Sports Picks & Predictions

The Saints cashed for us last week in Kansas City and it was a game they could have won as they lost the turnover battle 2-0 including an interception that was returned for a touchdown. New Orleans outgained the Chiefs by 137 total yards but ultimately fell to 2-4 on the season. The Saints have played better than that however as two other losses came by a combined four points while the fourth loss they also won the yardage battle. Seattle is coming off a 6-6 tie in Arizona where they were outgained by 186 total yards. The fact they are coming off a tie is bad news as they had to go an extra 15 minutes and that is a big negative. As a matter of fact, since 1989 there have been seven teams coming off a tie and playing their next game on the road and all of those teams lost. The defeats were by an average of 19.3 ppg and all resulted in easy covers as well. The Seahawks were cruising along with three straight wins but they have only two comfortable wins on the season and those came against the 1-6 49ers and 2-5 Jets. The offense has been inconsistent and while the Saints defense is nothing special, the spot is just a horrible one. New Orleans is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games as an underdog while going 18-7 in 25 games under Sean Payton following a loss of six points or less. 10* (258) New Orleans Saints

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have seen the under come through the last two Thursday night games and we can expect to see another one tonight barring any fluky scoring. The Jaguars offense continues to struggle as they are averaging just 324 ypg and 19.5 ppg. There's talk that if Bortles can't turn things around, the coaching staff could bench him for backup Chad Henne. That would be an admission that Bortles isn't the long-term answer. The real problem is that the offensive line has been unable to open holes for the running game and will have problems against the Titans pass rush. Tackle Kelvin Beachum will likely play but is far from 100 percent. Tennessee is allowing just 338 ypg, good for No. 10 in the league. The Titans are putting up decent numbers on offense but are averaging just 20.9 ppg which is No. 21 in the NFL. Tennessee will have to play without guard Quinton Spain, who figures to be out for at least the next two games after being injured in the second quarter last Sunday. That could make it a bit easier for Jacksonville to neutralize DeMarco Murray, the NFL's third-leading rusher with 633 yards. The Jaguars defense has allowed more points than expected but a lot of that is blamed on the offense with turnover setting up a short field for opponents. Overall, Jacksonville is allowing just 325.2 ypg which is No. 9 in the league. Jacksonville went over in its last game while Tennessee has gone over the total in four straight games which sets up a great situation as we play the under involving home teams where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points off two or more consecutive overs, in a game involving two teams averaging between 18 and 23 ppg. This situation is 61-28 (68.5 percent) to the under since 1983. 10* Under (101) Jacksonville Jaguars/Tennessee Titans

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

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

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

Denver opened the season with a 4-0 record but has since dropped its last two games, both by just one possession but that sets the Broncos up perfectly for this Monday night game. Their last loss came last Thursday so they have had extra rest as they head back home with a little revenge placed on top of it. The Texans defeated the Colts in their last game and they could very well still be celebrating that one after coming back from a 14-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and eventually winning in overtime. Houston improved to 4-0 at home but it has lost both of its road games, neither of which were even close as they dropped those games by a combined score of 58-13. Obviously the return of Brock Osweiler to Denver is the big story here and that gives the Broncos a huge advantage. The Denver defense should understand the weaknesses of Brock Osweiler better than anyone and it should be exposed Monday with the biggest being that he holds the ball way too long. The pass rush for the Broncos is sensational and this only adds to their success tonight. Additionally, their talented secondary, led by cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., leads the league by allowing an average of just 182.3 passing ypg. On the other side, the Texans are already without J.J. Watt and their secondary took a big hit with the loss of outstanding corner Kevin Johnson while safety Quintin Demps will miss a second straight game. Denver falls into a solid situation as we play on favorites with a winning percentage between .600 and .750 that are coming off a road loss. This situation is 44-18 ATS (71 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (478) Denver Broncos

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Chargers finally had a game go their way as they opened up a 21-3 lead and held on for the much needed victory over the Broncos. It was just their second win on the season but are arguably the best 2-4 team in the NFL as they are getting outgained by just 8.0 ypg and have been on the other side of good luck the majority of the season. San Diego hits the road where it is winless but could be 3-0 instead of 0-3 but the line is taking that actual record into consideration and it is overinflated. It is also too high based on the start the Falcons have had as they are 4-2 but are coming off a loss last week in Seattle. Atlanta has covered five straight games which is a red flag and another sure sign of value going the other way. Atlanta has been underdogs in five straight games and now suddenly it goes to nearly a touchdown favorite and that is simply too big of a jump. The Chargers offense has been solid this season and has a good matchup against an awful Falcons defense. While winning on the road has not been happening for San Diego, they remain competitive as they are 8-1 ATS in their last nine roadies. Meanwhile the Falcons are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 home games against teams with a losing road record. Also, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that are averaging between 95-125 rushing ypg going up against teams allowing between 70-95 rushing ypg, after allowing 75 or less rushing yards last game. This situation is 43-18 ATS (70.5 percent) since 1983. 10* (469) San Diego Chargers

