Sports Picks & Predictions

Miami +1.5

The San Antonio Spurs host the Miami Heat on Thursday in Game Four of the NBA Finals. San Antonio won Game Three in the series on Tuesday, 113-77.

We are riding a red hot 11-0 run in the NBA playoffs, including correct picks in each of the first three games of this series.

The Heat haven

San Francisco & Toronto over 7.5

The San Francisco Giants host the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in game one of a quick two-game set. San Francisco is coming off a 4-2 win over St. Louis, while Toronto beat San Diego on Sunday, 7-4.

These teams met once already this season for a two-game set, and those two games produced a total of 30 runs.

Tim Lincecum takes to the hill for the Giants in this one, and he appears to be on his last legs as a starter in this league.

We cashed a ticket on the over in Lincecum

Seattle Mariners ML

Felix Hernandez was beaten up yesterday, and the Cleveland Indians kept their recent hot play going. The thing that many bettors don

San Antonio & Memphis over 182.5

The San Antonio Spurs host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon in Game One of the Western Conference Finals.

A very low total set for this game, and it has us running, not walking, to the betting window to get in on this one.

The Spurs haven

Denver +1

The Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets in game three of their first round playoff series on Friday. Golden State evened the series on Tuesday with a 131-117 win.

Golden State

Winnipeg & Buffalo under 5.5

The Winnipeg Jets host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Winnipeg is coming off a 4-1 win over Philadelphia, while Buffalo beat New Jersey in a shootout in their last outing, 3-2.

The under has been money in Jets games, with the team playing under the total in 13 of their last 16 home games, and 15 of their last 21 games overall.

Ondrej Pavelec is slated to get the nod for the Jets, and he

Blues -131

The St. Louis Blues host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. St. Louis is coming off a 4-2 loss to Anaheim, while San Jose lost to Colorado in overtime their last time out, 3-2.

St. Louis comes home for this one after a long road trip, a situation in which they've been successful in the past. The Blues are 4-0 in their last four home games following a road trip that lasted seven days or more.

The Blues have generated a total of 16 goals over their last four games, and the team

Raptors -3

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Cleveland is coming off a 101-98 win over Chicago, while Toronto dropped their last game to Washington, 90-84.

The road team has won and covered in each of the last four meetings between these teams, and the Raptors will look to continue that trend, while maintaining their stellar road play of late. Toronto is 6-0 ATS in their last six road games, and 3-0 both straight up and against the spread on the road since acquiring Rudy Gay.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey is known as one of the great defensive minds in the NBA, creating the blueprint that helped the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Championship in 2011. The additions of Kyle Lowry and now Rudy Gay, along with a larger role for Amir Johnson and a diminished role for Andrea Bargnani, have finally given Casey the horses to play the type of basketball he wants to play.

The Raptors are fourth in the NBA in scoring defense since Gay made his debut with the team, holding eight of their last nine opponents under 100 points, and are 7-4 in those games.

The Cavaliers were able to catch the Bulls flat-footed on Tuesday as the news of Kyrie Irving

Kings -143

The Los Angeles Kings host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. Los Angeles is coming off a 4-1 win over Colorado, while Anaheim needed overtime to get past that same Avalanche team on Sunday, 4-3.

We knew it would just be a matter of time before Los Angeles

Blues -115

The Calgary Flames host the St. Louis Blues on Friday. Calgary is coming off a 7-4 win over Dallas, while St. Louis beat Detroit their last time out, 4-3.

The St. Louis Blues hit a real rough patch to begin the month of February, dropping five games in a row. That losing streak coincided with an injury to starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak. He and Brian Elliott formed a solid one-two duo a year ago, but Elliott has posted a 5.05 GAA in four starts in the month of February.

The team turned to Jake Allen in their last game and he was able to stop the bleeding, helping the team to their first win since January 31st in his first career start. Allen will get his second start at the Saddledome, where the Flames have lost five of seven.

St. Louis won three of four in their season series with Calgary a year ago. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff stole the show in the lone Calgary win, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a game in which St. Louis thoroughly outplayed their counterpart, outshooting them 29-18.

The lone time the Flames sent out their backup, they lost 5-2. Calgary won

49ers -2.5

The Atlanta Falcons host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

San Francisco

Louisville +14

The Florida Gators will battle the Louisville Cardinals in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday.

Louisville needed a late field goal against Rutgers to win the Big East title game. Beating Rutgers shows that Louisville can hang with a tough defense. Teddy Bridgewater makes the Cardinal offense go. He ranks seventh in the nation in passer rating, throwing for 3,452 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The Cardinals will be in tough against a Gator defense that ranks fifth in the nation, but they won

Rice & Air Force over 61

The Rice Owls will battle the Air Force Falcons in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday.

Rice is riding a hot streak into this bowl game. The team scored an average of 39.3 points per game over their final three contests. A very productive year saw them score the second-most points and rack up the second-most yards in school history.

Quarterback Taylor McHargue is a threat to beat you with both his arm, and his legs, rushing for 11 touchdowns on the year. First team All-Conference wide receiver Vance McDonald caught 16 balls for 184 yards and a score in the final two weeks of the season after returning from a toe injury.

Air Force doesn

SMU & Fresno State under 59.5

The Fresno State Bulldogs battle the SMU Mustangs in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Monday. Fresno State won their first conference championship since 1999, while SMU upset Tulsa in their season finale.

The Fresno State offense has been impressive this season, but they wouldn't be the first unit to stumble in Hawaii.

Their defense is led by Philip Thomas, who himself has already made two trips to Hawaii. The senior defensive back was named the Mountain West

Giants -1

The Baltimore Ravens host the New York Giants on Sunday. Baltimore is coming off a 34-17 loss to Denver, while New York was embarrassed by Atlanta their last time out, 34-0.

The Giants have alternated dominant performances with lousy ones since their bye in Week 11 and if that pattern holds true, they

Patriots -3

The New England Patriots host the Houston Texans on Monday night. New England beat Miami 23-16 last week, while Houston is coming off a 24-10 win over Tennessee.

New England certainly ranks as an elite passing team, and that

*10 Top Play* Sacramento State/San Jose State Under 151

Here we have a matchup of two young teams who are still looking for leaders to step up and take this team to where they want to go. The offenses don

Pittsburgh +4

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. Baltimore swept the season series between these teams a year ago.

Pittsburgh was able to hold off Kansas City, but lost Ben Roethlisberger in the process. Byron Leftwich was passable in relief, but the team

Indiana +7

The Indiana Hoosiers host the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday. This game will be the final home contest of the season for the Hoosiers.

Indiana has won its last two games, going on the road to beat Illinois, and beating Iowa last weekend at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in passing offense, racking up an average of 299.9 yards per game through the air, and are third in scoring offense with 33.1 points per game. The club has set a school record by scoring at least 24 points in each of their last 10 games.

Joel Stave suffered a broken collarbone in last week

Baltimore Ravens -3.5

The Cleveland Browns host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Baltimore is coming off their bye week, while Cleveland beat San Diego last week, 7-6.

The Ravens were blown out by the Houston Texans heading into their bye week, and that presents a situation that has been profitable for us in the past, as teams that get blown out heading into their bye week play with a ton of passion in their next game. We

Navy & East Carolina OVER 49

Once in a while the oddsmakers post a number that is completely wrong. When they do, we like to take the opportunity to step up to our highest rating.

