Sports Picks & Predictions

10 Unit Play. Take #252 Carolina Panthers over Chicago Bears (1p.m., Sunday, October 18 FOX) The Bears are a fraud at 4-1 and I think there is a good chance they do not even make the playoffs come January. 3 of their 4 wins have come against the Lions, Giants, and Falcons. Carolina has won 3 straight games and Chicago is 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games. Carolina is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played during the month of October. The Panthers have something going with a new coach and quarterback and we will ride them again on Sunday looking for their fourth straight wins.

10 Unit Play. Take #122 Wake Forest Demon Deacons over Virginia Cavaliers (4p.m., Saturday, October 17 ACCN) Just feel that the wrong team is favored in this game. Wake Forest needed some time off to get healthy and I feel their offensive is explosive and can score points with their up-tempo style. Virginia has quarterback injury issues, and they are coming off a home loss to NC State. They were not competitive in that game and they have lost 3 straight games to Wake Forest. Coach Clawson has won 4 straight games when they are an underdog of 3 points or less. This team played NC State much better than did Virginia and would have won that game if not for a couple of fluke plays. Virginia is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against Wake Forest. The underdog is 5-2 ATS (1 push) in the last 8 meetings between the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.

10 Unit Play. Take #320 North Carolina Tar Heels over Virginia Tech Hokies (12p.m. Saturday, October 10 ABC) Both teams return a ton of talent from 2019 but I just feel Carolina has a major edge at quarterback and that will be the difference in this game. Braxton Burnmeister has not looked good in either start this season and has not thrown for over 170 yards in either game. QB Hendon Hooker may play in this game but he will be rusty having not played a snap this season. Virginia Tech had covid issues last week holding out a bunch of players. Carolina did not look impressive last week but they had a ton of time off and playing last week should get them back in the groove for this game. The Tar Heels have a strong rushing defense and the better quarterback in this game. Those are two indicators that this is the right side to take. The home team has covered the spread in this series 4 of the last 5 games. Virginia Tech is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Carolina is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.   

10 Unit Play. Take #276 Las Vegas Raiders over Buffalo Bills (4:25p.m., Sunday, October 4 CBS) Karma will bite the Buffalo Bills in this game. They were very fortunate to win last week against the Rams with the help of a questionable pass interference call kept their game winning driver alive. The Raiders got worn down last week against the Patriots but expect them to bounce back in a big way at home today against the Bills. The Raiders played well against the Saints and expect them to find their form from that game. Buffalo is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against Oakland. Buffalo is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played during the month of October. Oakland is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #136 Kansas State Wildcats over Texas Tech Red Raiders (3:30p.m., Saturday, October 3 FS1) Just do not trust Texas Tech. Both teams experienced dramatic games last week with Kansas State beating Oklahoma and Texas Tech blowing a big lead late against Texas. The Wildcats have dominated this matchup winning 8 of their last 9 games against the Red Raiders (7-2 ATS). Texas Tech just does not historically win these types of games, especially on the road. They have allowed 30+ points in 10 of their last 11 games. Texas Tech is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games. Kansas State is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Big 12 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #484 Arizona Cardinals over Detroit Lions (4:25p.m., Sunday, September 27 FOX) Just do not understand these lines the last two weeks with the Lions. They jumped up on Green Bay 14-3 last week and still got killed. Now they are on the road for a second straight week and most believe they have a lame duck coach and the team is going nowhere fast. Arizona is getting more confident each week and Kyler Murray looks like he was worth taking as the No. 1 overall pick. The Lions have failed to cover the spread in 10 of their last 11 games. Detroit is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games in the desert. The Cardinals are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a losing record.

10 Unit Play. Take #405 Tennessee Volunteers over South Carolina Gamecocks (7:30p.m., Saturday, September 26 SECN) Tennessee got off to a horrible start last year but beating South Carolina by 21 points was the turning point. That was the first game of a six-game winning streak to close out the 2019 season. Tennessee is more experienced and that is a good thing since practices have been hard to come by during this Covid summer. The visitor is 18-5 ATS in the last 23 games between Tennessee and USC. Carolina was terrible on offense last year and I just do not have confidence that Will Muschamp is the guy to turn this program around. South Carolina is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. Tennessee is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 SEC games.

10 Unit Play. Take Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions (1p.m., Sunday, September 20 FOX) Green Bay just continues to be undervalued again in 2020. This team won 13 games in 2019 and started off 2020 with a dominating road win at Minnesota. Now they return home to face the Lions, a team that has had very little success in Green Bay over the years. Detroit is coming off an unthinkable loss to Chicago last week in a game they led by 17 points in the fourth quarter. Green Bay has won 7 straight games against divisional teams. The favorite is 12-4 ATS in the last 16 meetings between Detroit and Green Bay. The Lions are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. Green Bay is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played during the month of September.

10 Unit Play. #108 NC State Wolfpack over Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8p.m., Saturday, September 19 ACCN) Wake Forest has the advantage of having played last week but the home team has dominated this series. The home team has won 19 of the last 23 meetings and is also 18-5 ATS. NC State is coming off a rare down year in 2019 winning just 4 games but the track record of Dave Doeren suggests they will bounce back and have a winning record this year. Wake Forest has allowed 36.3 points per game in their last 6 games. Wake Forest is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

10 Unit Play. Take #406 Louisville Cardinals over WKU Hilltoppers (8p.m., Saturday, September 12 ACCN) Just liked how Louisville played in year one under Scott Satterfield winning 8 games including the Music City Bowl last time they took the field. They return a ton of playmakers on both sides of the football including Micale Cunningham, who threw for 22 touchdowns last year. They teams met last year at a neutral site and they game was over early with Louisville up 24 points at halftime before a minor comeback by WKU to only lose by 17 points. Louisville is expected to have some fans in the stands and that will only make this much more of a homefield edge. The Cardinals are 19-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 26 games against Conference USA teams.

10 Unit Play. Take #243 BY Cougars over Navy Midshipman (8p.m., Monday, September 7 ESPN) The line movement tells me a lot for this game. Navy opened as a small home favorite of 2.5 but now BYU is favored at release time for this play. I always like extra time to prepare for the triple option and that is what BYU has for this game. QB Zach Wilson is back behind center for the Cougars and played better down the stretch last year winning 5 of his last 6 regular season games. Most year’s Navy has to rebuild and that is again the case this year losing their quarterback from last season. They were not as good as their record indicated last year and are just a middle of the pack team in the AAC this year. Navy is 1-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 5 games against Independent teams.

10 Unit Play. Take #102 Kansas City Chiefs over San Francisco 49ers (6:30p.m., Sunday, February 2 FOX) The line on this game is low and you can make a case for both sides. In the end I just feel it is the Chiefs time especially for their Coach Andy Reid, a sentimental favorite of most people to finally win a Super Bowl. Coach Reid is outstanding coming off a bye and he also has the better quarterback behind center in this game. Two straight weeks the Chiefs have gotten behind early only to have the lead by halftime and control the game in the second half. The 49ers have not faced any adversity in the playoffs this season and I am not sure how they will react if the Chiefs can force them to throw the football in obvious passing situations. Kansas City is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against San Francisco. The 49ers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a win of more than 14 points in their previous game. Kansas City is 7-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #313 Tennessee Titans over Kansas City Chiefs (3:05p.m., Sunday, January 19 CBS) Everyone just assumes the Kansas City will cruise to the Super Bowl after having their scare early in the divisional round against Houston. But one must remember Andy Reid has really struggled in this round winning just 1 time in 6 tires. Tennessee appears destined to run the gauntlet of New England, Baltimore, and now Kansas City. The Titans are much better coached than are the Texans and if they get a lead in this game, they may not give it up. Tennessee is 7-3 straight-up in their 10 road games this season (7-3 ATS). The road team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings between Tennessee and Kansas City. The Chiefs are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 playoff games. The Titans are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #302 San Francisco 49ers over Minnesota Vikings (4:35p.m., Saturday, January 11 CBS) The Vikings are coming off an impressive victory, but this team has not handled prosperity well and now must travel to the west coast to face the best team in the conference. San Francisco is 4-1 straight-up against Minnesota in the playoffs. San Francisco has a great play caller in Kyle Shanahan, and they are better than Minnesota on both sides of the football. Minnesota is 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games against teams with a winning record. San Francisco is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. The home team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games between the Vikings and 49ers. Minnesota cannot backup their performance from last week and thus San Francisco wins this game by double digits.

