There must be some kind of curse on Buffalo Bills kickers in the postseason. Those misses back in the Super Bowl days on Sunday Buffalo's Tyler Bass missed the game tying 44-yard field goal with 1:47 left in the 4th quarter.  Once again we get the Kansas City Chiefs surviving and heading the the AFC Championship. Patrick Mahomes was 17 of 23 for 215 yards and two TD's for the Chiefs connecting on both TD's to his favorite target, Kelce. Kelce had five receptions for 75 yards and those two TD's.  Josh Allen was 26 of 39 for just 186 yards and one TD. He also led the team in rushing with 12 rushes for 76 yards and two TD's. The Ravens had little trouble with the Houston Texans on Saturday, winning 34-10. The game was tied at half, 10-10, but the Ravens pulled way in the second half for a 24-0 run. QB Larmar Jackson had two passing and two rushing TD's in the win. He also led the team in rushing with 100 yards. Now we get two see two of the most dynamic QB's in the game matchup here on Sunday. KC proved that they can win a playoff game on the road with Mahomes, their first on the road with him. Now he has to do it again for the Chiefs to return to the Super Bowl. For me, this one is a no-brainer, I'm taking these points with the Chiefs as my NFL Game of the Year and expect a straight-up win. 

The Philadelphia Eagles limp into the playoffs. After what looked like a sure thing for them to win the NFC East, they lost it to the Dallas Cowboys because of a 1-5 s/u stretch to finish the season. That culminating in a loss at the NY Giants, 10-27, as a 5-point favorite in the final game. They are also 0-6 ATS to finish the season. The once very good defense allowed at least 20 points in each of those last six games and over 30 in three of those games. QB Jalen Hurts comes into this game banged up with a injured finger on his throwing hand and his top target, AJ Brown is questionable with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay comes into this Wildcard game with momentum. They Bucs have won five of their last six and covered four of the last five. The defense has been very good, allowing just 19.1 ppg on the season. QB Baker Mayfield is also banged-up as he has a bad ankle. That's not good for an offense that ranked just 20th in scoring. They also finished last in rushing so Mayfield needs to be on his game today if they hope to win. Too many question marks on both these offenses today. I'm taking the under in this one.

The NFL Super Wildcard playoffs continue here on Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys welcome the Green Bay Packers to town. The Packers are the 7th seed in the NFC with a 9-8 record. The Cowboys finished with the #2 Seed in the NFC and won the NFC East. Jordan Love led the Packers with over 4,000 yards passing and 32 TD's. Love has lots of targets on the offense including a pair of tight ends. The Packers are young and inexperienced though with the youngest roster in the NFL. They are 12th ranked in the NFL in points scored and 9th in rushing offense. Aaron Jones return to the lineup has greatly improved the rushing attack. The Packers also have the top scoring offense in the third quarter of games this year. The defense will have its hands full on Sunday with the high flying Dallas offense. Dallas is 8-0 at home this year with a 21.5 point scoring differential. Dak Prescot leads the offense with over 4,500 passing yards and a league best 36 touchdowns. Ceedee Lamb set a Cowboys team record in receptions and yards. The Cowboys have the top ranked scoring offense in the NFL and at home average 37 points per game. Love should get his shots too and I expect this game to go OVER the total on Sunday.

These teams met back on Christmas eve as the Browns defeated the Texans, 36-22 in Houston. WR Amari Cooper set a Browns record with 265 yards receiving. Cleveland comes in winners in four of the last five games. They lost in the last week of the regular season as they rested most of their starters. The Browns have QB Joe Flacco at QB who has Super Bowl experience with Baltimore. The Texans got to the playoffs behind exciting Rookie QB CJ Stroud. They had to beat the Colts in the final week of the season to get here and they did, 23-19. Though they had to hold the Colts on 4th down inside the redzone that could have been the difference in that game. Stroud plays in his first NFL playoff game. How will he do against veteran Flacco? He will face a very good Browns defense and will face a lot of pressure in this game. The Browns have done well as the favorite, going 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS on the season. I like the experience and defense of the Browns in this game. Play Cleveland.

We have to look at the players that are in the portal or opting out for the NFL draft. These players change the way the team looks from how they did before they got here. That's really important in this game today between North Carolina and West Virginia in the Mayo Bowl from Charlotte, NC. I'm not even going to look at the stats these teams put up during the regular season. Instead lets see who's sitting out. Tar Heals hit hard in this area. TE Kamari Morales, WR Tychaun Chapman, WR Andre Greene, CB Tayon Holloway, DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones, and LB Sebastian Cheeks transferred. QB Drake Maye, LB Cedric Gray, C Corey Gaynor, and WR Tez Walker will sit out the bowl game to prepare for the draft. The big one is QB Maye and Walker. That completely shifts the dynamics of this game. The Mountaineers should run crazy over the this 89th ranked Tar Heel run defense. Plus they will miss all those players, especially Maye. I'm taking West Virginia here on Wednesday.

The Chicago Bears won their second straight game last week with a big home win over the Detroit Lions, 28-13, as a 3-point dog. The Bears were my NFC North Game of the Year Winner. The Bears are also 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games. The Bears average 20.8 ppg while allowing 23.8 ppg. They also average 324.2 ypg and allow 314.5 ypg. The Bears are 5-8 overall and in last in the NFC North. They will hit the road here today to face the Browns in Cleveland. Always have to look at the weather in Cleveland. It's going to be in the 40's with rain showers and winds from 15 Mph. The Cleveland Browns snapped their 2-game losing streak with a win over Jacksonville last week, 31-27, as a 2.5-point favorite. That improved them to 8-5 both S/U and ATS. The Browns have been very good at home, 6-1 S/U and ATS and out score their visitors by a 20.6 to 12.6 margin. The Browns have the best defense in the NFL, allowing 263 yards per game. That combined with the weather will be all the Browns need in this game. Play Cleveland.

It's been one of those years for the Tennessee Titans. They are in last place in the NFC South with a 4-8 record and won't be going to the postseason this year. They average just 17.7 ppg and allow 21.2 ppg. They also average just 292.1 ypg while giving up 337.0 ypg. They have lost three of their last four games both S/U and ATS. That includes last week at home to Indianapolis, 28-31, as a 1-point dog. That was a high in points, in fact the 28 points last week was a season high for the team. Miami is 9-3 on the season and 8-4 vs the spread. The Dolphins are in first place in the AFC East with the Bills on their heels. This team can score, with an average of 32 ppg on the season while they allow 22.2 ppg. They also average 428.4 ypg while allowing just 300.2 ypg. With the Jets next week the Dolphins have nothing to take their attention away from tonight's contest. I'm taking the Dolphins in a Monday night blowout. Play Miami.

The Detroit Lions jumped out to a huge lead last week at New Orleans, but had to hold on late to get the win, 33-28 as a 4-point favorite. The Lions rushing game continues to shine with 142 last week and at least 140 in four of their last five games. The Lions have now won four of their last five games and eight of the last 10 for their 9-3 record to go along with their 8-4 ats mark. Unless the Lions completely collapse in their last five games, they should cruise to the NFC North crown. They lead 2nd place Green Bay and Minnesota by 3-games with five to play. They do face Minnesota twice yet along with Denver and Dallas. The Bears won't be going to the postseason with their 4-8 record. They are coming off a big win at Minnesota last week, 12-10 as a 3-point dog. It was just on Nov 19th that they faced the Lions in Detroit and gave them all they could handle in their loss, 26-31, covering the 8-point line. In that game they rushed for 183 yards on the Lions defense while holding the Lions to just 115 yards rushing. It will be cool in Chicago with the temps in the 30's and winds around 12 mph. That might not seem like a lot but it can hinder passing. This game looks to be controlled more on the ground and with that I'm going to take the Bears who had run all over the Lions just a few games ago. Take Chicago.

Rematch of the NFC Championship game from last year has San Francisco 49ers making the trek East to play the Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers are 8-3 S/U and 6-4-1 ATS on the season. they average 28.2 ppg and give up just 15.5 ppg. They also average 386.1 ypg while allowing 295.3 ypg. The 49ers have a 2.5 game lead in the NFC West over Seattle who lost at Dallas on Thursday. The 49ers have won three straight games, covering two of those. They have scored at least 27 points in those game while allowing no more than 14 points. The Eagles are 10-1 S/U and 7-2-2 ATS on the season. They are 1.5-games ahead of Dallas which won on Thursday. A loss today would setup a showdown with the Cowboys next week for the division lead. Don't think Philly will be looking much past this game since this is the Niners. The Eagles average 28.2 ppg and 364.3 ypg. They allow 22.4 ppg and 341 ypg on the season. The defense is not as dominant as it was last year, but still good. Their only loss coming back on Oct 15 at the NY Jets, 14-20. Since that loss they have won five straight games and gone 4-0-1 ATS. This is the marquee game on Sunday. I'm going to take the 49ers but lay just the money line as I look for a win out of San Francisco.

ACC Championship game from Charlotte, NC has Louisville taking on Florida State. Florida State will be without it's leader in this one as QB Jordan Travis will be out for the rest of the season with a leg injury. He missed last week's rivalry game with Florida, but that didn't really come into playa as the Seminoles beat their rivals, 24-15, covering the 6-point favorite line. Still, they had just 90 yards rushing and 134 yards passing in the win. This was a team averaging 38.7 ppg on the season and 432 yards. Florida State will have its perfect 12-0 record on the line here today. Louisville finished 2nd in the ACC with a 10-2 record. This team average 33 ppg while allowing just 20 ppg. They also averaged 440.1 ypg while allowing just 317.2 ypg. Louisville is coming off a loss to their rivals, Kentucky, last week, 31-38, as a 7.5-point favorite. Louisville's defense much better than Florida's and this Seminole team had issues moving the ball last week. I'm taking Louisville to win this game without the QB for Florida State in the lineup.

 New Mexico State and Liberty face off here on Friday for the Conference USA Championship. The New Mexico State Aggies were 10-3 S/U and 7-1 in conference this season. Liberty Flames were perfect with a 12-0 overall and 8-0 conference records. New Mexico State is coming off a 20-17 win over Jacksonville state as a 2.5-point dog. Liberty is coming off a 42-28 win over UTEP as a 18-point favorite. The one time these teams met was back on Sept 9 with Liberty winning, 33-17, as a 9.5-point favorite. New Mexico State brings a 8-game win streak into today's contest. They will try and hand Liberty it's only defeat to date. The Aggies average 28.2 ppg and have a very well balanced offense that averages 217 rushing yards and 205 passing yards per game. They also play well defensively, allowing 19.7 ppg on the season. Liberty averages 40.1 ppg and they also have a well balanced offense that averages 203 rushing and 295 passing yards per game. They allow 21.7 ppg. Liberty has a slight edge on offense but New Mexico State gives up a bit less on defense. Getting all these points today is difficult to pass on. I'll take New Mexico State.

 Week 13 of the NFL kicks off here on Thursday Night with a NFC battle between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks have lost two straight games after their loss last week at home to the 49ers, 13-31, as a 7-point dog. The Hawks had just 220 total yards in the game. Seattle is 2nd in the NFC West with a 6-5 record, though two-games back now of the 8-3 49ers. A few weeks ago Seattle look like they would make the playoffs, now they are a underdog to get there. And, the teams they are battling for a Wildcard have some of the easiest schedules remaining. Seattle still can make the playoffs but they have a tough game tonight at Dallas. The Cowboys are 8-3 S/U and ATS on the season. They are in second place in the NFC East, two games back of the 10-1 Eagles. Philly plays the 49ers this week and that is going to be a touch game for the Eagles. Dallas could close to one game back after week 13. Then, next week it's one of the biggest impact games with Dallas hosting the Eagles. It could be these teams will be tied after that game. This is the biggest reason I'm taking Seattle tonight. I expect Dallas to have their eyes looking ahead to next week's Eagles game. And with this big spread and the Hawks needing to win, we could see Seattle stay very close in this game or even have a shot to win. I'm taking the Seahawks here on Thursday.