The East Carolina Pirates host the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday. The teams have faced off in each of the last two seasons, scoring a combined 184 points in those two meetings.

East Carolina is scoring 34.7 points per game at home, but there

New England -10

The New England Patriots host the New York Jets on Sunday. New England lost to Seattle last week, while New York is coming off a convincing win over Indianapolis.

New England doesn

Akron/Ohio over 66

The Akron Zips have a new look with Terry Bowden as their head coach this year. Akron likes to get as many plays in as possible, so they go with a fast-paced offense. The Zips have been able to put up points so far this year, even against high quality competition. Akron put up 38 points in a loss to FIU. They also scored 26 points in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers. Akron

St. Louis Cardinals ML

Kyle Lohse has been extremely consistent this season. Lohse is 10-2 with a 2.71 ERA in 2012. The Rockies offense isn

Diamondbacks -1.5

Ian Kennedy nearly won a CY Young award last year. He hasn

Rangers -113

Do you really need a reason to back the Rangers this year? They are probably the best team in the Majors and are getting great value as only a slight road favourite at surprising Oakland.

Roy Oswalt vs. Bartolo Colon is a pitching matchup where both are past their prime. Colon is a great fade choice after a couple of vintage starts because I just don't think he can keep it up - he has been too good. I know he beat and dominated the Rangers last month but how many pitchers have done that twice this season?

Meanwhile Roy Oswalt's numbers are dragged down by an absolutely horrible outing before the break at the White Sox. Oakland has a much weaker lineup and is a noted pitchers park too.

TEX are 17-7 in the last 24 meetings with Oakland.

Tuesday 10* Guaranteed AL West Winner

Also for sale. A 7* over/under winner on a nice AL matchup.

The Los Angeles Kings have dominated the New Jersey Devils from start to finish in this series, and there's little reason to believe that won't change tonight.

The Devils might be desperate but the were also desperate in Game 2 not to get swept at home (and go down 0-2) and in Game 3 when they were desperate not to fall into an 0-3 hole. As we saw in Game 3, not only did it not get better for the Devils, it got worse.

The Kings have yet to play their best game in this series offensively and if Jonathan Quick continues to stand on his head, there's little reason to believe they won't win by at least a two-goal margin again. Take the Kings. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

The New Jersey Devils are well-rested and are relaxed after disposing of the Philadelphia Flyers in just five games. That's going to be a crucial advantage in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals as the New York Rangers are coming a grueling seven-game series with the Washington Capitals, which was their second straight seven-game series.

The Devils are playing just as good defense as the Rangers but their offense has a little more bite to it. Look for that to be the key difference in them getting the win in Game 1. Bet the Devils. 10* play.

The Chicago Blackhawks came away with an important win in Game 2 against the Phoenix Coyotes and with it, they stole momentum. The loss could end up being quite significant not only because they lost home-ice advantage to a team that really needs it but also that they suffered a number of key injuries.

The Coyotes will be without forward Lauri Korpikoski and potentially top-line center Martin Hanzal and goaltender Mike Smith. Both skated Tuesday morning and are more likely to play but are game-time decisions. Even if they play, the might not be 100%, so that's a concern - especially with leading goal scorer Radim Vrbata already playing through injury.

The Blackhawks were 27-8-6 at home this season compared to 18-18-5 away, so clearly playing at the United Center offers them a keen advantage. Look for them to use it tonight. Bet the Blackhawks. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been awful over the last month as they've lost 12 of 14. In their last 13 games, they have allowed an average of four goals per game and on Saturday, they'll host the Philadelphia Flyers, who are the highest scoring team in the league.

Toronto just can't stop their downward momentum right now and they've even tried. They've fired a head coach (Ron Wilson) but it still hasn't helped. They'll be shorthanded due to injuries on Saturday as Joffrey Lupul and Colby Armstrong were hurt in recent games.

The Flyers have won four straight and allowed just five goals in those games. They've also won three of their last four trips to Toronto and eight of the last 10 meetings overall. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been on fire recently and offer great value as a home underdog on Tuesday. On the season, Tampa Bay is 20-9-2 at home, so they are usually a good home bet anyways. On top of that, they have won four straight and are well rested as the Ottawa Senators visit.

Meanwhile, the Senators have lost two straight and aren't coming in with as much momentum.

The key here should be the absence of goaltender Craig Anderson for the Senators, who absolutely owns the Lightning. Anderson has won all three meeting with the Lightning this season while giving up just three goals in the process. For his career, he's 6-1-2 against them with a 1.24 GAA.

Without Anderson and without momentum, this is a good spot to bet against Ottawa and take Tampa Bay. 10* play.

The St. Louis Blues are typically a strong play on the under as 30 of their 45 games have gone under as well as seven of their last nine. The under has also cashed in seven of their last nine on the road with a total set at five.

It could be an even stronger play tonight because they're in Calgary. Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff thrives against the Blues when playing at home. He's gone 9-2-1 with a 1.49 GAA in his last 12 home starts against them. The Flames have given up just two goals in the last three meetings with St. Louis at the Saddledome.

The under is also 10-1 for the Flames when they scored 10 goals or more in their last game and 7-3 when at home with a total of five. Bet the under. 9* play.

The Boston Bruins have been somewhat inconsistent over the last month but Saturday is a statement game for them. The Ottawa Senators have a shot to catch them in the division but Boston has a good chance to show that they're still the boss.

The Senators have played well recently, scoring 28 goals in their last six games, but they've had a really tough time dealing with Tim Thomas. The Bruins netminder has won eight straight in Ottawa while posting a 1.35 GAA.

Meanwhile, the Sens will be without their starting goaltender Craig Anderson (hand) for a while and backup Alex Auld will be in net. He has a 3.28 GAA this season and it's up to 4.08 when he starts at home. Bet the Bruins. 10* play.

The Buffalo Sabres have finally started playing well and they'll have a good chance to keep momentum going on Friday. The Sabres are 4-0-1 in their last five games and that's mostly in part to the play of goaltender Ryan Miller.

Miller has posted two shutouts in his last three starts. When he's playing well, the Sabres are hard to beat.

The Dallas Stars will make the trip on Friday and they will be in a back-to-back situation and it will also be their third game in four nights. Fatigue surely could be a factor. The Stars are 0-9 this season on back-to-back days. Bet the Sabres. 10* play.

The Winnipeg Jets have gone sour since the flip of the calendar to 2012 and they aren't likely to have much success in Washington on Thursday. The Jets have won just six of their last 17 games overall and have had plenty of problems scoring.

The Jets have just eight goals in their last seven games. They've struggled on the road all season long but the Capitals have 19 home wins, which is the most in the Eastern Conference.

Tomas Vokoun will be in net for the Caps and he's 16-5-0 at home this season with a 2.07 GAA. Bet the Capitals. 10* play.

The New York Giants and New England Patriots played to a 17-14 scoreline the first time they met in the Super Bowl. While there's likely to be more points this time, the under still looks good.

The Patriots haven't allowed more than 27 points in any one game this season and while they played a very easy schedule, they haven't scored more than 23 against any team with a winning record.

Both teams know how to stifle each other defensively, especially the Giants, who know how to rush Tom Brady and get him out of rhythm.

Both teams will play ball control and keep away (only two possessions in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLII and only 10 first half points). Bet the under in this one. 10* play.

