keeping things close. Akron went 5-1 ATS in its last six games as a double-digit underdog with this being the biggest pointspread of them all. Despite a bad loss against Toledo in the MAC Championship, the Zips are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. 10* (211) Akron Zips

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS for our NFL Monday Primetime Play. As expected, Carolina was a winner yesterday which puts Atlanta in a near must win situation tonight. Waiting it out again proves the right call as the linemakers are adjusting this line based on the importance for Atlanta which is a big example of why these games late in the season should not be bet early in the week. The Falcons are a game and a half behind the Panthers for the first Wild Card spot and just a half-game ahead of Detroit, Seattle and Dallas so this is in fact a big game. However, they are paying the price as this line has risen as much as two and a half points in some places as must win and actually winning are two different things entirely. It has been a disappointing season for the Buccaneers as they have lost three straight games to fall to 4-9 on the year and it has been a tough stretch with six of their last nine games taking place on the road. They are coming off a loss to Detroit at home in their last game as the Lions kicked the game-winning field goal with 20 seconds remaining to fall to 3-3 at home. Five of the nine losses have come by five points or less or in overtime, so things could be better record wise for Tampa Bay and while it is out of the playoff picture, playing spoiler is the goal and we will see an all-out effort because they are on national television. Going back, the Falcons are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while the Buccaneers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game. 10* (332) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Sunday Primetime Play. This game had a lot more appeal before the season started but there is still a lot on the line for both teams. Dallas and Oakland are both hanging by a thread as far as the playoffs go and the loser of this game will be eliminated from postseason consideration. The Raiders are a game under .500 following a loss in Kansas City last week but they are still just a game out of the AFC West lead and win here guarantees them to still be a game out with the Chiefs and Chargers squaring off Saturday. A loss will put them two games back and even if they win out, they will lose out because of tiebreakers. This is another game where we are grabbing a home underdog that has every chance of pulling out a victory which is key when backing home underdogs. The Cowboys are in a similar situation as they need to win to stay alive, albeit for a Wild Card spot. They are a game behind Atlanta for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC but do nor own the tiebreaker because of the head-to-head loss against the Falcons. Dallas has rebounded from three straight losses where the offense scored a total of 22 points as it has won its last two games but those were against the Redskins and Giants which are going in downhill quickly. The absence of Ezekiel Elliott was bigger than expected as it seems to have hurt Dak Prescott more than anything although he has looked better during the wins. The fact that the Cowboys were -4 in New York and are -3 here shows how the markets are affecting this line because the public is all in on the Cowboys. 10* (330) Oakland Raiders