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Dolphins picked up a much needed win last week over Pittsburgh which snapped a two-game slide and put them in the positive for the first time yardage differential. Sure the Ben Roethlisberger injury helped as it put the Steelers offense in check but he does not play defense and the Miami offense exploded for 474 yards. This offense has the potential to do that often and last week was no anomaly as it was the first time all season long that the starting offensive line was able to play together. The good news coming out of last week is that there is not a single offensive lineman on the injury report this week. The Bills have won four straight games but it is not an overly impressive run. They defeated the Cardinals who are simply not right and were on the east coast for an early game, the Patriots who were down to the third string quarteback, the Rams who have been outgained in all but two games and the 49ers who are just plain terrible. Because of the streak, Buffalo is favored on the road and should not be. The Bills go some bad news as LeSean McCoy will be out for this game because of a hamstring injury. Additionally, the Bills are part of a contrarian rushing situation that even stings more with McCoy not playing. We play against road favorites that are outrushing their opponents by 40 or more ypg on the season, after outrushing opponent by 100 or more yards last game. This situation is 100-57 ATS (63.7 percent) since 1983. 10* (462) Miami Dolphins

The Minnesota bandwagon is pretty full right now and rightfully so. The Vikings are 5-0 to start the season, have covered all five of those games and going back to the start of last season, they are 19-3 ATS which is pretty incredible. We are stepping in front of this bandwagon however as the Minnesota schedule, which looked tough at the start of the season, has not been as all five of the opponents have been underachieving with the exception of Tennessee. While they are winning and covering, the Vikings are not dominating as they are outgaining opponents by just 15 ypg. The Eagles have dropped two straight games following a 3-0 start but both of those losses came on the road. They were completely outplayed last week against the Redskins but should have won in Detroit the previous week as they outgained the Lions by 102 total yards but lost by a point. In its two home games, Philadelphia dominated in both winning by a combined score of 63-13 and outgaining the Browns and Steelers by a combined 290 yards. We have two situations in our favor as well. First, we play on underdogs or pickems with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 coming off an upset loss as a road favorite. This situation is 33-10 ATS (76.7 percent) since 1983. Second, we play against favorites that are outscoring opponents by 10 or more ppg, after allowing 14 points or less in two straight games. This situation is 36-12 ATS (75 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (454) Philadelphia Eagles

We won with the Chiefs last week over the Raiders and that was mostly a play against Oakland which has now been outgained in all six of its games this season. Kansas City returns home where it is 2-0 but one win needed a miracle comeback against San Diego and the other win came against the hapless Jets. The Chiefs have been outgained in three of their five games this season and while last week was the most dominant performance as far as stats go, the weather played a big part in that as the conditions were totally against the Raiders gameplan. New Orleans has won two straight games following a 0-3 start but two of those three losses could have and should have been victories. The Saints lost in the finals seconds against Oakland and then lost on a last second field goal against the Giants. The defense remains the enigma but we are far from sold on the Kansas City offense to take full advantage. Drew Brees is having a great season thus far as he is tied for third in the NFL with 14 touchdowns and is one of just six quarterbacks with a QB rating of more than 100. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 after having won two out of their last three games, playing a losing team. This situation is 77-39 ATS (66.4 percent) since 1983. Additionally, New Orleans is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games as an underdog while the Chiefs are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win. 10* (455) New Orleans Saints

The Redskins are tied with the Bills for the second longest current winning streak in the league with four consecutive victories. It is a deceiving run however. While Washington dominated Philadelphia last week, it was outgained by both the Giants and Browns while it outgained the Ravens by just four total yards. The Redskins are 2-0 on the road but benefitted from a punt return for a touchdown in Baltimore while needing a last minute field goal in New York. Detroit comes in at 3-3 after having won its last two games. While it can be argued they could have lost the last two games, it can also be argued that it could have won two games it lost against the Titans and Bears. Also, the Lions nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Packers. The offense has not missed a beat with the absence of Calvin Johnson as Matthew Stafford is third in the NFL with a 106.0 QB rating while throwing 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. This is a big game to keep pace in the NFC North as this is the third straight home game and they hit the road to face Houston and Minnesota over the next two weeks. Defensively, the Lions need to force more turnovers as their four takeaways are third fewest in the league. Washington falls into a negative situation as we play against teams that are coming off an upset win over a division rival as a home underdog, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 75-30 ATS (71.4 percent) since 1983. 10* (458) Detroit Lions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both Green Bay and Chicago have seen their offenses struggle this season as they are ranked No. 17 and No. 31 respectively in points per game. The defenses are also both ranked in the latter half of the league so we have a good opportunity for the offenses to bust out. The Packers scoring output has declined in each of its last three games but as those games progressed, the defenses got better each time. Chicago meanwhile has scored more than 17 points only once this season which is pretty shocking considering it is ranked No. 7 in yards per game but part of the problem is down and distance as the Bears are ranked No. 28 in third down conversions and No. 30 in fourth down conversions. That has not been the problem for Green Bay which is ranked No. 1 in third down conversions at 49.3 percent. They have only 102 first downs which is tied for No. 26 and because of that, the offense does not have the ball much. The 104.3 quarterback rating for Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 17 career games against the Bears is the highest of the quarterbacks who have attempted at least 175 passes against Chicago in their careers. Chicago falls into a great over situation as we play the over involving teams that are averaging between 14 to 18 ppg going up against teams averaging between (18 to 23 ppg, after allowing 3 points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 137-84 (62 percent) to the over since 1983. 10* Over (301) Chicago Bears/(302) Green Bay Packers