Sunday Night action here has the Baltimore Ravens traveling to LA to play the Chargers. The Ravens will be without a key offensive player in TE Mark Andrews, who is out with a leg injury. The Ravens are in first place in the AFC North with a 8-3 record. They also have a great point differential of +127. The Ravens average 27.6 ppg while allowing 16.1 ppg. Baltimore bounced back from their loss to Cleveland two weeks ago with a win last week over Cincinnati, 34-20, as a 4-point favorite. The Chargers are 4-6 S/U and 3-6 ATS on the season. If they hope to grab a wild card the Chargers will have to almost win out. They are in last in the AFC West, three games back of the Chiefs. The Chargers average 25.9 ppg and allow 23.8 ppg. They also average 354.3 ypg and allow 393.6 ypg. Even without Andrews the Ravens have enough offense to go with their excellent defense to get the cover today. Play Baltimore.

 One of the best rivalries here on Rivalry Saturday has No 8 Alabama taking on Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama has won nine straight games and is 10-1 overall and 7-0 in the SEC with playoff aspirations. Auburn is 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the SEC and looks to spoil Alabama's playoff run. Alabama's only loss of the season came way back on Sept 9th to Texas,24-34. Alabama will win the SEC West, but really needs an impressive win here today and some losses by PAC-12 teams to sneak into the playoff picture. Alabama's defense is once again very good, 17th in yards and 29th in points allowed. Auburn still trying to overcome that embarrassing home loss to New Mexico State, 10-31. It was the Aggies first ever SEC win and what hurts even more is that Auburn paid almost $2 million dollars for N.Mex State to come out and play the game. Auburn had just 213 total yards and 11 first downs vs the Aggies. Auburn is a strange team and they have the ability to stay in this game, but not if they are the team that lost last week to New Mexico State. I'm taking Alabama here to win and make a bid for one of the playoff spots.

The Miami Dolphins are 7-3 S/U and 6-4 ATS as they head to the Meadowlands to play the Jets here on Friday. The Dolphins are in 1st place in the AFC East, 1.5-games ahead of the Bills. They also have a +67 point differential and average 30.5 ppg while allowing 23.8 ppg. The offense averages 38.8 ppg at home but considerably less on the road with a 24.3 ppg average. They are coming off a home win over the Raiders, 20-13, failing to cover the 14-point line. They Dolphins have scored just 20 last game and 14 the week before. They have also gone under in three of their last four games. The Jets are 4-6 and 3-games back of the Dolphins in the division. The Jets average just 15 ppg on the season while allowing 20.4 ppg. The Jets have been a great under play, with their last five going under. They have also lost and failed to cover in each of their last three games. The Jets defense is good enough to keep them in this game, especially the way the Dolphins offense has played the last few weeks. For me, I'm taking the UNDER in this one.

It's not very often this can be said, but UNLV controls its own destiny. It can win the Mountain West on its own without any other help. But standing in the Rebels way is Air Force. Air Force is tie with UNLV and Fresno State in the conference at 8-2. However, the Falcons have lost two games in a row to a pair of teams they were 18 and 20 point favorites to. They lost at home to Army, 3-23, as a 18-point favorite then lost at Hawaii, 13-27, as a 20-point favorite. The Falcons score nearly 29 ppg and totaled just 16 points in the two losses. UNLV having its best season in recent memory. The Rebels will go to a bowl game but they want to win the conference. They have won two straight games since their loss to Fresno State. They beat New Mexico 56-14 and then last week beat Wyoming, 34-14. The Rebels offense has been great with 36.4 ppg and 423 ypg this season. This will be a great game, but I will take the points with the Rebels. Play UNLV.

The Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills conclude week 10 of the NFL tonight here on Monday Night Football. The Broncos horrible start to the season has seen a turnaround the last two weeks with a pair of wins and covers in a row. Denver beat Green Bay three weeks ago, 19-17, then two weeks ago beat Kansas City, 24-9 as a 7-point dog. Holding the KC Chiefs offense to 275 totals yards. Denver had last week off to prepare for tonight's contest. Denver scores 21.5 ppg while allowing 28.2 ppg. The latter coming way down the last few weeks. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have struggled, going 2-3 S/U and 0-5 ATS over the last five games. They are coming off a loss at Cincinnati last week, 18-24. The Bills average 26.7 ppg and allow 17.8 ppg. The Bills have gone under in six of their nine games this year, including four of their last five games. The Broncos have gone under in three straight games. I'm taking the UNDER here tonight.

NFC East matchup here on Sunday has the last place 2-7 NY Giants traveling to Texas to take on the 2nd place 5-3 Dallas Cowboys. The Giants have lost two straight games after losing last week in Las Vegas, 6-30, as a 1.5-point dog. The Giants offense has been horrible, scoring 14 points or fewer in each of their last four games. They had just 277 total yards last week. The Giants average 11.2 ppg and 268.9 ypg on the season. They allow 24.1 ppg and 338.3 ypg. Now they face a Dallas team that has averaged 27.5 ppg on the season and 346.5 yards. They are coming off a loss at Philadelphia last week, 23-28, as a 3-point dog. They will return home where they are 3-0 both S/U and ATS this season and average 37 ppg while allowing just 11 ppg. Bad spot for the Giants today. Not only do they not score but they face a Dallas team that will be looking to rebound from that loss last week. I'll lay the big points here today with Dallas as I believe the line should be at least a touchdown more than it is now. Play Dallas.

USC having a fine season, but they have struggled against the best teams. The Trojans are 7-3 S/U and 2-8 ATS and score 45.5 ppg with 485.5 yards per game. The problem is the defense, which allows 34.5 ppg and 436.5 yards. That was apparent again last week as their offense tried to stay with Washington, but couldn't keep them from scoring in a Huskies 52-42 win. The Trojans have now allowed a whopping 101 points in their last two games. It won't get any easier this week at they travel to Eugene to face the high scoring Oregon Ducks. The Ducks are 8-1 in and in 2nd place in the PAC 12 behind 9-0 Washington. Oregon averages 47.4 ppg and 540.1 yards. They are coming off a blowout win over Cal last week, 63-19, as a 27-point favorite. The Ducks should have little trouble scoring on this USC defense today. The Oregon defense is much better than USC, as they allow just 16 ppg and 301 yards. USC likely will get their points in this one, but they won't be able to match this Oregon offense. Play Oregon.

The Bears look to be without their starting QB in Justin Fields who is expected to miss another game with a thumb injury. That means Tyson Bagent is likely to start for the Bears. This contest starts week 10 as the 1-7 Panthers take on the 2-7 Bears. Not exactly a game likely to garner a lot of attention. Expect for us betting enthusiasts. This game holds some cash for us here tonight. I'm going to be on the UNDER. Tha Panthers offense has been anemic, averaging just 17.5 ppg and 283.4 yards. They are coming off a loss to the Colts, 13-27, going under the 45 point total. The Bears have been without Fields the last two weeks and the offense has just 13 points vs the Chargers and last week lost at New Orleans, 17-24, but did cover the 9-point dog line. This team will continue to rely on the ground game, as they average 135.3 yards per game and had 156 last week at the Saints. The defense has been better then expected, holding the last six teams to under 100 yards rushing. While this won't be the most exciting game, I'll be on the under as I don't expect to see a lot of scoring. Play UNDER.

The Buffalo Bills hit the road on Sunday for their game at Cincinnati. The Bills are 5-3 on the season and in 2nd place in the AFC East, one game back of Miami. They have a +86 point differential. The Bills also average 27.7 ppg while allowing 17 ppg. They average 376.9 ypg while allowing 326.1 ppg. The Bills are coming off a win over Tampa Bay last week, 24-18, but failed to cover the 10-points spread. In fact, they are 0-4 against the number the last four games. The Cincinnati Bengals are in 3rd place in the AFC North, behind 5-3 Pittsburgh and 6-2 Baltimore. They average 18.7 ppg while allowing 20.6 ppg on the season. The Bengals finally put together a complete game last week, beating San Francisco on the road, 31-17, as a 4.5-point dog. That makes three straight wins both S/U and ATS. They have also gone over in two of their last three games. The Bengals have also scored 31 points or more in two of the last three. I like the Bengals at home here on Sunday night. Play Cincinnati.

A couple of former Big East schools meet here today as Syracuse hosts Boston College. BC coming off a win over U Conn last week, 21-14, but failing to cover the 14.5-point spread. Syracuse coming off a loss at Virginia Tech, 10-38. The BC Eagles started the season at 1-3 but have since won four straight. Syracuse started the season 4-0 and have since dropped four straight games to even their record at 4-4. The have been outscored in those four games 34-150. They have also dropped all four vs the spread. Momentum seems to be all on the side of Boston College as we come into this contest. I'll take BC here plus the points.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won their fourth straight game after last week's win at New Orleans, 31-24, as a 2.5-point dog. The Jags haven't been dominating, but good enough. They average 24.7 ppg while allowing 20.9 ppg. They also average 336.3 ypg while giving up 354.4 ppg. The rushing defense has been very good, allowing just 80.6 ypg on the season. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is 4-2 S/U and ATS despite averaging just 17.2 ppg while giving up 21.2 ppg. The Jags 5-2 record has them in first place in the AFC South, with Houston and Indy the next closest teams at 3-3 and 3-4. Pittsburgh is in a crowded AFC North where the Ravens lead with a 5-2 record. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are at 4-2 and Cincinnati at 3-3. The Steelers have a -24 point differential, but somehow keep winning. This is a strange one for me. Not sure why the Jags are favored. But, that's ok, I'll take it. Play Pittsburgh!

 The 49ers look to rebound from that loss last week to the Cleveland Browns. The Niners led most of the way and then missed the game winning field goal late in the loss 17-19 as a 9.5-point favorite. For me I believe the Niners will rebound tonight. However, I have to side with the UNDER in this one as SF will be missing key offensive players. Their star running back Christian McCaffrey is questionable with a oblique injury. They could also miss some key offensive linemen. As for the Vikings, they will be without star WR Justin Jefferson who has a hamstring injury. And when we add that SF has one of the best defenses in the league. They allow just 14.5 ppg and 278 yards per game. For me, I'm just taking the UNDER in this one.

Sunday night football has the AFC vs the NFC as the Dolphins take on the Eagles. The Miami Dolphins are in first place in the AFC East with a 5-1 record. They have a point differential of +67 and have won two straight after last week's win over Carolina, 42-21, as a 14-point favorite. Their lone loss coming in that AFC East showdown with the Bills a few weeks ago, 20-48. The Eagles are in first place in the NFC East with a 5-1 record. They lead the Dallas Cowboys by one game. They have a +31 run differential and are a perfect 2-0 at home. The Eagles lost their first game of the season last week at the NY Jets, 14-20, as a 6.5-point favorite. They held the Jets to just 89 yards rushing and 155 yards passing. Should be an excellent game here on Sunday night. I'll take the Eagles at home.

