Stanford is in free fall losing and failing to cover its last six games. The Cardinal has lost their last three games by an average of 32 points to Utah, Oregon State and California. Notre Dame is better than those teams.

The Irish's ground game has picked up as their offensive has gotten better. Notre Dame not only will have huge edges at the skill positions, but also in the trenches. Stanford ranks 126th in rushing and 127th in stopping the run.

A key for the Irish is motivation. They are making the long trip West against what has become an extremely weak opponent. Notre Dame, though, still is in the playoff hunt. So style points matter. That means the Irish will be primed for a blowout.

Notre Dame has covered its past six road games and is 7-2 ATS the last nine times as a road favorite. Stanford is 1-7 ATS in its past eight home contests.

Syracuse is a very live underdog here especially given the circumstances.

The Orange need a win to become bowl eligible. This is a very big deal to them since they've only been to one bowl game since 2013.

Pittsburgh would like to win just from a rivalry standpoint, but the Panthers' incentive isn't nearly as great as Syracuse's. That's because the Panthers already have clinched the ACC Coastal Division and will be playing in the ACC title game next week regardless of this outcome. Pittsburgh probably doesn't want to show too much here and may even rest some starters during the game not wanting to risk injury.

The Orange is 3-3 at home with two of those defeats coming by just a field goal.

Syracuse has a top runner, Sean Tucker, who ranks No. 3 in the country in rushing. The Panthers' weakness is pass defense. So the Orange should be able to balance their attack.

The Orange have the defensive ability to bother Kenny Pickett with 36 sacks and 78 tackles for lost yards. The Orange also have the No. 3 pass defense in the ACC.

It's easy envisioning each team scoring at least three goals. The oddsmaker opened this one short at 6 instead of 6 1/2. 

Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are having monster seasons combining for 34 goals and 76 points in just 19 games. Now they are on the same line together. Scary.
Edmonton ranks No. 3 in scoring at 3.8 goals per game. The Oilers also have the No. 1 power play in the NHL.

The Golden Knights rank 12th in scoring, but their defense has slipped to 21st. 

Las Vegas relies on depth rather than individual great scorers. The Golden Knights' depth has gotten even better with the return of Max Pacioretty and William Carrier. 

Injuries, inconsistency and lack of offense have doomed LSU this season. 

Until beating UL Monroe, a lower-tier Sun Belt Conference team, last week the Tigers were 1-5 in their last six games. LSU is averaging only 14.6 points in its last three SEC games. The Tigers' weak offense really misses star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. 

Don't look for LSU to get well against stingy Texas A&M in departing coach Ed Orgeron's final home game. The Aggies are No. 2 in scoring defense holding foes to 14.9 points per game. Only 15 teams give up fewer yards per game than Texas A&M. 

The Aggies put up 41 points on Alabama. So their offense is capable. They'll do enough to cover this spread against a disinterested Tigers team playing the string out while waiting for a new coach. 

Neither Northwestern nor Illinois are going to bowl games. So this is their bowl game in this rivalry matchup.

Both teams are run-oriented with bad passing attacks. So expect a lot of running with the clock moving. The weather forecast is favorable to lots of run plays, too, with a chance of rain and wind in the 10-20 mph range.

The Wildcats rank second-to-last in the nation in scoring at 16.8 points. They haven't broken the 14-point barrier during their last five games, all against Big Ten teams. Andrew Marty is the Wildcats' fourth starting QB this season. He's thrown six interceptions during his four-game starting career while being sacked 10 times.

Illinois isn't any better ranking 118th in total offense and 122nd in scoring offense averaging 17.7 points.

The defenses are mediocre. Mediocrity trumps bad, though.

Two bad Conference USA teams with similar horrendous defense should translate to a higher-scoring game than this total.

How bad are these defenses?

Louisiana Tech is giving up 37.4 points in its last five games. The Bulldogs rank 103rd in defensive total yards, 116th in pass defense.