The Baltimore Ravens are a huge underdog in New England on Saturday but they'll be on even footing with the Patriots when the game starts.

Overall, the Patriots have an elite passing game but their defense is brutal, their running game is suspect and they don't have the type of balance that Baltimore offense.

The Patriots have played just two teams with a winning record this season and they lost both games. As for Baltimore, they played seven teams with a winning record this year and won each time. They've faced New England three times in the last three years (each time on the road) and they won once (in the playoffs 33-14) and lost twice by a margin of 4.5 points.

They'll be confident on Sunday and nine points is too much to lay with a team that is suspect. Baltimore is more than capable to win this game outright and that's actually what we'll be expecting. Bet the Ravens. 10* play.

The Ottawa Senators are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now with wins in eight of their last nine games. They'll host the struggling Winnipeg Jets on Monday, which should allow them to keep momentum going.

The Jets have been a brutal road team all season long as they give up 3.57 goals per game on the road (fourth-worst in the NHL) compared to just 2.22 at home. Chris Mason will be in net on Monday and he's 1-2-0 on the road this season with a 3.00 GAA and a .884 save percentage. At home, he's 4-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA and a .938 save percentage. He's 2-4-0 against Ottawa with a 2.90 GAA.

The Sens have been playing much better recently because of their goaltending. Craig Anderson is 8-0-1 in his last nine starts while posting a 1.66 GAA. He's 7-1-2 with a 2.46 GAA in 11 career meetings with the Jets.

The Jets have lost five of six while scoring just nine goals in those six games. They have three wins in their last 12 road games. Bet the Sens. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

The Minnesota Wild can't get off the mat as they have lost 11 of their last 12 and can't seem to figure out what's wrong.

While the Wild are the coldest team in the league, the Sharks are the hottest with an 8-1-1 span in their last 10.

The Sharks should have an edge in net as Antti Niemi has won four of five starts against Minnesota while posting a GAA of 1.61. The Wild have been giving up an average of 31.8 shots per game over their last 10 and the Sharks have averaged 35 shots per game over their last eight, so whoever is in net for the Wild can expect to have a busy night. Bet the Sharks. 10* play.

The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants are two similar teams, but there are some key edges that point us to the Giants in this contest.

For starters, the Falcons didn't play well against winning teams all season. They lost four of six games against teams above .500 and covered the spread just once in those games. As for the Giants, they were 5-2 against the spread against teams with a winning record.

It's hard to trust the Falcons, who are an indoor dome team, going on the road outside in the cold. The Falcons run defense ranked sixth in the NFL but collapsed down the stretch of the season, giving up 398 yards on 65 carries (6.15 yards per carries) in their final four games. They'll be without starting linebacker Stephen Nicholas on Sunday.

The Giants tend to play to the level of their competition, and with a quality team visiting in the playoffs, look for them to take care of business. Bet the Giants. 10* play.

The Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Begnals in Cincy earlier this year and they get another crack on Saturday.

One reason why this contest might be easier is this time they are at home and Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been dealing with the flu this week. They'll have problems running the ball against the Texans stout run defense, so the Bengals backfield could be very ineffective. Also, we don't know the extent of the flu as it could have been passed around to more players than just Dalton.

The Texans were 5-1 against the spread against teams with a winning record while the Bengals were just 2-5 overall against teams above .500.

Playing at home, take the Texans in this spot. 10* play.

The Florida Panthers have struggled recently with just four wins in their last 12 games. That includes a 3-2 loss in New York on Thursday night and the Panthers are just 1-4 this season in back-to-back situations. They are also 12-26 in their last 38 back-to-back games.

They don't fare well in new Jersey either as the Devils have won 10 of the last 13 meetings in New Jersey. The Panthers come into this game on a five-game road losing streak as well. The Panthers are also 1-5 this season on the road when the total is set at five. Bet the Devils. 10* play.

Virginia Tech has just two losses on the year, both coming to Clemson, but the interesting note is that Michigan is a very similar team to the Tigers.

The Tigers did whatever they wanted to the Hokies and they were really one of the few capable offenses that the Hokies faced. Georgia Tech also had a good output. The Wolverines are humming heading into this contest as they racked up 339 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Purdue, and they topped 223 rushing yards in seven of 10 games. The Hokies gave up 200 rushing yards or more in four of their last five games, and they could be vulnerable.

The Wolverines defense has a good front lines and if they can slow down running back David Wilson, they'll have a great chance to win. They have the 12th run defense in the nation, so they should be more than capable. Bet the Wolverines. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

Two good offenses will be on the field on Thursday but both teams have brutal defenses. While most people are comfortable laying 10 with the Baylor Bears because they are ranked and are led by the Heisman Trophy winner, the truth is that Washington's offense is nearly as good and their defense might be a tad better.

Look for Washington to pound the football with Chris Polk to keep the Baylor offense off the field. Polk has been great on the ground all season long and we've seen Baylor gashed multiple times on the ground this season (Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, etc.).

10 points is too much to lay in this spot. Bet the Huskies. 10* play.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the second-highest scoring team in the NHL and on Monday, they'll host a team that's given up more goals than any other team in the Western Conference.

History shows these teams tend to play overs as 11 of the last 14 meetings have gone over the number. On top of that, the three under games have been pretty close too as only one of the last 14 meetings has seen less than five goals. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been brutal this season and have lost 11 of their last 14. On the other hand, they're host a New Jersey Devils team that was playing it's best heading into the Christmas break. The Devils have won seven of nine entering Monday and they've played great in this series as well.

The Devils have won eight of 10 in this series. In Monday's game, they won't have to deal with Jeff Skinner, who is out with a concussion. Bet the Devils. 10* play.

The Oakland Raiders are out for revenge and they should be able to get some against a Kansas City Chiefs team that played their Super Bowl last week.

The Chiefs are coming off a stunning upset of the then-perfect Green Bay Packers and it will be tough for them to match the intensity they put forth in that game. On top of that, the Raiders should be fired up to get some revenge against the Chiefs, who shut them out 28-0 at home earlier this season.

The Raiders main weakness on defense is their pass defense but the Chiefs are more of a dink and dunk team. They need to run the ball to have success and Oakland is more than capable of slowing that down.

Oakland has covered the spread in 12 of their last 16 divisional games and they still control their playoff destiny. Bet them to win on Saturday. 10* play.

The Boise State Broncos are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to big-game preparation and they'll do the same in this one.

This will be quarterback Kellen Moore's final game with the Broncos and he's eyeing his 50th career win, which would make him the winningest quarterback in college football history. He's playing along with 21 other seniors that will be fired up to finish strong.

Meanwhile, the Arizona State Sun Devils choked away their BCS chances by blowing a 6-2 start with four losses to finish the year. They mailed in those efforts as Arizona and Washington State both passed for nearly 500 yards while California ran for 247 yards. The Sun Devils didn't allow less than 29 in any of those four games.

They've also fired head coach Dennis Erickson already and this will be his last game. They'll be deflated to be here after having a shot at the BCS and going up against a Top 10 team in the country, they'll get smoked one more time. 8* play.

The Denver Broncos simply aren't getting any respect. Even after winning seven of their last eight games, the media, fans and other NFL players continue to doubt them as some kind of a gimmick.

The bottom line in this spot here is that the New England Patriots might not actually be the better football team - believe it or not.

