Sports Picks & Predictions

Taking GEORGIA STATE here. First ever time bowling for the Panthers. Look. Panthers are 6-6. San Jose 5-7. Spartans have to travel over 4000 miles to play a game in front of 800 people. Where is the motivation? Georgia State a perfect 7-0 ATS down the stretch and have 4 in a row all by double digits. 8* Sure Shot GEORGIA STATE 

Taking APPALACHIAN STATE here. First ever FBS bowl for the Mountaineers. They sold out their tickets in less than 2 days. 9.5, 10.. Not really a fan of Appy. But at 7, 7.5, much better value. I think this is a 10pt win for us. Ohio has been bowling 6 of the last 7 years. Are they really pumped about this bowl game? The lowest payout of any bowl game. Appy has something to prove building their name since coming up to the FBS. 5* Best Bet APPALACHIAN STATE 

Taking NEW MEXICO here. Grabbing the points with the home dog here. Lobos play here in University Stadium. They are clearly the more excited bunch to be playing today. They will have some fans for sure to back them in their first bowl game under HC Bob Davies. Off of 4-3-4 win seasons, New Mexico pulled 3 big upsets. Beating Utah State as 20pt dogs and Boise as 31 point dogs in back to back weeks before upending Air Force as 11 point pups to finish 7-5. Where is the motivation for Arizona? They come limping in dropping 3 of 4 at 6-6. To play New Mexico. I am sure Rich Rod is excited with his 2-7 ATS bowl record. 10* Money Bomb NEW MEXICO LOBOS

Taking MICHIGAN STATE here. I get it. Nobody respects undefeated Iowa. I know, they win. And I will take solid over sexy all day long if it covers for me. But overall, I just don't like this Iowa team. Forget that they beat only 4 teams with winning records. I always say, you can only play who is in on the schedule. They took a good punch from Nebraska. They were totally outplayed, and still one. Same Nebraska team that pinned Sparty with their only loss. But this in a real experienced Michigan State team. 3rd time in 5 years in Big 10 Championship Game. And as their coach said. They are peaking at the right the time. The offense is clicking. The OL looks great, and Connor Cook looks pretty healthy behind it. 10* Money Bomb MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking BOWLING GREEN here. Yes, Northern Illinois is in MAC Championship for the 6th straight year. Last year, they pasted BG 51-17. That was with BG being led by a back-up QB. A little role reversal here. That is why we are laying double digits. NIU down to their #4 QB on the depth chart. Falcons score at will. NIU gracefully fell into this game when Western Michigan got upset. Yes, they are going to be pumped. But this is payback time for the Falcons. Won't be surprised to see the same score as last year, just with different names above the numbers. 5* Best Bet BOWLING GREEN 

Taking TEMPLE here. So we have Connecticut in off a win. Not just any win. A win that saw the fans storm the field. A win where they got bowl eligible with a 6th win. And finally, a win that knocked Houston from the ranks of the undefeated. Now they hit Philly against a tough Temple defense. The Owls are looking to lock up an AAC East Title. Temple looked sharped knocking off Memphis last week. No let-down for a team looking to lock up a conference title. 8* Sure Shot TEMPLE OWLS 

Taking ALABAMA here. This was a free for all offensive explosion last year, 55-44. Tide looking to wrap up the SEC West. I don't think they will have a problem here. Yes, Auburn will put a up fight in the Iron Bowl. But let's be honest here. This team hasn't played well all year. This offense hasn't gotten its act together. They limped past Jacksonville State. Ok, road game vs LSU on deck, which they got smacked 45-21. Lose at home Miss State 17-9. They needed 4 TOs at home to get by San Jose State. 30-27 win at Kentucky. A FG as time expired to force OT vs Arkansas, they lose. Lose at home to Ole Miss. Beat a bad Aggies team. Lose to Georgia, beat Idaho.  Now they face arguably the best team in the land. Yes, they will be motivated. But that will only get you so far. Alabama will eventually pull away to a 20pt win. 5* Best Bet 

Taking OLD DOMINION here. I will be the first to say this. When I see a 2 win laying points on the road to a 5 win team, it raises eyebrow. FAU has revenge from last year. Ok. But does that make them 4 points better? On the road? Off what was their biggest game of the year, a 20-14 OT loss at Florida? How are they getting up for this game? OD's HC says this is the biggest game in the programs history. Win, and the get the schools first ever bowl bid. I'm grabbing the home pup here. 5* Best Bet OLD DOMINION 

Taking NAVY here. The ol' bubble burst for Houston. Undefeated season gone with a tragic loss at UConn. So now, utterly deflated, with their QB banged up, in comes the Midshipmen. Good luck getting prepared for this offense. Navy could very well secure a New Years Bowl spot winning out here. Navy QB Reynolds will get a Heisman look. Navy doesn't turn it over, and controls the clock running the ball. That takes away the powerful offense of the Cougs, and limits a defense that has no trouble causing INTs for opposing quarterbacks. 10* Money Bomb NAVY 

