These two teams have met three times since 2009 with the Patriots winning two of the three games. However, New England only won those two games by 6 points and by 3 points in overtime. Baltimore has proven over and over again that they are a tough out against any team, especially in this pointspread range. The Ravens were an underdog just once this season and they won that game at Pittsburgh 23-20. Last season, the Ravens were an underdog five times and they went 2-3 SU in those games with the three losses coming by just 3, 5, and 7 points. Baltimore is a fundamentally sound team that rarely beats itself, and we expect them to be in this game from start to finish.

Baltimore mainly gets their reputation from their defense, but their offense is more than capable. The Ravens are averaging 24 points per game, and in fact, they

USC does not look like a good team on paper; the Trojans come into this game with a 5-14 record. However, USC is a well-coached team that plays a smart style of basketball. The Trojans are a slow, half court team that frustrates opponents who like to play fast. And that is exactly the style of play in which Oregon State has their most success. We

Air Force is a quirky team to prepare for. They run an extremely slow offense while making opponents defend for the entire shot clock. And it

Saint Louis is a difficult team to play because of the system they run under head coach Rick Majerus. The Billikens run complex offensive sets that just frustrate opponents into half court games. And Saint Louis is most effective when they are playing a team that loves to run up and down the court at a frenetic pace. Majerus is too smart of a coach to allow his team to get caught-up in a running game tonight, and some of the Billikens best games under Majerus have come against fast-paced teams.

Duquesne is most effective when they are able to play fast and score points on the break. But that

This is an important game in the Big 12 as it has conference title implications. Kansas comes in off an emotional home win over Baylor on Monday night. That was a major coup for the Jayhawks as they knocked off the unbeaten Bears and put themselves in the driver

Miami (OH) does not have a good record on paper as they come into today

SMU is just 10-8 on the season, but the Mustangs have proven to be a tough out as five of their eight losses have come by 6 points or less. They

Alabama has played solid basketball all season, but the Crimson Tide come into today

Indiana is flying well under the radar right now. The Pacers come into tonight

Oregon St comes into this game as losers of five of their last six games. All of those games have come in conference, but the Beavers had to face the best the Pac 12 has to offer right out of the gate. Tonight they

Arizona St comes into tonight

USC does not look like a good team on paper; the Trojans come into this game with a 5-13 record. However, USC is a well-coached team that plays a smart style of basketball. The Trojans are a slow, half court team that frustrates opponents who like to play fast. And that is exactly the style of play in which Oregon has their most success. We

Los Angeles is making a short, two-game trip to Florida to face the Heat tonight and the Magic tomorrow night. And according to Andrew Bynum,

This is a rematch game from 3 weeks ago; Missouri St won at Creighton 77-65. The Bears have had a knack for beating Creighton recently, and in fact, they

La Salle is a much improved team this season as the Explorers come into tonight

The Clippers are in a terrible scheduling spot for tonight

Maryland is a totally different team now than they were earlier this season. The Terrapins were playing without two of their better players as Pe

Both teams played afternoon games on Monday with Charlotte losing 102-94 at home to Cleveland while Orlando won 102-93 at New York. But of the two teams, the Bobcats hold a significant scheduling edge for this game despite it being a back-to-back set. Charlotte comes in off three straight home games and four home games over their last five games overall. The Bobcats are also playing a different style of basketball now as head coach Paul Silas has shifted towards more of a fast-pace game which Charlotte has adapted to pretty well. They

After opening the season at 1-4, the Dallas Mavericks have won 7 of their last 8 games including 5 games in a row. But before we say the mavericks are ready to repeat their title, we have to look at the teams they

This is a rematch from a meeting in New York on December 4th in which the Packers won 38-35 as a 7-point road favorite. Both offenses moved the ball well, but Green Bay was still the better and more consistent team. My re-scoring model had the Packers winning by 7 points and Green Bay actually held an 8-point lead late in the game until the Giants tied it with 0:58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The most interesting aspect of this rematch is how quickly the public perception of these two teams has changed. As mentioned earlier, the Packers were a 7-point road favorite last month and now they are only a 7.5-point home favorite. Home field is normally worth 3 points each way in the NFL which means the Packers would have been a 13-point home favorite just one month ago. We are now getting nearly a full touchdown in adjusted line value. Green Bay is the defending Super Bowl champion, they are 15-1 SU this season, and are the current favorite to win this year's Super Bowl, yet nearly 65% of the public consensus is backing the Giants today. This is a major red flag as the public normally plays high-profile favorites like the Packers and it has provided some nice line value with the best team in the league on their strong home field.