10 Unit Play. Take #148 Philadelphia Eagles over Seattle Seahawks (4:40p.m., Sunday, January 5 NBC) The Seahawks are reeling at the moment having lost two straight home games and injuries have taken its toll on this team. Philadelphia is heading in the right direction and I do not believe they will lose twice to Seattle in the city of Brotherly Love. Seattle defense is not close to what it once was and all the pressure of QB Wilson having to do everything is finally catching up with this team. Seattle is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 playoff games. Philadelphia is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games played during the month of January.

10 Unit Play. Take #293 Tennessee Volunteers over Indiana Hoosiers (Gator Bowl, 7p.m., Thursday, January 2 ESPN) Tennessee has had a remarkable turnaround winning 5 straight games to close out the regular season and get the fan base back on board. Both teams have a lot of experience, but I believe the best unit on the field will be the Tennessee defense. Tennessee is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against Big 10 teams. Their last 3 bowl appearances have come against Big 10 teams and they have won those games by 17, 39, and 14 points. Indiana did not finish the season well, losing 2 of their last 3 games with only a 3 point victory against Purdue during this span.

10 Unit Play. Take #119 Wisconsin Badgers over Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10 Championship Game, 8p.m., Saturday, December 7 FOX) Sooner or later Ohio State is going to have a competitive game. They clobbered Michigan last week, but Wisconsin did the same thing to the Wolverines as well this season. The line opened at -18 but has bet down a little since 12/1/19 and I still think Wisconsin gives them a game and easily covers this spread. Penn State and Wisconsin both had to play in Columbus and getting to face them in Indianapolis will be a much different atmosphere. The underdog has covered the spread in 5 of the last 8 meetings (1 push). Wisconsin is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record.  

10 Unit Play. Take #476 Seattle Seahawks over Minnesota Vikings (8:15p.m., Monday, December 2 ESPN) The Seahawks have not played at home since November 3 and they have been outstanding of late winning 4 straight games. Minnesota is a quiet 8-3 but I still do not trust QB Cousins to win big primetime games in December. These two teams met in Seattle on Monday Night Football last year and the Seahawks dominated that game winning by 14 points. The Seahawks have won 6 straight games against NFC teams. Minnesota is 2-10 ATS in their last 12 Monday Night games. Seattle is 10-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 15 Monday Night games.

10 Unit Play. Take #419 Arizona Wildcats over Arizona State Sun Devils (10p.m., Saturday, November 30 ESPN) Arizona State is coming off a huge win against Oregon last Saturday, but now we have an inflated line in a rivalry game. The Wildcats are playing their final game of the season Saturday night and expect them to be competitive for 60 minutes. Arizona State has lost 4 of their last 5 games and they have home losses to USC and Colorado. Arizona State has only beaten 1 team all season (Kent State) by over tonight’s posted number. The Territorial Cup will remain with the Sun Devils but they win by just 7-10 points. The underdog is 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games between Arizona and Arizona State.

10 Unit Play. Take #476 Los Angeles Chargers over Kansas City Chiefs (8:15p.m., Monday, November 18 ESPN) The NFL is back in Mexico City and this game should go off as planned unlike the 2018 version. Kansas City has been exposed of late with a suspect defense and thus QB Mahomes and company are going to have to score points in order to win this game. We will grab the points and expect QB Rivers and company to win this game straight-up. The Chargers have the better defense and should be able to get pressure on QB Mahomes. The Chiefs have just not been the same team of late, having lost 4 of their last 6 games. The Chargers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played during the month of November. Kansas City is 2-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games played during the month of November.

10 Unit Play. Take #361 Southern Cal Trojans over California Golden Bears (11p.m., Saturday, November 16 FS1) The Golden Bears have not been the same team as they were at the start of the season. They did beat Washington State last time out, but I do not see them winning another game when they are an underdog. USC has played a brutal schedule in 2019 and they have a chance for 8 wins should they win out. Clay Helton still has the respect of his players and expect them to go all out for him in the remaining two games. USC has covered the spread in 6 of their last 7 games in Berkeley. Cal is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.

10 Unit Play. Take #179 Tennessee Volunteers over Kentucky Wildcats (7:30p.m., Saturday, November 9 SECN) This is an important game for both team as the winner will likely reach bowl eligibility and the loser will struggle to win 6 games. Tennessee is 20-2 in their last 22 games against Kentucky (17-5 ATS). Tennessee will enter having won 2 straight games and covered the spread in 4 straight games. Kentucky is terrible on offense and I do not believe they can be one-dimensional in this game and beat Tennessee. The Volunteers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games in Lexington. Kentucky is 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games played during the month of November.

10 Unit Play. Take #372 Florida Gators over Georgia Bulldogs (3:30p.m., Saturday, November 2 CBS) Florida always has a big location advantage in this game since Jacksonville in much closer to Gainesville than is Athens. Georgia has not been playing well on offense of late and this is the best defense they will face to this point of the season. Florida has played well in all of their games this season and I do not see them getting blown out in this game. The Gators are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games following a bye week. Florida is also 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win in their previous game.

10 Unit Play. Take #269 Carolina Panthers over San Francisco 49ers (1p.m., Sunday, October 27 FOX) Carolina has made the wise decision to continue to ride QB Kyle Allen, as he is 4-0 in starts this season (4-0 ATS). Carolina has beaten San Francisco 6 straight games (6-0 ATS) and they need this game more in order to keep pace with the New Orleans Saints in their division. Still not sold on the 49ers offense and if Carolina does not beat themselves, they should be able to take this game down to the wire. The Panthers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games in San Francisco and 14-3 in the last 17 meetings. These trends just cannot be ignored especially when they are getting this many points.

10 Unit Play. Take #207 Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Michigan Wolverines (7:30p.m., Saturday, October 26 ABC) Still cannot believe that Michigan opened as the favorite in this game. The Wolverines do not win games against top 10 teams and they are not great on either side of the football. Notre Dame still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff if they can win out and they should be able to win in Ann Arbor against a team that lacks confidence. The fan base will turn on Michigan if things do not go well early. If just seems that Coach Harbaugh cannot win these type of games. Notre Dame 7-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. Michigan is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games. The underdog is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 games between the Fighting Irish and the Wolverines.

10 Unit Play. Take Tennessee Titans over Los Angeles Chargers (4:05p.m., Sunday, October 20 CBS) We went against both of these teams last week and easily won both games. That being said the Chargers have no offensive line and were destroyed by a free agent quarterback last week in Devlin Hodges. Having no home field advantage is starting to take its toll on this team. It does not matter who starts for Tennessee at quarterback in this game, the Titans defense should dominate and win this game. Los Angeles is 1-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 games overall. The favorite is 6-2 ATS (1 push) in the last 9 games between the Chargers and Titans.

10 Unit Play. Take Purdue Boilermakers over Iowa Hawkeyes (12p.m., Saturday, October 19 ESPN2) BIG 10 TOP PLAY These two teams are heading in opposite directions and I just do not believe Iowa should be this big of a favorite. Purdue has righted the ship after losing their quarterback and they dominated Maryland last week in impressive fashion. Purdue has beaten Iowa two straight games and the visitor has dominated this series going 8-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings. Iowa is not explosive on offense and Purdue has played well in their last 7 quarters (last 3 against Penn State). Purdue was shell shocked early by Penn State but held their own after the first quarter and got a pass rush against them. Iowa is coming off back-to-back losses and have seen their hopes for a Big 10 Title Game appearance all but vanish. Iowa is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 conference games. Purdue is 15-7 ATS in their last 22 road games.