Rice allows 36.6 points a game. Only four Division I teams give up more points per game. The Owls also are 105th in defensive total yards, 117th in pass defense.

This game is part of the Wooden Legacy Tournament being played in the Anaheim Convention Center, which is notorious for its difficult shooting background. There isn't much crowd support either. 

I went Under on both of the Thursday games and each did go Under. I'm going to follow through with another Under here. St. Joe's went Under by 25 points against USC last night. 

St. Joe's and Georgetown are East Coast teams, too, playing in a weird time zone for them at a very late hour. 

This is my NBA Game of the Month.

Being a small market team on the West Coast isn't great for attracting national attention. Maybe that's why Chris Paul and his Suns teammates play well in their annual visit to Madison Square Garden.

The Suns have beaten the Knicks in New York three straight times with their winning margin being by an average of 16.3 points. Going back to their last 11 times visiting the media center of the U.S., the Suns are 9-2 ATS.

Phoenix is red-hot, winners of 14 in a row. The Suns are doing it with a total team effort. They have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Paul is healthy and putting up excellent numbers. Devin Booker is hot. Deandre Ayton is pulling down double-digit rebounds. When all this is happening, the Suns can take their place among the best teams in the NBA.

The Knicks are struggling to achieve consistency. They are 3-4 in their last seven games. New York defeated the Lakers, 106-100, this past Tuesday. The Lakers were missing LeBron James. New York is 0-6 ATS the last six times following a victory.

Scheduling dynamics heavily factor into this one. Both teams are hot. Minnesota is on a five-game win streak, its longest in four years. Charlotte is 7-1 in its last eight games. 

This is the Hornets' lone home matchup during an eight-game span. Charlotte just concluded three road games. The Hornets go back on the road for four more away games following this matchup. So the urgency definitely is with Charlotte.

The Hornets are 6-2 SU and ATS at home this season, winning and covering their past four. The two home losses occurred to the Celtics in overtime a month ago and to the Cavaliers by three points on Nov. 1. Charlotte had just upset Portland the day before playing the Cavaliers. The Hornets are not in a letdown spot here. 

Charlotte has been strong as a favorite covering 15 of the last 22 in that role. 

The Timberwolves are 1-4 ATS during their past five games against Charlotte. 

Air Force gives up 19.5 points per game. UNLV averages 20.4 points. So don't expect the Rebels to produce many points here. They have a good running back, Charles Williams, and that's about it to their offense. Their QB's are inexperienced and not good downfield passers. UNLV's offensive line has permitted 36 sacks. Only five teams give up fewer yards per game than the Falcons.

UNLV doesn't have a good defense either. But the Rebels are decent in one defensive area - stopping the run where they ranked 50th in the country. Air Force is an option team that runs the ball nearly 88 percent of the time. That's going to eat clock.

Both teams are among the bottom-six in terms of tempo, too. So the pace should be extremely slow.

Timing is very bad for the Saints here. This is a short week for the Saints. They've been without their best offensive players - Alvin Karmara, Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas and tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. These injuries have turned the Saints into a punchless, weapon-less offense operated by Trevor Siemian, one of the more ineffective backup quarterbacks in the league.

The result is New Orleans is on a three-game losing streak. That hasn't happened to the Saints since the first three games of the 2016 season.

New Orleans draws a much more well-rounded - and angry Bills team that just got destroyed, 41-15, at home by the Colts this past Sunday. The Bills have followed up their previous three losses with blowout victories winning those next games by an average of 26 points.

Buffalo ranks No. 2 in scoring at 29.5 points and is fifth in total yards. The Saints can't keep up with that. Their offense is just a shell of its former self.

New Orleans' defensive strength is its run defense, although you couldn't tell by watching the Saints get trampled by the Eagles this past Sunday. The Bills, though, are a passing team. The Saints are giving up 29.2 points per game during their last four games. That's right on the number of what the Bills average per game.