Green Bay had the luxury of resting their starters in the final regular season game and then had a bye last week. Leading wide receiver Greg Jennings is now expected to be back in the lineup and the whole team should be fresh and ready to go. Meanwhile, this is a very difficult scheduling situation for the Giants who are basically playing their third straight playoff game in a row as their regular season finale against Dallas was a play-in game. The Giants also had a big underdog win versus the Jets in Week 16 and of course last week's home playoff win versus the Falcons. It is very difficult for a team to bring their 'A' game every week, especially on the road against the best team in the league.

The Packers have dominated teams at home this season, going 8-0 SU (7-1 ATS) with an average win by +18.7 points per game. Green Bay has averaged 40.1 points per game and 6.9 yards per play at home. Overall, in all games this season, the Packers are averaging 35.0 points per game and 6.9 yards per play (versus opponents that allow just 24.7 ppg and 5.9 yppl). The Packers played particularly well versus other playoff teams this season, going 6-0 SU (5-1 ATS) and that winning run should continue today.

9* Play PACKERS (-).

This is a rematch from two weeks ago when Indiana knocked off Ohio St 74-70 as a 5-point home underdog. Today is the Buckeyes chance to extract some revenge from the loss, and we fully expect them to do it with a blowout win. Both teams come into this game off a loss; Indiana lost at home to Minnesota 77-74 while Ohio St lost at Illinois 79-74. Of the two losses, Ohio St

The Texans were in a good situation last week as they won their first ever playoff game at home against an overrated Cincinnati squad, but this week's game will be a much tougher challenge for Houston on the road against a veteran Baltimore unit. Houston was fortunate to face a rookie quarterback (Andy Dalton) making his first playoff start on the road and also face a Cincinnati team that had gone 0-7 SU versus playoff teams in the regular season. The situation is now reversed as Houston is the squad with the rookie quarterback (T.J. Yates) making his first playoff road start. Baltimore has also been extremely strong this season versus playoff teams, going a perfect 6-0 SU (5-0-1 ATS) which is the best in the league.

One of those quality wins came on October 16th when the Ravens defeated Houston 29-14 as a 7-point home favorite. There was nothing misleading about that win as the Ravens held a dominating 402-293 total yard edge and a huge 6.2 to 4.4 yards per play advantage. Baltimore had six different offensive drives of at least 44+ yards and my re-scoring model had the Ravens winning by 16 points. Houston was playing without WR Andre Johnson, but they did still have their starting QB Matt Schaub for that game. That of course will not be the case today and true rookie and third-string QB T.J. Yates will likely struggle versus an aggressive and veteran Baltimore defense. In fact, Houston did not have a turnover in the earlier meeting which is extremely unlikely to happen again today.

The Ravens have been a strong team off a bye week under current head coach Jim Harbaugh, so the extra week of rest will be a nice advantage this week against an unrested Houston squad. The Texans will look to establish their running game and take the pressure off rookie QB Yates, however Baltimore has a strong rush defense that is allowing just 93 yards per game and only 3.5 yards per rush (versus opponents that average 112 yards and 4.1 ypr). The Ravens shut down Houston RB Arian Foster in the earlier meeting on October 16th when Foster gained just 49 yards on 15 carries (3.3 ypr). Overall, the Ravens are an excellent defensive team that has allowed just 16.6 points per game this season and 4.8 yards per play. They dominated Houston's offense three months ago and should do the same again today in this rematch.

10* Play RAVENS (-).

The Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow were on a magical 7-1 run going into their game against the Patriots on December 18th. But that came to a screeching halt when New England throttled the Broncos 41-23. The Patriots

La Salle is a much improved team this season as the Explorers come into tonight

After an up and down first half to the season, Cornell appears on the verge of making a nice run through the Ivy League. The Big Red were besieged with injuries early on, and in fact, Cornell lost 74 player games to injury. But things have gotten a lot better for this team, and head coach Bill Courtney likes where his team is right now after the early season struggles.