Sure, Tom Brady is outstanding and he's got better offensive weapons with Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, but defense and home-field advantage tend to win out in the long run in the NFL and both will be on the Broncos side.

The Broncos are giving up just 27% third down conversions over the last eight games and they've picked up 12 turnover and 25 sacks in that span. There's no question that Brady will move the ball but Denver might be able to slow him down, whereas there is less faith that the Patriots defense can slow anyone down at all.

The Patriots barely escaped with a 34-27 win in Washington last week after the Redskins racked up 463 yards of offense. The week before, the hapless and winless Indianapolis Colts scored 24 points on New England.

Denver has the running game and ball control-type of offense to pull off this win - let alone cover seven points.

Tim Tebow has continually improved as a passer each week and this week might be his easiest game. The Pats have the NFL's worst defense, allowing 416 yards per game and the league's worst pass defense (giving up 8.1 yards per passing play). They have just 29 sacks on the year.

This game will be far closer than most expect. Bet the Broncos. 10* play.

The Dallas Stars have played well in their last two road games and the goaltending of call-up Richard Bachman has been the key. He's stopped 71 of the last 72 shots he's faced and has fueled the Stars to back-to-back wins.

Now they'll take on the Islanders on Thursday with some revenge in mind. The Stars were up 2-0 on the Isles in their December 3rd meeting but collapsed and lost 5-4. They allowed four goals to Matt Moulson in that game so needless to say, slowing him down will be crucial.

The Isles have allowed 24 goals in their last six games and the Stars are 8-2-1 in their last 11 at Long Island. Bet the Stars. 10* play.

The Green Bay Packers are the highest scoring team in the NFL and they shouldn't have too many problems getting to at least 30 versus the Oakland Raiders. After all, the Miami Dolphins scored 34 points

Green Bay hasn't scored less than 27 points in any of their last six games while Oakland has played well offensively too. The other two times when they fell flat on their face, coughing up the big lead to Buffalo and getting shutout by Kansas City, the Raiders bounced back with 34 and 24 points.

Aside from last week's debacle, the Raiders have scored at least 24 in every game since their bye. Bet the over. 10* play.

There's little faith in the Chicago Bears this week after they couldn't even beat the Kansas City Chiefs at home. Without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, the Bears mustered just three points against a so-so Chiefs defense, and the task will get much harder on the road in Denver.

The Bears are not getting any consistent passing from quarterback Caleb Hanie, they can't block for him and now there's no ground game for support. Denver isn't great on offense but at least Tim Tebow can move the football. Overall, they are playing with far more confidence than the Bears. Bet the Broncos. 10* play.

Oklahoma State has been building towards this game for years and after flopping in a similar position last season, they are going to be more than ready for this one.

Bedlam will have plenty of high stakes and for the first time in a long time, this game means more to the Cowboys than it does the Sooners. The Cowboys, though, have had two weeks to prepare for this contest and are going to bring one of their best efforts of the season.

The Sooners just aren't quite right this year. They have suffered injuries to their top wideout and rusher, but even aside from that, they aren't running the ball crisply and they are having problems in the red zone.

Oklahoma State has one of the most explosive offenses in the country and they are going to get their yards and points. One can expect the Sooners to counter, but they have been a different team on the road this season - as they usually are.

With home field advantage, two weeks off, less injuries and more motivation, bet the Cowboys to get the job done in this spot. 10* play.

The Buffalo Bills are a sinking ship these days as they have lost three straight and four of five. The scary part is that they have been outscored 106-26 in the last three games and have not been competitive at all.

One of those losses came at home to the very same New York Jets as the Bills couldn't get anything going on offense. Believe it or not, life could be much easier for the Jets this time around.

For starters, the NFL's third-leading rusher, Fred Jackson, is now out for the year. Top receiver Stevie Johnson will play, but he isn't 100%. No. 2 receiver Donald Jones is out for the year as his Naaman Roosevelt. The Bills will also be without kicker Rian Lindell, safety George Wilson and cornerback Terrence McGee.

The Jets are relatively healthy and have had 10 days to prepare after playing on Thursday Night Football last week. This season, they have been far more effective at home (4-1) than on the road (1-4). Bet the Jets. 10* play.

The Penn State Nittany Lions stunned the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend at The Horseshoe and now have a shot to play for in the Big Ten title game if they can win at Camp Randall.

Unfortunately for them, winning at Camp Randall is quite challenging.

The Wisconsin Badgers have been vulnerable at times over the last few seasons but they are nearly untouchable at home.

This is really a matchup of one team who has an explosive, multi-faceted offense (Wisconsin) against a team that has a listless offense that needs smoke and mirrors to get the job done (Penn State). The Nittany Lions whipped out the Wildcat last week and unfortunately for them, it may have come a week too early. It would have been a nice surprise for Wisconsin but the Badgers will now be prepared for it.

The Lions defense will keep them in it for a half but the Badgers will continue to throw body blows and after halftime, Penn State won't be able to respond. Bet the Badgers. 10* play.

The Philadelphia Flyers have lost two straight but they've got a good chance of ending that stretch when they face the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

The Isles are the lowest-scoring team in the NHL while the Flyers have scored more goals than any other team in the league. The Isles have been shutout in back-to-back games.

Rick DiPietro will be back in net for the Isles on Wednesday and he's struggled all season long. In his last outing, he was pulled after giving up three first period goals to the Boston Bruins. For his career, he is 7-14-0 against Philadelphia with a 3.34 GAA.

The Flyers have won 24 of the last 26 meetings between the teams overall and playing on the road shouldn't be a problem for them. They've actually played better away (6-2-1) than at home (5-4-2) this year. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Arizona Cardinals have struggled this season but their defense has been strong of late. They stifled the Philadelphia Eagles offense last week and we're going to look for them to keep their team in the game once again this week.

The 49ers obviously have a strong defense of their own and they'll be handed the challenge of slowing down John Skelton this week. He was somewhat lucky against Philadelphia last week as he missed a number of throws and two of his biggest plays came on tipped passes. Without much of a running game, don't expect the Cardinals to be scoring very much on the road this week.

For the 49ers, they'll continue to pound away on the ground, make smart decisions and do what the defense gives them. That should translate to a low-scoring affair in the Bay today. 10* play.

The fact that Baylor is even ranked is somewhat comical. We're talking about a team is just 3-3 in their last six and lucky to even be .500.

Last week, against hapless Kansas, the Bears were trailing the Jayhawks 24-3 in the fourth quarter - and that was at home. Granted they made their way back in a stunning comeback but Kansas has been brutal this season and no ranked team should be trailing them by that much at home.

In this contest, Oklahoma will have three advantages. For starters, they are coming off a bye week, so they have had two weeks to prepare. Secondly, they have a huge edge on the lines of scrimmage, so they should be able to impose their will all game long. And thirdly, they have the significantly better of the two defenses. While they will expect to get some stops, Baylor might not get any and will likely cough up points in and around the half-century mark.

Seven Baylor opponents have topped 30 this year - and that includes the likes of Rice. Oklahoma will score at will and win easily. 10* play.

The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Calgary Flames on Friday night and the two teams couldn't be at opposite ends of the spectrum right now.

The Flames have lost three of four and are one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL while the Blackhawks have won four straight and are the highest scoring team in the league.

