Sports Picks & Predictions

10 Unit Play. #146 Take Texas Longhorns over Ole Miss Rebels (Saturday 8 pm LHN) These teams appear to be heading in opposite directions, but that being said I just do not believe Ole Miss has the offensive firepower on the ground to threaten this Longhorn defense. Texas was embarrassed last week at BYU giving up over 500 yards rushing and thus fired their defensive coordinator and brought in veteran coach Greg Robinson. The Texas pass defense actually played pretty well and expect an even better pass defense performance this week against Ole Miss.
The two things that make this such a strong play are the fact that Texas is 16-1 at home against non-conference teams since 2007. Also the fact that this same Texas team went into Oxford last year and pounded the Rebels by a score of 66-31 last year. Many of the Rebels same defensive personal will be playing in this game as well. The Rebels can move the football a little of offense, but they just cannot stop teams on defense and thus will not be able to keep pace in this game.
Texas does have some injuries but I just believe that is keeping this line three points lower than what it should be. David Ash left the game in the fourth quarter last week against BYU and is questionable for this game (I think he will play) but his back-up Chance McCoy does have a lot of experience playing in big games. Ole Miss also has a few starters banged up in Christian Miller, Aaron Morris, Charles Sawyer (legal), and Denzel Nkemdicke.
Texas seems to be inconsistent from week to week, but I am expecting a big bounce back this week similar to what Georgia did one week ago. The Longhorns are talented and experienced and they know that this is a must game in order to avoid having the season slip away from them. Ole Miss still feels the wounds that Texas gave them last year and expect the Longhorns to jump out early and cruise to a victory. Ole Miss is 2-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games against Big XII teams. Texas is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing 450 yards in their previous game. Take the Longhorns and all the drama on Saturday, as they will win this game by double digits.

10 Unit Play. #127 Take Maryland Terrapins over Connecticut Huskies (Saturday 7:30 pm ESPN3) Non-Conference Game of the Year. Revenge will be best served on the field tonight in Storrs. Maryland suffered numerous injuries last season especially at the quarterback position and every team was able to kick them around. But that will not be the case this season. Maryland is loaded on offense and expect them to light-up the scoreboard all night long against a team that has quit on their coach in 2013. Nobody was real excited about the hiring of Paul Pasqualoni when current Maryland Coach Randy Edsall left Connecticut. Things reached an epic low in week 1 of this season when they lost to Towson State by double digits. The Huskies had a strong defense last season but that is not the case in 2013 as 4 players off of the 2012 defensive squad were NFL draft picks.
This game is all about Coach Randy Edsall, as he struggled through some tough games in his first two years including a loss at home to Connecticut in 2012. He is still angry about that game and will not let off the gas for 60 minutes tonight waiting to show the crowd why he is the all-time winningest coach in UCONN history. UCONN is 2-7 ATS (1 push) in their last 10 games overall. Maryland is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. Expect Maryland to have a great scouting report since Towson State

10 Unit Play. #481 Take Houston Texas over San Diego Chargers (10:20 pm ESPN) The Chargers have been in free fall the last couple of years and finally make a coaching change and general manager change. Much of the free fall has been on the shoulders of Phillip Rivers, as he is no longer an elite quarterback and turns the football over numerous times in a game. That does not bode well when facing JJ Watt, the best defensive player in the NFL. Houston is loaded on both sides of the football and has won three straight opening week games. The fact remains that Antonio Gates is not what he once was and that puts enormous pressure on QB Rivers to make plays with his arm. San Diego lacks a run game to slow down the front four of the Texans and I just expect them to tee off on the quarterback for 60 minutes. Houston is 20-5 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 27 games played on grass. San Diego is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games. Houston wins this game by double digits!

10 Unit Play. #326 Take Georgia Bulldogs over South Carolina Gamecocks (Saturday 4:30 pm ESPN) Top College Football Play of the Weekend. Both of these coaches have had trouble winning big games in the past, especially during SEC play. However, I fully believe in my heart Georgia is too good of a team to start the 2013 season 0-2. The Gamecocks may have the best player on the field in Jadeveon Clowney, but I believe Georgia has the next best 3-4 players after the top spot. Neither Clowney nor QB Connor Shaw looked that impressive last Thursday against North Carolina. Georgia was unstoppable on offense last week against Clemson, but they were hampered by penalties and third down conversions. The Dawgs looked lost on defense, but USC does not have a player like Tajh Boyd on offense. Historically, Georgia has dominated the series with South Carolina, going 46-16 (2 ties). Georgia has covered 5 of their last 6 home games. We are aware that WR Malcolm Mitchell is out for season, but I do not expect that to slow down this high-powered offense one bit. Georgia makes a statement in the SEC and wins this game by double-digits!

10 Unit Play. #210 Take Washington Huskies over Boise State Broncos (Saturday 10 pm Fox Sports 1) Top College Football Play of the Weekend. I hate going against the Broncos as all they do is win games under the Chris Petersen. However, too many factors favor the Huskies in this game. This is not a typical veteran Boise State team as they are really young and undersized on defense. They do still have their quarterback in Joe Southwick. However, he is just not in the same league as Ryan Dinwiddie and Kellen Moore. The MWC does not have many strong teams, and Boise State will win their fair share of games this season. However, I clearly believe that Fresno State is the team to beat.
Moving over to Washington, I believe that this team is in for a monster season, and it will start on Saturday night. They still have their quarterback in Keith Price, and he played much better in his sophomore season than he did in his junior season. I look for him to get back to his stats from two years ago and tear apart this undersized Boise defense. Washington is also back where they belong, at Husky Stadium, as they played at CenturyLink Field last year during renovations. Expect the home crowd to be excited for this game. Finally, these teams met in the Las Vegas Bowl last December and Boise came away with a hard fought 2-point victory. The Huskies have had all offseason to think about that, and you can be sure they will be ready for Boise tonight. This will be a double-digit victory for the home team, and we will collect big in the process.

10 Unit Play. #114 Take Atlanta Falcons over Seattle Seahawks (Sunday, 1 pm FOX) NFL Playoff Game of the Year. Seattle was certainly on the ropes last weekend in Washington, and had RG3 stayed healthy I believe that Washington would be the team playing Atlanta and not the Seahawks. Nobody believes in Atlanta, and even the line tells you that many people expect the Seahawks to win this game. But I am not one of those people, and I feel that this is a perfect matchup for the Falcons. Seattle is making their second cross-country flight and will be without the services of Chris Clemons, who tore his ACL last week. Both of these things are devastating to this team. Atlanta is very balanced on both sides of the football, and I just do not believe that the Seahawks passing game is strong enough to threaten the Falcons secondary. Seattle is just 10-22 ATS in their last 32 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game. Atlanta is 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games following a loss in their previous game.
Atlanta by 13

10 Unit Play. #270 Take Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Alabama Crimson Tide (BCS Championship Game, Monday, 1/7, 8:30 pm ESPN) The last game of the College Football game is the most intriguing as it features two of the most storied programs in college football history. I truly believe that the SEC was overrated this season evident by the fact that Florida got destroyed by Louisville last week and as a whole the SEC is just not as strong as it has been the last decade. If Nick Saban were not the coach of Alabama, this spread will be around 6 points and thus we are getting great value with this selection. All the Notre Dame has done this season is win and it would not surprise me if their defense controls this game again for 60 minutes. It is important that Notre Dame withstand the first quarter and not get blown out. If they accomplish that I believe that they have a great chance to win this game straight up and getting around double digits it too good to pass up. Alabama is just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. Notre Dame is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. This game goes down to the wire and the underdog is never in danger of not covering this number.
Notre Dame by 1

10 Unit Play. #108 Take Washington Redskins over Seattle Seahawks (Sunday 4:30 pm FOX) I really believe that the wrong team is favored in this game, as the Seahawks are not as strong of a team without the 12th man backing them up. Washington has won seven straight games in route to winning the NFC East and I believe that they have the more dynamic quarterback in RG3. He has the ability to beat you with his arm or his legs. The Seahawks are just 3-5 on the road this season and that includes losses to Miami, Detroit, Arizona, and St. Louis. Washington is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall. Seattle is 6-16 ATS (1 push) in their last 23 games on grass. Washington stays hot and we collect big in the process as well.
Washington by 6

10 Unit Play. #45/#315 Take Dallas Cowboys over Washington Redskins (Sunday, 8:20 pm NBC) The final game of the NFL Regular Season has two traditional rivals set to battle in the nation

10 Unit Play. #238 Take Michigan State Spartans over TCU Horned Frogs (Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 12/29, 10:15 pm ESPN) Bowl Game of the Year. The Spartans have battled valiantly all season long losing five games by 4 points or less and I fully expect them to get over the hump in this game and close out the season with a victory in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The Spartans have a rock solid defense that is 10th in the country in points allowed and I expect them to control the Horned Frogs offense that is not as strong as it has been in year

10 Unit Play. #110 Take Pittsburgh Steelers over Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday 1 pm CBS) Top NFL Play of the Weekend. The Bengals can clinch a playoff berth with a win in Pittsburgh and likely can win the division if they win out, but I just do not see that happening. Pittsburgh has dominated this series of late, winning and covering the spread in their last five meetings with Cincinnati. QB Ben Roethlisberger did not play down the stretch against Dallas, and, thus, the Steelers lost the game, but I expect a much better performance today playing at home. The Steelers also control their own destiny to receive a wild card if they win their last two games against Cincinnati & Cleveland. The Steelers defense has dominated QB Andy Dalton, holding him under 140 yards per game passing. Cincinnati is 4-11 ATS (2 pushes) in their last 17 games against AFC teams. Pittsburgh is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games following a loss in their previous game. Pittsburgh bounces back in a big way and we collect in the process as well.
Pittsburgh by 13

10 Unit Play. #34/#330 Take New England Patriots over San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 12/16, 8:25 pm NBC) Top NFL Play of the Weekend. The Patriots are coming off a dominating performance on Monday Night Football against the best team in the AFC and now are set to tackle one of the best teams in the NFC in primetime. New England is a beast when they play at home, and I expect young quarterback Colin Kaepernick to struggle mightily in this hostile environment. New England has won 7 straight games, and this team just does not lose games during the month of December. They have lost just one home game on the season, and that came with a missed field goal as time expired against Arizona in Week 2. QB Tom Brady is putting up MVP numbers with 29 touchdowns, and he will have no problem moving the football against the San Francisco defense. I feel San Francisco will struggle to score points in this game, especially if they get down early and do not create turnovers on defense. New England just does not turn over the football, as they lead the league in fewest turnovers. New England is 3-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 4 games following a MNF game in their previous outing. Lay the wood with the better team on Sunday Night Football!
New England by 14