Toronto is 11-2 in its last 13 games. The Maple Leafs have accomplished this with defense and strong goaltending. Toronto has permitted just eight goals in its last seven games. The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in four of their last five games.

LA has dropped four in a row, including a 2-1 overtime loss to the lowly Coyotes in its last game this past Sunday.

The Kings are 2-9 the past 11 times they've been a home 'dog.

But don't expect the Maple Leafs to take the Kings lightly, or not be motivated.

Toronto is in full revenge mode for a 5-1 loss suffered at home to the Kings a little more than two weeks ago. Former Kings goalie Jack Campbell is likely to be in net for Toronto. He has three shutouts this month.

Superstar Auston Matthews is due for a breakout game having been held without a goal the past three games despite coming close to scoring.

The Blue Jackets have produced 3 or more goals in all but one of their last nine games. They rank sixth in the NHL in goals per game.

The Jets' scoring is due to go up. I see that happening here. The Blue Jackets' 23rd-ranked defense is in bad form giving up 3.8 goals in their last six games.

The Over has cashed the past four times in this series.

These two teams just met two days ago and the Clippers won, 97-91, for a combined 188 points. The total on that game was 208 1/2. Now it's slightly higher. I don't understand why?

There's talk Luka Doncic could play after missing the last three games. However, Doncic aggravated his knee/ankle injuries during Monday's practice. So he's a long shot to play. Even if Doncic were to play, which I highly doubt, he figures to be rusty.

The Clippers give up the fourth-fewest points and rank No. 2 in defensive efficiency allowing 99.8 points per 100 possessions.

Dallas is an above average defensive team with a strong tendency to go Under. The Under has cashed in 68 percent of the Mavericks' last 20 games.

The Clippers are still trying to figure things out offensively minus Kawhi Leonard. LA is averaging fewer than 97 points in its past five games.

Oregon lost some of its major talent from last season's team that won the Pac-12 title and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. But the Ducks don't rebuild under Dana Altman. They reload. That's the case again this season. The Ducks look strong again thanks to recruiting and transfers to go with their existing talent. 
I have the Ducks power-rated much higher against Saint Mary's than the oddsmaker does. 

The situation here is good, too, for the Ducks. They had an easy win yesterday beating Chaminade, 73-49, while Saint Mary's had a close one with Notre Dame pulling out a 62-59 win. That was the Gaels' first real nonconference test. 

Oregon has something to prove after a loss to BYU last week. This is the Ducks' chance. Each team shares a common opponent, Texas Southern. St. Mary's beat the Tigers by nine points while Oregon defeated Texas Southern by 17 points. 

The rebuilding Pistons aren't going to win many games this season. They had a great opportunity to beat the Lakers at home this past Sunday, but blew a 17-point lead to drop to 4-12.

But that wasn't the major takeaway.

Detroit's second-year center Isaiah Stewart tried to attack LeBron James after James caused Stewart to suffer a facial cut that required eight stitches. The benches cleared and Stewart had to be held back numerous times attempting to fight James.

It was an emotional game for the Pistons. I doubt they can bounce back and keep this one close against a much superior and what should be motivated Heat squad. Stewart drew a two-game suspension for his actions. The Pistons also are short-handed in the backcourt with Killian Hayes out another two games due to a thumb injury.

There's a fatigue factor working against Detroit, too. This marks the Pistons' seventh game in 12 days.

The Heat opened their four-game road trip in bad fashion losing to the Wizards, 103-100, this past Saturday. Miami blew a 10-point lead during the final five minutes. The loss halted a four-game Miami win streak.

So the Heat shouldn't lack incentive. They are 8-2 ATS the past 10 times when facing an opponent with a winning percentage below .400. The Pistons are 2-10 ATS the last 12 times they've met an above .500 foe.

Miami's previous three victories have been by 15, 15 and 13 points.

