Sports Picks & Predictions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is a play on the OHIO BOBCATS for our CFB Wednesday Star Attraction. The MAC East is essentially a two-team race with Akron and Ohio sitting at the top at 4-1 and meeting next week in Akron which makes this game a big one for the Bobcats. They are coming off a win last week against Miami which was their third straight win so they bring positive momentum into this possible MAC Championship preview. The only loss in the conference came against Central Michigan by three points despite them winning the yardage battle with turnovers and special teams miscues being the difference. Toledo has won five straight games and its only loss on the season came against the Miami Hurricanes. After its win over Northern Illinois last week, it separated itself from the rest of the pack and because of the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Rockets can still lose a game and represent the MAC West in the championship game. Ohio averages 41.2 ppg and Toledo averages 39 ppg and these are the highest-scoring teams in the league and have comparable defenses, as the Bobcats allow 25.7 ppg and the Rockets allow 24.4 ppg. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside has passed for 2,656 yards 19 TD/2 INT. The Bobcats Nathan Rourke has been special as well, passing for 1,504 yards, 13 TD/3 INT, and rushing for 16 touchdowns so these two are also very comparable. They have played similar strength of schedules so when everything lines up like this, the underdog is worthy of a long look, especially a home underdog. The line has come down from opening but we are still over the key number of three as of Tuesday afternoon. The Rockets are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game while the Bobcats are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. 10* (108) Ohio Bobcats

This is a play on the MIAMI REDHAWKS for our CFB Tuesday Enforcer. It is now or never for the RedHawks as they are now 3-6 and must won out to get back to a bowl game. They are coming off a loss at Ohio last week and despite winning the yardage battle in their last four games, they have gone just 1-3 over this stretch. Getting to six wins is very doable for Miami as it hosts Eastern Michigan next week and concludes the regular season at Ball St., so all its difficult games are out of the way. The RedHawks are +27 ypg on the season in yardage differential and they certainly know what is at stake tonight. Akron is the biggest fraud in the MAC as its 5-4 is as deceiving as it gets. The Zips go into their game at Miami ranked 10th in the 12-team Mid-American Conference in scoring, 11th in total and rushing offense, average time of possession and total defense and last in passing defense, field-goal percentage and punt-return average. They have been outgained in seven of eight games against FBS teams and the only game they won the yardage battle came against 2-7 Ball St. and that was by only seven yards. The last two wins for Akron were by a point each despite getting outgained by 211 and 87 yards in those games so it is hard to believe the Zips cane become bowl eligible with one more win. The Miami seniors have never defeated Akron including a 22-pont loss last season so there will be extra motivation tonight although that really is not needed. The RedHawks are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game while the Zips are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (102) Miami RedHawks

This is a play on the GREEN BAY PACKERS for our NFL Monday Primetime play. The Packers have dropped two straight games, one with Brett Hundley taking over for Arron Rodgers and the other with Hundley starting for Rodgers. Green Bay now hopes to remain over .500 and keep pace with the Vikings in the NFC North and are once again catching points at home. We played on the Packers two weeks ago when they faced the Saints and a late touchdown by New Orleans prevented the cover. They are in a good spot this week as they are coming off their bye week and while that means not a ton more practice time for Hundley, any additional amount is important as is the added preparation time. Detroit is on a similar run as it has lost three straight games including a home loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday night. Now the Lions go from the rare situation of being a home underdog to a road favorite which is an aggressive move. This is not a good role they are in as going back to 2013 and not counting Week 17 when starters have rested, Detroit is 0-6 ATS as road favorites, losing five of those games outright. Green Bay has been favored by six points or more in every home series meeting since 2012 so the linesmakers have adjusted the number by eight points with the Rodgers absence and that is too big of a move even what his presence means to the team. Going back, the Lions are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning record while the Packers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (474) Green Bay Packers

This line has been fluctuating all week and it is now finally settling in as the Ezekiel Elliott news has become official that he will be able to suit up this weekend as his suspension has been delayed yet again. Dallas has won two straight games on the road and it will be out to snap a two-game losing streak at home where it lost to Green Bay by four points and Los Angeles by five points. The Cowboys won the yardage battle in all four of these games, so they are playing at a high level as they try to keep pace with the Eagles in the NFC East. The offense is firing on all cylinders as they have averaged 33.5 ppg over this four-game stretch and they can keep that going this week in facing the No. 30 ranked defense in the NFL. Overall, Dallas is ranked No. 8 in offense and No. 5 in scoring offense. Kansas City rebounded from a two-game slide with a win over Denver last Monday and while it sounds like a broken record, they were outgained once again, making it three straight games they have been outyarded. On the season, Kansas City is getting outgained by 15 ypg which is not much but a 6-2 team that is getting outgained is a concern which includes three wins where they were outyarded. Dallas meanwhile is outgaining opponents by 45 ypg and it has won the yardage battle in all three home games. Coming off a pair of divisional games and with a bye on deck puts the Chiefs in a tough spot. Additionally, it is a short week for the Chiefs and they are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games when playing on Sunday following a Monday night game. The Cowboys are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game. 10* (470) Dallas Cowboys

The Cardinals are playing their first game with Drew Stanton as the starting quarterback after Carson Palmer was lost for the season in a 33-0 loss to the Rams in London. Arizona did have an advantage of having its bye week to get Stanton working with the first team but because of the new CBA, it did not amount to much more practice time. The Cardinals are now 3-4 on the season and they trail the Seahawks and Rams by two games, so things are looking bleak at this point. Last season, the Cardinals were one of only two teams in the NFL, New England being the other, that finished in the top 10 in both total offense and total defense. This season, they are ranked No. 16 and No. 24 in total offense and defense respectively showing how much they have fallen. The 49ers have fallen as well as after a 2-14 season last year, they are off to the first 0-8 start in franchise history which says a lot as there have been some lean years in San Francisco. They have played better than the record shows as they have five losses by three points or less and coming off a pair of blowout losses against two elite teams puts them in a great spot returning home. San Francisco will also be out for some payback following an overtime loss in Arizona last month as they took a lead with a field goal but allowed a Palmer touchdown pass with just 32 second left in the extra session. That was the fifth straight win for Arizona in this series, but this is the most watered-down Cardinals team over this stretch. The Cardinals are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while the 49ers have covered six straight divisional games. 10* (466) San Francisco 49ers

The Seahawks were involved in an epic game last week against Houston as they pulled out a 41-38 win with a touchdown pass with just 21 seconds remaining. That was just their third lead in the game and they were outrushed for the fourth time in seven games. Seattle is tied with Los Angeles atop the NFC West thanks to four straight wins and while it is 3-0 at home, two of those victories were by three points and the only blowout win came against 2-6 Indianapolis which was not decided until the fourth quarter. The typically stingy defense has been exposed on occasion this season and it comes in ranked No. 17 in the NFL while now facing another offense that can take advantage. Additionally, Seattle is almost certain to be without Safety Earl Thomas. Washington has dropped two straight games to fall to 3-4 and it cannot afford many more slipups as it is a game and a half out of the final Wild Card spot with six other teams battling for the final spot. The Redskins have failed to cover their last four games which has inflated this line that has gone over a touchdown in some places. This game will add to the difficult schedule the Redskins have endured thus far which is currently No. 5 in the league compared to the Seahawks which have played the No. 29 schedule in the NFL. While the Seattle defense has been underachieving, the Washington defense has been a solid unit as it is ranked No. 12 in the league overall and it has good balance, being ranked No. 13 both against the rush and the pass. The Redskins are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games while the Seahawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win. 10* (467) Washington Redskins

This is a play on the DENVER BRONCOS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Eagles have won six straight games and have a one game lead over Minnesota for the best record in the NFC. They have covered five straight games as well, but they are in a difficult scheduling spot here with this being their third straight home game. Some people may seem that as an advantage, but it is not especially coming off consecutive wins in the first two as the third game can make a team lethargic as well as inflate lines. We expect the former to happen and the latter has happened with this number tipping over a touchdown. Not to mention the fact that Philadelphia has a bye next week which is another sign of a possible letdown. Denver meanwhile has lost three straight games, the last two coming on the road making this its third straight road game which is a good thing here. The Broncos will have a sense of urgency after losing to the Chargers and Chiefs on the road and because of the three straight losses, people are writing them off as being a fraud. Denver is making a change at quarterback and while it is Brock Osweiler, a change can only be a good thing at this point as the Broncos have scored only 29 points during their losing streak. The defense continues to hold its own however and gives the team a chance to win and that is proven by the fact Denver has outgained every opponent this season, the only team in the NFL that can say that. The Broncos are outgaining opponents by over 80 ypg compared to 44.7 ypg for the Eagles and Denver has played the harder schedule, No. 10 versus No. 26 for Philadelphia. The Eagles are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a losing road record while the Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing on Sunday following a Monday night game. 10* (451) Denver Broncos

This is a play on the SMU MUSTANGS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. SMU is going bowling for the first time since 2012 following its win over Tulsa last week as the turnaround by head coach Chad Morris is reaching its peak. The Mustangs have only two losses this season, one against TCU in a game they were leading late in the first half and the other against Houston on the road despite winning the yardage battle by 81 yards. They are 5-0 at home on the season and this will be the biggest test without a doubt, but the line is out of whack based on the opposition. The Mustangs are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game. UCF has been one of the top betting teams this season as it is 5-1-1 ATS and has yet to lose a cover against a team from the FBS as they have been blowing teams out. The Knights did have a push against Navy as they won by 10 points in what was the least dominated game of the season. Now they are on the road again and favored by more points against what we feel is a better team as the adjustments continue to be made to try and defer the betting public. UCF has the top scoring offense in the country, but they have played an extremely weak schedule and SMU is not far behind as it is ranked No. 9 in total offense and scoring offense. This total is set at 75 so offensive fireworks are expected and that favors the underdog when both teams are equal since the Mustangs can keep up. UCF is No. 18 in the first edition of the CFP Rankings showing how the non-quality wins have not been worth much. 10* (376) SMU Mustangs

This is a play on the SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS for our SEC Game of the Year. South Carolina became bowl eligible with its win over Vanderbilt last week, its third straight victory to improve to 6-2 on the season. The Gamecocks lost to Texas A&M by a touchdown and lost to Kentucky despite winning the yardage battle and are guaranteed a bowl game for a second straight season following a miserable 3-9 record in 2015 when it went through two coaches. Will Muschamp is doing a great job in his second season and he will have his team ready in wanting to defeat his alma mater where he played from 1991-1994. South Carolina is 4-0-1 ATS as an underdog this season and is by far catching its biggest number of the season. Georgia plays its first game at the No. 1 team in the CFP Rankings, so it could be feeling the pressure. The Bulldogs have covered six of seven games against FBS opponents, so they have been steamrolling teams, but this will be a test. In their last home game, they were favored by 28.5 points against Missouri which is 3-5 including 0-4 in the SEC and now Georgia is favored by only 4.5 points less against a team that is much better than what that variance is saying. The Bulldogs know every game counts but coming off a win over rival Florida with a game against rival Auburn on deck puts them in a tough spot because getting up for three straight games is tough. They are coming off a huge defensive effort, but the Bulldogs are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game. This is the best defense Georgia has seen in six weeks so look for the offense to not be as efficient. 10* (371) South Carolina Gamecocks