Air Force is a quirky team to prepare for. They run an extremely slow offense while making opponents defend for the entire shot clock. And it

New Orleans comes into today

Orlando is off back-to-back road wins; the Magic won 104-97 at Sacramento and 107-104 at Portland last night. Scoring 100 points or more in back-to-back games has been a negative performance pattern for Orlando in their third game, especially if that game is on the road. In fact, Orlando is 4-5 SU and just 1-8 ATS based on tonight

Tennessee comes into tonight

Maryland is a totally different team now than they were earlier this season. The Terrapins were playing without two of their better players as Pe

Miami Fla is a totally different team right now than they were earlier in the season. The Hurricanes had to play their first nine games of this season without their best player, Reggie Johnson, who was recovering from knee surgery. Miami was also without DeQuan Jones for their first eleven games as he was suspended indefinitely on accusations of receiving improper benefits. But Jones

Chicago comes into tonight

Toronto bounced back with a solid win last night after dropping their two previous games. The Raptors played well last night despite center Amir Johnson being

This is a rematch of the most anticipated regular season college football game in 2011. Alabama hosted LSU back in early November, and the Crimson Tide was a 5

Milwaukee hasn

Maryland is a totally different team now than they were earlier this season. The Terrapins were playing without two of their better players as Pe

Pittsburgh was a different team on the road than at home this season. In their eight home games, the Steelers went 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS. They won those seven games by a combined 180-57. In their eight road games, the Steelers went 5-3 SU and 2-6 ATS. Pittsburgh was out-scored in those eight games by a combined 147-125. Those numbers show the huge disparity of the Steelers play at home versus on the road. Only one of their five road wins came by more than 7 points so the fact that they are laying 9 points in this game presents some tremendous value in taking the Broncos.

Denver went on a magical ride after their bye week as the Broncos went 7-1 SU over their next eight games; they went 6-1-1 ATS in those games. Denver simply played much better football when Tim Tebow took over as the starting quarterback. Their running game really exploded as they amassed 2,129 rushing yards over their final eleven games for an average of 193.5 rushing yards per game. Overall, the Broncos are #1 in the NFL in rushing; they average 165 yards per game on 4.8 yards per rush.

Pittsburgh

Atlanta comes in with the better record; the Falcons are 10-6 while the New York Giants are 9-7. But the reason for that is the fact that the Falcons have played the much weaker schedule this season. Nine of Atlanta

We used Oregon State as a Best Bet winner in their 92-85 home victory versus California on Thursday night and the Beavers once again present solid value as a small home favorite tonight. Oregon State is a much better team than their 1-2 SU conference record would seem to suggest. Their two PAC-12 losses might have actually been beneficial to this team as star player Jared Cunningham had suggested that his team may have become too overconfident after their sensational 10-2 non-conference run.

These two teams just played last night in Oklahoma City with the Thunder winning in a blowout, 109-94. Houston has not played well on the road (0-5) so we

Detroit opened the season at 5-0, but then the Lions went through a rough patch as they went just 2-5 over their next seven games. But they

Both teams have limited playoff experience and both squads have rookie quarterbacks at the helm this week; however Houston has a much stronger overall team with a better rushing offense and a stronger defensive unit, so they present solid value as a small home favorite today. Cincinnati is an overrated team that has gone 0-7 SU versus playoff teams this season, while going 9-0 SU versus non-playoff squads.

These teams just met last month on December 11th and Houston won outright as a 3-point road underdog at Cincinnati, 20-19. That final score was misleading as Houston dominated with a 412-285 total yard edge (5.4-4.9 yppl) and the Texans still won outright despite 4 turnovers, including 3 lost fumbles in that game. My re-scoring model had the Texans winning by 10 points as they were the better team on the line of scrimmage and consistently moved the ball well offensively.

Houston might be using their third-string quarterback, but surprisingly T.J. Yates has played well this season and he actually has better overall numbers in all of the key statistical categories when compared to his rookie counterpart Andy Dalton. Yates has an 80.7 QB rating and averages 7.1 yards per pass, while Dalton

SMU is an underrated team that was solid on both sides of the ball this season. The Mustangs have out-gained their opponents 6.1 to 5.0 yards per play, while Pittsburgh was out-gained 4.9 to 5.0 yards per play this season. SMU has a balanced offensive attack that averages 4.4 yards per carry and 7.4 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow just 4.1 ypr and 7.2 ypp). SMU

Kansas St was the phoniest 10-2 team in college football this season. And in fact, the Wildcats may have been one of the phoniest teams in recent memory of college football. Despite winning 10 games, Kansas St was out-yarded by 55 yards (399-344) per game this season. They were out-gained in 9 of their 12 games as the only three games they had more yards than their opponent came against Eastern Kentucky, Kent St, and Kansas. Those three teams had a combined record of 14-22 this season. Kansas St also won three games this season in which they also lost the turnover battle; just another indication that they were a very fortunate team this season. The Wildcats somehow won a game in Austin against Texas in which they had an incredibly low 121 yards of total offense.

