After opening the season at 3-1, all was well with the Washington Redskins. But something happened during their bye week as the Redskins have gone a miserable 1-7 since their week off. But despite their poor win/loss record, the Redskins have shown some fight as four of their losses have come by 8 points or less. And another close effort is all we need in this game; Washington is the biggest underdog they

UCLA

Miami has a talented basketball team this season. Head coach Jim Larranaga came over from George Mason, and he said that he would have never left Mason had it not been for the significant talent Miami had on hand. Larranaga has a team that can compete at a high level, and with his tremendous coaching on the defensive end of the floor, the Hurricanes are a dangerous team, provided they get the right match-up. The Hurricanes are missing a couple of guys because of injury, but they are just fine with the guys on the court when they face similar type teams. Miami was waxed by Memphis in their last game, but the Tigers had too much speed and height for the Hurricanes.

Tonight

There

Montana is one of the best FCS (I-AA) teams in the nation, so there is excellent value with the Grizzlies in a basic straight-up win situation on their strong home field tonight. Montana has an extremely strong home field where they have gone 30-1 SU (97%) in their past 31 games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and Montana

Both teams came into this season off deep NCAA tournament runs; Richmond made it to the Sweet 16 while VCU advanced to the Final Four. But the Spiders and Rams each had to replace a lot of starters from those teams, and they had a lot of questions heading into this season. The two teams have come out strong as Richmond is 6-2 while VCU is 5-3. But aside from the similar win/loss record, Richmond has played significantly better basketball, and they

Davidson is playing terrific basketball this season. The Wildcats are 6-1 with their only loss coming at Duke, a game in which they led at the half. Tonight is a huge game for Davidson as they get the rare visit from a big-name team from a big-name conference. If the Wildcats win this game, it will be a huge resume builder for them come March, just in case they fail to win their conference tournament. This game is being called

This is an in-state rivalry game that always means a little something more to Northern Iowa. The Panthers are viewed as the

Detroit opened the season at 5-0, but the Lions have struggled since then. They are just 2-4 over their last six games including a 27-15 home loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving in their last game. Detroit has a nice scheduling advantage coming into this game as they got an extra three days of rest and prep time for this game. New Orleans has to come in on a short week after they played a flawless game on Monday night in their 49-24 waxing of the New York Giants. With the scheduling edge a positive for the Lions and a negative for the Saints, this is a major factor in this game, especially this late in the season.

New Orleans comes into tonight

After losing last week in New Orleans, this game is critical for the New York Giants. They come into this game at just 6-5 with three of those wins against AFC teams. They need to beat some NFC teams as their playoff hopes are on the borderline right now. The Giants are currently on a 3-game SU and ATS slide. But two of those games came on the road and two of the three losses came by 7 points apiece. Last week

Tennessee has finally found their running game. For the season, the Titans are averaging just 89 yards per game on the ground. But over their last three games, the Titans have averaged 138 rushing yards per game. And Tennessee should continue their rushing success in this game against Buffalo as the Bills allow 124 yards per game on 4.5 yards per rush. Overall, Buffalo

Chicago played much better than expected last week in Oakland. The Bears were in a difficult scheduling spot as they had to travel out West off 3 consecutive spotlight wins while playing with a backup quarterback. While Chicago lost 25-20, they actually dominated the game as they put-up over 400 yards of offense while holding the Raiders to just 341 yards and 6 field goals. The Bears lost the game because of a -2 turnover margin, but with this game at home and Caleb Hanie making his second consecutive start, we expect those mistakes to clear up.

The Bears are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six games. They host a Kansas City team that is 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS over their last four games. The Chiefs are a terrible football team as they average just 14 points per game on offense while allowing 24 points per game on defense. They somehow hung close to Pittsburgh on Sunday night despite turning the ball over 4 times in that game. In the two games in which Tyler Palko has started at QB, the Chiefs have 8 turnovers. Reports say newly acquired Kyle Orton may get the start here, but how much better can he be considering he doesn

Carolina and Tampa Bay are two teams with not a whole lot to play for so we

West Virginia is a very young and inexperienced team this season. The Mountaineers have just 2 seniors on their roster which includes a whopping 7 freshman. This will be their first road game of the season, and the first collegiate road game for the majority of their roaster. And with this game being played in Starkville against a very good and experienced Mississippi St team, this is an extremely tough situation for West Virginia. The seniors know what they are in for tonight, especially with the youth surrounding them.

This will be a re-match from a game played in Michigan St back in late-October. Michigan St connected on a Hail Mary and won that game 37-31 on the scoreboard, but the Spartans were thoroughly out-played in that game. Wisconsin out-gained Michigan St 443-399 while out-rushing the Spartans 220-109. The Badgers averaged a whopping 5.4 yards per rush and they held Michigan St to just 3.4 yards per rush. Despite getting pushed around the field, Michigan St incredibly had no penalties called on them in that game. That was also Wisconsin

In year

Southern Mississippi could be the best team nobody has heard of. At 10-2, head coach Larry Fedora has his team back into the top 25 and still with plenty to play for late in the season. While Houston looks to remain undefeated and earn a BCS berth, the Golden Eagles are also hungry for a Conference Championship and a win that would firm up their chance to play in the Liberty Bowl. Southern Miss owns just two losses by a combined 9 points. Both of those games were winnable as they out-yarded both of their opponents, but they just didn

At 6-6, UCLA really doesn

This is a big game for both teams tonight. West Virginia needs to win in order to grab a share of the Big East title and also have a chance for a BCS bowl bid. South Florida needs to win to become bowl eligible, and that is their biggest priority tonight, along with the motivation of playing spoiler.