Ohio St. is coming off a comeback for the ages as it rallied late to take out Penn St. and get right back into the Big Ten race and CFP chase. The Buckeyes did struggle to move the ball with consistency until their final two drives and that was only their second victory of the season against a team with a winning record, Army being the other. Ohio St. has outgained every opponent since its loss to Oklahoma by at least 240 yards, so they are playing at a high level but coming off that victory puts the Buckeyes in a very vulnerable spot, especially going on the road with a bulls-eye on its back. The Big Ten East could come down to next week should Michigan St. win since Ohio St. hosts the Spartans next Saturday. The Buckeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning record. Iowa bounced back last week with a win over Minnesota following an overtime loss at northwestern the previous week. The Hawkeyes are 5-3 with all three losses by a touchdown or less including a two-point loss to Penn St. at home despite getting outgained by 306 yards. They have been outgained most of the time this season but because of ball control, they are keeping games close so while they rarely blow teams out, they do not get blown out either. The defense allowed 18.8 ppg last season and they have improved this season, allowing 17.4 ppg which is No. 12 in the nation. Iowa is 14-7-2 as a home dog under head coach Kirk Ferentz including 9-4 ATS when getting more than a touchdown. Additionally, the Hawkeyes are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. 10* (336) Iowa Hawkeyes

The Cavaliers have killed us the last two weeks as they got thumped by Boston College both on the field and on the scoreboard and last week, they outplayed Pittsburgh but ended up 1-5 on fourth down and had a punt returned against them for a touchdown. Now that they have lost two in a row, no one will want to touch them, but we will be backing them here as the line is overinflated. Virginia needs one win to become bowl eligible and is catching Georgia Tech at a very good time to get it done here and it might have to. The Cavaliers remaining schedule after this is brutal with games against Louisville, Miami and Virginia Tech so the urgency will be seen on Saturday. We played against Georgia Tech last week and we had the cover lined up, but the Yellow Jackets scored a late touchdown to grab the push. Now they are playing their third road game over their last four games and despite getting outgained by 200 and 198 yards in those first two road games, they go from road underdogs both times to a double-digit road favorite. It was the third loss for Georgia Tech last week and those are sometimes the worst as it takes them out of any major bowl consideration and while knowing regular season double-digit wins will not be achieved for a third straight season. The offense was shut down last week and while the defense will be less resistant this week, the Yellow Jackets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game. The line may say Virginia cannot win but it certainly can and going back, it is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games as home dog. 10* (348) Virginia Cavaliers

This is one of the best college football stories that not many have heard yet. UAB gave up football after the 2014 season as there was no money or success as the Blazers went through the motions for year, having gone to only one bowl game in the history of the program in 2004. The football program was reinstated last year although they did not put a team on the field until this season and it has been a huge success. A loss at Ball St. by 20 was did not look good but UAB outgained the Cardinals by 119 total yards but was undone by turnovers and special teams. The Blazers lost at North Texas by only three points and lost at Charlotte by a point in overtime to account for their only other losses. With the victory at Southern Mississippi last week, UAB is a win away from bowl eligibility and after finishing 6-6 in 2014 and not getting an invite, a 6-6 finish this year will guarantee them an invite. One team that will not be bowling this year is Rice. The Owls lost at Louisiana Tech last week to fall to 1-7 and be officially eliminated from the postseason. This was a surprise to many as the Owls were expected to bounce back from an injury plagued season in 2016 where they went 3-9 but that has not been the case. It has been a tough run as Rice is 5-20 over its last 25 games dating back to midway of the 2015 season. While Rice has seen several starters return in recent weeks, the injury bug has crept back as leading rusher Emmanuel Esukpa is expected to be out under concussion protocol. The Owls are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (396) UAB Blazers

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CFB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. Michigan St. has been good to us this season as the Spartans have covered on three different occasions and are now in one of their best spots on the season. They are coming off a loss at Northwestern last week in overtime despite outgaining the Wildcats by 108 total yards. While that was a tough loss, Michigan St. is still in contention for the Big Ten Championship as a win here and a win over Ohio St. next week puts them in first place alone with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand. The offense remains inconsistent, but the Spartans defense is underrated as it is No. 8 in the nation and they allowed more than 17 points in regulation only twice in eight games. While the meeting last season was meaningless, Michigan St. has not forgotten the 45-12 loss last year in the season finale, its worst loss of the season. The Spartans have covered seven of their last eight home games. Penn St. is coming off an epic collapse last week as it blew an 11-point lead with less than five minutes remaining and likely took away at a chance in the CFP. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 7 and will need some help to get back into contention but it is not looking good and the loss last week was deflating which makes this bounce back game a challenge. Being favored on the road here is not a surprise but being favored by this much is a surprise and Michigan St. has thrived by going 5-0 ATS as a home underdog since 2010. Additionally, the Nittany Lions are 1-8-2 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss. 10* (416) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the INDIANA HOOSIERS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. It has been a tough season for Indiana but not because it has played bad. The Hoosiers stayed with Ohio St. for a half in their season opener and their last three losses have been brutal. They lost to Michigan in overtime, they were leading Michigan St. for most of the game two weeks ago and last week, they lost by three points at Maryland in a game they led for most of it and outgained the Terrapins by 138 yards. Indiana is now 3-5 so it must win three of its last four games to become bowl eligible and while the last three games are all winnable, this one would go a long way. The quarterback situation is up in the air as Peyton Ramsey is questionable but Richard Lagow has played a bunch and has comparable numbers based on ratio. The Hoosiers are 14-6-2 ATS in their last 22 home games against teams with a winning road record. Wisconsin is No. 9 in the first CFP Rankings and while it feels disrespected, this is where it deserves to be. The Badgers have played absolutely no one as their best win came against Northwestern as their overall schedule is the weakest in the Big Ten. They are coming off a 14-point win at Illinois which is the lowest ranked team in the conference and while the defense has been shutting all teams down, their own offense will be facing a very unrated defense as Indiana is No. 6 in the conference in yppl allowed. Wisconsin has dominated this series with nine straight wins and four straight covers, but this is the first meeting since 2013 when Indiana was horrible. The outright upset would not shock many people. 10* (368) Indiana Hoosiers

It has been a huge turnaround for Florida Atlantic as after a 1-3 start, it has won four straight games and sits in first place in the C-USA East Division. The Owls have won all four of these games by at least 14 points and while they dominated two of those on the stats sheet, they were outgained by Middle Tennessee St. and Western Kentucky, so the results have been mixed. The mix of Lane Kiffin and Kendal Briles has woken up an offense that struggled the first couple games, but things will not be as easy on Friday. They are laying a big number this week against what many still consider the best team in the conference and a preseason favorite coming in. Marshall is coming off a clunker as it lost to Florida International last week by 11 points as a 14.5-point favorite as it was clearly not focused. The Thundering Herd lost the turnover battle 3-0 and fell behind 35-7 before trying to make a charge. They outgained the Panthers by 104 total yards, so it was a game they should have had but there could have been a lookahead to this one. Marshall has outgained each of its last six opponents thanks to a defense that has led the way as it is ranked No. 24 in total defense and No. 15 in scoring defense. The Owls meanwhile has a defense that is ranked No. 94 overall and this time of year is when the defenses tend to rule the games, especially of meaning like this. A win would leapfrog the Thundering Herd over the Owls and would likely control their own destiny with FAU and FIU still having to play each other. Going back, the Herd are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game while the Owls are 4-13-1 ATS in their last 18 home games. 10*(317) Marshall Thundering Herd

This is a play on the IDAHO VANDALS for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Once Idaho found out it was going to be relegated to the FCS starting 2018, the team made decided to try and go out in a big way. Last season, the Vandals went 9-4 including a bowl win over Colorado St. and they were going for a repeat this season in their final year as an FBS member. It has not been a great season as they are 3-5 but most of those losses have been very close, and they are getting a monster number here and it is actually the biggest of the season. Idaho needs three wins to become bowl eligible and even though the last three games are all winnable, two are on the road so an upset here would go a long way. That is why we will see a full out effort from the Vandals. Troy is a game out of first place in the Sun Belt Conference behind Arkansas St. and Appalachian St. so there is plenty of motivation for the Trojans as well. They became bowl eligible with a win last week against Georgia Southern, but they again failed to cover a big number and are now 2-5-1 ATS on the season including a 1-5 ATS record as a favorite. The victory over LSU has skewed their numbers as the public has not forgotten that victory. Additionally, they have failed to cover a game at home in four chances as this is due to being overvalued and going back, they are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 home games. The Idaho defense has had its struggles in some areas, but forcing offenses into negative plays is not one as the Vandals have registered 58 tackles for loss. As a comparison, the Troy defense which is ranked No. 21 in the country, has generated 61 tackles for loss so a solid effort from the Idaho stop unit could play a big role in the cover here. 10* (315) Idaho Vandals

This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS for our NFL Thursday Primetime Play. Buffalo is the talk of the NFL right now as it is 5-2 which is tied for its best start since 1999 and the playoffs are looking realistic in what has turned into a weak AFC. The Bills bolstered their offense right at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Kelvin Benjamin from Carolina which shows that they are taking this good start for real. They are road favorites this week because of the perceived opponent and not because they have succeeded much on the road as they are 1-2 with the win being over Atlanta. On paper, that looks like a great victory, but the Falcons are struggling right now. Overall, the Bills have been outgained in their last six games, so they have been fortunate along the way. The Jets have been playing well despite three straight losses as those have come by an average of five ppg which came after a surprising three-game winning streak. New York lost the first meeting in Buffalo by nine points as it was outgained 408-214 so while the game itself was not close, it was the first game of the season and the revamped roster has not played together but those players are now in sync which has resulted in a run of competitive games. Part of the reason for success by Buffalo is that it leads the NFL in turnover margin at +14 with its 3 giveaways the fewest and 17 takeaways tied for the most. This cannot last, and it has skewed its numbers as it is No. in scoring defense but just No. 17 in total defense while sitting only No. 25 in total offense. The public will be on the Bills, but we will take the live home dog. 10* (308) New York Jets

This is a play on the CENTRAL MICHIGAN/WESTERN MICHIGAN UNDER for our CFB Wednesday Total Dominator. The MAC continues its weeknight run on Wednesday with rivals Central and Western squaring off with the loser out of the MAC West race. We are expecting a grind it out type of game which is something this series has not seen over the years. The Broncos will be without quarterback Jon Wassink who broke his collarbone last game and they will be starting Reece Goddard who has thrown three career passes. To say they will be about ball control is an understatement as we will see a heavy dose of the run, even more than usual which burns clock. Western has rushed for 2,018 yards as a team, led by Jarvion Franklin's 80.2 ypg and seven total touchdowns. The Chippewas are coming off a 56-9 victory at Ball St. during which everything seemed to fall their way as they put up 256 yards rushing, a season high, and the defense held the Cardinals to 208 total yards, the season low for a Chippewas opponent. That defense will have to step up again and because of the quarterback change, they will have a better idea of what is coming. Western Michigan is allowing 385.6 ypg on defense with a lot of those yards coming early in the season. The Broncos have allowed an average of 15.8 ppg over their last five games in regulation as we threw out the overtime points in that crazy Buffalo game and we can expect this defense to come up strong against an inconsistent Central Michigan offense. While the Chippewas put up 56 points last week, they averaged 15 ppg in their previous five games. Central Michigan has gone under in 11 of its last 12 games against winning teams while the under is 5-1 in the Broncos last six games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game. 10* Under (305) Central Michigan Chippewas/(306) Western Michigan Broncos