The Grizzlies certainly aren't going to lack motivation for this matchup. Not only are the Grizzlies off a highly-embarrassing,138-95, road loss to the Timberwolves two days ago that Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called unacceptable, but they have playoff revenge. Utah eliminated Memphis in five games during the first round of the playoffs last season.

Historically the Grizzlies have been strong in this type of situation going 19-7 ATS (73 percent) following a loss of more than 10 points.

The Jazz, on the other hand, are fat and happy with three straight wins and covers. Those victories came against the banged-up 76ers, who were missing Joel Embiid, the Raptors, who were minus their leading scorer, OG Anunoby, and the Kings in their final game before they fired Luke Walton.

Before losing to the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies had rolled past the Rockets by 34 points and defeated the Clippers by 12 points. Look for the Grizzlies to get back on track with a competitive performance here.

Now that Ben Roethlisberger has cleared COVID-19 protocols, I feel confident playing this game Over the total.

The Chargers have an above average offense and an elite QB in Justin Herbert. The Chargers catch a major break in that Pittsburgh is going to be without it's best pass rusher, best safety and top cornerback as T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden have all been ruled out.

The Steelers aren't the same minus the dominant Watt, perhaps the best pass rusher in the NFL, and the dynamic ballhawk Fitzpatrick. The Steelers are thin at linebacker, too, after trading Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs earlier this month.

The Chargers are averaging 29.7 points in their past four home games. The weather will be perfect here.

I expect the Steelers to contribute their fair share of points. LA ranks last in run defense. Najee Harris is the sixth-leading rusher in the NFL. Pittsburgh's young offensive line has been showing improvement.

If the Chargers stack the line to key on Harris, Rothelisberger is savvy enough to hurt LA with play-action. It's a plus for Pittsburgh that big-play wideout Chase Claypool is expected to play.

Despite a 3-7 record, the Dolphins have life after their dominating victory against the Ravens last Thursday. The Dolphins' next four games are against the Jets, Panthers, Giants and Jets again. Those are all winnable games, which would put Miami at 7-7.

The Dolphins should get this one against the Jets, who have serious quarterback issues and a thin defense that has collapsed because of injuries.

Sometimes it's a mistake to overreact to one game. But beating the Ravens was a huge confidence-builder for the Dolphins. This was a dominant 22-10 victory, too. It was the second-fewest points Baltimore scored with Lamar Jackson as its starting QB. The Ravens could manage only 94 yards on the ground, which was their second-lowest rushing output in four years.

The Dolphins are a heavy blitzing team and the Jets have a well-below average offensive line to protect washed-up Joe Flacco, who was named the starting QB this week.

The Jets have lost nearly all of their above average defensive talent. The result is New York is giving up an average of 43.7 points in its last four games. The Jets rank last defensively in points and yards. They are second-to-last in pass defense.

Tua Tagovailoa is an improving QB, who can take advantage.

This is a cheap price to back the superior, motivated team against what's turned into another Jets disaster.

It's not who you play in the NFL it's when you play them. That applies in this case. The Texans have lost eight in a row. Bill O'Brien really buried this franchise before departing the Houston scene. He should never be allowed to set foot on Texas soil again. The Texans are at expansion level.

But the Texans will prove tough here.

After winning six in a row - the last five against playoff teams - the Titans are in a monster letdown spot. They have the Patriots on deck.

Tennessee no longer has an explosive offense. Derrick Henry and Julio Jones are both out. It's not a coincidence the Titans have had their two worst rushing games of the season since losing Henry to a broken right foot.

Houston has the running advantage with David Johnson, Phillip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead and Tyrod Taylor, one of the better running QB's in the league, compared to the Titans' Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman.

The Texans' offensive line is terrible. But injuries have greatly reduced the effectiveness of Tennessee's offensive line. Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 29 times. That's tied with rookie Justin Fields for being the most sacked QB in the NFL.

Taylor was extremely rusty against the Dolphins in his first start after being out for six weeks with a hamstring injury. Houston had its bye last week. Expect Taylor, an 11-year veteran with a history of not turning the ball over, to be much sharper. The Texans are plus eight in point differential during the 10 quarters Taylor has played.