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Sunday Star Attraction. The Patriots lost in Miami on Monday night but in the big picture, it meant nothing as home field advantage in the AFC comes down to this game. Fearing the public was going to hammer New England after that loss, the linesmakers were forced to make the Patriots the favorites and we will take advantage of this line. If this game was in New England, the line is saying the Patriots would be a double-digit favorite and that is not reality. The record of New England coming off a loss under Tom Brady is impeccable, but this team is as vulnerable as we have seen in a while. The offense is strong as usual, but the defense remains an issue despite what some are saying about how it has improved over the course of the season. They will be going against a Steelers offense that is playing as good as ever with Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown. They are ranked No. 4 in total offense while New England remains No. 29 in total defense so this is a clear edge for Pittsburgh. On the other side, the Patriots possess the No. 2 ranked offense in the NFL and they will be facing the No. 6 ranked defense in the league. Ryan Shazier is a big loss no doubt but the fact the Steelers are ranked No. 4 in passing defense will be a big difference here. Pittsburgh is 5-1 at home with the one loss coming against Jacksonville which is a surprise, but the Steelers lost that game because of turnovers as they won the yardage battle by 58 yards. While New England has owned the Steelers of late, things are different this year and Pittsburgh will be jacked for payback after losing 36-17 in the AFC Championship last season. 10* (326) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Game of the Week. It is going to be a playoff atmosphere in Seattle this week and it needs to be as this is a playoff game for both sides. It is more important for the home team in this case as a loss by Seattle will in all likelihood kill any chance of winning the NFC West as it would fall two games behind the Rams with two games to play. It would also drop its record to 8-6 and severely hurt the Wild Card chances. A win would put the Seahawks into a tie with Los Angeles and they would own the divisional tiebreaker because of the season sweep so this is a huge swing game. They are coming off a loss at Jacksonville last week which snapped a two-game winning streak and dropped them to 4-3 on the road. Seattle is 4-2 at home which is not great for this team, but those losses were both by a field goal despite the Seahawks winning the yardage battle in both games. The Rams are coming off a loss last week against the Eagles even with Carson Wentz leaving the game with a torn ACL as they were outgained by 148 total yards. It was the third time in four games Los Angeles has been outgained and while it has played the Seahawks tough over the last few years, Seattle is favored by single digits at home for the first time since 2011 so we can see where the value lies. The Rams are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss while the Seahawks are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss. 10* (324) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. There are many surprising teams in the NFL this season, but the Jaguars take the cake as the most surprising. They are coming off a statement victory last week over Seattle to take over sole possession in the AFC South with a 9-4 record. They lost early in the season at home against Tennessee so the season finale game at the Titans is going to likely decide the division and this game spells letdown. This is an overrated team where the schedule has fallen their way as a lot of the teams they have faced have not been at full strength or have been in a horrible scheduling spot. That was certainly the case last week with Seattle which was coming off a huge win over Philadelphia the previous week. The Jaguars have a pair of losses against the Jets and Cardinals and supposed elite teams do not let that happen. Houston lost its third straight game last week despite winning the yardage battle in two of those and losing Tom Savage last week is probably not a bad thing. Houston is getting outgained by just 0.3 ypg on the season so the record is deceiving. Rarely will you see the Jaguars favored by double-digits against a quality team and while it has been a lost season for the Texans, they are still considered a quality team. They have only lost two games by more points than what they are getting this week and one of those was against Jacksonville at home so while road revenge is usually not an angle play, it will have the Texans giving a full effort. 10* (315) Houston Texans

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFL Saturday Primetime Play. Kansas City is coming off a win over Oakland last week but that is no reason to think its problems are over. The Chiefs had lost six of their previous seven games after a 5-0 start and there is a reason they are listed as home underdogs this week. They were able to get the offense going last week against Oakland, but the Raiders defense is among the bottom third of the league while the Chargers possess a top ten stop unit. Kansas City is getting outgained on the season because the offense has regressed of late while the defense has been poor all season as the Chiefs are ranked No. 28 in total defense. While they had a good offensive game last week, the Chiefs are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game. Los Angeles had had the opposite type of season as it started 0-4 and was left for dead but has since won seven of its last nine games to move into a tie with the Chiefs atop the AFC West. A loss here likely eliminates the Chargers from playoff contention because they will have lost twice to the Chiefs, so a tie gives the division to Kansas City and cashing in the Wild Card would be a stretch. In that first meeting, Los Angeles won the yardage battle, but Philip Rivers tossed three interceptions which is nearly half of his seven total interceptions on the season. He has been on fire of late and that success should continue here. The Chargers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (305) Los Angeles Chargers

This is a play on the OREGON DUCKS for our CFB Las Vegas Bowl Dominator. It was an up and down season for Oregon which finished 7-5 and is now going through its second coaching change in two years. Co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal takes over for Willie Taggart, who departed for the Florida St. head-coaching job two days after Oregon accepted the Las Vegas Bowl bid. He made it clear that the trip to Las Vegas will be important to set the tone for the program going forward. Injuries played a role in the inconsistency of the Ducks season but now starting quarterback Justin Herbert is healthy. The Ducks are 6-1 when he starts and averaging 52.1 ppg but when true freshman Braxton Burmeister had to fill in while Herbert recovered from a fractured collarbone, Oregon was 1-4 and averaged 15 ppg. The main question still will be whether Royce Freeman plays as he has not decided as of Wednesday afternoon. He did practice with the team however which is a good sign for the Oregon all-time leading rusher to suit up. The Broncos won the MWC Championship over Fresno St. to improve to 10-3, their second straight 10-win season and third in four years under head coach Bryan Harsin. Boise St. did struggle against the better teams on its schedule as the three losses came against bowl teams and none of the victories over bowl teams were impressive. There is a big injury concern for Boise St. as running back Alexander Mattison was hurt in the third quarter Dec. 2 against Fresno St. and leads the Broncos with 1,074 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He will be a game time decision. 10* (205) Oregon Ducks