We played against North Carolina on Saturday night and UNLV beat the Tar Heels outright (90-80) as an 8-point underdog. And we have no hesitation in fading North Carolina off that loss, especially since they

This line is based on name recognition and nothing else. Purdue has had a solid basketball program for a long time, but you think of football when you hear Miami

This is a very big game for the New York Giants. They come into this game at just 6-4 with three of those wins against AFC teams. They need to beat some NFC teams; they are 2-2 on the road against teams from their own conference. Overall, New York has played well on the road this season with a 3-2 record including 2-1 ATS as a road underdog. Their lone loss in that role came at San Francisco, but the Giants only lost that game by 7 points which would give them the pointspread cover in tonight

Many people wrote the Steelers off after a mediocre 2-2 (1-3 ATS) start to the season, but this is still the defending AFC champions and they are still one of the best teams in the league. Pittsburgh has since gone 5-1 SU (4-2 ATS) in their past six games and the main reason has been less turnovers. Pittsburgh is still -1.1 turnovers per game this season which is unlikely to continue as the Steelers are -0.6 fumbles per game which is mostly random variance and QB Ben Roethlisberger normally does not throw many interceptions.

Pittsburgh has out-gained 8 of their 10 opponents this season and the only two games in which the Steelers did not hold the overall yardage edge was on the road versus solid Houston and Baltimore squads. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have been out-gained in 8 of their 10 games this season with their only yardage edges coming against the Colts and by just nine yards versus the Vikings.

Kansas City is a terrible team that enters tonight on an 0-3 SU/ATS slide in which they have been out-scored by an average of -22 points per game (16-82). Kansas City is without their starting QB Matt Cassel who is out with a hand injury which means backup QB Tyler Palko must once again start this week. Palko has struggled with a 54.8 QB rating this season and 0/3 TD/INT ratio which is substantially weaker than Cassel's 76.6 QB rating and 10/9 TD/INT ratio.

Regardless of the quarterback, the Chiefs have one of the worst passing attacks in the league, averaging just 5.9 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow 7.1 ypp). Kansas City will have no success tonight against an excellent Pittsburgh pass defense that is allowing just 5.4 yards per pass this year (versus opponents that allow 6.5 ypp). This lack of a passing attack will make it difficult for the Chiefs to play from behind tonight and it is also takes away the potential backdoor cover which should allow the Steelers to extend their lead late in the game. This is the same situation that occurred at New England last Monday night when the Chiefs were blown out 3-34 as a 17-point underdog.

The Chiefs will also struggle on defense against a strong Pittsburgh passing offense as the Steelers are averaging 7.7 yards per pass this season (versus opponents that allow just 6.6 ypp) and Pittsburgh will now be facing a terrible Kansas City pass defense that is allowing 7.8 yards per pass (versus opponents that average just 6.8 ypp).

The scheduling situation also favors the Steelers tonight as they are coming off their bye week, while Kansas City has to play on a short week after their Monday night road game at New England. The Steelers are just a 1/2 game behind Baltimore in the standings for the best record in the AFC (although they would lose the tie-breaker), so Pittsburgh will be extremely focused for this game tonight. In fact, winning road favorites are an excellent 43-20 ATS off a bye week when facing a losing opponent.

8* Play STEELERS (-).

Cleveland got off the schneid last week in their 14-10 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns now have some momentum to carry into Cincinnati for their in-state rivalry game with the Bengals. This is a rematch from Cincinnati

As the season nears the end, the Indianapolis Colts have what should be their best opportunity to avoid a winless season when they host Carolina on Sunday. The Colts come into this game off their bye, and their extra week to prepare for this game is a huge advantage to have this late in the season. The Colts are also catching a Panthers team that has lost three consecutive games with their last being a heartbreaker in Detroit. The Panthers led that game 24-7, but they blew that 17-point lead and eventually lost by 14 points (49-35). That high-scoring loss sets Carolina up in a terrible situation and the fact that they are laying points on the road makes the ugly Colts quite appealing in this game.

Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell has been successful with a week of rest, going 3-0 ATS after a bye week. We know he had Peyton Manning for those games, but we

This game will be played at the Orleans Casino so UNLV will have somewhat of a home court edge. We all know how good and talented North Carolina is, but very few realize just how good UNLV is. The Rebels return four starters and eight contributors from last year

Underdogs are always worth a look in rivalry games and that is the case tonight as UCLA enters in excellent current form, while USC might be a bit flat. The Trojans are a talented team, but they are not eligible for postseason play, therefore they have treated many of their regular season games as "bowl games" this year. This was definitely the case last week when USC went into Oregon as a +15 point road underdog and won outright 38-35 when Oregon missed a short field goal that would have forces overtime. USC now goes from being a double-digit road underdog to a double-digit home favorite, so a letdown is definitely possible this evening.

UCLA is more than capable of keeping this game close as the Bruins enter on a 3-1 SU/ATS run in their past four games which includes an impressive 45-6 home win versus Colorado last week. There was nothing misleading about that final score as UCLA dominated the game and held a 553-229 total yard advantage. UCLA has scored 29+ points or more in each of their past three wins and overall they are averaging a solid 6.2 yards per play this season (versus opponents that allow just 5.6 yppl). UCLA has a balanced attack that is averaging 200 rushing yards and 194 passing yards per game at 5.0 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow just 4.2 ypr and 7.2 ypp). This balanced and explosive offense will allow the Bruins to trade points with USC tonight and keep this game close. It also gives UCLA plenty of "back-door" cover potential if needed late in the game.