10 Unit Play. #24/#106 Take Washington Redskins over Baltimore Ravens
(Sunday, 12/9, 1 pm CBS) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
Washington
The Redskins are coming off a victory on Monday Night Football in a game that they had to have, and now they are firmly in the playoff hunt with a record of 6-6. RG3 continues to play outstanding and he has the ability to beat teams with his arm and his legs. Washington has won three straight games against NFC East teams, and expect them to put forth a good effort against a fellow Beltway team. Washington is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record.
Baltimore
The Ravens are 9-3 on the season but are coming off an embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh at home without Big Ben. Baltimore should be on a two-game losing streak were it not for the ineptitude of the San Diego Chargers failing to stop a fourth-and-29. I have never been a big fan of QB Joe Flacco, and he has not played well the last two games throwing just two touchdowns and a ton of passes. The Ravens are still banged up on defense, and that does not bode well when facing a quarterback as dynamic as RG3. Baltimore is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games in December.
Final Comment
I truly believe that these two teams are heading in opposite directions and that the Ravens will be a quick out in the playoffs come January. RG3 stays hot and Washington wins their fourth straight game on Sunday.
Washington by 8

10 Unit Play. #39/#349 Take Indianapolis Colts over Detroit Lions
(Sunday, 12/2, 1 pm, CBS) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
Indianapolis
The Colts just continue to get the job done especially against bad teams and getting points is too good to pass up on Sunday. Indianapolis has won 5 of their last 6 games and QB Luck is putting up solid passing numbers and should have no problem picking apart the Lions secondary. The Colts are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 December games.
Detroit
The Lions keep finding ways to lose games and all of these losses have caught up to them and they will throw in the towel for their December games. Expect major changes for next season, as their coach has proven time and time again that he is incompetent evident by the fact he threw a challenge flag that negated a review last week against Houston. Detroit is a one dimensional team that cannot run the football at all and thus the Colts will focus on the passing attack. Detroit is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games on field turf.
Final Comment
The Lions cannot get out of their own way and they only have 4 wins on the season. Only one of their four wins was a blowout and that came against Jacksonville, one of the worst teams in the league. Indianapolis continues to be undervalued by the line makers and we will ride them on Sunday for yet another top play victory in the NFL.
Indianapolis by 7

10 Unit Play. #33/#337 Take Nebraska Cornhuskers over Wisconsin Badgers
(Big Ten Championship Game, Saturday, 12/1, 8 pm FOX) Top College Football Play of the Weekend
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers are clearly the second best team in the Big Ten and despite a couple of shaky performances against UCLA and Ohio State, they earned their spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Huskers went 7-1 during Big Ten play and that included a victory over Wisconsin back in September. Nebraska is 3-0 ATS (1 push) in their last 4 games against teams with a winning record.
Wisconsin
This selection is more about going against Wisconsin, as the fan base has no confidence in their head coach. Wisconsin has not had an answer when they have to throw the football and if they cannot run the ball; their offense will struggle to move the football. The Wisconsin defense is solid, but Nebraska picked up them apart in the second half of their first meeting and we fully expect them to pick up right where they left off. Wisconsin is just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS loss in their previous game.
Final Comment
The Badgers have proven all season long that they can beat up on the bad teams (there are a bunch of them in the Big Ten) but struggle to beat the top tier teams. Wisconsin is one dimensional and that will not get the job done against Nebraska. The Huskers are excited to be in this game compared to the Badgers that know they are only in this game by default.
Nebraska by 20

10 Unit Play. #144/#244 Take New York Giants over Green Bay Packers
(Sunday, 11/25, 8:25 pm NBC)
New York
The Giants are coming off a much needed bye week and this is a very important game for them to end their November slump. I just believe that the Giants are a great pick in this game since they can exploit the Packers injuries on defense. New York has two great wide receivers and a solid quarterback in Eli Manning that has a knack for winning games late in the fourth quarter. New York scored 38 points on a healthy Packers defense last year in the playoffs and expect more of the same in this night game at MetLife Stadium. New York is 9-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 12 games against teams with a winning record.
Green Bay
The Packers were very fortunate to escape Detroit last week with a win and a cover for us! That being said, the team is decimated by injuries and all they have on offense in a great quarterback and an up and coming wide receiver. That will not get the job done against a team as good as the New York Giants. The Giants have a great front four and they will be able to put pressure on QB Rogers since they will not have to worry about a running game. Green Bay is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS victory in the previous game.
Final Comment
This line is at least three points to low and expect the Giants to take it to the Packers for 60 minutes. New York has lost two straight games and has Dallas lurking right behind them. Again when good teams play late in the season, generally the team that needs it more gets the game and the Giants need this one since it is a home game and they do not want to lose three straight games. Play the home team laying the low wood!
New York by 13

10 Unit Play. #71/#155 Take Illinois Fighting Illini over Northwestern Wildcats
(Saturday, 11/24, 12 pm Big Ten Network) Top College Football Play of the Weekend
Illinois
Make no bones about it, this has been the most disappointing team in the conference as they currently sit at 2-9 on the season and 0-7 in the Big Ten. But they are allowing just over 30 points per game and getting this many points in a rivalry game is very inviting. Illinois did beat the Wildcats last season by three points and talent wise they just match-up really well with their opponent. Illinois has covered this posted number in four of their last six games and they should be able to run the football a little in this game against Northwestern.
Northwestern
The Cats are looking to finish out the Big Ten with a 5-3 record and all that they have to do is win this game against their in-state rival. The Cats are not the offensive juggernaut they have been in recent years and they are getting it done in 2012 with a more traditional style and thus their scoring is way down. They are scoring just under 30 points per game and that does not bode well when trying to cover this big of a number. Northwestern is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 home games against teams with a losing road record.
Final Comment
Northwestern has never been a good team to play as a big favorite and because of their ATS success this season this number is really inflated. Illinois has a first year head coach looking to end the season on a high note and expect his players to go all out in this game. Northwestern is banged up after an emotional game last week against Michigan State and thus they will take this game lightly.
Northwestern by 6

10 Unit Play. #115/#413 Take Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions
(Sunday, 11/18, 1 pm FOX) NFC Game of the Year
Green Bay
The Packers are coming off a much needed bye and that will allow this team to get some key players healthy. The Packers have taken off since the debacle at Seattle winning five of their last six games and that includes road victories at St. Louis and Houston. Green Bay has dominated Detroit in recent years covering 9 of the last 12 meetings (1 push). Green Bay is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the NFC North. QB Aaron Rogers loves to play in domes as over the last two years he has tallied a 19-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Detroit
The Lions are coming off a disappointing loss at Minnesota (without Percy Harvin) and their season is all but over as they sit in last place in the competitive NFC North. The Lions have played just one home game since October 1st and this brutal stretch has really taken its toll on this team. Detroit has not faced that many elite quarterbacks this season and certainly not one that is as talented as Aaron Rogers. The Lions have a running game that is non-existent and their passing game has not been as effective as it was last year. Detroit is 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games against NFC teams.
Final Comment
The Packers have owned this series over the last two decades and today will be no different . Green Bay went into Detroit last November and won 27-15 and the also Lions failed to beat the Packers in Green Bay to end the regular season. In that game the Packers rested numerous players including QB Aaron Rogers. Green Bay just has their number and that will continue on Sunday.
Green Bay by 13

10 Unit Play. #136/#238 Take Chicago Bears over Houston Texans
(Sunday, 11/11, 8:25 pm NBC) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
Chicago
The Bears put forth a dominating performance last Sunday in Tennessee (we used them as a selection) and expect them to follow that up with a strong performance this Sunday at home against the best team in the AFC. Chicago has played a very easy schedule thus far and things will get much tougher in the coming week with a road trip to San Francisco on the horizon. The Bears have a dominating defense that can force a turnover on any given play and Houston has not seen a defense this strong in quite some time. QB Cutler has a great relationship with WR Brandon Marshall and this gives Chicago a big play weapon that has been sorely missing for years in the Windy City. Chicago is 7-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 games played during the month of November.
Houston
The Texans sit atop the standing in the AFC with a 7-1 record but their only loss came via a blowout to another team from the NFC North. Houston has played just one tough team on the road this season and that came at Denver before Peyton Manning started to take off. Houston did not look that impressive last week at home against Buffalo and it would not surprise me if they come into this game overconfident. I truly believe that the loss of Brian Cushing at linebacker will eventually catch-up with this team and hurt their chances to win games in the playoffs.
Final Comment
Both teams are playing outstanding football at the moment and this is a game that is must see TV. That being said, I am not a big believer in Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips, as neither coach has won big games on a consistent basis. Chicago will not get all the breaks like they did last week at Tennessee, but they will create enough behind their top ranked defense to win this game at home. Houston

10 Unit Play. #26/#150 Take Nebraska Cornhuskers over Penn State Nittany Lions
(Saturday, 11/10, 3:30 pm ABC) Top College Football Play of the Weekend
Nebraska
Nebraska has angered their fan base with two losses already on the season but they are still in great position of earn and spot in Rose Bowl and all they have to do in win their last 4 games on the season. They are 4-1 and have the tie-breaker against Michigan and I do not believe they will face much competition in the Big Ten Championship Game since Ohio State is ineligible. This team is loaded with talent on both sides of the football; they just do not play to that ability on a consistent basis. Nebraska won last year in State College many of those players are still on the roster for both teams. Nebraska is 5-1 ATS in their last six home games.
Penn State
Penn State has done a remarkable job keeping the program afloat. But their 4-1 record in the Big Ten is more about the Big Ten being terrible than it is Penn State being good. The Lions did not perform well against Ohio State and they will likely lose two of their remaining three games. QB Matt McGloin has played well this season but I am still not a believe that he can perform well in big games. Penn State is just 5-11 ATS (1 push) in their last 17 games against team with a winning record.
Final Comment
Nebraska has the Rose Bowl in their sight and Penn State is not the team that will be able to knock them off of their path. When Penn State plays good teams, their depth becomes a major issues and expect Nebraska to take control of this game down the stretch and pull away late to win this game by double digits.
Nebraska by 19

10 Unit Play. #134/436 Take New York Giants over Pittsburgh Steelers
(Sunday, 11/4, 4:25 pm CBS) Top NFL Selection of the Weekend
New York
The Giants have been on quite a roll winning four straight games to move to 6-2 on the season and now face a tough inter-conference opponent in Pittsburgh. New York has a dominating offense that is sixth in the league in passing and 12th in the league in rushing. QB Eli Manning is having an outstanding season with 12 touchdown passes already and has been money throughout his career in the 4th quarter. Granted this team seems to play better on the road then they do at home, but they are facing a depleted Pittsburgh team that is just a mirror of its former self. New York is 9-1 ATS (1 push) in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record.
Pittsburgh
The Steelers have won two straight games against non-playoff teams to move to 4-3 on the season but they are still decimated with injuries. WR Mike Wallace has yet to really impressive me much and has not regained his form from year