This is a play on the MIAMI REDHAWKS for our CFB Tuesday Enforcer. Miami snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Buffalo last week to move to 3-5 on the season including 2-2 in the MAC. The RedHawks have played better than the record shows however as they had one bad game at Notre Dame and have outgained six of the other seven opponents. The lone exception was a game against Cincinnati where they were outgained by 70 yards but still should have won the game as they were picked off with a minute left which was returned for a touchdown. Providing the winning margin for the Bearcats. The last two losses were tough as they came against two of the worst teams in the conference despite winning the yardage battle in both. The game against the Bobcats is the RedHawks first midweek road game in the four seasons for Miami so this is the first chance in a long time to relish in the national spotlight. Ohio has won two straight games following a loss against Central Michigan and is currently sitting in second place in the MAC East, a half-game behind Akron and a game ahead of Miami. RedHawks quarterback Gus Ragland, out with a leg injury, has missed last two games but with a 10-day break since the Buffalo game, Ragland might be able to suit up on Tuesday which is a huge boost for the offense. Ragland has 12 touchdowns and four interceptions for an average of 233 passing ypg this season. Going back, the Bobcats are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points while the RedHawks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (303) Miami RedHawks

This is a play on the DENVER BRONCOS for our NFL Monday Primetime play. The Chiefs and Broncos are both riding two-game losing streaks and Kansas City can take a 2.5-game lead in the division at the halfway point with a victory. That being said, this is a bigger game for the Broncos as pulling to within a half game would keep them around as a loss could potentially send them packing. The offense is the obvious concern as Denver was shutout last week for the first time 25 years and it has managed only one touchdown in the last 11 quarters. The Broncos must get their running game going which was one of the best through four games but has taken a step back over the last two contests. The good news is that only four teams give up more yards per carry than the 4.7 surrendered by the Chiefs and Jamaal Charles should have a little extra in the tank in his return to Kansas City. In 50 possessions over their last four games, the Broncos have scored just three touchdowns and made seven field goals. They have also missed three field goal attempts, lost three fumbles, turned the ball over on downs five times and thrown five interceptions to go with 20 punts and five instances where time ran out on them. Inconsistent to say the least but facing a weak defense will help. The Denver defense will get a boost with the return of outside linebacker Shane Ray who has missed the first six games of the season after wrist surgery. The Broncos give up just 71.8 ypg on the ground which is the best in the league and their 3.0 ypc allowed is also tops in the NFL. Additionally, they have yet to give up a rushing touchdown. The Chiefs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game while the Broncos are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games following a straight up loss. 10* (273) Denver Broncos

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFL Sunday Primetime Play. With the loss of Aaron Rodgers for the Packers, the NFC North is more wide open and Detroit has an excellent shot to win the division. The Lions are 3-3 and sit a game and a half behind Minnesota following a pair of losses in their last two games but they are coming off their bye week, so they are in good position to regain that winning form. A three-point loss against Carolina and a four-point loss against Atlanta were tough defeats, especially the latter as the Lions were inches away from a victory. Detroit will not have it easy this week against the Pittsburgh defense but playing at home and in a rare primetime national television game is a big bonus. Teams coming off blowout losses followed by a bye week are typically in very good spots if they are at least considered a good team which the Lions are at this point and they have thrived themselves as they are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a bye week. After suffering a bad loss at home against Jacksonville, the Steelers were left for dead by some, but they responded with two big wins against Kansas City as underdogs two weeks ago and a blowout victory over Cincinnati last week. They are now a game and a half ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North, so they are again feeling good about themselves which often puts teams like that in difficult spots, especially when taking to the road. The Steelers are playing well on the road this season as they are 3-1 but with the exception of the win over the Chiefs, the victories over Cleveland and Baltimore are not impressive and the loss to the Bears was even worse. 10* (272) Detroit Lions

This is a play on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS for our NFL Game of the Month. Last week, NFL underdogs were 3-10-1 ATS as the sharps were killed and the books took a huge hit with all but one public favorite hitting. The 49ers will be first anti-public play this week as they are one of two winless teams in the NFL, but they are not playing like it. Last week was the exception when they got hammered by Dallas but prior to that, their last five losses were by a combined 13 points including a pair coming in overtime on the road. This is now their fourth road game in their last five and while the matchup seems like a mismatch, the line is taking that into consideration. We lost with the Eagles on Monday night as they won by 10 points despite outgaining the Redskins by just 27 total yards and at 6-1, they are moving into the top spot in several power rankings which is a bit aggressive at this point. The Eagles have covered four straight games which is the number to start looking when fading these streaks. Carson Wentz is being talked about as the MVP and while he is having a great season, all this talk does nothing but hurt them value wise. Philadelphia is outgaining opponents by 41.5 ypg which is just No. 10 in the league so it has not been running away in that regard. Coming off two straight primetime nationally televised games, the Eagles are surely in for a letdown and with the Broncos on deck, staying focused for this game will be next to impossible. Additionally, the Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games when playing on Sunday following a Monday night game while the 49ers have covered four of their last five road games. 10* (259) San Francisco 49ers

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Patriots are coming off their best and most complete win on the season as they defeated Atlanta at home last Sunday night 23-7 while outgaining the Falcons by 60 total yards. We say best and most complete because of the opponent as they took care of a team that was hungry for a revenge win from the past Super Bowl and New England did not allow it as the defense rose to the occasion, holding Atlanta to a late fourth quarter touchdown despite giving up 353 total yards. The big thing was that the Patriots allowed just one red zone score in four Atlanta trips inside the 20-yard line. This defense is not that good to be consistent like that and the Chargers should have a better time of driving and putting up points. After a 0-4 start, the Chargers are riding a three-game winning streak and while getting back into the AFC West hunt may seem unlikely, Los Angeles is only two games out with the Chiefs and Broncos having each dropped two straight games. On the season, the Chargers are +4.4 ypg in yardage differential which is small but positive nonetheless while New England is -16 ypg in the same category so these teams are more equal than what the records show and what the line is telling us. The Chargers 23 sacks are tied for fourth most in the NFL so applying pressure to Tom Brady, who has been sacked 18 times, should be no issue. Los Angeles is No. 17 in the league on offense which is not great but even with the effort last week, the Patriots are dead last in the NFL in total defense. Going back, the Chargers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (265) Los Angeles Chargers

This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS for our NFL Sunday Supreme Annihilator. The Flacons have dropped three straight games, all against AFC East teams and Sunday they will try to avoid going winless against a division they should have gone 3-1 against at a minimum. Atlanta won the yardage battle against both Buffalo and Miami, so it should not have dropped both of those games but now it can take its frustrations out on the lowly Jets. The Falcons are outgaining opponents by 45 ypg and their 6.2 yards per play average is second best in the NFL so while the offense looks like it is struggling, it is only struggling to put points on the board. Atlanta is now a game behind New Orleans in the NFC South with a game at Carolina looming, so this is a must win. The Jets are coming off another tough loss as they blew a 14-point lead against Miami and lost by three points. That is a tough loss to come back from and after a close loss to the Patriots prior to that, getting up for this one seems impossible. New York has exceeded expectations already with three wins but none of those were quality victories although a win over Jacksonville is looking a little better. The Jets continue to make mistakes as they are -2 in turnover margin which is not horrible, but they are the only team in the NFL that has at least one turnover in every game. That is a perfect recipe for the Falcons that have just three takeaways on the season which is the fewest in the league. New York is sixth worst in the league in yardage margin despite playing several close games and if ever there is a time for another blowout, this is the one. Atlanta has covered five of its last six games against losing teams. 10* (255) Atlanta Falcons

We often see teams getting overvalued and undervalued based on recent results, public reactions or other factors but this is one of the biggest line adjustments in a short period of time that we have seen in a longtime. Fresno St. has caught fire with four consecutive wins including a very impressive win over San Diego St. last week and that will provide a letdown here. In the last two home games for Fresno St., it was favored by 7.5 over Nevada which is No. 119 in the current power ranking and was a home underdog by 2.5 points against New Mexico which is No. 101 in the rankings. Now it is nearly a three-touchdown favorite against UNLV which is No. 123 and those three opponents are within four points of each other in the raw point rankings. It can be argued that the Bulldogs were undervalued in those games which they probably were, but this is too much of an overadjustment. UNLV is running out of time as it has fallen to 2-5 following three straight losses. The Rebels offense has been erratic which is a surprise after having a strong 2016 season and returning nine starters from that team. However, while they are averaging a point les per game than less season, they are averaging nearly 40 ypg more so they are moving the ball and just need to execute better. The Bulldogs have a strong defense but stopping UNLV will not happen and the generous pointspread only makes it better. Despite the big number, the public is all over Fresno St. due to the fact it is 6-0-1 ATS on the season and there is streak hunting going on. The Rebels are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (211) UNLV Rebels

New Mexico St. is 3-4 and those three wins match its win total from each of the last two years and with a little bit of luck, the Aggies could be at 5-2 right now. They lost at Arizona St. by six points despite outgaining the Sun Devils by 149 total yards and they lost at home to Troy by just a field goal. Additionally, they lost at Appalachian St. but actually outgained the Mountaineers by 107 yards, so they have been playing a lot better than the record shows. New Mexico St. is a very experienced team that is strong on both sides of the ball and it is playing with a chip on its shoulder as this is its last season in the Sun Belt Conference, so it wants to go out making some noise and get to its first bowl game since 1960. The Aggies have their best running back returning this week and this is going to be a fired-up atmosphere considering it is a night game and their first home in in over a month following three road games and a bye week. We won with Arkansas St. last Thursday as it rolled over UL-Lafayette in a huge revenge game and got the payback from the Cajuns snapping an 18-game conference winning streak the year before. As mentioned last week, the home field advatnage for the Red Wolves is huge as they are now 33-6 since 2011 but this is a much different team on the road. Including their 1-2 record this season, they are just 12-15 over their last 27 road games and their defense is going to be challenged here. Arkansas St. is ranked No. 94 in total defense and that is a problem going into a hostile environment where the Aggies have covered six of their last seven home games. 10* (160) New Mexico St. Aggies

Clemson has had two weeks to stew over its first loss of the season, a three-point loss at Syracuse where it was outplayed from start to finish. The Tigers are still alive for a shot to defend their national title but there can be no more slipups as they have to run the table through the ACC Championship and hope some other teams ahead of them fall. They are in a good spot this week as they head back home to take on a Georgia Tech team they have dominated the last two years and have had an extra week of prep time to get ready for the Yellow Jacket option attack. Wake Forest had an extra week last week as well and it was doing fine but tired at the end as the offense had trouble staying on the field. That will not be an issue this week for Clemson as there is a lot of depth. This game was originally set for a 12:00 ET start but the Tigers got the game moved to primetime national TV and that is a massive edge for the home team. Georgia Tech comes in with a perfect 6-0 record against the number which is helping to keep this number manageable for Clemson. The Yellow Jackets have lost twice, both coming by a single point, so they could be in better shape on the national scene but a one-point loss against Miami was backed up by the fact they were outgained by 200 total yards, so it was a game they never should have been in. Despite a poor effort against Syracuse, Clemson is ranked No. 10 in total defense, No. 13 in rushing defense and No. 7 in scoring defense and it will be ready. 10* (140) Clemson Tigers

This is a play on the MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. After a 3-0 start, Minnesota stumbled to three straight losses to Maryland, Purdue and Michigan St. before a bounce back win last week against Illinois. A win over the Illini is not saying a whole lot but it stopped the bleeding and brought some confidence back into the Gophers that have a tough remaining schedule including Michigan and Wisconsin. The rushing game has been up and down which is the strength of this team and a matchup with Iowa would typically not help matters but that is not the case this season as Minnesota should be able to control the line of scrimmage. The numbers do not lie as Minnesota is ranked No. 44 and No. 35 in rushing offense and defense respectively compared to Iowa being ranked No. 104 and No. 52 in those categories. The Hawkeyes are coming off a tough loss in overtime against Northwestern last week as they have now lost three of their last four games while getting outgained in all four of those games. People are still remembering the close loss against Penn St. four games back which has overvalued Iowa because what they have forgotten is that the Hawkeyes were outgained by 306 yards against the Nittany Lions, so it was a game they never should have been in. Iowa does not score much so when the price gets to be around a touchdown, it is a tough number for the Hawkeyes to cover especially against a much superior defense. Even though this is a new regime in Minnesota, it is hard to ignore the fact that the Gophers have gone 17-7-1 ATS in their last 25 games as underdogs including 2-0 ATS this season. 10* (155) Minnesota Golden Gophers

