20* Bengals/Steelers ESPN Monday No-Brainer on Pittsburgh -3 

Now that this line has moved down to Pittsburgh -3 I think it’s time to pull the trigger on the Steelers.  I still believe they are the better team here even without Ben Roethlisberger, so getting them -3 at home is pretty cheap. 

The Steelers have lost a couple close games to two very good teams since Mason Rudolph took over for Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2.  They lost 26-28 at home to the Seahawks and 20-24 on the road to the 49ers.  Those are two common opponents with the Bengals.  The Bengals lost 20-21 to the Seahawks and played them similarly.  However, they were blitzed by the 49ers at home 17-41. 

While the Steelers are very healthy outside Big Ben, the Bengals have all kinds of injury concerns heading into this game.  DE Carlos Dunlap, T Andre Smith, DE Sam Hubbard, T Cordy Glenn, DE Carl Lawson, G Michael Jordan and DT Ryan Glasgow are all questionable for this game.  CB Darius Phillips, CB Darqueze Denard, WR AJ Green and G Alex Redmond are all out. 

The Steelers have only averaged 17 rush attempts per game this season, which is not what they want as they are passing on 67% of their plays.  They will certainly take a look at that leading up to this game and try to get James Conner going.  It’s the perfect opponent for Conner to break out as the Bengals are allowing 169 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry.  That will help take some pressure off of Rudolph. 

Bets against underdogs of PK (Cincinnati) - an good offensive team averaging 5.8 or more yards per play against a defense that is allowing 5.8 or more yards per play, after allowing 400 or more total yards in their previous game are 34-11 (75.6%) ATS over the last five seasons.  The Bengals gave up 572 total yards to the 49ers and 416 total yards to the Bills the last two weeks.  Their defense simply cannot be trusted, and I believe the Steelers have by far the superior stop unit in this one.  

The Steelers have won 42 of their last 56 meetings with the Bengals.  They have won 8 straight in this series and are 11-1 SU in the last 12 meetings.  Bet the Steelers Monday. 

20* NFC GAME OF THE MONTH on Tampa Bay Bucs +10 

I think this is a great time to fade the Los Angeles Rams.  They are off to a 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS start this season, and now they are overvalued.  They only beat Carolina by 3 in the opener.  They got a great break with an injury to Drew Brees in Week 2 that allowed them to beat the Saints.  And last week they needed a goal-line stand in the final seconds to beat the Browns by 7. 

Plus, the Rams have two huge division games coming up the next two weeks with games against the Seahawks and 49ers.  And they are coming off a primetime game on Sunday Night Football against the Browns.  This is a sandwich spot here against the Bucs, and I don’t expect them to have their full focus. 

The Bucs have lost at home to the 49ers and Giants by giving the game away.  They had four turnovers against the 49ers and two pick 6’s.  And last week they blew an 18-point lead to the Giants, and missed a chip shot field goal at the buzzer that would have won it.  I think the fact that they lost that game instead of winning it has them undervalued as well when clearly they should have won. 

The Bucs just seem to play better on the road when they get away from the negativity that surrounds Jameis Winston at home.  They went on the road in Week 2 and beat the Panthers 20-14 as 6.5-point dogs.  And they’ll relish this opportunity to face the defending NFC champs here on the road Sunday. 

The Rams just don’t have much of a home-field advantage.  And Jared Goff just isn’t that good with a 4-to-3 TD/INT ratio this season and only 7.0 yards per attempt.  Todd Gurley isn’t himself as he clearly has a knee problem.  The Rams have hardly used him in the passing game since the knee injury popped up late last year.  He’s only a shell of his former self when he’s not catching balls out of the backfield. 

I would definitely argue that Jameis Winston just put together two of his best games in a row in his career.  I think Bruce Arians is starting to get through to him. Winston was 16-of-25 for 208 yards and a touchdown with zero turnovers against the Panthers on the road two weeks ago.  And last week he threw for 380 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.  He’s done everything he could do to win both of those games. 

Tampa Bay may have the best defense it has had in years.  Todd Bowles took over as defensive coordinator, and the Bucs added some great pieces in LB Shaq Barrett (8 sacks) and DT Ndamukong Suh.  The combination of Suh and Vita Vea up the middle makes them very tough to run against.  And Barrett has provided a tremendous pass rush.  The Bucs are only allowing 330.7 yards per game and 5.1 yards per play, holding opponents to 68 yards per game and 1.2 yards per play less than their season averages. 

The Bucs are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games following a loss.  The Rams are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 home games against a team with a losing record.  Tampa Bay is 35-19 ATS in its last 54 games after scoring 30 points or more last game.  Arians is 15-4 ATS after allowing 300 or more passing yards in their last game in all games he has coached.  Bet the Bucs Sunday. 

15* MLB Sunday No-Doubt Rout on St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (-135) 

The St. Louis Cardinals are doing everything they can to hand the NL Central to the Brewers.  The Brewers do not want to take it, losing the last two days to the Brewers.  So the Cardinals are still in a great position despite losing four straight coming in.  They clinch the NL Central with a win Sunday over the Cubs. 

Now the Cardinals hand the ball to who I believe should win the NL Cy Young in Jack Flaherty.  Flaherty has posted a minuscule 0.97 ERA in five September Starts after posting a 0.71 ERA in August.  Opponents are only hitting .198, .145 and .122 against him over the last three months.  Flaherty is 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.071 WHIP in eight career starts against Chicago, including 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last two starts against them while allowing just one earned run in 15 innings. 

The Cardinals should get their bats going today against Derek Holland.  The left-hander is 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts this season, 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in four road starts, and 0-2 with an 11.37 ERA in his last three starts. 

The Cubs are 2-9 in their last 11 games overall.  The Cardinals are 41-17 in their last 58 games after losing the first two games of a series.  Bet the Cardinals on the Run Line Sunday. 

15* MLB Sunday Undervalued Underdog on Miami Marlins +156 

The Miami Marlins will be highly motivated to avoid the sweep and win Game 3 of this series with the Philadelphia Phillies.  I would certainly argue they have the edge on the mound and should not be this big of underdogs here. 

Sandy Alcantara has posted a 3.95 ERA in 31 starts for the Marlins this season.  He has posted a 2.41 ERA in nine day starts as well.  Not to mention, Alcantara has allowed just 7 earned runs in 28 2/3 innings over his last four starts for a 2.20 ERA.  He fired 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his last start against the Phillies and is 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in three career starts against them. 

Blake Parker is no more than a opener for the Phillies.  He will be making just his second start of the season here today.  The Phillies are just 2-6 in their last eight games overall.  Roll with the Marlins Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday No-Doubt Rout on New York Giants -2.5 

I was on the Giants last week against the Bucs and I’m riding them for many of the same reasons this week.  Finally, they decided to bench Eli Manning and go with first-round pick Daniel Jones.  This upgrade at quarterback clearly gave them a boost last week, and now fans will come out in full force to watch Jones in his first career home start this week against the hapless Washington Redskins. 

Jones was dynamite in the preseason.  He completed 29-of-34 passes (85.3%) for 416 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 137.3 QBR.  He is the real deal, and he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder after everyone thought it was a terrible pick by the Giants to draft him that early.  He’s ready to prove his doubters wrong. 

Jones got off to a flying start last week by leading the Giants back from an 18-point deficit to beat the Bucs 32-31 on the road.  Eli Manning would never have been able to lead that kind of comeback.  Jones completed 23-of-36 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  He also rushed for 28 yards and two scores, including the game-winner.  HIs mobility is certainly what separates him from Manning. 

The Redskins are a dumpster fire.  They are 0-3 SU & 1-2 ATS this season.  They didn’t commit a single turnover in each of their first two games, yet still lost to the Eagles by 5 and Cowboys by 10.  Then they fell apart and committed five turnovers on Monday in a 15-31 home loss to the Bears.  Now the Redskins are on a short week and have a ton of injury concerns. 

The Reedskins are already without TE Jordan Reed, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, RB Derrius Guice, LB Reuben Foster and T Trent Williams.  Those are five starters they are without.  Plus, they could be without G Brandon Sherff and WR Terry McLaurin, who are both questionable.  McLaurin would be a huge loss as he’s the team’s leading receiver with 16 receptions for 257 yards and three touchdowns.  The team is already short on weapons.  Plus, QB Case Keenum was in a walking boot all week and won’t be 100% if he goes. 

I think the Giants are undervalued due to the Saquon Barkley injury.  Backup Wayne Gallman is worth a point less than Barkley at most and RB injuries are always overrated.  Plus, they didn’t need much of a running game against the Bucs last week with just 72 rushing yards compared to 312 passing yards.  They should be able to move the ball at will against a Redskins defense that is allowing 31.3 points and 402.7 yards per game, including 261 passing yards per game and 79% completions to opposing quarterbacks. 

The Giants are 15-2 ATS in their last 17 games after allowing 17 points or more in the first half of two straight games.  Plays on home teams (NY Giants) - after three consecutive games where they forced one or fewer turnovers against an opponent after a game with a turnover margin of -3 or worse are 23-5 (82.1%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Roll with the Giants Sunday. 

20* NFL Non-Conference GAME OF THE MONTH on Kansas City Chiefs -6 

Believe it or not, this will actually be the first meaningful game for Patrick Mahomes in a dome in his NFL career.  Just imagine what that explosive offense with a ton of speed is going to do to this Detroit Lions defense on the turf inside Ford Field Sunday.  It’s not going to be pretty for the Lions. 

Mahomes is having another huge season already.  He is completing 71.9% of his passes for 1,195 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions through three games.  He is averaging a whopping 10.5 yards per attempt.  He has unlimited weapons in Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and a three-headed monster in the backfield with the addition of LeSean McCoy.  They’ve been able to afford the injury to Tyreek Hill without skipping a beat. 

The Lions will get a reality check here.  They are off to a 2-0-1 SU & 2-1 ATS start this season.  They allowed Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to come back from an 18-point deficit in Week 1.  That’s a Cardinals team that just lost by 18 at home to Carolina.  They were lucky to beat the Chargers by 3 in Week 2 as they were outgained by 86 yards.  The Chargers had two touchdowns called back and fumbled going in from the 1-yard line.  And last week they took advantage of a banged-up Eagles team and won by 3 despite getting outgained by 86 yards.  They could easily be 0-3 instead. 

This is a Lions defense that ranks 23rd in total defense in giving up 394.7 yards per game this season.  That’s not good news for them going up against Mahomes and company.  In four college games in his career, Mahomes averaged 492 passing yards per game in domes, which was 126 yards more than his averages.  And in one preseason game he averaged 11.5 yards per attempt.  They are going to get lit up, and the Lions don’t have the weapons to match Mahomes score for score. 

The Lions are 0-6 ATS against teams with a turnover margin of +1 or more per game over the last three seasons.  They are losing by 14.2 points per game on average in this spot.  The Chiefs are 6-0 ATS in road games off two or more consecutive wins over the last three seasons.  Kansas City is 7-0 ATS in the first month of the season over the last two years.  The Lions are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games vs. a team with a winning road record.  These four trends combine for a perfect 24-0 system backing Kansas City.  Take the Chiefs Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Undervalued Underdog on Miami Dolphins +15.5 

It’s finally time to jump in on the Miami Dolphins and ‘buy low’ on them Sunday.  They are off to an 0-3 SU & 0-3 ATS start and have been one of the worst teams in NFL history thus far.  However, I saw some signs from them last week against the Cowboys that are buy signs moving forward. 

The Dolphins had a chance to lead at halftime but turned it over deep in Dallas territory and went into the break down 10-6.  They were outscored 21-0 after intermission, but clearly deserved to cover the 22.5-point spread.  They failed on a 4th down from the Dallas 40-yard line late, and the Cowboys tacked on a late touchdown to get the cover. 

Miami clearly showed a lot of fight last week against the Cowboys, and a big reason was because they made the switch to Josh Rosen at quarterback.  He did about as well as you could expect.  The Dolphins even attempted an onside kick in the first half, showing that they were going for the win.  And now this week the Dolphins should get back some key players in WR Albert Wilson and S Rashad Jones from injury. 

The Chargers are just doing Chargers things once again this season.  They needed overtime to beat the Colts in Week 1 after letting a double-digit lead slip away.  They had two touchdowns called back and fumbled from the Detroit 1-yard line in a 10-13 loss at the Lions.  And last week they blew a 17-7 halftime lead and lost 20-27 at home to the Texans. 

The Chargers are having a tough time overcoming their plethora of injuries.  They are without RB Melvin Gordon, S Derwin James, T Russell Okung, TE Hunter Henry and S Adrian Phillips.  Not to mention, WR Mike Williams, CB Casey Hayward, WR Travis Benjamin, TE Virgil Green and K Michael Badgley are all questionable this week.  No team has been hit harder by injuries, and the Chargers are clearly struggling to cope with the losses of so many key players. 

Plays on any team (Miami) - after scoring 9 points or less in two straight games are 33-10 (76.7%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  The schedule couldn’t have been much more difficult to this point with games against the Ravens, Patriots and Cowboys, which is part of the reason they have struggled so badly.  The Chargers are easily the worst team they’ve faced yet, and they will be more competitive in this game than oddsmakers anticipate.  Bet the Dolphins Sunday. 

15* AFC PLAY OF THE DAY on Oakland Raiders +7 

The Oakland Raiders got off to a great start this season with a 24-16 upset win over the Broncos are 3-point underdogs.  But then they ran into two juggernauts in the Chiefs at home and Vikings on the road and were pretty much blown out in both games.  Now I think it’s a great time to ‘buy low’ on the Raiders as they face a team they can handle here in the Indianapolis Colts. 

I believe the Colts are overvalued now after going 2-1 SU & 2-0-1 ATS through their first three games.  They lost in OT to the Chargers on the road in Week 1 after coming back from a 15-point deficit.  They squeaked out a 19-17 win over the Titans are 3-point road dogs in Week 2, and also beat the Falcons 27-24 at home as 1-point favorites last week. 

As you can see, all three of the Colts’ games this season have been decided by 6 points or less.  I believe this game goes down to the wire as well, so there’s a ton of value on the Raiders catching the full touchdowns.  The Colts aren’t a team built to blow out opponents with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.  He is a game manager who won’t beat his own team, but he’s also not capable of running up the score on anyone with his limited abilities. 

Derek Carr is having a solid season for the Raiders.  He is completing 73.5% of his passes for 699 yards with a 4-to-3 TD/INT ratio and 7.1 yards per attempt.  He has faced a gauntlet of defenses thus far in the Broncos, Vikings and Chiefs.  He has found a nice chemistry with two new receivers in TE Darren Waller (26 receptions, 267 yards) and WR Tyrell Williams, (14, 180 3 TD). 

The Colts have a ton of injury concerns heading into this game, while the Raiders will be getting some key players back from injury.  The Colts just lost CB Malik Hooker for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.  Last year’s leading tackler LB Darius Leonard is out with a concussion.  T.Y. Hilton suffered a quad strain last week and is questionable to play this week.  The Colts are actually getting outgained on the season. 

Plays against favorites (Indianapolis) - off a home win, in the first month of the season are 79-39 (66.9%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Jon Gruden is 13-4 ATS after being outrushed by 100 or more yards last game in all games he has coached.  The Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a loss.  Take the Raiders Sunday. 

15* MWC PLAY OF THE DAY on Colorado State +24.5 

The Utah State Aggies are coming off a historic season in which they went 11-2 SU and 9-3-1 ATS.  But they only brought back nine starters from that team, including two on offense.  The betting public has continued to back this team and they’ve been rewarded as the Aggies have opened 2-1 SU & 3-0 ATS. 

Clearly, I believe Utah State is overvalued now.  It’s time to ‘sell high’ on the Aggies, who barely covered in a 3-point loss to Wake Forest as 4.5-point underdogs.  They also barely covered in a 6-point win over San Diego State as 4-point favorites.  Now they are being asked to lay a whopping 24.5 points to a Colorado State team that is undervalued after opening 1-3. 

The Rams have shown me enough against a tough schedule to believe they can stay within 24.5 points here.  Their three losses have come to Colorado, Arkansas and Toledo all by 21 points or less.  I’ve really been impressed with their offense, which is averaging 34.5 points, 552.2 yards per game and 7.2 yards per play.  This offense can travel anywhere.  Colorado State is now outgaining opponents by 113 yards per game on the season, so they are clearly better than their record would indicate. 

Last week, Colorado State only lost 35-41 at home to Toledo as 7-point dogs.  They racked up 694 total yards and and found their QB of the future in Patrick O’Brien, who started in place of the injured Colin Hill.  O’Brien threw for 405 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also rushing for 27 yards and a score. 

Colorado State just has Utah State’s number.  The Rams are 2-1 SU & 3-0 ATS in the last three meetings.  They won 27-14 on the road as 9.5-point favorites in 2017, and 31-24 at home as 6-point underdogs in 2016. But last year’s performance was the most impressive despite losing 24-29 on the road.  The Rams were whopping 30.5-point underdogs in that game and actually outgained the Aggies by 196 total yards and should have won that game outright. 

Plays on road underdogs (Colorado State) - in a game involving two dominant teams who are outgaining opponents by 100-plus yards per game, after gaining 575 or more total yards in their previous game are 51-18 (73.9%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  The Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a loss.  Bet Colorado State Saturday. 

20* Ohio State/Nebraska ABC No-Brainer on Nebraska +18 

This line was Ohio State -10 when it came out in the offseason at the Golden Nugget.  Oddsmakers have adjusted 7.5 points.  I think the value is on Nebraska in this game. 

Ohio State is overvalued off its 4-0 SU & 3-1 ATS start this season against one of the easiest schedules in the country.  They are coming off a 76-5 win over Miami Ohio last week. 

Meanwhile, Nebraska is 3-1 SU but 1-3 ATS and undervalued now because of it.  The Huskers should be 4-0 but they blew a 17-0 halftime lead at Colorado.  And last week’s 42-38 win at Illinois was one of the most misleading finals of the week.  Plus it was a lookahead spot to this Ohio State game, and the Huskers didn’t show up with their full focus. 

Nebraska had a 32-14 edge in first downs over Illinois  They had a 671-299 yard edge, outgaining the Fighting Illini by 372 total yards.  But they were -3 in turnovers, which is the only reason it was close.  Adrian Martinez was awesome, throwing for 327 yards and 3 scores, while also rushing for 118 yards.  He is the reason they have a chance here against Ohio State. 

Remember last year, Nebraska only lost by 5 at Ohio State as 17-point dogs.  Now they are catching more than 17 at home this time around.  It will be a raucous atmosphere in Lincoln Saturday night as fans and players alike have had this game circled all offseason. 

Ohio State has been able to run all over the bad defenses they’ve faced, averaging 262 rushing yards per game and 5.9 per carry.  Well, they won’t be able to run all over Nebraska.  The Huskers have held opponents to just 117 rushing yards per game and 3.1 per carry this season.  Their defense is vastly improved, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country at 38.0 points per game, 490 yards per game and 6.5 yards per play. 

Nebraska is 28-11 ATS in its last 39 after failing to cover 3 of their last 4 games coming in.  The Huskers are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games.  Ohio State is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games after gaining 450 or more total yards in four consecutive games.  Nebraska is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 home games vs. good defensive teams that give up 14 or fewer points per game. 

Plays on home underdogs of 14.5 or more points (Nebraska) - after two or more consecutive straight up wins, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team are 41-12 (77.4%) ATS since 1992.  Bet Nebraska Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday UPSET SHOCKER on Kansas State +5 

The Kansas State Wildcats are one of the most underrated teams in all of college football.  Chris Klieman was one of the best hires of the offseason coming over from North Dakota State where he won four FCS titles in five years.  The guy knows how to coach, and the cupboard wasn’t bare at Kansas State with 14 returning starters. 

I backed Kansas State in Week 3 as they went on the road and upset Mississippi State 31-24 as 7.5-point underdogs.  Now they’ve had a bye week since, which means they get two full weeks to prepare for Oklahoma State.  It’s a Cowboys team they have had a lot of success against, going 4-3 SU & 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings. 

Oklahoma State is in a clear flat spot here.  They are coming off a deflating 30-36 loss at Texas last week.  They scored a late touchdown to get in the back door and cover, but for the most part Texas controlled that game the entire way.  QB Spencer Sanders was only 19-of-32 passing with zero touchdowns and two interceptions against a bad Texas defense. 

Kansas State has one of the best defenses in the country.  The Wildcats are holding opponents to just 12.7 points per game, 256 yards per game and 4.9 yards per play.  They are holding opponents to 8.7 points, 92 yards per game and 0.8 yards per play less than their season averages.  It’s a defense that returned eight starters from last year and will be one of the best in the Big 12 this season. 

Kansas State’s offense has averaged 44 points per game and rushed for 280 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry thus far.  I have no doubt Klieman knows his best chance to win is to control the time of possession, and they’ll do that with their running game.  The Cowboys have not been great against the run as they are giving up 176 rushing yards per game this season.  It’s a great matchup for the Wildcats. 

Klieman will take a page from Bill Snyder for sure in this one.  The Wildcats have been able to run wild on the Cowboys in recent years during their 4-3 SU & 6-1 ATS stretch.  Starting with last season, the Wildcats have rushed for 291, 217, and 345 yards in their last there meetings with the Cowboys.  Based on what we’ve seen thus far, the Wildcats will have their way on the ground against the Cowboys once again. 