10 Unit Play. #94/#374 Take Cincinnati Bearcats over Syracuse Orange
(Saturday, 11/4, 12 pm Big East Network) Top College Play of the Weekend
Cincinnati
The Bearcats started the season 5-0 but now sit at 5-2 with back-to-back losses to Toledo and Louisville. Cincinnati played well at Louisville in terrible conditions and expect them to bounce back in a big way today since they have not played a home game since October 13th. The Bearcats are 6-1 straight-up and 5-2 against the spread in this series against Syracuse. They won at Syracuse last year by 17 points and that was without their starting quarterback Zach Collaros. Munchie Legaux is now under center and he has the ability to beat teams with his arm or his legs. He has thrown and run for a touchdown in four straight games and expect him to pick apart this Orange defense. Cincinnati has covered 7 of their last 9 games.
Syracuse
The Cuse have turned the corner after a slow start to the season having won three of their last four games but that will come to an end in a big way on Saturday. As we mentioned Syracuse has had no success against Cincinnati and they are not a strong offensive team scoring just 26.8 points per game (73rd). They lost to Rutgers and must play Cincinnati and Louisville in consecutive weeks. The Orange are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games.
Final Comment
Syracuse is set to leave the Big East after this school year and you can bet the remaining teams are ready to knock them around whenever they get the chance. Cincinnati has dominated this series and Syracuse is a team that has never handled prosperity well. The Orange are just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a victory in their previous game. Cincinnati earns some Big East pride and we collect big in the process as well.
Cincinnati by 20

10 Unit Play. #122/#230 Take Detroit Lions over Seattle Seahawks
(Sunday, 10/28, 1 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
Detroit
The Lions did everything possible to get blown out last week on MNF against Chicago, but their defense played outstanding and we expect them to return home and play much better against a team that traditionally struggles on the road. Detroit allowed just 13 points to the Bears and three of those points were the direct result of a muffed punt. The Lions offense moved the ball against the Bears defense in the second half, they just killed themselves inside the five yard line by not being able to run the football. They will have a much easier time this week since they are a home playing a team with a young quarterback that is just being asked not to lose the game. Detroit is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games played during the month of October.
Seattle
The Seahawks have some impressive wins this season at home, but they have not done any damage on the road. I still believe that they are starting the wrong player at quarterback in Russell Wilson, as he played terrible against San Francisco last Thursday completing just 9 of 23 passes with no touchdowns. Seattle is 9-20 ATS (1 push) in their last 30 road games.
Final Comment
Both teams are coming off losses in low scoring games last week, but I believe that the Detroit defense got their mojo back, especially their front four. The loss of WR Nate Burleson will sting, but not enough to prevent the Lions from winning this game big. If they can shut down QB Jay Cutler and home they can certainly shutdown Russell Wilson playing on the road.
Detroit by 13

10 Unit Play. #110/#170 Take Arizona Wildcats over USC Trojans
(Saturday, 10/27, 3:30 pm ABC/ESPN 2)
Arizona
The Rich Rod era is well underway in Tucson and for the most part it has been a success as the Wildcats are on pace to make a bowl game despite having to learn a new system. Arizona averages over 350 yards per game passing and they have only been blown out one time this season and that came against Oregon. Arizona is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games played during the month of October.
USC
The Trojans were the No. 1 team in the land to start the season but they have not played like it this season. They have struggled on the road this season in four games and they have yet to blow out anybody on the road despite playing mediocre teams (Syracuse, Washington, Utah, & Stanford (L)). USC is 10-21 ATS in their last 31 games played during the month of October.
Final Comment
I am just not a believer in Lane Kiffin and never like to use the Trojans as a favorite because of him. Arizona will be ready for this game and expect Rich Rod to develop a few wrinkles that will surprise the Trojans. The home crowd has been waiting for years to get excited and I believe that this Wildcat team can deliver the goods.
Arizona by 3

10 Unit Play. #62/#356 Take Ohio State Buckeyes over Purdue Boilermakers
(Saturday, 10/20, 12 pm ABC) Big Ten Game of the Year
Ohio State
The Buckeyes have one of the most explosive offensives in the country and we fully expect them to pick apart this Purdue defense and score close to 60 points. This will allow them to cover this big number and I really believe this is a game where Coach Urban Meyer can just name his score. Coach Meyer is one of the best offensive minds in the entire country and he has a great leader in QB Braxton Miller, my sleeper pick for the Heisman Trophy. Ohio State is 8th in the country running the football and expect them to put forth similar numbers to what Wisconsin did last week in West Lafayette. The defense has given up points and yards including a surprising 49 points to Indiana last week. That performance bodes well for us in this game, since Coach Meyer will let the defense have it all week and expect a much better performance on Saturday against a team that has thrown in the towel. Ohio State is 44-19 ATS (1 push) in their last 64 Big Ten games.
Purdue
Well I must admit that I was way off the mark with Purdue, as this team is terrible and belongs at the bottom of the conference standing. Purdue had a golden opportunity to make a statement that they are a top team in the Big Ten with back-to-back home games against Michigan & Wisconsin. But they laid an egg in both of those games and now must go on the road to play the best team in the conference. In that Wisconsin game three quarterbacks threw six or more passes and the old adage is true, if you have more than one quarterback, that means you do not have any good quarterbacks. Purdue is 10-26 ATS (1 push) in their last 37 games played during the month of October.
Final Comment
Purdue has certainly shown that they are a pretender and we will likely go against them for rest of the Big Ten Conference season. They cannot stop the run and things will only get worse from here in this run heavy conference. Coach Meyer has shown in the past he is not afraid to run up the score and expect that to occur in this game. Ohio State will play much better on defense and this will be a 30-point woodshed beating.
Ohio State by 35

10 Unit Play. #113/#221 Take St. Louis Rams over Miami Dolphins
(Sunday, 10/14, 1 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
St. Louis
The Rams are coming off a mine-bye week having not played a game since 10/4 and expect them to be ready to go Sunday in South Beach. Coach Jeff Fischer has gotten this team over the .500 mark for the first time in years and they have a new attitude in 2012. They have played a tough schedule this season and they were only blown out one time and that came against the one loss Chicago Bears. This team is getting it done on the defensive side of the football allowing just 16 total points in their last two games. This is not a strong Miami offense and I believe that they will struggle to score 17+ points. St. Louis has covered 5 of their last 6 games.
Miami
The Dolphins are coming off a surprise road victory in Cincinnati last week to move to 2-3 on the season. But they fact remains they are not a good enough team to be laying points against anybody in the league. This team gives up a ton of passing yards, but is good at stopping the run. I expect Sam Bradford to have a good day throwing the football. Miami is happy to return home after back-to-back road games, as they have not played a home game since 9/23. QB Ryan Tannehill has thrown just two touchdowns on the season against six interceptions. Miami is 22-50 ATS (1push) in their last 73 home games.
Final Comment
This is a game between two defensive minded teams and getting points with the better team is too good to pass up. Twenty points may win this game and St. Louis will accomplish that feat behind a strong offense that has great balance with a run/pass option. It is hard to not side with Jeff Fisher when it comes to coaching in big games and that experience will propel the Rams to a victory.
St. Louis by 6

10 Unit Play. #20/#130 Take Purdue Boilermakers over Wisconsin Badgers
(Saturday, 10/13, 12 pm Big Ten Network) Revenge Game of the Year
Purdue
Purdue is coming off a disappointing showing last week at home against Michigan, but that performance sets up well this week, as the coaches will get the players attention for this game. Throw in the fact that Purdue lost to Wisconsin last season by a score of 62-17 and you can be sure that revenge will be on the minds of each and every one of the Purdue players. This is Coach Danny Hope

10 Unit Play. #122/#414 Take Pittsburgh Steelers over Philadelphia Eagles
(Sunday, 10/7, 1 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
Pittsburgh
The Steelers are coming off a much needed bye week and look to get back on track at home. They are 1-2 on the season and cannot afford to drop to 1-3 since Baltimore and Cincinnati appear to be playoff teams yet again in 2012. Pittsburgh has played just one home game this season and won that convincingly. Pittsburgh is 9-0 ATS in their last 9 games when they are coming off a loss in their previous game.
Philadelphia
The Eagles are living on the edge at the moment with a 3-1 record but their three wins came by a combined four points. Truth is that Michael Vick is not a good fit for Andy Reid

10 Unit Play. #56/#394 Take Ohio State Buckeyes over Nebraska Cornhuskers
(Saturday, 10/6, 8 pm ABC) Top College Play of the Weekend
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are the best team in the Big Ten this season and they are coming off an impressive victory at Michigan State last Saturday. They have the most dynamic quarterback in the league in Braxton Miller and expect him to put up big numbers tonight against this suspect Cornhusker defense. Ohio State is 43-18 (1 push) in their last 62 Big Ten Conference games.
Nebraska
The Huskers disappointed us last weekend as they played a terrible first 33 minutes of the game before they dominated Wisconsin in the last 27 minutes. They will face a much tougher defense tonight in a hostile environment. Nebraska has not handled prosperity fell going 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games when they won their previous game straight-up.
Final Comment
Ohio State will have revenge on their minds in this game, as they gave up a late lead last year in Lincoln and that was with a lame duck coach. Their coaching staff is much better this season led by Urban Meyer and Bo Pelini is not in the same league as him when it comes to performing well in big games.
Ohio State by 14

10 Unit Play. (#105/#205) Take New England Patriots over Buffalo Bills
(Sunday, 9/30, 1 pm CBS)
New England
The Pats sit at 1-2 on the season, and this is a must-win game for them in order to get back on track and salvage the season. The Bills should be the perfect recipe for them to accomplish this, as New England has won 16 of the last 17 meetings against Buffalo. The New England offense is firing on all cylinders at the moment, as they scored 30 points against a strong Baltimore team. New England has always bounced back well after losses, going 35-16-1 in their last 52 games following a loss in their previous game.
Buffalo
The Bills have had a very easy schedule to open the season, playing three teams that will likely not be making the playoffs. They were able to win two of those games, and a win today against New England would put them in good shape when it comes to the AFC East standings. But I do not expect that to happen, as their offense is not strong enough to threaten this suspect Patriots defense. Buffalo has just covered 1 of their last 6 games against AFC East teams.
Final Comment
Buffalo has had no success against the Patriots over the last decade, and that will again be the case on Sunday. Buffalo fell apart last year after a hot start and they just do not seem to handle prosperity well. Expect New England to dominate this game from start to finish giving them a much-needed victory.