The Wildcats

Oregon St returns home off back-to-back losses at Washington and Washington St. The Beavers are 0-2 in conference play after those two games so tonight

This game will be played at the Wells Fargo Center and not on Temple

Seton Hall is playing some very good basketball right now. The Pirates are 12-2 with one of those losses coming at a 15-0 Syracuse team that is ranked #1 in the country. Head coach Kevin Willard has done a tremendous job at Seton Hall, and it helps that forward Herb Pope has been 100% healthy this season. Pope is a force in the paint, and he

Milwaukee was besieged by injuries last season, and the Bucks were never able to play to their true abilities. But this season, we expect the Bucks to be a pretty good team as long as they can avoid the injury bug once again. They have thus far and they

Stanford had another terrific season as they went 11-1 with their only loss coming against an 11-2 Oregon team. The Cardinal cruised all season, but that fact is going to lead to trouble tonight. Since their toughest competition was Oregon (a game they lost 53-30), Stanford will have trouble keeping up with the high-powered offense of Oklahoma State. Overall, the Cardinal faced an extremely weak schedule, and that has come to light during the bowl season. Stanford played 5 teams that made a bowl game this season and 4 of those teams have already played. Those four teams have gone 0-4 SU and ATS. Those results are not encouraging, and they are actually an indication that Stanford will be in for a long night in this game.

Oklahoma State also comes into tonight

Oregon once again had a monster year going 11-2 in the regular season with one of their losses coming in the season opener to LSU. The Ducks then proceeded to cruise until they lost 38-35 to USC in mid-November. But other than those two games and their 53-30 pounding of Stanford, the Ducks played an extremely weak schedule, and that has come to light during the bowl season. Oregon played seven teams that will or already have played in a bowl game this year, and the results of those teams that already played have not been flattering at all. The five teams that already played their bowl game have gone 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS with the lone pointspread cover coming by just a half point.

Wisconsin also comes into this game at 11-2. The Badgers absolutely dominated their opponents this year while putting up some terrific offensive and defensive numbers. They averaged 45 points and 467 yards of offense per game while their defense held opponents to just 17 points and 293 yards per game. And unlike Oregon, they actually played some good teams that have fared well in their bowl games this season. They faced seven bowl teams this season, and only two of them have played thus far and they went 2-0 SU and ATS. So combining those results with the Oregon results from above, we have a strong in-season bowl spread pattern that favors Wisconsin.

Oregon also has a poor history when stepping up in class against non-conference opponents. They lost to LSU this season, Auburn last year, and Ohio St and Boise St the year before. Wisconsin comes into this game getting a handful of points; it

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Kansas City is in a prime spot to end the season on a positive note when they travel to Denver this week. Back in Week 10, the Chiefs lost at home to the Broncos 17-10 as 3-point favorites. They now have the opportunity to avenge that loss against a Broncos team that is reeling after a 6-week magical ride on the shoulders of Tim Tebow. The enthusiasm for Denver has been somewhat dampened over the last two weeks as the Broncos have lost by a combined score of 81-37 to the Patriots and Bills while giving up 802 yards of total offense in the process.

The Chiefs lost a heartbreaker in overtime against the Raiders last week. Kansas City actually out-gained the Raiders by 127 yards (435-308) while only allowing 71 yards rushing. The Chiefs have out-gained their opponents in 3 of their last 4 games after only accomplishing that feat in 2 of their other 11 games. That is a sign that Kansas City is playing much better football right now, and since they are facing a Denver team that is not playing good football right now, we have reason to take the Chiefs and the points in this game.

Denver leads the NFL in rushing at 161 yards per game, but that is a little misleading as their quarterback has accounted for 50 of those yards per game. Take those yards away and you have a rushing attack that ranks around 18th in the league. The Chiefs will definitely key on the Broncos running game. Kansas City has been very stiff against the run as of late, only allowing a total of 173 rushing yards in their last two games. The Chiefs pass defense ranks 9th in the NFL, only allowing 211 yards per game through the air and will not be threatened by Tebow

Washington and Philadelphia have both played good football down the stretch. The only difference is the fact that the Eagles are earning wins in their games while the Redskins are not. Washington is 2-3 SU over their last five games, and all but one of those games has been competitive. Philadelphia has won and covered in their last three games. Overall, 7 of the Redskins 10 losses this season have come by less than today

San Francisco is actually a below average offensive team statistically as they average just 5.3 yards per play (versus opponents that allow 5.5 yppl). San Francisco runs the ball on more than half of their offensive plays, but overall they are averaging just 4.2 yards per carry (versus opponents that allow 4.2 ypr). The 49ers will be facing a St. Louis defense that has played better at home this season. The Rams are only allowing 5.5 yards per play on their home field this year (versus opponents that average 5.7 yppl).