Taking WISCONSIN here. Man. 10 points. Seems pretty high considering these two are smack dab next to each other in the polls. And both of them bring pretty highly rated defenses to the game. So in a case like this, I have to act on my gut and do what I do best. Think completely opposite of the public. Northwestern comes in with 3 straight wins, but after 2 straight at home, enters Madison knowing that the Badgers want some revenge for last years 20-14 defeat. We have Wisconsin, in revenge mode, with a week of extra rest and prep time. Final home game for the seniors. Forget it. Wiscy should cruise 34-13. 10* Money Bomb WISCONSIN BADGERS 

Taking PENN STATE here. Will grab the home pups off the bye. Michigan in off a double OT road win in their first back to back roadies of the year. Tough place to play here in Happy Valley. Penn State has won 3 straight at home vs the Wolverines but will be looking for payback for last years 18-13 road loss. And let's look at Michigan on the road. We talked about last weeks nail-biter. How about that close call at Minny? Plus, as an added bonus the Wolverines have Ohio State on deck! I hear the talk of Michigan wins, OSU beats Mich State, and next week winner takes all for Big 10 Title. Well, this is the perfect 'trap' spot to clear up any doubts of who is representing the East side of things. Nittany Lions rested, with revenge get it done outright here. 5* Best Bet PENN STATE 

Taking SOUTH FLORIDA here. Cashed a miracle win with Temple as a Free Play Friday night. Are you kidding me? 45-40 then a 3rd down long TD, a 2pt conversion and a INT for 7 for a 20pt win. SMU backers had to have sharp objects and shoe laces removed from their homes. That being said, I see a let-down here. First off. They have Memphis on deck. A much bigger name for Temple to focus on. Second. Bulls have some talent and are vastly better defensively than the Mustangs. Third road game in 4 weeks for the Owls which again, takes some pop out of your step. 8* Sure Shot SOUTH FLORIDA 

Taking SOUTHERN MISS here. These guys are quietly 7-2 ATS for us on the year. They have a done a great job improving both sides off the ball statistically from last year. We are nice rested off our bye week. The Rice defense was blitzed by Western Kentucky 49-10 and La Tech 42-17. This Eagles team is just as good or better. Owls can't force TOs, just 2 INTs on the year, while allowing 26 TD passes. Rice was a 8.5 road fave last year and dispatched Southern Miss 41-23. A little revenge served this afternoon. 10* Money Bomb SOUTHERN MISS 

5* Best Bet NORTH CAROLINA

Taking LSU here. Ugh. I have to tell ya. Part of me wants to grab 'Bama. Saban is a great coach. Both teams in off byes. Both teams probably the best top to bottom squads in the country. Two things lean me towards the LSU here. 1. I like their QB. The kid makes plays and I think has better weapons. And 2, what I think is the most important here. Their DC was on Alabama's staff last year. I am sure he might have some piece of insight that will help. Revenge from last years battle. 5* Best Bet LSU

Taking MICHIGAN STATE here. Looks a little too easy, but I'll bite. Sparty just wins and Nebraska, well they are finding new ways to lose. It started with hail-mary losses and has moved to losing to Purdue allowing 55 points! Purdue who is now 2-18 SU vs Big 10 teams under their HC. I thought Riley would have problems and he clearly has here in year 1. Spartans have won 21 of their last 22 B10 games, 17 by double digits. Michigan State +10 in TOs, Nebraska -8. Sparty took care of business after their epic game vs Michigan, no let-down. Now with a week off , they have plenty of prep time to pick apart this terrible Cornhusker defense. 8* Sure Shot MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking MID TEN ST here. Sometimes I look at a line and just say, no way. MDTNST at 3-5 favored, bet up no less to -3 vs 8-1 Marshall. The Herd, who is 21-2 SU last 23. The Herd, who is a conference road dog for the 3rd time, in 4 Years! So yes, I am very interested in the Blue Raiders here. We have extra rest, while Marshall is playing their 10th straight game. 10* Money Bomb MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 

Taking MISSISSIPPI STATE here. I really think this line should be higher. Maybe it is the sucker play of the day. Well, call me a sucker. I know State has Alabama up next. But we aren't laying a huge number here. MizzU can play some defense giving up less than 13ppg, but the Bulldogs have put up 45,45 and 42 their last 3 games. Both teams off last week. Missouri has had trouble scoring all year so I don't think they magically turn into some offensive machine. Again, with 'Bama looming we can't really shoot the moon in this spot, but I think we still have enough value to play. 5* Best Bet MISSISSIPPI STATE 

Taking NC STATE here. Tough spot for Clemson. They rolled last week beating the Hurricanes 58-0. They have Florida State on deck. How focused, or really, how much are they really prepping here? They won't be throwing any new wrinkles out for sure with the Seminoles on deck. Nice home dog role for State. They are 4-1 ATS last 5 vs Tigers. 10* Money Bomb NC STATE

5* Best Bet SAN DIEGO STATE

8* Sure Shot TEXAS TECH

5* Best Bet MISSISSIPPI

Gentleman. Sorry not any write ups the last few days. 