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our C-USA Game of the Year. This is the third stage of a domino effect involving C-USA teams. We played on Western Kentucky two weeks ago as it had not covered a game going into its game with Charlotte and finally did. We then played against the Hilltoppers last week as they were overvalued at Old Dominion and the Monarchs played a strong game on Friday night in front of a national TV audience but still lost. Now Old Dominion hits the road where it is 1-2 on the season with the lone victory coming against 1-6 Massachusetts. The Monarchs were a 10-win team from last season but are now two losses away from not being bowl eligible. They won the yardage battle against an overrated Western Kentucky team but prior to that, they were outgained by 174, 139, 433 and 195 yards in their previous four games as the absence of quarterback David Washington has really shown. North Texas was riding along nicely with a three-game winning streak with legitimate wins over Southern Mississippi (5-2) and UTSA (4-2) but that run came to a crashing halt last week as the Mean Green went to Florida Atlantic and got pummeled by 38 points. It was a horrific defensive performance as the Owl ran up 804 yards of offense so if there is ever a time for the defense to take its frustrations out on a team, this is it. Old Dominion is ranked No. 120 in total offense and No. 121 in scoring offense and it is certainly facing North Texas at the wrong time. Not to be outdone, the Mean Green offense should also get back on track as it is ranked No. 16 in the country and the Monarchs are nearly as bad on defense as they are on offense as they are No. 108 in scoring and No. 102 overall. 10* (190) North Texas Mean Green

This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. This is a matchup of two teams that buried us last week and we will be going the same route as it was two baffling outcomes that will come back to the norm this week. Virginia failed to show up last week during homecoming as it fell behind early and could never catch up as Boston College piled it on. The Cavaliers lost by 31-point which is uncharacteristic of a team riding a four-game winning streak and a program that has turned the corner. They allowed two 76=-yard touchdowns in the first quarter and those are deflating for any team so now it is rebound time to try and become bowl eligible. Going back, the Cavaliers are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games following a double-digit loss at home while going 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games as road underdogs. Pittsburgh is coming off an upset over Duke for just its third win on the season and that upset win along with the Virginia result has made the Panthers a legitimate false favorite here. Pittsburgh had lost five of its previous six games with the only win coming against Rice and the other win prior to that was against Youngstown St. in overtime in a game they were outgained in. this is not a good team and last week was a complete aberration as opposed to a team that has suddenly found something. Pittsburgh racked up 336 yards rushing against Duke but that was a bit skewed as two touchdowns came on runs of 76 and 92 yards by Darrin Hall who finished with 254 yards after coming into the game with 108 yards total. The Panthers are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (137) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS for our CFB Saturday Afternoon Dominator. We were on Wake forest last week and it was covering most of the game but ran out of gas on defense as it allowed two fourth quarter touchdowns including a 70-yard run with less than two minutes left. The Demon Deacons defense was on the field for close to 36 minutes, but they do not have to worry about that this week as Louisville is just No. 63 in the country in time of possession. It is now three straight losses for Wake Forest after a 4-0 start and while the defense will be in better shape, the offense has a chance to break out against a poor Louisville defense. The Cardinals are coming off a 31-28 win over Florida St. as they nearly blew a 14-point lead, kicking the game winning field goal with five seconds remaining. That was just their second conference win as they have already lost to Clemson, NC State and Boston College so it has been a struggle. Louisville was able to pick off Florida St. three times last week but they will be facing a veteran quarterback in John Wolford who has tossed only two picks all season long. The Cardinals had dropped five straight against the number prior to last week which shows how overvalued they have been despite the poor play as expectations and the success from last season is still in tow. Wake Forest was 6-3 last season when it went to Louisville and got trounced by 32 points, so revenge will be a motivator as well. The Cardinals have failed to cover their last six games against winning teams while the Demon Deacons are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game. 10* (128) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the FLORIDA ST. SEMINOLES for our CFB Friday Night Lights play. It has been a nightmare start for Florida St. which is 2-4 on the season as injuries have played a big role in its lack of success. The schedule has not helped either as the Seminoles opened with Alabama, which is where quarterback Deondre Francois was injuries, and then they were off for two weeks before coming back to face NC State. The other two losses came against Miami and Louisville, both of which could have been won. Overall, Florida St. has played the toughest schedule in the nation, so we can give them some leeway there as far as the losses go but most importantly, how they come into this game mentally will determine the outcome as talent-wise, these teams are not even close to each other. The one positive from last week was the Jimbo Fisher controversy at the end of the game as his players will be playing hard for him. The Seminoles were ranked 25th in the country in total offense in 2016, but has now plummeted to 102nd this year and their 11 touchdowns are the lowest among Power 5 schools. After going eight years without scoring 40 points in a game, Boston College has now done so two weeks in a row to improve to 4-4 on the season. We cannot see this happening again this week as the Eagles rushing attack falls right into the strength of the Seminoles defense where everything is done between the edges and they will not have that same success here. While Boston College has the momentum coming in, this is a gut check game for Florida St. and as long as it shows up, it wins easily. The Seminoles have not covered a game this season and we get the value because of it. 10* (111) Florida St. Seminoles

This is a play on the BALTIMORE RAVENS Baltimore opened the season 2-0 but it has been a struggle since then as the Ravens have gone 1-4 over their last five games as the offense has really struggled over this recent stretch. The Ravens are coming off a loss at Minnesota this past Sunday and while they only lost by eight points, it was a garbage touchdown with no time left that made it look respectable. They managed only 64 rushing yards and 144 passing yards and while it is hard to defend this type of output, the Vikings are No. 4 in total defense, the fourth top seven defense they have faced over this 1-4 stretch. Miami has a strong defense of its own, but it just allowed 28 pints against the Jets and Baltimore has to just look back to last season when it hung 38 points on the Dolphins. Miami is the worst above .500 team in football as its -46.4 ypg differential is the lowest of any team above .500 so the 4-2 start is an illusion. The offense got a spark last week when Jay Cutler got hurt and Matt Moore came into the game and led the Dolphins to the 14-point comeback against the Jets, but they are still ranked dead last in the league in total offense and No. 31 in scoring offense. Baltimore is two games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North and already has one head-to-head loss against the Steelers, so this is a big game to keep pace in the division. Going back, the Dolphins are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game while the Ravens are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games after accumulating less than 150 yards passing in their previous game. 10* (102) Baltimore Ravens

This is a play on the EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Last season, Eastern Michigan went to its first bowl game since 1987 and despite coming into this season expecting to make it back to the postseason, the Eagles need a big second half of the season for that to happen. They are 2-5 and have lost five straight games following a 2-0 start but that is a very skewed record. Two of those losses came in overtime while the other three came by a combined 10 points, a four-point loss at Kentucky, a five-point loss at Toledo and a one-point loss at Army. It has been very frustrating to say the least, but this is a very experienced team and they are not throwing in the towel yet. Northern Illinois is coming off its first losing season since 2008 so we expected the Huskies to play with a chip on its shoulder this season in trying to get back to another MAC Championship game. They have done just that as they are 5-2 including a 3-0 record in the MAC but it has not been a great run. The Huskies did defeat Nebraska, but they were outgained by 148 total yards and needed two interceptions returned for touchdowns to get that victory. The three MAC victories have come against teams 1-3 in the conference and while it can be argued that Eastern Michigan has a worse record than those three teams, the Eagles could have won any three of those games. We are seeing interesting line movement here as most of the action is on Northern Illinois, yet the line has come down, so we will be going with that reverse line movement. Additionally, the Eagles are 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (107) Eastern Michigan Eagles

This is a play on the WASHINGTON REDSKINS for our Monday Primetime play. Philadelphia enters Monday night riding a four-game winning streak and has become the toast of the NFL with a 5-1 record. The Eagles are the favorites to win the NFC at +425 but these lofty expectations have now taken value away as they are overpriced in this divisional game. Typically, we plan for a three-point number in a divisional game when teams are not too far off from each other and that is the case here. Philadelphia is 2-0 at home but it nearly lost to the Giants while getting outgained by 61 yards and took care of Arizona as it scored 21 first quarter points. The Eagles won the first meeting back on opening day by 13 points, but the game was closer than that throughout as they scored on a fumble recovery in the final two minutes to seal it. Washington is 3-2 and this is a game it needs to win to keep pace in the NFC East. A loss would put the Redskins 2.5 games behind Philadelphia and it would essentially be 3.5 games because of the head-to-head sweep. The Washington offense has been consistent which was a concern coming in with a new receiving corps as the Redskins are ranked No. 7 overall. Their worst game was the opener, but they can be given a mulligan for that based on it being the first game. Washington finished No. 28 in total defense in 2015 and 2016 and is up to No. 12 this season which is a significant turnaround. Washington has been a solid team away from home as going back to last season, it has covered 10 of its last 13 road games including a 4-1 ATS record against winning home teams. 10* (477) Washington Redskins

This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS for our NFL Sunday Primetime play. We often talk about revenge and how it can come into play in certain spots. Typically, it is a situation that is secondary to another positive situation but in this case, it is the main ingredient. No need to go into details about the revenge but the Falcons have had this one on their calendars since the schedule came out in April. Shying away from road revenge is usually recommended but not here as Atlanta will go all out and it certainly has what it takes to win this one. The Falcons are coming off a pair of home losses against Buffalo and Miami and those are two games they no doubt should have won as they won the yardage battle in both games but were -3 in net turnovers. Overall, it has been a lethargic start to the season as games against the Bears and Lions could have resulted in losses as well but if there is a game to jumpstart the season, this is it. The Patriots are not looking good right now. We thought they may have turned a corner and backed them last week, but they failed to cover and were close to losing to the Jets and this team is not right. Whether it is age on offense or lack of chemistry on defense, this team is vulnerable to anyone right now as they have been outgained in four straight games. The Falcons can carve up this defense which makes this a game that can go either way, so a field goal finish gets the win if you can get the hook on the three. New England has failed to cover all three games at home this season while the Falcons are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games. 10* (475) Atlanta Falcons

This is a play on the DENVER BRONCOS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Broncos are coming off an ugly loss last Sunday night as they fell by 13 points as a 13.5-point favorite and it was an ugly game not because they played poor football but because they lost too many intangibles. Denver lost the turnover battle 3-0, missed a pair of field goals and were bad in the redzone. The Broncos outgained the Giants 412-266 so they clearly dominated but these things can happen in football and the good thing for us is that the reaction is to the score and not what happened so we get line value which is the case here. Denver has outgained all five opponents as the loss at Buffalo was another game it could have won if not for losing the intangibles. After a 0-4 start, the Chargers have won two straight games and five of their six games overall have been decided by five points or less. That seems to point toward another close game here, considering the Broncos won the first meeting at home by just three points, but looking at the complete body of work, the Broncos are the superior team on both sides of the ball. As is the case with Chargers home games, the Denver fans will dominate the stadium as this Los Angeles team has the worst home field edge in the NFL. This is a revenge game for the Chargers but Denver has won seven of the last eight meetings so there has been a lot of revenge in the past that the Chargers could not take care of. The Broncos have covered five of their last seven games following a loss while the Chargers are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up win. 10* (473) Denver Broncos