Kansas State is 6-1 ATS in its last seven vs. a team with a winning record.  The Wildcats are 22-9-1 ATS in their last 32 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.  Kansas State is 5-0 ATS in its last five games overall.  The Wildcats are 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.  The Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last five trips to Oklahoma State.  Take Kansas State Saturday. 

15* MLB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Miami Marlins +157 

The Philadelphia Phillies have nothing to play for after getting eliminated from the postseason.  They have lost six of their last seven coming in.  They did win in extras last night over the Marlins, but they certainly should not be this heavily favored given their standing and how poorly they have played of late. 

I would definitely argue the Marlins have the edge on the mound today over the Phillies.  Caleb Smith has been their best starter at 10-10 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 27 starts this season.  Smith is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in his last two starts against the Phillies, giving up just one earned run in 12 innings with 14 K’s. 

Zach Eflin is 9-13 with a 4.16 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 27 starts for the Phillies.  Eflin is 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA in his last four starts against the Marlins, giving up 12 earned runs in 25 innings. 

The Phillies are 6-20 in Eflin’s last 26 starts when working on 4 days’ rest.  Philadelphia is 1-4 in Eflin’s last five home starts.  The Phillies are 1-5 in their last six games following a win.  Great value on the road underdog Marlins here.  Take the Marlins Saturday. 

20* Big 12 GAME OF THE MONTH on Iowa State -2.5 

The Iowa State Cyclones lost a game 18-17 to the Iowa Hawkeyes that they should have won.  They outgained the Hawkeyes by 105 yards in that game, but were -2 in turnovers and led the whole way until the 4th quarter.  But because they lost that game, the Cyclones are undervalued heading into conference play. 

It just goes to show how good of a coach Matt Campbell is with the way his team responded last week.  They could have easily been flat off that loss to their in-state rivals, but they came out and dominated with one of their best performances in program history.  Indeed, the Cyclones beat Louisiana-Monroe 72-20, which was their most points scored in a game since 1906 when the forward pass was introduced.  They racked up 714 total yards, including six total touchdowns from QB Brock Purdy. 

The numbers really show just how dominant the Cyclones have been despite being just 2-1 and having a couple close games against both Iowa and Northern Iowa.  Iowa State is averaging 39.3 points, 532 yards per game and 7.7 yards per play.  They are averaging 12.2 points, 110 yards per game and 1.8 yards per play more than their opponents allow on average.  Defensively, they are giving up 21.3 points, 333 yards per game and 4.4 yards per play.  They are holding opponents to 7.5 points, 49 yards and 0.7 yards per play less than their season averages. 

Baylor comes into Big 12 play overrated due to playing such a soft schedule.  The Bears are 3-0, but just 1-2 ATS this season.  Their three games have come against Stephen F. Austin, UTSA and Rice.  Their performance against Rice last week shows they are vulnerable.  They only beat the Owls 21-13 as 27-point favorites.  That’s a bad Rice team that is 0-4 and has basically been blown out every game. 

Campbell is 9-1 ATS when playing against a team that has greater than a 75% winning percentage as the coach of Iowa State.  Campbell is 6-0 ATS vs. teams that outscore opponents by 17-plus points per game as the coach of the Cyclones.  The Cyclones are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games.  The Bears are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games.  Take Iowa State Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Virginia +12.5 

I love the spot for Virginia here.  They come in undervalued after nearly losing to Old Dominion in a 28-17 win as 27-point favorites where they needed a second-half comeback.  It was a clear flat spot and a lookahead spot off their win over Florida State and with Notre Dame on deck.  Now, with a bye on deck next week, Virginia will be ‘all in’ this week. 

Notre Dame went 12-0 in the regular season last year and made the four-team playoff.  After losing to Georgia 17-23 last week, Notre Dame now has almost no shot at making the playoff again.  I think they’ll still be deflated from that defeat, and they won’t bring 100% focus into this game against Virginia.  I also think the Fighting Irish are getting too much respect now after playing Georgia closer than oddsmakers thought.  Everyone was on Georgia in that game it seemed like as they failed to cover as 14.5-point favorites. 

Virginia has a legit defense that is holding opponents to 18.0 points, 264 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play.  They are holding opponents to 76 yards per game and 0.9 yards per play less than their season averages.  And the Cavaliers are led at QB by Bryce Perkins, who is completing 65.3% of his passes while also rushing for 193 yards and two scores.  He is one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC. 

Virginia’s 30-14 win at Pitt in the opener looks even better now.  Pitt nearly upset Penn State on the road as a 17-point dogs, and they came back last week and upset UCF as a double-digit dog last week.  That was the Cavaliers’ only road game this season, and it was their best performance of the year.  Bronco Mendenhall will have them ready for a physical came against Notre Dame on the road here, which is just the way they like it. 

I actually think Virginia is the more physical team up front on both sides of the ball.  Notre Dame is giving up 204 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry this season.  Virginia is only allowing 75 rushing yards per game and 2.2 per carry.  The team that stops the run best usually wins, and there’s no question Virginia is better equipped to stop the run in this game based on what we’ve seen thus far. 

Notre Dame is 8-24 ATS in its last 32 games vs. excellent defensive teams that allow 285 or fewer yards per game.  Mendenhall is 11-1 ATS off a non-conference game as the coach of Virginia.  The Cavaliers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 vs. a team with a winning record.  Virginia is 5-1 ATS in its last six vs. Independent schools.  The Fighting Irish are 2-10-1 ATS in their last 13 after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.  Bet Virginia Saturday. 

15* ACC PLAY OF THE DAY on Boston College +7 

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are getting way too much respect here from oddsmakers.  They are off to a 4-0 start this season and overvalued as a result.  They won three home games against Utah State, UNC and Elon, as well as a road win at Rice in their only game away from home thus far.  They haven’t done anything impressive as they barely beat both UNC and Utah State and home.  Utah State lost almost everyone from last year, and UNC was on a short week and coming off a huge win against Miami, putting them in a letdown spot. 

Conversely, Boston College is undervalued because everyone remembers their shocking 24-48 home loss to Kansas.  They clearly went through the motions in that game and didn’t even show up.  Their other three games have been impressive, and more of a sign of the team they are than that Kansas game.  They beat VA Tech 35-28 as 4-point home dogs in the opener, crushed Richmond 45-13 at home, and went on the road and beat Rutgers 30-16 as 7.5-point favorites.  I like the way they responded from that Kansas loss with the win at Rutgers. 

Now Boston College has been humbled and refocused after that Kansas loss.  They still have everything in front of them as they are 1-0 in ACC play and can get to 2-0 here.  I really like what I’ve seen from this Boston College offense as they have averaged 33.5 points, 457 yards per game and 251 rushing yards per game.  The problem with their defense is that they have lost the time of possession, averaging just over 26 minutes per game on offense while their defense has been on the field for 34 minutes per game.  That should change moving forward with how well they’ve been able to run the football. 

This will be the best offense that Wake Forest has faced this season.  The Demon Deacons have good defensive numbers, but that’s more due to the ease of the schedule of opposing offenses.  They did give up 35 points and 596 yards to Utah State, and they will be hard-pressed to slow down AJ Dillon and Antony Brown in this one.  Brown has a 6-to-0 TD/INT ratio and is averaging 7.8 yards per attempt, while also rushing for two scores this year.  Dillon has rushed for 468 yards and accounted for seven total touchdowns. 

Plays on any team (Boston College) - an excellent rushing team that average 4.8 or more yards per carry against a good rushing team (4.3 to 4.8 YPC), after allowing 100 or fewer rushing yards last game are 76-34 (69.1%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Steve Addazio is 8-1 ATS vs. teams who commit one or fewer turnovers per game as the coach of Boston College.  The Eagles are 12-3-1 ATS int heir last 16 conference games.  Roll with Boston College Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Early ANNIHILATOR on Northwestern +25 

Northwestern definitely came into the season overvalued after winning the Big Ten West in one of the best seasons in program history.  And now they’re off to a 1-2 SU & 0-3 ATS start this season, failing to meet expectations.  I believe this is the perfect time to ‘buy low’ on Northwestern now that everyone has counted them out. 

It’s the perfect storm too because it’s the perfect time to ’sell high’ on Wisconsin.  The Badgers are 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS this season with wins over South Florida, Central Michigan and then Michigan last week.  Clearly, Michigan was overrated as they needed overtime to beat Army in their previous game.  The Badgers will have a hard time getting up for Northwestern after their win over Michigan last week. 

This is the role Northwestern has played their best under Pat Fitzgerald.  Indeed, Northwestern has actually gone 10-8 STRAIGHT UP as a double-digit underdog over the last 10 years.  Not only are they covering, they are winning outright in these spots more time than not. 

Northwestern has been an underdog to Wisconsin each of the last five years.  They have gone 3-2 SU & 4-1 ATS in those five games with both of their losses coming by 14 points or less.  Northwestern loves a good Big Ten street fight where it’s a battle of the trenches.  They are one of the few teams that can hold up against a team like Wisconsin with one of the best front seven’s defensively in the Big Ten. 

The 10-31 home loss to Michigan State last week was closer than the final score showed.  The Wildcats were only outgained by 74 yards, but they committed three turnovers, which proved to be the difference.  I would argue Michigan State may have the best defense in the country, and Northwestern was able to run for 140 yards on them. 

Fitzgerald is 8-0 ATS after gaining 3.75 or fewer yards per play in its previous game as the coach of Northwestern.  Paul Chryst is 5-15 ATS after gaining 6.25 or more yards per play in their previous game as the coach of Wisconsin.  The Wildcats are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.  Northwestern is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 road games.  The Wildcats are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games off a double-digit home loss.  The Badgers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games off a win.  Roll with Northwestern Saturday. 

15* MLB Friday Undervalued Underdog on Miami Marlins +175 

The Philadelphia Phillies clearly don’t care about winning since they’ve been eliminated from the postseason.  They have lost six straight and eight of their last nine.  There’s no reason to expect them to show up agains the Marlins, and they shouldn’t be this big of a favorite as a result. 

Pablo Lopez has actually been respectable for the Marlins this season.  He is 5-8 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 20 starts.  Lopez has posted a 3.86 ERA and 0.943 WHIP in two career starts against Philadelphia as well. 

Vincent Velasquez isn’t any better than Lopez.  He is 6-7 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.330 WHIP in 22 starts this season.  Velasquez has posted a 4.06 ERA in 14 career starts against Miami.  His last two starts against the Marlins have been brutal as he’s gone 0-1 with a 14.84 ERA while allowing 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. 

The Marlins are 7-2 in the last nine meetings.  Take the Marlins Friday. 

20* Duke/VA Tech ESPN No-Brainer on Virginia Tech -2.5 

The Virginia Tech Hokies had big expectations coming into the season due to returning 16 starters, including 10 on defense.  But after getting upset by Boston College on the road in their opener, and failing to cover in wins over Old Dominion and Furman, I believe this is a great time to ‘buy low’ on the Hokies. 

The Hokies have actually outgained all three of their opponents this season.  The only reason they lost to Boston College was because they turned the ball over five times.  In fact, they already have 9 turnovers this season through three games.  That’s not going to continue. 

Now Justin Fuente has had two full weeks to correct the mistakes with his team.  I expect the Hokies to come through with their best performance of the season Friday night.  They still have everything in front of them as they control their own destiny in the ACC and can still win the Coastal Division.  If they are going to, this is a must-win against Duke. 

I’m surprised at all the Duke love in this game.  They lost by 39 to Alabama in the opener, and have played a few cupcakes since in NC A&T and Middle Tennessee.  This is a Duke team that only returned 12 starters, including 4 on offense and lost their QB Daniel Jones as the 6th pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. 

Virginia Tech owns Duke, going 13-2 SU in the last 15 meetings.  They won by 17 on the road last year as 6.5-point dogs, and by 21 at home in 2017 as 17-point favorites.  And it’s clear the Hokies are improved defensively this season with all they brought back.   

They are holding opponents to 23.0 points, 329 yards per game and 4.8 yards per play.  They are holding opponents to 50 yards per game and 0.6 yards per play less than their season averages.  This inexperienced Duke offense will have a problem trying to move the football on this Bud Foster defense, which is back to the standards we expect from him and the Hokies after a down year last season.  Duke is averaging 27 yards per game less than their opponents give up on average. 

The Hokies are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.  Virginia Tech is 5-0 ATS in its last five Friday games.  The Hokies still have one of the best home-field advantages in the country, especially during these weeknight games.  The Blue Devils are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win.  Bet Virginia Tech Friday. 

20* Eagles/Packers NFC No-Brainer on Philadelphia +4.5 

This is a great ‘buy low, sell high’ situation.  We’ll ‘buy low’ on the Eagles, who are 1-2 SU & 0-3 ATS this season and basically in a must-win situation Thursday night.  We’ll ’sell high’ on the Packers, who are 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS and now overvalued because of it. 

I think we are at least getting a point or two of value on the Eagles due to what has taken place thus far.  I still believe the Eagles are one of the best teams in the NFL.  Their two losses came by 4 and 3 points, and if they do lose this game, I expect it to be by 4 or less again as well.  They had seven drops and two fumbles against the Lions last week, while the Lions had a kickoff return TD.  They outgained the Lions by 86 yards and arguably should have won. 

The Eagles will get some players back from injury this week that they didn’t have Sunday against the Lions.  And those injuries are a big reason they were upset by the Lions.  The Eagles will get back their best receiver in Alshon Jeffery, and they’ll also have WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in this one.  TE Dallas Goedert is back this week as well.  Receiver injuries were the biggest problem for the Eagles last week, but that won’t be an issue this week even though DeSean Jackson is still out. 

The Packers have plenty of injury problems of their own.  They have five key players listed as questionable in this one in LB Zadarius Smith, TE Jimmy Graham, T Bryan Bulaga, DT Kenny Clark and LB Blake Martinez.  I would argue their injury concerns are even greater than that of the Eagles. 

The Packers have an improved defense, but they have played three bad offenses in the Bears, Broncos and Vikings.  The Packers are fortunate to be 3-0 when you consider how poorly their offense has played.  They are scoring just 19.3 points per game and averaging just 287 yards per game and 4.8 yards per play.  They rank 28th in total offense, 28th in yards per play and 23rd in scoring offense. 

The Eagles are still 9th in total offense despite the injuries to their receivers.  They still have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and their defense is among the best despite a slow start to the season.  They have a tremendous front seven, which helps make up for their weakness, which is in their secondary.  It’s only a matter of time before their defense starts playing like it has over the last couple years. 

The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in their last four vs. a team with a winning record.  Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.  Bet the Eagles Thursday. 

15* Navy/Memphis ESPN ANNIHILATOR on Memphis -10.5 

I always like fading triple-option teams like Navy when their opponent has extra time to prepare.  And that’s the case this week as Memphis has nearly two full weeks to get ready for this game after last playing on September 14th.  Plus, they’ve played Navy each of the last two years, so they know what to expect. 

Memphis is legitimately one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country.  And they’re off to a flying start this season, going 3-0 SU & 2-1 ATS.  They beat Ole Miss 15-10 at home and outgained them by 191 yards in what was a bigger blowout than the final score showed.  They beat Southern 55-24 and outgained them by 317 yards.  And last time out they won 42-6 as 20.5-point favorites at South Alabama and outgained them by 282 yards.   

The Tigers have been one of the most dominant teams in all of college football thus far.  They always have an explosive offense every year, but the difference with this team is the improvement on defense.  They returned eight starters on defense this season.  They are holding opponents to 13.3 points per game, 226 yards per game and 3.9 yards per play.  They are holding opponents to 8.7 points, 104 yards per game and 1.1 yards per play less than their season averages.  Stopping the run will be key in this game, and Memphis is giving up just 116 rushing yards per game and 3.1 per carry thus far. 

Navy isn’t the juggernaut it used to be.  The Midshipmen are coming off a 3-10 season and a second consecutive loss to Army.  They only returned four starters this season and are inexperienced.  Sure, they are 2-0, but those two wins have come against Holy Cross and East Carolina.  Holy Cross is one of the worst teams in FCS, and ECU is one of the worst teams in FBS.  This is a huge step up in class for them. 

I realize one of Navy’s three wins last year came against Memphis, but I think that works in our favor here.  Navy won 22-21 and held the ball for nearly 43 minutes.  Memphis moved the ball on them with ease, averaging 7.7 yards per play, but they committed four turnovers to give the game away.  That places the Tigers in revenge mode, and with two weeks to prepare, they will be ready for this challenge.  It will be a raucous atmosphere in Memphis for a Thursday night home game as well with the Tigers having one of the best home-field advantages in the country. 

Memphis is 25-11 ATS in its last 36 games as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points.  Current head coach Mike Norvell is 9-2 ATS as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points as the coach of Memphis.  Ken Niumatalolo is 5-14 ATS in road games off a bye week as the coach of Navy.  The Tigers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven conference games.  Memphis is 19-7 ATS in its last 26 games off a bye week.  The Tigers are 18-8-1 ATS in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning record.  

Finally, Memphis is 7-0 ATS under Mike Norvell off a bye week.  They have covered their last five in this spot while covering the spread by a total of 56 points.  This one has blowout written all over it.  Take Memphis Thursday. 

15* MLB Thursday PLAY OF THE DAY on Washington Nationals -1.5 (-130) 

The Washington Nationals now hold just a one game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for home-field advantage for the wild card game.  They can’t afford to relax despite winning the first four games of this series with the Phillies.  They go for the rare five-game sweep today, and I expect them to get it by multiple runs. 

The Nationals have a big edge on the mound tonight with Stephen Strasburg, who is 17-6 with a 3.37 ERA and 1.049 WHIP in 32 starts this season.  He is 9-2 with a 3.33 ERA and 0.968 WHIP in 13 home starts, and 1-0 with a. 2.00 ERA and 1.056 WHIP in his last three starts.  Strasburg owns the Phillies, going 13-2 with a 2.62 ERA and 0.959 WHIP in 26 career starts against them. 

Jason Vargas finally picked up his first win for the Phillies since he was traded to them from the Mets prior to the deadline.  But Vargas has not been good, going 7-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 28 starts this season.  Vargas is 4-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 13 road starts, and 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in his last three starts overall. 

Washington is 15-1 vs. an NL team with an OBP of .315 or worse in the second half of the season this season.  It is winning by 3.2 runs per game in this spot.  The Phillies are 0-5 in their last five road games.  The Nationals are 86-35 in Strasburg’s last 121 starts.  Washington is 10-2 in its last 12 vs. a left-handed starter.  Roll with the Nationals on the Run Line Thursday. 

20* MLB Wednesday No-Doubt Rout on Oakland A’s -1.5 (-125) 

The Oakland A’s have lost two in a row and are now just a half-game up on the Rays, who are just a half-game up on the Indians.  Only two of those three teams will make the wild card.  It’s important for the A’s to bounce back today and beat the Angels, who are missing Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, and I expect them to do it by multiple runs. 

Andrew Heaney has been roughed up in September, going 1-3 with a 9.31 ERA in four starts this month.  He has given up 12 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings in his last two starts.  Heaney has allowed 19 home runs in 90 innings pitched this season, including 5 in his last two starts.  Heaney allowed 5 runs in 6 innings in his lone start against the A’s this season. 

Frankie Montas makes his return from an 80-game ban due to PED’s.  Montas is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts this season and was having an All-Star caliber year prior to the suspension.  He has worked back his stamina up to 100 pitches and is ready to help the team make the postseason.  Montas is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.063 WHIP in three career starts against the Angels. 

The Angels are 1-10 in home games off an upset win over a division opponent as an underdog over the last three seasons.  The A’s are 24-6 in their last 30 games following a loss.  The Angels are 17-37 in their last 54 games overall.  Oakland is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.  Bet the A’s on the Run Line Wednesday. 

15* MLB Tuesday Late-Night BAILOUT on Oakland A’s -1.5 (-129) 

The Oakland A’s are once again one of the most underrated teams in baseball this season.  However, despite the fact that they are 94-62 on the season, they haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet.  They are only 1.5 games up on the Rays and 2 games up on the Indians for the top wild card spot.  They can’t afford to take their foot off the gas. 

While the A’s are 10-2 in their last 12 games overall, the Angels have clearly packed it in, going 7-21 in their last 28 games overall.  They are playing without their two best players in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani here down the stretch.  And now they are starting Dillon Peters, who is 2-3 with a 6.08 ERA and 1.627 WHIP in 10 starts this season, including 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA and 2.118 WHIP in his last three starts. 

Homer Bailey has proven to be a huge acquisition for the A’s prior to the deadline.  He is 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last seven starts, allowing just 9 earned runs in 43 innings.  Bailey is coming off his best start of the season, pitching seven shutout innings against the Royals with a season-high 11 strikeouts. 

The A’s are 24-5 in their last 29 games following a loss.  Oakland is 57-26 in its last 83 games overall.  The Angels are 0-7 in their last seven home games vs. a right-handed starter.  Los Angeles is 3-14 in its last 17 during Game 1 of a series.  The Angels are 16-37 in their last 53 games overall.  Roll with the A’s on the Run Line Tuesday. 

15* NL PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (-115) 

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming up clutch late in the season a year after blowing the division in September last season.  The Cardinals have now won six straight to take a 3.5-game lead over the Brewers for first place in the NL Central.  They can’t afford to let up here. 

Now the Cardinals are facing an Arizona Diamondbacks team that has officially been eliminated from the postseason as of last night.  That realization will make it hard for them to even show up tonight.  And I expect Mike Leake, who is 12-11 with a 4.62 ERA in 31 starts this season, to get rocked. 