If you listened to my podcast this week, you know that I have been battling a bad flu bug or something the last couple weeks. Writing and staring at the screen just gives me a pounding head ache that knocks me out.

I do have NFL write ups. 

Let's keep up our nice run that has us at the top of the long-term leader-boards - Sean

5* Best Bet OLE MISS 

10* Money Bomb VANDERBILT

Taking MICHIGAN here. We had these guys as a Best Bet last week and they promptly cashed our ticket. So here we are again. The Wolverines giving more than a TD to a team ranked higher than them. LY Michigan State was a 17pt favorite! Sparty is undefeated, but hasn't looked impressive in any game. Have they been saving their best and key breakout moments for this game? Doubt it. Maybe the loss of their DC hurts more than it should. Sparty has won 11 straight Big 10 roadies. They were ranked #2 in pre-season AP poll. They were #4 before dropping to #7, with a win! Harbaugh has this team ready to go. 5* Best Bet MICHIGAN WOLVERINES 

Taking BAYLOR here. 21. I would lay 40 here. I always say that on my Top 10*s, we don't triple our bets, or throw mortgage payments down for extra money. But I do say put an extra unit or 2 down. Baylor in this spot, to me, is as close to a sure thing as possible. Revenge from last year. That game cost them a spot at the Play-Offs. 64ppg, basically 360 yard EACH through the air and on the ground per game! West Va has 9 TOs the last 2 games vs Okie and Okie State. That was after getting fat on bottom feeders Georgia Southern, Liberty, and Maryland. Maybe the last 2 games aren't flukes. They lost some talent from last year. Now you are coming into a hornets nest looking for revenge with 18 straight home wins behind them and the most explosive offense in the game. GL trying to keep Baylor under 40 by the half. 10* Money Bomb BAYLOR BEARS 

Taking MICHIGAN here. I said on my podcast Wednesday night that this line is a bit odd looking. Guest Capper Tony K agreed. Why do we have Northwestern, the higher ranked team getting a TD here? They shut down Stanford, who went on the road and dropped 40 on USC. Northwestern went to Duke, who is a capable football team, and won there. They are off a shut-out. And we get this big number. Now Michigan hasn't been a powerful football school in quiet a bit. Both teams bring solid defenses. Northwestern giving up 7ppg, Wolverines allowing 184 yards total offense a game. Total sitting at an old school 35. Yet, the line is a TD. Something has to give here. I mean, isn't it easy to grab a good defense like the Wildcats getting the points. They played a bit of a tougher schedule. I think this line might drop a bit by game time. Again, I know the purpose of a line is to get 2 way action. But all I see is Northwestern money all day long here. So I think the Wolverines get a 10pt win here. 5* Best Bet MICHIGAN WOLVERINES 

Taking SMU here. Last week we cashed an easy 10* winner on ECU over Va Tech. A perfect spot for them, and they delivered. Now the Pirates are on the road after that huge win. And laying points? Good luck with that. A super spot for SMU. Off a loss to James Madison. This SMU team can air it out. And I have little faith in ECU secondary. James Madison put up 700 yards of offense last week! I think we see improvement there. SMU can score. ECU might be playing the old rotating QB game. Another (our 3rd CFB) dog-out right winner here with our Top play. 10* Money Bomb SMU

Taking IOWA here .Quite frankly, not sold on this Wiscy team. Melvin Gordon isn't running the rock here. We have a pair of backs splitting time doing an ok, not super job. Iowa has one of the better rush defenses in the land. Badger QB doesn't scare me while our QB is quietly leading a team putting up nearly 38ppg. Points too good to pass up here. Another live dog for us. 10* Money Bomb IOWA 

Taking ARIZONA here. Wildcats might get a big boost with the heart of their defense, Scooby Wright suiting up here. UCLA played down last week with this game on deck. Perfectly understandable. Arizona a tidy 11-3 ATS as PAC 12 home dogs. Sprinkle in some Triple-Revenge and we have a recipe for success in my eyes. Can't over state the loss of UCLA LB Jack. He was the 3rd starter lost on that side of the ball. A big loss for them there. Arizona 5-1 ATS last 6 here at home. 8* Sure Shot ARIZONA WILDCATS 