This is a play on the GREEN BAY PACKERS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. We played against the Packers last Sunday and the win was made a lot easier because of the unfortunate injury to Aaron Rodgers. Now with Rodgers out, everybody is calling the Packers done but that is hardly the case. They are not Super Bowl contenders without Rodgers but playing in the NFC North makes them a legitimate division contender because it is so weak. Brett Hundley will be making the start in place of Rodgers and people will point to his poor effort last week. Coming into a game against a strong defense after not having practiced with the first string is a lot different than having a full week of practice to prepare. Plus, Hundley has been in this system for three years so he will be just fine, especially against the Saints defense. New Orleans is coming off a win at home against Detroit and while the score looks lopsided, the Lions lost the game on their own as they committed five turnovers that led to short fields and points for the Saints. New Orleans has won three straight games following a 0-2 start but we are not overly impressive as one win came against the Panthers before Cam Newton turned his season around while the other one came against Miami in London, part of a brutal Dolphins travel log. While this road game looks like a cakewalk to some, that is simply not the case. Not only do we back a Green Bay team that is still very talented but we are getting incredible line value as the Rodgers injury has created an eight-point swing and it is hard to justify an adjustment like that based on one player no matter how good or how important he is to the team. 10* (466) Green Bay Packers

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Sunday Supreme Annihilator. Sportsbooks were taking bets before the season started on whether the Jets would go winless this season and after a 2-0 start, it was looking like it could still happen. New York then went on to win three straight games and then played the Patriots very tough last week so there has been an impressive turnaround. Coming off that close call last week however puts the Jets in a horrible spot on Sunday as that can cause a true letdown the following week. The venue has played a big part in the success of New York as it has outgained opponents by 101.3 ypg in three home games but has been outgained by 180 ypg in three road games. The Jets won in Cleveland despite being outgained by 207 yards as they took advantage of three Browns turnovers and the Dolphins will have to avoid that similar outcome. Miami has won two in a row over Tennessee and Atlanta including coming back from 17 points down against the Falcons last week. It has not been a very good season for Miami despite being 3-2 as the start to the season was incredibly tough as the Dolphins went six straight weeks of being on the road dating back to the preseason. The defense is flying under the radar as Miami is No. 3 in scoring and No. 11 overall and that can carry them again here. Additionally, Miami will be out to avenge a 20-6 loss in New York last month as it failed to score until the final play of the game. Jets are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record while the Dolphins are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win. 10* (460) Miami Dolphins

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Sunday Ultimate Underdog. The Browns are a team to be played in certain spots and this is one of those. Cleveland is winless at 0-6 while it has failed to cover five straight games. We were involved in the first non-cover of this streak where we took the Browns against Baltimore and they had late chances to cover but failed. Now after four subsequent non-covers, we will be backing Cleveland this week at home as this team has been better than the record indicates. Three of the losses have come by just three points and on the season, the Browns are getting outgained by only 2.4 ypg. We won with Tennessee on Monday night as it came to life in the fourth quarter to defeat the Colts by 14 points as it put up 21 points in the final period. The Titans now have to hit the road on short rest after what was considered a big win as it was the first Monday night game since 2014 and they were able to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Colts so do not expect to see their best effort this week. Marcus Mariota was limited last week as he was not able to move around much and may be forced to scramble more here as the Browns defense is a very solid unit as they are ranked No. 8 overall and No. 6 in rushing defense. They are allowing just 3.0 ypc which is tied for the best in the NFL and that will surprise a lot of people. Making matters even worse, Tennessee has a bye next week which could further add to its lack of focus against the 0-6 Browns. The Titans are 5-23-3 ATS against teams with a losing record. 10* (452) Cleveland Browns

It is hard to believe but this is the first time since 2009 that Notre Dame and USC face each other as ranked teams. The Trojans are the higher ranked team but they could be the most overrated team in the country right now. We played them in their first two games of the season, losing against Western Michigan and winning against Stanford and even in the win over the Cardinal, something seemed off and since then, it has been off. It took overtime to defeat Texas, they were tied in the fourth quarter at California, lost outright to Washington St. which got destroyed by Cal last week, and was within a successful two-point conversion of falling to Utah last week. The only impressive game came against Oregon St. and the Beavers are the worst team in the Pac 12 at 1-6. Notre Dame is a one-point loss against Georgia from being undefeated and that is a good indication of how good the Irish have been as the rest of the schedule has been soft. A victory over Michigan St. was good even though it was outgained but Notre Dame has dominated every other team which is what great teams are supposed to do. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush is back as he missed the last game against North Carolina and Notre Dame is also coming off a bye week which is big for him and big for the team as a whole considering USC is playing for the eighth consecutive week. The Rushing offense is ranked No. 5 in the nation behind a stout offensive line and will be facing a pretty average Trojans defense. The Trojans are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Irish are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a bye week. 10* (402) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Wake Forest opened the season with a 4-0 record but then lost it last two games against Florida St. and Clemson but both of those defeats were respectable efforts. The Demon Deacons lost to the Seminoles late as they won the yardage battle by 97 yards and against Clemson, they lost by 14 points with a couple late scores but holding the Tigers to 28 points was impressive. The defense is solid once again as they are allowing just 339.5 ypg and 16.7 ppg and facing a one-dimensional offense is no issue as they have shut down Army and Tulane over the last two seasons. Coming off two physical games would normally be a concern but Wake Forest had a bye last week which also benefits for an extra week of preparation for the Georgia Tech option offense. The rushing defense is allowing only 3.5 ypc on the season. The Yellow Jackets are just 3-2 on the season but those two losses have come by a single point each including a one-point setback at Miami last week. They looked as though they were going to pull off the upset but gave up the final 12 points of the game including allowing the game winning field goal with just four seconds remaining. That is a difficult loss to recover from but it was a misleading final score to begin with as Georgia Tech was outgained by 200 yards against the Hurricanes. The Yellow Jackets are one of five teams that has yet to lose a game against the spread which is a favorite go against play at this stage in the season. The Demon Deacons are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games while the Yellow Jackets are 9-21-2 ATS in their last 32 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (351) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

South Alabama picked up a big win for us last week against Troy as it won outright as an 18-point underdog but that was a rivalry situation and now the Jaguars come in as a missed price favorite. They are 2-4 on the season and they have been dominated in all but one game this season as they have been outgained in five of six games. The lone game South Alabama won the yardage battle came against Alabama A&M of the FCS, a team that is ranked No. 227 out of 255 teams in the country. The offense continues to struggle as it managed only 236 yards last week against the Trojans and on the season, the Jaguars are ranked No. 120 in total offense. No make matters worse, their best running back Xavier Johnson was injured last week and is questionable this week. The fact they are favored is surprising as going back, the Jaguars are 5-14-1 ATS as home favorites since 2012. UL-Monroe is coming off an awful effort last week against Georgia Southern after opening Sun Belt Conference action with a 3-0 record. The Warhawks went 4-8 last season but brought back 15 starters this season so the good start is not a big surprise. They are 2-1 on the road and they have been solid in all three games as they have outgained all three opponents including Memphis where they lost by just eight points in their season opener. UL-Monroe has struggled with its defense but this is the second worst offense it has faced with the first being Texas St. and it allowed just 386 yards in that game. The Warhawks have covered five straight road games while the Jaguars are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS win. 10* (399) UL-Monroe Warhawks

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Michigan St. has won three straight games following a pair of big road wins at Michigan and Minnesota and after a dreadful 2016 season, the Spartans are 5-1 including a 3-0 record in the Big Ten. They have a long way to go to think about winning the East Division with games against Ohio St. and Penn St. upcoming but they need to take care of business before that. The lone defeat came against Notre Dame but that was a game it could have won if it was played normally as the Spartans lost the turnover battle 3-0 as they outgained the Irish by 141 total yards which went for naught. Indiana is coming off a tough loss in overtime against Michigan and that has to be a deflating defeat as they were close to knocking off a top team but fell short. Those are the type of losses that can linger and the Hoosiers are going into a difficult environment this week. They are 1-1 on the road with a fortunate win over Virginia that was sealed with a late punt return touchdown and while the talent of this Indiana team is stronger than normal, winning on the road against ranked opponents has not been their strength as they have not defeated a Big Ten ranked team on the road since 2001. The Hoosiers struggled to run the ball against Michigan and now faces the No. 8 ranked rushing defense in the nation. Michigan St. lost in overtime at Indiana last season to fall to 2-2 and that was the beginning of the end as it was the second loss in a six-game slide. Payback is in order as Michigan St. has covered seven straight Big Ten revenge games. 10* (336) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the NAVY MIDSHIPMEN for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Navy was unable to sustain its winning streak at it lost by a field goal against Memphis, putting an end to its five-game run. it was a game the Midshipmen had every chance to win as they controlled the clock by more than 14 minutes but they committed five turnovers that led to 13 points all of which were deep in their own territory so mistakes were costly. They head back home where they covered all three games last season as home underdogs and they won all of those outright. Additionally, Navy has gone 6-0 since 2014 following a regular season loss. UCF has been a money-maker this season as it has rolled to a 5-0 start and has covered all those games although the contest against Cincinnati was officially a no-action game as 55 minutes were not played. The Knights have won those five games by 34, 28, 27, 28 and 42 points so they have not even been challenged and that is not a good thing as they get into the meat of their schedule. Three of the next four games are on the road and they have USF at home so we are going to see what this team is made of. So far, UCF has played the No. 130 ranked schedule in the country and has not seen anything on either side of the ball and this matchup is going to be a problem for the defense that has never played this option offense. Because of the blowouts to start the season, linesmakers have no choice but to make UCF a big road favorite because the public loves riding these streaks while we love going against them because of the value we are receiving. 10* (372) Navy Midshipmen

This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We played on Virginia a few weeks back when it went to Boise St. and defeated the Broncos and it is now 5-1 on the season following its fourth consecutive victory last week. The Cavaliers have had a great turnaround season following a 2-10 record last year in the first year under head coach Bronco Mendenhall and they are poised to make their first bowl game since 2011. The only loss came against Indiana and it was a game it should have won as the Cavaliers were outgained by only four yards while the Hoosiers returned a punt for a late touchdown to seal the game. Virginia has played a tame schedule but its defense is ranked No. 20 in the country and Boston College is not going to have the same success it has last week. The Eagles went to Louisville last week and hung 45 points on the Cardinals which was by far their highest point total of the season. As a matter of fact, it is their highest point total against a team from the FBS since 2013 when they scored 48 points against Army. The offense has not suddenly found its stride but faced a porous Louisville defense that has been torched most of the season. Boston College is still a dismal No. 114 in scoring and No. 102 in total offense and while its defense has been a force the last few years, it is No. 107 this season in total defense. The Eagles are allowing 131 ypg more than last season and close to 200 ypg more than in 2015 so it is a shell of what it used to be. A great system is to go against a team that won outright as a double-digit dog and it is now a single-digit dog as the lines are typically adjusted wrong. 10* (362) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our CFB October Game of the Month. This is a great scheduling setup for Duke as after a 4-0 start, it has lost three straight games but those were against Miami, resurgent Virginia and Florida St. with the last two coming by a touchdown each. Now the Blue Devils catch a break as they take a step down in competition but they will be fully focused based on the current streak they are on. To no surprise, Duke lost the yardage battle each of these last three games while winning the yardage battle in all four victories. Pittsburgh is in the midst of a horrible season as it is 2-5 with the victories coming against Youngstown St. of the FCS in overtime and Rice which is 1-5 on the season. The highlight of the season could be that the Panthers outgained Penn St. in their 33-14 loss but the Nittany Lions revealed after they were not going close to full throttle. Pittsburgh has been outgained by an average of 208.8 ypg in its last four losses and making matters worse, the Panthers are without USC transfer starting quarterback Max Browne who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Overall, Pittsburgh is No. 103 in total offense and No. 109 in total defense so the inexperience coming into the season where it was ranked No. 123 in the nation in experience has carried forward. Duke should not have issues taking its foot off the pedal here as last season, Pittsburgh ran up the score in a 56-14 victory and the Blue Devils were not happy about it. Going back, the Panthers are 1-6-2 ATS in their last nine games overall while the Blue Devils are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight home games. 10* (346) Duke Blue Devils