10 Unit Play. (#86/#182) Take Nebraska Cornhuskers over Wisconsin Badgers
(Saturday, 9/29, 8 pm ABC) College Game of the Year

Nebraska
The Cornhuskers have rebounded nicely after a disappointing performance in Los Angeles with back-to-back blowout wins against inferior competition. I do not believe that Wisconsin will be able to provide much more of a challenge than did Southern Miss, Idaho State, & Arkansas State. Nebraska is healthy as a team with Rex Burkhead back rushing for over 100 yards last week. The key to this game for Big Red will by the play of QB Taylor Martinez, as he had a game to forget when these two teams met last year in Madison. He has worked at throwing the football better all summer long and the early results have come, as he has nine touchdowns and only one interception this season. Nebraska has covered 4 straight home games.
Wisconsin
As much as we like Nebraska as a team in this game, most of this selection is based on going against Wisconsin. The Badgers just do not have much talent this season outside of the running back position. QB Danny O

10 Unit Play. (#107/#411) Take New York Jets over Miami Dolphins
(Sunday, 9/23, 1 pm CBS)
New York
The Jets come into this game at 1-1 on the season beating the Buffalo Bills at home and then getting pounding by the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. The Jets should get help on defense with Darrelle Revis back in the line-up after sitting out last week with a concussion. The road team has been the play in this match-up recently covering four of the last five games in this series. The Jets have a more experienced quarterback in Mark Sanchez and expect their defense to put pressure on rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Miami
The Dolphins are coming off an impressive performance in the home opener after getting blown out in Week 1 at Houston. In that game, Miami failed to score an offensive touchdown and it would not surprise me if that was the case today as well. The fact remains that Miami does not have many playmakers on offense with the exception of Reggie Bush. Their wide receivers are terrible and expect the Jets to put pressure on them for sixty minutes. Miami is just 22-49 ATS (1 push) in their last 72 home games.
Final Comment
This is a divisional game so you can bet both teams are very familiar with one another. Miami does not have a home field advantage whatsoever, so expect the Jets to come in a control tempo for sixty minutes. This is an important game for the Jets and a must win if they have visions of making the playoffs this season. Miami is still in full rebuild mode and is just trying to improve since they have been inept for over a decade.
New York by 13

10 Unit Play. (#14/#326) Take North Carolina over East Carolina Pirates
(Saturday, 9/22, 3:30 pm ESPN U) Top College Football Play of the Weekend
North Carolina
The Tar Heels find themselves at 1-2 on the season but with any luck they could be 3-0. The lost back-to-back road games by a combined total of six points but expect things to be much easier on Saturday facing a weak East Carolina team. The Pirates are not strong on pass defense and expect UNC to have numerous big plays through the air. QB Bryn Renner has been solid this year throwing nine touchdowns and just three interceptions. North Carolina is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Conference USA games.
East Carolina
The Pirates should be an improved team from 2011 since they return a lot of starters and they are coming off a nice victory on the road last week against Southern Miss. But they did not perform well against the only BCS Conference team that they faced in South Carolina, getting blown out in Columbia by a score of 48-10. East Carolina is just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against ACC teams.
Final Comment
UNC is ready for some home cooking after back-to-back losses on the road. ECU will be playing their third straight road game and that will take its toll on them. Look for North Carolina to have a field day with their passing attack and I just cannot see the Pirates being able to trade points with them.
North Carolina by 24

10 Unit Play. (#122/#224) Take San Francisco 49ers over Detroit Lions
(Sunday, 9/16, 4:15 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend
San Francisco
The 49ers were a solid team in all phases of the game last season except at throwing to the wide receivers. To correct this the 49ers went out and signed Randy Moss and looked much better in Game 1 of the 2012 season than they did all of last season. QB Alex Smith was asked to be a game manager for most of last season but the handcuffs appear to be taken off of him in 2012. The defense is one of the best in the league, as was evidenced by the fact that they held Aaron Rogers to just two touchdowns. San Francisco is 15-5 ATS (1 push) in their last 21 games overall.
Detroit
The Lions did not look all that impressive in their opening game of the season against a bad St. Louis Rams team. Detroit needed a late touchdown pass just to win the game and a performance like that will not get it done this week on the west coast. The Lions are a lot like Green Bay and that they rely heavily on their passing game and are not an effective team running the football. Detroit is just 1-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 games.
Final Comment
This is a rematch of the awkward hand shake between Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh. Coach Schwartz is a hothead ready to explode at any given time and Coach Harbaugh is just a good coach. It also helps when the better coach has the better players and that will be the case on Sunday afternoon, as the 49ers take care of business.
San Francisco by 14

10 Unit Play. (#42/#140) Take Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets over Virginia Cavaliers
(Saturday, 9/15, 3:30 pm ESPN U) Top College Game of the Weekend
Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets should be 2-0 on the season but did not make any plays down the stretch against Virginia Tech in their opener and, thus, need to take care of business the rest of the way in order to keep their championship hopes alive. This is always an important game for Al Groh (DC for Georgia Tech), as he was head coach at Virginia for nine seasons. The triple option is always tough to prepare for, especially when their opponent is coming off a hard-fought victory the week before. The Yellow Jackets are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games played during the month of September.
Virginia
The Cavaliers are 2-0 on the season, but they are lucky to be in this position. Penn State totally outplayed them last week in Charlottesville, but the Nittany Lions missed 4 field goals and an extra point, allowing Virginia to win the game, 17-16. Virginia will have their hands full with this triple option and they did not perform well against it last year, giving up 477 yards on the ground (yet still won the game).
Final Thought
This is a series that has been dominated by the home team, and I do not see that changing this year. The home team is 14-3ATS, and that stat just cannot be ignored. Expect Georgia Tech to rack up big yardage on the ground and coast to a victory in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech by 21

10 Unit Play. #113 Take San Francisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers
(Sunday, 9/6, 4:25 pm Fox) Top NFL Play of the Weekend

San Francisco
The 49ers have a remarkable turnaround in 2011 and they are the clear cut favorite to repeat as champions in the NFC West Division. Coach Jim Harbaugh was able to get this team to play to its potential especially Alex Smith at the quarterback position. This team has one of the best defenses in the NFL and they will be able to control the strong passing attack of the Packers. The 49ers went 6-2 last year in road games. San Francisco is 14-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 19 games.
Green Bay
The Packers were clearly the best team in the regular season in 2011. Despite this, Green Bay had major weaknesses and that finally caught up with them against the New York Giants in the divisional playoffs. The team struggled to run the football and their defense was among statistical teams in the league. QB Rogers is clearly one of the best in the league and Green Bay has a dynamic passing game that cannot be ignored.
Final Comment
This is clearly a match-up of strengths and weakness, as the 49ers are great on defense and the Packers are great on offense. The 49ers offense and the Packers defense have question marks. I expect this game to go down to the wire and getting over a field goal is too good to pass up. San Francisco by 1.

10 Unit Play. #88 Take Oregon State Beavers over Wisconsin Badgers
(Saturday, 9/8, 4 pm FX) Top Big Ten Underdog
Oregon State
Oregon State has struggled the last couple of years, but expect an improved squad in 2012 for Coach Mike Reily. The Beavers return 15 starters, and that includes two of the best cover corners in the Pac-12. With Jordan Poyer and Rashaad Reynolds, I expect them to being playing a lot of one-on-one coverage on an island, and this will allow the Beavers to stack the line of scrimmage for the strong Wisconsin running attack. When the Beavers went to Madison last year, they were a depleted team with 8 starters out and they had to play 8 true freshman. I see this team getting back to 8 wins and challenging atop the standing in the Pac-12.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin struggled to put away a FCS opponent last Saturday in Northern Iowa. The Panthers stacked the line of scrimmage and were able to contain the running attack of Wisconsin and not let them get any big plays on the ground. I look for Wisconsin to have more success this week running the football, but this opponent is a much more balanced team. If Wisconsin plays like they did last week, they will lose this game straight up, never mind the point spread. The Badgers have another transfer quarterback in Danny O

10 Unit Play. #52 Take Michigan State Spartans over Boise State Broncos (Friday 8 pm ESPN)

On paper this is one of the biggest games of the weekend. These are two great programs but a deeper look into these team, I see uncertainty on both sides because each of them is trying to replace experienced senior starters at quarterback.

I give Michigan State the edge here. They have eight starters back on a defense that finished No. 5 in the country in yards allowed and No. 10 in the country in scoring last year. That gives Sparty a big advantage, especially in an opening game like this where Boise State is still trying to figure things out. Michigan State really might have the best group of linebackers in the country and they should control this game. The Spartans have been shafted the last two years with regards to receiving a berth in a BSC Bowl and they will take out their frustration in this game. Michigan State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Boise State really is a great program. Chris Peterson has done an amazing job. But the Broncos only have about five starters back from last year

10 Unit Play. #101 Take New York Giants over New England Patriots (Sunday 6:30 pm NBC)
This is the rematch from 4 years ago and features two traditional powers in New York and New England. The Patriots are favored because they have a marquee coach and quarterback, but I really believe that the Giants are the better all-around team and will win this game straight-up. New York has already beaten the Patriots in Foxboro this season and they have the defense that can slow down this high-powered New England passing attack. To be honest, the same cannot be said about the Patriots defense, as they are one of the worst units in all of football.
The Patriots were not challenged by explosive offenses in either of their two playoff games, as Denver is terrible on offense and Baltimore does not have many weapons as well. That being said, the Ravens outplayed New England and should have won the game, but a dropped touchdown pass and a missed field goal did them in.
The Giants are really hitting their stride late in the season and they are now healthy on defense and they own of one of the best front fours in all of football. They got to QB Brady when they met four years ago and I fully expect them to hit him early and often in this game as well. New York is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 playoff games. New England is just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 playoff games. The Giants win this game straight-up and getting points in just icing on the cake.
New York by 6

10 Unit Play. #255 Take Wisconsin Badgers over Oregon Ducks (Rose Bowl, Monday, January 2nd, 5 pm ESPN) Bowl Game of the Year.

It is hard to imagine either defense stopping either offense but we will take the points in what will likely be a high scoring shootout. Wisconsin has a dominating offensive line and this is something Oregon does not see on the west coast. The Badgers have won their last three Rose Bowl against PAC-12 opponents and they were underdogs in two of those games as well. Wisconsin has a strong identity of ground and pound and this will eventually wear down the Ducks come the second half.

Oregon has a strong face-paced offense that will be able to move the football on this suspect Wisconsin defense; however, the Badgers do have a strong front four that should be able to put some pressure on Darron Thomas. Oregon has not won a Rose Bowl since 1917 and they are just not a good match-up against a traditional Big Ten team. A suspect Ohio State team beat them in the 2010 game holding them to just 17 points and I felt that offensive was more explosive than this year

10 Unit Play. #52 Take New York Giants over Dallas Cowboys (Sunday 8:20 pm NBC) Top NFL Play of the Weekend.
This is a winner take all game between the Cowboys and the Giants and we will side with the home team tonight at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Normally we would side with the underdog in this series since they have covered 5 straight, but the Cowboys are limping into this game and the Giants are coming off one of their best performances of the season. The Giants dominated the Jets

10 Unit Play. #238 Take Northwestern Wildcats over Texas A & M Aggies (MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL Saturday, December 31st, 12 pm ESPN) Big Ten Game of the Year.