Big 10 West clash as Minnesota take on 24th ranked Iowa from Ames. Iowa is 6-1 S/U and 4-2-1 ATS on the season. Minnesota coming off a bye week after losing to Michigan, 10-52 as a 18.5-point dog. Iowa is coming off a win over Wisconsin, 15-6. Minnesota will rely on the ground game, ranking 5th in the Big 10 in rushing with 180.5 yards per game. The defense ranks 10th in the Big 10 allowing 21.7 ppg. Iowa lost it's high profile transfer QB, Cade McNamara to a torn ACL. Deacon Hill has had to step into the starting position. Hill has averaged just 87.3 ypg passing thus far. The Hawkeyes rank 11th in the Big 10 in scoring with 20.9 ppg. They are last in passing with 116.6 ypg through the air. Hard to lay points with a Iowa team that will struggle to put TD's on the scoreboard. I'll take the points here with Minnesota.

Week 7 of the NFL begins tonight with the Jacksonville Jaguars traveling to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Saints are 3-3 S/U and 1-4-1 ATS on the season while the Jags are 4-2 S/U and ATS. The Jags are coming off a easy win over the Colts last week, 37-20. QB Trevor Lawrence was injured late in the game, but came back to finish up. There was some doubt on his status tonight, but he looks to play. The Jags defense has been very good vs the run (3rd in NFL) but bad vs the pass (31st). Meanwhile the Saints look to get some consistency after losing last week at Houston, 13-20. They were without star RB Alvin Kamara for the first suspended early on and then QB Derek Carr dealing with a shoulder injury. Despite just 13 points last week the team had 24 first downs and 430 total yards. How healthy will Lawrence be tonight could be the big question. The team has logged a bunch of miles traveling this year. With a poor rushing game a lot might be on a hobbling Lawrence. I'll take the Saints tonight in this one.

Conference USA clash this week between Middle Tennessee State and Liberty. Mid Tenn State Blue Raiders are just 2-5 S/U and 1-4 ATS. They are coming off their first cover of the season vs Louisiana Tech, 31-23, as a 3-point favorite. Now they face their biggest challenge of the season in undefeated Liberty Flames. The Flames are also 5-1 ATS. They are coming off a win over Jacksonville State, 31-13, as a 7-point favorite. The Flames average 35.3 ppg while allowing 17.2 ppg. They average 479.3 yards while allowing 315.3 yards per game. Mid Tenn gets outscored 31.9 to 22.1 on the season. The Blue Raiders offense is not that good, ranking 75th in total offense and 112th in rushing. The defense ranks 95th in the country and they give up the yards through the air as they rank 112th. They have to face Liberty's 12th ranked offense and a viscous ground game that is 3rd in the country. Also don't expect many turnover from this Liberty team as they protect the ball well, ranking 5th in the country in turnover differential. I fully expect Liberty to extend to 7-0 tonight and to easily cover this spread. Take Liberty as your Conference USA Game of the Year!

Jacksonville back on US soil after two straight weeks playing in London. The Jags might want to go there for a new home as they won both games in London. The Jags beat the Bills there last week, 25-20, and the Falcons the previous week, 23-7. That improved the team to 3-2 S/U and ATS on the season. The Jags offense has averaged 21 ppg this season while allowing 20.4 ppg. They have also averaged 358.2 ypg and allowed 344 ypg. The Indianapolis Colts got good news last week with the return of Jonathon Taylor after missing the first four games with a contract dispute. The Colts went right out last week and beat the Titans, 23-16. That makes them 3-2 S/U and ATS on the season. They have scored 24 ppg while allowing 23 ppg. These teams are pretty evenly matched. However, have to think the Jags might be a bit Jet lagged from their trips to London. I'm going to take the points here with the Colts.

The Louisville Cardinals improved to 6-0 S/U and 3-3 ATS with a big win and statement last week at home over Notre Dame, 33-20, as a 6-5-point dog. The Cardinals rushed for 185 yards and passed for another 145 yards in the win. They held the Irish to just 44 rushing yards. Louisville now averages 193 yards on the ground this year and 36.3 ppg. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has bad a rough go thus far at 1-4 both S/U and ATS. The Panthers coming off a loss two weeks ago at Virginia Tech, 21-38, as a 2.5-point favorite. They got the week off to rest and prepare for this week's game. Pitt averages 23.4 ppg while allowing 26 ppg. They have also averaged 308.8 ypg and allowed 303.8 ypg. Pitt has played better then its record shows. Pitt getting around or just over a TD at home. With the week off and getting the points, I'll take a shot with the Panthers here on Saturday and look for Louisville to have a letdown after that big win last week. Play Pittsburgh.

AFC West clash here on Thursday night football has the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs are 4-1 and comfortably in 1st place in the division while Denver is in last place at 1-4. The Chiefs have a +48 point differential while Denver is at -60 points. The Chiefs could be without one of their stars on Thursday, as TE Travis Kelce is questionable with an ankle injury. I'm going to be on the under in this game and mainly because the weather looks to be bad. There's chance of showers, but more important are the 21 mph winds. Winds, in my opinion, influence totals more than anything. And if Kelce doesn't play, then that will even make this a stronger play. Either way, I'll be on the UNDER on Thursday night.

The Philadelphia Eagles look to keep their perfect record in tact as they visit the LA Rams here on Sunday. The 4-0 Eagles just did get by the Washington Commanders last week in OT, 34-31, failing to cover the 9-point favorite line. The Eagles have a +28 point differential as they have scored 118 points and allowed 90. They will face a 2-2 Rams team that has a +13 point differential, scoring 98 points and allowing 85. Some good news for the Rams as they return their best WR in Cooper Kupp who has missed the season with a hamstring injury. Kupp was upgraded to probable for today's contest. The Eagles have averaged 392 yards this year while allowing 323 yards. They have relied more on their rushing game this year led by Kenneth Gainwell who has averaged more than 100 yards per game. The Rams are coming off a win at the Colts last week, 29-23 as they rsuhed for 164 yards and passed for another 303 yards. WR Puka Nacau has been a leader in the NFL this year with over 119 yards in three of his four starts. Now he gets Kupp back and that should only help both receivers. I'm taking the points here today at home with the Rams.

Mountain West clash here today has Wyoming hosting Fresno State from Laramie, WY. The Fresno State Bulldogs come into this game 24th in the nation at 5-0 and will face a 4-1 Cowboys squad. Fresno has beaten Wyoming in four straight games, including last year in a 30-0 shutout. Fresno coming off a tough outing last week vs Nevada, failing to cover the 25.5-point favorite spread in a 27-9 win. Still, the Dogs average 36.4 ppgs this season, ranking them 26th in the nation. They average 304.8 ypg passing (14th in nation) and 120.2 yards rushing (108th). Their defense is very good, allowing just 17 ppg (23rd in country) and allowing just 282 yards per game (14th). Wyoming coming off a fine start to the season at 4-1, with their only loss coming against Texas, 10-31. They won their first conference game last week against New Mexico, 35-26, failing to cover the 14.5-point line. Wyoming averages 26.6 ppg (84th) and 324.6 ypg (115th). The Wyoming offense will have troubles against this very good Fresno defense. I'll take Fresno and lay the points in this one.

Conference USA matchup here on Thursday night has Louisiana Tech hosting Western Kentucky from Joe Aillet Stadium. The La Tech Bulldogs are 3-3 S/U and 2-0 in conference play. The W.Ky Hilltoppers are 3-2 and 1-0 in conference play. W.Ky rebounded from a loss the week before with a win over Middle Tennessee State, 31-10 last week. They average 31.6 ppg this year, ranking 55th in the nation. They do allow 29.2 ppg, which is 98th in the nation. La Tech also won last week, snapping a 2-game losing skid by beating conference opponent UTEP, 24-10. The Dogs average 27 ppgs, good for 81st in the country. They allow 25.7 ppg, 76th in the country. QB Hank Bachmeier (shoulder) is listed as questionable here tonight. Western Ky is a 6-point road favorite. I'll take the points in this one. Play La Tech.

Sunday Night football has this AFC battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the NY Jets. The Chiefs were shocked at home in their opener by the Lions, but since that loss have rebounded with wins over Jacksonville, 17-9, and then last week over Chicago, 41-10. The offense finally clicked last week with 303 yards passing and 153 yards rushing. They held the Bears to just 203 total yards. QB Patrick Mahomes looked very sharp last week with 272 yards passing, three TD's and no INT's. Since his favorite targer Travis Kelce returned in game two, the offense has been much more sharp. The Jets had high hopes to start the season with QB Aaron Rodgers coming over from the Packers RB Dalvin Cook coming over from the Vikings. However, the Jets lost Rodgers 75 seconds into the season with a season ending injury and Cook has been less then effective in three starts with a high of 33 yards rushing in game one. Zach Wilson resumed at QB and has been poor at best with three INT's and Two TD's in his three games. Not sure how the Jets offense will keep up with Mahomes and company in this one. Might take a miracle. take Kansas City.

 One of the marque games on the schedule for Saturday has Notre Dame taking on Duke. The Notre Dame Irish are 4-1 on the season after a tough game at home last week vs Ohio State, 14-17, pushing the 3-point dog line. The Irish are now 3-1-1 vs the number. Notre Dame had 176 yards rushing and 175 yards passing vs Ohio State for 351 yards. They held the Buckeyes to 366 yards. Their rushing attack ranks 30th in the nation this year. Duke was 9-4 last year and returned 18 starters this year. It's no wonder they have looked very good as they start 4-0. They are also 3-1 vs the spread with their only loss coming against Lafayette as they failed to cover a 43-point line. They have held three of their first four opponents to just seven points each and 14 to Northwestern. The defense allows just 276 total yards per game while the offense is averaging 424 yards. The offense ranks 49th in the nation and 26th in rushing. QB Riley Leonard has 778 yards with Two TD's and no INT's. He can also run the ball as he has 238 yards and four TD's on the ground. Duke a nice home dog here on Saturday. I have to wonder if that late loss to Oklahoma last week by the Irish will have any carry over effects this week. I'll take the points with Duke in this one.

 The Seattle Seahawks host the Carolina Panthers here on Sunday. The Panthers making the long trip from the East coast to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is 1-1, scored 50 total points and allowed 61 points for a -11 point differential. They return home after their upset win at Detroit last week as a 4.5-point dog, 37-31. This coming after blowing a first half lead in week 1 at home to the Rams and losing 13-30. QB Geno Smith has played well, with three TD's and no INT's. He threw for 328 yards on the road last week. Carolina is 0-2 S/U and 0-1-1 ATS after a pair of games. They opened with a loss at Atlanta, 10-24 and then lost last week to New Orleans, 17-20. They failed to cover week one and pushed week two. The Panthers offense has just 281 yards in game one and 239 last week at home. Don't see the Panthers offense being able to stay with this Seahawks team that has lots of weapons on offense. I'll lay the points with Seattle.

Big 12 action here today has Baylor hosting Texas. Texas comes into this game 3-0 S/U and 1-2 ATS. Baylor looking for its first win at 0-2 S/U and 0-1-1 ATS. Texas opened the season with a win over Rice, 37-10 as a 35.5-point favorite, then pulled the big shocker win with a 34-23 win at Alabama as a 7-point dog. They had a bit of a letdown last week in a much closer game then it should have been, win over Wyoming, 31-10. They failed to cover the 30.5-point spread vs the Cowboys. Texas is outscoring their opponents 34-14.7 this season. They are out gaining their opponents 409.3 to 276.3 ypg. The Longhorns defense is holding opponent rushing to just 2.9 ypa. Baylor opened the season with a loss to Texas State, 31-42 as a 26.5-point favorite. Then two weeks ago they lost to Utah, 13-20, as a 7-point dog, pushing the line. The Bears had last week off to prepare for today. The Bears are outgaining opponents 431.5 to 409 ypg but getting outscored 22 to 31 ppg. The Bears better hope they found a better offense and defense after with their week off. I really don't expect that but do expect the Longhorns to roll here on Saturday. Play Texas.