This is a play on the OLD DOMINION MONARCHS for our CFB Friday Night Lights play. We won with Western Kentucky last Saturday as it defeated a bad Charlotte team to make it three straight wins. While we were high on the Hilltoppers last week, we are going the other way this week as their three-game winning streak has come against teams that are a combined 2-18 and the four overall wins have come against teams a combined 3-23. They do face another losing team this week but they hit the road where they have struggled as they lost to Illinois 20-7 and narrowly defeated 0-7 UTEP by a point. We thought Western Kentucky would run all over the 49ers last week but has only 121 yards on the ground and looks like it could struggle again this week against another not so great rushing defense. Old Dominion won 10 games last season and came into this season with high expectations but after a 2-0 start, it has lost four straight games and they were not pretty. Two of those did come against ACC teams while another came on the road last week against Marshall but it was the home loss against Florida Atlantic that was befuddling. It was the result of turnovers as four interceptions led to 21 points for the Owls while another touchdown was the result of a turnover on downs. Last week, the Thundering Herd scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one coming on a fumble recovery return, so that was deceiving as well. Quarterback play has been an issue and it needs to be shored up in the redzone so while the Hilltoppers defense looks good on paper, playing the No. 170 ranked schedule has helped. Western Kentucky is the second biggest public betting consensus on the entire weekend board as the road chalk is not scaring people away. 10* (308) Old Dominion Monarchs

This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Thursday Primetime play. After going against the Chiefs last Sunday, we will be on their side this week despite laying road chalk and despite having to travel out west on a short week. Kansas City ran into a stout Steelers defense as it managed only 251 yards of offense and lost its first game of the season while also dropping its first game against the number. They head to Oakland with a 3-0 road record including impressive wins over New England and Houston and we can expect a bounce back as the Chiefs are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss while going 9-0 ATS in their last nine games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game. Seven of those covers were outright wins by double-digits. We projected the Raiders to be an overrated team this season after its success a season ago as the public was riding them as the favorites to take down the Patriots in the AFC and as expected, they have fallen flat. Oakland has lost four straight games after a 2-0 start and the offense has been horrible as the Raiders have averaged just 13.3 ppg during the four-game skid and they have dropped down to No. 30 in total offense. Typically, this would be a spot to play on Oakland based on the losing streak but things just are not right and Derek Carr looks like he came back too soon. One thing to take note is that some losing streaks can be unlucky but Oakland has been outgained in all four games and by an average of 144.3 ypg. They have had troubles with the Chiefs over the last few years with five straight losses so revenge is in play but not in this spot. 10* (301) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the ARKANSAS ST. RED WOLVES for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Arkansas St. remains home following a blowout win over Coastal Carolina to improve to 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference and improve to 2-0 at home. The Red Wolves have had a huge home field advantage over the years as they are 32-6 here since 2011 while going 22-11 ATS over this stretch as a home favorite. There were questions coming into the season on both sides with just five starters returning on offense and defense and while the defense has not held up, it never has over the years and the offense is once again potent, ranked No. 14 in scoring and No. 34 overall. Louisiana is coming off a win over a bad Texas St. team and it was not a good performance as it was outgained and it has been outgained in five of six games on the season. The loss of its quarterback and top running back have hurt the offense and the Cajuns have struggled on defense in a big way as they are ranked No. 120 in points allowing and No. 121 in total defense. Sometimes, revenge can be overrated or at least overstated but not in this case. Arkansas St. went to Louisiana last season as a five-point favorite and came away with a five-point loss to the Cajuns but it was a game it never should have lost. The Red Wolves outgained Louisiana 521-292 but they threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and they struggled in the redzone with six possessions inside the 13-yard line but they turned the ball over on downs twice and had to settle for two field goals as well. The loss snapped an 18-game conference winning streak and denied a chance to win the conference championship outright so to say this game has been circled would be an understatement. 10* (306) Arkansas St. Red Wolves

This is a play on the TENNESSEE TITANS for our Monday Primetime play. We waited on this game for confirmed injury reports and Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota has been upgraded to probable which is good news for a team that has dropped two straight games. Both of those were on the road both were horrible efforts as the Titans managed only 14 and 10 points against the Titans and Dolphins respectively so return home should lift them up. The Colts have the third-worst pass defense in the NFL, which could be the perfect recipe for Mariota and the Titans to get the offensive going once again. The Colts are coming off a win last Sunday in overtime at home against San Francisco to improve to 2-3 on the season. The lone victories have come against teams that are a combined 0-12 and both of those were at home. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has gotten more comfortable as the season has progressed but he is still pretty raw and he struggled in his lone road start at Seattle. The Tennessee defense is not as strong as that of the Seahawks but it is good enough to provide pressure and make him uncomfortable. Indianapolis has lost six of its past seven primetime games and is 2-8 in its last 10 with five of those eight losses coming by double digits, and three of the past four have been by 21 or more points. This is the Titans first Monday night appearance since November 2014 so tonight is a big deal in Nashville. This has been a one-way series of late as the Colts have won 11 straight games in the series, and 16 out of the past 17 games. Tonight provides a great opportunity to end this streak as the energized home crowd will provide a big lift for Tennessee. 10* (276) Tennessee Titans

We steered clear of the Chiefs last week as they defeated Houston Sunday night to improve to 5-0 and they remain the lone undefeated team in the NFL. They are also the only undefeated team against the number and they are once again a public favorite this week, sitting as the second highest consensus home team on the card. Going back to last season, the Chiefs have won 15 of their last 17 regular season games which is pretty incredible for a team that gets very little fanfare. It has been a different team in that Kansas City is getting it done with big plays as opposed to the typical dink-and-dunk approach of past seasons. While the offense is getting the praise, the defense has taken little heat for being ranked No. 27 in the league. It is not one bad aspect as Kansas City has struggled against both the run and pass. The Steelers have been an early season disappointment as they are 3-2 with an embarrassing loss against Jacksonville last week at home while also losing at Chicago three weeks ago in overtime and that is the Bears lone win on the season. Costly turnovers and special teams mistakes have hurt but this is still a dangerous offense with plenty of playmakers that can take advantage of the Kansas City defense. One mainstay is the defense that is ranked No. 6 in points allowed and No. 3 in total defense. Many will point to the fact this is a double-revenge game for the Chiefs so they will be highly motivated for payback but a big concern for Kansas City backers is why is this line so low for supposedly the best team in the NFL playing a team struggling to find it identity? The Steelers are 22-8-2 ATS in their last 32 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (269) Pittsburgh Steelers

The Rams lost a tough one at home last week against Seattle as it fell by six points despite winning the yardage battle by 134 total yards and now they hit the road for a third time looking to stay undefeated on the highway. They defeated San Francisco and Dallas and are in a good spot to stay unblemished despite this being called a trap game by some coming off a division game with a division game on deck. The fact Los Angeles lost last week is working in our favor this week so there will be no look ahead to Arizona. The Rams possess the second highest scoring offense in the NFL and they are ranked No. 5 in total offense thanks to a resurgent Jared Goff who is managing the game well after struggling in his rookie season where he finished 80th in QBR of all quarterbacks. Jacksonville is also 3-2 on the season following a win in Pittsburgh last week despite getting outgained by 58 total yards as it took advantage of Steelers turnovers that resulted in a pair of defensive touchdowns. The defense has been the story, namely because of last week, but despite ranking No. 5 in points allowed, the Jaguars are No. 14 in total defense so it has been playing the bend and do not break model. This is also affecting the offense as the points off defensive scores have inflated the numbers as Jacksonville is No. 5 in points scored but just No. 19 in total offense. This shows how turnovers can skew a lot of things including records as the Jaguars are top ranked in the NFL in turnover margin so it will be a priority for the Rams to take care of the ball. The Jaguars are 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win of more than 14 points. 10* (265) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFL Game of the Week. One way to look for line value is to look at your power ratings and figure out what the line would be on a neutral field. Add three points for home field advantage and there is your comparable pointspread. In this case, the Lions and Saints are evenly matched on a neutral field which makes New Orleans a three-point favorite at home but somehow this number has gone from a 3.5-point opening to its current line of six points as of Wednesday afternoon. It would not be surprising to see this number come back down a little but nonetheless, the value is clearly on the Lions. Detroit is coming off a loss against the suddenly resurgent Panthers at home and the game was more lopsided as the score indicates as Detroit put up a couple late touchdowns after trailing 27-10. The Lions have been solid on both sides of the ball as they are ranked No. 10 in scoring offense and No. 11 in scoring defense and they are a half-yard away on offense from being 4-1 instead of 3-2. The Saints looked awful in their first two games against Minnesota and New England as they lost both games by double-digits and were outgained both times by 126 total yards. Then something clicked as they rolled over the Panthers in Carolina before they started their comeback and then shut out the Dolphins in London although that is not saying a lot. The defense was atrocious in those first two games and while it looked better the last two, Carolina is still ranked in the bottom half of the league in scoring and Miami is ranked dead last. Detroit should have no issues moving the ball and putting up points. While Drew Brees is known for his success after a bye week, Matthew Stafford is 5-0 ATS in his last five games after a bye while the Saints are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game. 10* (257) Detroit Lions

This is a play on the MINNESOTA VIKINGS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. We played against Minnesota on Monday as it won in Chicago but failed to cover and now the Vikings go from a road favorite to a home underdog which is a great situation to play into. Minnesota is 3-2 to start the season and will be without San Bradford again this week which is a good thing as he was clearly not right last week when he made the start. Case Keenum came in and played a great game as he went 17-21 for 140 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings have outgained four of five opponents including all three home games where they have covered 24 of their last 32 games. Green Bay came from behind last week against the Cowboys, scoring the game winning touchdown with 11 seconds remaining. That was a huge road victory for the Packers and a letdown is always a possibility and like the Vikings, they switch roles, going from a road underdog to a road favorite. Green Bay has been outgained in each of its last two games despite winning and now faces the 7th ranked defense in the NFL. While Minnesota did get to face Mitchell Trubisky last week, it has already faced Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Matthew Stafford. Going back to the start of last season, the Vikings have held 19 of 21 opponents to fewer than 300 yards passing. While Green Bay has owned the NFC North, it has lost two of the last three meetings and going back, the Packers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game. This is a huge game for Minnesota to keep pace in the division as a trip later in the season to Green Bay could result in a 0-2 record against the Packers should they lose this one. 10* (260) Minnesota Vikings