This is a play on the TROY TROJANS for our CFB New Orleans Bowl Dominator. Troy won a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship with Appalachian St. and kicks off bowl season against North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans finished the season 10-2 with the lone losses coming at Boise St. and at home against South Alabama which may seem like a surprise but that has turned into a bitter rivalry battle. They capped their season with a win over Arkansas St. which prevented the Red Wolves from getting a share of the title and it was a game where they got severely outstated. Troy lost the yardage battle by 313 total yards, but the defense and special teams were the difference and will be the difference here as well. The Trojans are ranked No. 11 in scoring defense and have not allowed more than 25 points in any game. North Texas qualified for a bowl game by winning the C-USA West Division, but this is a team hard to get excited about. Only two of its conference wins came against teams with a winning record in the C-USA and after getting hammered during the regular season by Florida Atlantic, it got hammered again by the Owls in the C-USA Championship. The offense was very good at times, but this is a tough defense it will be facing while its own defense was rough. The Men Green allowed 33.8 ppg which is No. 106 in the country and their 431.2 ypg allowed is good for No. 97. Bowl season tends to favor the better defense and in this case, it will favor the defense that is better by 90 ypg. We have great line value as well with the spread dipped under the key number of seven. 10* (202) Troy Trojans

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Play. Denver snapped an eight-game losing streak with a win over the Jets as New York was a mess with and without Josh McCown as it managed a mere 100 yards of total offense. The Broncos defense can take some of that credit, but the Jets offense is a bad unit to begin with, so it went both ways. Denver vaulted up to No. 1 in total defense with that effort but now they have to travel on a short week which puts them in a difficult spot and while they are the top unit, they allow 24.2 ppg which is No. 24 in the NFL. The defense is the reason they are favored here but and while the Colts offense has been inconsistent this season, they are a better unit at home. They have faced four straight teams with potent defenses and while this one will be the fifth straight, the advantage will be the short week and travel for Denver as mentioned as well as the Broncos defense being banged up. Denver goes from the role of home underdog to road favorite and that is a bad move in this case with the Jets and Colts not being different enough from each other. Indianapolis is 2-4 at home with three of those losses coming by four points or less, two of those coming against upcoming playoff teams. Going back to last season, the Broncos are 0-8 ATS in their last eight road games while the Colts are 4-0 ATS in their last four games after accumulating less than 250 total yards in their previous game. 10* (302) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Monday Primetime play. This is a sneaky tough spot for the Patriots which are coming off a divisional road win last week in Buffalo which basically locked up the division and they have a huge game at Pittsburgh next week that will go a long way in deciding home field advantage in the AFC. That will close a stretch of five of six games being played on the road so this has been a challenging part of the schedule. New England does not seem too phased by it considering it has won eight straight games and covered the last six which is a big reason they are overpriced here. Losing outright will likely be a small option but a letdown and lookahead effort leading to a non-cover is a strong option. The Dolphins are coming off one of their best games of the season as they defeated the Broncos 35-9 and while the playoffs are a minor miracle away from happening, they will be ready to play in the national spotlight against a hated rival. Miami will likely test the New England rush defense that has allowed 1,449 yards on the ground (26th in the NFL) and an NFL worst 5.1 ypc and it was Kenyan Drake who had a coming out party in his first game where he was the featured back. Defensively, the Dolphins will not have to worry about tight end Rob Gronkowski who is suspended after tearing Miami apart two weeks ago with a pair of touchdowns. The Dolphins are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games vs. a team with a winning road record while the Patriots are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a non-winning home record. 10* (134) Miami Dolphins