 Cleveland opened last week with a big AFC win over in-state rivals Cincinnati, 24-3. The Browns covered the pick'em line and went under the 46.5 point total. Cleveland had 206 yards on the ground and 144 passing yards for 350 total yards. Best news was they held the Bengals to just 142 total yards. Deshaun Watson was 16-of29 for 154 yards with one TD and one INT. Nick Chubb rushed for 106 yards and a 5.9 rypa average. Pittsburgh was manhandled last week at home by San Francisco, 7-30. They failed to cover the 1-point dog line and went under the 41.5-point total. They had just 239 total yards with 41 rushing yards. They allowed 391 yards to the 49ers. Kenny Pickett was 31-of46 for 232 yards with one TD and NO INT's. Since the Steelers played from behind they didn't get to establish much on the ground with Najee Harris having just 31 yards. The Steelers defense looked horrible last week and they are much better then showed. The Browns will be a daunting task on the ground, but I look for the Steelers to rebound here and win this second straight home game. Play Steelers.

SEC matchup here on Saturday has Mississippi State hosting LSU. Miss State Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start under new HC Zach Arnett. They have wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Arizona thus far. This will be their biggest test of the young season. LSU comes in here winning four of the last five in this series. LSU lost its opener this season to Florida State, which makes this SEC contest even bigger for the Tigers. They are led by Jayden Daniels who has 708 of LSU's 1081 total yards this season. This is almost a must win spot for LSU and against 1st year coach Arnett I give a big edge to the Tigers here today. I look for LSU to win and cover this game against a Mississippi State still learning the ropes under a new head coach. Take LSU

Arizona had a good preseason, going 2-1. However, they were outscored 46-72. Washington was a perfect 3-0 and scored 67 points while allowing 62. The Commanders came off a decent season last year. HC Ron Rivera had to shuffle some QB's, but the team performed well and finished 8-8-1, narrowly missing the playoffs. They start this season with a new offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy. The team was also sold as Daniel Snyder gave up ownership to Josh Harris. All these changes could be a new start for the Commanders. The defense has a lot of talent and stacked with draft picks. The D-Line is made up of all 1st round picks. The Defense finished 7th last year in scoring and should be even better this year. The Cardinals could and likely will be the worst team in the division this year. QB Kyler Murray will be out with an ACL tear and that leave David Blough and Jeff Driskell as the candidates. I see a huge difference in talent between these teams. I especially like the Commanders defense and they should shut down this anemic Cardinals attack. Take Washington here in week one.

Ole Miss travels to Tulane here on Saturday to face the Green Wave from Yulman Stadium. These teams last met two years ago with Ole Miss taking that one, 61-21. The Rebels closed out last season by losing their last four games of the year and five of the last six. The Rebs did open with a win in their opener, scoring 70 points in the process, but that was against Mercer. Today will be a much tougher test for this team. They do have an explosive offense though with one of the best QB's in Jaxson Dart. Quinshon Judkins looks to carry the load running the ball. Tulane is coming off that bowl win vs USC last season. They dominated South Alabama at home last week with a 20-point win. Now comes an SEC team to town, which is going to be a early test for this Tulane squad. Michael Pratt will be at QB after a 14-of-15 performance last week for four TD's. The Rebels will be out to get that bad taste from the end of last year from their mouths. I don't see them overlooking this Tulane team. I'll lay the points with Ole Miss.

Big 10 action already on tap here on Sunday as Rutgers hosts Northwestern. The Northwestern Wildcats had one of their worst years in history, finishing 1-11 on the season. They return a couple of QB's who will battle for the starting job. Rutgers looks for a winning season after losing since 2014. They had a 4-8 campaign last season. The QB job is wide open this season with a trio of players competing for the job. The defense should be solid this year, led by the pass rush and a good secondary. Both teams looking to get off to that winning start. For me I'll take Rutgers here at home.

I look at the defenses to be the superior units in this game, especially the Philly defense which has been great. However, it's offenses which win Super Bowls. I also like Andy Reid who has been here many times and knows how to coach in the Super Bowl. Philly has a young coach and young team making their first appearance in some time. You can make a argument for just about any side or total in this contest. For me, I'm looking at a very good Philly defense to keep the score low. Plus, You have Jalen Hurts with that aching throwing shoulder. He hasn't been called on to make many throws the last two games, both of which dominated by the Philly defense. So we'll have to see if that changes much here on Sunday. I'm taking the UNDER in the Super Bowl and going against the historic trends of overs. I look for defense to be the units that take more over in this contest. So lets take the UNDER in the Super Bowl.

AT this point of the season you can pretty much make a case for either side in a matchup. The Bengals jumped out to a 14-0 lead last week at Buffalo and really shut down one of the best offenses in the NFL and QB's in Josh Allen. It was a complete game for the Bengals who controlled the game from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. If QB Jeff Burrow were to retire today, he would have the highest completion rate EVER in the NFL among QB's. Pretty impressive. The Chiefs hosted the Jaguars last week and while I had KC, the Jags got the back door cover on the last drive. Happens, they could allow a field goals so the Chiefs played a prevent defense and allowed the Jags to march down the field in last minute to get a field goal to cover the spread. But the biggest news was the high ankle sprain to QB Patrick Mahomes. He came out a a brief time, but came back in and finished with 195 yards and two passing td's. QB Chad Henne came into the game and led the Chiefs on a 98-yard touchdown drive while Mahomes was being tended to. Mahomes vows to play this week and I believe he will play. However, we will see a different Mahomes here in this game. One that can't scramble as well and definitely won't be doing a lot of running. He will be more of a drop back passer and will likely have more "dump off" options. This game comes down to QB's. I feel Burrows is arguably the best QB in the NFL and he proved it last week. Yes, Mahomes is great, but how limited will his game be with an injury that some players take weeks off to heal from? I'll take the Bengals and Burrow in this game. Play Cincinnati.

The Dallas Cowboys sent Tom Brady and the Bucs home with their dominating performance in the Wild Card game last week, 31-14. Dak Prescot was red-hot, throwing four TD's and running in another. Now the Cowboys will hit the road for this Divisional game at San Francisco. The 49ers are the hottest team with 11 straight wins and QB Brock Purdy, last man in the draft taken last year, now proving his worth. The 49ers are the best defense in the league and lead in point differential with a +10.6 mark. Don't put a lot of stock into that Cowboys win last week, the Bucs have looked bad all season as they limped into the playoff spot with a losing record. Dallas actually has the short week to prepare having played on Monday night. I expect the 49ers to be run heavy in this game with Chrisitan McCaffrey carrying the load. This team is filled with weapons on offense and the Cowboys won't have the cake walk they had last week. Also, the 49ers defense will give Dak plenty of problems here this week. I look for a higher scoring game here if the weather permits and the 49ers in a blowout win. My Playoff Game of the Year is on the San Francisco 49ers.

 The Miami Dolphins make the trip North to take on the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins just did get into the postseason with their close win over the Jets in the final week. These teams split the two regular season games. The Dolphins beat the Bills back in Week 3 in Miami, 21-19. covering the four-point dog line. They lost on Dec 17 at Buffalo, 29-32, as a 7-point dog. There is a possibility that they could get Tua Tagovailoa back this week after he's missed time with a concussion. The Dolphins look for the huge upset against a Bills team that has won seven straight games. Buffalo has the 2nd ranked offense and the fourth ranked defense in the NFL. They also have the best point differential in the league at +10.6. Meanwhile, the Dolphins defense didn't do well down the stretch, allowing five of the final six opponents to score at least 23 points. Their defense has dropped to 18th in the NFL. The Dolphins are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games on turf and 0-4 ATS in their last four playoff games. Buffalo is 7-3-1 ATS their last 11 at home vs the Dolphins and have won the last six straight up. The Dolphins have not found an answer for Bills QB Josh Allen who has torched them. In his 10 games vs the Dolphins he as 27 TD's and 5 INT's. At home, Allen has a +16.6 average margin of victory over the Dolphins. I'm taking the Bills here on Sunday as my Wild Card Game of the Year. 

The Kansas City Chiefs will have all hands on deck here on Sunday as a win will give them the AFC best record and home field throughout the playoffs. The Raiders season is done, QB Derek Carr likely done with the Raiders as Jarrett Stidham makes his second straight start here today. Stidham did well vs the NFL's top defense last week with both his arm and legs, but the Raiders came up just short at home. Stidham passed for 365 yards in that loss. Another potential big loss is that of AFC leading rusher Josh Jacobs. While Jacobs has some nagging injuries, it's a personal issue that may keep him out today. These teams last met back in week 5 and the Raiders comeback fell just short in the loss at KC, 29-30. Jacobs rushed for 154 yards in that contest. KC qb Patrick Mahomes has dominated the Raiders, going 8-1 in career with 26 TD's and just three INT's. The Vegas defense is 29th in the league so look for Mahomes to torch them again here on Saturday. Chiefs should win here today, but can they cover the big spread? I look for the Raiders with Stidham to at least stay inside the number as the KC starters might be pulled if they get up by double digits in this game. No pressure on the Raiders also, and that also helps. I'll take Vegas here on Saturday.

 The Rose Bowl has the PAC-12 Champion Utah taking on Penn State from the Big 10. The Utah Utes are 10-3 on the season and look to win their first ever Rose Bowl here on Monday. They won the PAC-12 in back-to-back seasons. They rank in the top 20 in both the offense and defense. Penn State will be making its fifth trip to the Rose Bowl and its first win since 1995. Penn State was third in a very good Big 10 in both scoring 35.8 ppg and total offense. Utah though will be hampered a bit here on Monday as both their top rusher and receiver from the regular season will not play here today. Will we see the same Utah team that took down USC in the PAC-12 Championship? I see this Penn State team as being very well balanced and with those two key players missing on Utah, I'll take the Nittany Lions here today. Play Penn State.

Just two weeks left in the regular season and the Minnesota Vikings have wrapped-up the NFC North Division with a 12-3 record. They are 5-games ahead of both Detroit and the Packers. Packers need a win here today to keep their postseason hopes alive. The Vikings beat the Giants last week, 27-24, as a 4.5-point favorite. The Packers went to Miami and beat the Dolphins, 26-20, as a 3.5- point favorite. The Packers were +3 in turnover ratio in that game. The Vikings are just 3-10 ATS their last 13 vs a team with a losing record. The Packers do well on the grass, going 17-7 ATS their last 24. The Vikings are 5-1 Ov/Un in their last six vs the NFC North and 8-1 Ov/Un in their last nine on hte road vs a team with a losing home record. They have also gone over in five straight games. The Packers are 11-5 Ov/Un in their last 16 vs the NFC North and 8-3 Ov/Un in their last 11 games in week 17 of the season. The Packers have covered nine of the last 13 vs the Vikings in Green Bay and the home team is 9-4 ATS the last 13. In addition, these games have gone over in four of their last five Meetings. Take the Packers today.

The Iowa Hawkeyes and Kentucky WildCats will meet here in the Music City Bow, their second straight postseason meeting. The same teams met last year in the Citrus Bowl with Kentucky coming out on top 20-17. Iowa started the season slow, going 3-4 after being pummeled by Ohio State, 54-10. However, after Mark Stoops turned down the Iowa job that seemed to revitalize the team as they went 4-1 the rest of the way with big wins over Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Kentucky started the season 4-0 and then went 3-5 the rest of the to finish 7-5. Look for a low scoring bowl game here with the impressive Iowa defense on the field. The Iowa offense ranks near the bottom of the nation, scoring just 17.9 points per game. Now add to that the loss of QB Spencer Petras and those numbers likely will be even less here today. QB Alex Padilla would have started, but he entered the transfer portal so the duties fall to third stringer, Joe Labas. No one knows much about Labas so the WildCats can't really prepare for him. Kentucky will also be without their top QB, as Will Levis has opted out of today's game. So has RB Christopher Rodriquez Jr, who led the team in rushing. The Cats also fired OC Rich Scangarello. Hard to play any game under this posted total, but will either team score here today? This will be very low scoring and I'll take a shot under this low posted total. Play UNDER.