Jack Flaherty is making a strong push to win the Cy Young in the National League.  Flaherty is 6-3 with a 1.07 ERA in 14 starts since July 7.  He has 113 K’s against 21 walks in 92 1/3 innings in that span, limiting opponents to a .148 batting average.  He has only given up more than two runs once in those 14 starts. 

St. Louis is 54-14 in its last 68 games as a road favorite of -175 or more.  It is winning by 3.0 runs per game in this spot.  The Cardinals are 7-0 in road games off two straight wins by two runs or less this season.  St. Louis is 46-22 in its last 68 games overall.  The Diamondbacks are 0-6 in their last six vs. a team with a winning record.  Take the Cardinals on the Run Line Tuesday. 

20* AL GAME OF THE MONTH on Minnesota Twins -1.5 (-140) 

The Minnesota Twins are four games up on the Cleveland Indians with six games remaining for the AL Central division title.  They can move closer to winning the division with a Game 1 win over the Detroit Tigers Tuesday.  I expect them to win this game by multiple runs tonight. 

Jake Odorizzi is 14-7 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.235 WHIP in 29 starts this season.  Odorizzi owns the Tigers, going 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA and 1.131 WHIP in 11 career starts against them.  He is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts against the Tigers in 2019. 

Spencer Turnbull is 3-15 with a 4.66 ERA and 1.467 WHIP in 28 starts this season, including 0-10 with a 5.08 ERA and 1.527 WHIP in 15 home starts.  Turnbull has never beaten the Twins, going 0-2 with a 6.64 ERA and 1.622 WHIP in four career starts against them.  The Tigers are 2-14 in Turnbull’s last 16 home starts.   

Turnbull is 1-11 as a home underdog of +100 or higher this season.  The Tigers are losing by 4.7 runs per game in this spot.  The Twins are 5-0 in Odorizzi’s last five road starts.  Detroit is 0-8 in Turnbull’s last eight home starts vs. a team with a winning record.  The Twins are 7-0 in Odorizzi’s last seven starts against the Tigers.  These four trends combine for a 31-1 system backing Minnesota.  Bet the Twins on the Run Line Tuesday. 

20* Bears/Redskins ESPN Monday No-Brainer on Chicago -3.5 

Everyone in the media is dogging on Mitchell Trubisky and this Chicago offense.  But keep in mind the Bears have played two of the best defenses in the NFL in the Packers and Broncos.  I think this is Trubisky’s coming out party on Monday Night Football against what has been one of the worst defenses in the NFL in the Washington Redskins. 

The Redskins are allowing a whopping 31.5 points per game, 455.0 yards per game and 6.8 yards per play through their first two games against the Eagles and Cowboys.  And their offense has struggled with 326.5 yards per game, so they are getting outgained by roughly 129 yards per game on the season. 

The Bears had the best defense in the NFL last season and they have picked up right where they left off.  They are giving up just 12.0 points per game, 292.5 yards per game and 4.6 yards per play through two games.  With a defense this good, the Bears are going to be in almost every game they play.  The offense just has to be average or better for this team to be elite. 

I think there’s some line value here based off last week’s line against the Cowboys.  The Redskins were 6.5-point home dogs to the Cowboys, but they are only 3.5-point home dogs to the Bears this week.  I have the Cowboys and Bears power rated similarly, so we are basically getting 3 points of value bases off that fact alone. 

The Bears have some momentum coming into this game as well.  They were starting an 0-2 start straight in the face last week.  They led 13-6 but gave up a TD and a 2-point conversion to the Broncos with only 30 seconds remaining to trail.  Trubisky managed to drive the field in 30 seconds and set up the game-winning 53-yard field goal from Eddy Pineiro as time expired.  Kicking has been a huge problem for the Bears, and now they have confidence that they’ve found their man.  That drive also gives Trubisky some confidence coming into this week as well. 

Jay Gruden is 1-8 ATS on Monday Night Football as the coach of the Redskins.  They are losing by 11.2 points per game in this spot.  The Bears are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 vs. a team with a losing record.  Washington is 7-21 ATS in its last 28 MNF games.  The Redskins are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.  The road team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.  Bet the Bears Monday. 

20* MLB Monday No-Doubt Rout on Washington Nationals -1.5 (+103) 

The Washington Nationals are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card.  It appears whoever finishes with a better record will get home-field advantage for the play-in game.  So they still have a ton to play for and should handle their business at home against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight. 

The Phillies are now six games back in the wild card with eight to go.  They are basically done for and have nothing to play for.  Zach Eflin is 9-12 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.338 WHIP in 26 starts this season for the Phillies.  I expect the Nationals to light him up. 

Pat Corbin is 13-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.163 WHIP in 31 starts this season, including 7-2 with a 2.00 ERA and 0.930 WHIP in 14 home starts.  Corbin is also 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.145 WHIP in eight career starts against the Phillies. 

Eflin is 2-13 against the money line vs. NL teams that score 4.5 arm ore runs per game in the second half of the season over the last two seasons.  HIs teams are losing by 3.6 runs per game in this spot.  The Phillies are 1-6 in Eflin’s last seven road starts vs. a team with a winning record, and 3-13 in his last 16 starts vs. a team with a winning record overall.  The Nationals are 9-1 in Corbin’s last 10 home starts.  Bet the Nationals on the Run Line Monday. 

15* Rams/Browns NBC Sunday Night BAILOUT on Cleveland +3.5 

The Los Angeles Rams are getting too much respect from oddsmakers now after their 2-0 SU & 2-0 ATS start this season.  They barely covered in their 30-27 road win over the Panthers as 1.5-point favorites.  And they got a huge break last week when Drew Brees went out early with a thumb injury in their 27-9 home win over the Saints.  We’ll ’sell high’ on the Rams this week. 

The Cleveland Browns certainly believed the hype in the offseason and were humbled in their 13-43 home loss to the Titans in Week 1.  They came back with a chip on their shoulder last week and made easy work of the Jets in a 23-3 road win.  And now this place will be rocking in Cleveland Sunday night with the defending NFC champions coming to town, and you can bet the Browns will be giving their best effort here. 

This Cleveland offense has so many playmakers that they are going to be tough to tame this season.  They were great with Baker Mayfield last season, and now they added Odell Beckham Jr. in the offseason.  He has already made his mark with this team with 13 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown this week.  He is only going to continue to open things up for other players with the attention he is going to draw moving forward. 

The Browns are only giving up 300.5 yards per game through two games as their defense certainly looks improved.  The Rams lost two starting offensive linemen in the offseason. The strength of the Browns is their front seven, and Myles Garrett and company will make life tough on Jared Goff.  Garrett had three sacks last week and is an absolute terror. 

Plays against favorites (LA Rams) - off a home win, in the first month of the season are 78-37 (67.8%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Plays on underdogs or PK (Cleveland) - a bad defense from last season that allowed 385 or more yards per game are 31-11 (73.8%) ATS over the last 10 years.  Roll with the Browns Sunday. 

15* Steelers/49ers Late-Afternoon ANNIHILATOR on Pittsburgh +7 

This is the classic ‘buy low, sell high’ game.  We’ll buy low on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are off to an 0-2 start and have their backs against the wall in basically a must-win game here.  And we’ll sell high on the 49ers, who are 2-0 and coming off back-to-back road wins over the Bucs and Bengals. 

The Steelers have played the much tougher schedule thus far with a road loss to the Patriots and a home loss to the Seahawks.  And they lost Big Ben to a season-ending injury in the first half of that loss to Seattle.  Backup Mason Rudolph is ready for the spotlight and played well against the Seahawks in keeping them in that game.   

Rudolph went 12-of-19 passing for 112 yards with two touchdowns and one interception after taking Big Ben’s place last week.  I expect Rudolph to be even better with a full week to prepare to be the starter.  He did not expect to get in that game last week, and now he can change his mentality and lead a Steelers team that will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after everyone is counting them out now. 

The 49ers are feeling fat and happy after their 2-0 start, and now expectations are sky high for this team.  They are now 7-point home favorites over the Steelers, which is simply too much.  And the 49ers just lost their best offensive linemen in LT Joe Staley to a broken fibula, so Jimmy G will be concerned about the backup protecting his blind side, especially with his injury history. 

The Steelers showed that they aren’t giving in this season by trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Dolphins.  Their secondary has been their weakness thus far, and he is an instant upgrade.  I have no doubt their defense is better than they’ve shown thus far as they were one of the top units in the league last year.  Adding Fitzpatrick will only make them better.  Plus they’ve played a much tougher schedule than the 49ers have thus far. 

The Steelers are 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a winning record.  The 49ers are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 home games.  Mike Tomlin is 27-16 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite as the coach of Pittsburgh.  Tomlin is 13-5 ATS in road games after two or more consecutive ATS losses as the coach of the Steelers. 

Plays against home favorites (San Francisco) - a poor scoring defense from last season that allowed 24 or more points per game, after scoring 30 points or more last game are 23-2 (92%) ATS since 1983.  Take the Steelers Sunday. 

20* AFC GAME OF THE WEEK on Los Angeles Chargers -3 

The Chargers should be 2-0 after blowing the game in Detroit last week.  They outgained the Lions by 85 yards and fumbled at the 1-yard line going in for a score.  They also had two touchdowns called back by penalties and missed two field goals, yet only lost by 3. I think the fact that they lost that game has them undervalued this week.  Now we are getting the Chargers as only 3-point home favorites over the Houston Texans. 

The Chargers are hitting on all cylinders offensively in the early going.  They are averaging 430 yards per game and 7.4 yards per play on offense.  They should have their way with a Houston defense that is allowing 396 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play. 

The Texans are only averaging 339 yards per game & 6.0 yards per play on offense.  So the Chargers are outgaining opponents by 1.3 yards per play, which ranks 5th in the NFL, while the Texans are getting outgained by 0.7 yards per play.  Yards per play is one of the most important stats in the NFL.  The Top 5 teams in YPP differential are 9-1 thus far in 2019. 

The Texans have great skill position players, but that’s about it.  They have a bad defense and a bad offensive line.  Deshaun Watson has already been sacked 10 times this season in two games after taking the most sacks in the NFL last year.  The Chargers have one of the best pass-rushing duos in the NFL in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. 

The Chargers own the AFC South Division, going 30-5 ATS in their last 35 games against them.  They are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings with the Texans.  The Chargers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after failing to cover the spread in their previous game.  Bet the Chargers Sunday. 

20* NFC GAME OF THE WEEK on New York Giants +7 

Finally, the New York Giants have decided to bench Eli Manning and go with first-round pick Daniel Jones.  I think this upgrade at quarterback will give the Giants a big boost in Jones’ first start and inject some new life into this team.  They knew they weren’t going anywhere with Eli, but now there is hope with Jones.  I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Giants win this game outright Sunday against the Bucs. 

I also like backing 0-2 teams in Week 3 because their backs are against the wall and their season is essentially on the line.  You know you’re going to get their best effort, and that will especially be the case with the Giants this week with Jones starting.  Plus, the betting public wants nothing to do with the 0-2 teams because they have looked bad, and thus there is value in backing them. 

Jones was dynamite in the preseason.  He completed 29-of-34 passes (85.3%) for 416 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 137.3 QBR.  He is the real deal, and he is playing with a chip on his shoulder after everyone thought it was a terrible pick by the Giants drafting him that early.  He’s ready to prove his doubters wrong. 

A big reason the Giants are 0-2 is because they have played a brutal schedule.  They lost to the Cowboys in Week 1 and the Bills in Week 2, a pair of teams that are 2-0 with two of the best defenses in the NFL.  I like the move to start Jones this week against a Tampa Bay defense that has been one of the worst stop units in the NFL for years.  And those games against the Cowboys and Bills were closer than the final scores.  They were only outgained by 24 yards by the Cowboys and 18 yards by the Bills, but they lost the turnover battle 4-0, which was the difference. 

In what world should the Bucs be favored by a touchdown over anyone other than maybe the Dolphins?  They've only been favored by 6 or more points one other time in the last seven years.  It’s a great time to ’sell high’ on the Bucs after their upset road win over the Carolina Panthers last week as 6.5-point dogs.  This Tampa Bay offense has been atrocious in averaging 18.5 points, 292.0 yards per game and only 4.9 yards per play thus far.  Jameis Winston just can’t be trusted as chances are he’ll make plenty of mistakes to keep the Giants in this game.  He threw 3 interceptions against the 49ers in the opener. 

The Giants are 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games after allowing 17 points or more in the first half of two straight games.  New York is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games after scoring less than 15 points in its previous game.  The Giants are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games.  The Giants are 6-1-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.  New York is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six meetings in Tampa Bay.  Bet the Giants Sunday. 

15* MLB Sunday No-Doubt Rout on Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (-121) 

No team has been better than the Milwaukee Brewers down the stretch as they try and make the postseason.  They are 14-2 in their last 16 games overall and have won 10 of those games by multiple runs. 

The Brewers have a huge edge on the mound today behind Brandon Woodruff, who is a perfect 9-0 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.077 WHIP in 12 home starts this season.  He pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 win over the Pirates in his last start against them on August 7th. 

Trevor Williams is 7-7 with a 5.66 ERA and 1.459 WHIP in 24 starts this season.  Williams has been victimized of late, going 0-1 with an 8.36 ERA and 2.000 WHIP in his last three starts.  He gave up 6 runs in 5 innings of a 3-8 loss to the Brewers in his last start against them on June 29th. 

The Pirates are 5-25 in their last 30 road games vs. a team with a winning record.  Pittsburgh is 0-7 in its last seven games off a loss.  The Pirates are 0-5 in Williams’ last five starts vs. a team with a winning record.  The Brewers are 11-1 in Woodruff’s 12 home starts this season.  Bet the Brewers on the Run Line Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Denver Broncos +8 

This is the classic ‘buy low, sell high’ game.  We’ll buy low on the Denver Broncos, who are off to an 0-2 start this season and have their backs against the wall as they will clearly be giving their best effort to avoid an 0-3 start.  And we’ll sell high on the Packers, who are 2-0 and one of the favorite teams of the betting public. 

This is the ultimate letdown spot for the Packers.  They are coming off two huge division wins over the Bears and Vikings, who are their two biggest threats to win the NFC North.  Now they step out of conference here against the Broncos and won’t be nearly as motivated for this game as they were for those two huge division games to open the season.  That will make it tough for them to cover this inflated 8-point spread. 

Denver has played better than its 0-2 record would show.  The Broncos actually outgained the Raiders in their 16-24 Week 1 loss on the road.  And they outgained the Bears by 99 yards in their 14-16 home loss in Week 2.  They still have one of the best defenses in the NFL, giving up just 20.0 points per game and 315 yards per game.  And their offense hasn’t been as bad as the media perceives, averaging 358 yards per game. 

Conversely, the Packers aren’t as good as their 2-0 record.  They were outgained by 41 yards by the Bears in their 10-3 road win in Week 1.  And last week they were outgained by 86 yards by the Vikings in their 21-16 win.  While the Packers have an improved defense, Aaron Rodgers and the offense have struggled mightily with just 274.0 yards per game and 4.6 yards per play through two games.  Things won’t get easier for Rodgers and company against this nasty, hungry Denver defense this week. 

Plays against favorites (Green Bay) - off a home win, in the first month of the season are 78-37 (67.8%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  The Packers are 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS win.  Take the Broncos Sunday. 

15* CFB Saturday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Charlotte +42 

The Clemson Tigers are the No. 1 ranked team in the country and the defending national champs.  With that distinction comes expectations from the betting public and oddsmakers that are very tough to live up to.  Clemson is fortunate not to be 0-3 ATS this season, but because they are 2-1 ATS they are being overvalued this week. 

Clemson beat Georgia Tech by 38 as 36.5-point favorites in the opener.  Georgia Tech failed going into the end zone at the 1-yard line which proved to be the difference in covering or not.  Clemson then failed to cover as 16.5-point favorites in a 14-point win over Texas A&M.  And last week Clemson never led by more than 28 as 28-point favorites against Syracuse, but got a breakaway 57-yard run with 48 seconds left to win by 35 when they were just trying to run out the clock. 

Now this is a terrible spot for Clemson.  It’s a ACC sandwich spot.  They were sky high last week in their ACC opener at Syracuse, and now they have an ACC game at North Carolina on deck next week.  They won’t have their full focus here against Charlotte in this non-conference game, which is going to make it extremely difficult for them to cover this massive 42-point spread. 

Not to mention, Charlotte looks pretty good.  They beat Gardner Webb 49-28 at home in their opener.  And they went on the road and only lost 41-56 at Appalachian State as 23.5-point dogs in Week 2.  That’s an Appalachian State team that has been one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country in recent years.  And last week they throttled UMass 52-17 as 20.5-point favorites. 

As you can see, Charlotte has an explosive offense that is capable of scoring more points than anyone has yet on this Clemson defense.  The 49ers are averaging 47.3 points and 522.3 yards per game and 7.8 yards per play this season.  They have shown tremendous balance with 297 rushing yards per game and 7.1 per carry, and 226 passing yards per game and 9.0 yards per attempt.  I believe the 49ers are one of the single-most underrated teams in all of college football based on what I’ve seen so far. 

Dabo Swinney is 1-8 ATS in home games after allowing 17 points or less in three straight games as the coach of Clemson.  His teams are only winning by 8.4 points per game in this spot.  Charlotte is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.  Clemson is 2-6 ATS in its last eight non-conference games. 

Plays against favorites of 31.5 or more points (Clemson) - outgaining opponents by 1.0 or more yards per play, after outgaining opponent by 125 or more total yards in two consecutive games are 23-4 (85.2%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Plays on road teams (Charlotte) - an excellent offensive team averaging 6.2 or more yards per play against a team with an excellent defense allowing 4.2 or fewer yards per play, after gaining 525 or more total yards in their previous game are 37-11 (77.1%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  Take Charlotte Saturday. 

25* CFB Non-Conference GAME OF THE YEAR on Tulsa -3 

There’s a reason a 1-2 Tulsa team is favored over a 3-0 Wyoming team Saturday.  And if not for the records, Tulsa would be a much bigger home favorite.  But I think we are getting a ton of value here because of the records on Tulsa, and that’s why I’ve made this my 25* CFB Non-Conference GAME OF THE YEAR.  This game has blowout written all over it. 

Tulsa’s two losses are against Michigan State and Oklahoma State.  And they went on the road and beat San Jose State by 18 as 6-point favorites in their lone win.  They have faced a brutal schedule thus far, and I came away impressed by the losses to Michigan State and Oklahoma State as well. 

Tulsa actually led Oklahoma State 21-20 in the second half before eventually losing 21-40 last week.  They deserved to cover the 13.5-point spread, but Oklahoma State busted a long run in the final minutes when they basically could have kneeled on it.  It was much closer than that 19-point margin would indicate.  They also lost 7-28 at Michigan State to cover the 23.5-point spread, and they held the Spartans to just 303 total yards in the loss. 

Tulsa’s offense is better than it has shown due to the tough schedule, but the defense has really impressed me the most.  The Golden Hurricane are only allowing 28.0 points and 386 yards per game this season.  They are one of the most improved defensive teams in the country the last few years.  They are holding opponents to 61 yards per game and 0.9 yards per play less than their season averages this season. 

Wyoming is overvalued due to being 3-0.  Their win over Missouri in the opener at home was a fluke.  They were outgained by 148 yards and had over a 20-point swing in turnovers go in their favor.  They beat Texas State 23-14 on the road the next week, but were outgained by 151 yards in another fluky win.  And we’ve seen how bad Texas State has been against everyone else this year.  Then last week they only beat Idaho 21-16 at home as 27.5-point favorites.  They were outgained by 16 yards by Idaho! 

Wyoming could easily be 0-3 instead of 3-0 when you consider they were outgained in all three games.  They are getting outgained by 105 yards per game on the season now.  Their offense is averaging 66 yards per game and 0.5 yards per play less than their opponents average allowing.  Their defense is giving up 95 yards per game and 0.6 yards per play more than their opponents normally average. 

Tulsa hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2016 and that’s a huge goal of theirs this year.  They realize this home game against Wyoming is a must-win for them if they want to go bowling.  I have no doubt they will be ‘all in’ Saturday to try and get a win.  Meanwhile, Wyoming is feeling fat and happy after that Missouri win in the opener, and they were fortunate not to get upset by both Texas State and Idaho in the two games since.  Tulsa is a much different animal than those two teams. 

The Golden Hurricane are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 vs. a team with a winning record.  Tulsa is 18-7-1 ATS in its last 26 games off an ATS loss.  Wyoming is 5-16 ATS in its last 21 September games.  The home team has won four of the five meetings between these teams in this all-time series.  Bet Tulsa Saturday. 

20* Auburn/Texas A&M CBS No-Brainer on Texas A&M -3.5 

I like the fact that Texas A&M is battle-tested already having lost 10-24 at Clemson as 16.5-point underdogs to cover the spread.  The Aggies were only outgained by 100 yards by the Tigers in that tough atmosphere.  They handled their business with blowout wins over Texas State and Lamar and covered the spread in both games.  Now sitting at 2-1 this season, this game is very important to them in their SEC opener. 

Adding to the motivation for the Aggies is the fact that they want revenge from a 24-28 road loss at Auburn last year.  Texas A&M led that game 24-7 in the 4th quarter, but gave up 21 unanswered points to lose a heartbreaker.  The Aggies feel like they gave that game away as they were clearly the better team and outgained Auburn by 145 yards in the loss. 