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Sunday Star Attraction. The Rams moved to within a game of the Eagles and Vikings in the NFC with a win on the road in Arizona coupled with the Philadelphia loss in Seattle. It was the second straight win for Los Angeles, but it did get outgained last week against the Cardinals as it benefitted from three turnovers including an interception returned for a touchdown. The Rams are ranked No. 5 in the NFL in total offense after finishing dead last in the league last season, so the turnaround has been impressive. They will be facing a stout defense this week and they have struggled when going up against tough stop units. This will be the third top three defense they it has faced this season and Los Angeles managed only 254 yards against the Vikings and just 249 yards against the Jaguars. The Eagles and allowing 293.2 ypg which is currently third in the league and the offense is just as good as they are ranked No. in total offense. Despite losing last week, they outgained the Seahawks by 115 total yards which was the ninth straight game they have outgained their opponent. Last week, they lost the turnover battle 2-0 and were shutout in the redzone so the 348-yard game from Carson Wentz went for naught. A win here for the Eagles would give them some redemption and help them keep pace with Minnesota for the top seed in the NFC while a loss would drop them down to the No .3 seed based on head-to-head tiebreakers. This is the first meeting between the top two quarterbacks taken in the draft last year and while Jared Goff is having a great season as well, Wentz will be the one to get it done. 10* (127) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS for our NFL Game of the Week. While the Falcons and Saints both control their own destiny in the NFC South, that is not the case for Carolina. The Panthers have two games left within the division but neither of those are against New Orleans as they lost both meetings which means they will have to finish a game ahead of the Saints to claim the division. If they do in fact win out and the Falcons can defeat the Saints in two weeks, Carolina would be division champions, but it needs to take care of business here first. This is the first of three straight home games for Carolina where it is 3-2, losing to the Saints and Eagles. This is the time of year that the Panthers pick up their game and after having a four-game winning streak snapped last week, the Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. The Vikings continue to impress and because of the Eagles loss at Seattle last week, they are tied with Philadelphia for the top spot in the NFC. Minnesota has won eight straight games while covering the last seven of those and that is the top reason it comes in as a road favorite here. The Vikings are tied with the Rams for the best road record in the NFC at 5-1 but this spot is not ideal as it is their third straight road game and while they will not play any less hard, the fatigue factor is most important especially this late in the season. Minnesota has dropped five straight games in this situation of a third straight roadie and we can expect the winning streak to come to an end here. 10* (116) Carolina Panthers

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. We won with the Packers last week as they defeated Tampa Bay in overtime which came after a close three-point loss at Pittsburgh the previous week. The problem is while the scores look impressive, Green Bay was outgained by 155 yards against the Steelers and by 119 yards against the Buccaneers, so the results have been skewed. Quarterback Brett Hundley looked good against Pittsburgh, but he had a bad game against Tampa Bay despite the Buccaneers possessing a poor defense and that was his fourth quarterback rating of less than 50. The Packers have relied on the running game as they have outrushed five of their last six opponents, but Cleveland has a very underrated defense as it is ranked No. 9 overall including No. 6 against the run while its 3.3 ypc average allowed is the best in the NFL. The Browns problems have been on the offensive end as they are No. 24 overall but have been undone by mistakes as their 30 giveaways are the most in the league which has led to a league-low 14.7 ppg. The Packers defense is nothing special as they are ranked No. 23 in the league and over their last eight games, they have allowed an average of 25 ppg. Wide receiver Josh Gordon played his first game last week since 2014 and while there was rust, he was targeted 11 times and averaged 21.3 ypr on four catches and he could be in for a big game this week against a horrible Green Bay secondary. The Packers failed in their only other game as a road favorite this season and will do so again here. 10* (118) Cleveland Browns

We won with Army in this game last season and the Black Knights have covered five of the last six meetings and we have been on them in each of those. They snapped the 14-game losing streak in this series last year and one big reason for that can be attributed to the fact Army had an extra week to prepare and the same holds true this season as it has been off since November 18 while Navy played its last game on November 24. It is important because preparing for the opposing rushing offenses can be a challenge. Army comes in with the top ranked rushing offense in the country with 368.1 ypg on 6.24 ypc and most impressive about this is the fact the Black Knights have outrushed their opponents by 200 or more yards in eight of their 12 games. Navy is right there as well as it is ranked second in the country in rushing, but it has not been nearly as dominant as it has outrushed opponents by 200 or more yards only three times. The Midshipmen started the season 5-0 but they have struggled over the latter part as they have gone 1-5 over their last six games and they have been outgained in six of their last seven games. Army has been outgained only twice all season and one of those came against Ohio St. Of the three losses, the other two came by four and three points and the Black Knights won the yardage battle both times. These teams are nearly dead even in power rankings, so the fact Army is the underdog is surprising and we will again take the points with the teams that has played better overall. 10* (103) Army Black Knights