The Pittsburgh Panthers and UCLA Bruins meet for the first time in football in 50 years as they play in the Sun Bowl from El Paso Texas. The No 18 Bruins had a fine season under Chip Kelly, finishing the regular season at 9-3. If not for a pair of late season losses, the Bruins might have made the NCAA playoff picture. The Bruins should be at full strength despite many players declaring for the NFL Draft or entering the transfer portal. THe Panther on the other hand will be missing seven key players due to the draft and transfers. Pitt finished 8-4 on the season. The big player here today will be UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet - both of which will play in this Bowl. This UCLA offense is as good as any in the country, especially with DTR and Charbonnet leading the way. Pitt will have trouble staying with this UCLA team with so many good players missing today. I'm taking UCLA.

Alamo Bowl here on Thursday has Washington taking on Texas. Texas finished the regular season at 8-4 after back-to-back wins in the final two games. The Huskies finished with six straight wins. The Longhorns will miss one of their best running backs in Bijan Robinson (6.1 ypc and 18 TD's). Robinson decided to sit out the bowl game as he prepares for the NFL draft. This will put more pressure on QB Quinn Ewers. Washington had 10 wins under one-year coach Kalen DeBoer. And Washington has been playing as good as any team in the country. They have one of the best offenses in the country and an improving defense. The offense is 2nd in the nation in total offense and first in passing offense. Neither team will have much rushing, so the passing edges goes to Washington here today. I think it's a gift getting points with the Huskies today. Take Washington.

The Indianapolis Colts are officially eliminated with their 4-9-1 overall record. They will host the 8-6 Chargers tonight. Chargers trying for one of those Wild Card games and right now it's theirs to lose. The Chargers are coming off a win last week over the Tennessee Titans, 17-14 as a 3-point favorite. That is two wins in a row and three of their last four games. The Chargers offense is 12th overall, but just 31st rushing and 3rd passing. The defense is 21st, 11th vs pass and 28th vs the rush. The Colts are coming off that devastating loss to the Vikings where they blew the biggest lead in NFL History, 33-0, before losing 36-39 in OT. Have to wonder if they have anything left in the tank here tonight. The Colts will start their third different QB here tonight as Matt Ryan takes a seat. In comes Nick Foles, who has started just once in the last two seasons. Foles will lineup behind the worst pass protection line in the NFL. Foles will also be without Jonathon Taylor who is back on the IR. The Colts offense, despite the 36 points last week, has not eclipsed 20 points in nine of their first 13 games. Tonight a new QB and no Taylor? I think I'll stick with the UNDER here tonight as the Colts have problems putting points on the board. Play UNDER.

Armed Forces Bowl here today is the lone college game on the slate. Air Force takes on Baylor. The AF Falcons bring a four-game win streak into this game and are 9-3 S/U and 6-6 ATS on the season. The Falcons averaged 27.7 ppg while holding opponents to just 13.2 ppg. Air Force coming off that fine defensive effort in their win over Navy, 13-3, as a 2.50 point favorite. They held Navy to -1 yard rushing and just 188 yards passing. They will face a Baylor Bear team that had a down season at just 6-6 S/U and 7-5 ATS. The Bears averaged 33.6 ppg while allowing 26.6 ppg. The Bears tied for 6th in the Big 12 standings with just two teams having a worse record. The Bears bring a 3-game losing streak into today's contest, coming off a loss at Texas, 27-38, as a 10-point dog. These teams haven't met since 1977. Air Force is led by RB Brad Roberts, who had 1612 rushing yards and 15TD's this season. Motivation is a key in these bowl games and Acacdemy's usually have plenty of that because their seniors will likely be the last time they wear the football uniform. Plus getting points with a team that can win 10 games is more than enough for me. I'll take Air Force here today.

The LA Rams might not be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but realistically their 4-9 record is not going to be good enough at this point. They did put some excitement into the game last week with the dramatic come-from-behind win over the Raiders with newly acquired QB Baker Mayfield. Mayfield led them to a pair of late fourth Quarter TD's, the last with just seconds to go to get the win. The Packers also having a bad season at just 5-8 overall. The Packers had last week off after beating the Bears the week before, 28-19, as a 3.5-point favorite. The Packers are just 3-7 ATS their last 10 games and 1-4 ATS in their last five at home. It looks to be a cold and possibly snowy night in Green Bay around 20 degrees with some snow likely. Mayfield should be used to it from his days in Cleveland. Lets see if the magic is there again for Mayfield and the Rams. I'll play the Rams.

A key AFC North clash on Saturday as the 9-4 Baltimore Ravens take on the 5-8 Cleveland Browns. The Ravens are tied for first place in the division and need a win here on Saturday to assure they stay at least tied for the division lead. The Ravens will once again be without QB Lamar Jackson, who missed last week's game also with a knee injury. QB Tyler Huntley is out of concussion protocol and likely will start here today. Baltimore just got by the Steelers last week, 16-14, passing for just 59 totals yards. They did get 215 rushing yards last week. The Cleveland Browns lost at Cincinnati last week, 10-23, as a 4.5-point dog. They had 71 rushing yards, well below their season average and 273 yards passing. QB Deshaun Watson looking much more comfortable with some time under his belt. Baltimore is just 14th overall on offense and Cleveland is 6th, though 5th rushing. The Ravens defense is 12th while the Browns are 17th. The Ravens are 2-8 Ov/Un their last 10 games and 7-15 Ov/Un their last 22 road games. Weather could be a factor here today with a 30% chance of snow. The winds could be steady 10 to 14 MPHP with gusts to 26. For me, it's that 15 MPH level where I start to see the winds effecting a game. With temperatures around freezing and winds that could be a factor, I look for this game to go UNDER today.

Every game important at this juncture of the season. Teams also have to deal with lots of injuries. That's the case in the NFC West clash between the 49ers and Seahawks on Thursday. The 49ers lead the NFC West with a 9-4 record, two games ahead of 2nd place Seattle (7-6). These teams met back in week 2 in San Francisco where the 49ers walked away with that game, 27-7, as a 8-point favorite. they held the Seahawks to 30 yards rushing and 216 total yards. Not surprising that all these weeks later the Niners would have the league's top ranked defense and top ranked rushing defense. The Niners will be without QB JImmy Garappolo whi is out with a foot injury. That means Brock Purdy will get the start, though he has been hurting with a oblique and is officially listed as questionable. RB Christian McCaffrey is probable with a knee injury. Seattle has its share of injuries, especially at RB where Rashaad Penni is out with a fibula injury, RB Kenneth Walker III is probably with an ankle injury and RB DeeJay Dallas is questionable with a ankle injury. That doesn't bode well against this top ranked rush defense of the 49ers. This looks to be a very "vanilla" game tonight. The 49ers won't expose Purdy to much pressure and the Seahawks won't get much on the ground. I'm taking this game UNDER.

 The Las Vegas Raiders have won three straight games to improve to 5-7 and third place in the AFC West. The LA Rams are in last in the NFC West at 3-9 and have lost six straight games. The Raiders are coming off a win over the Chargers last week at home, 27-20. That marks three straight games they have held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing. The Rams have been decimated by injuries this year and are without QB Matthew Stafford (neck) and WR Cooper Kupp (Ankle), their two best offensive players. The Rams did acquire QB Baker Mayfield who they picked up when the Panther released him earlier in the Week. His status is available for tonight's contest. The Rams are 4-9-1 ATS their last 14 overall games and 2-6 ATS their last eight game at home. The Rams have gone under in seven of their last eight home games against a team with a losing road record. They are also 8-17 O/U in their last 25 home games. Vegas has gone under in seven of their last 10 road games. These teams have gone under in four of their last five meetings. I'll take the UNDER here tonight as the Rams should have issues moving the ball even if Mayfield plays. Take the UNDER.

 NFC South clash here can put the whole division into turmoil with a Saints win. Right now the Bucs lead the South with a 5-6 record, the Falcons lost on Sunday dropped them to 5-8 and the Panthers and Saints pull up the rear at 4-8. A Saints win and three teams would have five wins. However, a Bucs win and they can pull into solo position in the South lead. The way the NFC is panning out, all four teams in the East could make the playoffs, the Vikings in the North with the Lions and Packers still in it and the 49ers and Seahawks in the West. It's likely that only the winner of the South will make the playoffs. The Saints were shutout last week at San Francisco, 0-13. They had just 260 total yards. The Saints offense ranks 15th in the NFL, 11th in passing. Tampa Bay's offense is just 18th overall, 5th in passing and last in rushing. Tampa Bay lost at Cleveland last week, 17-23, as a 3-point favorite. Despite Tom Brady at QB, the Bucs offense has scored more than 22 points just one time all season. The Bucs defense has dropped to 9th while the Saints are 11th. Tampa Bay is just 1-7-1 ATS their last nine games and 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games at home. The Saints have covered the last four in this series at Tampa Bay and seven of the last nine overall. The dog is also 4-1 ATS the last five. I'll take the points here tonight with the Saints.

AFC West clash here as the Raiders host the Chargers. The KC Chiefs look to be cruising in the West with a 9-2 record and 3-game lead over the Chargers. The Chargers looking at a Wild Card at this point at 6-5. Vegas has won two straight and has improved to 4-7 and still in the hunt for a Wild Card if they can run the table. The Chargers are coming off a late 2-point conversion to beat Arizona last week, 25-24. The Chargers have the league's 14th ranked offense while Vegas comes in 7th. The Chargers have been a good over team, going over in 12 of their last 17 games. The Raiders won at Seattle last week, 40-34, behind over 200 yards rushing from RB Jacobs. The Raiders ended up with 576 total yards in that win last week. That makes two wins in a row after beating Denver in OT the week before, 22-16. The Raiders have now covered five of their last six vs the AFC and 5 of the last six against a winning team. The are also 9-4 ov/un in their last 13 vs the AFC West. These teams met back in week 1 of the season at LA and the Chargers walked away with the win, 24-19, just covering the 3.5-point line. I like the Raiders here today as they have confidence and momentum. Play Las Vegas.

Lots on the line for this PAC-12 Championship game from Allegiant field in Las Vegas. The USC Trojans have their eye set on a playoff bid and they need to get by last year's PAC-12 Champion Utah Utes here tonight. Also, USC QB Caleb Williams has a great shot at the Heisman Trophy award and another great performance here tonight could really help that cause too. This is a rematch of the game from October 15th when the Utes came from behind at home to beat USC, 42-43 as a 3-point dog. The USC offense is ranked 5th overall in the country and they have a 80% red zone efficiency mark with 51 Touchdowns in 67 redzone trips, tops in the nation. Utah isn't too far back, ranked 20th in offense and a rezone efficiency of 76.6%. On the defensive side of the ball Utah much better with the 17th ranked unit compared to the Trojans' 90th ranked defense. USC hasn't won a PAC-12 Championship since 2017, but I think this is the year. The price is right on this game as USC lays 2 1/2 points. Take the Trojans here today.