The Flames have scored one goal or less in five of their last eight games while the Blackhawks have scored 21 in their last four. They are 10-0-2 in their last 12 when they score three goals or more and that shouldn't be a problem against Miikka Kiprusoff, who is 2-8-2 lifetime against them with a 4.02 GAA.

The Blackhawks have won 15 of the last 19 meetings between the teams and the Flames have just two wins in their last eight home games. Bet the Blackhawks. 10* play.

The Ottawa Senators recently upended the New York Rangers 5-4 in a shootout but the second meeting of the season between these teams should be quite different.

The Rangers have won four straight while the Senators have lost three straight. For the most part, the Rangers have been a better road over the last year or so, and that definitely shows in this series.

The Rangers have won five straight in Ottawa while outscoring the Senators 16-6. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is 6-0-0 with a 1.32 GAA against them in his last six starts there.

The Sens are slumping and Daniel Alfredsson is likely out again on Wednesday. When they beat the Rangers on October 29th, they were playing with plenty of confidence and climbed out of a 4-1 third period hole to win 5-4 in a shootout. The Rangers will tighten things up a big for this contest and they surely won't sleep on the Senators this time around. Bet the Rangers. 10* play.

The New England Patriots are 26-2 after a loss in their last 28 times and we'll expect a serious bounce back on Sunday.

They actually need a win as the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are nipping at their heels and another loss might put their playoff position in a bit of peril.

That's not likely to happen given how the undisciplined New York Giants have played in recent weeks. Last week, the Giants made Matt Moore look like Peyton Manning as he picked them apart in the first half. The Giants couldn't regain their footing until the fourth quarter, when they finally eked out a win.

This week, they are shorthanded as running back Ahmad Bradshaw has a fractured foot, backup Brandon Jacobs has a fractured ego and has been ineffective anyways, and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks isn't healthy.

This is a game for the Patriots to get right and get back over the 30-point mark. Look for plenty of points from them as they win and cover. 10* play.

While the public has been pounding this over all week long, we've got a different view of the game.

The San Diego Chargers are overmatched in this game from just about every perspective. They're not healthy, they're not rested and they're not very good overall. For them to win, their best path to achieve that will be to run the ball and play keep away.

Green Bay is rested and they have had two weeks to prepare for this game. They watched the blue print of how to beat the Chargers and that was simply by running the ball and keeping Philip Rivers on the sidelines.

Since the Packers are on the road, they won't be looking to blow anyone out. They'll be happy with a simple win. That might lead to more field goals than touchdowns and we already know that the Chargers do exactly that when they get into the red zone.

It's a tall total but this doesn't look like a shootout. Bet the under. 10* play.

Josh Harding has provided steady neminding for the Minnesota Wild and that's fueled some confidence for the team. They've won three straight and host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, who are on a back-to-back situation.

Brian Elliott has played well in net for the Blues but there is a chance we'll see Jaroslav Halak since they are playing on consecutive nights. Halak is 0-1-2 with a 3.42 GAA against the Wild in his career while Elliott was pulled after giving up three goals in just 13 minutes of action in his only start against Minnesota.

The Wild have won four of the last six meetings and given the way they are playing right now, should add to that trend. Bet the Wild. 10* play.

With two evenly matched teams on Saturday night in the game of the year, we're going to side with the road team and take the points. It's simply too good to pass up.

The LSU Tigers have proven a whole heck of a lot more this season than the Alabama Crimson Tide in terms of stomping quality opponents. LSU's wins over Oregon, West Virginia have been far more credible than Alabama's wins over Arkansas and Penn State. The Nittany Lions are a weak Big Ten team at best.

This will be a close game no doubt and we're probably going to see an under, so that makes it even more enticing to take the points.

But our keys here are that LSU's defense just has a little more swagger, their quarterbacks offer more experience and more dimensions and they've posted a better turnover margin on the season. Factoring that and the points means we have a good play on LSU. 10* play.

Vanderbilt has had a nice season, but they just aren't primetime. Their defense is decent, but their offense has been absolutely pathetic. Now they have to go on the road to The Swamp for homecoming and this one could get ugly.

The Commodores do their dirt on the ground and the Gators defense simply won't allow that this week. While the offense has been much maligned at times, the Gators defense has been prime time and they've hung on for as long as they've could in most games. In this contest, they'll finally have the edge on talent and they'll go to town.

If Vandy is forced to throw, they'll have to rely on the arm of Jordan Rodgers, who was four-of-19 for 47 yards against Georgia and 49-of-105 on the season with five interceptions.

The Gators will win the turnover battle and get back over .500 with an easy win in this spot. 10* play.

The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames renew their rivalry on Tuesday and neither team has started 2011 like they'd like to.

The Canucks are just 5-5-1 but appear to have some momentum after their 7-4 win over the Washington Capitals in their latest outing. A meeting with Calgary should keep the momentum going as they have won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Miikka Kiprusoff has struggled versus Vancouver, posting a career GAA of 3.24. Meanwhile, Roberto Luongo has been awful for the Canucks this year as he's allowed less than three goals just once in his seven starts (3.54 GAA).

Eight of the last 11 meetings have gone over. Bet the over. 10* play.

The San Francisco 49ers have been tough and rugged throughout the season, and we'll expect more of it as they come off of their bye week.

The Cleveland Browns are beaten up and worn down, and they don't tend to have a lot of success when they can't run the ball. That's going to be a problem against the 49ers defense, who is going to suffocate them.

Meanwhile, the 49ers will line up and pound the ball with Frank Gore, who is just 110 rushing yards short from becoming the franchise rushing leader. The Browns have the 19th-ranked rushing defense.

Cleveland hasn't looked so hot on the road this year, barely beating the Colts in Indianapolis and getting roughed up by the Raiders in Oakland. They just don't have the offense to really keep up on the road, so look for the 49ers to take advantage. Bet the 49ers. 10* play.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have already spanked a similar team that they'll be facing on Saturday, so we'll look for more of the same.

Notre Dame crushed Air Force by a count of 59-33 and while the Falcons scored 33 points, they really labored to move the ball against the Irish's improved defense. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish moved the ball at will and found themselves in scoring position on almost every possession.

There's no reason to think the same won't be the case against a Navy squad that is in fact worse. They are 2-5 and lost at home to Air Force earlier this year. They've also got losses to East Carolina, Rutgers and Southern Miss, who scored 63 points.

There is also the revenge factor as Notre Dame has lost two straight to Navy. They won't be losing a third and the two previous losses will ensure that they won't let up. Again, the key here is turnovers but facing a weak defense, we'll expect that not to be much of a problem. Bet Notre Dame. 10* play.

The Montreal Canadiens are struggling, they are battling injuries and they won't get any sympathy from the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Habs have just one win in eight games to start the season and it might not get any better in the near future. These days, playing at home could be a detriment as the fans are getting very nervous.

The list of injuries includes Max Pacioretty, Scott Gomez, Jaroslav Spacek, Chris Campoli and Andrei Markov. The latter three defenseman are the big losses as the play in front of All-Star goaltender Carey Price has been sub par. He's been blitzed for 16 goals in four home games.

The Flyers have a lot of size and strength, and that's typically been a problem for Montreal. Philadelphia is 3-0-0 on the road this season and they'll take advantage of a reeling Habs squad tonight. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been outworked, outhustled and outplayed for two straight home games but we can expect a much stronger effort on Monday night.