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

This is a big game for both sides and could define the rest of the season. A fifth loss for the Jets would be devastating and likely end any sort of playoff hopes as there are already nine teams in the AFC with .500 or better records. The NFC has 10 teams are .500 or better so the Cardinals cannot afford to slip up much either but based on this spread, they are a much more dominant team than the Jets and that is simply not the case. Both quarterbacks, Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick have played below average but the difference in this game could come down to the running game in the trenches and that is where New York has the advantage. The Cardinals will be playing without both of their starting guards because of ankle injuries as right guard Evan Mathis is on IR and Mike Iupati is expected to miss at least one to two more weeks. Both John Wetzel and Earl Watford filled in adequately last week but the competition gets a lot tougher this week against the Jets ferocious defensive line. On the other side, the Cardinals allow 4.6 ypc and 118.2 ypg on the ground, so the opportunity is there if the Jets offensive line is able to control the trenches. The Jets have two great situations on their side. First, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that are being outscored by opponents by seven or more ppg, after scoring 17 points or less in three straight games. This situation is 91-52 ATS (63.6 percent) since 1983. Secondly, we play on road teams after being beaten by the spread by 35 or more points total in their last three games, in October games. This situation is 28-7 ATS (80 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, Arizona 1-13 ATS in its last 14 games as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points and 0-6 ATS in its last six Monday games. 10* (277) New York Jets

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Sunday Supreme Annihilator. After losing their season opener, the Falcons have won four straight games including three on the road. They have looked dominant the last two weeks against Carolina and Denver but at this point in the season, both of those teams look like they have taken a step back so those wins are not quite as good as they would have looked last season. Speaking of last season, remember the Falcons started the season 5-0 and went on to lose eight of their last 11 games and we can expect another digression this season. The Seahawks are off to a 3-1 start and are coming off their bye week which is a good thing for them to rest some injuries, especially for quarterback Russell Wilson. Seattle has won the yardage battle in all four of its games including both home games by 138 yards and 164 yards. Granted, those were against a couple of losing teams but in this case we fell that the Falcons are an overrated bunch right now. The Falcons have a negative situation as we play against road teams that are coming off two or more consecutive upset wins as an underdog, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 62-32 ATS (66 percent) since 1983. Additionally, Seattle is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 games against teams that are allowing 375 or more ypg. The Falcons are allowing 388.8 ypg which is No. 26 in the league. 10* (272) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Game of the Week. The Chiefs have had two weeks to stew over its blowout loss at Pittsburgh prior to their bye week so we will see a full out effort this Sunday. Kansas City is in a must win spot here as a loss puts it three games behind the Raiders in the AFC West. The Raiders are one of the biggest surprises in the NFL as they are off to a 4-1 start to take the early division lead. However, they are the most overrated divisional leader and that is proven by the fact that they have been outgained in all five games this season. Give them credit for winning close games but that is eventually going to switch. Kansas City has two very favorable situations on its side. First, we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 in conference games, off a non-cover where the team won as a favorite. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Second, we play on road teams in a game involving two teams with a +/- 3 ppg scoring differential., after scoring 14 points or less last game. This situation is 28-9 ATS (75.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, Kansas City is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after scoring 14 points or less while Oakland is 3-16 ATS in its last 19 home games after allowing 375 or more total yards in two consecutive games. 10* (269) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Sunday Ultimate Underdog. The Dolphins are riding a two-game losing streak after arguably their worst game of the season last week at home against Tennessee as they lost 30-17 and were outgained by 198 total yards. Now they go from a 2.5-point favorite to over a touchdown underdog at home and that is a huge line shift. Teams are typically not as bad as their last game and not as good as they were in their last game and that is what the public is seeing with Pittsburgh. The Steelers are coming off a pair of blowout wins at home over the Chiefs and Jets and those results are inflating this line as well. Pittsburgh was destroyed in its last road game at Philadelphia and in its other road game at Washington, it won by 22 points but outgained the Redskins by just 53 total yards. Here, we play against favorites that are averaging 27 or more ppg, after allowing 14 points or less in two straight games. This situation is 32-7 ATS (82.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Pittsburgh is 5-15 ATS in its 20 road games after covering the spread in four out of its last five games and under head coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is 9-18 ATS in its last 27 road games after allowing 14 points or less last game. The Dolphins meanwhile are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against teams with a non-losing road record. 10* (258) Miami Dolphins

This is a play on the CINCINNATI BENGALS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. We made a bad call going against the Patriots last week as the return of Tom Brady went a lot better than what was expected. Because of that, New England is laying a huge number against a team that may not be as good as the Patriots but it is not that much worse than what this number is telling us. Granted, the Patriots are a different team with Brady behind center however they did go 3-1 without him and on the season, they are outgaining opponents by 32.2 ypg. The Bengals are coming off a loss at Dallas last week to fall to 2-3 on the season but despite that losing record, they are outgaining opponents by 27.8 ypg which shows how close these teams are to each other. The Patriots have a game at Pittsburgh next week followed by a road revenge at Buffalo the following week so the chance of a lookahead is always there. The Bengals has a great situation on their side as we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 that are coming off a road loss. This situation is 104-59 ATS (63.8 percent) since 1983. Additionally, the Bengals are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game while going 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up loss. 10* (251) Cincinnati Bengals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Denver is coming off its first loss of the season against Atlanta last week as the offense could get nothing going. The Broncos rushed for just 84 yards on 24 carries (3.5 ypc) while Paxton Lynch was pretty unsuccessful in his first start, throwing for 223 yards but was sacked six times. A lot of that had to do with the banged up offensive line but the good news is that right tackle Donald Stephenson, who missed the game with a calf injury, is slated to return here. Starting quarterback Trevor Siemian is also expected to return which is definitely a big deal as well. The Chargers have to be the unluckiest team in the NFL as they are off to a 1-4 start but have lost those four games by a combined 14 points with the biggest loss coming by six points in overtime in their season opener at Kansas City. While unlucky on the scoreboard, San Diego has also been unlucky with the injuries as their injury report this week is 17 players deep including 10 players on IR. The big news here is that Denver head coach Gary Kubiak is out for this game after spending some time in the hospital. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis is serving as the interim head coach and while that may seem like a disadvantage, it really is not one. Defensive coordinator stated that the Broncos plan to rally around Kubiak and win this game for him. San Diego is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 home games against teams completing 61 percent or more of their passes (Siemian is at 67.3 percent) while going 0-6 ATS in its last six divisional home games. Conversely, Denver is 6-0 ATS in its last six divisional road games. Additionally, Denver has won 15 consecutive divisional road games, the longest streak in NFL history. 10* (103) Denver Broncos