Week 13 of the NFL gets underway here on Thursday with a key AFC contest as the Patriots host the Bills. The AFC East one of the best conferences in football as all four teams are above .500 on the year. The Bills are tied for first place at 8-3 with the Miami Dolphins while the Patriots are in last place with a 6-5 record. Buffalo just did get by the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, 28-25, winning on a late field goal but failing to cover the 9.5-point line. Meanwhile, the Patriots also lost last week at Minnesota, 26-33, as a 2.5-point dog. The Bills have the NFL's third best passing offense, 8th best rushing offense and 2nd best scoring offense. The Bills will be without a key defensive player though as Von Miller (knee) has been ruled out for this game. The Pats had won three straight games and five of their last six before their loss at Minnesota. The Patriots are ranked 6th in scoring defense (21.7 ppg allowed). Both teams battling for the AFC East and AFC playoff picture here tonight. The Bills are only 1-3-1 ATS in their last five road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall. The Pats are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games. The dog is 5-2-1 ATS their last eight in this series. I like the Patriots here today. In fact, I won't be surprised with a straight up win. Take New England.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in 2nd place in the AFC North with a 6-4 record and just one game back of the Ravens. The Tennessee Titans are in 1st place in the AFC South with a 7-3 record, 3-games ahead of the Colts. The Bengals are coming off a win last week at Pittsburgh, 37-30, covering the 3.5-point favorite line. The Bengals have the 7th best offense in the league and 4th best passing game. The defense is ranked 11th overall. The Titans are coming off a win at Green Bay last week, 27-17, as a 3-point dog. The Titans have covered eight straight games. Their defense is ranked 19th overall and 2nd against the rush. The offense is ranked 29th overall, 11th in rushing. The dog is 5-1 ATS the last six meetings in this series. Not sure why Tennessee is a small home dog here today. But I'll take the points anyways and look for a Titans straight up win. Play Tennessee.

This is a MAC makeup game after last week's game was cancelled in Buffalo due to the snow storms. Kent State will finish their season here on Saturday as they are just 4-7 and won't be going to a bowl. Buffalo is 5-5 and needs a win to get bowl eligible. Have to wonder what motivation Kent State has here today with nothing on the line. Kent State should have been done last week, but Mother Nature made them go this week instead. The Golden Flashes have not been good on the road, going 5-11 ATS their last 16 games. They are also 1-6 ATS their last seven overall games and 1-7 ATS in their last eight conference games. Buffalo put in this must win situation because they have lost two straight games to Ohio and Central Michigan. This is senior day at Buffalo who sport the 48th ranked offense and 57th best defense. This game is all about motivation, Buffalo has it all today and Kent State just looking to go home and begin their vacation. Take Buffalo. 

NFC West clash here on Monday night has the 5-4 San Francisco 49ers taking on the 4-6 Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers are coming off a win last week over the Chargers, 22-16, failing to cover the 8-point favorite line. That makes two wins in row in their division. The Rams held the Chargers to just 238 total yards. The Cardinals coming off a win last week over the Rams, 27-17, as a 3-point dog. That win snapped a two game losing streak for the Cardinals. While Arizona had just 298 total yards they held the Rams to 256 total yards. The 49ers have the NFL's 9th ranked total offense while Arizona comes in at 19th. The big difference is on defense where the 49ers are now the top defense in the NFL and tops against the rush. Arizona falls all the way down to 24th overall and 12th vs the rush. The 49ers are 2-10 Ov/Un their last 12 games on grass and 4-13 O/U their last 17 overall games. The Cardinals are 1-9 O/U their last 10 Monday Night games. These teams have gone under in five of the last six meetings in Arizona and are 1-6-1 O/U in their last eight overall meetings. I'm taking UNDER here tonight.

The NY Jets might be the most surprising team this year with their 6-3 record and just one game behind the Miami Dolphins for the lead in the AFC East. But in the competitive East division all the teams are bunched up with the last placed Patriots at 5-4 and just two games back of first place. That makes a game like this today so important to both teams. Especially when you have the 6-3 Bills in the mix of things. The Jets coming off the big upset last week of the Bills, 20-17, as a 10.5-point dog. The Jets have now covered five of their last six games. The Jets have also had a very good defense, ranked 7th in the NFL. The Patriots coming off a win last week over the Colts, 26-3. They have also covered five of their last six games. The Patriots defense is 12th in the league. The Jets have an edge on offense where they are 18th in the league compared to the Patriots at 26th. I expect a close game here on Sunday. Neither team will run away with this one so the line is important. I'll take the points with a Jets team that can easily win outright. Play the NY Jets.

Big 12 action here on Saturday has Texas (6-4, 4-3) taking on Kansas (6-4, 3-4). TCU has the conference wrapped-up at 7-0, but after that only one game separates the next four teams. Texas coming off a loss at home to TCU last week, 10-17, as a 7-point favorite. The Longhorns finish up at home next week vs Baylor. Kansas lost at Texas Tech last week, 28-43 as a 4-point dog. The Jayhawks will finish up at Kansas State next week. Texas just 4-10 ATS their last 14 games in the Big 12. They are also 2-5 ATS their last seven road games. Kansas 5-0-1 ATS their last six home games and 10-2-1 ATS their last 13 overall games. Kansas has also covered the last five vs Texas. The dog is also 5-0 ATS the last five meetings. Kansas getting almost 10 points looks like a gift to me. I'll take Kansas plus the points.

The Washington Commanders are in last in the NFC North with a 4-5 record. THey have the bad luck of playing in what is arguable the best division in football as the other three teams are at least 6-2 in their records. Washington coming off a game they know they could have won last week as they hosted Minnesota and lost, 17-20. The Vikings have the 2nd best record in the NFL and came within minutes of winning that contest. That makes the team 3-1 their last four games all with QB Carson Wentz out. Wentz will again miss tonight's contest with that finger issue. That means Taylor Heinicke will once again be at the helm. For me, I would rather have Heinicke at QB instead of Wentz. For me he's led this team and has performed better. The Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now with the only perfect record at 8-0. They lead the Giants by 1.5 games right now in the NFC East. The Eagles are coming off a win over Houston last week, 29-17, but they failed to cover the 14-point spread. Still, they are 5-3 ATS overall on the season. The Eagles have the NFL's third best offense and third best defense. Washington is 21st in offense and 14th in defense. The dog is 3-1-1 ATS the last five games in this series. I expect the Washington defense to keep them close and Heiniecki to play well enough to cover this spread. Take the double digit points with Washington.

Have to wonder if Raiders HC Josh McDaniels is on a short leash with his job these days. The Raiders led the Jacksonville Jaguars by 17-points, the second time this year they have blown a 17-point lead. And of course, lost to the Jags last Sunday, 20-27. Have to wonder how many big leads the Raiders can blow before the top of Mark Davis' head blows off. Well, this might be the week for the Raiders to get well. If there was one coach and team that has done worse it has been the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had a very lackluster performance last week in their loss at New England, 3-26. In fact, it was the last straw for Colts HC Frank Reich who was fired after the game. The Colts named Jeff Saturday interim coach for the rest of the season. I believe the Colts have given up on the season and while the Raiders have blown leads, at least they have the offensive weapons to get leads. The Colts have no one right now, not even running back Jonathan Taylor who missed last weeks game with an ankle injury. Get on this one early as I only see the Raiders line going up. Play LV Raiders.

NFC North contest here as last place Detroit Lions (2-6) takes on the next to last place Chicago Bears (3-6). In the North, only the Vikings have a winning record at 7-1 and 4.5-games in first place. The Lions are coming off a improbable win over Green Bay last week, 15-9. Despite having the worst defense in the NFL, the Lions held the Packers to just nine points and picked-off Aaron Rodgers twice in the end zone. The Bears are coming off a loss at home to Miami, 32-35, though they covered the four-point dog line. The Chicago defense is a bit better at 18th in the NFL. The Bears offense ranks 24th while the Lions come in at 7th. The Bears are 3-1-1 ATS their last five home games. The Bears have are also 4-1-1 ATS their last six meetings with the Lions at Chicago. Small home favorite in Chicago, I'll lay the price here with the Bears.

 East Carolina looks for the upset here on Friday night and also to extend their win streak to five games. ECU Pirates are 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the AAC. They had last week off after beating BYU the previous week, 27-24. Cincinnati struggled against Navy last week but came away with the 20-10 win, improving their record to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference. The Pirates looking for a good bowl game berth has been competitive all season long, even in their losses. The Bearcats of Cincinnati has the 64th ranked rushing attack with 141 yards per game. I'm looking for the upset here tonight with Cincinnati.

 NFC South matchup here on Thursday in what is one of the worst divisions in the NFL. No one is out of this division, even the 2-7 Panthers. Both Tampa Bay and Atlanta are currently in 1st place with 4-5 records. The Falcons are coming off a loss last week at home to the Chargers, 17-20. While the Falcons have the 26th ranked offense, they do have the 4th ranked rushing game. The Falcons have been a good under play here on Thursday, going 0-6 O/U in their last six on that day. Meanwhile, Carolina was blown out last week at Cincinnati, 21-42. Though QB Baker Mayfield came into the game and led the team to 21 points. However, despite PJ Walker being benched at halftime, he's expected to make the start here on Thursday. The offense had just 228 total yards. Carolina traded away Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers a few weeks ago. The Panthers have the 30th ranked offense in the league. The Panthers have gone under in seven of their last 10 games vs the NFC South. This has also been a very good under series with the teams going 5-13-1 Ov/Un their last 19 meetings and 5-15-2 Ov/Un the last 22 meetings at Carolina. I'm going UNDER here on Thursday.

 Ball State and Toledo are 1-2 in the MAC West as they battle it out for the right to go to the MAC Championship. Ball State is one game back of Toledo and a win here tonight by the Cardinals would put them in a tie for the MAC West. Ball State beat Kent State last week, 27-20 as a 7-point road dog. Ball State has the nation's 67th ranked offense and the 87th ranked defense. The Cardinals are now 10-4 ATS their last 14 games on the road vs a team with a winning home record. Toledo is coming off a road win two weeks at Eastern Michigan, 27-24, as a 7.5-point favorite. After Ball State tonight, the Rockets have a home game vs Bowling Green and then close out the regular season vs Western Michigan. The Rockets had last week off and they are 5-17 ATS their last 22 times they are coming off a bye week. Ball State has covered seven of the last eight meetings in Toledo and the road team has covered 11 of the last 14 overall meetings. I'll take Ball State here tonight.

NFC West Clash here on Sunday has the 5-3 and 1st place Seahawks taking on the 3-5 and last place Cardinals. No one ever expect much out of the Seahawks after Russell Wilson departed in the offseason for Denver. But here they are with Geno Smith at QB and the 7th top rated QB the season. Smith ranks high than both Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow at this point. The Hawks are coming off a win over the Giants last week, 27-13 and have covered three straight games. The Hawks have the 12th ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. The Seahawks have also gone over in four of their last five road games. There were high hopes in Arizona starting the season, however they find themselves in last place right now, though a big win today would close that gap greatly. The Cards are coming off a loss at Minnesota last week, 26-34, as a 4-point dog. They have now lost three of their last four games. Arizona is also 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games vs a team with a winning record. In addition they are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games and 0-5 ATS in their last five vs the NFC West. The Seahawks are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games in Arizona and the road team is 11-4-1 ATS the last 16 in this series. I'm taking the Seahawks here on Sunday.

BYU looked pretty good as the season got underway, starting out at 4-1. However, a week six loss to Notre Dame, 20-28, seemed to start a downhill slide that has seen the Cougars lose four straight games to now be 4-5 and possibly losing a bowl bid. They only have three games left and two are tough road games at Boise today and their final at Stanford. They do have a softball against Dixie State in between. The Cougars rank 64th on offense and 103rd on defense. Meanwhile, Boise State is 6-2 S/U and 5-2 ATS on the season. The Broncos have won four straight games and covered those four also. They are coming off a big win over Colorado State, 49-10. The offense ranks 94th while the defense is 2nd in the nation. I don't see this lackluster BYU offense being able to put up much against the Boise State 2nd ranked defense today. BYU hasn't covered any of their last seven games and 0-5 ATS their last five non-conference games. I'll take Boise here today to hand BYU their bowl berth death sentence. Take Boise State.