Now the Aggies are back home at Kyle Field with home of the best home-field advantages in the country.  Auburn freshman QB Bo Nix hasn’t seen an atmosphere as hostile as this one.  Nix is only completing 52.4% of his passes on 84 attempts this season, so accuracy is an issue.  I expect him to have his worst performance of the season thus far Saturday. 

No question the Aggies have the clear advantage at quarterback with Kellen Mond in this one.  Mond is completing 65% of his passes and has accounted for seven total touchdowns already.  Mond has certainly played a lot better at home than he has on the road in his career.  And his mobility will be a huge asset against an Auburn defensive line that is clearly their strength. 

The 12th man at Kyle Field has been a problem for opponents recently.  The Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games.  Texas A&M is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games after allowing less than 20 points in its previous game.  The Aggies are 23-6-1 ATS in their last 30 September games.  The Tigers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.  Roll with Texas A&M Saturday. 

15* MLB Saturday No-Doubt Rout on Chicago Cubs -128 

The Chicago Cubs are in must-win mode here after losing four straight games overall and the first two games of this series with the Cardinals.  They will take Game 3 of this series Saturday at home. 

Quintana is 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cardinals.  Dakota Hudson is 7-5 with a 3.96 ERA and 1.582 WHIP in 14 road starts this season. 

The Cubs are 37-17 in their last 54 home games vs. a right-handed starter.  The Cubs are 9-0 in Quintana’s last nine starts against the NL Central.  The Cubs are 4-0 in Quintana’s last four home starts against the Cardinals.  Bet the Cubs Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Early ANNIHILATOR on Ole Miss -2 

The California Golden Bears just got ranked after a surprising 3-0 start to the season.  They are feeling good about themselves now and getting pats on the back.  But I think this is the toughest test they’ve faced yet this season, and I expect them to fall flat on their faces. 

Cal now has to go out East for a 12:00 EST start time to face Ole Miss.  That means this will be a 9:00 AM body clock game for them coming from the West Coast.  They aren’t used to playing games this early, while Ole Miss is. 

This is an Ole Miss team that I expect to get better in a hurry as the season goes on.  They brought in two new coordinators in Rich Rodriquez and Mike MacIntyre.  Both are former head coaches in the Pac-12 who are familiar with California’s schemes.  That will be a huge advantage for the Rebels as they prepare for the Golden Bears. 

I think the Ole Miss players should now be accustomed to the new schemes that Rich Rod and MacIntyre have installed.  I’ve particularly been impressed with the improvement of the Ole Miss defense thus far under MacIntyre.  They are only giving up 20.3 points per game and 5.0 yards per play on the season.  They are holding opponents to 12 points and 63 yards per game less than their season averages.  It’s only a matter of time before this talented offense takes off under Rich Rod. 

Cal has had a problem scoring the last two years offensively.  The Golden Bears average just 23.3 points per game, 351 yards per game & 5.1 yards per play this season.  They don’t look improved at all on that side of the ball.  Cal will suffer its first loss of the season on the road against an up-and-coming SEC opponent in an early start time here Saturday. 

Cal is 21-45 ATS in its last 66 games with a line of +3 to -3.  The Golden Bears are 0-4 ATS in their last four non-conference games.  They only beat North Texas by 6 as 14-point home favorites last week.  They were outgained by both Washington and North Texas despite winning those games.  Their luck runs out this weekend.  Take Ole Miss Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Southern Miss +39.5 

This is one of my favorite spots to fade Alabama.  The Crimson Tide are in a SEC sandwich game here.  They just won their SEC opener last week at South Carolina, and now they step out of conference for a game against Southern Miss before dipping back into SEC action next week against Ole Miss.  They won’t be fully invested in this game, which will make it tough to cover this massive 39.5-point spread. 

Alabama is fortunate not to be 0-3 ATS this season.  They only led Duke 14-3 at halftime as 33.5-point favorites but outscored them 28-0 in the second half to cover.  Then they failed to cover as 55.5-point favorites against New Mexico State and as 26-point favorites against South Carolina in their two games since.  This is another inflated number simply because it’s Alabama. 

There’s been several concerns about Alabama despite the easy schedule thus far.  Their rushing attack only produced 145 yards on 42 carries against Duke for 3.5 yards per carry.  They only had 76 rushing yards on 25 attempts against South Carolina for 3.0 yards per carry.  Defensively, the Crimson Tide have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in all three games this season.  They clearly aren’t as strong at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as they have been in years’ past. 

I’d argue that Southern Miss could be the best team they’ve faced yet.  This is a Southern Miss team that returned 16 starters and is among the favorites to win Conference USA this season.  They’ve managed to go 2-1 to start despite playing a tough schedule that has featured road games at Mississippi State and Troy.  The 15-38 loss at Mississippi State was a misleading final because they were only outgained by 42 yards.  Then they outgained Troy by 98 yards in their 47-42 win last week. 

This is a Southern Miss offense that returned 10 starters and is hitting on all cylinders.  They are scoring 33.3 points per game and averaging 453 yards per game and 7.2 yards per play.  They are averaging 79 yards and 1.2 yards per play more than their opponents allow on average this season.  They can certainly move the ball and score on this Alabama defense that gave up 459 total yards to a bad South Carolina offense last week. 

This is an early start time at 12:00 AM EST and won’t be the same kind of home-field advantage for Alabama as it would be if it was a night game.  They are just looking to get in and get out with a victory.  Southern Miss is 15-7-1 ATS in its last 23 non-conference games.  The Golden Eagles are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 September games.  Alabama is 1-6 ATS in its last seven vs. C-USA opponents.  The Crimson Tide are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following a win.   

Plays against favorites of 31.5 or more points (Alabama) - outgaining opponents by 1.0 or more yards per play, after outgaining opponents by 125 or more total yards in two straight games are 23-4 (85.2%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Plays on road underdogs of 21.5 or more points (Southern Miss) - after gaining 525 or more total yards in their previous game, with eight or more offensive starters including QB returning, in the first month of the season are 22-4 (84.6%) ATS since 1992.  Alabama is once again overvalued this week.  Bet Southern Miss Saturday. 

20* Air Force/Boise State MWC GAME OF THE MONTH on Air Force +8.5 

Air Force is a team I was very high on coming into the year.  The Falcons are coming off a 5-7 season, but they were much better than their record would indicate last year.  Four of their losses came by 3, 3, 4 and 6 points.  In fact, all seven of their losses came by 10 points or less, so they were competitive in every game they played.  They can only have better luck in close games this season. 

Air Force returns a whopping 15 starters, which is a ton for a service academy.  It’s their most returning starters since 2014, when they went 10-3.  This is easily the best team Air Force has had in years, and I have no doubt they will be one of the most improved teams in the country. 

The Falcons got off to a flying start by handling Colgate 48-7 as 20.5-point favorites in their opener.  They rushed for 423 yards and will be a force on the ground again with four returning starters along the offensive line.  Then after a bye, they went into Colorado last week and pulled off the 30-23 upset as 3-point underdogs.  It was no fluke as they outgained the Buffaloes by 119 yards behind 289 rushing yards.  They even turned the ball over three times and still won. 

Few teams have played Boise State tougher than Air Force in Mountain West action in recent years.  Indeed, Air Force is 3-3 SU & 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings with three outright upsets.  And I just think this Boise State team is overrated after going on the road and beating Florida State in the opener.  As we’ve seen since, that FSU team just isn’t very good.  Boise State only beat Marshall by 7 as 14-point favorites at home two weeks ago before making easy work of Portland State last week. 

The blue turf at Boise State just hasn’t been the advantage it used to be.  The Broncos are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 home games.  Boise State is also 7-15 ATS in its last 22 vs. a team with a winning record.  Air Force is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games as a road dog of 7.5 to 10 points.  Brian Harsin is 2-9 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points as the coach of Boise State.  Bet Air Force Friday. 

20* MLB Friday No-Doubt Rout on Washington Nationals -1.5 (-130) 

The Washington Nationals have a lot to play for down the stretch.  They are the first wild card right now, but only two games up on the Cubs.  That’s why they won’t be taking the Marlins lightly in this series.  They will be fully focused and should easily win by two runs or more tonight. 

The Marlins are basically in tank mode at this point.  They are 14-37 in their last 51 games overall.  They have called up Robert Dugger to start here down the stretch.  He is 0-2 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.354 WHIP in five starts this season. 

Anibal Sanchez has been at his best on the road this season for the Nationals.  He is 6-6 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.220 WHIP in 14 road starts.  Sanchez is 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins as well. 

Washington is 12-0 vs. an NL team with an OBP of .315 or worse in the second half of the season this season.  It is winning by 3.5 runs per game in this spot.  The Nationals are 7-0 in Sanchez’s last seven starts vs. a team with a losing record.  The Marlins are 0-7 in their last seven home games vs. a right-handed starter.  Bet the Nationals on the Run Line Friday. 

15* Titans/Jaguars AFC South ANNIHILATOR on Jacksonville +2 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking at this game as a must-win Thursday.  They have started 0-2 against a brutal schedule with a home game loss to the Chiefs and a road loss at the Texans.  And now they have two road games on deck at Denver and Carolina.  So they really need to get this win at home Thursday, and I expect them to be ‘all in’ to do so. 

Gardner Minshew has more than held his own in place of Nick Foles this season.  Minshew has completed 45-of-58 passes (77.6%) and is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt this season.  He kept them in the game against the Jaguars in their 12-13 loss and brought them back against the Chiefs in Week 1.  He is primed for a big game against this Tennessee defense at home Thursday night. 

The Titans have opened 1-1 with a road win at Cleveland and a home loss to Indianapolis, so their schedule has been much easier.  And they’ve actually been outgained by 26.5 yards per game through two weeks.  Their offense is once again struggling with just 290.5 yards per game after being one of the worst offenses in the NFL last year. 

Adding to the Jaguars’ motivation is the fact that they will be playing with quadruple revenge after losing all four meetings with the Titans over the last two seasons.  The AFC South is wide open now with the Andrew Luck retirement as the other three teams are all 1-1.  The Jaguars know they still have a chance to win it, and it starts with winning this game at home Thursday night.  Plus, I always like backing home teams on Thursday nights because it’s a huge advantage for the home team and has proven a profitable bet through the years. 

The Titans are 16-34-3 ATS in their last 53 vs. a team with a losing record.  Tennessee is 4-12-1 ATS in its last 17 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.  The home team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.  Doug Marrone is a perfect 6-0 ATS off a loss by 3 points or less as the coach of the Jaguars.  They are coming back to win by 13.3 points per game in this spot.  Wrong team favored here.  Take the Jaguars Thursday. 

20* Houston/Tulane ESPN Thursday No-Brainer on OVER 55.5 

This total opened around 60 and has been bet down to 56 and lower as of this writing.  I think the value is now there to pull the trigger on the OVER.  Bettors are overreacting to the fact that these teams are a combined 5-0 to the under this season.  But two of those unders came by a combined 2 points. 

These are two teams I have been high on early in the season.  And a big reason I’m high on them is because of their offenses.  I expect a shootout between two of the best offenses in the AAC on a fast track down in New Orleans.  And the offenses have an advantage on a short week like this. 

I loved the move by Willie Fritz to turn over his offense to new coordinator Will Hall.  They have moved away from the triple-option and have gone to more of a spread option and faster tempo.  The result has been 35.3 points and 436 yards per game this season.  And that’s with a road game at Auburn on the schedule in which they scored just 6 points. 

Houston’s offense is loaded with eight returning starters for new head coach Dana Holgorsen.  That includes star QB D’Eriq King, who accounted for 50 total touchdowns last year despite missing two games.  And Houston has played a brutal schedule thus far with road games against Oklahoma and Washington State.  But they are still averaging 30.7 points per game. 

Tulane’s defense hasn’t been tested against an offense as explosive as this Houston unit.  And it’s worth mentioning that Houston has one of the worst defenses in the country.  They are giving up 32.3 points per game, 506 yards per game and 7.6 yards per play this season.  They were awful in the second half of the season defensively last year and only returned four starters on that side of the ball this year. 

Houston is 18-5 OVER in its last 23 games as a dog of 3.5 to 10 points.  The OVER is 6-1 in Cougars last seven games on field turf.  The OVER is 4-0-1 in Cougars last five road games.  The OVER is 5-1 in Cougars last six conference games.  Finally, these teams combined for 65 points last year in Houston.  They should have no problem topping 55.5 here in the rematch, especially with Tulane’s improved offense.  Bet the OVER in this game Thursday. 

15* MLB Thursday Early ANNIHILATOR on Philadelphia Phillies +138 

The Philadelphia Phillies have pulled within three games in the wild card after winning the first two games of this series against the Atlanta Braves.  Games mean more to the Phillies right now than the Braves, who already have the NL East locked up and won’t catch the Dodgers for the top seed.  They literally have nothing to play for. 

Getting Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola as an underdog here is a gift from oddsmakers.  Nola is 12-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 32 starts this season.  Nola owns the Braves, going 10-4 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.117 WHIP in 17 career starts against them.  He fired 8 shutout innings in a 2-0 win in his last start at Atlanta on July 2nd. 

Mike Soroka is overvalued here.  He has been great on the road, but not so good at home.  Soroka is 5-3 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.324 WHIP in 12 home starts this season.  Soroka hasn’t beaten the Phillies in any of his two starts against them this season while posting a 4.82 ERA and 2.141 WHIP, allowing 5 runs and 20 base runners in 9 1/3 innings. 

The Phillies are 4-0 in their last four road games.  Philadelphia is 5-1 in Nola’s last six road starts vs. a team with a winning record.  The Phillies are 4-1 in the last five meetings.  Philadelphia is 5-1 in Nola’s last six starts against the Braves.  Roll with the Phillies Thursday. 

20* MLB Wednesday No-Doubt Rout on New York Yankees -1.5 (-145) 

The Yankees are tied with the Astros for the best record in the American League at 99-53.  They are not only motivated to earn the No. 1 seed in the American League, but they can clinch the AL East with a win today as well.  Look for them to handle their business against the Los Angeles Angels. 

C.C. Sabathia will be at his best today with what’s on the line.  Sabathia is 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.176 WHIP in 10 home starts this season.  He won’t have to face Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, who are both out with season-ending injuries.  These are their two best hitters. 

The Yankees should hang another big number on Los Angeles starter Dillon Peters.  He is 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.616 WHIP in nine starts this season, including 0-1 with a 7.25 ERA and 1.757 WHIP in his last three starts. 

The Angels are 1-7 in their last eight games overall and have averaged just 1.4 runs per game in the seven losses.  The Yankees are averaging 8.0 runs per game in their last nine games.  New York is 49-15 in its last 64 home games.  Bet the Yankees on the Run Line Wednesday. 

20* MLB TOTAL OF THE WEEK on Mariners/Pirates OVER 9 

The two best OVER teams in baseball meet up in this series between the Mariners and Pirates.  The Mariners are 83-56 to the OVER this season and combining with their opponents to average 10.5 runs per game.  The Pirates are 86-56 to the OVER and combining with their opponents for 10.5 runs per game as well. 

Mitch Keller has not lived up to expectations, or even come close to them this season.  Keller is 1-4 with an 8.29 ERA and 1.868 WHIP in nine starts this season, including 0-2 with a 10.97 ERA and 1.968 WHIP in his last three starts. 

Marco Gonzalez is 15-11 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.357 WHIP in 31 starts this season, including 6-7 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.462 WHIP in 16 road starts.  Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA in his last three starts as well. 

The Pirates just allowed 47 runs in their last three games to the Cubs, while the Mariners have allowed 9 runs or more in three of their last four.  The OVER is 35-15-2 in Mariners last 52 Game 1’s.  The OVER is 20-6-1 in Pirates last 27 vs. a left-handed starter.  The OVER is 38-17-4 in Pirates last 59 home games.  Bet the OVER in this game Tuesday. 

20* Browns/Jets ESPN Monday No-Brainer on New York +7 

Oddsmakers have adjusted too much for Sam Darnold being out with Mono.  This line was around Browns -2.5 early in the week before the news that Darnold would be out.  Now it’s all the way up to Browns -7, a 4.5-point adjustment.  Darnold isn’t worth 4.5 points over new starter Trevor Siemian. 

Siemian held his own as a starter for the Denver Broncos in both 2016 and 2017.  He has a 13-11 record as a starter and a 30-to-24 TD/INT ratio with a 59.3% completion percentage.  He is certainly one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league and will be ready for the moment, especially with a whole week to prepare to with the first-team offense. 

The Jets were up 16-0 on the Bills last week and let them come back and win 17-16 with three straight scores to close the game.  They’ll come back motivated off that loss.  The Bills are a very good team as they went on to beat the Giants 28-14 on the road in Week 2. 

The Browns are simply overvalued to start the season.  There was so much hype on them coming into the year and it has gone to their heads, plus made them a team you simply cannot bet early in the year.  They lost 13-43 as 5.5-point home favorites over the Titans in Week 1.  And now they are 7-point road favorites over the Jets, which is saying that this would be a 10-point spread on a neutral field.  They aren’t 10 points better than the Jets even with Siemian. 

This has been a closely-contested series in recent years as the Browns and Jets have met each of the last three seasons.  All three games were decided by 4 points or less with the Jets winning two of them.  All three were played in Cleveland.  The Jets have won by 21 and 11 in their last two home meetings with the Browns.  Cleveland hasn’t beaten New York by more than 7 points in any of the last 10 meetings, making for a 10-0 system backing the Jets. 

New York is 21-8 ATS in its last 29 home games off a home loss.  Plays against favorites (Cleveland) - after a game with a turnover margin of -3 or worse are 46-19 (70.8%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Look for New York to be playing with a chip on its shoulder at home Monday night now that everyone is counting them out with Darnold being out.  Bet the Jets Monday. 

15* MLB Monday Undervalued Underdog on St. Louis Cardinals +140 

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off two straight bad home losses to the Milwaukee Brewers.  They are now just two games up on the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.  They need to bounce back in a big way, and they have been resilient of late going 9-2 in their last 11 games following a loss. 

Dakota Hudson is not getting the respect he deserves here tonight.  Hudson is 15-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 29 starts this season, 8-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 15 home starts, and 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA in his last three starts.  Hudson is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in five career outings against the Nationals. 

Stephen Strasburg is overvalued here.  He is 17-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 starts this season, and 8-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 17 road starts.  He has put up worse numbers than Hudson, yet he is a huge road favorite here. 

Hudson is 9-1 in home games vs. good power teams that average 1.25 or more homers per game this season.  The Cardinals are 5-0 in Hudson’s last five starts.  St. Louis is 25-11 in its last 36 games overall.  The Cardinals are 5-1 in the last six meetings.  Washington is 16-35 in its lsat 51 meetings in St. Louis.  Take the Cardinals Monday. 

15* MLB Sunday PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -129 

The St. Louis Cardinals will bounce back from a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday.  This is a Cardinals team that is playing well having won 25 of their last 35 games overall.  And my favorite trend supporting this play is that the Cardinals are 9-1 in their last 10 games following a loss. 

Michael Wacha is coming on strong down the stretch.  He is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.077 WHIP in his last three starts.  Wacha has never lost to the Brewers, going 5-0 with a 3.28 ERA in 13 career starts against them. 

Chase Anderson simply isn’t very good.  He’s 5-4 with a 4.58 ERA in 24 starts this season, 1-2 with a 5.65 ERA in 11 road starts, and 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in his last three starts coming in. 

Wacha is 9-1 in home games vs. NL teams scoring 4.5 or more runs per game over the last two seasons.  The Cardinals are 8-0 in their last eight after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.  The Brewers are 0-5 in Anderson’s last five starts vs. a team with a winning record.  Bet the Cardinals Sunday. 

20* NFL BLOWOUT GAME OF THE WEEK on Pittsburgh Steelers -3.5 

This is a great opportunity to ‘buy low’ on the Pittsburgh Steelers after they were embarrassed 33-3 at New England in the opener.  The Steelers will be coming back with a chip on their shoulder in their home opener at Heinz Field against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon.  New England is going to make a lot of teams look bad this season. 

The Steelers moved the ball against the Patriots, accounting for 308 total yards, but they just couldn’t get anything out of it.  They were stopped on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 repeatedly.  It just wasn’t their night, and a lot of receivers dropped good balls from Ben Roethlisberger.  I trust them to iron out the kinks.  Roethlisberger is a perfect 8-0 SU & 8-0 ATS in his last eight tries off an ATS loss by 18 points or more. 

Seattle was fortunate to beat Cincinnati 21-20 as 9-point home favorites last week.  The Bengals outgained the Seahawks by 196 total yards with 429 yards of offense and limiting the Seahawks to 233 total yards.  This is a Seahawks team that lost almost all their star players from their Super Bowl runs except Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.  They just aren’t that good. 

This is a tough spot for the Seahawks as it will be an early start time at 1:00 EST for a West Coast team, which will make it a 10:00 AM body clock.  And the Seahawks have been dreadful on the highway early in the season.  Indeed, Seattle is 1-14 SU & 1-13-1 ATS in Weeks 1 & 2 on the road since 2007.  Pete Carroll is 3-14 ATS in road games in the first month of the season as the coach of Seattle as well.  The home team is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.  Bet the Steelers Sunday. 

20* NFL TOTAL OF THE WEEK on Cardinals/Ravens OVER 45.5 

Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman is definitely the dual-threat QB whisperer.  Before he arrived in Baltimore he turned Colin Kaepernick into a star in San Francisco, and more impressively yet helped Tyrod Taylor guide the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs a few years back.  Now he’s working his magic on Lamar Jackson. 