10 Unit Play. Take #276 Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions (8:15p.m., Monday, October 14 ESPN) This line is short, and we will ride the Packers at home playing a team that they hardly lose against. Detroit has won 4 straight games in this series, but Green Bay has still won 28 of the last 38 meetings. Detroit has played well this season, but I just believe Green Bay is better on both sides of the football. Detroit is 6-12 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with a winning record. The favorite is 19-7 ATS in the last 26 meetings between the Lions and Packers.

10 Unit Play. Take #152 Arizona Wildcats over Washington Huskies (11p.m., Saturday, October 12 FS1) The Huskies are overvalued this season and oddsmakers have yet to catch up with their current talent on the roster. The match-up has been dominated by the home team, as they have won 8 of the last 10 games (8-2 ATS). Washington has two bad losses on the season and Arizona will enter this game having won 4 straight games. Washington is 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road games. Arizona is 5-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 7 home games. Both trends hold true tonight as Arizona wins this game straight-up.

10 Unit Play. Take #473 Green Bay Packers over Dallas Cowboys (4:25p.m., Sunday, October 6 FOX) Green Bay has dominated this series in recent years covering the spread in 6 of the last 8 games against Dallas. The Cowboys are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against teams with a winning record. QB Aaron Rodgers put up big numbers last week against Philadelphia but had trouble inside the 5 yard line and that bite them late in that game. Expect them to correct that this week and be able to take this game down to the wire. Dallas played an easy schedule to open the season and did not look well last week against New Orleans. Green Bay is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. The Packers win this game straight-up giving us another victory with an underdog.

10 Unit Play. Take #317 Texas Longhorns over West Virginia Mountaineers (3:30p.m., Saturday, October 5 ABC) Just do not believe much in West Virginia this year. They have a new coach and system and will struggle to win any of their remaining games in the Big 12. For Texas to become elite again these are the type of games they must dominate. Texas lost at the buzzer last year to West Virginia and that revenge will allow them to win this game big. QB Kelly Bryant took apart this team winning 38-7 and I expect QB Sam Ehlinger to do the same. West Virginia is 7-22 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 31 home games against teams with a winning road record.

10 Unit Play. Take #269 Seattle Seahawks over Arizona Cardinals (4:05p.m., Sunday, September 29 FOX) The Seahawks came out flat last time out against a desperate Saints team. Now they face a much less talented Cardinals team that has an unproven coach and quarterback. Arizona got torched last week against Carolina and a back-up quarterback and now must face a pro bowler in Russell Wilson. Seattle is 4-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 6 games in Arizona. The Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. Seattle is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. Kliff Kingsbury appears to be in over his head, as he could not win consistently in college and will struggle to survive as a head coach in the NFL.

10 Unit Play. Take #157 Kentucky Wildcats over South Carolina Gamecocks (7:30p.m., Saturday, September 28 SECN) The Will Muschamp Era is on life support. USC has yet to defeat a FBS team this year and they have been blown out in their 2 SEC games this year. Kentucky collapsed against Florida two weeks ago and there was a residual effect last week against Mississippi State. Expect them to bounce back in a big way on Saturday against a team they have dominated in recent years (6-0 ATS last 6 meetings). Kentucky is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played during September.

10 Unit Play. Take Detroit Lions over Philadelphia Eagles (1 p.m., Sunday, September 21 FOX) The Eagles are reeling now with a ton of injuries and did not have enough healthy bodies to practice on Wednesday. The Eagles have yet to look impressive this year, and now they face another solid quarterback that should be able to move the football on them. Detroit is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against Philadelphia. The Eagles are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games. Take the points in this game as it will go down to the wire and be decided by a field goal.

10 Unit Play. Take #379 SMU Mustangs over TCU Horned Frogs (3:30 p.m., Saturday, September 21 FS1) The Frogs are coming off a dominating performance last week against Purdue, but they will not have the good fortune of playing a back-up quarterback in this game. SMU can put up points this year, and TCU will have trouble keeping up with them. SMU needs to contain the running game of TCU and force them to beat them through the air. The road team has covered 5 straight games in this matchup. TCU is 7-20 ATS in their last 27 home games.

10 Unit Play. Take #358 Tennessee Volunteers over BYU Cougars (7p.m., Saturday, September 7 ESPN) I always like taking a team off an embarrassing loss in Week 1 and Tennessee fits that bill to a T. Tennessee played poorly on both sides of the ball but they still have talent and they did not suffer major injuries in their last loss last week to Georgia State. BYU did not look impressive at all either last week at home against Utah. Tennessee would have been a double-digit favorite had they beaten Georgia State last week but now enter around a field goal favorite. That gives us great value with this play. BYU is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games against SEC teams. Tennessee bounces back to win this game big.

10 Unit Play. Take #207 Oregon Ducks over Auburn Tigers (7:30p.m., Saturday, August 31 ABC) It is now or never for this Oregon team and the PAC-12 Conference all-together. Oregon has experience on both sides of the football and a quarterback offensive line combo that may be the best in the country. Auburn is just a middle of the pack team this year in the SEC and they have a coach that is on the hot seat. The SEC still have better players in the trenches but I just do not believe a freshman quarterback can walk into this type of game and beat this experience Ducks team. Oregon is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games played during the month of August. Auburn is 3-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 nonconference games.

10 Unit Play. Take #306 New England Patriots over Los Angeles Chargers (1:05p.m., Sunday, January 13 CBS) The Chargers have been on a roll but playing their third straight road games against a rested team will doom them in. The Patriots are a much better team at home and they are the only team that did not lose a home game this season. Los Angeles still seems to be banged up at the skill positions and I am not sure that their wide receivers can stretch the field against New England. QB Rivers is 1-5 in his career against New England and is 0-2 in the playoffs. New England is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 playoff games. Los Angeles is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against New England. Everyone is doubting the Patriots at this moment, but they still are the Patriots with the best coach/quarterback combo of all time. New England dominates for 60 minutes and wins this game by double digits.

10 Unit Play. Take #262 Michigan State Spartans over Oregon Ducks (3p.m., Monday, December 31 FOX Redbox Bowl) COLLEGE BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR. Never been a fan of Mario Cristobal as a head coach. He was a very uninspired hire and his recruiting greatness never seems to match his coaching ability. The same cannot be said about Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, as he gets the most out of his talent and this year is no exception. Oregon may have the edge on offense, but Michigan State has the best defense they have seen all season long and Sparty also had a huge edge in special teams. QB Herbert will play in this game but I believe he is already thinking about the NFL draft and is not that concerned about winning this game. Oregon has been the favorite in their last 3 bowl games and they have lost all of them straight-up (2 of them by double-digits). Michigan State dominated Washington State in their bowl game last year and expect a similar performance this year in a California bowl game. Oregon is 5-15 ATS ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games following a victory in their previous game. Michigan State is 7-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 neutral site games.

10 Unit Play. Take #238 Wisconsin Badgers over Miami Hurricanes (5:15p.m., Thursday, December 27 ESPN Pinstripe Bowl) Just do not see why Miami is favored in this no buzz rematch from a bowl game last year. Wisconsin picked apart Miami last year and their quarterback had a career game against them. I just get the feeling that they will rekindle some of that magic in this game against a warm weather team playing a late December game in New York City. Wisconsin has won 4 straight bowl games. Miami has lost three straight games and they are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 bowl games. Miami is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against Big 10 teams. Grab the points and expect Wisconsin to win this game straight-up.

10 Unit Play. Take #327 New England Patriots over Pittsburgh Steelers (4:25p.m., Sunday, December 16 CBS) Both teams need to turn the page quickly after bad losses last Sunday. The Patriots seldom lose two games in a row and they are playing a team in disarray at the moment. Pittsburgh has not beaten New England since 2011 and the Patriots are 14-4 ATS in their last 18 games following a loss in their previous game. Over this winning streak, the Patriots average margin of victory is 11 points against the Steelers. Pittsburgh is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games played during the month of December. New England is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games played in December.