St. Louis comes in off a 27-0 shutout loss at Pittsburgh last week. It was the second time this season in which the Rams were held scoreless; the other time was a 26-0 loss at San Francisco last month. Off that game, St. Louis played much better in their next game as they only lost by a touchdown on the road at Seattle. The 49ers have not been winning by big margins on the road this season. San Francisco is 5-2 away from home with their five wins coming by only 5, 1, 6, 8, and 2 points. This is also just the third time all season in which they

Game analysis will ready at 12 pm ET.

10* Play UTAH (+).

Texas A&M was highly regarded coming into this season. But their on-field play did little to warrant the preseason hype. The Aggies went just 6-6 on the year after blowing five double-digit leads in five of their six losses. As a result, head coach Mike Sherman was fired and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter will coach this game even though he will also be gone after this game to take over the Fresno St head coaching position. The main culprit of the failures this season can all be attributed to the Aggies

Early bowl handicapping is heavily influenced by motivation. Some teams are simply not playing in bowls that they coveted. And that is the case tonight for Oklahoma. The Sooners had plans to play in a BCS bowl game, and anything less than the national championship was going to be a major disappointment. Oklahoma was the preseason favorite to play for the national title, but after going just 9-3, they find themselves in Tempe, Arizona tonight. The Sooners have failed in this situation before as they are 0-3 ATS in non-BCS bowl games.

Oklahoma is also dealing with some significant injuries to key personnel. The Sooners will play tonight

Houston came through for us last night in a big way as they crushed the Spurs by 20 points (105-85). The Rockets were in a terrific situation for that game, but tonight they are in a bad spot. Houston came into last night

This should be a highly entertaining game tonight as both Washington and Baylor posses some incredible offensive ability. The Huskies and Bears should play in a shootout; Washington averages 32 points and 392 yards of offense per game while Baylor counters with 44 points and 572 yards of offense per game. And on a fast track inside a dome, we expect the scoreboard operator to be quite busy. But instead of playing Over the high posted total, we see plenty of value in taking Washington plus the points in this game.

Washington comes into this game at just 7-5, but the Huskies played a brutal schedule against the likes of Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon, and USC. They lost all four of those games as expected because those teams simply have defenses that can shut high-scoring offenses down. Baylor does not have such a defense, and in fact, the Bears didn

Oregon State is a very good team this season; the Beavers have a legitimate shot in the Pac 12 this year because the league is wide open. They come into tonight

This is a terrible scheduling spot for San Antonio, especially since the Spurs are an older team. They played last night so they will be on a back-to-back set for this game. This will also be their third game in four nights, and considering the lack of conditioning due to the lockout, the Spurs figure to be out of gas in the second half in this game. San Antonio played in a fast, high-scoring game last night in their 115-90 win over the Clippers. The Spurs played a perfect game as well as they shot 56.2% (45-80) from the floor and 52.6% (10-19) from three-point land. They also hit 100% (15-15) of their free throws. We do not expect that same efficiency tonight.

Houston has played just one game this season; they lost 104-95 at Orlando. But the Rockets were at a disadvantage for that game as the Magic already had a game under them while Houston didn

New York projects to be a much better team this season. Even though the Knicks made the playoffs last year, they simply got their based on pure talent. After playing together for the last half of the season, the Knicks

This game will be played in Dallas and not on Baylor

California and Texas failed to reach a bowl game last season, but after both teams went 7-5, they return to post-season play this year. California opened the season at 3-0 and then they slumped through a 1-4 stretch from late-September through late-October. The Golden Bears got hot late in the season as they won 3 of their final 4 games. Texas also opened the season by winning their first four games before closing the season at 3-5. But the Longhorns played a brutal schedule as their losses came to Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Missouri, Kansas St, and Baylor. California did not play a tough schedule this season, and in fact, 5 of their 7 wins came against teams that didn

Western Michigan is ecstatic to be playing in this game. The Broncos are playing in their home state with a chance to beat a nearby, big name team from a big name conference. Purdue comes in with the name recognition, but that is about it. Western Michigan is the better team and they

Despite losing at the buzzer to the Bulls yesterday, the Lakers are still a team to play against right now. Los Angeles was trailing by 7 points at the half, but they played a good third quarter when they out-scored Chicago 20-12. That allowed them to get back into the game, but if we look at the big picture, the Lakers still had their troubles. They scored 20 points or less in 3 of the 4 quarters and Kobe Bryant had 28 of their 87 points scored. That

This is the second meeting between these two teams; the Saints pulled out a 26-23 overtime win in Atlanta last month. The Falcons actually out-yarded New Orleans 481-363 in that game, but a gamble in overtime by Atlanta head coach Mike Smith handed the Saints a very fortunate win. Smith went for a fourth and 1 inside his own territory, but the Falcons were stopped and the Saints cashed in for the win. The fact that the Falcons were able to out-play the Saints while holding them to just 26 points is a positive sign, especially considering New Orleans has averaged 36 points and 506 yards of offense since that game.