Statistically speaking, USC's offense is not much better than UCLA's attack as the Trojans are also +0.6 yards per play better than their opponents faced as USC averages 6.3 yards per play (versus opponents that allow 5.7 yppl). UCLA's defense has struggled to stop the run this season, but the Bruins have been strong defensively against the pass, allowing just 6.6 yards per pass (versus opponents that average 7.6 ypp), so the matchup is favorable for a close and competitive rivalry game tonight.

9* Play UCLA (+).

Notre Dame is the best 3-loss team in the country and they come to Stanford on Saturday night with double revenge. The Fighting Irish were waxed at home last year 37-14 by Stanford and they also lost 45-38 in 2010. But last year

Virginia came into this year with three straight losing seasons. But in his second year in Charlottesville, head coach Mike London has done a tremendous job in getting the Cavaliers to an 8-3 record and their first bowl game since 2007. Virginia isn

Pittsburgh was a 3-point home favorite last year when West Virginia handed them an embarrassing 35-10 loss. The Panthers will be looking to return the favor as they get their chance for revenge at West Virginia on Friday in their annual

Toledo is 7-4 SU, while Ball State is 6-5 SU, so on the surface it might appear strange for Ball State to be a two touchdown home underdog, however it is for good reason as Toledo is a much better team and the Rockets hold a huge offensive edge this afternoon which should lead to an easy blowout win.

Toledo is an explosive offensive team that is averaging 42.0 points per game and 493 yards this season at 6.5 yards per play (versus opponents that allow just 26.2 ppg and 5.6 yppl). Toledo is an extremely balanced team as they average 220 rushing yards and 273 passing yards per game at 5.1 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow just 4.3 ypr and 7.1 ypp).

Toledo should have plenty of success today against a terrible Ball State defense that is permitting 33.7 points and 511 yards per game this season at 6.8 yards per play (versus opponents that average just 29.4 ppg and 5.9 yppl). Ball State has been bad against both the run and the pass, allowing 225 rushing yards and 286 passing yards per game at 5.1 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per pass (versus opponents that average just 4.8 ypr and 7.5 ypp).

Ball State will be unable to contain Toledo's offense today as the Rockets have scored at least 44+ points or more in five of their past six games, including an easy 44-17 win last week as a 14-point favorite at Central Michigan. Ball State will also have a difficult time catching up and playing from behind as the Cardinals have a weak passing offense that is averaging just 6.3 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow 7.2 ypp).

9* Play TOLEDO (-).

In this battle of Harbaugh brothers, we expect the more experienced team and coach to win. Baltimore

After opening the season at 0-7, the Miami Dolphins have won 3 consecutive games. And none of those wins have come by default. The Dolphins

Green Bay comes into this game with a perfect 10-0 record, but this will be an extremely difficult game for the Packers. Detroit matches-up very well with Green Bay as the Lions defensive strength will face the offensive strength of the Packers. The Lions

Despite only a 2-game differential in the win/loss column, there

This game is part of the CBE Classic and it will be played in the Sprint Center in Kansas City and not on the campus of Missouri. But even with this game on a neutral court, Missouri will still have a significant home court edge. Notre Dame lost a lot from last year

Northwestern is the only team from a major conference that has never played in the NCAA tournament. But this is the year the Wildcats will get to the Big Dance provided they win games like this. They cannot afford to lose to mediocre teams like Seton Hall and expect to get an at-large big. Northwestern simply needs to win, and win convincingly in order to enhance their credentials come March. The Wildcats are the superior team in this game, and they hold a big experience edge over an inexperienced Seton Hall team that has played younger teams in their three games so far.

Seton Hall needed overtime to beat St. Francis (NY) in their season opener, and then in this tournament, they played a rebuilding VCU and a St. Joseph

This season has not gone according to plan for the Philadelphia Eagles as they come into this game at just 3-6. And things have gotten a bit worse as quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will miss this game because of injury. But their absences will not temper our liking of the Eagles in this spot, especially since we are now getting a couple of points of value without those guys on the field.

Philadelphia will be an underdog for the first time this season after laying points in their first nine games. The Eagles were an 8-point home favorite over the Giants in the first meeting back in Week 3; New York won that game 29-16 after out-scoring Philadelphia 15-0 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had a 25-14 first down edge and they out-yarded the Giants 376-334 in that game, but three costly Philadelphia turnovers handed New York the fortunate win. Two of those interceptions were thrown by backup QB Mike Kafka who came in when Vick left with injury. Big plays were also key for the Giants in that game as they scored on 40-yard and 74-yard touchdown passes. The blown fourth quarter lead by the Eagles in that game was one of five games in which they

San Diego has lost four straight games after opening the season at 4-1. However, their four losses are not because of lack of talent or the fact that they

After getting blown out on Monday night by the Packers, the Vikings are on a short week for their home game against Oakland on Sunday. Despite the negative scheduling situation, Minnesota actually holds a big match-up edge in this game against the Raiders. The Vikings are averaging 145 rushing yards rushing per game on 5.2 yards per rush. Oakland

At the midpoint of the season, the California Golden Bears had a 3-3 record and they were coming off a 21-point loss to USC. But their fortunes have changed since that loss and they are finally heading in the right direction. California has gone 3-1 SU/ATS over their last four games and they now find themselves in a prime spot for their game at their rival Stanford. The Cardinal had their bubble burst in last week

Kansas St comes into this game ranked #17 in the country as the Wildcats have an 8-2 record. But their record and ranking are a bit phony. Kansas St