This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Play. The Falcons are still on the outside looking in following a loss to the Vikings at home last Sunday and that loss could make them pay. The good news is that the final four games of the season are all divisional games including two against the Saints and seeing they trail New Orleans by two games, they control their own playoff destiny. This is the third of three straight home games so playing on a short week with no travel is big. While there is just a difference of two games between Atlanta and New Orleans, the Falcons should not be home underdogs in this spot as the Saints are a public favorite now. New Orleans had its eight-game winning streak snapped in Los Angels two weeks ago but bounced back last Sunday with a big home win over Carolina as they outgained the Panthers by 121 total yards. It was even worse than that as Carolina put on some garbage yards late in the fourth quarter. Injuries are starting to pile up for New Orleans which hurts when playing on a short week late in the season and it could be down as many as five starters this week. For the Falcons, cornerback Desmond Trufant has been cleared from his concussion symptoms and should play against the Saints which would be significant even though New Orleans is much more balanced this season. The Falcons are 19-8 ATS in their last 27 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game. 10* (102) Atlanta Falcons

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BENGALS for our NFL Monday Primetime play. The Steelers roll into Cincinnati riding a six-game winning streak and they hold a 2.5-game lead over Baltimore and a four-game lead over the Bengals in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is hanging with New England for the top spot in the AFC as it trails the Patriots by a half-game, so this is clearly a big game. The problem has been playing on the road and while the Steelers are 5-1, four of those wins have come by six points or less including two by a field goal. Wide receiver Antonio Brown leads the NFL in catches (80), yards (1,195) and yards per game (108.6) but he is battling a toe injury and has been downgraded to questionable for tonight. The Bengals are keeping their slim playoff hopes alive as they have won two straight games to move to 5-6 and are currently a game and a half behind the Ravens for the second Wild Card spot in the AFC. While the offense has had its struggles, after starting the season with four picks in the opener against Baltimore, quarterback Andy Dalton has eighteen and just four interceptions since and no picks in his previous five games. Pittsburgh is going to miss cornerback Joe Haden who is out with a leg injury. The Bengals defense is an underrated unit that is ranked No. 14 overall, No. 10 in points allowed and No. 4 in passing defense. Aside from just beating the Steelers this week and losing no more than one game the rest of the season to get into the playoffs, it is the venue that the Bengals need to conquer. 10* (380) Cincinnati Bengals

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Game of the Week. Philadelphia comes in at the top of some power rankings and behind the Patriots in others following nine straight wins and eight straight covers. What is not being taken into consideration is that the Eagles have defeated only one team with a winning record which came at Carolina in Week Six. Since then, they have been on the road only once and have had four home games as well as a bye so not only has the scheduled teams helped them, but logistics have as well. Seattle is 6-2 over its last eight games to keep pace in the NFL West as it trails the Rams by a game. The Seahawks are tied with Atlanta for the second Wild Card spot, but they do not hold the tiebreaker because of the head-to-head loss two weeks ago so each game is huge at this point. Their last three losses have come by a total of 12 points including a pair of losses by a field goal at home, so they will be out to snap a two-game home slide. You have to go all the way back to November 2008 to find the last time Seattle has lost three straight home games. The Eagles were favored by the same amount at Dallas in their last road game and we cannot Seattle which is No. 9 in the power rankings and Dallas which is No. 17. This is the time of year Seattle steps its game up as the Seahawks are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 games in December. 10* (378) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the ARIZONA CARDINALS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. We are coming off a win with the Rams last week as they snapped the Saints eight-game winning streak and while there should not be a letdown this week based on everything to play for, we are going against this line which is overinflated. Los Angeles has been outgained by five of 11 opponents this season including four of their five road games and the only time they won the yardage battle on the highway was against the 2-9 Giants. The Rams are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing record. Arizona is still alive for a playoff berth as it is 5-6 including a 3-2 record at home after a win over Jacksonville last week and this will be the third straight home game where the Cardinals are getting at least six points. Overall, it has been a disappointing season for Arizona and the loss of quarterback Carson Palmer did not help matters but the Cardinals have held their own as they have outgained seven of 11 opponents and overall, they are getting outgained by just 3.2 ypg. Then there is the matter of revenge as Arizona will be out to avenge the 33-0 loss in London to the Rams which was the game Palmer was lost for the season. On top of that, head coach Bruce Arians had never been shut out prior to that game. 10* (374) Arizona Cardinals