Going OVER the total here. Man. You drop 80+ on a team, you better be ready when you travel to their field. I have no doubt Heisman hopeful QB Boykin will put up 5 TDs today. Tech is going to score their 40. To be honest, I can't believe this total isn't close to 100. The TCU defense is showing some dents in the armor. I see this as a back and forth game. Won't be shocked if Tech pulls out a win here. 5* Total Money OVER TCU/TT

Taking EAST CAROLINA here. So last week we faded this crew and rode Navy to a Top 10* win. We will flip the script here. One, ECU played Florida tough on the road. (I lost with the Gators) Then off that emotionally draining game, the face the Navy option which is not easy to prepare for. And, they know they had this game on deck! VT has the revenge angle. But laying double digits on the road? Eh, I'll take the Pirates with that. They are 16-3 SU at home last 19 games. ECU is 5-2 ATS last 7 vs Va Tech. Tech 2-9 ATS last 11 on the road. 10* Money Bomb EAST CAROLINA 

Taking BAYLOR here. A large number for sure. But right off the bat we have to fade Rice here. We get them in their 3rd straight road game, and it is a non-conference game for them to boot. They have a more meaningful, and for all intention purposes, a more winnable game in their eyes next. My worse case here is that after cruising to a 37-10 lead by half-time, Baylor eases up and wins something like 63-30. We do have Baylor with rest so they might really run it up early to get some game reps. 5* Best Bet BAYLOR 

5* Best Bet PENN STATE

Taking NAVY here. Ok. I faded ECU last week, it didn't work out. That being said, they are going to have a difficult time here in Annapolis. They haven't done well facing the Midshipmen option over the past few years. Navy is a tough team to prep for. I think we also have a bit of a let down here for ECU after their near upset last week at Florida, plus having Virginia Tech on deck. Navy didn't play last week so they are chomping at the bit here. I think the Navy run game is going to barrel right through this ECU defense. 10* Money Bomb NAVY 

Going OVER the total here. I think that the Navy rush option is going to destroy ECU here. I know ECU doesn't have the offense of years past. But I think they will give up 20+ here. That is perfect because I believe the Midshipmen are putting up a 40+ spot on the board. 5* Total Money OVER Navy/TCU

Taking MISSISSIPPI STATE here. Am I missing something here? Sometimes when things look too good be to be true, they are. But I can't not back the Bulldogs here. We cashed last week with Southern Miss over this same group. I thought the way MSU buried them last year, will add some extra edge to those home dogs, who covered the number for us. Now we get a powerful SEC team in a home dog role. A place they are 18-3 SU since 2012. They didn't play a cup-cake last week. They had to focus on an in-state rival who was gunning for them big-time. It wasn't a sexy win, the stats weren't overwhelming. But State did what it had to do. LSU on the other hand had their cream-puff game postponed due to weather. Now, LSU, like MSU probably spent time looking ahead to this game. It is a revenger for the Tigers. But LSU does have Auburn on deck. I think the real game-play helps us out here. Won't be shocked for an out-right win, but will be happy with the cover. 10* Money Bomb MISSISSIPPI STATE 

5* Best Bet CAL BEARS

Taking UTAH STATE here. Aggies really laid an egg last week barely getting by Southern Utah. But let's be honest. Their focus was on this game. PAC 12 Utah is off a nice win over MIchigan. Not really a shock. Michigan is down. But none the less Utes not that impressive on offense and need the TO edge to pull out the win. State QB Keeton is a pretty good signal caller. I think the ugly game last week helps them since Utah won't have much film to go on. Plenty of surprises possibly on tap for the Aggies to unleash. Or at least some new looks from their new OC. Just feel this is too many points here. 5* Best Bet UTAH STATE

Taking OHIO STATE here. What is there to say in this spot? Hokies came into the Horseshoe last year and won! Now it's time for pay back. I will say it is tough to lay 2 TDs on the road, but the defending champions are talented on both sides of the ball. I will be honest and tell you I really wanted to take Va Tech here. But I can't. VT hasn't been a top team in years. Urban Meyer's team is 38-3 since he took over in Columbus. This is a huge game obviously for both team. OSU has Hawaii, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan and the Indiana coming up before they get a 'decent' team again in  Maryland. This is a test simply because of the cupcakes on deck. Buckeyes are on a the cusp of a dynasty run here. 5* Best Bet OHIO STATE

Taking BYU here. I must be missing something here. Didn't Nebraska just bring in a new HC. A HC who likes to install pro-set offenses? Isn't Nebraska generally, a power run team? Can you really trust a new regime with an old regime players when you are coming in changing the entire offense scheme? BYU is a solid bunch. I just can't back a new HC laying a TD here, even at Nebraska. Especially against a solid team with a HC who is just as experienced in games like this. 8* Sure Shot BYU