10 Unit Play. Take #129 Philadelphia Eagles over Dallas Cowboys (1:25p.m., Sunday, December 9 FOX) Everyone has just given the Cowboys the NFC East and disregarded the defending Super Bowl Champions. We will gladly take the points in this game and look for Philadelphia to come out strong in this must win game for them. The Eagles are 15-5 ATS in their last 20 road divisional games when they are an underdog. The Cowboys are 9-18 ATS in their last 27 home divisional games when they are a favorite. The road team has covered the spread in 11 of the last 14 match-ups. 

10 Unit Play. Take #376 New England Patriots over Minnesota Vikings (4:25p.m., Sunday, December 2 FOX) These back to back road games on the docket for Minnesota will likely doom them in. Going to New England this week and Seattle the next week is as tough to travel as there is in the league. Minnesota just does not have the same defense that they had last year. New England will be able to score in the thirties in this game and I just do not believe Minnesota will be able to keep pace. The Patriots are starting to get healthy and they are always tough to beat in December (8-1 ATS last 9 December games). Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. The Patriots have just been going through the motions of late, but this is a game that they will get up for and win it by double-digits.

10 Unit Play. Take #234 Arizona Wildcats over Arizona State Sun Devils (3:30p.m., Saturday, November 24 FS1) PAC 12 GAME OF THE YEAR The home team has won the last 5 meetings in the Territorial Cup. Arizona needs to win this game to become bowl eligible and they have played much better down the stretch winning 2 of their last 3 games (both wins have come against teams that beat ASU). Arizona State should not be favored as they are just 1-4 straight-up on the road in 2018. There will be a lot of points in this game, but I like the way QB Khalil Tate has been playing over his last three games (12 touchdown and 3 interceptions). Arizona is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. Arizona State is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record. The underdog is 15-6 ATS in the last 21 Territorial Cup meetings.

10 Unit Play. Take #416 Nebraska Cornhuskers over Michigan State Spartans (12p.m., Saturday, November 17 FOX) Nebraska is one of the most improved teams in the country and they have a good chance to win their remaining two games on the schedule. They have been playing a home heavy schedule of late and this has allowed them to get healthy. Michigan State has a terrible offense and I just do not believe they will be able to attack and score consistently on this suspect Husker defense. Nebraska has covered the spread in 5 straight games including our top play a few weeks ago when they blew out Minnesota. This is just a classic case of two teams heading in different directions. QB Arian Martinez can play and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come in this conference. Nebraska is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with Michigan State (4-1 in Lincoln).

10 Unit Play. Take #156 Cincinnati Bearcats over USF Bulls (7p.m., Saturday, November 10 ESPN U) The Bulls are in freefall at the moment having lost two straight games after a 7-0 start to the season. They will not get out of that funk tonight against Cincinnati a team that is a sneaky 8-1 on the season. USF is getting no respect from the linemakers evident by being a big underdog two of the last three weeks. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. USF played cupcakes to open the season and their defense will provide little resistance against the Bearcats. USF is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 AAC games. This is going to be a double-digit blowout for the Bearcats and we will collect big with them in the process.

10 Unit Play. Take #468 Seattle Seahawks over Los Angeles Chargers (1:05p.m., Sunday, November 4 CBS) The Seahawks have been playing outstanding football of late and will enter this game having won 4 of their last 5 games. It could be 5-0 if not for a 2-point loss to the Rams. QB Wilson is getting the job done with a bunch of unheralded playmakers around him. They were dominate for three quarters last week against the Lions and look for more of the same this Sunday at home against the Chargers. LA is still banged up on both sides of the football and might be without some key playmakers for this game. LA is just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye. Seattle still has a lot of home games remaining this season and I look for them to win all of them and make the playoffs as a wild card. The Chargers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record. Seattle has covered the spread 4 of their last 5 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #377 Georgia Southern Eagles over ULM Warhawks (3p.m., Saturday, November 3 ESPN 3) The Eagles continue to cover spread (7-1 ATS run) and the oddsmakers cannot get a handle on the talent they have. They will enter this game having won five straight games and have been controlling the time of possession in nearly every game that they play. Georgia Southern has beaten ULM all three times they have faced each other as conference opponents. This selection is simple, ULM has trouble stopping the run and Georgia Southern is an outstanding triple option team. The Warhawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games. The Eagles are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played in the month of November.

10 Unit Play. Take #271 Green Bay Packers over Los Angeles Rams (4:25p.m., Sunday, October 28 FOX) TOP NFL PLAY OF THE WEEK. This is one of the largest spreads you will ever see against the Packers with Aaron Rodgers has quarterback. I believe it is too big considering the Packers are coming off a bye and should be able to get some key players back for this game. The Rams have been struggling to cover big numbers despite last week’s romp against an inferior opponent (San Francisco). Expect a shootout int his game that goes down to the wire. Green Bay will have a ton of fans in Los Angeles for this game and the Rams struggled to win home games last year. 56% of the early money is coming in on the Packers and that seldom happens with an underdog with this big of a number. Green Bay has covered the spread 5 straight times against the LA Rams.

10 Unit Play. Take #380 Nebraska Cornhuskers over Minnesota Golden Gophers (3:30p.m., Saturday, October 20 BTN) TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAY OF THE WEEK. It ends tonight! Nebraska will put together a 60-minute game against a similar opponent talent wise and record their first victory of the season and first with Scott Frost as head coach. Minnesota played well last week at Ohio State, but I just do not believe they can put forth that same effort in this game. They did not play as well the last two games before that getting blown out by Maryland and Iowa. This will be their third road game in their last four games and both of their road games have come by double digits. I still like freshman QB Martinez and believe he will have success against this Gopher defense. The favorite in Gopher games has covered the spread 9 of the last 10 games. Nebraska had a 231-32 edge in rushing last week. Today is the day the stats reflect the result and Nebraska will win this game by double digits. We will hit a big play in the process as well.

10 Unit Play. Take #198 LSU Tigers over Georgia Bulldogs (3:30p.m., Saturday, October 13 CBS) SEC GAME OF THE YEAR Georgia has yet to be tested this season but their schedule ramps up from here on out. Playing at LSU is never an easy task and except them to be in for a 60-minute game today in Baton Rouge. LSU has covered the spread in 8 of their last 10 games in October. The Tigers have the speed to contain Georgia and I just do not see a blowout in this game. We will gladly grab the points and not worry about who pulls this game out by a field goal.

10 Unit Play. Take #414 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors over Wyoming Cowboys (11:59p.m., Saturday, October 6) Wyoming has a major problem on offense and if Hawaii does not beat themselves with turnovers, they will win this game by double digits. Hawaii took Wyoming into overtime last year with QB Allen playing for the Pokes. He will not be on the island this year and the Cowboys are averaging just 18 points and 300 total yards. Hawaii is coming off a 5OT win on the road last Saturday and they now are on pace to make a bowl game this season. When Wyoming loses, it tends to be big as their three losses this season have come by 22, 27, & 20 points. Wyoming put a lot into their game last week against Boise State in Laramie and they performed poorly. The oddsmakers have not caught onto how bad Wyoming is this season, as they have not covered a spread in their last 4 lined games.  

10 Unit Play. Take #270 Oakland Raiders over Cleveland Browns (4:05p.m., Sunday, September 20 CBS) The Raiders have had chances in all three of their games but sit at 0-3. This is a very important game for the Raiders and a must win if they have any chance of making the playoffs this season. QB Baker Mayfield will get the start after a nice performance at home against the Jets. Playing in the Black Hole is a much harder task. Cleveland is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games against teams with a losing record. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between Cleveland and Oakland.