The Ravens were vanilla on offense in the preseason and saving their real offense for the regular season.  Well, that ‘real’ offense exploded for 59 points last week against the Dolphins.  The Ravens racked up 643 total yards.  Jackson had the best game of his career, completing 17-of-20 passes for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The scary part is he only ran the ball three times.  This Ravens’ offense is the real deal, and they are playing at a faster tempo this year, which will certainly be beneficial to ‘OVER’ bettors. 

Speaking of fast tempos, the Arizona Cardinals average a play nearly every 20 seconds, which was the fastest pace any NFL team played at last week.  Trailing 24-6, they sped up the pace even more and actually came back to tie the game and force overtime behind some brilliant play from Kyler Murray.  They had 387 total yards against the Lions and most of those game in the 2nd half.  Look for head coach Kliff Kingsbury to realize that the faster pace worked, and to try and utilize it against the Ravens. 

The Ravens should be able to score at will on this soft Arizona defense.  The Lions had 477 total yards against the Cardinals last week, and that’s a below average Detroit offense.  The Cardinals simply lack talent on this side of the ball, and they are without Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford, two very good cornerbacks they were expected to rely on coming into the season.  This Arizona defense is also probably gassed after playing an overtime game. 

Baltimore lost so many key players on defense in the offseason.  They lost arguably their four best players in LB C.J. Mosley, LB Za’Darius Smith, LB Terrell Suggs and FS Eric Weddle.  And now they are down two cornerbacks in Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young due to injury.  Arizona likes to go 4 wide, so the one position you don’t want to be short on is cornerback.  Arizona should have plenty of success offensively against this short-handed secondary as well. 

Get ready for plenty of offensive fireworks in this battle between two of the most exciting new offenses in the league today.  Take the OVER in this game Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Undervalued Underdog on Jacksonville Jaguars +9.5 

Let’s start by talking about the lookahead line for this game.  Coming into Week 1, the lookahead line was Houston -3.  Now it is Houston -9.5, a 6.5-point difference.  I think this is an overreaction from what happened last week, and the injury to Nick Foles as the Jaguars’ quarterback. 

Gardner Minshew took over for Foles and was great, completing 22-of-25 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.  He easily could have been 25-of-25 without a few drops.  It was a very impressive effort as he tried to bring the Jaguars back from a big deficit.  They eventually lost 26-40 to the Chiefs. 

Minshew should have more success this week against a soft Houston defense that allowed the Saints to come back and beat them on Monday Night Football.  The Texans lost a lot of key players on defense in the offseason, and they ran out of gas in the second half and blew a 14-3 lead.  They gave up 30 points, 510 total yards and 8.0 yards per play against the Saints last week. 

The way the the Texans lost will be tough to come back from as they scored a TD with only 37 seconds left to take a 28-27 lead.  But Drew Brees did what he does and guided the Saints down the field to set up a 58-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Saints a 30-28 win. 

Now the Texans are on a short week.  Another concern for the Texans is their offensive line, which gave up the most sacks in the league last year.  It doesn’t appear improved at all this season after Week 1 watching Deshaun Watson scrambling for his life.  Watson was sacked 6 times and hit 11 times in the loss. 

The Jaguars have one of the best defenses in the NFL.  I still believe that despite giving up 40 points to Kansas City last week.  The Chiefs are going to make a lot of good defenses look bad this year.  Jacksonville has the personnel to get after Watson and lock down Houston’s receivers.  The Jaguars have held the Texans to 20, 20, 7 and 7 points in their last four meetings, respectively.  They have Bill O’Brien’s offense figures out. 

Plays against home favorites (Houston) - a good offensive from last season that averaged 5.4 or more yards per play, after gaining 400 or more total yards in their previous game are 33-11 (75%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  The road team is 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.  Bet the Jaguars Sunday.

15* Vikings/Packers NFC North ANNIHILATOR on Green Bay -2.5 

The Green Bay Packers have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL.  Lambeau Field is worth upwards of 4 points.  So getting the Packers as less than field goal favorites at home in a matchup of two teams that are very close in the power rankings is a gift in my eyes.  Plus the Packers have extra rest and prep time after playing last Thursday against the Bears. 

I was impressed more with the Packers’ defense than any other defense in the NFL in Week 1.  They simply shut down the Bears, holding them to 3 points and 254 total yards.  The Packers finally spent some money in the offseason on defense and brought in pass rushers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith, and also former Bear Adrian Amos at safety.   

All three played huge roles as both Smith’s were in the backfield all game, and Amos had the key interception that saved the game.  I was also impressed with rookie safety Darnell Savage, and last year’s top two picks in corners Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson played well.  This is now a lock down secondary with a plethora of pass rushers and it could prove to be one of the best defenses in the league.  It’s been a long time coming in Green Bay. 

Of course, Aaron Rodgers and the offense didn’t do much.  I think they were rusty because Rodgers didn’t play in the preseason and is working in a new system under first-year head coach Matt LeFleur.  But some of the credit has to go to Chicago’s defense, which was the best unit in the NFL last year and brought back almost all their key players from that unit.  With extra time to get ready for this game after playing last Thursday, Rodgers and company should be much more productive in Week 2. 

The Vikings are getting too much credit here for hitter 28-12 home win over the Falcons last week.  The Falcons basically gave them that game by committing three turnovers.  The Vikings were actually outgained by 76 total yards.  Their offense, which was a problem last year, was held to just 269 total yards.  I know they just ran the ball basically the whole game and only had 10 pass attempts, but I think their offense is going to be an issue this season again. 

The Vikings are 1-5 ATS in their last six vs. a team with a winning record.  The Packers are 35-17-2 ATS in their last 54 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game.  The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.  Look for the Packers to shut down Kirk Cousins and company, and for Rodgers to have his coming out party this week at home.  Take the Packers Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Cincinnati Bengals -1 

The Cincinnati Bengals seem to be the forgotten team of the NFL.  Nobody is even talking about them.  They opened 4-1 last season before getting decimated by injuries.  They went 1-7 over their final eight games.  As a result, I thought the Bengals would be a good ‘buy low’ team coming into the season. 

I was on them last week as 10-point road underdogs to the Seahawks.  They should have won the game, but lost by a single point 21-20.  They outgained the Seahawks by nearly 200 total yards.  Their offense really didn’t miss A.J. Green because there’s enough other weapons for Andy Dalton.  They had 429 total yards against the Seahawks. 

Their defense, which I believe is underrated, held the Seahawks to just 233 total yards.  The Bengals have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL led by pro bowlers Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.  The secondary is also loaded with Dre Kirkpatrick, William Jackson & Shawn Williams leading the way. 

The 49ers had a misleading 31-17 win over the Bucs last week.  They got two defensive touchdowns and forced four turnovers.  Their three interceptions were more than they had all of last season.  Jameis Winston essentially just gave that game away to the 49ers. 

This San Francisco offense and Jimmy G are still a work in progress.  They only managed 256 total yards against a bad Tampa Bay defense.  Garoppolo only threw for 166 yards on 27 attempts.  He looked rusty in the preseason, and he certainly looked rusty in the opener.  Not helping matters are injuries at running back and receiver right now, plus the fact that the 49ers do not have a very good offensive line. 

The Bengals should be able to hold Jimmy G in check as well with their defensive line dominating the 49ers’ offensive line being the key to the game.  I think the Bengals look rejuvenated under new head coach Zac Taylor, a Sean McVay disciple.  His offense moved the ball at will against the Seahawks in a tough environment.  And now playing at home Andy Dalton and company should have much more success than Jameis Winston did last week. 

It’s worth noting that the 49ers will be playing their 2nd straight road game to open the season.  Teams in Week 2 playing back-to-back road games to open the season are 2-13 SU & 1-14 ATS since 2015.  The Bengals are 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall.  They make it six straight covers in this one.  Roll with the Bengals Sunday. 

15* CFB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Rice +32.5 

The Texas Longhorns are in a massive flat spot here Saturday against Rice.  Texas played in a huge game at home against LSU last week and came up short in a 38-45 shootout.  Now they have their Big 12 opener on deck against Oklahoma State.  I just can’t see them putting forth a very good effort here as they are deflated off that LSU loss, and they just want to get on to Oklahoma State and get out of here with a win against Rice. Asking them to cover 32.5 points in this flat spot is asking too much. 

Texas allowed 573 total yards to a mediocre LSU offense last week.  That came a week after they gave up 413 total yards against Louisiana Tech in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate.  That’s a LA Tech team that went on to only beat Grambling 20-14 as 30-point home favorites last week.  It’s a young Texas defense that returned just three starters and lost each of its top three tacklers from a year ago. 

I have been impressed with this Rice team thus far.  Former Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren has been trying to copy the blueprint at Stanford.  He has recruited some big offensive linemen so the Owls can move people up front.  They are trying to run the ball and shorten games, which gives them the best chance to be competitive despite the lack of skill talent. 

Rice only lost 7-14 at Army as 23-point underdogs in their opener.  That’s an Army team that went on to nearly upset Michigan, losing in overtime in the Big House last week.  It’s also an Army team that won 11 games last year, so it just shows what Rice is capable of. 

Last week, Rice lost 21-41 at home to Wake Forest as 20-point dogs to push the number.  They showed they could throw the ball if needed, passing for 254 yards on 22-of-35 attempts.  I know starting QB Wiley Green was injured in that game, but Harvard transfer Tom Stewart stepped in and did a great job.  Stewart has been the better QB thus far, completing 63.3% of his 30 attempts compared to 52.6% on 19 attempts for Green.  So I think the QB injury here is getting factored into the line too much. 

The Owls are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games overall.  They have been undervalued because the betting public has wanted nothing to do with them.  Rice is 4-1 ATS in its last five vs. Big 12 opponents.  Texas will be more than satisfied with a victory by three or four touchdowns, and don’t be surprised if this game is much closer than anticipated with the sandwich spot for the Longhorns.  Bet Rice Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday No-Doubt Rout on Virginia -7 

The Virginia Cavaliers are a team on the rise under fourth-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall.  He has improved this team in each of his first three seasons, going from 2-10 in Year 1 to 6-7 in Year 2 and 8-5 in Year 3 last season.  Now he has his best team yet and some stability in the program with how well he has recruited.  The Cavaliers are a legit contender to win the Coastal this year. 

Last year, the Cavaliers lost five games, but three were by 4 points or fewer.  They were in every game they played.  Now they have 14 starters back and one of the best defenses in the ACC with eight starters back from a unit that gave up just 20.1 points per game. 

Offensively, the Cavaliers return stud quarterback Bryce Perkins, which will help make up for the fact that they only return six starters on that side of the ball.  Perkins threw for 2,680 yards with a 25-to-9 TD/INT ratio, while also rushing for 923 yards and nine scores.  The offensive line returns three starters and they have 17 offensive linemen on scholarship, so Mendenhall now has the numbers he wants up front. 

Virginia is off to an impressive 2-0 SU & 2-0 ATS start this season.  They beat Pittsburgh handily 30-14 on the road in Week 1 while limiting the Panthers to just 263 total yards.  That’s a Pitt team that went on to beat a good Ohio team 20-10 at home last week.  Then Virginia handled their business in a 52-17 win over William & Mary as 32.5-point favorites last week. 

Florida State failed to make a bowl game last year at 5-7.  Many thought they’d bounce back this season, but from what I’ve seen so far, they are just a bad, undisciplined football team.  Florida State lost its opener 31-36 at home to Boise State as 6.5-point favorites.  Then, the Seminoles were fortunate to escape with a 45-44 (OT) home victory over Louisiana-Monroe as 23-point favorites last week. 

It’s clear the Seminoles have an awful defense.  They are giving up 40.0 points and 520.0 yards per game this season.  And that’s where the difference lies in this football game.  Virginia has one of the best defenses in the country, giving up just 15.5 points and 228 yards per game through their first two games.  These teams are similar offensively. 

I also like the fact that this is a night game for Virginia, so it will be a rowdy atmosphere in Charlottesville.  Fans are very excited about this team as they have a great chance to win the Coastal and get to the ACC Championship Game.  Virginia has easily been the most impressive team in the Coastal thus far, and arguably the second-best team in the ACC behind Clemson.

I'm definitely starting to believe that Willie Taggart is an overrated head coach.  If he can't make the talent work in Tallahassee, that's on him.  And Taggart is 0-6 SU & 1-5 ATS as a road underdogs in his time between Oregon and Florida State with the five ATS losses coming by an average of 17 points per game.

Florida State is 0-7 ATS off a home game over the last two seasons.  Virginia is 6-0 ATS in the first month of the season over the last two years.  Mendenhall is 11-1 ATS off a non-conference game as the coach of Virginia.  The Cavaliers are 8-0-1 ATS in their last nine games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.  These four trends combine for a 32-1 system backing the Cavaliers.  Take Virginia Saturday.

15* Clemson/Syracuse ACC ANNIHILATOR on Syracuse +28.5 

I faded Clemson with success last week on Texas A&M.  And I’m fading them again for many of the same reasons.  Being the No. 1 team in the country and the defending national champs comes with expectations from oddsmakers and the betting public that are hard to live up to.  The Tigers are lucky not to be 0-2 ATS as Georgia Tech fumbled going into the end zone, losing by 38 as 36.5-point dogs. 

Last week, Clemson wasn’t all that dominant at home against Texas A&M.  They won 24-10 as 15.5-point favorites and only outgained the Aggies by 100 yards.  All the hype surrounding Trevor Lawrence may be getting to him.  He has thrown two touchdowns against three interceptions and is only averaging 7.5 yards per attempt. 

This is the perfect ‘buy low’ situation on Syracuse.  Many thought Syracuse was the second-best team in the ACC coming into the season because they won 10 games last year.  After beating Liberty 24-0, the Orange fell flat last week amidst the big expectations and lost 20-63 at Maryland.  That was exactly the humbling they needed, and it was clearly a lookahead spot for them to this Clemson game, so you can understand the poor performance. 

Syracuse is clearly better than they showed against Maryland last week.  They returned 13 starters this year, including seven on defense and are better on that side of the ball than the 63 points they allowed to Maryland.  Keep in mind they shut out Liberty the previous week.  And offensively, Tommy DeVito now has two starts under his belt and should be much more comfortable moving forward.  He has leading rusher Moe Neal and three of his top four receivers back from last year, so it’s only a matter of time before this Dino Babers offense takes off after scoring 40.2 points per game last year. 

Syracuse has played Clemson as tough as anyone the last two years.  They won 27-24 as 23-point underdogs in the Carrier Dome in 2017.  Then they came back last year and led most the way at Clemson before giving up a late score to lose 23-27 as 24.5-point dogs.  Imagine the disrespect they are feeling now as 28.5-point underdogs at home this year after taking Clemson to the wire each of the last two seasons.  They will be playing with a chip on their shoulder this week.  And it will be a great night time atmosphere with this game behind played at 7:30 PM EST inside the Carrier Dome. 

Dabo Swinney is 4-12 ATS as a favorite of 21.5 to 31 points as the coach of Clemson.  Te Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their last six September games.  The Orange are 5-0 ATS in their last five games off a loss by more than 20 points.  Syracuse is 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight September games.  The Orange are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games vs. a team with a winning record.  Roll with Syracuse Saturday. 

15* MLB Saturday No-Doubt Rout on St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+105) 

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball.  They are 25-9 in their last 34 games overall to overtake first place in the NL Central.  The Milwaukee Brewers are now without Christian Yelich due to a season-ending injury, and the life has been sucked out of them because of it. 

I’ll gladly back Jack Flaherty, who has been the best starter in baseball in the second half of the season.  Flaherty is 6-1 with a minuscule 0.71 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star Break.  He has basically been untouchable down the stretch. 

Jordan Lyles is 10-8 with a 4.38 ERA and 1.348 WHIP in 25 starts this season, and 5-3 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.382 WHIP in 12 road starts.  Lyles is 2-4 with a 4.71 ERA and 1.514 WHIP in seven career starts against the Cardinals as well. 

The Cardinals are 23-7 in their last 30 home games.  St. Louis is 40-18 in its last 58 home games vs. a right-handed starter.  The Cardinals are 7-1 in Flaherty’s last eight starts on 5 days’ rest.  St. Louis is 4-0 in Flaherty’s last four home starts.  St. Louis is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings and 6-1 in the last seven home meetings.  Take the Cardinals Saturday. 

20* CFB BLOWOUT GAME OF THE WEEK on Louisville -10 

Louisville came into the season way undervalued.  They went 2-10 last season and Bobby Petrino was let go before season’s end.  Simply put, the Cardinals quit on Petrino.  They lost their final nine games and were never really competitive.  I have no doubt the talent level on that team was better than their 2-10 record.  And keep in mind that Louisville had been to eight straight bowl games prior to last year.  They had won 8 or more games in six straight seasons coming into 2018. 

I loved the hiring of Scott Satterfield in the offseason.  He came over from Appalachian State where he compiled a 51-24 record there.  Fortunately for Satterfield, the cupboard wasn’t left bare.  Louisville returned 16 starters in all.  They should be one of the most improved defensive teams in the country with 10 starters back on that side of the ball. 

So far, so good for Satterfield and company.  I was very impressed with their 17-35 loss to Notre Dame as 18.5-point favorites in the opener.  That’s a Notre Dame team that went 12-0 in the regular season last year and made the four-team playoff.  And they played the Fighting Irish toe-to-toe, only getting outgained by 31 yards.  The difference was the 3-to-1 turnover edge for the Irish. 

Last week, Louisville took it to Eastern Kentucky 42-0 as 21-point favorites.  They outgained Eastern Kentucky by 370 total yards and held them to just 172 yards of offense.  It’s the type of team that Louisville would have struggled against last season.  But this is clearly a revamped and revitalized Louisville squad under the leadership of Satterfield. 

Western Kentucky is getting way too much respect for beating Florida International 20-14 last week.  That’s an FIU team that lost 14-42 to Tulane in their opener.  It’s clear that FIU was one of the most overrated teams in the country coming into the season. 

I think the home loss to Central Arkansas 28-35 as 10-point favorites in the opener is a better sign of how good this Western Kentucky team is.  Losing to an FCS opponent as a double-digit favorite is never a good sign.  They gave up 404 passing yards to Central Arkansas in the loss. 

Louisville is 16-4-1 ATS in its last 21 vs. Conference USA opponents.  Western Kentucky is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 non-conference games.  This spread is also low because Louisville only beat WKU 20-17 last year.  But like I said, that was a team that quit on Petrino, and now they are ‘all in’ for Satterfield and playing up to their talent level.  I expect this game to be over by halftime.  Take Louisville Saturday.

15* CFB Saturday UPSET SHOCKER on Air Force +5 

The Colorado Buffaloes are in a massive letdown spot this week.  They came back from 17-0 down at halftime to beat Nebraska 34-31 in overtime last week.  They have their Pac-12 opener on deck against Arizona State next week, making this a sandwich game for them. 

Now the Buffaloes have to try and get ready for the Air Force triple-option in just one week’s time, which is very hard to do.  And this is a Colorado defense that has been absolutely gashed this season.  They have given up 487 yards per game and 6.5 yards per play.  They have actually been outgained on the season despite their 2-0 start, and I think they’re overrated because of it. 

Air Force is a team I’ve very high on coming into the year.  The Falcons are coming off a 5-7 season, but they were much better than their record would indicate last year.  Four of their losses came by 3, 3, 4 and 6 points.  In fact, all seven of their losses came by 10 points or less, so they were competitive in every game they played.  They can only have better luck in close games this season. 

Air Force returns a whopping 15 starters, which is a ton for a service academy.  It’s their most returning starters since 2014, when they went 10-3.  This is easily the best team Air Force has had in years, and I have no doubt they will be one of the most improved teams in the country. 

The Falcons are off to a flying start by handling Colgate 48-7 as 20.5-point favorites in their opener.  They rushed for 423 yards and will be a force on the ground again with four returning starters along the offensive line.  And they had a bye last week to get ready for Colorado, giving them a big edge in rest and preparation. 

The Falcons are 20-6 ATS in their last 26 non-conference games, including 8-1 ATS in none-conference games overall the last three seasons.  Colorado is 1-9 ATS after a game where 60 or more total points were scored over the last three seasons.  The Buffaloes are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games vs. a team with a winning record.  Colorado is 4-11-1 ATS in its last 16 games vs. a team with a winning record overall.  Bet Air Force Saturday. 

20* K-State/Mississippi State ESPN No-Brainer on Kansas State +8.5 

Kansas State got a great hire to replace the legendary Bill Snyder this offseason.  Chris Klieman won four FCS national titles in his five seasons at North Dakota State.  And he stepped into a good situation at Kansas State with 14 returning starters. 

The Wildcats are off to an impressive 2-0 SU & 2-0 ATS start this season.  They beat Nicholls State by 35 as 20.5-point favorites.  They beat Bowling Green 52-0 as 24.5-point favorites.  They have covered the spread by a combined 42 points in their first two games. 

The defense has been really impressive and allowed just 140 total yards to Bowling Green last week.  That’s a Bowling Green offense that had 620 yards and 46 points in their opener.  The Wildcats also brought back a veteran QB in Skyler Thompson, who has played well.  And the running game has produced an average of 347 yards per game and 6 yards per carry thus far. 