Both teams underachieved this season and it ended up costs Coach Mike Sherman his job. Northwestern struggled with injuries all season long with QB Dan Persa but he is now healthy and I fully expect him to pick apart this weak A & M defense that allows 29 points per game. Coach Pat Fitzgerald knows who important this game is for his Wildcats, as they have not won a bowl game since 1949. This is the fourth straight year Northwestern has qualified for a bowl game and the last three have been nail bitters, losing two of them in overtime and lost by just 7 points last year. They have played much better teams in those games (Missouri, Auburn, and Texas Tech) than what they will get today from the Aggies. Also expect QB Persa to be hungry as he missed the bowl game last year (Achilles' injury).

Texas A & M has talent, but they were never able to put it together this season and I do not expect them to be able to figure it out with an interim coach and a staff that will be looking for new jobs come next season. They are also banged up on offense with the loss of Christine Michael (torn ACL) Cyrus Gray (shoulder

10 Unit Play. #18 Take Kansas City Chiefs over Oakland Raiders (Saturday 1 pm CBS) Top NFL Play of the Weekend.
This appears to be a case of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Chiefs knocked off the previous unbeaten Green Bay Packers and are still very much alive in the AFC West despite being in fourth place. The Raiders have never gotten on track with QB Carson Palmer and will enter this game having lost three straight. They were blown out in two of those games and suffered a devastating loss last Sunday against Detroit in which they blew a late 13-point lead. The Raiders had complete control of the AFC West, but things have fallen apart and I do not expect them to get much better playing the Chiefs this Sunday.
The Chiefs now have a quarterback that can actually throw the football and expect him to pick apart the Raiders like he did the Packers last Sunday. Kanas City has already beaten Oakland once this season and that came in the Black Hole by a score of 28-0. In that game the Raiders turned the football over 6 times and expect a similar occurrence today against the Chiefs defense. Kansas City is inspired by the coaching change and the players are going all out for Romeo Crennel. Former Coach Todd Haley never seemed to be the right fit for the Chiefs and Coach Crennel is getting the most out of his players. Oakland is 16-35 ATS (1 push) vs. a team with a losing record. Kansas City is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 December games.
Kansas City by 10

10 Unit Play. #24 Take New York Giants over Washington Redskins (Sunday 1 pm Fox)
The Giants certainly had their backs against the wall last Sunday night, as they faced a must win game at Dallas and were down 12 points late in the fourth quarter. New York was able to rally back and now they control their own destiny with regards to the NFC East Crown. They are facing a Redskins team that has thrown in the towel on this season having lost 8 of their last 9 games and they have yet to settle on a quarterback. The Redskins played well last week against New England, but I do not expect them to be as effective at MetLife Stadium this Sunday.
QB Eli Manning is making his case of late that he is an elite quarterback, as he tore apart the Dallas Cowboys in route to a victory last Sunday night. He has thrown 7 touchdowns in the last three weeks and has already thrown for over 4100 yards. Washington will not be able to keep pace with these numbers and assuming the Giants do not turn over the football, this game will be a route.
New York by 17

10 Unit Play. #22 Take Tennessee Titans over New Orleans Saints (Sunday 1 pm Fox)
The Titans have stayed under the radar for most of the season but they are quietly having a good year and they are a player for a wild card spot in the AFC Playoffs. The Saints have put on a display the last two weeks against the Giants and Lions but they are a completely different team on the road than they are when playing at the Superdome. New Orleans is just 3-3 on the road this year and that includes losses against St. Louis and Tampa Bay (two of the worst teams in the NFC this season).
The Titans have gotten a major boast of late with Chris Johnson returning back to form. He has went over 130 yards in three of his last four games and this makes this team full now as they have a quarterback that can beat you with his arm as well. Coach Mike Munchak has already played three NFC teams this season and his team has covered all three games (Atlanta, Carolina, & Tampa Bay). This is a very important game for the Titans because they have two winnable games on deck (Jacksonville & Indianapolis) and that will get them to 10 wins on the season and a likely playoff berth. New Orleans is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games. Tennessee is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games as a home underdog. Tennessee controls the time of possession and keeps QB Drew Brees off of the football field winning this game straight-up.
Tennessee by 3

10 Unit Play. #56 Take New Orleans Saints over Detroit Lions (Sunday 8:20 pm NBC)
This game got flexed to primetime as the Colts have been taken out because they have looked horrible with QB Peyton Manning. The Saints are a different animal at the Superdome and will record their sixth victory of the season in New Orleans tonight against a depleted and angry Lions team. As you probably have heard by now, Detroit will be without Ndamukong Suh, who was suspended for stomping on the arm of a Green Bay Packers lineman on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions have lost two of their last 3 games and both of them came by double-digits.
The Saints lit up the scoreboard on Monday night football facing a similar team to Detroit in the New York Giants. Once the Saints get ahead of you in the dome, you are done and they can cover big numbers because they do not take their foot off the pedal. Detroit is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against NFC teams. New Orleans has covered 5 straight home games.
New Orleans by 17

10 Unit Play. Take Oklahoma State Cowboys over Oklahoma Sooners (Saturday 8 pm ABC)
With no Big 12 Title Game this season, this is the winner take all game with the victory getting a BCS Bid and the loser getting a lesser bowl bid. Neither team has played well down the stretch, but the Pokes have had over two weeks to prepare for this game since their loss to Iowa State on November 18th. The Sooners are still without their playmaking WR Ryan Broyles and this is a major loss and it will show its face in this game.
Both teams have dynamic offenses, but I trust the experience of Brandon Weeden more than I do Landry Jones. He has thrown 34 touchdowns on the season and expect him to put on a show against a shaky Sooner defense in this Bedlam match-up. The home team has been the play in recent match-up in Bedlam covering 9 of the last 13 match-ups (1 push). The Pokes have covered 17 of their last 22 games.
Oklahoma State by 10

10 Unit Play. #129 Take Chicago Bears over Oakland Raiders (Sunday 4:05 pm FOX) NFL Game of the Year.
The Bears are playing outstanding football at the moment and will enter this game having won five straight games. If QB Cuter was playing, I would expect Chicago to be around a field goal favorite, but that is not the case and because of the injury the Raiders enter as the favorite. Let

10 Unit Play. #76 Take Michigan Wolverines over Ohio State Buckeyes (Saturday 12 pm ABC)
The Buckeyes have dominated this series in recent years, but coaching changes at both schools lead me to believe that Michigan is the play this weekend. The Buckeyes are coming off two bad losses in consecutive weeks to Purdue and Penn State and they must win this game to avoid a .500 record on the season. They will likely make a coaching change at the end of the season and they will have to rebuild with a new identity, as without the vest as head coach, they team has lost its identity. Giving up 46 points the last two weeks to Purdue and Penn State would not give you confidence when having to face Denard Robinson and the high powered Wolverine offense.
Michigan dominated Nebraska last week for 60 minutes and it would not surprise me if this final score was similar to the game last week. Michigan is coming off two straight impressive victories (Illinois & Nebraska) and they have a lot of play for in this game, as a victory will all but assure them a BCS bid. Coach Brady Hoke has given this team confidence and expect them to put on a show and pound Ohio State. Michigan is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games at the Big House. This is a celebration of the revival of Michigan and we will collect big in the process as well!
Michigan by 21

10 Unit Play. #426 Take Detroit Lions over Carolina Panthers (Sunday 1 pm Fox)
The Lions need a get well game and the Carolina Panthers should be the perfect remedy for a team coming off a bad loss. Detroit was dominated for 60 minutes last week against the Chicago Bears and now face a must win home game this Sunday at Ford Field. The Panthers are just 2-7 this season and that includes going 0-3 on the road. They will enter this game having lost 5 of their last 6 games and their last two games have been against bad teams in Minnesota and Tennessee. QB Cam Newton is coming off a terrible performance last Sunday throwing for zero touchdowns and one interception. His quarterback rating in that game was just 61.7 and expect the strong Lions pass rush to tee off on him this Sunday.
This will be Carolina

10 Unit Play. #20 Take Illinois Fighting Illini over Wisconsin Badgers (Saturday 12 pm ESPN 2)
The Badgers are the best team in the Big Ten, but Illinois has a lot of talent and this is just too many points to be laying in Champaign. The home team has won three straight in this series and the Illini beat the Badgers the last time in Champaign when Wisconsin was ranked No. 5 in the country. The Illini have a strong defense and Wisconsin will not be able to run all over them similar to what they did last week against Minnesota. This is also the second straight road game for Wisconsin and that usually catches up with teams that have to cover a big number.
The Badgers are strong on offense but their defense is questionable and their special teams are awful. Last week UW allowed a fake field goal and a kickoff return for touchdowns and this unit has been dreadful throughout the Big Ten portion of the season. Illinois is coming off a poor performance against Michigan, but that is the only game that they have not been in this season and I expect them to bounce back in a big way today. Wisconsin is just 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road games when they are a favorite of 10.5 points or more. Illinois is 9-1 in their last 10 games when they are an underdog. Certain teams do not handle prosperity well and expect Illinois to thrive in the underdog role and keep this one close for sixty minutes.
Wisconsin by 6

10 Unit Play. #19 Take Michigan State Spartans over Iowa Hawkeyes (Saturday 12 pm ESPN 2)
For the second straight week, we will fade the Hawkeyes in Iowa City as our top play in college football. Last week did not turn out well, but Michigan State is a much better all-around team than Michigan is. Michigan State has a strong defense that can shut down this questionable Iowa offense.
The Spartans will have revenge on their minds, as Iowa handed them their only loss of the season last year and knocked them out of the Rose Bowl. Last week Michigan was halted by an injury to Denard Robinson and despite that nearly mounted a comeback and could have tied the game, but two touchdowns were overturned on the last drive. Iowa was not afraid of the Michigan passing game but that will not be the case this Saturday. Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins is one of the best passing quarterback in the conference and I expect him to pick apart this Iowa defense. Michigan State is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record. Iowa is just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games coming off a victory. This will be the first good team Iowa will play at home this season and it will also be Iowa

10 Unit Play. #106 Take Buffalo Bills over New York Jets (Sunday 1 pm CBS)
AFC Game of the Year. The Bills continue to receive very little respect despite sitting atop the standing in the very competitive AFC East and we will lay the wood with them today, as they are 4-0 in this at home (Toronto Game included). Buffalo has been kicked around of late by the Jets but this is a much improved team than those that played in the last three meetings.
I am still not sold on QB Marc Sanchez as a NFL caliber quarterback. I expect the Bills to sell out to stop the run and force Sanchez and his old wide receivers to beat them with the deep ball. Buffalo has great balance on offense and this is not the same Jets defense that has been so strong in the last couple of years. They still have a great player in CB Darrelle Revis but their rush defense has been horrible allowing over 125 yards per game by their opponents. The Jets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games. Buffalo is 6-2 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 home games. Buffalo make a statement that they are going to the playoffs, and we collect big in the process as well.
Buffalo by 8