10 Unit Play. Take #203 Boise State Broncos over Wyoming Cowboys (7p.m., Saturday, September 30 CBSSN) The Cowboys and their fans will be up for this game but the fact remains they just do not have the offensive firepower to keep pace in this game. Wyoming is 2-2 this season but their wins have come against a terrible New Mexico State team and an FCS team in Wofford by just three points. If Boise State does not turn over the football they will win this game by 21+ points. Wyoming is 117th in the country in points per game and they have gotten pounded by Washington State and Missouri. I believe Boise State is better than both of those teams. Boise State has won 11 of the last 12 meetings. The Broncos are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games. The road team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

10 Unit Play. Take #356 Oregon Ducks over Stanford Cardinal (8p.m., Saturday, September 22 ABC) This is a game that can put Oregon on the national radar once again. A win will likely prevent Stanford for reaching the PAC-12 Championship Game and set up a battle between Washington and Oregon on October 13. The Ducks result last week was misleading as they were clearly looking ahead to this game and have revenge on their minds after getting pounded last year in Palo Alto. Getting rid of Willie Taggert can only be beneficial evident by this lack of success at Florida State. Stanford is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played in September. Oregon has the weapons to attack this Stanford defense and expect them to win straight-up. The Line has swing too much and the value now clearly lies with Oregon.

10 Unit Play. Take #287 New York Giants over Dallas Cowboys (8:20p.m., Sunday, September 16 NBC) Both teams are coming off losses in Week 1 but I just see more hope with the Giants compared to the Cowboys. Dallas used to have a strong offensive line but that is not the case anymore. They still have RB Elliott but defenses can stack the line against them since they do not have much deep threat wide receivers. Dallas is just 7-18 ATS in their last 25 home games against a divisional team. New York will win this game straight-up because they have many more weapons on offense compared to Dallas. New York has covered the spread in 5 of the last 7 meetings with Dallas.

10 Unit Play. Take #163 Tulane Green Wave over UAB Blazers (1p.m., Saturday, September 15 Facebook) NONCONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR UAB decided to bring back football for some reason after a two-year absence, but I just do not believe they can compete with teams from the American Athletic Conference. UAB is -77.5 ATS in their last 4 lined games and have lost 4 straight games against Tulane. The Green Wave are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 nonconference games. Tulane is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against UAB. Tulane just missed out on being bowl eligible last year and with Ohio State on deck this is a must win game for them in their hopes of reaching 6 wins. Tulane returns a ton of experience on offense led by QB Bank and WR Encalade. They should be able to pick apart the Blazers on defense and I just do not believe UAB will be able to keep pace. Tulane pulls away in the second half to win this game by double digits.

10 Unit Play. Take #462 New York Giants over Jacksonville Jaguars (1p.m., Sunday September 9 FOX) Jacksonville is going to start the year in an unfamiliar role, as a road favorite. I see them taking a step back this season and things have to be better for the Giants in 2018. Jacksonville is just 2-6 ATS in road openers in recent years. QB Manning has numerous weapons this season, something he sorely lacked as the 2017 season progressed. Jacksonville’s defense feasted on bad quarterback play in their own division and I expect them to give up points and yards against effective quarterbacks. Jacksonville is 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games played during the month of December. 

10 Unit Play. Take #368 Missouri Tigers over Wyoming Cowboys (7p.m., Saturday September 8 ESPN U) The Tigers should have saw the blueprint of how to beat Wyoming if they scouted the game last week. Do not turn the ball over and make the Cowboys drive the 75 yards plus to score. Wyoming only had success last week against Washington State when the Cougars gave them short fields. The Cowboys were terrible on offense and will not be able to keep up in scoring in this game. Missouri has a tempo offense that usually scores points often and quickly especially against inferior competition. Wyoming is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games played in September. Missouri is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.

10 Unit Play. Take #206 Wyoming Cowboys over Washington State Cougars (3:30p.m., Saturday September 1 CBSSN) TOP PLAY OF THE WEEKEND. Wyoming lost QB Josh Allen to the Buffalo Bills but they return a ton of starters all around that position. Washington State does not start off well under Coach Mike Leach, losing 5 of their 6 openers including two against FCS teams. Wyoming has a strong defense and playing in Laramie is always a tough challenge. Wyoming is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games. Washington State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. Getting points makes this our strongest play, as we fully expect the Cowboys to win this game straight-up.

10 Unit Play. Take #102 New England Patriots over Philadelphia Eagles (6:30p.m., Sunday February 4 NBC) I feel this is a pretty solid line, but I just cannot see New England losing this game straight-up. All of the Tom Brady Super Bowl games have been close and New England is just due for a convincing win to cap off a great career of Brady and Belichick. Nick Foles still cannot be trusted and I do not expect him to be able to put up big numbers on a neutral field against this New England defense. Philadelphia is just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. New England is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a winning record.

10 Unit Play. Take #308 Minnesota Vikings over New Orleans (4:40p.m., Sunday January 14 FOX) The Vikings will complete the season sweep of the Saints on Sunday. The Vikings have won 10 of their last 11 games and already beat the Saints by double digits. Despite the Saints being much improved on defense they are still at a major disadvantage in this game with an advantage of all three components of the defense (line, linebackers, and secondary). QB Brees will have to play outstanding for New Orleans to be competitive in this game and I do not see that happening. His receivers made remarkable catches last week against Carolina and I just do not believe that they can do that for a second consecutive week. New Orleans has not been playing that well of late going 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. Minnesota is 34-16 ATS (1 push) in their last 41 home games.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports 

10 Unit Play. Take #302 Philadelphia Eagles over Atlanta Falcons (4:35p.m., Saturday January 13 NBC) Everyone is on the Atlanta Falcons bandwagon and off the Philadelphia Eagles. A No. 1 seed has never been an underdog in the divisional round but that is the case on Saturday. The Eagles still have a ton of talent around the quarterback position and they will be able to play the no respect card in a big way on Saturday. Atlanta had the benefit of playing in a warm weather city last week but that will not be the case in Philadelphia this Saturday. QB Ryan has not played up to his MVP standards of a year ago and I still have no confidence in their offensive coordinator. The Eagles have a top ranked defense against the run and that should make Atlanta one-dimensional. The Falcons are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 playoff games. Philadelphia is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. 

10 Unit Play. #262 Take Penn State Nittany Lions over Washington Huskies (Fiesta Bowl, Saturday, 12/30 4 pm ESPN) COLLEGE BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR, MAGNIFICENT 7 GAME I felt all season long that Penn State was the best team in the Big 10. They blew the game against Ohio State and they got tripped up the following week at Michigan State in a game delayed by weather. Despite Washington returning a ton of players from last year’s team that made the playoff, they did not look very impressive this season. They lost two games in which there were favored and played a very weak nonconference schedule. Penn State played a much more difficult schedule and they have a major edge on offense especially in the trenches. Penn State won their last three games to close out the regular season by an average of 35 points per game and I believe they will win this game by double digits as well. Penn State is 9-2 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 13 games against teams with a winning record. Washington is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 nonconference games. 

10 Unit Play. #328 Take Wisconsin Badgers over Ohio State Buckeyes (Saturday 8 pm FOX) People keep doubting the Badgers but all the do is win games and I just do not see this Ohio State team being able to run up and down the field on them. This is the best defense Wisconsin has ever had and QB J.T. Barrett is not the type of quarterback that can beat teams throwing the ball consistently down the field. Wisconsin looked much more impressive in games against Iowa and Michigan than did Ohio State (common opponents). This just has a different feeling that other Wisconsin appearances in the Big 10 Title Game. This Badger team is extremely confident on both sides of the football and this not as strong of Buckeye team as we have seen in the past. Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Wisconsin has covered the spread in 4 straight games. Expect a game that is very competitive that goes down to the wire, but Wisconsin pulls it out by a field goal to advance to the CFP. 