Kansas State wants revenge from a 31-10 home loss to Mississippi State last year.  But that was a Mississippi State team that was way better than this 2019 version.  I am way down on these Bulldogs and the UNDER 7.5 wins for them was one of my favorite win totals coming into the season. 

I think the loss of Dan Mullen will be felt this season.  Jim Moorhead no longer has Mullen’s recruits to rely on.  The Bulldogs returned just 11 starters this season.  The defense lost three first-round draft picks.  And they lost their stud QB in Nick Fitzgerald on offense. 

I have not been impressed at all by Mississippi State thus far despite their 2-0 start.  The only beat Louisiana Lafayette by 10 as 18.5-point favorites in their opener.  They beat Southern Miss by 23 as 16-point favorites last week, but that was a misleading final.  They only outgained Lafayette by 67 yards and Southern Miss by 42 yards.   

The Bulldogs even took advantage of a combined 8 turnovers forced by their defense, yet still weren’t impressive.  Kansas State isn’t the type of team that beats themselves.  The Bulldogs won’t be gifted those same turnovers by the Wildcats. 

I think Mississippi State could be overlooking Kansas State with its SEC opener on deck next week.  Conversely, Kansas State has a bye next week, so they’ll be all in especially since they are seeking revenge. 

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Kansas State) - after scoring 42 points or more in two straight games are 43-15 (74.1%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Kansas State is 21-9-1 ATS in its last 31 road games against a team with a winning home record.  Bet Kansas State Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Temple +7.5 

Talk about an overreaction.  Maryland has started 2-0 with two blowout wins over Howard (79-0) and Syracuse (63-20).  Now they are ranked 24th in the country and getting a ton of hype.  This is exactly the type of spot I like to fade teams in. 

Temple didn’t play last week as they had a bye, giving them a full two weeks to prepare for Maryland.  You know that they are going to be extra amped for this game hearing all the good things about Maryland in the media.  And the Owls love being counted out as they have been one of the best money makers in college football over the last few years, especially in the underdog role. 

New Temple head coach Rod Carey comes over from Northern Illinois.  He won at least 8 games in five of his six seasons at NIU and three MAC titles.  He brought over both his offensive and defensive coordinators from NIU, so there will be some stability here. 

The cupboard clearly isn’t bare for Carey, either.  Temple returned 14 starters from a team that went 8-5 last year.  Their four losses during the regular season all came by 12 points or less, so they were competitive in every game.  And one of those games included a 35-14 win at Maryland as 15-point underdogs.  They outgained the Terrapins 429 to 195 in that beat down.  So you can imagine how they feel about being 7-point dogs in the rematch. 

Temple returns a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.  They have seven starters back on offense from a unit that put up 34.7 points per game, including QB Anthony Russo and five linemen with starting experience.  The defense also returns seven starters from a unit that allowed 27.1 points per game.  Seven of the top 10 tacklers are back. 

Temple took care of business 56-12 as 40-point favorites over Canisius in their opener.  You would expect them to struggle a little in their first game with a new head coach, but that didn’t happen at all.  They put up 695 yards on offense, including 507 passing yards as they weren’t afraid at all to let loose and air it out.  Their defense gave up just 211 total yards, including 21 rushing on 26 attempts. 

Stopping the run will be the key to stopping Maryland.  The Terrapins have rushed for over 300 yards in each of their first two games, but those were against two bad defenses in Howard and Syracuse.  Temple has been known for stopping the run and great linebackers.  They have allowed 4.0 or fewer yards per carry in four of the past five seasons.  I expect them to be great against the run again this season with five starters back in their front seven. 

Plays on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Temple) - a team that had a winning record last season, in non-conference games are 74-33 (69.2%) ATS since 1992.  It’s really time to ’sell high’ on Maryland this week. 

The Owls are 38-18 ATS in their last 56 games overall. Temple is 6-0 ATS in its last six games after gaining 280 or more passing yards last game.  Maryland is 6-14 ATS in its last 20 games vs. a team with a winning record.  The Terrapins are 6-23 ATS in their last 29 games following a win, and 7-25 ATS in their last 32 games off an ATS win.  Maryland is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.  Roll with Temple Saturday.

20* Washington State/Houston ESPN Late-Night BAILOUT on Houston +9 

This is technically a neutral site game.  However, it will be played in Houston at NRG Stadium, which is the home of the Texans.  There’s no question the Cougars will have a home field advantage in this one. 

It’s a Houston team I was high on coming into the season.  They brought back eight starters on offense, including QB D’Eriq King, who accounted for 50 total touchdowns last year despite missing two games.  They will never be out of any game with King running the show under first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen. 

We saw that against Oklahoma in the opener as the Cougars got down by 25 points, but clawed back to get within 11 late in the fourth quarter.  The Sooners tacked on a rushing TD from 21 yards out with 1:17 left to push the final margin back to 18 when they were just trying to run out the clock.  That effort on the road against the Sooners shows shat Houston is capable of as Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the country. 

Last week was clearly a flat spot for Houston and a sandwich game between Oklahoma and Washington State.  It’s no surprise they came out flat and only beat Prairie View 37-17 as 36-point favorites.  I think they are now undervalued because everyone is seeing that result and thinking that Houston isn’t very good.  But human nature is the reason why they didn’t perform up to par in that game. 

Now the Cougars will be ’sky high’ with Washington State coming to town.  This is a Cougars team I’m way down on after a school record 11 wins last year.  They are overvalued early in the season, especially after two blowout wins against a couple cupcakes to start the season. 

They beat New Mexico State 58-7 as 33.5-point favorites and Northern Colorado 59-17 as 43-point favorites. New Mexico State is one of the worst teams in FBS and lost to Alabama 10-62 last week.  Northern Colorado is one of the worst teams in FCS.  They lost to San Jose State 35-18 in their opener, and San Jose State lost 16-34 at home to Tulsa last week. 

The betting public is going to see those scores and automatically jump on Washington State.  There’s clearly value with Houston because of it.  Give Mike Leach props for a great season last year, but the schedule was very easy and gets a lot tougher this season.  They also lost QB Gardner Minshew, who had a monster season after transferring from Eastern Washington. 

I realize it has been basically plug and play at QB for Washington State.  And the offense should be fine again, but the defense only returns six starters.  They have allowed 336.0 yards per game to New Mexico State and Northern Colorado.  Their defense was much better last year and that’s the biggest reason they won 11 games.  They lost a lot of talent from that stop unit.   

King and company should be able to score at will on them.  Houston averaged 47.8 points and 541 yards per game in games in which King started last year.  Now that he has two games under his belt in Holgorsen’s new offense, he should start to really shine after a somewhat slow start to the season.  King has six total touchdowns (3 passing, 3 rushing) and only one interception thus far. 

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Houston) - a bad defensive team from last season that allowed 425 or more total yards per game, with eight or more offensive starters including their QB returning are 52-21 (71.2%) ATS since 1992. 

Mike Leach is 0-7 ATS in road games after two consecutive games where his team forced three or more turnovers in all games he has coached.  HIs teams have never covered in this situation.  Bet Houston Friday.

15* NL PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -122 

The St. Louis Cardinals are just four games ahead of both the Brewers and Cubs in the NL Central.  They choked away the division in September last year, so they’ll be extra motivated here down the stretch to close the deal.  Look for them to take Game 1 of this series from the Brewers at home tonight. 

Adam Wainwright has been awesome at home and great of late.  Wainwright is 7-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 13 home starts this season, and 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in his last three starts.  Wainwright is also 16-10 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.065 WHIP in 34 career starts against the Brewers. 

Adrian Houser is 2-5 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.454 WHIP in 14 starts for the Brewers this season.  He has been at his worst on the road, going 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in seven starts away from home.  Houser is also 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.675 WHIP in three career starts against the Cardinals. 

Wainwright is 14-2 vs. an NL team with an OBP of .325 or worse in the second half of the season over the last three seasons.  St. Louis is 22-7 in its last 29 home games.  The Cardinals are 48-21 in Wainwright’s last 69 home starts.  St. Louis is 10-2 in Wainwright’s last 12 starts overall.  Roll with the Cardinals Friday. 

15* Bucs/Panthers NFC South Total DOMINATOR on UNDER 49.5 

I expect a low scoring game in this division rivalry between the Panthers and Bucs tonight.  Both teams are coming off losses that can be 100% attributed to turnovers.  Look for both teams to have conservative game plans and to focus more on taking care of the football than anything, which will help lead to the UNDER. 

The Bucs were dreadful offensively against the 49ers last week.  They managed just 17 points and 295 total yards while committing four turnovers.  Jameis Winston threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.  Their defense actually played well in giving up just 256 total yards to the 49ers in the loss. 

The Panthers had 343 total yards against a mediocre Rams defense.  And they were very pass-happy as they were trying to come from behind the entire game.  That led to three turnovers, which also set up some easy scores for the Rams.  Their defense was actually decent in holding a high-powered Rams offense to just 349 total yards. 

With a total of 49.5 here, the Panthers and Bucs have gone UNDER that number in six of their their last seven meetings, and they are 12-2 to the UNDER 49.5 in their last 14 meetings.  They have combined for 48 or fewer points in 12 of those 14 games.  I think there’s some serious value on the UNDER tonight. 

The UNDER is 6-1 in Bucs last seven games overall.  The UNDER is 12-4 in Bucs last 16 games off a double-digit home loss.  The UNDER is 19-9 in Panthers last 28 home games vs. a team with a losing record.  The UNDER is 13-6 in the last 19 meetings in Carolina.  Take the UNDER in this game Thursday. 

20* MLB Thursday No-Doubt Rout on Chicago Cubs -137 

The Chicago Cubs have lost five of their last six games overall to fall into a tie with the Brewers for the second wild card spot.  It’s time to get going for the Cubs, and I expect them to take Game 4 of this series against the Padres today. 

Yu Darvish has been at his best not he road this season, going 3-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 15 starts.  Darvish is coming off two straight great starts, allowing just one run in 13 innings for a 0.69 ERA.  He has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts overall. 

Dinelson Lamet is 2-4 with a. 3.95 ERA and 1.263 WHIP in 11 starts this season.  Lamet has actually been at his worst at home this season inside pitcher-friendly Petco Park, going 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA and 1.385 WHIP in five starts. 

Lamet is 0-7 in home games vs. good power teams that average 1.25 or more HR’s/game in his career.  The Cubs are 57-23 in their last 80 Thursday games.  Chicago is 35-16 in its last 52 during Game 4 of a series.  The Padres are 0-9 in Lamet’s last nine home starts.  Bet the Cubs Thursday. 

20* NL GAME OF THE MONTH on St. Louis Cardinals -143 

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off a loss to the Rockies in Game 1 of this series.  It was a rare loss for the Cardinals, who are 23-8 in their last 31 games overall.  It was a rare win for the Rockies, who are 3-15 in their last 18 games overall as they have simply been playing out the string. 

The Cardinals have the clear edge on the mound in this one.  Dakota Hudson is 15-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 28 starts this season, including 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 0.712 WHIP in his last three starts.  He has a 3.23 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star Break as well.  Hudson fired 6 shutout innings in a 6-0 win over the Rockies in his only start against them on August 24th. 

Antonio Senzatela has been one of the worst starters in baseball this season.  He is 8-10 with a 7.19 ERA and 1.782 WHIP in 21 starts, including 0-3 with a 15.82 ERA and 2.378 WHIP in his last three starts.  Senzatela is also 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.583 WHIP in five career starts against St. Louis.  He has allowed 13 earned runs in 6 innings in his last two starts against the Cardinals for a 19.50 ERA. 

The Cardinals are a perfect 8-0 in their last eight games following a loss.  St. Louis is 9-0 in its last nine during Game 2 of a series.  The Cardinals are 13-0 in Hudson’s last 13 starts vs. a team with a losing record.  The Rockies are 0-4 in Senzatela’s last four starts.  These four trends combine for a perfect 34-0 system backing St. Louis tonight.  Bet the Cardinals Wednesday. 

20* AL Tuesday No-Doubt Rout on Cleveland Indians -134 

The Cleveland Indians are a half-game back on the Oakland A’s for the second wild card spot in the American League.  They’re motivated right now, while the Angels are 4-13 in their last 17 games overall and have nothing to play for. 

The Indians have the edge on the mound tonight behind Zach Please, who is 7-6 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.264 WHIP in 18 starts this season.  He’ll be opposed by Jose Suarez, who is 2-5 with a 6.56 ERA and 1.610 WHIP in 13 starts this season, including 0-2 with a 7.81 ERA and 1.657 WHIP in his last three starts. 

Plesac is 8-1 (+8.3 units) in night games this season.  The Indians are 20-7 in their last 27 road games vs. a team with a losing record.  The Angels are 0-6 in Suarez’s last six starts.  Cleveland is 22-4 in the last 26 meetings.  Bet the Indians Tuesday. 

15* NL Tuesday PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -138 

The St. Louis Cardinals have grabbed ahold of the NL Central lead by going 23-7 in their last 30 games overall.  They should be much bigger favorites over the Colorado Rockies, who appear to have quit in going 2-15 in their last 17 games overall. 

Michael Wacha has been at his best here down the stretch for the Cardinals.  He has posted a 2.78 ERA in his last five starts overall.  The Cardinals clearly have the edge on the mound in this one along with the motivational edge. 

Chi Chi Gonzalez is still in search of his first victory this season.  He is 0-5 with a 6.86 ERA and 1.643 WHIP in nine starts, including 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA and 2.378 WHIP in three home starts.  Gonzalez was rocked for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 6-0 road loss to the Cardinals on August 24th in his only career start against them. 

The Cardinals are 37-17 in Wacha’s last 54 starts vs. a team with a losing record.  St. Louis is 40-15 in its last 55 vs. a team with a losing record.  Colorado is 0-9 in Gonzalez’s nine starts this season.  The Rockies are 0-6 in their last six home games.  St. Louis is 43-17 in the last 60 meetings.  Take the Cardinals Tuesday. 

20* Texans/Saints ESPN Monday No-Brainer on Houston +7 

The Houston Texans went 11-5 last season and won the AFC South.  It’s worth noting that all five of their losses came by 7 points or less.  So they went the entire 16-game schedule without losing a game by more than a touchdown.  Now they are catching 7 points in their opener against the New Orleans Saints.  I think there’s value with the road underdog here to say the least. 

The Texans didn’t even live up to their potential offensive last year due to injuries at receiver to two of their three biggest weapons in Will Fuller and Keke Coutee.  Both are healthy and ready to start the 2019 season, giving Deshaun Watson easily one of the best trio of weapons to work with.  And they traded for Duke Johnson, giving him yet another outlet coming out of the backfield. 

The Texans certainly leaned on their defense last season that gave up 19.8 points per game.  I know they lost Jadeveon Clowney, Tyrann Mathieu and two cornerbacks.  But the Texans still have several defensive stalwarts that remain in J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Zach Cunningham and Jonathan Joseph.  This will still be an above average defensive unit. 

I question the state of mind of the Saints after the way they exited the playoffs the last two years.  They were victims of the Minneapolis Miracle two years ago.  Last year the refs missed a pass interference call in the NFC Championship that prevented them from going to the Super Bowl.  Time is now running out on the aging Drew Brees and company.  Brees looked a little broken down the stretch last year and is clearly losing velocity on his throws. 

Last year, the Saints started very slow after that Minneapolis Miracle the previous season.  They lost their opener as double-digit home favorites to the Bucs 40-48.  Then in Week 2 they were very fortunate to escape with a 21-18 home victory over the Browns as nearly double-digit favorites.  The Saints are 0-5 ATS in their last five Week 1 games, so Sean Payton has been a notorious slow starter.  Bet the Texans Monday. 

15* MLB Monday PLAY OF THE DAY on Philadelphia Phillies -127 

The Philadelphia Phillies are just two games back in the wild card.  This series means more to them than the Braves, who are now 9 games up in the NL East.  They basically already have the division wrapped up after taking three of four from Washington over the weekend. 

We’re clearly backing the better starter today in Aaron Nola, who is 6-1 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.198 WHIP In 17 home starts this season.  Nola owns the Braves, going 10-3 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.085 WHIP in 16 career starts against them. 

Mike Foltynewicz has struggled this season trying to come back from injury.  He is 5-5 with a 5.28 ERA and 1.413 WHIP in 17 starts this year. 

Nola is a perfect 9-0 against the money line vs. teams that average 1.5 or more HR’s/game in his career.  He has never lost to these teams.  The Phillies are 12-1 after a combined score of 17 or more runs this season.  Take the Phillies Monday. 

20* Steelers/Patriots NBC Sunday Night BAILOUT on UNDER 49 

These are two teams that rely on their defenses more now that their quarterbacks are aging.  The Patriots were dominant in the playoffs last year defensively and gave up just 20.4 points per game, including 17.9 points per game at home.  They return almost everyone on defense and upgraded on that side of the ball through the draft as well. 

The Steelers were among the league leaders in defense last year giving up 22.5 points and 327.4 yards per game.  They have studs at all three levels of their defense in Cameron Hayward, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Devin Bush and Joe Haden.  It’s a very young defense that is only getting better. 

The Patriots lose both Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan.  It’s well documented that Tom Brady puts up much better numbers with Gronk than without him.  So there will be a transition period here, especially with his replacement in Ben Watson suspended for the start of the season.  And Roethlisberger loses both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.  Losing Brown really hurts as despite being a distraction, he’s still arguably the best receiver in the league. 

The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings in this series.  Last year, the Steelers beat the Patriots 17-10 at home for 27 combined points.  And we are getting a total here of 49, which is 22 points more than they combined for last year.  I think there’s value in the UNDER as both offenses will be rusty to start, which will be the case across the league just as it was with the Packers and Bears Monday night. 

The UNDER is 6-1 in Steelers last seven vs. AFC opponents.  The UNDER is 36-16 in Steelers last 52 road games.  The UNDER is 9-3 in Patriots last 12 games overall, including 4-1 in their last five home games.  Pittsburgh is 10-1 UNDER in road games against AFC teams over the last three seasons.  Bet the UNDER in this game Sunday. 

15* Giants/Cowboys NFC East ANNIHILATOR on New York +7.5 

The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of distractions due to contract situations.  Zeke just signed this week and returned to practice, but I can’t see him getting his normal workload considering he hasn’t been in camp yet until this week.  There’s no way he is in game shape.  Amari Cooper just returned to practice this week after missing basically all of camp with injury.  Both Cooper and Dak Prescott are disgruntled right now because they don’t have their contracts, while almost everyone else around them does. 

While the Cowboys are distracted, the Giants are determined to right this ship after a 5-11 season last year.  They showed up in the preseason especially offensively as they led all teams with 9 TD passes, points (119) average passing yards (305.5) and total offense (393).  It’s a good sign that everyone has a grasp of Pat Shurmur’s offense in his second year as head coach. 

Eli Manning is out to prove that he can still play.  Fortunately for him, the Giants now have a ground game to rely on as Saquon Barkley had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns.  He is a big play waiting to happen.  Manning threw for 4,299 yards with a 21-to-11 TD/INT ratio last year.  He was still serviceable, and he has some nice weapons outside in Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. 

The Giants will be improved defensively this season.  They got Jabril Peppers in the Beckham Jr. trade and added Antone Bethea in free agency.  Janoris Jenkins remains one of the best corners in the NFL.  The Giants used five of their top six picks on defense, including 342-pound rookie DT Dexter Lawrence and CB DeAndre Baker in the first round.  Both should start right away.  WLB Lorenzo Carter is ready for a starting role after being a situational pass rusher as a rookie. 

No question the Cowboys have a young, emerging defense.  But they had some injuries in training camp that could have them starting slow on that side of the ball out of the gate.  Four starters barely practiced in the preseason.  DeMarcus Lawrence is coming back from shoulder surgery, both DE Tyrone Crawford and CB Byron Jones have dealt with hip issues, and LB Sean Lee injured his knee early in camp.  All four are expected to play, but may be limited in some capacity. 

The Giants looked awful in the opener against the Cowboys last year, yet still only lost 13-20.  That score will get it done for us here Sunday as we have a lot of room to spare on the Giants +7.5.  Jason Garrett is just 17-33 ATS as a home favorite as the coach of Dallas.  The Giants are 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games.  Divisional underdogs are 17-4-1 ATS in their last 22 Week 1 games.  Roll with the Giants Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on Cincinnati Bengals +10 

The Cincinnati Bengals got off to a 4-1 start last year before getting decimated by injuries.  They finished 1-7 in their final eight games overall.  Now the betting public wants nothing to do with them heading into 2019.  This is the perfect time to ‘buy low’ on the Bengals catching double-digits in Week 1. 

Andy Dalton is back healthy.  I know A.J. Green is out to start the season, but the Bengals have plenty of other weapons at Dalton’s disposal.  I like RB Joe Mixon, WR’s Tyler Boyd and John Ross III, and TE’s C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Eifert.  This offense is better than it’s getting credit for.  Look for the 36-year-old Zac Taylor to inject new life into this offense and this team.  Taylor learned under Sean McVay with the Rams. 

Cincinnati has one of the best defensive lines in the NFL led by Pro Bowlers Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.  DE Sam Hubbard had an impressive rookie campaign with six sacks.  Carl Lawson had a great rookie season in 2017 before suffering an injury in 2018, and having him back will add some much needed depth.  The defense also gets back MLB Preston Brown from injury, their leader in the middle.  And they spent a third-round pick on NC State LB Germaine Pratt who should get significant snaps right away. 