For the second year in a row, Boise St saw their BCS title dreams disappear off the foot of a kicker. The Broncos lost their first game of the season last week after they missed a game-winning field goal. That heartbreaking 36-35 home loss to TCU will linger with the Broncos, especially since they have to take to the road and lay a significant amount of points to a pretty good San Diego St team. Boise St hasn

Despite coming into this game at just 5-5, UCLA is still in position to win the Pac 12 South division. The Bruins have had an up and down season as they

After starting off the season at 6-0, Georgia Tech

This game will be played in Puerto Rico as part of the Paradise Jam tournament. It is also a rematch from last year

Creighton is the best team in a loaded Missouri Valley conference. The Bluejays return 5 of their top 6 scorers from last year

Northern Illinois has an explosive offense that is averaging 41.6 points per game on 486 yards of total offense per game. The Huskies have scored 31 points or more in 9 of their 10 games so far this season; the only game they scored less was at Wisconsin. They

Detroit is the best team in the Horizon League this season. And that

This is the second meeting of the season between Minnesota and Green Bay. The Packers won the first game in Minnesota 33-27. That game was every bit as close as the final score indicates, and we do not see any reason why tonight

If you think a few year

This is an important game in the AFC East as the Patriots and Jets come in tied for the division lead. Both teams are 5-3 overall and 2-1 in divisional play so the winner of tonight

After their opening season win against the Steelers, Baltimore was in a prime letdown spot on the road the following week at Tennessee. The Ravens failed to show up for that game and got waxed by the Titans 26-13 as a 5

This was always a series in which we

Pittsburgh comes in off a last-second home loss to Baltimore on Sunday night. The Steelers trailed for the majority of that game before rallying in the fourth quarter to take a 4-point lead with less than 5 minutes to play. But they allowed a Ravens touchdown pass with just 8 seconds left and lost 23-20. Now a loss like that usually puts a team in a letdown spot, but we do not see that happening with the Steelers in the game. First and foremost they are a veteran team that has been in spots like this many times before. Secondly, this game is against another divisional opponent, and considering the Steelers are 0-2 in the division, this is a pretty big game for them. And lastly, Pittsburgh has a bye next week and they certainly do not want to enter their off week on back-to-back losses.

Cincinnati has been a surprise team this season. The Bengals are 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the division. They

These two teams both opened the season at 1-2. But since then, BYU has played significantly better football than Idaho. The Cougars are 5-1 over their last six games including a perfect 4-0 on their home field. The Vandals are 1-5 over their last six games while losing two of their three road games. Idaho won at San Jose St last week after trailing 20-0. But that win was a phony one as they were out-yarded in the game and played that game with their backup quarterback. The Vandals were able to get away with that because they were playing a terrible San Jose St team that is just 3-6 this season. However, things get a lot tougher here with a game in Provo against a strong BYU team that is looking to bounce back with a big effort.

BYU enters tonight

This game is being played on the Washington Redskins home field and not on Maryland

Despite being in a bad scheduling spot last week, USC still managed to win and cover at Colorado. The Trojans stayed focused for that Friday night national TV game and it also didn't hurt that they were playing a weak Colorado team that is now 1-9 SU on the season. It will be a different story today as Washington is a much better team than Colorado and the Huskies have a powerful offense that should allow them to keep this game close.

Washington is an underrated team this season that stands 6-3 SU with two of those losses coming against excellent Stanford and Oregon squads. Washington is averaging 33.6 points per game and 6.2 yards per play this season (versus opponents that allow just 26.3 ppg and 5.5 yppl) and the Huskies have been particularly strong thru the air, averaging 67% completions and 8.1 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow just 59% and 6.9 ypp). This powerful passing attack should allow Washington to trade points with USC today and keep this game close. It also gives the Huskies plenty of backdoor cover potential late in the game if needed. USC is only a slightly above-average defense, allowing 5.5 yards per play (versus opponents that average 5.8 yppl) and the Trojans have struggled against good passing attacks in recent conference games, allowing 43 points versus Arizona State, 41 points versus Arizona, and 56 points versus Stanford this season.

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian was an offensive coach at USC for seven years, so he knows what it takes to beat the Trojans. Sarkisian is a perfect 2-0 SU/ATS versus USC with a pair of outright underdog wins since becoming the Washington head coach in 2009, covering by a combined +34 points against the spread. This includes a 16-13 win in 2009 as a 20-point home underdog and then a 32-31 win as a 10-point road underdog last year. The fact remains that USC has nothing left to play for this season as they are ineligible for the postseason, so a flat spot is possible after three high-profile games in a row the past three weeks which included an upset win at Notre Dame, a heart-breaking triple-overtime loss versus Stanford, and a Friday night national TV game at Colorado last week.

9* Play WASHINGTON (+).

After suffering through two consecutive losses on the road, SMU

Butler has done some fantastic things over the last few years; the Bulldogs have played in back-to-back national championship games. But at some point, all of the talent that got them that far would eventually be gone. And that is the case this season. Butler lost their major contributors from the last few seasons; gone are Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, Zach Hahn, and Shawn Vanzant. The Bulldogs will be playing with 7 newcomers this season, and it

This is a terrible matchup for Wyoming as the Cowboys have struggled to stop the run this season and they will now be facing a powerful Air Force option attack. Air Force is a strong offensive team that is averaging 34.0 points per game this season and 456 total yards at 6.3 yards per play (versus opponents that allow just 29.4 ppg and 5.9 yppl). Air Force runs the ball on 76% of their total offensive plays for 68% of their total offensive yards and overall the Falcons are averaging 310 rushing yards per game this season and 5.6 yards per rush (versus opponents that allow just 192 yards and 4.7 ypr).