10 Unit Play. #15 Take Michigan Wolverines over Iowa Hawkeyes (Saturday 12 pm ESPN)
The Wolverines have come back well after losing to Michigan State with a convincing 22-point victory against Purdue last week. Iowa is on the other end of the spectrum coming off an embarrassing loss to Minnesota last Sunday. Yes this is the same Gopher team that lost to New Mexico State and North Dakota State at home this season. To make no bones about it, Iowa has been lacking in recruiting lately against other top teams in the Big Ten and now Coach Kirk Ferentz is squarely on the hot seat.
The Wolverines will have revenge on their minds as well losing to Iowa the last two years. But that came under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke has returned Michigan to its identity. Iowa has never beaten Michigan three straight years and that will stay intact as the Wolverines offense is the only good squad on the field. Iowa does not have enough playmakers on offense to threaten this suspect Michigan defense and thus Michigan can simply outscore their way to a victory. Michigan is 4-0 in their last 4 games when they are favored to win. Iowa is 1-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 8 Big Ten games. QB Denard Robinson and company stay atop the standing in the Big Ten and we collect with them as well!
Michigan by 13

10 Unit Play. #130 Take Philadelphia Eagles over Dallas Cowboys (Sunday 8:20 pm NBC)
The game of the week features two NFC East teams that need this win in order to avoid falling too far behind in a highly competitive division. I firmly believe that Philadelphia righted the ship last time they were in action against Washington and I expect them to get much better as the season progresses. Dallas has lost two of their last three games with their only victory coming against the winless St. Louis Rams, a team that was playing without their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford.
The bye week came at the perfect time for the Eagles and allowed many of their players to get healthy for this game. I expect their offense to be able to score a will against Dallas and it would not surprise me if they put up 30-plus points. The Cowboys are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games in October. Philadelphia needs this game and they get it in convincing fashion.
Philadelphia by 10

10 Unit Play. #92 Take Southern Cal Trojans over Stanford Cardinals (Saturday 8 pm ABC)
PAC-12 Game of the Year. It has been a long time since USC has been this big of an underdog at the Coliseum and I do not believe that Stanford is capable of beating them by double-digits in Los Angeles. USC is coming off their best performance of the season last week in South Bend and they are much more battle tested than the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford has struggled in numerous first haves this season against inferior competition and if they struggle against USC, they will likely lose this game straight-up.
This game reminds me a great deal of the Wisconsin

10 Unit Play. #121 Take Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings (Sunday 4:15 pm Fox)
The Packers are the only undefeated team left in the NFL and we will ride them yet against playing one of the worst teams in the league. The Vikings have major questions at quarterback, as Donovan McNabb got pulled in their last game against the Bears in favor of rookie Christian Ponder. Neither quarterback will have success against the Packers and it does not matter to us whom is under center (Ponder will likely start). Green Bay is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against Minnesota including winning the last match-up in Minneapolis by a score of 31-3.
The Packers have dominated against bad teams of late going 11-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 15 games against teams with a losing record. The Vikings are 2-10 ATS (1 push) in their last 13 games when they are an underdog. The Packers have covered 21 of their last 31 games against NFC North teams and win number 22 will come by double digits Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome.
Green Bay by 15

10 Unit Play. #88 Take Michigan State Spartans over Wisconsin Badgers (Saturday 8 pm ESPN) Underdog Game of the Year.

Note: We are aware of the suspension to Bill Gholston and feel we are getting an extra 1/2 point because of it and still really like this play a lot!

I must admit that in the opinion of this writer, this line is way off the mark. Wisconsin has yet to be tested on the road this season and in fact this will be their first true road game of the season. Michigan was in the same boat as Wisconsin was last week and lost by double digits to the Spartans in East Lansing. The home team has won the last six meetings in this series and it would not surprise me if that streak reaches seven games. The Badgers have not won a game in East Lansing since 2002 and this is a place they traditionally do not play well at.
Michigan State has weapons that can exploit this Wisconsin defense that has yet to be tested, especially through the air. Nebraska and QB Taylor Martinez cannot throw the football like QB Kirk Cousins can and this will become evident during the course of this 60 minute affair. This will be the first true test Wisconsin will receive this season and I just do not believe that they will be up to the task. Wisconsin had become a very public team and thus we continue to get great value with this selection, as it is now approaching double-digits. Michigan State is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. The Spartans are also 7-3 ATS in their last 10 Big Ten Games. Michigan State hands Wisconsin their first loss of the season and we collect big in the process as well!

10 Unit Play. #110 Take New York Giants over Buffalo Bills (Sunday 1 pm CBS) The Giants were in great shape to take command of the NFC East and solidify their standing in the NFC for the playoffs but then they laid an egg last week at home against the Seattle Seahawks. I expect them to bounce back this week and make a statement against an up and coming Buffalo Bills team. Buffalo is getting it done on defense by creating turnovers, as they are just the just 28th ranked unit in the NFL. That means that if the Giants do not turn over the football, they should win this game by double digits. Buffalo is just 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games following a victory. New York is 22-8 ATS (1 push) in their last 31 games played during the month of October. An argry Giants team makes a major statement on Sunday and we collect in the process as well.
New York Football Giants 31, Buffalo Bills 20

10 Unit Play. #69 Take Northwestern Wildcats over Iowa Hawkeyes (Saturday 7 p.m. Big Ten Network)
The writing is on the wall! This is not a very good Hawkeyes team, as the running attack is non-existent and their defensive line is not as good as in past years. They stayed with Penn State last week, but Penn State is not any good either.
Northwestern had Michigan on the ropes last Saturday in Evanston, but turnovers and some questionable officiating calls did them in over the last 30 minutes. They could not contain Denard Robinson, but Iowa has nobody like him on their roster. Northwestern can score points on most clubs as long as QB Dan Persa is healthy and only their defense is of concern. But, as I mentioned, Iowa does not have the playmakers to threaten them with big plays. Northwestern is 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games as a road underdog. Iowa is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a losing record.
Northwestern by 10

10 Unit Play.#86 Take LSU Tigers over Florida Gators (Saturday 3:30 pm CBS)
It may be hard in most cases justifying laying this many points against Florida. However, these two teams are heading in opposite directions. Florida went all out last week to try and upset Alabama in the swamp, but they wore down and the game was not very close. Now they must go on the road to face LSU, a team that might have the best defense in the country. Throw in the fact that the Gators will be starting a true freshman at quarterback, as fifth-year senior John Brantley is out for this game, and it looks like it could be a long day for Florida.
LSU has been tested like no other team in the country has been this season. They have played away from Baton Rouge against Oregon, Mississippi State, and West Virginia. Florida is 2-6 ATS (1 push) in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. The Tigers prove why they are the top team in the country with a dominating victory against Florida.
LSU Tigers 27, Florida Gators 6

10 Unit Play. #116 Take Houston Texans over Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday 1 pm CBS)
A match-up of two teams expected to make some noise in the AFC takes place this Sunday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. Houston suffered a loss last week in New Orleans, but it was not due to lack of effort since they outplayed the Saints for most of that game only to fall apart toward the end of regulation. The Steelers are 2-1 on the season but those two wins came against bottom feeder teams in Indianapolis and Seattle. The one good team they did play this season they got blown out by the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh is just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games being played in October. Pittsburgh did not play well offensively Sunday night against Indianapolis and only scoring in the twenties will not be enough to stay with the high powered Houston Texans. Houston has covered 4 of their 5 games when they are the favorite.
Houston Texans 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 20

10 Unit Play. #106 Take New Orleans Saints over Houston Texans (Sunday 1 pm Fox)
The is a very attractive match-up on paper as it features two high powered offenses led by QB Matt Schaub and QB Drew Brees. The Saints sit at just 1-1 on the season and thus they cannot afford to take this game lightly. The Texans have opened up against two teams with very weak offenses (Indianapolis and Miami) and they will not be ready for the Saints Sunday at the Superdome. The Saints defense played much better in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears than they did in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. Last week they recorded six sacks and seven tackles for loss. They are also getting healthy on defense and expect DC Gregg Williams to hit QB Matt Schaub early and often.
Houston is the clear favorite to win the NFC South this season but that is more by default than it is them being a good team. I still have no confidence in Coach Gary Kubiak to win a big game, especially when it comes on the road. I have a lot of confidence in Coach Sean Payton, since he has won numerous big game including a Super Bowl two years ago. The Texans are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog. The Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.

New Orleans Saints 31, Houston Texas 20

10 Unit Play. #94 Take Arizona State Sun Devils over USC Trojans (Saturday 10:15 p.m. ESPN)

Now is the time for Coach Dennis Erickson and his Sun Devils to finally play to their potential and knock off the Trojans for the first time in their last six trips to Tempe. This will be the Trojans first road game of the season and they have not played well in their three home games, including struggling to beat a Minnesota team that lost to New Mexico State. I look for the Sun Devils to put pressure on QB Matt Barkley, forcing them to run the football, and that is something the Trojans are not very good at doing.