With a strong defensive line and secondary, this defense is underrated.  The Bengals featured Dre Kirkpatrick and Williams Jackson at corner, and Shawn Williams and Jessie Bates at safety.  Kirkpatrick, Jackson and Williams have proven themselves as plus defenders, and Bates enters his second season and is ready for a bigger role. 

Seattle is getting treated like the Seattle of old here.  But the fact of the matter is the Seahawks have lost most of their key players from their Super Bowl runs aside from Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.  I think the trade for Jadeveon Clowney has them overhyped coming into the season.  Clowney has been an injury waiting to happen his entire career.  Yes, Seattle won 10 games last year, but they were actually outgained on the season.  They weren’t nearly as good as their record would indicate. 

Plays on underdogs or PK (Cincinnati) - a bad defensive team from last season that allowed 385 or more total yards per game are 30-8 (78.9%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.  The Bengals are 20-8-2 ATS in their last 30 September games.  Cincinnati is 4-0 ATS in its last four road games.  The Seahawks are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven September games.  Take the Bengals Sunday. 

15* MLB Sunday PLAY OF THE DAY on Arizona Diamondbacks +118 

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 11-1 in their last 12 games overall.  They have pulled within 1.5 games of the Cubs for the second wild card spot now.  Yet, the Diamondbacks continue to get no respect from oddsmakers as underdogs Sunday to the Reds, who have nothing to play for. 

Mike Leake has allowed 3 earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts against the Reds.  He has posted a 3.00 ERA in his last six starts against the Reds while allowing just 12 earned runs in 36 innings of work. 

Anthony DeSclafini is getting way too much respect from oddsmakers here.  DeSclafini is 9-8 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.262 WHIP in 27 starts this season.  The Reds are 1-6 in DeSclafini’s last seven starts vs. a team with a winning record. 

The Diamondbacks are 6-0 in their last six vs. a team with a losing record.  The Reds are 3-8 in their last 11 games overall.  Arizona is 5-0 in its last five road games.  Roll with the Diamondbacks Sunday. 

20* NFC GAME OF THE WEEK on Carolina Panthers +3 

The Panthers opened 6-2 last year before Cam Newton injured his shoulder.  They weren’t the same after that and went 1-7 down the stretch.  Now Newton’s shoulder is healthy, and he’s fully recovered from his ankle injury suffered in the preseason.  The Panthers upgraded their offensive line to help keep Newton upright. 

Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running backs in the sport after amassing nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year.  DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are ready for bigger roles in the passing game, and they added Chris Hogan. 

Defensively, the Panthers should remain one of the top units in the league.  They added some great talent to their defensive line in Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe.  They also added DE Brian Burns in the first round of the draft and added DE Bruce Irvin.  They should have one of the top pass rushes in the NFL now.  I love the linebackers led by Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson.  Having a strong front seven will help make up for their biggest weakness, which is their secondary. 

The Panthers can only stay healthier as they had the 7th-most starts lost to injury last year.  They also went 2-7 in one-possession games last year.  These are all signs of positive regression coming.  And the Panthers always seem to bounce back and make the playoffs the year after missing out on the postseason under Ron Rivera. 

The Rams were fortunate to win 13 games last year.  They went 6-1 in one-score games, which is very hard to do.  They recovered 71% of their fumbles on defense, which is the highest fumble recovery rate since 1991.  The Rams paid all their star players, which means they don’t have much depth now.  They lost two starts on the offensive line in Roger Saffold and John Sullivan.  They have an aging defense, which is where the lack of depth will be felt most. 

I’m not a big fan of Jared Goff as I think he has been the beneficiary of Sean McVay’s system.  And I think the Rams are primed for the dreaded Super Bowl hangover, which seems to happen to every team that loses the Super Bowl the year before outside of the Patriots.  In fact, the previous year's Super Bowl loser is 3-16 ATS in Week 1 since 2000.

The Panthers have a great home-field advantage.  They are 39-27 ATS at home with Ron Rivera as their head coach, including 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games.  The Panthers were on a 10-0 SU & 8-2 ATS run at home before Cam Newton got injured last year.  The Rams are 0-5 ATS in their last five trips to Carolina. 

This is a 10:00 AM body clock game for the Rams as its always tough for West Coast teams to travel out East for early start times.  We’ll buy low on the Panthers and sell high on the Rams here in Week 1.  Bet the Panthers Sunday. 

15* NFL Sunday Total DOMINATOR on Falcons/Vikings UNDER 47 

The Minnesota Vikings have had one of the best defenses in the NFL since Mike Zimmer took over.  That was the case again last season as they ranked among the league leaders in giving up 21.3 points and 309.7 yards per game, including 19.6 points and 268.2 yards per game at home. 

The Vikings didn’t get the boost from Kirk Cousins they wanted last year.  They scored just 22.5 points per game and Cousins struggled down the stretch.  A big problem was the play calling, which is why Zimmer brought in a new offensive coordinator.  He wants to run the ball more and take pressure off Cousins, which will make them more of a ball control offense that controls time of possession and shortens games.  It makes sense to use that strategy and lean on their defense, which is their strength. 

The Falcons have a good offense and a lot of weapons.  They should be pretty solid on that side of the ball again.  But they were terrible defensively last season due to all their injuries.  They get back three key starters on defense that missed at least half the season last year.  I expect the Falcons to be one of the most improved defenses in the NFL now. 

The last two meetings in this series have been defensive battles won by the Vikings.  Minnesota won 20-10 in 2015 for 30 combined points.  The Vikings also won 14-9 in 2017 for 23 combined points.  It’s clear that Zimmer has the Falcons figured out.  And I expect both offenses to be rusty in Week 1 due to a lack of playing time for their starters in the preseason. 

Minnesota is 18-6 UNDER in its last 24 home games during the first two weeks of the season.  Zimmer is 24-11 UNDER in dome games as the coach of Minnesota.  Zimmer is 40-23 UNDER against NFC opponents as the coach of the Vikings.  The UNDER is 6-1 in the last seven meetings.  Take the UNDER in this game Sunday. 

15* AL PLAY OF THE DAY on Cleveland Indians +147 

The Indians need wins more right now than the Twins.  They are trailing the Twins by 5.5 games in the AL Central, and they are currently on the outside looking in in the wild card.  The Indians came up with a huge win yesterday over the Twins, and I like their chances again today as a big road underdog. 

I would argue that the Indians have the edge on the mound today.  Aaron Civale is 3-3 with a 1.94 ERA and 1.032 WHIP in seven starts for the Indians this season.  He faced the Twins on August 11th, giving up just one earned run and four base runners in six innings. 

Jake Odorizzi has been hit or miss this season for the Twins.  Lately, he hasn’t been good at 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts.  Odorizzi is also 3-4 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.407 WHIP in 12 career starts against the Indians. 

Minnesota is a woeful 8-16 (-16.7 units) as a home favorite of -125 to -175 this season.  The Indians are 38-14 in their last 52 vs. AL Central opponents, including 4-0 in Civale’s last four starts vs. division foes.  The Wins are 1-6 in their last seven home games vs. a team with a winning record.  Bet the Indians Saturday.

15* NL PLAY OF THE DAY on Arizona Diamondbacks +142 

The Arizona Diamondbacks have gone 10-1 in their last 11 games overall to pull within 2.5 games of the second wild card spot.  Somehow, they continue to be undervalued as big road underdogs to the Cincinnati Reds, who have nothing to play for the rest of the way. 

Alex Young is having a solid season for the Diamondbacks, going 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.190 WHIP in 11 starts this season.  Young is 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA in five road starts as well. 

Luis Castillo is getting too much respect from oddsmakers here.  He has a 6.00 ERA in his last two starts while allowing 8 earned runs in 12 innings.  Castillo has never fared well against the Diamondbacks, going 0-3 with a 7.02 ERA in his last three starts against them, allowing 13 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. 

The Reds are 3-7 in their last 10 games overall.  The Diamondbacks are 5-0 in their last five games vs. a team with a losing record.  Arizona is 4-1 in Young’s last five road starts.  Roll with the Diamondbacks Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Non-Conference KNOCKOUT on New Mexico State +55.5 

This game is all about fading Alabama in the big favorite role.  Nick Saban is quicker to pull his starters than almost any other head coach in this situation.  He wants to get his backups more playing time, and he doesn’t want to show too much, especially with their SEC opener on deck against South Carolina next week. 

New Mexico State is not a good team, but they return 14 starters and are experienced.  I think the fact they lost 7-58 to Washington State last week is pushing this spread up higher than it should be.  Washington State threw the ball 49 times and only ran it 20 times.  They were trying to get their passing game going with a new quarterback. 

Alabama won’t be looking to throw the ball all over the yard.  They will run it more than they pass it, which will keep the clock running and shorten the game, helping New Mexico State stay within this number.  And I think NMSU’s offense was better than the 7 points showed last week as they had 317 total yards but committed three turnovers.  Also, they held Washington State to 111 rushing yards on those 20 carries. 

Saban is 3-11 ATS as a home favorite of 42.5 or more points as the coach of Alabama, including 0-4 ATS as a favorite of 50 or more points having never covered in this situation.  These trends just show that he takes his foot off the gas all the time in this large favorite roles.  He has respect for his opponents and doesn’t run up the score. 

Plays against home favorites of 31.5 or more points (Alabama) - after outgaining its last opponent by 125 or more total yards against an opponent that was outgained by 125 or more total yards last game are 23-3 (88.5%) ATS over the last five seasons.  We’ll ‘buy low’ on the Aggies after failing to cover against Washington State, and ‘sell high’ on the Crimson Tide after covering against Duke.  Roll with New Mexico State Saturday. 

15* CFB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Central Michigan +35 

The Wisconsin Badgers are coming off one of the most impressive wins of Week 1.  They beat South Florida 49-0 as 10-point road favorites.  Now it’s time to ’sell high’ on the Badgers, who come back as whopping 35-point favorites over Central Michigan this week. 

While impressive, that win against South Florida I think has more to do with the direction of the Bulls than anything.  Charlie Strong was a disaster in Texas and has been a disaster thus far at South Florida.  This team lost their final six games last year once the competition got tougher after a 7-0 start.  Wisconsin was simply able to maul them and continue USF’s downward spiral. 

Central Michigan has been one of the best MAC programs throughout the years.  But they are coming off a dreadful 1-11 season, so I think we are definitely ‘buying low’ on them to start the season.  They had been bowl eligible in six straight seasons before bottoming out at 1-11 last year.  There’s reason for optimism in Mt. Pleasant moving forward. 

That’s because Central Michigan had one of the best hires of the offseason in Jim McElwain.  He has been a winner everywhere he has gone, turning around Colorado State in his three years there before landing the Florida job.  He has a 44-28 record as a head coach and is instantly one of the best coaches in the MAC now. 

McElwain has always been an offensive guy, and he actually has some nice talent to work with in his eight returning starters.  That doesn’t even count Tennessee transfer QB Quinten Dormady, who was a Top 20 recruit coming out of high school.  Dormady won the job in camp and was great in Week 1. 

Central Michigan beat Albany 38-21 as 13.5-point favorites int heir opener.  This was an even bigger blowout than the score showed as they outgained Albany 529 to 244, or by 285 total yards.  Dormady went 27-of-37 for 285 yards and three touchdowns in the win.  The Chippewas rushed for 244 yards as a team as well. 

Wisconsin just can’t seem to get over the injury bug that has plagued them the last few seasons.  The Badgers have a ton of projected starters coming into the season that are out with injuries this week.  They include NT Bryson Williams, S Scott Nelson, RT Logan Bruss and LB Chris Orr.  That’s a lot of starters to be missing this early in the season for a team that returned just 12 starters and was projected to start eight sophomores. 

Paul Chryst is 1-10 ATS after leading their previous game by 17 or more points at half as the coach of Wisconsin.  The Badgers are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games following a win.  Chryst is 3-11 ATS off a cover as a double-digit favorite as the coach of Wisconsin.  The Chippewas are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a winning record.  Take Central Michigan Saturday. 

20* Nebraska/Colorado FOX No-Brainer on Nebraska -4 

The Nebraska hype in the offseason was definitely off the charts.  And they failed to live up to it in Week 1 as they won just 35-21 as 35-point favorites against South Alabama.  Now that the hype has cooled, I think it’s time to jump on Nebraska against Colorado this week as only 4-point favorites. 

The comments coming from Nebraska’s locked room after the game were the type of comments I like to hear.  Both head coach Scott Frost and QB Adrian Martinez were disappointed.  Frost said that’s one of the worst offensive performances he’s ever been a part of, and Martinez said their performance was unacceptable. 

I have no doubt the Huskers will put their best foot forward this week.  Not just because they weren’t satisfied with their performance against South Alabama, but also because they want revenge on Colorado from a 28-33 home loss to the Buffaloes last year.  That was a very misleading loss as the Huskers outgained the Buffaloes 565 to 395, but lost the turnover battle 3-0. 

Colorado is getting a lot of respect now after beating Colorado State 52-31 as 11-point favorites in their opener.  That was a misleading final too as the Buffaloes were outgained in the game and actually gave up a whopping 505 total yards to the Rams.  But they won the turnover battle 4-0, which was the difference.  And that’s a Colorado State team that has been trending in the wrong direction in recent years. 

Colorado is a rebuilding team this year with a first-year head coach in Mel Tucker.  They return just 11 starters.  The Buffaloes do have a good offense with seven starters back, but their defense only has four starters back and should be one of the worst units in the Pac-12.  That was on display last week as they gave up those 505 yards to Colorado State. 

Even thought this is technically a home game for Colorado, it won’t feel like one.  That’s because Nebraska fans travel almost as well as anyone, and it’s a short trip to Boulder.  They will have nearly 50% of the fans there as I know for sure Colorado allotted at least 30% of the tickets for Nebraska fans.  So this will be closer to a neutral site game, and Nebraska is much better than -4 against Colorado on a neutral. 

Colorado is 0-9 ATS after a game where 60 or more points were scored over the last three seasons.  It is losing by 11.0 points per game in this spot.  The Buffaloes are 0-7 ATS after allowing 475 or more total yards in their previous game.  They are losing by 10.8 points per game in this spot.  We’ll buy low on the Huskers in after last week’s performance and in a revenge spot here.  Bet Nebraska Saturday. 

15* Texas A&M/Clemson ABC ANNIHILATOR on Texas A&M +17.5 

Being the No. 1 team in the country coming off a national championship comes with a heavy price tag when it comes to betting.  That’s the case for the Clemson Tigers, who are going to have inflated spreads week in and week out moving forward.  It’s going to make it very difficult for them to cover consistently knowing that the betting public will be quick to back them at any numbers, forcing oddsmakers to inflate their spreads. 

Clemson was fortunate to cover as 36.5-point favorites in a 52-14 win over Georgia Tech last week.  Georgia Tech was putting in a new system under a new coach going away from the triple-option from year’s past, so this was always going to be a tough test for them.  And Georgia Tech fumbled on the 1-yard line going into the end zone for a touchback, and their four turnovers overall were the difference in them covering or not. 

Texas A&M will be the best team that Clemson faces during the regular season, and it’s not even close.  I think the Aggies are fully capable of hanging with Clemson, and they proved that last year.  Clemson only won 28-26 as 11.5-point road favorites at Texas A&M.  I’d argue the Aggies deserved to win that game as they outgained the Tigers by 88 yards and racked up 501 total yards in the loss. 

Jimbo Fisher is one of my favorite head coaches.  He won a National Championship at Florida State and won 10-plus games in five of his final six seasons.  Then he came to Texas A&M and in his first year went 9-4 for their first season of nine-plus since since 2013.  And Fisher is killing it in recruiting, which will keep the Aggies as an SEC West contender for years to come. 

Only 11 starters are back for Texas A&M, but more of his recruits will be seeing playing time this year, which makes them more veteran than that 11 number shows.  And the offense is loaded with seven returning starters, including stud QB Kellen Mond, who accounted for 31 touchdowns last year.  He accounted for four touchdowns in their 41-7 win over Texas State last week as 34-point favorites. 

Clemson also has a loaded offense with eight starters back, but they have some of the same problems as Texas A&M on defense.  Both squads return just four starters on defense.  The Tigers lose their entire defensive line from last year to the NFL.  I know they have talented replacements, but I think Mond can have more success just like he had last year against their defense.  Mond threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson last year. 

Texas A&M is 12-1 ATS after playing a home game over the last three seasons.  The Aggies are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.  The Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven non-conference games.  Texas A&M is 21-6-1 ATS in its last 28 September games. 

Plays on road teams (Texas A&M) - after a game where they forced four or more turnovers against an opponent after a game where they committed three or more turnovers are 40-13 (75.5%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Take Texas A&M Saturday. 

20* Big Ten GAME OF THE WEEK on Rutgers +20.5 

Rutgers came into the season undervalued after going 1-11 last year.  I backed Rutgers over UMass in Week 1 and they delivered with a 48-21 victory as 17-point favorites.  After a slow start, they showed some great resiliency and scored the final 41 points of the game. 

This is easily Chris Ash’s best team yet in his 4 years here.  The offense looks to be greatly improved after putting up 554 yards on UMass.  Texas Tech transfer McLane Carter threw for 340 yards in the win, and the Scarlet Knights may finally have a quarterback.  They have always had a competitive defense under Ash, which helps keep them in ball games. 

Rutgers is now 6-0 ATS in its last six games overall dating back to last season.  They covered in each of their final five games of the season against Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State last year.  They nearly upset Northwestern losing by just 3 as 20-point dogs.  They also lost by only 4 as 24-point dogs at Michigan State. 

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t a team built to cover these big spreads.  They run a ball control offense and a bend but don’t break defense.  It’s tough for them to score enough points to cover these lofty margins.  They didn’t cover as 25-point favorites against Miami Ohio last week.  And they even scored 2 touchdowns in the final 6 minutes of that game to turn a 10-point game into a 24-point win. 

Iowa has a huge game on deck next week against Iowa State.  They could easily be looking ahead to that Top 25 showdown and overlooking Rutgers.  Either way, I think Rutgers is talented enough to stay within 3 touchdowns of the Hawkeyes.  Kirk Ferentz is 19-31 ATS as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points as the coach of Iowa. 

Plays on road underdogs (Rutgers) - after gaining 475 or more total yards in their previous game, with eight or more offensive starters including their QB returning are 124-69 (64.2%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Bet Rutgers Saturday. 

20* Marshall/Boise State ESPN 2 No-Brainer on Marshall +12.5 

The Marshall Thundering Herd have been a power in Conference USA since Doc Holliday has been there.  He enters his 10th season this year having won eight or more games in five of the last six years overall.  Coming off a 9-4 season last year, the Thundering Herd return 14 starters and are among the favorites to win C-USA. 

Marshall gave up just 21.9 points per game last year and brought back six of its top nine tacklers from that unit.  The stop unit will be good again, and this figures to be one of Marshall’s best offenses in years with eight starters back, including QB Isaiah Green. 

That Marshall offense impressed in Week 1 by beating VMI 56-17.  It’s worth noting it was a 49-7 game heading into the 4th quarter before the Thundering Herd called off the dogs.  Green threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 46 yards on eight carries in the win. 

Boise State used a lot of energy coming back from 31-13 down at Florida State to win 36-31 in the heat and humidity last week.  Now the Broncos are on a short week here and probably won’t have a ton left in the tank.  It’s also a letdown spot after that huge road win in Tallahassee. 

The blue turf in Boise State isn’t the advantage it used to be.  The Broncos have consistently been overvalued at home.  They are just 7-16 ATS in their last 23 home games.  Brian Harsin is 0-7 ATS as a home favorite of 10.5 to 14 points as the coach of Boise State.  Harsin is also 1-9 ATS after gaining 375 or more passing yards last game as the coach of the Broncos. 

Plays against home favorites (Boise State) - after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game against an opponent that outrushed its last opponent by 200 or more yards are 44-16 (73.3%) ATS over the last five seasons.  Bet Marshall Friday. 

15* NL Friday No-Doubt Rout on Arizona Diamondbacks -113 

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting hard to make the wild card.  They have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games overall to pull within 3.5 games of the final wild card spot.  They face a Cincinnati Reds team this series with nothing to play for but pride at 66-75 on the season. 

Arizona has a big edge on the mound in Game 1 today and should be a bigger favorite as a result.  Robbie Ray is 12-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 28 starts with 199 K’s in 152 innings.  He is also 6-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 17 road starts.  Ray has a 4.09 ERA and 1.182 WHIP in four career starts against Cincinnati as well. 

Tyler Mahle is 2-10 with a. 4.80 ERA and 1.261 WHIP in 20 starts this season for the Reds.  Mahle just recently returned from the disabled list and is 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in his last three starts. 

Mahle is 1-11 vs. NL teams with an OBP of .325 or worse in the second half of the season over the last three seasons.  Mahle is 1-9 with a money line of +125 to -125 this season.  The Diamondbacks are 8-2 in Ray’s last 10 starts.  Arizona is 8-1 in Ray’s last nine starts during Game 1 of a series.  The Reds are 5-21 in Mahle’s last 26 starts.  Roll with the Diamondbacks Friday. 

15* NL Central PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -156

Few teams are playing as well as the St. Louis Cardinals right now.  They are 21-6 in their last 27 games overall and determined to win the NL Central after blowing it in September last year.  They should handle their business here against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, who are 61-79 on the season. 

Miles Mikolas is 8-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.210 WHIP in 28 starts this season.  Mikolas is 3-3 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.095 WHIP in 10 career starts against the Pirates as well. 