Atlanta was a one point home favorite in that game; it was only the second time all season that New Orleans was an underdog (also at Green Bay in their season opener). So the fact that we are now getting close to a full touchdown with the Falcons in the rematch presents some good value in this game. This has also been an extremely competitive series over the last few years with the highest margin of victory coming by just 8 points over the last three years with five of the six games decided by 4 points or less.

The Falcons clinched a playoff spot after Chicago lost last night in Green Bay. Atlanta has no pressure on them tonight, and that will allow them to play free and easy. They also have the confidence that they can hang with the potent Saints; they did it this year and they

This game is a lot bigger for one team than it is the other. North Carolina will be playing under interim head coach Everett Withers for the last time; Withers will be coaching under Urban Meyer at Ohio St next season. There

Green Bay is not in a good situational spot for this game tonight. The Packers lost their first game of the season last week in Kansas City, and without having to play for an undefeated season, Green Bay is basically looking to get in and out of this game quickly. The Packers are a banged-up team right now, especially along the offensive and defensive lines.

Chicago will be one of the best teams in the NBA this season. Anything less than a return trip to the Eastern Conference Finals would be a major disappointment this season. The Bulls have a loaded roaster and a terrific head coach in Tom Thibodeau. This team has great continuity as well, and they are simply well-prepared for the upcoming shortened season. The same cannot be said of the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that is mired in turmoil.

Los Angeles simply has way too many issues to be competitive in this game. Kobe Bryant is playing hurt after tearing a ligament in his wrist. Andrew Bynum will miss the first four games due to a suspension. Because of Bynum

Miami will be the best team in the NBA this season. It took the Heat months to get together last season, and once they did, we saw some major blowouts and spread runs by Miami. This team will not struggle out of the gate this year because they have a full year of playing with each other under their belts. In their preseason games against Orlando, the Heat were visually impressive, and they looked like they were in mid-season form. This is a team that is on a mission to win the NBA title, and we expect them to make a big statement in this game this afternoon.

Dallas won the NBA championship last season after they defeated Miami in the Finals. But the Heat blew late leads in those games, and that is something that they haven

On the surface, this looks like a throw-away game between two bad teams. But there

The Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow were on a magical 7-1 run going into last week

After opening the season at 0-7, the Miami Dolphins have won five of their last seven games. Four of those wins came under Tony Sparano, but he was fired after the Dolphins lost 26-10 at home to the Philadelphia Eagles. Many thought Miami would just quit on the rest of the season under interim coach Todd Bowles, but that certainly wasn

This game will be played in Las Vegas on a neutral court so neither team will have the home court edge. But of the two teams, Saint Mary

Indianapolis came through for us last week in their first win of the season when they beat the Titans 27-13. But we

Early bowl handicapping is heavily influenced by motivation. Some teams are simply not playing in bowls that they coveted. And that is the case tonight for Boise St. The Broncos had plans to play in another BCS bowl game, but after losing 36-35 at home to TCU, Boise St will be playing in the Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight season, despite their impressive 11-1 record. This will also be their third game in Vegas over their last 13 ballgames so the Broncos don

Middle Tennessee St is probably the best

Early bowl handicapping is heavily influenced by motivation. Some teams are playing in bowls that they coveted while others are not. And this game matches that exact scenario as LA Tech is very excited to be playing a team like TCU while the Horned Frogs could care less about this game; they expected to be playing in their third straight BCS bowl game. The Bulldogs are simply ecstatic to be playing in this game tonight while the Horned Frogs are hugely disappointed.

Louisiana Tech is a very good team that not many people know about. The Bulldogs are lead by head coach Sonny Dykes who was the man behind the highly successful offenses at Arizona and Texas Tech. LA Tech went 8-4 this season with three of their four losses coming by a combined 9 points. The Bulldogs were also a perfect 6-0 ATS as an underdog this season; they won three of those games outright, all on the road. They played five bowl teams this year and they covered the pointspread in every one of those games. LA Tech started the season at just 1-4, but after inserting Colby Cameron at quarterback, the Bulldogs won 7 consecutive games to end the season. The Bulldogs have a powerful offense that is averaging 31 points and 400 yards of offense per game. They are extremely well-balanced as they run for 152 yards per game and throw for 246 yards per game.