The Patriots improved to 3-2 with a win in Tampa Bay last Thursday night but it has been outgained in four of five games so they have been far from the same team we are accustomed to. To their credit, the Patriots have played the 3rd ranked schedule in the NFL so they now finally get a break. In addition to taking a step down in competition, they are playing on an extended break which is the second time this season they have played following a Thursday and the first time resulted in a 16-point win in New Orleans. Going back, Tom Brady has won eight straight games following a Thursday game, winning those by an average 19.8 ppg. The problem for the Patriots has been the defense but it looked its best all season against the Buccaneers and now faces the No. 26 ranked defense in the league. The Jets are off to a surprising 3-2 start despite being near the bottom of the NFL in both offense and defense but they have had the luxury of facing the Dolphins, Jaguars and Browns the last three weeks and overall, they have played the No. 27 schedule in the league. Despite the winning record, they are ahead of only three teams in the current power rankings and while one of those is the Browns who they just defeated, they were outgained by 207 yards against Cleveland. New York has held its own against the Patriots at home over the last few years with four straight covers but this is a completely downgraded version of the past editions. Even though New England knows what it will be facing, this is still a divisional rivalry so it will not be taking this team lightly, especially knowing it is tied for the lead in the AFC East. The Patriots are 6-0 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (253) New England Patriots

This is a play on the OREGON DUCKS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. After a 3-0 start, the Ducks have dropped two of their last three games including a 23-point loss last week at home against Washington St. They were down by just three at halftime but were outscored 20-0 in the second half as the offense committed three turnovers and turned the ball over on downs which directly led to 13 points for the Cougars on drives totaling only 87 yards. If they limit the mistakes, they have a chance to win but now it is bounce back time catching double-digits against a team that is not that much better as the power ranking difference between the two teams is just eight spots. Stanford is also 4-2 with losses against USC and San Diego St. but it has bounced back with three straight wins, none of which have been overly impressive. A 24-point win over UCLA looks good but the Cardinal were actually outgained in that game as they took advantage of four turnovers and 13 penalties for 132 yards by the Bruins. Stanford is outgaining opponents by only 13.5 ypg compared to Oregon which has a +155.7 ypg differential and while schedules can often play a role on these variances. The Stanford schedule is ranked No. 14 while the Ducks have played the No. 45 ranked slate so it is not a huge difference in that regard. Slowing down or at least matching the Stanford running game is key and Oregon has a very formidable front seven and it has won the yardage battle in five of six games. Ducks quarterback Braxton Burmeister was less than average in his first career start but he now has a game under his belt and will be facing a much weaker defense this week as Stanford is ranked No. 102 in total defense and will be without two of its top defenders for the first half because of targeting suspensions. The Ducks are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (211) Oregon Ducks

This is a play on the ARIZONA WILDCATS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. It has been a long time since Arizona has been relevant in the national picture and while that will not be changing this season, the Wildcats are showing signs of taking steps forward. They are 3-2 on the season and the two losses could have resulted in wins as they lost to Houston by three points and lost to Utah by six points despite outgaining the Utes by 107 total yards as they were done in by five turnovers including an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Arizona is coming off a 45-point performance on offense at Colorado last Saturday and it looks like a new star has been born. Quarterback Khalil Tate made his first start and it was a memorable one as he rushed for 327 yards on 14 carries (23.4 ypc) and four touchdowns while throwing for 154 yards and a touchdown on 12-13 passing. UCLA has allowed 48 and 58 points in its two road games and this less than physical defense is bound to get demolished once again. The Bruins are ranked No. 120 in scoring defense and No. 124 in total defense so the Wildcats will again be able to move the ball at will. UCLA does possess one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Josh Rosen as he runs a potent offense but coming into the season, expectations were high for him and the teams and both have been shot down with a pair of losses. The Wildcats defense is far from stout but they have improved by over 50 ypg and close to 12 ppg from last season so the unit is heading in the right direction. UCLA has won and covered five straight meetings in this series and the Wildcats will be amped up for revenge. 10* (178) Arizona Wildcats

Western Kentucky is one of three teams, Connecticut and BYU being the other two, that have lost every game against the number this season and once we get this far into the season, this is the time to ride these teams if the matchup is favorable for a cover and this is one of those for the Hilltoppers. They are 3-2 straight up including two straight wins which were far from impressive as they beat Ball St. and UTEP but failed to cover as double-digit favorites. They come in as a double-digit chalk again but this is the game to make a statement as Western Kentucky is still a favorite in the C-USA East Division. Part of the issue has been learning a new offensive system under new head coach Mike Sanford Jr. as they have adjusted slower than expected and after averaging over 500 ypg and over 44 ppg in each of the last three seasons, you must ask why to try and fix something that is not broken. Quarterback Mike White put up incredible numbers last season but he lost over 3,000 of his 4,363 yards passing last year so adjusting to new receivers can take time. Additionally, Western Kentucky is averaging 32 carries per game and has been awful in averaging 2.4 ypc but now it faces a bad Charlotte defense that is should be able to tear apart. Somehow the 49ers allowed just 14 points last week to Marshall but the Thundering Herd got into Charlotte territory seven times and managed only two scores as they stepped on their own feet. The offense has been worse as the 49ers have scored seven points or less in four of six games and the unit is ranked No. 119 in total offense and No. 127 in scoring offense. 10* (164) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Navy is 5-0 for just the second time since 1979 following a scare last week against Air Force as the Midshipmen blew a 38-17 lead but scored the winning touchdown in the final minute. They were outgained for the first time all season in that game against a surprisingly good defense in Air Force and now they get a shot to really rack up the yards. Navy is ranked first in the country in rushing offense and will square off against the No. 94 rushing defense but this is a game where they can also take advantage of the porous Tigers passing defense as we have Navy do the trickery in the past as this is a great opportunity to keep Memphis on its toes the entire game. On the other side, this is a fairly average defense and going against the Memphis offense will be a challenge but the Midshipmen have held their own against Tulsa and Tulane, two vastly different offenses showing they are not weak in one particular area. Memphis put up 70 points last week but that came against a Connecticut defense that is dead last in the nation overall and we learned our lesson in that one by playing on the Huskies. Navy returned eight starters from last season on defense and while the defensive numbers last year were gaudy, another season together pays dividends. A factor in why the defense has succeeded is that the Midshipmen are second in the country in time of possession which keeps the stop unit fresh and the opposing offenses off the field. Navy held Memphis to 20 and 28 points the last two seasons and those Tigers offenses were nearly as good as this edition. Playing against team in certain spots coming off scoring 50 or more points has been highly profitable as the value has shifted to the opposing team. 10* (193) Navy Midshipmen

This is a play on the OHIO BOBCATS for our MAC Game of the Year. Bowling Green picked up its first win of the season as it won at Miami Ohio last week in a game it had no business winning. The Falcons entered the fourth quarter down by five points but they took the lead after a touchdown with 12:15 remaining. The RedHawks were forced to punt after that but got the ball back after a missed field goal and drove down to the Bowling Green one-yard line. They then proceeded to fumble and the Falcons returned it 93 yards for a touchdown to seal the upset as 17-point underdogs. Miami outgained the Falcons by 113 yards but failed to score a touchdown after quarterback Gus Ragland went down in the third quarter. Ohio is coming off a similar type game where it lost to Central Michigan but won the yardage battle. The Bobcats were stung by four turnovers including two fumbles inside Central Michigan territory, one at the three-yard line. Additionally, they had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown right before halftime. The Bowling Green cover was its first of the season as it started out 0-5 ATS and on the season, the Falcons are getting outgained by 162.4 ypg so they have been completely dominated. You can make the argument that the first victory can energize a team going forward but coming into the season, it was a rebuild from the start so a win like that can linger on too long and affect preparation next time out. Ohio has won six straight games following a regular season loss dating back to 2015 and we can expect another bounce back effort this week. Bowling Green has covered just one of its last 10 home games while Ohio has covered 10 of its last 12 road games. 10* (119) Ohio Bobcats

We are going to back West Virginia here to pull off the big win as the Big XII has shown to be very volatile this year. Texas Tech is 4-1 on the season with very unimpressive wins as a victory over Houston by three points is the best of the bunch. The Red Raiders have covered every game and that is a big reason this line has gone from 6.5 points at opening to its current 3.5 as of Thursday afternoon. These are streaks we love going against and it only gets better when the toughest test of the season awaits and this is it. We played against the Red Raiders last week and Kansas made a game of it for a while but Texas Tech ran away with by scoring the final 30 points of the game. The offense is once again leading the way as it is ranked No. 7 in total offense but the defense is once again a liability and it will be a big problem this week. West Virginia is 3-2 with identical 31-24 losses against Virginia Tech to open the season and TCU last week. The most frustrating thing is that the Mountaineers won the yardage battle in both of those games by over 100 yards but they were back up with poor field position most of the time in both. West Virginia is ranked No. 3 in total offense and should be able to move the ball with ease against the Red Raiders defense. A weaker schedule has aided in the big numbers getting in those rhythms is just as important to prepare for these bigger games. While the schedule has been softer for the Mountaineers, they can claim they passed the test in their two big games against the Hokies and Horned Frogs and despite the losses, they come in with great confidence. 10* (138) West Virginia Mountaineers

This is a play on the SYRACUSE ORANGE for our CBF Friday Star Attraction. Syracuse has had this game circled for a while as it got thumped in Clemson last season 54-0 and it was the game that basically ruined its chances of going to a bowl game. The Tigers knocked out Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey early in that game which sent the Orange on a 0-4 tailspin to end the season 4-8. The Clemson fans were not shy about it either in mocking it and these teams have really become to hate each other going back to the Scott Shafer days as Syracuse head coach. The Orange are coming off a lethargic effort against Pittsburgh where they won 27-24 and the lookahead to the Clemson game can be partially to blame. While an upset here may seem impossible, it may be the only chance for a possible bowl bid as Syracuse needs three wins with six games left and it has road games at Miami, Florida St. and Louisville. Clemson is coming off another less than average effort against a team it should have rolled and that has been the story this season as the Tigers have gone through the motions against Boston College and Wake Forest but have played at a high level against the higher competition and Syracuse definitely fits the former. It will be interesting to see how Clemson handles quarterback Kelly Bryant who hurt his ankle last game but has been upgraded to probable. With a bye next week, the Tigers likely will not push him hard. Syracuse has the offensive system that can keep up in this matchup which Clemson did not see last season when Dungey left and playing at home helps that side of the ball out. The irony is it's the Orange defense that is surging at that year two, sixth game mark under Dino Babers, posting one of the best third-down defensive marks in college football. Syracuse is 3-1 ATS in its last four home games when getting 20 or more points. 10* (110) Syracuse Orange

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Thursday Primetime Play. Two of the top teams in the NFC square off on a short week with the winner sitting in good shape as we get closer to the halfway point of the NFL season. Both teams are playing better than what was expected coming into the season and in this matchup, we are backing the better offense which usually is not the case with teams such as these that are so close in record and power rankings. Carolina allowed a total of six points in its first two games against the 49ers and Bills but the Panthers have allowed 29.3 ppg over their last three games, all of which have come against very potent offenses. The bad news is that they face another strong offense as the Eagles are ranked in the top ten in almost every major offensive category including No. 3 in total offense, No. 5 in rushing offense, No. 9 in passing offense and No. 6 in scoring offense. Through five games, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has thrown for just five fewer yards (1,362 yards) than Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, and his 10 touchdowns are one fewer than New England's Tom Brady. Wentz is also protecting the ball better this season. He threw touchdowns to four different targets Sunday, which speaks to the upgrade in weapons thanks to offseason spending as well as improvement from homegrown players. Carolina is ranked outside the top half of all of the aforementioned offensive categories even with solid performances the last two games. The Eagles effectively shut down Melvin Gordon and had blanked Kareem Hunt for a good portion of their matchup against the Chiefs and they are ranked No. 2 in rushing defense so they can concentrate on slowing down Cam Newton and the rejuvenated passing game. The Panthers are 0-6 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game. 10* (103) Philadelphia Eagles