Losing last week to Illinois will not have any effect on this game for ASU. In fact, it will likely have them determined to make a statement in this game. The talent for ASU is there and the time is now! USC is 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win. ASU is 8-3 ATS (1 push) in their last 12 games at Sun Devil Stadium. Both trends hold true on Saturday night, as we collect with our top play!
Arizona State Sun Devils 28, USC Trojans 17

10 Unit Play. #126 Take Atlanta Falcons over Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday 8:20 pm NBC)
The return of Michael Vick to the Atlanta marks the best game on the docket in week two of the NFL regular season. The Falcons got off to a slow start in Week 1 by getting pounded by the Chicago Bears, but I look for them to bounce back in a big way at home. Matt Ryan has one of the best home records in football when he starts behind center and expect another strong performance tonight in a game that they must have.
The Eagles are a self-proclaimed dream team with numerous free agent signings this season, but I just am not sold on Michael Vick as a true passer. Vick used his legs in game one, but that came against the Rams. Atlanta has a much better defense than St. Louis and they will force Vick to beat them through the air. The Eagles are just 7-15 ATS (1 push) in their last 23 games as a favorite of 3 points or less. Atlanta is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games coming off a straight-up loss. When good teams face one another in the NFL, generally the team that needs it more, gets it. That will hold true yet again on Sunday Night Football.
Atlanta Falcons 28, Philadelphia Eagles 24

10 Unit Play. #8 Take Clemson Tigers over Auburn Tigers (Saturday 12 pm ABC)

Revenge Game of the Year. This Auburn team continues to roll and will enter Death Valley on a 16 game winning streak. No doubt that a team has to be good to accomplish this; however, luck does play a part in this game and the Auburn Tiger

10 Unit Play. #117 Take Dallas Cowboys over New York Jets (Sunday 8:20 pm NBC)
The Jets had high expectations last season and laid an egg in their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens and it would not surprise me if history repeats itself again this Sunday. The Cowboys have stayed under the radar but I feel that they are no healthy and ready to make a run in the NFC East this season. I am still not sold on this Jets offense, especially QB Mark Sanchez.
Tony Romo is now healthy after his injury last season and he still has numerous playmakers to spread the football around too. Dallas hired a Ryan as their defensive coordinator this season and that should help solidify this side of the football as well. The Cowboys are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games when they are an underdog. The Jets are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0. Both trends hold true on Sunday, as this game goes down to the wire and we will collect with whoever comes out on top.
Dallas Cowboys 17, New York Jets 16

10 Unit Play. #45 Take Toledo Rockets over Ohio State Buckeyes (Saturday 12 pm Big Ten Network)
Last week

4-Unit Play. Take #209 SMU over Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 4)
These spots are just made for June Jones. He was a thorn in the side of BCS teams when he was at Hawaii and he is a thorn in their side now. This is a lot of points to be laying out to an SMU team that can score with anyone. Sophomore Kyle Padron is much more experienced and comfortable than he was at this time last year and I think he will have a solid game. This same SMU team only lost to TCU - a BCS team - by 25 points on the road last year. They are far more experienced and now that they are in the third year of Jones' system (with eight three-year starters in the lineup) they will be ready to roll. This is an in-state rivalry game and that makes me like the dog even better because this is basically like a bowl game for them.

10 Unit Play. #98 Take Georgia Bulldogs over Boise State Broncos (Saturday 8 pm ESPN)
This is an important game for both teams, but the Bulldogs have a major edge since this game is being played in the state of Georgia. The Bulldogs are coming off a disappointing season in 2010 and it is important that they start off on a good note in 2011 or things could get ugly. Boise State is loaded again with QB Kellen Moore returning to lead the offense, but they will have to replace their top two receivers from last year in Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Georgia has no slouch at quarterback either, as Aaron Murray threw 24 touchdowns last season and only 8 interceptions.
These two teams met in 2005 and Georgia defeated Boise State by a score of 48-13. It will be hard for Georgia to repeat that performance, but I expect their defense to key on stopping the run and I believe that they have the athletes to cover the new Bronco receivers one on one. Georgia pulls this game out late and getting points is too good to pass up.
Georgia Bulldogs 24, Boise State Broncos 21

10 Unit Play. #42 Take Baylor Bears over TCU Horned Frogs (Friday 8 pm ESPN)
TCU has been a darling of the mid-majors the last few years and their Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin put them into national championship contention for 2011. The problem with that is that this year they do not have the guns to back it up. This team was really hit hard by graduation losing 14 of their 22 starters from last year. The main loss is QB Andy Dalton, as he will likely start for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. Now Casey Pachall will be under center and he threw just nine passes in 2011 and has yet to be put in any pressure situations.
They will face a Baylor team that is hungry to put to bed a terrible bowl performance against Illinois last year. This team returns 14 of their 22 starters including QB Robert Griffin III, who threw for over 35 yards last season. The Bears also return their top five wide receivers and if they can protect Griffin, he will be able to move the football on TCU. Defense has always been an issue for Baylor since they pass a lot on offense and that means that their defense is on the field a lot. It will be important for them to get off of the field on third downs and whatever defense can accomplish this will likely be the winner.
Baylor got blown out at TCU last season and will be determined to make sure that does not happen at Floyd Casey Stadium this year. Since 1975, TCU is just 3-9 straight up when playing Baylor in Waco. TCU is just 1-5 ATS in their last six non-conference games. Baylor wins this game straight-up and getting points is just icing on the cake.
Baylor Bears 38, TCU Horned Frogs 31

3 Unit Play. #306 Take Pittsburgh Steelers over New York Jets (Sunday 6:30 pm CBS)

The Jets have certainly had a much more difficult schedule recently than the Steelers, but I believe that will eventually catch up with them and cause them to not play their best in this game. Last week

10 Unit Play. #303 Take Green Bay Packers over Chicago Bears (Sunday 3 pm Fox)

The Black and Blue Division will be center stage on Sunday, as the Packers and Bears are set to do battle, with the winner earning a trip to the Super Bowl. The Packers have been favored in all three games against the Bears this season, but they did not cover either of the first two games. They will cover today, as they have the better team in two phases (offense & defense). The Packers do not have very good special teams, but that will not be enough for the Bears to offset the disadvantage that they have on offense and defense. The Packers being favored in Chicago tells you all that one needs to know about who has the better talent.

QB Cutler played well against the Seahawks last week but that was against an 8-9 team and he was not challenged and had very little pressure on him to produce after the first quarter. QB Rogers was down early against the Falcons but that did not faze him, as he put up incredible numbers inside the Georgia Dome. I feel much more confident backing him and his receivers than I do QB Jay Cutler and company. The Packers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games versus NFC teams. The Bears are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog of 3

10 Unit Play. #242 Take Georgia Bulldogs over Central Florida Golden Knights (Liberty Bowl, Friday, Dec. 31st, 3:30 pm ESPN) Bowl Game of the Year.

This is one of the games where the favorite has a big edge in talent but the only question is will they come to play? If they do Georgia will probably win by double digits, but if they do not they could lose straight-up. I believe that this Bulldog program has too much price to lie down, as a loss here will mean a losing record for 2010 and Coach Richt will be feeling the heat. Georgia has played much better since they return of WR AJ Green, as he had to sit out the first part of the season because he sold his game jersey to an agent.

Granted the Golden Knights will come in here relaxed with nothing to lose. But the fact remains that they played a very weak schedule. UCF did not face a defense that was ranked in the top fifty in the country. Georgia has played well recently in bowl games covering five of their last seven when they are the favorite. Coach Richt keeps the Georgia faithful happy, as they build off of a big victory Friday in the hopes of a success 2011 season.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS 31, UCF GOLDEN KNIGHTS 17

10 Unit Play. #6 Take Pittsburgh Steelers over Carolina Panthers (Thursday 8:20 pm NFL Network)

The Carolina Panthers cannot wait for this season to end and now they must travel to Pittsburgh to play an angry Steeler team on Thursday night. Pittsburgh fell just short in their comeback against the New York Jets on Sunday and now needs to win this game in order to keep the No. 2 seed in the AFC, staying ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. Playing at home in the NFL on Thursday night is one of the biggest advantages in sports and expect Pittsburgh to dominate this game for 60 minutes. Carolina does not have an offense and I would be shocked if they can score more than ten points in this game. Coach John Fox and his staff are all but fired come January 3rd and Carolina will have nothing to play for in this game. In fact, losing helps them keep the No. 1 draft pick come April. Carolina is 1-6 ATS in their last seven games when they are the underdog. Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing record.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 27, CAROLINA PANTHERS 7

10 Unit Play. #10 Take South Florida Bulls over Connecticut Huskies (Saturday 8 pm ESPN 2)

(2008 USF -3, 17-13) (Connecticut -7, 29-27)

The cupboard is full of reasons as to why USF will emerge victorious.

1) The Huskies have never won at Raymond James Stadium
2) Coach Skip Holtz is 5-0 in his last five home games
3) Since 2001, the home team is 6-0 in this match-up

Throw in the fact that all the pressure will be on the Huskies, as a win will give them a BCS Bowl. USF will come in loose and ready to spoil UConn

10 Unit Play. #130 Take Washington Redskins over Minnesota Vikings (Sunday 1 pm Fox)

The Vikings have fired their coach and hope to find the same success that the Dallas Cowboys did, but I just do not see that happening. Minnesota is 0-8 (0-7-1 ATS) in their last eight regular season road games. QB Favre will start and I just do not believe he has it anymore. He has already thrown 17 interceptions on the season, and I expect him to throw a few more on Sunday. The defense of Minnesota has not performed well, either, and they are overrated and do not stop the run or the pass very well.

For all the turmoil that Washington has encountered they are still 5-5 on the season and are coming off a nice overtime victory last Sunday in Nashville. This team does have talent and have been in most of their games during the 2010 season with one notable exception. Minnesota is 0-6 ATS in their last six games as an underdog. Washington is 4-1 ATS in their last five games during the month on November. Both trends hold true, as we collect big backing the more consistent Redskins.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS 27, MINNESOTA VIKINGS 14

10 Unit Play. #114 Take UNLV Rebels over Wyoming Cowboys (Saturday 8 pm the MTN)

(2008

10 Unit Play. #53 Take Arizona State Sun Devils over USC Trojans (Saturday 10:30 pm FSN)

(2008

4 Unit Play. #129 Take New York Giants over Dallas Cowboys (Monday 8:30 pm ESPN)

The Giants may be the best team in the NFC at the moment and will enter this game having won three straight by an average margin of over 15 points per game. Both teams have great front fours but Eli Manning is a winner and Tony Romo is not. The Giants won both games with the Cowboys last year and are 10-3 straight-up in the last 13 meetings. Dallas is done and I just do not see them making a late run into the playoffs like they did last season. Their coach, Wade Phillips is all but fired come the end of the season and this team really lacks discipline. The Giants can take control of the division with a win tonight and I fully expect them to accomplish this. Dallas is 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. The Giants are 19-7 in their last 26 road games.

NEW YORK GIANTS 27, DALLAS COWBOYS 24

4 Unit Play. #14 Take Iowa Hawkeyes over Wisconsin Badgers (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC)

(2008

10 Unit Play. #19 Take Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Navy Midshipmen (Saturday 12 pm CBS)

(2008

10 Unit Play. #128 Take Denver Broncos over New York Jets (Sunday 4:05 pm CBS)

The Jets are coming off an emotional victory on Monday Night Football and now must make a cross country flight to Denver on a short week to take on the Broncos. The Broncos sit at 2-3 on the season but the AFC West is still wide open and if they can put together a nice winning streak at home they will be right back into the mix. QB Kyle Orton has played outstanding this season and is on pace to throw for over 5500 yards and 26 touchdowns. Denver lost a tough game at Baltimore last Sunday giving up 31 points, but the Jets do not have the same offensive firepower that the Ravens do, especially at the quarterback position. The Jets have not been a good October team going 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games during the month of Halloween. Denver has thrived as a home underdog going 9-4 ATS (1 push) in their last 14 games at Invesco Field when they are not expected to win. This will be the Jets third road game in four weeks and playing in mile high air usually catches up with your come the second half. Denver wins this game straight-up and getting points is just an added bonus.