Alex McRae will make a spot start for the Pirates today in place of an injured Joe Musgrove.  McRae is 0-3 with a 9.98 ERA for the Pirates this season, giving up 17 earned runs and 6 homers in 15 1/3 innings.  The Cardinals should stay hot at the plate against him tonight. 

The Cardinals are 38-14 in their last 52 vs. a team with a losing record.  St. Louis is 5-0 in Mikolas’ last five starts on four days’ rest.  The Cardinals are 9-2 in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a losing record.  The Pirates are 17-43 in their last 60 vs. a team with a winning record.  St. Louis is 10-1 in its last 11 meetings in Pittsburgh.  Take the Cardinals Friday. 

20* Packers/Bears 2019 NFL Season Opener on Chicago -3 

I just don’t think people are giving the Bears the respect they deserve heading into 2019.  They feel as if their 12-4 season last year was a one-hit wonder.  Well, the Bears are out to prove that it was no fluke, and I’m a believer against the Packers here in Week 1. 

For starters, the Bears are loaded defensively.  They gave up just 17.6 points per game and 299.7 yards per game last year to rank among the league leaders in both categories.  They only lost CB Bryce Callahan and S Adrian Amos from that team.  Khalil Mack single-handedly wrecks opposing offenses and their trade for him could go down as one of the best trades in NFL history. 

Offensively, the Bears improved in Year 2 under Mitchell Trubisky.  They put up 25.6 points and 344.4 yards per game.  And the scary part is, that was the first year in Matt Nagy’s system for the Bears.  They should only be better with Trubisky now likely to come into his own, and with his plethora of weapons around him.  Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller are the receiving options, and Trey Burton is a very good tight end.  They also used their third-round pick on RB David Montgomery after trading away Jordan Howard, and he’s a better fit for Nagy’s system and is drawing rave reviews. 

The Packers gave up 25.0 points per game last year and have failed to upgrade their defense for years.  They finally spent some money in free agency to try and upgrade their pass rush by bringing in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith.  But they lost some key players as well along the front seven in DT Mike Daniels, DE Muhammad Wilkerson, DE/OLB Nick Perry, DE/OLB Clay Matthews and ILB Jake Ryan.  They also lost CB Baushaud Breeland and S Kentrell Brice in the secondary.  This defense is mostly filled with no-name guys that the Packers hope will stick. 

Green Bay needs more production from its offense because it will likely be in a lot of shootouts this season.  Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy had a falling out.  They brought in Matt LaFleur to try and turn things around.  He was the offensive coordinator for the Rams in 2017 and held the same position with the Titans last year.  He and Rodgers are getting along well so far according to reports.  However, I think the Packers could be rusty in Week 1 because Rodgers didn’t play a single snap in the preseason. 

Last year, the Bears only lost 23-24 at Green Bay as 6.5-point dogs in their opener.  They blew a double-digit lead.  They would come back to get revenge 24-17 against Rodgers and the Packers as 5.5-point home favorites in December.  So from a line value perspective alone, I think we are getting good value with the Bears only being 3-point favorites at home in the opener compared to 5.5-point favorites against the Packers at home last year. 

The Bears are 7-0 ATS in their last seven vs. NFC North opponents.  Chicago is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games overall.  The Bears are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 home games.  The Packers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.  Green Bay is 0-4 ATS in its last four vs. NFC North foes.  Bet the Bears Thursday. 

15* MLB PLAY OF THE DAY on Houston Astros -1.5 (-127) 

The Houston Astros still have a lot to play for.  They are trying to wrestle home-field advantage away from the New York Yankees in the American League.  They are 1.5 games behind the Yankees for the No. 1 seed.  The Astros are 12-4 in their last 16 games overall with nine of those wins coming by two runs or more. 

Wade Miley is quietly having a huge season for the Astros.  He is 13-4 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.218 WHIP in 28 starts this season, including 7-1 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.058 WHIP in 12 home starts.  Miley is 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA in seven career starts against Seattle, including 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last two starts against them. 

Marco Gonzales is having a decent season for the Mariners are 14-11 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.344 WHIP in 29 starts.  However, Gonzales has never beaten the Astros, going 0-4 with a 6.65 ERA and 1.826 WHIP in five career starts against them. 

Miley is 17-2 when working on 5 or 6 days’ rest over the last two seasons.  His teams are winning by 3.0 runs per game in this spot.  The Mariners are 18-41 in their last 59 road games.  Seattle is 1-5 in Gonzales’ last six road starts.  Houston is 40-13 in its last 53 home games.  The Astros are 10-2 in Miley’s last 12 home starts.  Take the Astros on the Run Line Thursday. 

20* MLB Wednesday No-Doubt Rout on Arizona Diamondbacks -135 

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on a roll right now.  They have gone 8-1 in their last nine games overall to pull within 3.5 games of the final wild card spot in the National League.  The Padres don’t have much to play for right now as they are 11 games back in the wild card. 

Zac Gallen has been dominant this season with a 2.79 ERA through 12 starts.  He has proven to be a great addition for the Diamondbacks prior to the deadline.  Gallen has a 3.37 ERA in his last three starts for Arizona. 

Chris Paddack started the season great, but he has faltered here down the stretch in his first full season as a starter for the Padres.  Paddack is 1-2 with a 7.50 ERA in his last five starts, allowing 20 earned runs and 7 homers in 23 innings. 

The Padres are 1-5 in Paddack’s last six starts vs. a team with a winning record.  San Diego is 0-4 in its last four vs. a team with a winning record.  Arizona is 7-1 in its last eight vs. NL West opponents.  The Diamondbacks are 4-1 in Gallen’s last five starts.  Bet the Diamondbacks Wednesday. 

20* Interleague GAME OF THE WEEK on Chicago Cubs -1.5 (-122) 

The Chicago Cubs are on a mission to chase down the Cardinals in the NL Central or to at least hang on to a wild card spot.  Motivation won’t be a problem for them the rest of the way.  The same cannot be said for the Mariners, who are 58-81 on the season. 

Felix Hernandez shouldn’t even be in the majors any more.  But since he’s the face of the franchise, he’s getting some starts here down the stretch.  Hernandez is 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA in 10 starts this season, 0-3 with a 7.86 ERA in six road starts, and 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in his last three starts. 

Jon Lester will shut down the Mariners today.  He is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his last three starts.  Lester is 7-4 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 career starts against Seattle.  He faced the Mariners earlier this season on May 1st and pitching 7 shutout innings in an 11-0 victory. 

Chicago is 20-4 in home games vs. a starter that allows one or more HR’s/start over the last two seasons.  Hernandez is 1-15 vs. good power teams that average 1.25 or more HR’s/game over the last two seasons.  The Mariners are losing by 2.9 runs per game in this spot.  Bet the Cubs on the Run Line Tuesday. 

15* NL PLAY OF THE DAY on St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (-139) 

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball.  They are 19-5 in their last 24 games overall with 15 of those wins coming by two runs or more.  The Cardinals are now three games ahead of the Cubs for first place in the NL Central and playing their best ball of the season. 

The San Francisco Giants are just 3-10 in their last 13 games overall to fall eight games back in the wild card race.  They know they are done for at this point and will find it hard to be motivated the rest of the way.  Dereck Rodriquez is 5-7 with a 5.40 ERA in 13 starts this season, including 0-1 with an 11.00 ERA in his last two starts. 

Jack Flaherty is one of the hottest starters in baseball as well.  He was 4-1 with a 0.71 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 38 innings in six August starts.  Flaherty has a 0.98 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star Break as well.  He has been virtually untouchable. 

The Giants are 5-15 in Rodriquez’s last 20 starts.  San Francisco is 3-11 in Rodriquez’s last 14 starts vs. a team with a winning record.  The Cardinals are 20-6 in their last 26 home games.  St. Louis is 7-0 in its last seven during Game 2 of a series.  Take the Cardinals on the Run Line Tuesday. 

15* AL PLAY OF THE DAY on Cleveland Indians -1.5 (-148) 

The Cleveland Indians need to rack up wins quickly.  They are falling behind the Twins in the AL Central, and they are trying to at least cling on to a wild card spot.  They beat the White Sox 11-3 yesterday to bounce back from a three-game losing streak.  Look for more of the same today. 

Mike Clevinger has been dynamite this season for the Indians.  He is 10-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 15 starts, 4-0 with a 1.81 ERA in seven home starts, and 3-0 with a 0.48 ERA in his last three starts overall.  Clevinger is also 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox. 

Dylan Cease is 3-7 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.635 WHIP in 10 starts for Chicago this season.  Cease has really struggled of late, going 1-2 with an 11.08 ERA and 1.846 WHIP in his last three starts with 16 runs and 5 homers allowed in 13 innings. 

The White Sox are 0-7 in their last seven vs. a team with a winning record.  Chicago is 0-7 in its lsat seven games overall.  The White Sox are 0-6 in Cease’s last six starts following a loss in their previous game.  The Indians are 7-0 in their last seven home games vs. a right-handed starter.  These four trends combine for a perfect 27-0 system backing Cleveland.  Roll with the Indians Tuesday. 

15* Notre Dame/Louisville ESPN ANNIHILATOR on Louisville +18.5 

This is a great opportunity to buy low on Louisville and sell high on Notre Dame in Week 1.  Louisville is coming off a disastrous 2-10 season last year that came out of nowhere.  Meanwhile, Notre Dame went 12-1 and made the four-team playoff, so expectations are way high on them now. 

Simply put, players quit on head coach Bobby Petrino last year.  They lost their final nine games and rarely were competitive.  Petrino was fired with two games left.  I have no doubt the talent level on that team was better than their 2-10 record, and now new head coach Scott Satterfield should get the most out of these players. 

Satterfield comes over from Appalachian State where he posted a 51-24 record in his six years there.  Fortunately for Satterfield, the cupboard isn’t bare as the Cardinals return 16 starters.  This should be one of the most improved defenses in the country with 10 starters back on defense. 

Offensively, the Cardinals return six starters, including starting QB Jawon Pass.  He has had a lot of success in the simplified offense in the offseason and is ready to take this offense to the next level.  He has stated that he wants to prove to himself and his teammates that they are better than they showed last year, and now it’s time to prove it on the field in Week 1. 

Notre Dame has 13 starters back and is certainly talented, but they have rarely been this heavy of a road favorite under Brian Kelly.  They will have to replace their top two playmakers in RB Dexter Williams and WR Miles Boykin.  Defensively, the Fighting Irish lose three of their top five tacklers from last year and three NFL draft picks. 

Louisville had been to a bowl game in eight straight seasons prior to going 2-10 last year.  They had also won 8 or more games in six straight seasons coming into 2018.  I just don’t think this program will stay down for long, especially with a coach the caliber of Satterfield running the show.  The Cardinals will give the Fighting Irish more than they bargained for in Week 1.  Roll with Louisville Monday. 

20* MLB Monday No-Doubt Rout on Minnesota Twins -1.5 (-126) 

The Minnesota Twins are 7-1 in their last eight games overall with all seven wins coming by two runs or more.  They have handled their business against the bad teams in baseball like the Detroit Tigers, who are 40-94 on the season.  The Tigers are 1-7 in their last eight games overall with all seven losses coming by two runs or more. 

Jake Odorizzi is having a great season in Minnesota.  He is 14-6 with a 3.55 ERA and 1.241 WHIP in 26 starts this season.  Odorizzi owns the Tigers, going 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.143 WHIP in 10 career starts against them.  He is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts against the Tigers in 2019, allowing just one run and seven base runners in 13 innings. 

Detroit starter Jordan Zimmerman is one of the worst starters in baseball.  He is 1-9 with a. 6.24 ERA in 18 starts this season, including 0-6 with a 7.39 ERA in eight home starts.  Zimmerman is 4-5 with a 6.89 ERA in 10 career starts against Minnesota.  He has allowed 10 earned runs and 18 base runners in 6 2/3 innings in his last two starts against the Twins. 

Detroit is 3-22 in home games vs. an AL starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.300 or better this season.  It is losing by 4.6 runs per game in this spot.  Minnesota is 13-1 vs. an AL starting pitcher with an ERA of 5.90 or worse this season.  It is winning by 5.0 runs per game in this spot.  Bet the Twins on the Run Line Monday. 

15* Houston/Oklahoma ABC No-Brainer on UNDER 80 

This UNDER bet has a lot to do with Oklahoma.  After having a dominant offense over the last two years with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray running the show, the Sooners are sure to take a big step back offensively this year with Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts.  He is just as good of a runner or better than both those guys, but he is nowhere near the passer that they were. 

Not to mention, only four starters return on offense.  The Sooners lose leading receiver Marquise Brown and his 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns to the NFL.  Four NFL draft picks are gone from an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award after being named the nation’s top O-Line.  They have three sophomore starters and just 36 career starts returning up front. 

I expect Oklahoma to have one of the most improved defenses in the country after a subpar season that saw them allow 33.3 points and 454 yards per game.  They fired Mike Stoops midseason and now have replaced him with Alex Grinch, who was the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State last year.  Grinch has a ton of talent and experience to work with as the Sooners return eight starters and eight of their top nine tacklers. 

Houston has some talent on offense with QB D’Eriq King and all of his top playmakers back.  But there will be some growing pains early under new head coach Dana Holgorsen and his new scheme.  His scheme is much more complex than the one they ran last year, and it won’t be hitting on all cylinders in Week 1 against this tough Oklahoma defense. 

Houston was decimated by injuries lsat year down the stretch and the numbers took a hit because of it.  I know that they only have four starters back on defense this year, but this unit can only stay healthier.  And they are more experienced than that considering several players were forced into action due to the injuries.  Houston is projected to start nine upperclassmen, which shows the experience. 

Simply put, I believe this total has been inflated based on what these teams did last year.  The Sooners were 9-4 to the OVER while the Cougars were 10-4 to the OVER last year.  Oddsmakers have been forced to adjust accordingly, and this 80-point total is simply too high now. 

Plays on the UNDER on all teams where the total is 63 or higher (Houston) - in non-conference D1 games, with an experienced QB returning as a starter, in the first two weeks of the season are 37-12 (75.5%) since 1992.  The UNDER is 4-1 in Cougars last five vs. Big 12 opponents.  Take the UNDER in this game Sunday. 

20* MLB Sunday No-Doubt Rout on Minnesota Twins -1.5 (-121) 

The Minnesota Twins are 6-1 in their last seven games overall with all six wins coming by two runs or more.  After a rare loss to the Tigers yesterday, look for the Twins to bounce back with a blowout victory here Sunday in Game 3 of this series. 

Michael Pineda is having a solid season for the Twins.  He is 10-5 with a 4.16 ERA and 1.172 WHIP in 24 starts this year, including 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.233 WHIP in 12 road starts.  Pineda has allowed 3 runs or fewer in each of his last five starts against the Tigers. 

Spencer Turnbull is 3-13 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.401 WHIP in 24 starts for the Tigers this season, including 0-8 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.460 WHIP In 13 road starts.  Turnbull is 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA and 1.404 WHIP in three career starts against the Twins as well. 

Detroit is 1-17 vs. an AL starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.200 or better this season.  It is losing by 5.1 runs per game in this spot.  Minnesota is 9-0 when revenging a loss as a road favorite this season.  It is winning by 4.5 runs per game in this spot.  Bet the Twins on the Run Line Sunday. 

15* CFB Saturday Undervalued Underdog on Louisiana Tech +20.5 

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have been as consistent as they come under 7th-year head coach Skip Holtz.  They have won anywhere from 7 to 9 games over the last five seasons since going just 4-8 in his first year on the job.  It’s a team that has proven they can play with the big boys throughout the years, and they are also a contender to win Conference USA. 

The Bulldogs gave up just 23.0 points per game on defense last year and should be good again on that side of the ball with five of their top eight tacklers back.  The improvements should come on offense after averaging just 24.7 points pre game last year.  That was a real down season for a Holtz offense because they had scored 30-plus points per game in the four seasons prior.  Look for them to get back up above that number this season. 

The offense returns six starters and almost all the top playmakers.  QB J’Mar Smith is back after throwing for 3,160 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for three more.  Leading receiver Adrian Hardy (75 receptions, 1,145 yards, 6 TD) is also back, as is leading rusher Jaqwis Dancy (667 yards, 9 TD).  The offensive line returns three starters and 78 career starts and should stay healthier than last year.  This is the 25th-most experienced team in the country. 

I just don’t understand all the hype for the Texas Longhorns this year.  They are getting a lot of respect for going 10-4 last year and beating Georgia in the bowl.  That was a Georgia team that didn’t want to be there after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game that cost them a spot in the four-team playoff.  And keep in mind seven of Texas’ 10 wins last year came by 7 points or fewer, so they were fortunate in close games.  They only won one game by 20-plus points all season. 

Now Texas is one of the least-experienced teams in the country with just eight starters back.  The defense returns just three starters and loses seven of their top 10 tacklers from a year ago.  This will probably be Tom Herman’s worst defense since he’s been here.  The offense returns just five starters, loses its leading rusher and receiver, and just two starters are back on the offensive line.  Sam Ehlinger is a nice talent, but he will have his hands full early in the season getting in sync with his O-Line and skill players. 

This is definitely a lookahead spot for Texas.  They have a massive game with LSU on deck next week at home.  They could easily be overlooking Louisiana Tech.  And we’ve seen the Longhorns struggle in these early season games against non-conference teams recently.  They’ve been upset by Maryland as 17 and 13-point favorites each of the last two years.  And they barely beat Tulsa 28-21 at home as 22-point favorites last year. 

Louisiana Tech is 7-1 ATS as a dog of 20-plus points over the last 10 yards.  Skip Holtz is 7-2 ATS as a dog of 20-plus points in his career as a head coach.  Holtz is 27-14 ATS in road games as the coach of Louisiana Tech, including 14-4-1 ATS as a road dog over the past five years.  Herman is just 6-15-1 ATS as a home favorite.  The Bulldogs are 38-18 ATS in their last 56 road games overall.  Roll with Louisiana Tech Saturday.

20* ACC GAME OF THE WEEK on Virginia -2.5 

The Virginia Cavaliers are a team on the rise under fourth-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall.  He has improved this team in each of his first three seasons, going from 2-10 in Year 1 to 6-7 in Year 2 and 8-5 in Year 3 last season.  Now he has his best team yet and some stability in the program with how well he has recruited.  The Cavaliers are a legit contender to win the Coastal this year. 

Last year, the Cavaliers lost five games, but three were by 4 points or fewer.  They were in every game they played.  Now they have 14 starters back and one of the best defenses in the ACC with eight starters back from a unit that gave up just 20.1 points per game. 

Offensively, the Cavaliers return stud quarterback Bryce Perkins, which will help make up for the fact that they only return six starters on that side of the ball.  Perkins threw for 2,680 yards with a 25-to-9 TD/INT ratio, while also rushing for 923 yards and nine scores.  The offensive line returns three starters and they have 17 offensive linemen on scholarship, so Mendenhall now has the numbers he wants up front. 

Pittsburgh came out of nowhere to win the Coastal last year.  They did so despite finishing with just a 7-7 record, and they clearly weren’t the best team in the Coastal.  Now the Panthers have just 101 starters back this year and I expect them to be one of the worst teams in the division. 

The losses on offense are huge as they return just five starters and lose two 1,000-yard backs in Quadree Ollison (1,213 yards, 11 TD) and Darrin Hall (1,144 yards, 10 TD).  They rushed for 228 yards per game last year, but only passed for 142 per game.  So now they are going to have to throw the ball more with Kenny Pickett, who only completed 58.1% of his passes last year and just isn’t that good.  Only one starter returns on the offensive line and just 37 career starts.  Pickett will struggle once again this season, especially in Week 1 against one of the best defenses in the country. 

Pittsburgh had just a mediocre defense last year that gave up 27.8 points and 388 yards per game.  After having nine starters back on that unit, the Panthers now only have five starters back on defense.  That was supposed to be six, but then their best defender in DE Rashad Weaver (47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 14 TFL) suffered a season-ending ACL injury in fall camp.  So they now lose four of their top six tacklers and this unit won’t be better than last year. 

Virginia wants revenge from a 13-23 home loss to Pitt as 7-point favorites that ultimately cost them the Coastal.  I think the Cavaliers come into the season with a chip on their shoulder, while Pitt is still feeling fat and happy after winning the division.  The Cavaliers are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 Saturday games.  The road team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings.  The favorite is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.  Take Virginia Saturday. 

15* AL PLAY OF THE DAY on Minnesota Twins -130 

The Minnesota Twins need to be bigger favorites against the hapless Detroit Tigers today.  The Twins have won six straight coming in all by two runs or more.  The Tigers have lost six straight all by two runs or more coming in. 

Martin Perez is 8-5 with a 4.27 ERA in 23 starts this season, 4-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 10 road starts, and 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA in his last three starts.  Perez has allowed 3 runs or fewer in each of his last five starts against the Tigers as well. 

Matt Boyd is 6-10 with a 4.47 ERA in 27 starts this season.  He got off to a great start this year, but has come back down to reality here of late.  Boyd is 0-2 with an 8.14 ERA in his last four starts.  He is also 0-3 with a 7.82 ERA in his last 4 starts against the Twins, yielding 20 earned runs in 23 innings. 

The Tigers are 10-42 in their last 52 home games.  Detroit is 1-11 in Boyd’s 12 starts against a team with a winning record this season.  The Tigers are 1-14 in Boyd’s 15 starts against teams that average 1.25 or more HR’s/game this season.  Take the Twins Saturday.