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

This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS for our NFL Primetime Play. After opening the season with two straight wins, the Giants have dropped their last two games. They lost a winnable game against the Redskins and then lost to a very good Minnesota team last week. New York is outgaining opponents by 36 ypg so it is playing above average despite its average record. The Giants have failed to cover the last three games which is giving us value in this number plus it is inflated because of the team they are playing. Green Bay is a very public team but is has turned into a very average team. The Packers two covers are by just a point and a half combined and they have been outgained in all three games and by an average of 56.3 ypg, fifth worst in the NFL. The short week should not affect the Giants as they are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games when playing on Sunday following a Monday night game. The Packers have failed to cover their last three games when favored by a touchdown or more and they lost two of those outright. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points n a game involving two teams with a point differential between +3 and -3, after scoring 14 points or less last game. This situation is 62-26 ATS (70.5 percent) since 1983. 10* (473) New York Giants

This is a play on the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS for our NFL Enforcer. While the start of the Raiders is great at 3-1, this is a fraudulent 3-1 team. They have been outgained in all four games and by an average of 67.5 ypg which is the third worst average in the entire league. Oakland is coming off a pair of east coast wins and that is tough for a team to regroup from because of all the travel. San Diego is off to just the exact opposite start as it is 1-3 but their three losses have been games they could have one. They lost to the Chiefs in overtime after blowing a big lead, they lost to the Colts on a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 remaining and they lost to the Saints last week on a touchdown with 1:57 left. San Diego is getting outgained by just 10.7 ypg and are in good shape to bounce back in what is considered a must win game. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that are allowing 24 or more ppg, after a loss by six or less points. This situation is 108-63 ATS (63.2 percent) since 1983. Additionally, Oakland is 2-12 in its last 14 home games against teams allowing 27 or more ppg while going 3-15 in its last 18 home games after allowing 375 or more total yards in two consecutive games. 10* (469) San Diego Chargers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Game of the Week. There are a lot of stats out there that Philadelphia is in a bad spot because it won as a home underdog in its last game but what is not being taken into account is the fact that the Eagles are coming off their bye week which changes everything. Teams coming off a bye week can throw that last game out the window as any letdown factor is gone and history shows the Eagles are in a near perfect spot as undefeated favorites coming off their bye week are 26-5 ATS since 2000 including a 17-1 ATS record when their opponents is coming off a loss. The Lions are coming off a bad loss to the Bears and while it was just a three-point loss, they were outgained by 145 total yards. They have also been outrushed in their last three games and that is not a good stat against the Eagles which have won the yardage battle in all three of their games. Additionally, we play against home teams that are coming off two consecutive road losses, with a losing record. This situation is 38-13 ATS (74.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (461) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Ultimate Underdog. The Browns let us down last week as late turnovers, including a very controversial fumble, did them in. They return home for just their second home game of the season and despite being 0-4, they have been outgained by just 27 yards combined all season. The Patriots are one of the biggest public bets this week as they are welcoming back Tom Brady while coming off a shutout loss at home so the consensus feels they will bounce back big. The problem is they are extremely overvalued here as this line is way too high and given the fact Brady was unable to practice during his entire suspension, who knows how he is going to play. Cleveland falls into a great contrarian situation as we play on home underdogs or pickems with a winning percentage of .250 or worse after failing to cover the spread in 2 out of their last 3 games, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 125-67 ATS (65.1 percent) since 1983. On top of that, New England is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games after allowing 17 points or less in two straight games over the last 3 seasons. 10* (456) Cleveland Browns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We were waiting on a status update of Carson Palmer before making a call on this game and as expected, he is more than likely now not going to play. That means Drew Stanton will be making his first start since 2014 and after a rough go of it last week in relief, we can expect to see a heavy dose of the running game from the Cardinals. They will not be taking many chances downfield unless they have to come from behind again which is unlikely in this matchup. The 49ers offense has been pretty offensive as they are ranked No. 29 in total offense and their scoring output has declines in each of their four games. Despite the three losses, the Cardinals defense has been potent as they are ranked No. 7 overall and it has been turnovers on the offensive end that have hurt them the most. Safety Tyrann Mathieu has played slot corner on just 11 percent of his snaps this season compared to 62 percent last season. He will be playing closer to the box where he can have more of a direct impact on plays. San Francisco cannot get the ball downfield so they will turn to Carlos Hyde who has been running the ball very well. San Francisco falls into a totals situation where we play the under after going over the total by 21 or more points total in their last three games, versus division opponents. This situation is 85-49 (63.4 percent) to the under the last five seasons. Arizona also falls into a totals situation where we play the under where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points versus division opponents, off a division game. This situation is 78-39 (66.7 percent) to the under the last five seasons. Additionally, San Francisco is 8-0 under its last eight home conference games and 7-0 under its last seven games at home against teams averaging 375 or more ypg. Meanwhile the under is 6-0 in the Cardinals last six games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game. 10* Under (303) Arizona Cardinals/(304) San Francisco 49ers