While their offense has been good this season, the Bulldogs

Seton Hall is playing some very good basketball right now. The Pirates are 9-1 with their only loss coming against a Northwestern team that should be in the NCAA tournament come March. Head coach Kevin Willard has done a tremendous job at Seton Hall, and it helps that forward Herb Pope has been 100% healthy this season. Pope is a force in the paint, and he

Coming into this season, Texas was a team labeled in rebuilding mode. The Longhorns lost a lot from last year

Florida International had their best season in school history as the Panthers went 8-4. But they played an extremely weak schedule, and they only faced three other teams (Louisville, LA-Lafayette, and Arkansas St) that are playing in a bowl game this year. Head coach Mario Cristobal took the Panthers to a bowl game last season and they won that game 34-32. In his second season, Marshall head coach Doc Holliday is taking the team to their first bowl game since 2009. The Thundering Herd will be full of excitement and motivation so we can count on them giving their best effort. But the same cannot be said of FIU after they experienced their first bowl game last season.

Marshall went just 6-6 on the season, but they played a brutal schedule. The Herd faced 7 bowl teams this year (West Virginia, So. Miss, Ohio, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Houston, and Tulsa) with five of those games coming on the road. They went just 2-5 in those games, but beating So. Miss and Louisville was impressive. Florida International also beat Louisville, but Marshall was much more impressive in their win. Both teams played at Louisville, but Marshall out-yarded the Cardinals 353-281 while Florida International was out-yarded 446-293. Marshall should have a nice edge of the line of scrimmage as they own a 30-pound per man average over the smallish Florida International linemen. The closeness of these two teams is masked by the phony win/loss record of FIU, so we

This is a much bigger game for St. Bonaventure than it is for NC State. The Bonnies are getting a rare chance to host a team from a major conference, and this is their opportunity to get a signature win on their resume. They are also catching the Wolfpack at the opportune time. NC State hosted the #1 team in the country (Syracuse) on Saturday in a nationally televised game. The Wolfpack geared-up for that game, but after losing 88-72 to the Orange, they will have little interest in this game against a

Both of these teams have struggled as of late as Old Dominion has lost two straight games and four of their last six while Richmond has lost three straight games. But of the two, we expect Richmond to snap out of their funk tonight and get back into the win column. The Spiders have played 7 of their 11 games on the road this season so they are getting a much needed game on their home court tonight. They are 3-1 at home with their lone loss coming in their last home game against a strong offensive team in Iona.

Richmond will not be facing a strong offensive team tonight as Old Dominion is one of the weakest offensive teams in the country. The Monarchs are averaging just 59.5 points per game on 37.3% shooting. On the road they

Marquette is quietly playing tremendous basketball this season. The Golden Eagles are 10-0 on the season, and they own an impressive 61-54 win at one of the toughest places to pay in college basketball. Marquette won at Wisconsin, and that win alone signifies just how good the Golden Eagles are. This team is getting it done on both ends of the floor as their offense and defense rank high in efficiency numbers. Marquette is shooting an incredible 49.7% from the field this season while averaging 84 points per game. Their defense is allowing just 62 points per game on 37.4% shooting.

LSU simply does not have enough offense to trade points with the potent Marquette attack, especially since the Tigers will be without their leading scorer. Andre Stinger is dealing with fainting and dizzy spells and he will miss tonight

Both teams have been hot lately as Baltimore has won four straight games, while San Diego has won their last two games. The Ravens have been used to winning all season as they come into tonight

After slumping through a 3-5 record for the better part of two months, the New York Jets have finally strung together some wins. The Jets have won three consecutive games since dropping a Thursday night game in Denver. And that was a game they let slip away late. The Jets are playing with a lot of confidence now, and this team has proven to be a tough out late in the season over the last couple of years. New York is right back in the thick of the playoff picture, and they face a very winnable game in Philadelphia this week.

The Eagles have limped to a 5-8 record this season, putting the idea of a

New Orleans is in a quirky scheduling spot this week. The Saints have won and covered their last five games; they beat two divisional opponents before their bye and they

Indianapolis is just three games away from going winless. Of their final three games, this may be their best opportunity to win a game. The Colts are facing a familiar divisional opponent against whom they played one of their best games of the season. In their 27-10 loss at Tennessee back in late-October, the Colts out-yarded the Titans by 88 yards (399-311). Indianapolis was well-balanced in that game as they ran for 158 yards on 6.1 yards per rush and threw for another 241 yards. The difference in that game was two crucial interceptions thrown by Curtis Painter, and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Painter has since been replaced by Dan Orlovsky at quarterback, and since the Colts have responded to him better, we do not expect the mistakes to repeat themselves in this game.