10 Unit Play. #110 Take Dallas Cowboys over Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday 4:30 pm CBS) The Cowboys face a must win situation when they host their annual Thanksgiving Day game. The Chargers are coming off their best performance of the season but most of that success had to be with Buffalo QB Nathan Peterman throwing five interceptions. The Chargers are playing on Thanksgiving for the first time since the merger and playing Thursday games on the road is always a tough task. Dallas is getting a step down in class compared to their last two games (Philadelphia & Atlanta) and should be getting back some of their players for this game. The Chargers never seem to handle prosperity well evident by their loss at Jacksonville two weeks ago and you just cannot count on them to win games consistently. Los Angeles is 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games following a victory in their previous game. Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams with a losing record. 

10 Unit Play. #452 Take Chicago Bears over Detroit Lions (Sunday 1 pm FOX) The Bears are coming off a terrible performance against Green Bay last Sunday. They played terrible and coached terrible at different times in that game and still have a decent chance to win it. Now they take on the Lions, a team that has won two straight games, but they did not look impressive last week against Cleveland. The Bears beat the Lions last year in Chicago and Detroit is just 2-6 ATS (1 push) as a road favorite in a divisional game. Chicago is 8-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 home games when they are an underdog. Chicago has already beaten Pittsburgh and Carolina at home this season and Detroit never seems to handle prosperity very well. 

10 Unit Play. #454 Take New York Giants over Los Angeles Rams (Sunday 1 pm FOX) Both teams are coming off a bye week and I just do not see the Giants getting blown out in this game. New York has owned this match-up beating Los Angeles 7 straight times (7-0 ATS) with a 13-point average margin of victory. The Rams are a nondivisional road favorite for just the third time in 10 years. I believe the Rams are playing a little over their heads now and this will be their second cross country flight in three weeks (London Game two weeks ago). The Rams are 2-10 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 games against NFC teams. The Giants are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games against teams with a winning road record. 

10 Unit Play. #254 Take New Orleans Saints over Chicago Bears (Sunday 1 pm FOX) The Bears victory last week was fool’s gold and they are not a good team. Furthermore, their offense is terrible, and they will not be able to keep pace this week against New Orleans. The Saints did not even play well last week on the road and still won by 9 points against a team that already pounded the Bears. New Orleans defense is for real and when you pair that with QB Brees this is a team that can make some noise in the playoffs. The Saints have won four straight games via blowout and should have no problem winning this game against a rookie quarterback by double digits. QB Mitchell Trubisky has not done anything to make we believe he can win games on his own, as he is just completing 50% of his passes. If the Saints do not beat themselves, they will win this game going away. 

10 Unit Play. #206 Take Ohio State Buckeyes over Penn State Nittany Lions (Saturday 3:30 pm FOX) BIG 10 GAME OF THE YEAR. This is just a brutal scheduling situation for Penn State. They are coming off an emotional high by beating Michigan last week. This is a game their assistant coaches said they wanted to win big in the worst way. Now they must go on the road into a hostile environment against a team that must win out in order to make the College Football Playoff. Despite losing last year to Penn State, Ohio State has won 4 of the last 5 match-ups and Coach Urban Meyer is 24-10 ATS (1 push) with revenge for losing to a team in the last meeting. Since their loss to Oklahoma, Ohio State has won five straight games with their closest margin of victory 31 points. Some like to point out that all these opponents Ohio State has played have been terrible but who exactly has Penn State played this year? Michigan is way down and Penn State could have very easily lost at Iowa on September 23rd. The posted line tells me a great deal about this game, as it opened at 7 after Penn State looked dominating last Saturday. It seems to me that odds makers were begging people to put money on Penn State. We will not fall for that trap and take the better team playing at home. The Buckeyes have covered the spread in their last 4 games. 

10 Unit Play. #466 Take Green Bay Packers over New Orleans Saints (Sunday 1 pm FOX) QB Rodgers will not be playing in this game but I feel that the spread has been over adjusted. Green Bay would have been around this much of a favorite if they had their No. 1 quarterback. Having a week to prepare Brett Hundley and playing at home will benefit this team and I see this as a field goal game. I believe New Orleans is playing a bit over their heads especially on defense and I expect them to revert back to the norm in this game. Green Bay is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games. 

10 Unit Play. #268 Take Arizona Cardinals over Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday 4:05 pm FOX) We have been very successful all season long picking teams that looked bad the previous week and we will again use that format. Arizona did not come to play last week at Philadelphia but they still have some talent on both sides of the football. Arizona blasted Tampa Bay last season by a score of 40-7 and this is a game they need in the worst way to keep their slim chances of a playoff spot alive. Arizona has yet to cover a spread this season but I feel the odds makers have over adjusted the spread in this game. Arizona should be favored since and homefield will give them a big edge in this game. 

10 Unit Play. #469 Take Baltimore Ravens over Oakland Raiders (Sunday 4:05 pm CBS) The Raiders have never been a team that seems to handle prosperity well and become a consistent playoff team. They have looked terrible on offense the last two weeks and now must play a game without their QB Derek Carr. Baltimore looked terrible last week as well against Pittsburgh but should be able to move the football better against this Oakland defense. The Raiders are never a good play as a home favorite going 11-25 in their last 36 occurrences. This was a one-point game last year with Oakland winning and I just cannot see Oakland blowing them out with E.J. Manuel behind center. Baltimore cannot play as bad on offense as they did last week, can they? 

10 Unit Play. #402 Take Kentucky Wildcats over Missouri Tigers (Saturday 7:30 pm SEC Network) Missouri is a terrible team and we will go against them for a second straight week (Won big with Auburn in their last game). The Tigers have been blown out three straight games and only Auburn is a ranked team that they faced. Getting blown out by Purdue and South Carolina is a head scratching moment for a coach that is in over his head. This will be Missouri’s first road game and they are TERRIBLE on both sides of the football. They have nothing to hang their head on as their offense has not been able to move the football after their first game against an FCS team. Kentucky did not look that impressive against Eastern Michigan but they did hold the Eagles to just 20 yards rushing. Kentucky has a very solid rush defense and if they can make the Tigers one dimensional that should be enough to win this game big. We said two weeks ago that playing Missouri is a get-well game for the Auburn offense and the same thing will be true on Saturday for Kentucky. Missouri is 8-20 ATS in their last 28 games overall. Kentucky has covered the spread in 8 of their last 9 SEC games.  

10 Unit Play. #276 Take Denver Broncos over Oakland Raiders (Sunday 4:25 pm CBS) Oakland was exposed last week and I do not believe they will challenge to be the top team in the AFC. Now they are playing on the road for a second straight week against a divisional rival. Denver has won 8 of the last 10 games against Oakland. Denver has a bye on deck and the favorite has covered 8 of the last 9 games. Denver has a much better defense than does Oakland and playing in the Mile-High air should give QB Siemian some confidence. Denver is always a tough team to beat early in the season, especially at home and they get the job done against on Sunday afternoon. 

10 Unit Play. #180 Take Tennessee Volunteers over Georgia Bulldogs (Saturday 3:30 pm CBS) The SEC is a one team league and we have seen the other members go up and down and not be able to handle prosperity. Georgia is coming off a big win against Mississippi State and now must go on the road into hostile territory. The Volunteers have won two straight games against the Bulldogs despite trailing big in both of those games. Butch Jones is not a great coach but he has a habit of keeping the game close and he will accomplish this yet again on Saturday. The point spread has been over adjusted off Georgia’s game last week and we will take advantage of a favorable line. Georgia is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a victory in their previous game. Tennessee is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss in their previous game. 

10 Unit Play. #468 Take New York Jets over Miami Dolphins (Sunday 1 pm CBS) Jay Cutler is not David Carr and I just do not believe he will be able to pick apart the Jets like the Raiders did last week. Miami was lucky to get a win last week in San Diego needing a missed field goal as time was expiring. I usually believe that teams bounce back after getting embarrassed the week before in the NFL and expect that to be the case here. This is a tough travel situation for Miami, coming back from San Diego and they have to go to London next week. Miami is 1-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games played during Week 3. 