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

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

Everyone will be taking a look at the Minnesota record and figure it should be a bigger favorite here following impressive wins over Green Bay and Carolina. Those are a pair of flawed teams however so those wins cannot be taken overly serious while the other win against Tennessee meant little as well. The Vikings have actually been outgained by their three opponents by a combined 81 total yards. The Giants suffered their first loss of the season against Washington as they blew leads of 14-3 and 21-9 no thanks to two big plays from the Washington offense. The Giants did win the yardage battle and on the season they have outgained their opponents by an average 57 ypg. On paper and due to the meeting last year between the two teams, many feel this should be an easy win for the Vikings. However, the Giants defense is a much improved unit when compared to the group they fielded in the 49-17 Week 16 loss to the Vikings last year. Additionally, the offense has more weapons as well with a now healthy Victor Cruz and rookie sensation Sterling Shepard. While running backs Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen are out, Orleans Darkwa carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and one touchdown last week against Washington. Two great situations fall on the Giants side as well. First, we play against home teams that are averaging 70 or fewer rushing ypg, after gaining 99 or less rushing yards in three straight games. This situation is 23-5 ATS (82.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Second, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points after a game where they forced one or less turnovers going up against an opponent after two consecutive games where they forced three or more turnovers. This situation is 26-5 ATS (83.9 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (277) New York Giants

This is a play on the ARIZONA CARDINALS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The Cardinals are a disappointing 1-2 on the season following a blowout loss in Buffalo last Sunday. The Cardinals lost the turnover battle 5-1 so the fact they outgained the Bills by 51 yards meant nothing. This is a big game for Arizona as a loss would drop it two games behind the Rams and potentially Seattle should the Seahawks defeat the Jets earlier in the day. We feel we are getting good value with this number because it has been adjusted due to the fact that Arizona has covered just two of its last seven home games. Los Angeles is off to a 2-1 start but it is a fraudulent record to say the least. The Rams have been outgained in all three of their games and it has been substantial as they have been outgained by an average of 103.3 ypg. That makes the record very misleading and gives Arizona a huge opportunity to bounce back. Not counting Week 17 last season as that game meant nothing, the Cardinals lost only one other home game and that came against the Rams so there is definitely revenge coming into play. Here, we play against road teams that are coming off two or more consecutive upset wins as an underdog, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 61-30 ATS (67 percent) since 1983. Additionally, under head Bruce Arians, the Cardinals are 13-5 ATS versus teams allowing 350 or more ypg. 10* (274) Arizona Cardinals

This is a play on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS for our NFL Sunday Ultimate Underdog. Hold your nose for this one. San Francisco is back home following a pair of road losses to Carolina and Seattle, two of the NFC heavyweights, both of which came by 19 points. The 49ers won their lone home game against the Rams, a game in which they dominated by not allowing a single point while outgaining Los Angeles by 135 total yards. San Francisco is No. 14 in the NFL in points scored while ranking No. 20 in total defense and those rankings are far from horrible. Dallas has looked pretty good so far this season with a 2-1 record and it could easily be 3-0 as the one loss came by just a single point to the Giants but the numbers that back up that record have not been as good. Overall, the Cowboys have outgained their opponents by just 17 yards total with the host holding the advantage in all three games. Dak Prescott has done a solid job at quarterback but Dallas should not be favored on the road in this spot as it is based on perception of Dallas being now a strong team and San Francisco being horrible once again. That really is not the case however. San Francisco has a contrarian rushing situation in its favor as we play against road favorites that are allowing 90 or fewer rushing ypg, after allowing 75 or fewer rushing yards last game. This situation is 51-22 ATS (69.9 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (270) San Francisco 49ers