For starters, they'll face Jonas Gustavsson who's in net for the Toronto Maple Leafs after starting goaltender James Reimer was injured on Saturday. Gustavsson hasn't even played two full games this season and he's allowed nine goals (on 61 shots). That should help us get to the over as the Flyers have outshot six of their seven opponents this season and will be firing pucks from all angles on him.

The Leafs have been a scrappy team so far this season and if the Flyers are at all flat-footed again, the Leafs will find good scoring opportunities. They'll be up against backup Sergei Bobrovsky and not Ilya Bryzgalov, who is 4-0-0 with a 1.55 GAA against Toronto.

Meanwhile, Gustavsson has only faced the Flyers once in his career, which resulted in a loss after giving up six goals. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Miami Dolphins are a veteran team that has yet to register a win this season, and they know exactly what's going to happen to their head coach in a short period of time.

Their mood is bad, their moral is low and they are on a short week after another flat effort.

The Denver Broncos are a much better team but at least there is a spark. Tim Tebow will get the start and the entire team seems to rally around him every time he's in the lineup. That's going to be the difference as good things seem to happen when he's in the game while the Dolphins experience the opposite with Matt Moore. 10* play.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have cooled off in recent weeks and are coming off their first loss of the season, which was a setback at Virginia.

But Miami will offer them a chance to get back on track and we get to bet them in a place where they are finally offering value.

Georgia Tech pummeled N.C. State and handled Maryland but in each of those games, the Yellow Jackets allowed their opponent back into the game late in the fourth quarter. That caught up with them in Virginia as they're sloppy play started early opposed to late.

But overall, the Yellow Jackets are still an explosive running team and if they can hit a few throws to keep the Hurricanes defense off balance, there's no reason to believe they can't win this game.

Miami has had problems stopping the run all season long. They rank 11th in the ACC in run defense and considering who they are facing this week, that's a big problem. Miami will get their share of points too but they have been up and down all season long. At the end of the day, don't be surprised if the Yellow Jackets have the win. Bet Georgia Tech. 10* play.

Ole Miss has lost four times this season and scored a total of 40 points in those contests. Without question, they are one of the worst teams in the SEC and among the worst in the nation. Normally, when you mention a team be 'worst in the country' and you're referring to the SEC, you're talking about Vanderbilt but surprisingly enough, Vandy stomped Ole Miss 30-7.

The bigger concern here is two-fold: first off, Ole Miss knows that Houston Nutt is gone at the end of the season. Secondly, they know that they really don't have the talent to compete with quality SEC teams.

The Rebels defense gave up 226 rushing yards to Trent Richardson last week and the scary part is that the pass defense has been just as weak recently.

Arkansas is a team that's going to score points against the best of defenses, so you know they'll put up plenty this week. Unfortunately Ole Miss, who is ranked 103rd in points scored, is not built to hang around.

The Rebels are without their top pass rusher Wayne Dorsey and their top corner Marcus Temple. Ole Miss needs turnovers - and lots of them - just to hang around. Bet the Razordbacks. 10* play.

The New York Rangers are an overrated team in our eyes and they've shown exactly as much through three games so far this season. They won't be an easy team to face on a nightly basis but overall, they are a few bricks short of a load.

They've lost all three games so far this season and have been forced out on the road plenty as Madison Square Garden is being renovated. After playing two games in Europe, they visited Long Island and took a loss on Saturday.

The Rangers have been one of the most undisciplined teams as they've averaged a whopping 20:40 penalty minutes per game.

That won't bode well against the Vancouver Canucks power play, especially with the Rangers on the road.

The Canucks should get a boost with the return of center Ryan Kesler tonight and that's going to expose their depth and the Rangers lack of it.

Not only might the Rangers be worn down, it's not as if they played well against the Canucks anyways. Vancouver has won nine of the last 11 meetings.

Henrik Lundqvist is 0-3-0 with a 4.59 GAA against the Canucks in his career. Roberto Luongo is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA against the Rangers. Bet the Canucks. 10* play.

It's hard to see this game going over when only one team is really going to be able to move the football.

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense has been absolutely awful this year as their 20-point total last week was their highest of the week. That actually was somewhat fluky as the Cincinnati Bengals blew a coverage and let the Jags score an easy touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Even with those 20 points, the Jags have still averaged just 11.8 points per game. Going on the road to Heinz Field is not the place to find solutions to a sluggish offense.

The good news is that the Jags defense should be able to play physical early and keep this game close in the first half. They also match the Steelers physicality and that will work for a while until their offense hangs them out to dry.

Unless the Jags start turning the ball over like crazy, this game should be low scoring. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Florida State Seminoles have had problems aplenty, but losing to Duke would take that to a whole other level.

The reality about Florida State is that they aren't a top-five team as they were in the preseason. We know that. We also know that if injuries happen, they can't compete with elite teams. But they can still definitely beat Duke.

This is a get-right game for Florida State and they'll face a Duke team that has high spirits, but hasn't faced a defense like Florida State's.

Duke is not a good defensive team and they are going to get exposed. With E.J. Manuel back in the lineup, the Seminoles will do what they weren't able to do in previous weeks: pass the ball at will. The Blue Devils also don't have much of a running game, so that will allow the Seminoles defense to tee-off on Sean Renfree.

Any other year, Florida State might have a tough time getting up for this game but after facing Oklahoma and Clemson in back-to-back weeks followed by a sloppy effort at Wake Forest, not only will they be fired up they'll be plenty focused. Bet the Seminoles. 10* play.

The Carolina Panthers have been a backdoor sweetheart all season long and we expect that to continue. They continue to be overlooked by the public mostly because they aren't winning games, but they simply don't have any quit to them now that they are being led by Cam Newton.

They'll be challenged this week as their awful defense goes up against the New Orleans Saints and their explosive offense, but really, that's nothing new for Carolina. They faced the Green Bay Packers at home a couple of weeks ago and they did just fine getting the back door cover.

The Saints defense is going to blitz the heck out of Newton but we've already heard that story before. The Packers did it, the Bears did and the Jaguars did it. Each time Newton did fine.

Look for Carolina to get their ground game going, which has been somewhat dormant to start the year and with Newton throwing the ball all over the place, expect them to keep this within a touchdown at home against a division rival. 10* play.

Two rookie quarterbacks will be leading the offenses on Sunday but the Jacksonville Jaguars may have a sense of remorse when they see who the Cincinnati Bengals drafted in the second round.

The Jaguars drafted Blaine Gabbert 10th overall in the 2011 Draft and have watched him complete 47.8% of his passes with two touchdowns and two picks while averaging 5.9 yards per pass.

The Bengals took Andy Dalton in the second round and he's completed 58.1% of his passes with four touchdowns and four picks, while leading his team to two wins. They could easily be 3-1 right now.

Both teams have good defenses but the question is which offense will be able to move the ball. The Jags have no receiving weapons and little help from their quarterback. That makes it a tough chore to cover three points at home. Bet the Bengals. 10* play.

Iowa has owned Penn State, winning eight straight meetings, and they'll be facing one of the easier editions of this team.

The Nittany Lions are a disaster on offense right now as both quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden have been terrible. The inconsistency at the position is not just affecting the offense as the entire team seems to get deflated when they struggle - or turn it over.

Different than previous years, Penn State doesn't have the running game to mask the quarterbacking problems. This is direct play against Penn State who's offense is dragging this team down in a major way. Bet Iowa. 10* play.