10 Unit Play. #373 Auburn Tigers over Missouri Tigers (Saturday 7:30 pm ESPN U) SEC GAME OF THE YEAR. Missou opens the 2017 season with 4 straight home games and after Saturday they will have recorded just 1 victory. Missouri has a terrible defense and this is clearly a get-well game for Auburn. Missouri has given up 66 points the last two weeks against two bad offensive teams in Purdue and South Carolina. They fired their defensive coordinator last week and still looked terrible. Auburn looked better than their total score indicated last week moving the ball up and down the field but were down in by 5 turnovers. If they protect the ball this week they will win big. Missouri is 3-9 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 games played in September. 

10 Unit Play. #284 Take Denver Broncos over Dallas Cowboys (Sunday 4:24 pm FOX) Both teams are coming off home wins but we will ride the Broncos again to a hot start this year like what they did last year. New York looked lost without OBJ last week and Dallas will have a much tougher time containing the Broncos this week. Denver is 3-1 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog. Denver is 7-0 in their past 7 home games during the first two weeks of the season. Denver has the better defense and we saw last week home far ahead the defenses are compared to the offenses in most cases. Dallas is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record.

Best of Luck – Doc’s Sports

10 Unit Play. #153 Take Wisconsin Badgers over BYU Cougars (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC) BYU has one of the worst offenses in the entire country. If Ty Detmer (offensive coordinator) were not a living legend at BYU he would have been replaced after the LSU game. I still believe there is a chance that may happen after this game. BYU has just produced two touchdowns the last two weeks and they came in garbage time against Utah last Saturday night. Wisconsin is coming off a lackluster performance in which they dominated the yardage (564-248) and time of possession but were did not cover the spread because of two turnovers. They will need to clean that up in this game. BYU will hold their own on defense but they will eventually wear down because of their lack of offensive efficiency. There seems to be a rift between the offense and the defense (including coaches) and this will be the best defense BYU has faced this season (Wisconsin beat LSU last year). Wisconsin has covered the spread in six straight road games. BYU is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games. The Badgers win this game by twenty points and we collect in the process as well.  

10 Unit Play. #474 Take Green Bay Packers over Seattle Seahawks (Sunday 4:25 pm CBS) These teams seem to meet every year with the home team dominating this series (5-0 ATS last five games). The Hawks lost in Green Bay by 28 points last season and by 10 points in 2015. Green Bay is 8-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 10 home openers. The Packers have the better offense and QB Rodgers has enough weapons to attack this strong Hawks defense in a variety of ways. Seattle is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games. Green Bay is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played during the month of September. 

10 Unit Play. #364 Take TCU Horned Frogs over Arkansas Razorbacks (Saturday 3:30 pm CBS) It is not often a road team is favored in a true SEC home game but it is well warranted in this situation. TCU returns a ton of experience from last year and they also have revenge on their minds after blowing a late lead to Arkansas last year in Fort Worth. TCU is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 road openers winning those 9 games by an average of 18 points per game. Coach Gary Patterson is too good of a coach to be down for long and I expect TCU to come close to recording 10+ wins this season. Arkansas is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 nonconference games. 61% of the early money is coming in on Arkansas yet the line keeps going up. That tells me the smart money is backing the road team. 

10 Unit Play. #178 Take North Carolina Tar Heels over Cal Golden Bears (Saturday 12:20 pm ACCN) Always like going against west coast teams playing a 12 pm eastern time start on the east coast. Cal has a new coach and I expect them to struggle on both sides of the football against North Carolina. The Tar Heels are 9-1 in their home openers over the last 10 years winning by an average margin of 35 points per game. The Bears got blown out in the last four losses in 2016 and they must replace all their skill position players from 2016. The Bears are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games when they are an underdog. UNC has covered the spread in 4 straight nonconference games. 

10 Unit Play. #101 Take New England Patriots over Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl 51, Sunday, 6:30 pm FOX) Just cannot bet my hard-earned money against Brady and Belichick. The Patriots are the more complete team on both sides of the football and will have two weeks before kickoff to devise a plan to slow down this high-powered Atlanta offense. If New England can jump on to a lead early I see them winning this game by double digits as Atlanta has not faced that much over the last couple of months. The Falcons still have a very shaky defense and if New England is balanced that will not allow their front four to just tee off on the quarterback. The current Patriots have won four of their six Super Bowls and Belichick and Brady have won 24 playoff games together. The Patriots have the No. 1 ranked defense and the defense has the advantage when playing the No. 1 offense in the Super Bowl winning five of the last six meetings. Atlanta is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 playoff games (0-6 ATS prior to this year). New England has covered the spread in five straight games against teams with a winning record. 

10 Unit Play. #303 Take Houston Texans over New England Patriots (Saturday 8:15 pm CBS)  NFL PLAYOFF GAME OF THE YEAR. The Texans are a huge underdog in this game despite having one of the best defenses in the league. New England is solid to good on both sides of the football but I just feel Houston is due to put forth a good performance against New England. The Texans have a lot of coaches with New England ties and they were gutless in the meeting against the Patriots this year. Only twice in their last thirteen postseason games have the Patriots won a game by more than 13 points. Houston has enough talent to hang around and I just do not see a 20+ point victory in this game. New England is 11-1 ATS since the return of Tom Brady and sooner or later the law of averages will have to even out. The same thing happened with Temple covering 12 straight games before losing outright to Wake Forest in the Military Bowl. I am not predicting a straight-up win for the Texans but I feel they can keep this game closer than the posted number. 

10 Unit Play. #151 Take Clemson Tigers over Alabama Crimson Tide (Monday 8:30 pm ESPN) This is just too many points considering Clemson has the much better offense and a couple of playmakers on defense. The spread is solely based on Nick Saban and the respect everyone has for him. He is great but as we saw last week with Urban Meyer, the head coach alone cannot will his team to a victory. Alabama has yet to see an explosive offense like Clemson that can beat you on the ground or through the air. The SEC was way down this year in terms of talent on offense and Deshaun Watson will pick them apart like he did last year. He has not played very many clean games in 2016 but I believe this will be a breakout performance that will propel him up the draft board. Throw in the fact that Clemson has revenge and I really believe Clemson wins this game straight-up. Clemson has covered the spread in six straight bowl games. Clemson is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games. 

10 Unit Play. #309 Take Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions (Sunday 8:30 pm NBC) Nobody will be giving the Lions a chance to win this game and we will be in that boat as well. Detroit has not performed well in two consecutive games and now likely face a winner take all on Sunday Night Football. The Lions have not win a division title since 1993 and they have never made it to the Super Bowl in their franchises existence. Green Bay has beaten Detroit 20 of the last 25 meetings and they are just functioning much better now. Detroit got picked apart by the Dallas passing attack on Monday night and I just do not expect their corners to be able to slow down the Packer wide receivers. Aaron Rodgers is now able to use his feet and that makes him the best dual threat quarterback in the league. Green Bay has won five straight games and Clay Matthews is playing at a high level making this one of the better defensive teams in the league. Detroit is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 divisional games. Green Bay is 23-11 ATS in their last 34 divisional games. 

10 Unit Play. #250 Take Texas A&M Aggies over Kansas State Wildcats (Texas Bowl, Wednesday, 12/28 9 pm ESPN) BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR. The Aggies are starting to get healthy with Myles Garrett and Trevor Knight expected to suit up for this game. They just have too many weapons on offense for Kansas State to keep pace with. Everybody loves Bill Snyder but the game has passed him by as the Wildcats still feature a run heavy offense that can be contained by a disciplined defense. Kansas State has not been very competitive in their last two bowl games (both losses) and they will complete the trifecta this Wednesday. We went against them two years ago with our Bowl Game of the Year and UCLA dominated that game even though the final score did not indicate that (UCLA won and covered the spread). Kansas State is 1-5 ATS in their last six bowl games. A&M once again did not finish out the season well but the time off has done them good and they should be ready to finish out the season on a high note. Kansas State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games. A&M is 4-1 in their last 5 neutral site games. Both trends hold true on Wednesday and we lay the small change with the more athletic team. 