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Game of the Week. Washington picked up its first win of the season last week against the Giants but did not play particularly well. The Redskins were outgained by 54 yards as the defense struggled yet again and they are now allowing 424.7 ypg and 30.7 ppg, both ranked No. 29 in the league. The offense moved the ball okay but were unable to sustain drives as they were 0-4 in the redzone and had to settle for five field goals. Cleveland lost another heartbreaker last week as it fell in overtime against the Dolphins. This came after blowing a 20-0 lead against Baltimore and while the Browns are 0-3, they have played better than that. Cody Kessler played pretty decent in his first start at quarterback and gets a much easier test this week with the Washington defense. On the other side, cornerback Joe Haden returns after missing last week with a groin injury and his presence will be important here. Two situations favor the Browns as well. First, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that are coming off a win by three points or less over a division rival, with a losing record. This situation is 24-4 ATS (85.7 percent) since 1983. Second, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that are getting outscored by opponents by seven or more ppg, after a loss by 6 or less points. This situation is 86-40 ATS (68.3 percent) since 1983. Additionally, Washington is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 home games after gaining 375 or more total yards in two consecutive games. 10* (253) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the TENNESSEE TITANS/HOUSTON TEXANS OVER for our Sunday Totals Dominator. This is a contrarian totals play as we have seen Tennessee stay under the number in its last two games by a combined 37 points and in the season opener that went over, it surpassed the number by just one point. Those results give us value with this total as it is down by a touchdown from the last two games. Houston meanwhile has stayed under the number in all three of its games and none have really been close to going over. The Texans were shutout last week in New England 27-0 despite getting actually outgaining the Patriots by two yards. They were done in by a 3-0 turnover disadvantage as the offense was able to move the ball at a steady pace but failed to sustain their drives. The defense did get gashed for 185 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.7 ypc) and while the defense has played at a high level overall this season, the loss of J.J. Watt cannot be overstated. The Tennessee offense has not produced as it should be as it is averaging just 14 ppg which is dead last in the league but the titans are No. 19 in total offense so they are moving the ball and have a chance to break out here. Tennessee has a great contrarian situation on its side as we play the over involving road teams that are averaging 17 or fewer ppg, after scoring 17 points or less in two straight games. This situation is 23-4 (85.2 percent) to the over the last five seasons. Additionally, the over is 7-0 in the Texans last seven games in October while the over is 7-2-1 in the Titans last 10 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game. 10* Over (263) Tennessee Titans/(264) Houston Texans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A pair of struggling teams take the field Thursday night as Miami and Cincinnati are both off to 1-2 starts. The schedules have not been easy for either team but that is really no excuse as both are underachieving. Miami nearly fell to 0-3 but escaped with an overtime win last week against Cleveland which was playing with a third-string rookie quarterback and it still outgained the Dolphins. Meanwhile, the Bengals are a field goal miss away from being 0-3 as they opened the season with a win against the Jets thanks to a 47-yard field goal from Mike Nugent with just 54 seconds remaining. Cincinnati has lost its last two games to Pittsburgh and Denver which is nothing to be ashamed of but both of those games could have gone either way. That being said, the fact we have two desperate teams in need of a big win means we should have a very competitive game as there is very little dropoff between Miami and Cincinnati. Yet, the linesmakers are giving Cincinnati a lot of credit here but it has done nothing to prove it deserves it. Miami was a 5.5-point underdog at New England two weeks ago and even without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots are a better team than the Bengals. Additionally, the Dolphins are seeing over a 17-point swing from last week to this week which is a huge variance in this league and one that should prove to be too big. Miami has not been a touchdown underdog to any team not named New England since September of 2013. 10* (101) Miami Dolphins

New Orleans comes into Monday night in pretty much must win mode and it could not happen on a better night. This is the 10-year anniversary of the re-opening of the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is almost 10 years ago to the day that the Saints defeated the Falcons 23-3 highlighted by the epic Steve Gleason blocked punt return and while the atmosphere will not be as crazy, it will be close. New Orleans dropped its opener against the Raiders by a point on a last second two-point conversion at home before losing by a field goal last week in New York against the Giants so it has been victim of some unfortunate luck. The Falcons meanwhile have split their first two games, losing at home by a touchdown to the Buccaneers and winning in Oakland by a touchdown last week. Matt Ryan has looked outstanding in his first two gamers and he will be asked to shoulder the load once again as without any pressure up front, Atlanta's defense has struggled. The Falcons unit ranks 26th against the run, 23rd against the pass and second-to-last in sacks per pass attempt. The Saints defense is not much better but they put together a great gameplan last week as they used a lot of packages employing three safeties and played more zone coverage. Under head coach Sean Payton, New Orleans has gone 14-4 against the Falcons including an 8-2 record at home since 2006. Going back, the Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss while the Falcons are 0-6 ATS in their last six games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game. 10* (490) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFL Star Attraction. Chicago has gotten off to a rough start by going 0-2 but it has not been as bad as that record shows. The Bears hung tough with the Texans in Week One before losing by nine points and last week they were did in by the Eagles and had no chance after Jay Cutler went down. Brian Hoyer will be starting this week and while he was unable to mount a comeback last week, having a full week of preparation instead of getting thrown into the fire is big. The Cowboys have split their two games with the Giants and Redskins and easily could also be sitting at 0-2. While the Dallas defense has allowed just 21.5 ppg, the unit has not been very good as they have allowed 374 ypg. Dak Prescott has played pretty well for a rookie but he has an 83.1 passer rating and while he has yet to throw a pick, he has yet to throw a touchdown either. Because of the Cutler injury, this line is way overpriced as these teams are not that far off from each other. Dallas has notoriously been a poor play as a home favorite as it has covered just of its last 25 games in this role. Going back to 2014, Chicago is 1-11 in its last 12 home games but a much more respectable 5-4 in its last nine road games. Additionally, the Cowboys are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win. 10* (487) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS for our NFL Supreme Annihilator. Tampa Bay played a great game in its season opening win over Atlanta and it was just the opposite last week at Arizona as the Buccaneers were throttled 40-7 no thanks to five turnovers including four interceptions from Jameis Winston. Expect a big bounce back effort from him and we will no doubt see a better effort from the defense that has allowed 32 ppg. This is the home opener for Tampa Bay and while its home field advantage is not a great one, it is more advantageous this time of year because of the heat and humidity. The Rams have been just the opposite through two games as well but theirs have been reversed. They were awful in their opener against a horrible San Francisco teams, losing 28-0 and getting outgained by 135 yards. Last week, Los Angeles upset the Seahawks at home but managed only nine points on offense in doing so. This offense has a long ways o go and while the defense looked very strong against the Seahawks, Seattle has its own offensive issues going on. The Rams were still outgained last week despite the win. This line has been creeping yup but for good reason and we will back the favorite in what could have blowout potential. Going back, the Buccaneers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game. 10* (480) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is a play on the MINNESOTA VIKINGS for our NFL Game of the Month. This is a complete overreaction to what happened last week. After losing to Denver in their season opener, the Panthers rolled over San Francisco on Sunday. They outgained the 49ers by 227 total yards in what was an awful situation for San Francisco coming off a short week win and having to play an early game on the east coast against a well-rested team. That line closed at 12 and there is no chance that the 49ers are only five points worse than Minnesota. The Vikings meanwhile are 2-0 as they defeated Tennessee on the road before winning last Sunday night at home against Green Bay. Sam Bradford was exceptional in his first start but the bigger story was the loss of Adrian Peterson who is likely out for the season. While he is tough to replace, he is not the same player and has lost a step for sure. He averaged just 1.6 ypc in 31 carries so was doing nothing special anyway. The Norv Turner/Bradford offense is arguably better off now as they can open things up more which is better equipped for this team. The defense as they have allowed just 289.5 ypg and 15 ppg, No. 5 and No. 6 respectively in the NFL. The Panthers have covered seven straight games at home which is adding to the value but the Vikings have been better, going 10-1 ATS in their last 11 road games while covering 14 of their last 17 games following a win. 10* (475) Minnesota Vikings