Fresno State has defeated a BCS AQ team in each of the last four seasons and they've got one visiting on Saturday. The good news for them is that they're not very good.

Ole Miss is an absolute wreck these days but Fresno State won't care. It's the first time they have ever hosted an SEC school and they are going to play like this is their BCS Championship Game.

The Bulldogs have actually looked quite good to start the year. They were on the road twice to star the year and were a handful for both California and Nebraska. They've won two straight and quarterback Derek Carr has proven to be an emerging star. With Robbie Rouse balancing the offense with a good effort on the ground, the Bulldogs can actually move the ball and score - something that Ole Miss can't say for themselves.

The Rebels are averaging 235 passing yards per game (118th in the country). Throw in the fact that the Rebels have to travel across the country for this one and Fresno State should be able to get their signature win of 2011. 10* play.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the toast of the town so far this season but they haven't proved their mettle on the road. They'll be in for a dogfight on Saturday night and don't expect things to come as easy for them as they did against Arkansas.

We still don't know a lot about this team other than they have a great defense. They've run the ball on a number of feeble defenses but if they can do it this week, then we'll be believers.

The Gators have a stifling defensive front filled with plenty of athleticism. They aren't going to be pushed around by anyone in the SEC and the Crimson Tide - for the first time this season - will have a tough time running the ball. If that's the case, the workload falls on the shoulders of quarterback AJ McCarron and again, we don't know how he'll respond when the game is on the line.

Florida has improved coaching this year with the help of Charlie Weis manning the offense. He's a Super Bowl winning coordinator and he'll find ways to attack the Tide defense, as good as it is. Arkansas proved that there are some places to exploit and Florida has plenty of speed to do that.

This is a respect game for Florida as they have been run off the field by Alabama the last couple of seasons. At home, in front of a raucous crowd on Saturday night, they'll be game to play and pull the upset. There's less between these teams than most people think so with points and the home-field advantage, we're chomping Florida. 10* play.

This has all the makings of a shootout and we're not going to be scared away by a high total.

Both teams have excellent offenses and feeble defenses, so it's not hard to envision points aplenty.

For Texas Tech, their front seven is as weak as it gets. That means Kansas will be able to find success on the ground and if that's the case, Jordan Webb will be able to spread the ball around. The Red Raiders coughed up 256 rushing yards to Texas State and New Mexico found room. Kansas will as well.

Meanwhile, as bad as the Red Raiders run defense is, the Jayhawks secondary is even worse. They gave up 325 passing yards to McNeese State and struggled against Northern Illinois. They also gave up 604 total yards to Georgia Tech along with seven touchdowns.

Defense is optional in this contest and both teams will feel like they are in practice. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Baltimore Ravens have dominated the NFC under John Harbaugh and the same will be the case this week against a beat up St. Louis Rams squad on a short week.

The Rams offense is likely to be without Steven Jackson, who is the questionable to doubtful range. Even if he plays, he won't be at 100% and running at the Ravens in between the teams rarely works anyways. Backup Cadillac Williams is also questionable and hasn't practiced most of the week and there's a good chance he's also out. That puts more pressure on the Rams passing game, which has struggled to find it's rhythm under new coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Rams are struggling in the red zone, where they've converted once in five trips.

The Ravens are pissed after their letdown on the road in Tennessee last week. After smoking the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week One, they came out flat and were rolled by a medium-grade Titans team. Expect the Ravens offense to get back on track as they've averaged 27.7 points per game against NFC teams under Harbaugh and 26.3 last year. They'll get back on track with a win this week. 10* play.

The Arizona Wildcats are a team in flux right now and a matchup against another elite team isn't going to help matters.

The Wildcats were spanked by the Stanford Cardinal 37-10 last week and now they host the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks, who have an even more explosive offense.

While the Wildcats do have a possible NFL-type quarterback in Nick Foles and arguably the deepest receiving corps in school history, they lack virtually everywhere else and it's killing them right now. Their offensive line has five new starters and gave up five sacks to Stanford last week. They are getting no push for the running game has just 240 yards this season - and that's including their game against Northern Arizona. This past week alone, they gave up 242 rushing yards to Stanford.

The Wildcats defense is also very green on their line of scrimmage and they are getting pushed around real easy right now. They allowed Stanford to go for scoring drives of 91, 81, 80, 72, 65, 64, and 57 yards.

The other thing to note here is that home-field advantage might not be such a great thing for Arizona as fans start to turn on the team and head coach Mike Stoops. About 2000 less people attended last week to see a Top 10 team and the potential No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, Andrew Luck than came for the home opener against Northern Arizona. Attendance could continue to drop as the team struggles.

Lastly, a big, back-breaking issue for the Wildcats - especially from a momentum perspective - is their place kicking. Jaime Salazar missed kicks from 36 and 45 last week and the coaching staff could go back to Alex Sendejas, who crippled the team with awful misses last year.

Any way you cut it, the Wildcats are in bad shape right now and Oregon isn't the cure. They've already lost 37-14 to Oklahoma State and 37-10 to Stanford. We'll lay the points with Oregon in this contest. 10* play.

Houston Nutt's time as head coach if the Ole Miss Running Rebels is running out. The biggest issue these days is that his smoke and mirrors offenses are producing no points.

JUCO quarterback transfer Zack Stoudt is under center - and he could be replaced shortly - and he's done absolutely nothing. He's passed for 397 yards and two touchdowns in three games. The Rebels scored seven points against Vandy and 13 against BYU. Georgia's defense should be on par or better than Vandy, which means we're not going to see a ton of points.

In any case, it's hard to see Ole Miss scoring a lot any way you cut it. Their strategy has to be to pound the ball, play conservative and keep this game close so they have a shot in the end.

As for Georgia, they are likely going to lean on running back Isaih Crowell to keep things steady on the road. This is an important game for Georgia, so they may be a bit conservative to start out until they have a lead.

Even so, if Georgia reaches the the 30-34 point range, that gives us - and Ole Miss - 17 points to work with to keep this game under. That's more than reasonable given how they've performed, so we're playing the under. 10* play.

People keep laughing when I tell them that the Washington Redskins are a decent team but I guess they'll have to keep winning to fend off the critics.

Nobody wants to say it out loud, but Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman looked good in their season-opening 28-14 win over the New York Giants, completing 21-of-34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Beyond that, the Redskins ran the ball effectively enough to keep the dogs off of Grossman's back.

The Cardinals defense coughed up 477 yards of total offense at home to the Carolina Panthers, who were 2-14 last year. Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton did whatever he wanted and there's little reason to believe the Redskins won't do the same as well.

The Cards overall effort was questionable as they used a blown coverage by the Panthers and then awful coverage on a punt return for a touchdown by the Panthers two come from behind in a 28-21 win. They also nearly let the Panthers tie it as they fell short on the one-yard-line as time wore down at the end of the fourth quarter.

Now the Cards have to go on the road on a long East coast trip. They're rarely a good road team in the East time zone and after last week's effort, there's not a whole lot of reason to have faith in them.

We'll stick with the Redskins, laying just a field goal at home. 10* play.

At face value, it would be pretty easy to lay the points with Wisconsin and think nothing of it. They've arguably been the most impressive team in the nation through two weeks but there's a little more to this matchup when you scratch below the surface.