Bragging rights in Ohio are on the line tonight as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals can move into a 1st place tie with Baltimore in the AFC North win a win tonight. Meanwhile, the Browns are 2-5 in the North. The Bengals arecoming off a win at home over Atlanta, 35-17. They have also covered their last five games and have gone under in five of their seven games this season. The defense has been very good, ranked 11th in the NFL, while the Browns are 16th. The Browns rank 6th on offense thanks to their third ranked rushing offense that averages 164 yards per game. The Bengals rank 11th on offense, 4th in passing. Cincinnati has gone under in 10 of their last 12 games and are 0-8 Ov/Un in their last eight vs the AFC. This series has favored the under with a 2-6-1 Ov/Un mark the last nine meetings in Cleveland. I'm sticking with the UNDER here on Monday Night.

AFC South matchup here on Sunday between 1st place Tennessee (4-2) and last place Houston (1-4-1). The Titans won their fourth straight game last week at home vs the Colts, 19-10. Both offenses didn't do much with Tennessee having 254 total yards and the Colts 293. Houston won their first game of the season on Oct 8th vs the Jaguars, 13-6, then had the next week off before traveling to Las Vegas last week and getting beat, 20-38. The Texans gave up 400 total yards, 164 on the ground. The Texans have been competitive though vs the number, going 3-2-1 ATS this season. They are also 4-1 ATS their last five games vs a team with a winning record and 6-2 ATS their last eight vs the AFC. The Houston Texans now have the worst defense in the NFL, allowing 412 yards per game. They are ranked last vs the rush and 21st vs the pass. No wonder the Raiders ran wild on them last week. Tennessee ranks 26th on defense with the fourth best rushing defense and 31st ranked passing defense. Both teams have been poor on offense with Houston ranked 26th and Tennessee ranked 31st. The Titans offense also got a big blow as QB Ryan Tannehill will miss today's game with an ankle injury. QB Malik Willis will make his first career start today for the Titans. Tennessee might be in 1st place, but it's more by virtue of a very weak division. I give the Texas a good shot at winning this game on Sunday. Play Houston.

Who has the best defensive overall unit in the FBS? If you said Illinois you would be correct. The Illini allow a paltry 221 total yards per game and have an outstanding red zone efficiency rating of just 42.9% on the season. In fact, the Big 10 is the defensive conference this year with four teams in the top six defensive units in the country. Alas, Nebraska is not one of them as the Huskers rank 122nd in the nation. Illinois had last week off to rest up for today's contest. The Illini coming off a 26-14 win over Minnesota, covering the 7-point dog line. They have now allowed 14 points or fewer in all but one game this season and that was their only loss of the year back on Sept 2 at Indiana, 20-23. Nebraska has struggled to a 4-4 record but can still go to a bowl if they can get by the Big 10's best teams in the coming five weeks. The problem is this team's defense that gives up a lot of yards and points. Illinois has won and covered the last two seasons vs Nebraska, including last year's 30-22 win at home as a 6.5-point dog. Illinois is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games and 5-1 ATS in their last six road games. Nebraska is 2-6 ATS in their last eight games. Illinois has covered five of the last seven in this series and I fully expect their defense to shut down Nebraska today and get the cover.

The Indianapolis Colts are 3-2-1 on the season and just percentage points behind the Tennessee Titans for the lead in the AFC South Division. That makes this game today extra special as the winner will take over sole possession of first place. The Colts have won two straight games after last weeks win over over the Jaguars, 34-27, as a 1.5 point dog. The Colts had a season high in passing yards with 389 and a season low in rushing yards with 45. The reason has been the loss of one of the best running backs in the NFL in Jonathon Taylor who has been nursing ankle injury. The good news is that Taylor is expected back this week. Meanwhile, the Titans had the week off last week after beating Washington the week before, 21-17. The Titans lost their first two games of the season but have since won three straight. The offense has yet to score more than 24 points and ranks 31st overall in the NFL even with Derick Henry rushing. The Colts offense ranks 14th overall in the NFL and 5th passing. The Colts defense is 10th overall with the Titans at 28th overall, 5th vs the rush. The Colts have covered 12 of their last 17 road games and are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games vs a team with a winning record. The Colts have also covered seven of the last 10 meetings in Tennessee and the road team is 7-1 ATS the last eight meetings. I'm taking the Colts here with Taylor returning to the rushing game.

UCLA and Oregon face off today in Eugene for the PAC 12. UCLA is 3-0 in conference play and 6-0 overall. Oregon is 3-0 in conference play and 5-1 overall. UCLA had last week off to prepare for today's contest. They are coming off a home win over Utah, 42-32. The Bruins have scored at least 32 in all six games and 40 or more in five games. Oregon also had last week off after demolishing Arizona the previous week, 49-22. The Ducks have scored 41 or more points in every game since their opening week loss at Georgia where they scored just three points. Oregon has the 7th ranked offense in the country and UCLA has the 11th ranked offense. UCLA's defense ranks 33rd overall while Oregon comes in at 60th. UCLA has now covered seven of their last eight road games and are 7-2 ATS overall their last nine games. Oregon is 3-8 ATS their last 11 games following a ATS win. UCLA around a 6-point dog here today. I won't be surprised one bit with a UCLA straight up win. I'll take the points.

Conference USA matchup here on Thursday has the 4-2 UAB Blazers taking on the 4-3 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Both teams are 2-1 in the conference and trail both North Texas and UTSA who are 3-0. UAB is coming off a home win over Charlotte last week, 34-20, though they failed to cover the 23-point spread. The Blazers piled-up 510 yards of offense in the game. Western Kentucky won on the road at Middle Tennessee State last week, 35-17, cover the 7-point favorite line. They held Mid-Tenn to just 291 yards while gaining 443 yards. These teams have met just twice in the last five years with UAB taking the game in 2020, 37-14 and W.Ky taking the 2019 contest, 20-13. Western has the 15th ranked offense in the country with 144 yards rushing and 344 yards passing. UAB comes in at 34th. UAB has the slightly better defense as they are 19th in the nation with Western at 52nd. Western has covered seven of their last 10 home games and are 8-1 ATS in their last nine conference games. I'll take the home team here tonight. Play Western Kentucky.

The honeymoon of Russell Wilson in Denver looks to be over as the fans must be wondering what they got for all their money as QB Geno Smith was the highest rated passer in the NFL, taking the place of Wilson. The Broncos lost for the 2nd consecutive game last week to the Colts, 9-12. They could manage just three field goals in the loss. They have scored more than 20 points just once this season and that was 23 against the Raiders in a loss. However, their defense has been great, ranking 3rd overall in the NFL an 1st in the NFL vs the pass. The offense ranks 18th overall. The Chargers have won two straight games since their loss at home to the Jaguars back on Sept 25th. They beat the Browns last week in Cleveland, 30-28 as a 1.5-point favorite. The offense ranks 5th overall in the NFL with their passing game coming in at 2nd. Should be a good matchup of the Denver passing defense against the Chargers passing offense. Denver has covered four of the last six in this series. The Broncos have had 11 days to get ready for this game. Plus all the criticism of Wilson's play might actually motivate him here tonight to play well. This is a AFC West clash and division games are usually played quite tight. I don't believe the Chargers should be this big a favorite against a very good Broncos defense. I'll take a shot with Wilson and the underdog Broncos tonight.

NFC East showdown here between the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles and the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys. No one really expected much from the Cowboys when they lost QB Dak Prescot early on this year. However, Cooper Rush has come in and led the team to four wins. Who would have thought that one of the worst, if not the worst division in football in recent years would be the best this year with a pair of 4-1 teams and the 5-0 Eagles. With Rush at QB, the Cowboys are 7th ranked on offense while the Eagles are 4th ranked. Philly has the 2nd ranked defense in the league while Dallas comes in at 27th. Dallas beat the Rams last week 22-10, holding their second straight opponent to just 10 points. They held the Rams to just 38 rushing yards last week. Philly just got by the Arizona Cardinals last week, 20-17 as a 5.5-point favorite. Dallas has now covered 10 of their last 11 road games. They are also 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games vs the NFC and 22-7 ATS their last 29 vs the NFC East. The Cowboys are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 trips to Philly and 7-2 ATS their last nine overall vs the Eagles. I'm going to take the points with the Cowboys here tonight.

Temple looking to get back to 3-3 today with a win at UCF. The Owls are 2-3 after losing two weeks ago at Memphis, 3-24, as a 20-point dog. Temple has a good defense, 11th in the country. However, you have to take that with a grain of salt when you realize they have played Lafayette, Rutgers, U Mass and Duke, none of which are offensive powerhouses. The offense is not good, ranking 124th in the country. They were shutout by Duke and scored just three points against Memphis. Meanwhile, Central Florida looks to improve to 5-1 with a win tonight. UCF only loss coming against Louisville, 14-20 back on Sept 9th. They are coming off a win over SMU back on Oct 5, 41-19. The UCF offense ranks 17th in the nation with the defense at 40th. Temple is 3-13 ATS in their last 16 conference games and 0-6 ATS in their last six road games. UCF has covered four of the last five in this series and the favorite is 4-1 ATS the last five meetings. UCF has too much offense and defense for the Owls here tonight. Lay the points with Central Florida.

The Las Vegas Raiders finally got Josh McDaniels his first win last week at home over the Denver Broncos, 32-23. The Raiders had 212 yards on the ground and another 173 yards through the air while holding Denver to 299 total yards. Kansas City went to Tampa Bay last week and led the entire way to a 41-31 win. The Chiefs are now 3-1 S/U and 2-2 ATS on the season. They held Tampa Bay to just three rushing yards, though Tom Brady did get 373 yards through the air. The Raiders defense ranks 22nd overall, 10th vs the rush. The Chiefs are 13th overall and top against the rush allowing just 66 yards per game average. The Chiefs are 5th on offense with the Raiders coming in at 13th. For some strange reason, the Chiefs are only 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a losing record. They are also 2-5 ATS their last seven vs the AFC. The Raiders have been in every game this year, losing by five to the Chargers, six to the Cardinals and two to Tennessee. Tonight they get at least seven points and the way this offense has played I'll take the points here with the visitor. Play Las Vegas Raiders.

The Cincinnati Bengals have had a rough start to the season but they play in the AFC North and right now are tied with the Browns and Ravens for first place at 2-2. The Bengals started the season 0-2, losing to Pittsburgh and then to Dallas. They have rebounded though with wins at the Jets, 27-12, and last week beating Miami, 27-15. The Bengals defense has been very good, ranked 11th overall in the NFL and 4th vs the rush, allowing just 86 yards per game. The offense improving to 16th overall and 8th in passing behind Jeff Burrows. Baltimore has the 2nd most points scored in the AFC with 119, though they rank just 12th overall in yardage. Baltimore jumped out to a lead last week at home over Buffalo, but couldn't hold on as the Bills won late, 23-20. The Ravens offense was held to just 296 yards by the league's top ranked defense. It's the Ravens defense that will have to improve. They are ranked 30th in the NFL and dead last vs the pass. Now they have to face a very good Burrows and the Bengals passing attack. Cincinnati has won and covered both games last year, 41-21 at home and 41-17 at Baltimore. The Bengals are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 AFC games, 6-1 ATS their last seven road games and 10-2 ATS their last 12 overall games. The Bengals have covered four of the last five in this series and the road team is 5-2 ATS the last seven meetings. I don't see Baltimore stopping Burrows and the Bengals offense here today. I'll take Cincinnati.