This is a play on the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. This is the classic look at the records matchup which had affected the line. Baltimore comes in undefeated and is the worst 2-0 team in the league at this point. The Ravens defeated a hapless Bills team by only six points and then beat Cleveland last week in part due to the injury of Browns quarterback Josh McCown who was not the same after having to get checked out. They were actually outgained by the Browns and overall, the defense is overrated based on who they have played while the offense can be held accountable for the same thing. Jacksonville meanwhile is 0-2 but has played better than that. The Jaguars are tied for last in the NFL in turnover margin at -3 which has been part of the issue but it has to be noted that they have outgained both opponents thus far albeit not by much but all that matter is they have been on the positive. So now because we have two teams with opposite records, the Ravens come in as a road favorite. It is interesting to note that last November, with a healthy Joe Flacco, Baltimore was favored by only five points at home and there is no way they are a much better team now. And Jacksonville won. This is a much bigger game for the Jaguars and they are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game. 10* (468) Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a play on the WASHINGTON REDSKINS for our NFL Ultimate Underdog. This is another example of records dictating the line. The Redskins have dropped their first two games and while they lost to Pittsburgh by 22 points, they were outgained by just 53 total yards but two turnovers in bad spots, nine penalties and having to settle for field goals did them in. Last week, they had a chance to beat the Cowboys but fell just short despite outgaining Dallas by 52 total yards. The rushing defense has been the issue but the Giants do not possess a strong running attack like the ones they have already faced. New York is 2-0 but it is an ugly 2-0 as it has won both games by a combined four points. The Giants did outgain New Orleans by 129 yards but were unable to complete drives against a bad Saints defense and their only touchdown came via a blocked field goal return. Now because of the opposing records, the Giants are overvalued as with this being a divisional game against pretty equal teams, the line should be -3 so catching anything above that presents solid value. The Giants defense is a very solid unit but the Redskins have the playmakers to take advantage. Washington can ill afford to fall three games out of first place in the NFC East after just three games so we will see an all-out effort on both sides of the ball. 10* (471) Washington Redskins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two of the five undefeated teams in the AFC square off and we will be backing the home team missing its top two quarterbacks. We played on New England opening week at Arizona and mentioned a big reason for playing the Patriots was head coach Bill Belichick and that reason is even bigger in this one. Rookie Jacoby Brissett will be making his first ever start and while that normally would be a play against spot depending on the situation, Belichick is not going to be throwing him into the fire and make him win a game by himself. Brissett went 6-9 for 92 yards against Miami and while his experience is minimal, the preparation time for the Texans to go against him is even worse considering they have little to no game film on him. Houston has cruised in both of its wins but both of those took place at home, one again what seems to be another lousy Chicago team and the other against a Kansas City team it was seeking revenge from after a 30-0 defeat in the playoffs last season. The Houston defense has done its job, but again, that has all taken place at home and the offense has struggled by averaging only 347.5 ypg which is just No. 19 in the NFL. This marks only the fifth game since the start of the 2002 season that the Patriots are home underdogs and this is where New England will be even more motivated because of that. The Patriots fall into a situation where we play on home teams coming off a win against a division rival, in a game involving two teams that had winning records last season. This situation is 33-11 ATS (75 percent) since 1983. 10* (302) New England Patriots