For starters, first-year head coach Dave Doeren was the Badgers defensive coordinator up until this year. The Badgers have a relatively conservative defense and Doeren will know where the holes are.

Secondly, as good as Wisconsin is at Camp Randall, they have a little bit of that Sooner syndrome - as I like to call it - that when you get them off their home field on the road or a neutral site, they are far more vulnerable.

Keep in mind that when you look back at what Wisconsin's done so far, they could be perceived as overrated. The UNLV they smoked in Week 1, Washington State crushed by a wide margin in Week 2. The Oregon State team they beat last week lost to Sacramento State at home in Week 1.

Northern Illinois has an excellent quarterback in Chandler Harnish, who could be playing as good as anyone right now. He's the type of quarterback that's accurate enough to keep the NIU defense on the sidelines and keep moving the chains. The fact that the Badgers top cornerback Devin Smith was lost for the season should only help matters.

The Badgers will likely eventually pound out a win but look for NIU to hang around in this neutral-site affair. 10* play.

The Indianapolis Colts rarely care about preseason action and that was blatantly evident once again in their first preseason contest. With starting quarterback Peyton Manning on the shelf, not only did the backups for the Colts fail to step up, many of them didn't seem to care. Truth be told, they have a veteran roster with few spots up for grabs, so there isn't much of a competitive spirit.

They lost 33-10 to the St. Louis Rams in the opener, and were down 23-3 at halftime.

The Washington Redskins are a team with plenty of competition on the roster - including the two main quarterbacking spots. Rex Grossman looked great in his first preseason game and now John Beck will push him even more in the second contest. The Redskins have battles all across their roster and many players are looking to make an impression.

Furthermore, head coach Mike Shanahan needs to show progress. Any win is a boost of confidence for his club, so look for them to go much harder than the Colts tonight. 10* play.

Brandon McCarthy and Alex Cobb have both been pitching fairly well for their respective teams, so we'll be looking at an under between the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

McCarthy has an ERA of 3.89 over the last month while posting a WHIP of 1.19 in that span. He has a career ERA of 3.70 against Tampa Bay

Meanwhile, Cobb is 3-0 with a 3.70 ERA since the All-Star Break. He's posted a WHIP of 1.05 over his last three starts.

The under is 16-5 when the Rays are a home favorite of -125 to -150 and 35-17 when they play at home. Bet the under. 10* play.

Doug Fister will make his debut for the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday and he could get a rude welcome from the Texas Rangers.

Fister played for Seattle in the AL West, so Texas will be familiar with him. He has a career ERA of 4.78 against them. Both Nelson Cruz and David Murphy have career OPS' above 1.23 against him. He's allowed 12 earned runs in his last three starts (5.35 ERA).

Matt Harrison has a hideous track record against the Tigers as he's 0-3 with an ERA of 7.84 and a WHIP of 2.23.

The over is 11-6 when the Tigers are at home with a total of 9 to 9.5 and it's 4-1 when they are at home as an underdog of +100 to +125. Bet the over. 10* play.

Neither Aaron Cook or Hiroki Kuroda has been pitching lights out, yet the Rockies and Dodgers are faced with a low total of 7.5.

Kiroda has allowed 10 earned runs in his last 18.1 innings pitched. He has a career ERA of 6.37 with a WHIP of 1.61 against the Rockies. That's his highest ERA against any one NL opponent.

He'll take on Cook, who is 1-2 with a 7.66 ERA on the road this season. Opposing batters are hitting .379 against him on the road and he's posted a WHIP of 1.99. Bet the over. 10* play.

Two lefties will be on the mound as John Danks and the Chicago White Sox take on Bruce Chen and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

We'll be eyeing the under for a number of reasons.

Danks has a career ERA of 2.74 and a WHIP of 1.20 when facing the Royals. The under is 5-3 in those starts. Danks has given up just three earned runs in his last 23.2 innings pitched (1.16 ERA) and he doesn't usually get much support from the White Sox. They have averaged 2.7 runs per game over his last 12 starts.

Bruce Chen has also pitched well against the White Sox, posting an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.19 for his career against them. He's done well at home with a 3.52 ERA, .275 BAA and a 1.39 WHIP.

Four of the last six meetings have gone under and the under is 29-14 when the White Sox face a team with a losing record. 10* play.

The Chicago White Sox will look to stay hot out of the All-Star break after winning two of three in Detroit, when they face the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

The White Sox will send Mark Buehrle to the mound, who has a career record of 21-11 against the Royals and his team's records are 33-14. He has a career ERA of 3.68 and a WHIP of 1.26 against them.

He'll take on Kyle Davis, who has been a disaster this season. Davies has lost eight straight decisions and he's been coughing up runs at an alarming pace. If his 7.74 ERA isn't telling enough, the 25 runs he's given up in his last six outings should be (9.36 ERA).

The Royals are just 7-17 against lefties this season and 39-77 over the last three years. Bet the White Sox. 10* play.

The Toronto Blue Jays will once again face John Lackey (and the Boston Red Sox again will face Brendan Morrow) as the two AL East rivals square off on the fourth of July.

Lackey has been thrashed all season long - particularly at Fenway Park. At home, he has an ERA of 7.88 while opponents bat .302 against him while posting a WHIP of 1.69. He's faced the Jays twice this season and has allowed 13 earned runs in 12.2 innings of work. He has an ERA of 8.83 in his last six starts against Toronto. The over is 11-6 in games where Lackey has faced the Jays.

Meanwhile, the Jays will counter with Morrow, who has an ugly track record against Boston. Morrow has an ERA of 12.38 and an astronomical WHIP of 2.50 against the Red Sox for his career. The over is 4-0 in each of the four games he's pitched against the Red Sox.

The over is 15-9 in day games for Boston and 5-0 when they are a home favorite of -125 to -150. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Cleveland Indians have been struggling in interleague play - particularly the games played in National League stadiums - and they'll have another one on the schedule tonight.

Shin-Soo Choo is out with injury and with the game being played in an NL park, Travis Hafner will be on the bench as well. Following the Indians this season, their lineup has not been nearly as strong when Hafner is out. Overall, they have scored 11 runs in their last five games.

It might be even tougher against Ian Kennedy, who has been on fire of late. In his last nine starts, he's 7-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting just .215 against him when he pitches at home.

Meanwhile, the Indians will send Mitch Talbot to the mound, who has pitched better away than at home. Opposing batters are hitting .379 against him when he's at home and just .264 when he's on the road. He doesn't receive much run support when he pitches, getting a total of five runs in his last four starts. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Minnesota Twins bats have struggled on their current road trip (just six runs in their last four games) but they could get a spark on Sunday.

The Twins will face Chris Narveson, who allows a batting average of .266 when he's pitching at home. Narveson has struggled this month, giving up four earned runs in three of his four starts and outside of that one good start against St. Louis, Narveson has allowed 23 earned runs in his last 24.2 innings pitched (8.55 ERA, 1.78 WHIP).

He'll face Carl Pavano, who has much preferred to pitch at home than on the road this season. At home, he's 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA, a WHIP of 1.20 and opposing batters hit just .250. On the road, opposing batters hit .301 against him, he has a WHIP of 1.40 and an ERA of 5.12. He's had a hard time with home runs, allowing just one at home in 44.1 innings pitched but giving up seven in 58.1 innings pitched on the road. Bet the over. 10* play.