It

This game will be played in the Sprint Center in Kansas City and not on the campus of Kansas St. But the Wildcats will certainly have the crowd edge in this game. Alabama and Kansas St have played outstanding defense this season; the Crimson Tide allow just 35.6% shooting from the floor while the Wildcats allow just 36.6%. These two teams figure to play a slow, defensive grinder in the half court. And in games like this, the team that can be more efficient on offense will usually come out ahead. And in this case, we expect Kansas St to be that team.

Kansas St is averaging 10 points per game more (76-66) than Alabama, and they

Early bowl handicapping is heavily influenced by motivation. Some teams are playing in bowls that they coveted while others are not. And this game matches that exact scenario as LA-Lafayette is playing in their home state while San Diego St was passed up by their home city. The Ragin

This game is the classic case of a team being a big favorite purely on name recognition. UC Santa Barbara is a very good team from the Big West conference. The Gauchos have played in back-to-back NCAA tournaments, and their team this year is significantly better. Santa Barbara is every bit as good as Washington is, but the Huskies are laying big points simply based upon their name and reputation. The Gauchos have played better basketball this season, and they own all of the meaningful statistics in this match-up.

Santa Barbara has excelled in all of the efficiency stats that we follow, and they

Jacksonville finally broke through with a big win on Sunday as they hammered the Buccaneers 41-14. Big wins and wins in general have been hard to come by for the Jaguars this season; they come into tonight

This is a rematch game from last season; Charleston went into Tennessee and crushed the Vols 91-78. That ugly home loss has not been forgotten by the Tennessee players, and tonight is their chance to settle the score with the Cougars. It

Oregon State is a very good team this season; the Beavers have a legitimate shot in the Pac 12 this year because the league is wide open. They come into tonight

The recent play of these two teams clearly shows that they are heading in opposite directions. St. Louis has lost three straight games, while also failing to cover the pointspread in all of those games. Seattle has won and covered three of their last four games, including a 24-7 win at St. Louis three weeks ago. The above may indicate a play on Seattle, however, when we dig a bit deeper into these teams, we see some indicators that point St. Louis

The Giants are in desperate need of a win; they

The Titans are an underrated team right now and they present excellent value as a home underdog today. Tennessee ranks just 28th in the league this season in rushing yards per game, but that is extremely misleading as the Titans have finally found their ground attack during the past month. Superstar running back Chris Johnson held out during the preseason for a new contract and finally signed with the team right at the beginning of the regular season. The lockout combined with the holdout apparently left Johnson unprepared as he was terrible in first two months of the season, rushing for 53 yards or less in 6 of his first 7 games for an average of just 43 yards per game and a pathetic 2.8 yards per carry. However, it appears Chris Johnson is finally ready to play and he had rushed for at least 130 yards or more in 3 of his past four games, averaging 122 yards per contest and a fantastic 5.7 yards per carry. Keep in mind one of those past four games was when Johnson had just 12 carries and only 13 yards at Atlanta in which the Titans trailed 23-3 in the third quarter and therefore had to abandon their running game. If you take out that Atlanta game, Johnson has averaged 158 rushing yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry.

The Titans new found rushing attack should have plenty of success today against a bad New Orleans rush defense that is allowing 4.9 yards per carry (versus opponents that average just 4.2 ypr) and the Saints have been particularly bad on the road where they allow 134 rushing yards per game and a terrible 5.2 yards per carry. The Saints have always been weaker team on the road and that has been the case this season as New Orleans is a perfect 6-0 SU (6-0 ATS) at home, compared to just 3-3 SU (2-4 ATS) on the road and New Orleans has only won 1 of their 6 road games by more than a 3 point margin this season.

The Saints defense has been weaker on the road, but their offense has also struggled as New Orleans is averaging just 25.7 points per game on the road, compared to averaging 39.7 ppg at home. New Orleans relies heavily on their passing offense with 72% of their total yards coming thru the air, including 79% of their total yards in road games. Tennessee matches up well today as the Titans have a solid pass defense that is permitting just 6.2 yards per pass this season (versus opponents that average 6.5 ypp).

10* Play TITANS (+).

While the record may not be reflective of the talent on the field, the Carolina Panthers have been fun to watch this season. They