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

This line opened at -2.5, got pushed up to -3.5 midweek and has settled back down to -3 which is right where it should be in a game that can go either way. We are getting value with the total however after both teams went under the number is their season opening games. The glaring comparison is with Chicago in that this total is lower than last week against Houston, one of the top ranked defenses in the NFL. This is a matchup where both quarterbacks could have massive games. Carson Wentz threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL debut, completing 22 of 37 passes in a turnover-free performance, posting a 101.0 rating. Jay Cutler meanwhile was 16-29 for just 216 yards and a touchdown and one pick but as mentioned, he was facing a very strong defense and it takes a step down tonight. As a team, the Eagles held Cleveland to under 300 total yards of offense last week as they dominated the time of possession with nearly 40 minutes on their side. But Cleveland is Cleveland and yesterday the Browns managed 387 yards but 85 of those came on one play. Philadelphia will be without top cornerback Leodis McKelvin. On the other side, the Bears were pretty average against the Texans as Brock Osweiler completed 63 percent of his passes while allowing Lamar Miller to rush for over 100 yards. One of their biggest failings against Houston was the Bears failed to make Osweiler uncomfortable in the pocket and the Texans offensive line is much worse than the line of the Eagles so they will have trouble again. 10* Over (289) Philadelphia Eagles/(290) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFL Star Attraction. The Colts lost a shootout at home against the Lions, spoiling the return of Andrew Luck who ended up missing nine games last season. The loss had nothing to do with him however as he was awesome, throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns with a 66 percent completion rate. His last game a year ago happened to come against Denver, a 27-24 win at home. The defense was obviously the issue as Matthew Stafford went off as well but the Colts should not have to worry as much this week about getting lit up. We won with the Broncos last Thursday and while they have a big scheduling advantage here because of time off and no travel, the Broncos are severely overpriced in this matchup. The defense is arguably the best in the NFL but the Indianapolis offense presents a bunch of challenges and it put up 365 yards in the meeting last season against virtually the same defense. This offense is good enough to play catch up against even the elite defenses as long as a healthy Luck is around. Additionally, he has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL coming off a loss as he has gone 16-4 both straight up and against the number following a defeat. That is a very impressive record and as one of the biggest game preparers, it makes sense. The Colts are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while the Broncos are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games following a ATS win and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing record. 10* (281) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. The first game since returning to Los Angeles was not a good one for the Rams as they got embarrassed by the 49ers 28-0. The offense was pathetic with just 185 total yards as Case Keenum was inconsistent at quarterback and Todd Gurley could get nothing going on the ground. Because of the horrible display, they are catching a huge number in their first home game in Los Angeles in 20 years. Teams are not as bad as they looked in their last game like we saw on Thursday with the Bills that showed some offensive life but it was their defense that let them down. The Rams actually have a solid defense and they will come to play on Sunday. Seattle escaped with a win over Miami as it scored the go ahead touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining and avoided a season opening loss for the second straight season. They also avoided a serious injury as Russell Wilson went down with an ankle injury that looked worse than it was but he is still not going to be playing at a 100 percent level this week. The Rams play the Seahawks tough the majority of the time as they have won four of the last eight meetings while two of the four losses were by a touchdown or less. They have won three of the last four at home with the lone defeat being by just five points and the home edge Sunday should be even that much better. The Seahawks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game. 10* (280) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS for our NFL Game of the Week. The schedulemakers did Miami no favors by putting them on the road the first two weeks of the season at Seattle and at New England. They played excellent last week against the Seahawks and really should have won the game despite getting outgained by 138 total yards. Nonetheless, Miami catches a depleted New England roster so it can be argued they actually caught a break getting the Patriots this early in this spot. New England picked up the upset win at Arizona last Sunday night as head coach Bill Belichick put together a masterful plan and you give him extra time to formulate a gameplan and the other team is in for a long day. The Patriots return home for the first of three straight games at Gillette Stadium so they definitely caught a break with the schedule by having three of the four games that Tom Brady is missing taking place at home. New England has dominated this series at with four straight victories by double-digits but you know who was the quarterback for the Patriots in all four of those games. Jimmy Garoppolo had a very strong showing in his first NFL start but again, the gameplan and the fact that no one had even seen him in an NFL regular season game was a big advantage and now Miami has the luxury of watching game film. Here we play on underdogs or pickems that has a winning percentage between .250 and .400 last season, in conference games. This situation is 65-30 ATS (68.4 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (265) Miami Dolphins

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Ultimate Underdog. You have to feel bad for RGIII after working hard to get back in the NFL as a starter and then go down with a broken shoulder bone and it out until at least Week Nine. Cleveland though is not in bad shape because of it as Josh McCown will take over. In eight starts last season, he put up a solid 93.3 passer rating until he broke his collarbone and that happened to come against the Ravens so he will certainly be motivated here for some payback. The Browns were competitive for a while last week as they trailed the Eagles by just five points late in the third quarter before Philadelphia closed with a pair of touchdowns. Now they head home and are catching more points than they did last week against a team that should not at all be considered better than the Eagles. Baltimore won an ugly 13-7 game over the Bills last Sunday as the Ravens limited Buffalo to just 160 total yards. While some of that can be attributed to the defense, the Buffalo offense is in shambles we witnessed Thursday so that is a deceptive yardage allowed total. This line makes zero sense at all. They were favored last week by three at home and now it is a 10-point line swing against a team that is on the same plane as Buffalo. The Ravens are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game while the Browns are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (268) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS for our NFL Supreme Annihilator. Going into this game, many would have thought the records of these two teams would be reversed but instead, Carolina enters Week Two 0-1 while San Francisco comes in with a 1-0 record. From a situational standpoint, it does not get much better with a Panthers team that has lost its last two games returning home where they went 10-0 last season and has won 13 in a row overall. Additionally, they are playing with added rest because of the Thursday game last week while the 49ers are playing on short rest following their game on Monday. Making it tough for San Francisco is the fact that this is an early game for a west coast team which is always a difficult spot. If this whole scenario sound familiar, it is because it is. Last season, San Francisco won its Monday night game in an upset over the Vikings and then travelled the next week to Pittsburgh which was coming off a Thursday night loss to the Patriots for an early start game. The Steelers rolled 43-18 and a similar outcome can be expected this Sunday. This situation has been profitable for years as we play against road underdogs or pickems coming off an upset win by 14 points or more as an underdog going up against an opponent off a road loss. This situation is 47-19 ATS (71.2 percent) since 1983. The 49ers are just 4-15 ATS in their last 19 Sunday games following a Monday night game while the Panthers are 14-1 ATS under head coach Ron Rivera coming off a road loss. 10* (276) Carolina Panthers

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

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

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

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

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