 Big 10 action here today as Illinois hosts Iowa. Iowa fell behind early last week at home against Michigan and couldn't quite rebound in their loss to the Wolverines, 14-27, as a 10.5-point dog. The Iowa offense just not good enough to come from behind like that. Iowa has the 129th ranked offense in the country and really has to rely on their 6th ranked defense to keep them in games. Illinois went to Wisconsin last week and put a big-time whipping on the Badgers, 34-10, as a 7-point dog. Take makes the Illini 4-1 S/U and 3-1 ATS on the season. Illinois has the nation's 54th ranked offense and 2nd ranked defense. Iowa is now 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 October games. Illinois is 7-1 ATS int heir last eight overall games and 4-1 ATS in their last five conference games. Despite both teams have top 10 defenses, I give the nod here to Illinois. And with the Illini offense much better than Iowa, I'll be on the home team here today. Play Illinois.

The Indianapolis Colts dropped to 1-2-1 after losing last week to the Titans, 17-24 as a 4-point home favorite. That coming after that big win over the Chiefs the week before. All four games for the Colts have gone under this year. The Colts offense ranks 19th overall in the NFL, 27th rushing. The defense has been better, ranked 6th in the NFL. Despite losing last week, the Colts won the stat sheet, holding Tennessee to just 243 yards. The issue were the three turnovers the Colts had in the contest. The Denver Broncos dropped to 2-2 after losing at the LV Raiders last week, 23-32. The Broncos defense, which was ranked 3rd over, was torched for 32 points. Actually six of those coming on a turnover returned for a TD. The defense gave up 212 yards on the ground after not allowing 100 yards in the first three games. The teams have meet twice in the last five years with both games going UNDER. The Colts have been a very good under team of late, going under in nine straight games. They are also 0-8 U/U in their last eight vs the AFC. The Broncos are 4-11 O/U in their last 15 games and 2-6 O/U in their last eight home games. Two very good defenses here and I'm looking for an UNDER.

NFC West battle here on Monday Night as the Rams make the trip North to face San Francisco. The Rams can move back into first place with a win tonight. The Cardinals and Seahawks are both 2-2 after four weeks and the Rams can go to 3-1 with a win. San Francisco is in last place at 1-2. However, a win by the 49ers and all four division teams will be a 2-2. The Rams opened their season with a loss at home to Buffalo, 10-31. They have rebounded with wins over Atlanta and then last week at Arizona, 20-12. Two of their three games have gone under. Now they face the 2nd best defense in the NFL in San Francisco. The Niners have the leagues best passing defense. The Rams offense hasn't been like last year, as they rank just 25th overall and 30th in rushing. San Francisco isn't much better, coming in at 24th overall and 29th passing. San Francisco lost their QB , Trey Lance, to a season ending injury in week 2. Back at starter is Jimmy Garoppolo. After leading the 49ers to a win in the game Lance went down, they lost last week at Denver, 10-11. All three of their games have gone under thanks to their 2nd ranked defense. The Niners have now gone under in 10 of their last 11 games and four of their last five home games. These teams have gone under in seven of the last nine meetings in San Francisco and four of the last five overall. With the Rams offense not firing on all cylinders, I will be the UNDER.

The LA Chargers off to a slow start at just 1-2. After beating the Raiders at home to start the season, the Chargers have found it rough the last two weeks. Injuries have played a part though. They lost their star WR Keenan Allen in game two with a hamstring and he could return this week but likely will miss another week. QB Justin Herbert has been playing hurt the last two weeks and it's showed. The Chargers were trounced at home last week by Jacksonville, 10-38. The Jags had 413 yards to just 312 by LA. The Jags also had 18 more plays and nine more first downs as they grinded out 151 yards on the ground. Houston is 0-2-1 S/U to start the season, but they have been competitive. They tied the Colts to start the season, then lost at Denver by seven points and last week lost at Chicago by just three points. They are 2-0-1 vs the number. The Houston offense is just 29th overall and the defense is 29th. The Chargers are 19th on defense and 12th on offense. Houston is 5-0 ATS their last five games vs the AFC. With the Chargers still dealing with some injuries they will continue to struggle here this week in Houston. Take the Texans.

Miami Dolphins bring a 3-0 record into this Thursday matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dolphins had little issues with the Patriots (20-7) and then had the huge fourth quarter comeback against the Ravens, 42-38. Last week they just got by the Buffalo Bills, 21-19, covering all three games and going under in two of the three games. The Bengals didn't look like the team of last year to start this season, with back-to-back losses to the Steelers and Cowboys. Then last week they finally broke through with a win over the Jets, 27-12. The defense had four turnovers compared to just one offensive turnover. The Dolphins have been a good under play on Thursday night, going 2-10-1 O/U their lasts 13 Thursday games. They are also 1-5 O/U their last six road games. The Bengals have now gone under in eight straight games. They are also 0-6 O/U in their last six vs the AFC. These two teams have gone under in their last five meetings in Cincinnati and 1-5-1 O/U their last seven overall. I'm taking the UNDER here on Thursday.

After losing in week one to the Bucs and losing QB Dak Prescot, things looked bleak for the Cowboys heading into week two vs AFC Champion Cincinnati. However, a solid passing game by backup QB Rush and a defense that held the Bengals to just 89 rushing yards and 165 passing yards, resulted in a Dallas win, 20-17. Now the Cowboys hit the road for the first time as they head to New York to play the Giants in a divisional matchup. The Giants also had a 3-point win last week at home over the Carolina Panthers, 19-16. On paper the game was almost dead even with the Panthers having 275 yards and the Giants 265 yards. The difference were the two Carolina turnovers to none by the Giants. Dallas has covered the last two in this series and eight of the last 10 meetings. The Giants have the 21st ranked offense and the Cowboys have the 25th ranked offense. Dallas has the 6th ranked defense to the Giants 12th ranked defense. The Cowboys have covered their last four road games and are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 vs the NFC and 20-7 ATS vs the NFC East. The Giants are just 10-22-1 ATS in their last 33 home games. They are also 2-6 ATS in their last eight overall games. I'll take the Cowboys here on Monday night.

Two future Hall of Fame Qb's will matchup here today as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers take on the TB Bucs and QB Tom Brady. Brady hasn't looked all that sharp thus far and his frustration was on full display in the Saints contest. Lucky for the Bucs, the Saints had no offensive stars left and thus it was a defensive win for the Bucs, 20-10. The Bucs managed just 260 total yards and Brady threw for just 188 yards. The Bucs defense was the star of the game with multiple sacks and five take aways in the game. Green Bay had little issue with the Chicago Bears. The Packers had 414 yards and 211 passing yards by Rodgers. They had 26 first downs to just 11 by the Bears and held the Bears to just 228 total yards. The Tampa Bay offense ranks just 24th overall in the NFL with Green Bay coming in at 11th. The Bucs defense is 5th ranked with Green Bay at 10th. The Bucs have won and covered two of the last three in this series. Green Bay is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 vs a winning team and 20-8 ATS their last 28 on the grass. I'm still not sold on Brady fully being back with limited targets. I'll take the points with Green Bay.

 A pair of top 25 SEC teams battle today as No 10 Arkansas takes on No 23 Texas A&M from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx. Arkansas will be looking for its second straight 4-0 start to the season today. Arkansas moved into the FCS last week to take on Missouri State and came away with the win, 38-27. That makes wins over Cincinnati, South Carolina and Missouri State to start the season. Texas A&M beat Miami Florida last week, 17-9. The Aggies were 5-point favorites and were outgained in total yards, 264-393 by the Hurricanes. A&M also had only 16 First downs to 27 by Miami. Arkansas is ranked 18th overall in offense with A&M coming in at 109th. A&M does hold the defensive edge, coming in at 30th with Arkansas at 103rd. Arkansas is 5-1-1 ATS their last seven games and 4-0 ATS in their last four in neutral site. Arkansas has covered the last four in this series and I look for the hogs to do just that again here today. Take Arkansas.

BYU was in a battle last week with Baylor, but came out on top in the end, 26-20, as a 3.5-point home favorite. The Cougars and Bears were pretty even statistically and neither team had a turnover. BYU had 283 yards passing compared to just 137 by Baylor. Oregon got thumped in week one at Georgia, 3-49 as a 16-point road dog. They licked their wounds last week with a win over FCS team Eastern Washington, 70-14. But really what does that tell us? Nothing. They beat up on a team they should have. That beating though by Georgia does loom big to me. Now they are hosting a very good BYU squad. Until I see more out of Oregon I'll have to be on the BYU side here on Saturday.

The Las Vegas Raiders were a perfect 4-0 in the preseason under first year coach Josh McDaniels. The Raiders had the highest points differential in preseason at +41. Right away this Raiders team will be tried by the LA Chargers and Justin Herbert. We can think back to the last game of the regular season when the winner of the Raiders vs Chargers game went on to the playoffs. The game could have easily ended in an OT tie had the Chargers not called that controversial timeout, but instead it allowed the Raiders to setup the winning field goal. Besides McDaniels taking over in Vegas, is the highly anticipated debut of Davante Adams, arguably the best receiver in the NFL. Even though the Chargers are much improved on defense, I expect to see a lot of points in this game with these two offenses. I'm going to take the OVER.

It's always a great game when these two intrastate rivals clash. Both teams opened with wins in week one. Iowa State Cyclones had little issue at home with SE Missouri State, 42-10. They accumulated 569 total yards with 293 of those through the air. Iowa struggled though in week one, just getting by South Dakota State at home, 7-3. They had a measly 166 totals yards and held SDST to just 120 yards in what surely was a exciting game. The Cyclones have had their way in this series, covering seven of the last 10 in Iowa. I'm taking the visitor as I need to see more out of Iowa before I can lay points with them. Play Iowa State.

Marquee matchup here on the Week 1 Saturday college football schedule. Notre Dame's head coach Marcus Freeman is a alum of Ohio State so he will have his own sort of homecoming here tonight. Freeman took over for Brian Kelly last season and took them to the Feista Bowl last season where they lost to Oklahoma State, 35-37. Ohio State was 11-2 last season and won the Rose Bowl. Was this a down season for them? For many, yes it was. They had high expectations of making the playoff four, but missed out. They also lost to rivals Michigan and lost in the Big 10 Championship. However, this year should be different with 11 starters returning. This game today has No 2 Ohio State and No 5 Notre Dame. However, with the oddsmaker posting a 17-point line on the underdog Irish we have to wonder if they are telling us right off the bat that this Irish team isn't a No 5 ranked club. These teams have met six times with Ohio State holding a 4-2 edge. Moreover, all four OSU wins have come by at least 13-points. I believe that OSU has too much firepower for this Notre Dame. In my rankings I have Notre Dame closer to No 20 and not No 5. There is a huge difference between these teams and it will show here on Saturday. I'm taking Ohio State in a blowout win.

Florida Atlantic plays their second game of the young season here today after a thorough trouncing of Charlotte last week, 43-13, as a 7-point favorite. FAU had 223 yards rushing and 264 yards passing while holding Charlotte to just 283 total yards. Ohio plays its first game of the season today and looks to improve on a poor 22.6 ppg average last season. The defense is not good, allowing 30 ppg and 431 yards last season. Ohio is just 3-11 ATS in their last 14 home games and 0-6 ATS in their last six non-conference games. With FAU having that game under their belt, I like their offense to get plenty of points here today. Ill take Florida Atlantic.