Wyoming has a terrible rush defense that is allowing 233 rushing yards per game this season and an awful 5.3 yards per carry (versus opponents that average just 4.7 ypr). Wyoming also has a terrible pass defense that permits 8.2 yards per pass (versus opponents that average just 6.8 ypp). Air Force doesn't throw the ball much, but they are very efficient when they do, averaging 8.6 yards per pass (versus opponents that allow just 7.7 ypp), so the Falcons should have success on both the ground and thru the air today.

Wyoming has allowed 333, 318, 154, 292, and 390 rushing yards in their past five games, so Air Force will score plenty of points in this game. The question becomes if Wyoming can keep the game close and play from behind. This is unlikely as Wyoming's weakness on offense is a below-average passing attack which is averaging just 6.8 yards per pass this season (versus opponents that allow 7.5 ypp). This weak passing attack makes a backdoor cover unlikely and should allow Air Force to extend their lead and win by at least three touchdowns today.

9* Play AIR FORCE (-).

Game analysis will ready at 12 pm ET.

10* Play ST. JOSEPH'S (-).

The Chargers enter tonight's game off three straight losses, but San Diego could have won all three of those recent games. San Diego held a 21-10 lead at halftime versus the Jets before being outscored 0-17 in the second half. San Diego carried a hangover into their Monday night game at Kansas City and trailed 3-13 at halftime, but the Chargers rallied in the second half and were set to win the game in regulation time until QB Philip Rivers fumbled the snap from center. Overall, the Chargers held a 447-341 total yard edge and a 6.3 to 5.1 yards per play advantage. San Diego 38-45 loss last Sunday versus the Packers was also a bit misleading as the Packers got 14 of their points off two interception returns for touchdown. Overall, San Diego held a 460-368 total yard edge (6.7-6.6 yppl) against Green Bay.

Both Oakland and San Diego have to play tonight on just three days of rest, however this situation is much tougher on the road team as the Raiders lost a day of preparation due to traveling. Historically, these Thursday night home teams win a high percentage of the time and the Chargers fit a solid 70% ATS situation based on that premise.

San Diego is a solid offensive team that is averaging 24.9 points per game and 407 total yards at 6.1 yards per play. They have been especially strong thru the air with 295 passing yards and 7.7 yards per pass. The Chargers will now be facing a suspect Oakland defense that just allowed 38 points and 412 total yards (299 rushing yards) versus Denver last weekend. Overall, the Raiders are allowing a terrible 27.0 points per game this season (versus opponents that average just 22.6 ppg) and 386 total yards at 5.8 yards per play (versus opponents that average just 5.5 yppl).

8* Play CHARGERS (-).

Georgia Tech opened the season with a perfect 6-0 record. But since then, the Yellow Jackets have gone just 1-2. And before we give them too much credit for their unbeaten start, note that they played Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee St, Kansas, North Carolina, NC State, and Maryland. Those six teams have a combined record of just 18-36 SU. Over their last three games, Georgia Tech lost 24-21 at Virginia, lost 24-7 at Miami, and beat Clemson at home 31-17. The game that we

Rotation #106

Temple is coming off back-to-back road losses, but the Owls should perform better at home tonight against a sub-par Miami-Ohio squad. Temple has faced two other below average teams at home this season and the Owls dominated both games with a 42-7 win versus Villanova and a 34-0 win versus Buffalo. Temple held +200 and +303 total yard edges in each of those wins.

Despite a high-scoring 31-35 loss last week, Temple has still been a strong defensive team this season, allowing just 12.8 points per game and only 4.7 yards per play (versus opponents that average 24.3 ppg and 5.4 yppl). In fact, Temple has held 7 of their 9 opponents to 14 points or less this year.

Temple received an offensive spark with last week with the insertion of QB Chris Coyer in the lineup. He is a multi-dimensional threat that threw for 3 touchdowns and 123 yards at Ohio and also rushed for 184 yards on the ground. Combined, Coyer accounted for 307 rushing + passing yards last week. Temple should hold a huge rushing advantage tonight as the Owls are averaging 258 yards per game on the ground and 5.1 yards per carry (versus opponents that allow just 4.4 ypr), while Miami-Ohio has a terrible rushing offense that is averaging just 79 yards and 2.4 yards per carry (versus opponents that allow 4.2 ypr).

This is a major revenge game for Temple after losing 3-23 as an 8.5-point road favorite last year in late November at Miami-Ohio. The Owls had a 4-1 turnover deficit in that game, but should play a lot better at home tonight. Miami's current 4-1 SU run in their past five games is misleading as the Redhawks defeated weak teams in Army, Kent, Buffalo, and Akron. When stepping up in class this season, Miami-Oh has struggled with a 21-point loss at Toledo and a 27-point home loss versus Cincinnati.

8* Play TEMPLE (-).