The Sun Belt Conference dominates the early part of the week and it starts Wednesday with South Alabama traveling to Troy for what is turning into a big rivalry despite still in its infancy stage. These schools are just three hours apart so proximity and recruiting spearhead these teams that are already hating each other. Troy must contend with the emotions of not only a rivalry game but also notching one of its biggest wins against LSU on Sept. 30. It was the Trojans first win on the road against a ranked opponent since joining the FBS in 2001, and the victory drew plenty on national headlines so the pressure is on to show it was no fluke. Prior to that win in which the Tigers did not show up at home, the Trojans has not defeated any noteworthy team and struggled in all three FBS games. South Alabama has struggled to a 1-4 start but a win here could completely turn its season around as the remaining schedule is very doable. The Jaguars opened the season with losses against Mississippi and Oklahoma St. before beating Alabama A&M of the FCS. In their last two games, they lost to Idaho in overtime and Louisiana Tech who they had against the ropes late in the fourth quarter. South Alabama was getting 11.5 points against the Bulldogs and now it is getting five points more against a team that is ranked only 14 spots higher than Louisiana Tech in the power rankings as that LSU victory has inflated this line that is still fresh on the public mind. This series has been intense as three of the five meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less and this is by far the biggest number the Jaguars have gotten against Troy. South Alabama gets quarterback Dallas Davis back for this game after he missed the Vandals game. 10* (101) South Alabama Jaguars

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFL Monday Primetime Play. We are going with a rookie quarterback on national television and while that may seem like a bad move, things will not get any worse for the Bears. They have played horrendous on the road but are a play away from being 2-0 at home against the Falcons and Steelers and this is with former quarterback Mike Glennon playing average. Chicago was getting around a touchdown in both of those home games and while they are not getting that number here, the Bears are still a home underdog and we are not really sure they should be. The Vikings should get Sam Bradford back tonight at quarterback which is an upgrade from Case Keenum who had one great game against the Buccaneers but struggled against the Steelers and Lions. But, it is still unclear how healthy Bradford really is considering the knee could not be played on a few weeks ago and it has been troublesome in the past. The Vikings stop unit is ranked No. 9 in both total defense and scoring defense so they have been able to keep games close as the offense has sputtered to No. 21 in points scored. On the other side, the Bears have allowed 26 ppg which is ranked No. 27 in the NFL but that is skewed. Chicago has allowed four scoring drives that consisted of 3, 7, 13 and 16 yards as turnovers have been the difference where it has given it away 10 times which is tied for third most in the NFL. To put this in perspective, the Bears are ranked No. 6 in the NFL in total defense. Chicago has covered four straight games after scoring 15 or fewer points while the Vikings are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games. 10* (476) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the DALLAS COWBOYS for our Sunday NFL Star Attraction. After Dallas lost to Denver, people were sour on the Cowboys and they bounced back to win against the Cardinals the following week. After a home loss against the Rams last week, the public is again sour on the Cowboys and they will be hammering the Packers and early consensus reports are proving that. This is a perfect example of the short-term memory of the public as they remember what they saw the week before and take that too much into account. While the Cowboys are just 2-2, they are better than the record shows and we can expect a bounce back and while the sample size is small, the Cowboys have won all three regular season games following a loss over the last two years. There is an exception as they lost in Week 17 to the Eagles and then lost their first playoff game off a bye week and it happened to come right here against the Packers so there is some payback motivation in store as well. Green Bay took care of Chicago last Thursday on a short week as it caught the Bears in a tough travel spot coming off an overtime win over the Steelers four days before. Now the Packers have additional prep and rest this week but they hit the road where they have been very average. Since 2012, the Packers are 21-20 on the highway during the regular season and that is the epitome of average. This is even more true knowing that Green Bay is 33-9-1 at home over this same stretch. The Packers have been outrushed in all four games and they are now thin at the running back position with the injury to Ty Montgomery who is questionable with broken ribs and this not a good matchup as the Cowboys are 15-1 the last two seasons when winning the rushing battle. 10* (472) Dallas Cowboys

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our Sunday NFL Enforcer. Seattle pulled away for us last Sunday night over the Colts and that was a much needed second half to try and gain some momentum after an average start to the season. While much has been said about the offense, the further the season moves along, the better they will become and it is hard to ignore the fact they have outgained each of their last three opponents and by a combined 317 total yards. This is one of the most talented teams in the NFL but as is the case most weeks, they are not the public favorite because of what is going on in Los Angeles. The Rams are the talk of the league right now and kudos to head coach Sean McVay for making them relevant again, for at least a quarter of a season. They are coming off an impressive come-from-behind win over the Cowboys last Sunday as they outscored Dallas 19-6 in the second half but the Cowboys did themselves in with mistakes at the wrong times. The other two wins have come against San Francisco and Indianapolis which are the same as Seattle but again, when looking at talent, the Seahawks are clearly superior. The public is on the Rams though and we can thank the media for that despite the fact Los Angeles has been outgained in each of its last three games. Seattle opened as the chalk here but the line flipped and for no reason as it comes back to the talent gap as well as past success or lack thereof. The Rams have played Seattle very tough in recent years as they have covered seven of the last 10 meetings, winning half of those games outright but now that the Rams have caught the public eye, the Seahawks will not be looking past them which they have been guilty of in the past. 10* (467) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our Sunday NFL Supreme Annihilator. The Colts are coming off a loss in Seattle last Sunday but if they can take any positives away, it was how good they played for a half. They led by five points at halftime before Seattle pulled away because of turnovers and it finally got its offense going. It was not a good spot for Indianapolis as the Seahawks were coming off a loss in Tennessee while the Colts were coming off their first win of the season. Obviously, this is a different team without Andrew Luck at quarterback but Jacoby Brissett has been pretty solid and he did have his best game at home in his last start against the Browns and he gets a similar matchup this week. Defensively, the Colts have been awful as they are ranked No. 32 in scoring defense and No. 31 in total defense but they can bring those rankings up after this weekend. San Francisco is coming off a tough overtime loss at home against Arizona which was their third straight close loss. The 49ers have lost their last three games by a combined eight points but two of those are a little skewed and now they head east for the first time this season. The 49ers offense has struggled for the majority of the season as taking away 13 late points scored against the Rams, they have scored just 53 points in their other 236 minutes of play. Noy only is traveling east a bad thing for San Francisco but traveling anywhere has been an issue for a while as it has won just two of its last 18 road games while the Colts have covered 17 of their last 22 games coming off a loss when not playing a division opponent. While the majority of those are with Luck in the lineup, the number they are laying is a short one and should have no trouble covering as a win likely means a ticket casher. 10* (462) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Dolphins are off to a 1-2 start and should be 0-3 if not for a missed Chargers field goal and while the play has been poor, they have had to deal with one of the worst travel schedules we have seen. The hurricane forced them to cancel their first game of the season and went out west to get ready for the Chargers. Miami then had to travel east to face the Jets and then had to go further East to London to face the Saints. The Dolphins are now ready to finally host their first game of the regular season and it took a month to do so and we will see their best effort of the season after scoring one garbage touchdown with no time left over their last two games. Even going back further, they have not played a home game since August 17 as their last two preseason games were also on the road. The line came out late here because of the uncertain status of Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota but his presence or absence does not matter in this spot as this is more of a play on the Dolphins and the situation that favors them. We played against Tennessee last week in Houston and after getting thumped by the Texans, the Titans would typically be in a great spot to bounce back. This is not one of those however as they are travelling into a tough situation in the second of back-to-back road games with an ailing quarterback. Tennessee has outgained only one opponent this season which is not good for a supposed deep playoff contender and last week could not have gone worse after getting outgained by 260 yards. The Dolphins are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while the Titans are 4-22-3 ATS in their last 29 games against teams with a losing record. 10* (460) Miami Dolphins

Utah is off to a 4-0 start, both straight up and against the number, and that is normally a situation we like to exploit in going against those streaks but the linesmakers have this one all wrong. The Utes have played a softer schedule than Stanford but they have taken advantage with strong efforts throughout and that is a sign of a very good team that does not let down. They opened Pac 12 play with a win at Arizona two weeks ago and they were fortunate to take advantage of five Wildcats turnovers including an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Now Utah goes from road favorite to home underdog which is a rarity in conference action and that is a sure take as this is the second time in 17 home games the Utes have been a home underdog. The other time resulted in a cover against Washington last season. Stanford is 3-2 with losses at USC and San Diego St. and that loss against the Trojans is looking worse after last week. The Cardinal opened the season by rolling over Rice in Australia but then was outgained in its next three games against USC, San Diego St. and UCLA. Utah did outgain Arizona St. last week thanks to 301 yards rushing from Bryce Love but do not expect a repeat close to that this week. The Utes rushing defense has been a power for years and this season is no different as they are ranked No. 9 in the nation in rushing defense. There is concern about quarterback Tyler Huntley being out but senior Troy Williams is not a downgrade against a Stanford defense that is ranked No. 106 in total defense and is allowing 25.4 ppg after giving up 24 or more points only four times last season. 10* (356) Utah Utes

SMU is off to a surprisingly good start as it is 4-1 which is just one victory short of its win total from all last season. The Mustangs are 5-0 against the number and as mentioned in the Utah analysis, these are the streaks we like to go against when the situation calls for it and this is one of those. Four of those covers have come at home against the likes of Stephen F. Austin of the FCS, North Texas, Arkansas St. and Connecticut and while the road cover came against TCU, they were getting 22 points. This is a vastly improved team but now they are getting a very short price this week to a team that they were getting 23.5 points against last season at home. SMU pulled off the upset over Houston in that game and the Cougars have had this game circled. Houston is 3-1 with the lone loss coming at home against Texas Tech by three points as it committed five turnovers and could not recover from that. The defense has led the way for Houston as it is allowing 14.8 ppg which is No. 14 in the country so it has the capabilities to slow down the Mustangs potent offense. The Cougars are especially strong in red-zone defense, stopping opponents from scoring from inside their own 20 one-third of the time. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver got injuries last week against Temple but all indications he will be fine in wearing a brace on his sprained knee. Offensively, the Cougars are balanced and the SMU defense is horrid, ranking No. 103 overall and No. 94 in scoring defense. The Cougars have played the No. 53 ranked schedule while SMU has played the No. 122 slate in the nation and that is a huge discrepancy making all of the rankings skewed and giving SMU overinflated numbers. 10* (400) Houston Cougars

This is a play on the MARYLAND TERRAPINS for our Saturday Enforcer. We lost by playing against Maryland last week and it was a bad call as we went against the injury factor for the Terrapins as they were down to their No. 3 quarterback. Clearly, Max Bortenschlager was more comfortable with a week of preparation and the coaching staff came up with a great gameplan. Now Maryland takes a big step up in competition but it will be ready to fight as winning in Texas and Minnesota is no easy task and the number the Terrapins are getting here is overpriced based on name. The Terrapins have a slim shot of an upset but they will be playing for the whole game following a 62-3 loss at home against the Buckeyes last season. Rubbing salt in the wound, Ohio St. threw for a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter up 55-3 and running up the score is a big motivator next time out. Ohio St. has been rolling since its loss against Oklahoma as it has destroyed Army, UNLV and Rutgers but it also is taking a step up in competition here. We can compare Maryland to Indiana which Ohio St. defeated in the season opener but the game was closer as Indiana ran out of gas late. Indiana is ranked No. 47 and Maryland is ranked No. 55 which shows an inflation of the line. The Buckeyes have not been tested as mentioned and that can lead to a team going through the motions which can put them in a tighter than expected game against a team that is better than most may think. Ohio St. is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games when laying 30 or more points with those wins coming against Rutgers last season and Kent St. in 2014. 10* (343) Maryland Terrapins