10 Unit Play. #129 Take Denver Broncos over Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday 8:30 pm NBC) These two teams fought to the death in their first match-up of the season in a game that nearly ended in a tie. Denver has been left for dead on the year but they still have a chance to get to 10 wins on the season and have a chance for a wild card. Kansas City has lost two of their last three home games and were held scoreless in the second half in the other game barely holding off Oakland. Denver blew an 8-point lead with under 20 seconds to play in the first meeting and their defense is still Super Bowl caliber. Denver is 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games following a loss in their previous game. Kansas City is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games. The hook may come into play as this will be another hard fought AFC West game. 

10 Unit Play. #112 Take Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings (Saturday 1 pm FOX) The Packers got back doored last week against Chicago blowing a 17-point lead and costing us our top play winning streak. But we will use them again on Saturday against a worse offensive team that Chicago. Green Bay needs to win out to have a chance to reach the playoffs and they have revenge on their minds in this game as well. Minnesota opened their new stadium with a victory over Green Bay earlier this year but that was a completely different Viking team than what we will see today. Green Bay has covered the spread in 22 of their last 33 divisional games. Minnesota has lost 7 of their last 9 games. 

10 Unit Play. #128 Take Green Bay Packers over Seattle Seahawks (Sunday 4:25 pm FOX) When two good teams met late in the season I generally side with the team that needs it more. At 6-6 the Packers definitely need this game more and they have beaten Seattle six straight times in Green Bay (average margin of victory 16 points per game). I truly believe the wrong team is favored considering Seattle laid an egg in their last road game at Tampa Bay. Seattle pounded Carolina last week but lost Earl Thomas in the process and that will come back to bite them in this game. Green Bay beat Seattle by double digits last season and their defense is finally starting to show signs of life. Seattle still has a terrible offensive line and Green Bay will get to QB Russell Wilson a few times in this game. Green Bay is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played during the month of December. 

10 Unit Play. #356 Take Green Bay Packers over Houston Texans (Sunday 1 pm CBS) The Packer defense showed some signs off life last week against Philadelphia and now they face a much easier challenge this week against Houston. The Texans have struggled on the road being outscored by an average of 14 points per game (27-13). Green Bay still has a path to the playoffs by winning the division and for them to accomplish that this is a must win game. QB Rodgers picked apart the strong Philadelphia defense last Monday and Houston has been playing without JJ Watt for the entire season leaving a major void in the front seven. This is the first home game for Green Bay since November 6th and it now appears that this season is not lost for them. The Packers just have a major edge at the quarterback position with Rodgers compared to Brock Osweiler, who has struggled mightily this season. Green Bay is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played in December. Houston is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. 

10 Unit Play. #254 Take Tennessee Titans over Chicago Bears (Sunday 1 pm CBS) The Bears have been decimated by injuries this season and this is likely the last month and a half for QB Jay Cutler and HC John Fox. Tennessee did not play well last week in Indianapolis (place they never win) but should find it much easier to put points on the board in Chicago on Sunday. Chicago is 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games and they are just playing out the string hoping against hope they can keep their remaining players healthy. Tennessee is scoring over 31 points per game in their last seven games and Chicago will have trouble keeping up with them. Chicago is 3-11 ATS when playing a home game following a loss in their previous game. The Bears did not score a point in the last 30 minutes at MetLife Stadium and I do not see things getting any better today. The crowd will not be engaged early and I just do not see the Bears giving them a reason to cheer.  

10 Unit Play. #471 Take Philadelphia Eagles over Seattle Seahawks (Sunday 4:25 pm FOX) Seattle looked impressive last week against New England but that cross-country flight home from a Sunday night game will take its toll on them for this game. Their offensive line is still weak and they will face a much better defense today than they saw from the Patriots last week. Look for the defenses of both teams to dominate this game and that puts us in a good shape as we are getting close to a touchdown. The Seahawks have not been the same dominating team at home this year, as they have had close games against Atlanta, Buffalo, and Miami. Philadelphia is better than two of those teams and they have a quarterback that should be getting better with more experience. Seattle is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against NFC teams. 

4 Unit Play. #374 Take Colorado Buffaloes over Washington State Cougars (Saturday 3:30 pm FOX) These are two of the surprise teams in the country and very similar styles on offense. They both like to score points as quickly as possible. Both teams control their own destiny to make the conference championship game but I have not been impressed with the Cougars road play of late. They struggled to beat Oregon State and Arizona State and will face a much better team today in Boulder. Colorado is 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite. Colorado is 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games overall. 

10 Unit Play. #270 Arizona Cardinals over San Francisco 49ers (Sunday 4:25 pm CBS) We have gone against the 49ers in their last two games and look to complete the trifecta on Sunday. San Francisco is getting destroyed by teams in the second half and their lack of talent and time of possession is catching up with them. San Francisco cannot stop the run and they are allowing 37.1 points per game over their last seven games. Arizona already won at San Francisco this year by double digits with a backup quarterback. Things should go even smoother today for what is a must win game for Arizona if they have visions of making the playoffs. Arizona has won three straight games in this series by an average of 19 points per game. San Francisco is 3-9 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 games against NFC West teams. Arizona is 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games against teams with a losing record. 

10 Unit Play. #471 Take Denver Broncos over Oakland Raiders (Sunday 8:30 pm NBC) It has been a while since the Raiders have gotten on NBC and I fully expect them to fall flat on their face in this game. Oakland has already lost two road games this season and they have yet to cover the spread in any home game this season. They have the better quarterback in this game but penalties are always a major concern with this team. I still believe the league and the officials are out to get this team because of Al Davis and they look to throw flags against them on every play. Tampa Bay had every opportunity to win last week against Oakland yet could not take advantage of the situation. That will not happen with Denver one of the better coached teams in the league. Oakland ranks at the bottom of the league in both pass & run defense. The Raiders have played a very easily schedule thus far as the AFC South and NFC South are not all that good. Oakland is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 divisional games. Denver is 8-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 games overall. 

10 Unit Play. #405 Take Iowa Hawkeyes over Penn State Nittany Lions (Saturday 7:30 pm BTN) BIG 10 GAME OF THE YEAR. Penn State is getting a lot of publicity for beating Ohio State but they are overvalued now. These are two similar teams and should be around a field goal spread and thus we will gladly grab this many points with a team that plays well on the road. Iowa has won nine straight road games including three conference games this season. This is not expected to be a whiteout for the home team and I just do not believe Penn State is good enough to be laying this many points against top teams in the league. Penn State was an underdog to Maryland and Pittsburgh this season and now they are a touchdown favorite against a better team than those two. Iowa is 15-3 ATS in their last 18 road games. If they can stabilize this game early, it should go down to the wire. Penn State is 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS win in their previous game. Iowa is a better team as an underdog and their senior quarterback will make enough plays to keep this game close and pull out the straight-up victory. 

10 Unit Play. #366 Take Auburn Tigers over Vanderbilt Commodores (Saturday 12 pm ESPN) We will continue to ride Auburn as they are playing like one of the best teams in the country at the moment. The Tigers have won five straight games and only one game was below double digits. Auburn has an outstanding rushing attack with a three-headed monster. Vanderbilt has played a very weak SEC schedule thus far and it does not get much tougher either as this is their toughest game on the schedule. They need to win two of their last four games to go bowling and I do not see that happening. Vanderbilt has a good defense but they have yet to play an explosive offense like Auburn. The Tigers have covered the spread in five straight games. The Commodores are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a win in their previous game. 

10 Unit Play. #259 Take New England Patriots over Buffalo Bills (Sunday 1 pm CBS) This is a revenge game for the Patriots as they lost to Buffalo earlier this season without QB Tom Brady. New England is 3-0 since the return of Tom Brady and they have won all three games by double digits. Now Buffalo is banged up with RB LeSean McCoy have been injured in the last two games. With Robert Woods also banged up (did not play last week) I just do not believe Tyrod Taylor can win this game on his own without any weapons. New England has covered the spread in 6 of their last 7 games.