After opening the season at 1-4, many wrote the Philadelphia Eagles off. They were the hype team of the summer, but after their disastrous start, the Eagles have falling by the wayside. But their last two games were outstanding efforts, and those games put the

Rotation #428

The Chargers will finally get to play a game on their home field after three straight road games with a bye mixed in. After traveling cross country to face the Jets, and then letting one get away in Kansas City on Monday night, the Chargers return home to host the undefeated Green Bay Packers. The defending Super Bowl champs come into this game at 7-0, but they

Rotation #419

As good as the Broncos hope that Tim Tebow will be, the Oakland Raiders are probably beginning to realize how good Jason Campbell

Rotation #413

Before you get too caught up in the buzz surrounding the sudden resurgence of the Kansas City Chiefs, let

LSU is currently ranked #1 because they have played a tougher overall schedule, but Alabama is the best team in the nation and #1 in my power ratings. The Crimson Tide have one of the most dominant defenses ever as Alabama is allowing just 6.9 points per game and only 180 total yards at 3.2 yards per play (versus opponents that average 23.2 ppg, 324 yards, and 5.0 yppl). Alabama has been fantastic against both the run and the pass, allowing just 45 rushing yards and 1.7 yards per carry (versus opponents that average 129 yards and 3.6 ypr), and allowing only 48.1% completions and 4.5 yards per pass (versus opponents that average 54.3% and 6.6 ypp).

LSU is also a solid defensive team, but the Tigers were exposed in their one true road game against a good offensive opponent this season at West Virginia when the Mountaineers gained 533 total yards, including 463 passing yards. The 47-21 final score was misleading due to a 4-0 turnover deficit by WVU. Alabama biggest defensive edge comes inside the red zone where the Tide rank 5th in the nation, while LSU is ranked 117th in red zone defense.

Alabama also has the better offense as the Crimson Tide is averaging 39.4 points per game and 6.8 yards per play (versus opponents that allow just 23.9 ppg and 5.3 yppl). This makes Alabama's offense +1.5 yards per play better than their opponents faced. This number is superior to LSU who has averaged just 5.6 yards per play (versus opponents that allow 5.1 yppl), making the Tigers just +0.5 yppl better than average on offense.

Alabama has a strong home field where they stand 25-1 SU in last 26 home games and they are 5-0 SU this season, winning by an average score of 40-5 and out-gaining their opponents 464-166 in total yards (6.9-2.9 yppl). Alabama won the 2009 meeting 24-15 at home and held a dominating 452-253 total yard edge, but they lost 24-21 at LSU last season, so this is a revenge spot for the Crimson Tide tonight. Head coach Nick Saban is an excellent 14-2 SU (13-3 ATS) in SEC revenge games during the past decade. Alabama is also unlikely to let up after blowing a 24-0 lead versus Auburn last season. Teams normally keep their foot on the gas pedal in high-profile championship type games and most #1 vs. #2 matchups have been decided by double-digit margins over the past decade.

9* Play ALABAMA (-).

Eastern Michigan cashed an easy ticket for us two weeks ago when they won outright as a +12.5 point underdog versus Western Michigan. There is once again value with the Eagles who remain an underrated team this season. Eastern Michigan was just 2-22 SU in the first two seasons under current head coach Ron English, but teams often make their biggest improvements in a coach

Rotation #352

After four consecutive wins to open the season, the Texas Longhorns ran into the state of Oklahoma. Consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had the Longhorns a bit deflated heading into their bye week. But Texas came out last week and destroyed a terrible Kansas team 43-0. The Longhorns had a whopping 690 yards of total offense in that game, while holding Kansas to just 240 total yards. That game gave Texas their momentum back, and we fully expect them to carry it over into this game against a very overrated Texas Tech team.

Texas Tech

This a major flat spot for USC tonight after their heart-breaking triple overtime loss versus Stanford last week. USC is not eligible for postseason play this year, so basically the past two weeks against Notre Dame and Stanford were "bowl" games for the Trojans. USC pulled the upset win at Notre Dame two weeks ago and USC was in position for another huge win last week before losing in triple overtime against Stanford. High-scoring and close losses often leave teams deflated and that is extremely likely tonight for USC.

A letdown is even more likely against a 1-8 SU Colorado squad that has struggled this season in their first year of PAC-12 conference play. This is a very difficult scheduling situation for USC as they must play on a short week and travel into the thin air and altitude of Boulder, Colorado.

While the Buffaloes have struggled recently, a lot of it has been due to injuries. Colorado is starting to get healthy, especially on offense, as QB Tyler Hansen returned last week against Arizona State after being injured in the Oregon game two weeks ago. Hansen is having a solid season, averaging 7.2 yards per pass with a 14/6 TD/INT ratio. Colorado will also be getting their best running back and wide receiver back tonight as RB Rodney Stewart and WR Paul Richardson are both probable after missing last week. Despite missing recent games, Stewart is still the team's leading rusher with 113 attempts and 473 yards and Richardson is Colorado's leading receiver with 30 receptions and 488 yards for an excellent 16.3 yards per catch.

Colorado holds a huge situational edge tonight as double-digit home underdogs often perform better than expected in these primetime weeknight games. This is basically Colorado's "bowl" game tonight and USC is likely to be flat after losing their "bowl" game last week.

10* Play COLORADO (+).

Both teams just played last Saturday, so they are each playing with just four days of rest tonight. However, this situation is much tougher for Tulsa tonight for two main reasons. First, Tulsa is the road team which means they have one less day of practice and preparation time, especially since Central Florida played at home last Saturday and will not have to travel at all. The second reason UCF has a scheduling edge tonight is because the Golden Knights have already played two other games on short rest this season. Central Florida played a Friday night road game at BYU in September on just five days or rest in the thin air and altitude, plus UCF played at UAB last month on just four days of rest. Central Florida lost both of those games, however the Knights had a severe scheduling disadvantage in both spots. That will not be the case tonight. In fact, the disadvantage now applies to Tulsa on the road.