This is a play on the GREEN BAY PACKERS for our NFL Sunday Supreme Annihilator. Green Bay put up a great effort in Pittsburgh last week, losing to the Steelers by just a field goal as time expired to fall to 5-6 on the season. The Packers are far from done in the playoff picture despite losing five of their last six games as they are two games behind Seattle for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Quarterback Brett Hundley is coming off his best game as a starter and he has been solid of late with ratings of 110.8 and 134.3 in two of his last three games. The Green Bay problem has been the defense more than anything as it is ranked No. 23 overall including No. 25 against the pass but that should not be a cause for concern here. Tampa Bay will be getting Jameis Winston back this week, but it is too little, too late for the Buccaneers which come in 4-7 following a loss in Atlanta last week. He has been very inconsistent this season which can be said for the entire offense that is averaging just 20.3 ppg which is No. 23 in the NFL. This was supposed to be a vastly improved defense, but it has gone the wrong way as Tampa Bay is ranked dead last in total defense and passing defense, so this is great news for the Packers and Hundley. The Packers are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a losing road record while the Buccaneers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven road games. 10* (366) Green Bay Packers

This is a play on the WISCONSIN BADGERS for our CFB Saturday Big Ten Championship Annihilator. Wisconsin can silence the haters with a win here as it has been criticized all season for laying a soft schedule, but you cannot blame the team for it as they have no control how good or bad the teams are. There is a certain calmness and coolness the Badgers have exhibited all year, successfully maintaining focus on Big Ten play despite the national rankings that have had them on the outside of the playoff picture each week. There is pressure to win here for sure but there has been pressure each week and they have passed one. The Buckeyes can sneak into the CFP with a dominating win and some help, but they have struggled this season against the top teams they have played with the exception of a win over Michigan St. Now they will be facing the toughest defense they have seen all season as Wisconsin is No. 1 in the country in total defense. Additionally, it is ranked No. 1 nationally in red zone defense, allowing opponents into the end zone at a 30 percent clip and among all FBS teams, only TCU also sits below 42 percent which shows how good the unit really is. Offensively, the Badgers have one of the best running back no one has heard of in Mike Weber while quarterback Alex Hornibrook has been quietly solid as his 8.8 ypa ranks eighth among Power 5 quarterbacks. Wisconsin has not defeated Ohio St. since 2010 but it is safe to say this is the best Badger team since then when it went 11-2. 10* (328) Wisconsin Badgers

This is a play on the CLEMSON TIGERS for our CFB Saturday ACC Championship Annihilator. Even though Miami lost last week, getting into the CFP is more than possible with a win here so the defeat was not overly costly. What it did do though was give Clemson a good idea of how to beat the Hurricanes and the Tigers have been great at gameplanning over the last few years. Miami deserves to be here to represent the ACC Coastal because it was better than average among the average teams in the division, but it was far from dominant. Four of the Hurricanes conference wins came by just one possession while it took a big comeback to defeat Virginia before losing to Pittsburgh, a team that is not even going to a bowl game. Granted, Clemson lost to a non-bowl contender in Syracuse, but the Tigers lost their quarterback in that game so being No. 1 in the current rankings comes as no surprise. The running game could be huge in this outcome. Clemson running back Travis Etienne is a very underrated player as he averaged 7.4 yards per rush, trailing only Stanford's Bryce Love and Alabama's Damien Harris among Power 5 backs with at least 90 carries. For Miami, Travis Homer has done well filling in for Walton, but last week the Hurricanes had nowhere to run, an ominous sign considering the Clemson run defense is the best in the conference. If the Tigers can get out to a quick start, it could be game over as the Miami offense has been a work in progress all season and faces its biggest test against the best defense it has faced all season. 10* (326) Clemson Tigers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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