DENVER BRONCOS 24, NEW YORK JETS 20

10 Unit Play. #56 Take Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Pittsburgh Panthers (Saturday 3:30 pm NBC)

(2008 Notre Dame -4

3 Unit Play. #2 Take Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders over Troy Trojans (Tuesday 8 pm ESPN 2)
(2008

10 Unit Play. #124 Take New York Giants over Chicago Bears (Sunday 8:15 pm NBC) The Bears are coming off an emotional win over the Packers on Monday Night Football but now must go on the road to play the Giants in a short week. The Giants are coming off a terrible performance last Sunday against the Titans and I expect Coach Tom Coughlin to lay the whip into his team, as his job is now on the line. The Bears have a false sense of confidence as the Packers gave them the game on Monday Night with terrible special teams play and costly penalties that negated numerous turnovers. I really like the Giants front seven on defense compared to the weak offensive line of the Chicago Bears. QB Cutler will force the football downfield and I expect the Giants to pick him off a couple of times. The Giants need to cut down on their penalties as well but if they do not beat themselves like the Packers did, I expect them to win this game comfortable. Chicago is 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games an underdog. The Giants are 18-7 (1 push) in their last 26 games in October. Both trends hold true again, as the Giants cannot afford to drop to lose two straight home games.
NEW YORK GIANTS 27, CHICAGO BEARS 13

5 Unit Play. #117 Take Houston Texans over Oakland Raiders (Sunday 4:05 pm CBS) For the first time in a while, the Oakland Raiders had some expectations going into this season and they have laid an egg thus far currently 1-2. The Texans have had great success against the Raiders going 4-1 straight-up and ATS in their five meetings. This includes a 29-6 beat down last year in Houston. The Texans have high expectations this season beyond just making the playoffs, but they need to keep winning as the Colts are right on their tail. Houston came out flat last week at home against Dallas and now needs this game to avoid dropping to 2-2 on the season.
The talent edge in this game is enormous and I expect the Raiders to struggle to move the football against this Texans defense. The Raiders have already made a QB change and they just do not have the weapons on offense to make big plays. Houston is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss.
HOUSTON TEXANS 31, OAKLAND RAIDERS 20

10 Unit Play. #82 Take Iowa Hawkeyes over Penn State Nittany Lions (Saturday 8 pm ABC)

(2008 Penn State -7, 23-24) (2009 Penn State -9, 21-10)

College Game of the Year. I really believe in this 2010 Iowa Hawkeye Club. They have the fortune of playing all of the Big Ten elite teams at Kinnick Stadium this season. I expect them to win here going away and they host Wisconsin (Oct. 23rd) and Ohio State (Nov. 20th) down the road. The Hawkeyes are in good hands with QB Ricky Stanzi and he has a very talented group of wide receivers to throw to. If the club does have a weakness, it would be the running game but it will only be needed to run out the clock on Saturday night. The Iowa defense is one of the best units in the country. Thus far nobody has rushed for over 100 yards against them and expect that to continue this week even though they will be facing RB Evan Royster.

As I look at Penn State, QB Robert Bolden is a freshman and I expect him to really struggle against this Iowa defense. Things will be compounded with the loss of RT Lou Eliades. Granted RB Royster did rush for 187 last week against Temple, but 60 of those yards came of the first play of the game. I see no possible way he will have success this week against Iowa

10 Unit Play. #129 Take Green Bay Packers over Chicago Bears (Monday 8:30 pm ESPN) A Monday Night game featuring the top two teams in the NFC North Division is set to take play at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. Both teams come in red hot, as the Packers have beaten the Eagles and Bills this season and the Bears have knocked out the Lions and Cowboys. The difference in this game will be the Packers offense, as it appears that they cannot be stopped. The Bears still have protection issues and I expect LB Clay Mathews to have another big day. Since QB Rogers took over he is 4-0 straight-up and against the spread when playing Chicago. The Bears do not have the same defense as they did in past seasons and you can run and throw on them. Green Bay is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games against the NFC North. Chicago is just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs. the NFC North. Green Bay takes control of the division and we collect big in the process as well.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 24, CHICAGO BEARS 17

4 Unit Play. #115 Take Chicago Bears over Dallas Cowboys (Sunday 1 pm Fox) The Dallas Cowboys are America

5 Unit Play. #120 Take Green Bay Packers over Buffalo Bills (Sunday 1 pm CBS) The Green Bay Packers have the most explosive passing offense in the opinion of this writer. Despite a slow start and a so-so performance by QB Aaron Rogers, the Packers put up 27 points. This included over 130 yards rushing and that is something the Packers struggled to do in 2009. The Packers defense played outstanding as well, especially LB Clay Mathews and expect him to bring terror to a weak Buffalo offense. Buffalo had just 166 yards of offense last week at home against Miami and I do not see them getting any more production this week. The Packers can simply outscore their way to a straight-up and ATS victory on Sunday, as Buffalo will not be able to keep up pace. Green Bay is 8-1 ATS (1 push) in their last ten games overall. Buffalo is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games against teams with a winning record. Green Bay big, mark it down!
GREEN BAY PACKERS 35, BUFFALO BILLS 14

4 Unit Play. #124 Take Tennessee Titans over Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday 1 pm CBS) The Steelers are still without QB ben Roethlisberger and that will eventually catch up with them starting on Sunday. Pittsburgh did not score a touchdown in regulation against Atlanta and I expect them to struggle to move the football against a strong defense in Tennessee. Pittsburgh really needed that win last week and I expect a letdown this week in Nashville. QB Vince Young has the ability to beat you with his legs and he passed the ball well last Saturday throwing for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This will only open more holes for RB Chris Johnson and expect him to get another long run on Sunday since the Steelers are banged up on the defensive line. Pittsburgh is 1-6 ATS in their last seven September games. Tennessee is 10-2 ATS in their last 12 September games. Both of these trends hold true, as the Titans win this game by double-digits.
TENNESSEE TITANS 24, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 13

10 Unit Play. #90 Take Michigan State Spartans over Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Saturday 8 pm ABC) I had this game marked on the calendar back in August. I would have preferred that the Irish won last week against Michigan, as this would have created a more favorable line with Notre Dame being 2-0 on the season. Granted, the Irish have played a much tougher schedule thus far, but in reality that may become a big negative. The opening week Notre Dame played Purdue and that was fueled with emotion with it being the first game for new Coach Brian Kelly. The next week they played Michigan and that is a much bigger game to the Irish then Michigan State.

Now Notre Dame must take to the road for the first time this season against a team that has just gone through the motions for two straight weeks. If Coach Mark Dantonio is going to elevate this team into elite status, this is the year it must be done. Michigan State has a balanced offense and I expect their defense to be much better in 2010. The Spartans lost to the Irish last year in South Bend, 33-30 despite outgaining them. It is also interesting to note that Michigan State was coming off a loss to Central Michigan the week prior, but that will not be the case tonight. Notre Dame will continue to get better under Coach Kelly and I do expect them to be a powerhouse; however, Kelly does not have enough of his recruits yet. Home gets the call!

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANTS 28, NOTRE DAME 20

4 Unit Play. #84 Take Western Michigan Broncos over Toledo Rockets (Saturday 7 pm)

4 Unit Play. #41 Take USC Trojans over Minnesota Golden Gophers (Saturday 3:30 pm ESPN) Over the years going against a team at home that is coming off an embarrassing loss such as the Gophers did last week against South Dakota, can only lighten the wallet. But the fact remains; Coach Brewster lacks personal, especially on defense, to stay with a heavyweight like USC. The Trojans have not looked like a ranked team thus far but they still have loads of talent. USC viewed last week

10 Unit Play. #7 Take North Texas Mean Green over Army Black Knights (Saturday 12 pm CBS College Sports) This one could truly be a gift, as the wrong team is favored in this game. Let

5 Unit Play. #104 Take Southern Miss over Kansas (Friday 8 pm ESPN) The Jayhawks are 1-1 having played North Dakota State and Georgia Tech at home to open up the 2010 season. One would certainly not expect them to have beat Georgia Tech and lost to North Dakota State but that is the case. The fact remains that Kansas is still a rebuilding team and I expect them to struggle in 2010 especially on the road. The Jayhawks beat the Golden Eagles last year in Lawrence 35-28 but did not cover the 13-point spread. They had QB Todd Reesing last year and he is gone this year. Southern Miss returns 9 starters on defense and I expect them to keep this weak Jayhawks offense in check. Mid-majors enjoy playing BCS conference teams at home and you can be sure the fans will be rocking at Roberts Stadium. Kansas is just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Hawks go down and we collect big in the process as well.

10 Unit Play. #71 Take Oregon Ducks over Tennessee Volunteers (Saturday 7 pm ESPN 2) Both teams won big last week with Tennessee beating UT-Martin, 50-0 and Oregon pounded New Mexico, 72-0. That being said, I do not believe that the Vols big win is a sign to buy them. Tennessee is coached by Derek Dooley, who took over after Lane Kiffin left for USC after just one season. What is interesting about this is that three talented coaches turned this job down because the cupboard is empty thanks to Lane Kiffin. This is why they hired an unknown coach who is mostly known for his famous father Vince Dooley.
Oregon comes in with 17 starters from the 2009 squad that won the PAC-10. I believe the 2010 squad can win the title as well assuming they can replace QB Jeremiah Masoli, as he now plays for the Rebels. Both Darron Thomas and Nate Costa played well against New Mexico and if they can solidify this position, LOOK OUT! It will start on Saturday and again it is not my style to lay this much on the road, but the Oregon Ducks are just too talented.
OREGON DUCKS 41, TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 17

4 Unit Play. #70 Take Oklahoma State Cowboys over Troy Trojans (Saturday 7 pm) Both squads came away with victories last Saturday. The Cowboys looked real impressive against Washington State winning the game in blowout fashion, 65-17. As for Troy, they edged Bowling Green, 30-27. This was a revenge game for them since they lost to the Falcons last year, 31-14. These two teams met two prior times in 2007 & 2008 and both times the home team emerged victorious. Look for that trend to continue on Saturday and I believe that this Cowboy offense is much better then what most experts predict. OK State was totally balanced last week with 291 yards rushing and 253 yards passing. I look for more of the same here especially playing an undersized opponent.
Troy could be an elite team in the Sun Belt Conference but it will take some time for their young players to develop. Going to Stillwater is not an idle situation for them and I look for the Cowboys to light-up the scoreboard for sixty minutes. OK State continues to roll in a big blowout!
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS 49, TROY TROJANS 17.

10 Unit Play. #16 Take Iowa Hawkeyes over Iowa State Cyclones (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC) As I look at this game, I feel that Iowa State will be much better offensively then the 2009 team; however, Iowa will be much better on BOTH sides of the ball. Case stated! Defensively this may be the best unit under Coach Kirk Ferentz