Central Florida has been a strong team at home this season and a weak team on the road. The home team is now a perfect 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS in all Central Florida games this season. UCF is 4-0 SU at home where they have outscored their four home opponents by +35 points per game (37-2) on average, while holding a 468-131 total yardage edge (6.5-2.7 yards per play). Overall, Central Florida has a been a strong defensive team this season, allowing just 14.2 points per game and 245 total yards at 4.4 yards per play (versus opponents that average 19.3 ppg and 4.9 yppl). UCF is strong against both the run and pass, allowing just 84 rushing yards per game at 3.2 ypr and 161 passing yards per game at 5.5 yards per pass (versus opponents that average 6.4 ypp).

Central Florida is also a solid offensive team that is averaging 6.1 yards per play which is actually better than Tulsa's 5.9 yards per play on offense. Both teams rush for 4.5 yards per carry, but Central Florida throws for 8.4 yards per pass with 68.4% completions this season which is better than Tulsa's 7.7 yards per pass and 60.7% completions. Central Florida is solid on both offense and defense and they hold a substantial scheduling advantage in this game, so there is nice value with the Golden Knights as a small home favorite tonight.

8*Play CENTRAL FLORIDA (-).

This is a divisional rematch from a month ago. San Diego hosted Kansas City and won 20-17 as a whopping 14-point favorite. The final score makes it appear as if the game was actually close, but it wasn

Both teams come into tonight

Washington has lost back-to-back games since their bye week; they lost 20-13 at home to the Eagles and 33-20 in Carolina last week. Head coach Mike Shanahan started John Beck at quarterback last week in place of Rex Grossman. That move may be more beneficial this week as Beck was able to get in a full game of work against the Panthers which should have him sharper for this game against the Bills. Beck played okay last week as he threw for 279 yards and a touchdown. This week he

The Rams are struggling, but this is still a team that was one game away from winning their division and making the playoff last season, and they are now installed as nearly a two touchdown home underdog. Teams in this situation have been a long-term 60% ATS play, plus winless underdogs at this point in the season are a long-term 63% ATS winner.

New Orleans is coming off an easy 62-7 home win last Sunday night, but they must now travel and play their 4th road game in the past 5 weeks. That blowout on national TV has also caused the oddsmakers to inflate this line. In fact, the Rams are now getting almost two full touchdowns on their home field which is the same line as two games ago on the road versus the Packers who are the best team in the NFL. Keep in mind that St. Louis played much better than that 24-3 loss indicated at Green Bay as the Rams gained 424 total yards and had several failed scoring attempts in the redzone. Another reason for the inflated line today is the fact that the Rams' starting QB Sam Bradford is out with an ankle injury. However, veteran backup A.J. Feeley has similar career numbers with a 69.1 QB rating and 6.1 yards per pass average, while Bradford has a 75.4 QB rating and 6.0 ypp average, so the drop off will be minimal.

The Rams actually match up well in this game as the strength of their defense this season has been their pass defense which is allowing just 55% completions and only 7.0 yards per pass (versus opponents that average 62% and 7.7 ypp). This solid secondary will be important versus a New Orleans' offense that averages 341 passing yards per game and throws for 73% of their total offensive yards this year.

The Rams do not have a good passing attack, but they should have success on the ground today against a weak New Orleans' rush defense that is allowing a poor 5.4 yards per carry (versus opponents that average just 4.3 ypr). The Rams matchup well in this game and there is plenty of line value with this double-digit home underdog.

9* Play RAMS (+).

Wisconsin was undefeated heading into their game last week at Michigan St. And it looked like they were well on their way to another win after jumping out to a 14-0 lead. But Michigan St stormed back in the second quarter as they scored 23 points to take a 9-point lead at the half. Wisconsin did not quit though as they rallied to tie the game at 31 with just over a minute left to play. However, on the final play of the game, Michigan St connected on a Hail Mary pass and won 37-31. That was a heartbreaking loss for the Badgers, and that game will have a lingering affect on their play in this game.

Momentum plays a huge role in college football. Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans have plenty of it after their big win on the road at Notre Dame last week. Since 2007, the Trojans are 30-11 ATS (73%) after a win and they

On the surface, these two teams look worlds apart. South Carolina comes in at 6-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. Tennessee limps in with a 3-4 overall record and a 0-4 conference record. However, Tennessee has played the much tougher conference schedule; the Vols have played Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Alabama. The Gamecocks have played one tough conference opponent and they slipped past Georgia 45-42. Their other wins have come against Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Mississippi St. So despite the big difference in win/loss records, we really don

Oregon St is just starting to round into form now. Under Mike Riley, the Beavers have been notoriously slow starters. That was the case once again this season as they opened the season at 0-4 losing those games by a combined 59 points. But the team has found themselves lately as they

Many people doubted Michigan St after their 31-13 loss at Notre Dame. But after consecutive wins against Michigan, Ohio St, and Wisconsin, the Spartans have silenced those doubters while proving that they are indeed, a very solid team. Next up for Sparty is a trip to Lincoln to face a Nebraska team that comes into this game with the same record (6-1) as Michigan St. Nebraska will definitely want to run the football, but it will be tough sledding against Michigan St. The Spartans are only allowing opponents to rush for 89 yards per game on a miniscule 2.8 yards per rush. Overall, the Spartans are holding opponents to less than 220 yards of total offense per game.

Nebraska has run the ball 68% of the time so far this season; they only attempt an average of 22 passes per game. Michigan St

Coming into this season, BYU was a play-on team after the Cougars closed 2010 by winning five of their last six games. They opened this season with an uninspiring 14-13 win at Mississippi, but then lost back-to-back games including a 54-10 drubbing at home to Utah. That game soured many on BYU. But since then, the Cougars have ripped off 5 consecutive wins while playing some outstanding football. A major reason for their reversal of form was the change head coach Bronco Mendenhall made at quarterback. He replaced Jake Heaps with Riley Nelson and the Cougars

We saw opposite results from these teams last week. Virginia opened as a 5-point home favorite (closed at -3) over North Carolina St and the Cavaliers lost that game 28-14. Miami was a short 2

Coming into this season, there was a clear perception that one of these teams would be much better than the other. But midway through the season, the difference has yet to be seen. Connecticut went 8-5 last season and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. But after losing head coach Randy Edsall to Maryland, the Huskies were projected to see a major regression this season. But it hasn

Pittsburgh has been a different team on the road than at home so far this season. In their three home games, the Steelers are 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS. They won those three games by a combined 79-30. In their three road games, the Steelers are 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS. Their lone win came by just 3 points over a terrible Indianapolis team; they

For the second time in three years, Tampa Bay will make the flight across the Atlantic to play in London. Two years ago, the Buccaneers were embarrassed by the Patriots 35-7 and they will be looking to have a much better showing in front of the English fans this time. This is a gigantic game for Tampa Bay. The Bucs are owned by the Glazer family who also own the Manchester Soccer Franchise in London. They will have the crowd advantage in Wembley Stadium, and since they lost their first trip back in 2009, the whole Tampa Bay organization would like to get a solid win for their international fans. With this being their second trip overseas, Tampa

Wisconsin has been impressive this season as the Badgers have won all six of their games by at least 30+ points. However, they have only played one good team this year and that was Nebraska at home and the Cornhuskers have turned out to be a very mediocre defensive team this season, allowing 27.2 points per game and 373 yards (5.5 yards per play). This is also a very difficult scheduling situation for Wisconsin as they have not played a true road game all season as they have played five home games and one game on a neutral field.

Michigan State is a solid team. Their 31-13 loss at Notre Dame last month was misleading as the Spartans actually held a 21-18 first down edge and a 358-275 total yards advantage and were only out-gained 4.6-4.7 yards per play. Holding Notre Dame to only 275 total yards and 4.7 yards per play on the road is very impressive as the Irish are averaging 467 total yards and 6.6 yards per play in all games this season.

Michigan State is an excellent defensive team that also held Michigan to just 14 points and 250 total yards (3.7 yppl) last week. This is incredible considering Michigan was averaging 38.0 points and 458 yards per game (7.4 yppl) entering last week

This game presents the rare opportunity to take a double-digit home underdog that holds a substantial edge in the rushing department. Eastern Michigan is averaging 229 rushing yards per game this season and 5.1 yards per carry (versus opponents that allow just 155 yards and 4.0 ypr). The Eagles have been even stronger at home, averaging 297 rushing yards and 6.1 yards per carry. Eastern Michigan should have plenty of success today against a terrible Western Michigan rush defense that is permitting 217 yards per game on the ground and 5.9 yards per carry (versus opponents that average just 4.4 ypr). The Broncos

North Carolina deserved much better than their 30-24 home loss to Miami (Fla) last week. The Tar Heels actually out-yarded the Hurricanes 429-311 but a couple of critical turnovers cost them the game. Off that home loss as a favorite, North Carolina is now undervalued on the road as they are a double digit underdog against a Clemson team in which they were a 2

Cincinnati heads to South Florida with a little revenge on their minds after losing 38-30 to the Bulls as a 9-point home favorite last season. The Bearcats

Oklahoma St is still unbeaten after winning and covering at Texas last week. The Cowboys won that game 38-26, but the game was much closer than that final score indicates. Texas rolled up 231 rushing yards on Oklahoma St

If you just look at the records of these two teams, you might be surprised that Louisville is laying points to Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 5-1 on the season while the Cardinals check in at just 2-4. However, Rutgers has been extremely fortunate to have the record they have while Louisville has been unfortunate in some of their losses. Rutgers has also benefited from playing four of their six games at home while Louisville has played half of their games on the road.

Rutgers comes into tonight

The complexion of this game changed dramatically after Arizona suffered their fifth straight loss of the season at Oregon St. Mike Stoops was fired after that loss, and Arizona defensive coordinator Tim Kish was given the interim head coaching title. The Wildcats have had 12 days to get settled in with the coaching change and prepare for tonight

Both of these teams come limping into tonight

Both the Vikings and Bears have struggled this season, but Minnesota is still the better overall team and they present value as an underdog tonight. Despite a 1-4 SU record, the Vikings have been in a position to win all five of their games this season. Minnesota has held the lead in all five games which includes a 17-7 lead versus the Chargers, a 17-0 lead versus Tampa Bay, and a 20-0 lead versus Detroit. The Vikings finally played a solid a game from start to finish last week in an easy 34-10 win versus Arizona and Minnesota should carry that momentum into tonight

No team in the NFL was in need of a bye week more than the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have been dealing with injuries to key players since Week 1, and after an emotional and heartbreaking loss to the Lions in their last game, the Cowboys needed a week off to heal up and refocus. QB Tony Romo has been playing through a rib injury that is close to being healed and he will have both of his best receivers in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant on the field for the first time together since the season opener. The Cowboys have also struggled with injuries on defense, especially in the backfield where cornerback Orlando Scandricks

There is a theory in sports that some teams seem to play to the level of their competition. The New York Giants seem to fit into that category this season. After starting the season 3-1, the Giants laid a total egg against the Seahawks last week as a 9