This is a game Houston coach David Culley has been pointing to. He's a native of Tennessee and has an extensive college coaching record inside the state of Tennessee.

The Texans come in rested and motivated. The Titans lack the firepower to blow an opponent out now especially when in a flat spot.

The Texans have the worst offense in the NFL ranking last in points and yards per game. They are averaging a mind-boggling 4.2 points in their last four road games.

Tyrod Taylor upgrades Houston's offense. But only slightly. He's far better than overmatched rookie Davis Mills, but he's still Tyrod Taylor - a conservative journeyman better at running the ball than completing downfield passes.

The Titans have excellent season numbers. However, those numbers are out of context now with Derrick Henry and Julio Jones both out. The Titans have run the ball 55 times in their last two games minus Henry. They've gained 135 yards, an average of 67.5 yards per game. That's their lowest two-game rushing total of the season.

No Jones means the Texans can fully concentrate their pass defense on A.J. Brown, who is the Titans' only above average wideout.

Both teams have protection problems. The Titans have given up 29 sacks, the Texans 26 sacks. Tennessee's defense is much improved with defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and linebacker Harold Landry playing at star levels.

After four straight one-goal losses, the Blues ended their losing streak with a solid, 4-1, victory against the Sharks two days ago. I see St. Louis following through with another win.

The Pacers are in stop-the-pain mode, losers of three in a row. They draw the 3-14 Pelicans at home.

New Orleans is off a rare win, defeating the visiting Clippers, 94-81, last night. The Pelicans aren't good and they are in a letdown situation. New Orleans won't be respectable until Zion Williamson returns. Of their last eight losses, seven have been by eight or more points.

The Pacers nearly pulled out a road win against Charlotte last night after trailing by 25 points in the third quarter, but fell three points short. Indiana received a season-high 78 points from its bench.

None of the Pacers logged more than 23 minutes last night, while three Pelicans played major minutes against the Clippers. Indiana holds a huge talent edge with Malcolm Brodgon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert. The Pacers' starters will be highly motivated to play well after their poor performance last night.

Until the Canadiens right their ship, they are a fade. Montreal has lost seven of its last eight games, including the past four. Proud Canadien fans have turned on their team for their awful performances.

Dave Aranda has long been known as a defensive whiz at Utah State and Wisconsin before going to LSU and now Baylor. 

The Bears have shown steady defensive improvement under Aranda. They just held Oklahoma to a season-low 14 points. 

Kansas State is a far drop from Oklahoma offensively. The Wildcats rank 92nd in total yards. 

But like Baylor, Kansas State has come on defensively giving up 24, 12, 10 and 17 points in its last four games, all versus Big 12 schools. 

Both teams rank in the top-four defensively in the Big 12. Both teams are run-oriented and play at a slow pace. The Bears rank 108th in tempo, while Kansas State is 128th in pace. 

The Under has cashed the last four times the teams have played at Kansas State. 

Cheap price to lay with Minnesota against an Indiana team that has lost six in a row. The Hooisers hit rock bottom last week falling, 38-3, to Rutgers.

Injuries have taken away the Hooisers' explosiveness. They are down to third-string QB freshman Donaven McCulley. Discounting a 35-point performance against Maryland, Indiana is averaging a meager 6.4 points in its last five games. The Hooisers have been held to seven or fewer points in four of their past six games. 

Minnesota won't be taking the Hooisers lightly being a game behind Iowa and Wisconsin in the Big Ten West Division. The Gophers are 3-1 SU and ATS on the road with their lone away defeat coming to Iowa last week by five points. The Gophers outgained the Hawkeyes and had 11 more first downs.

Indiana ranks 106th in scoring defense giving up an average of 32 points. Given their lack of firepower and a defense that has worn down allowing 39.7 points in its last four games it's not difficult to see the Gophers covering a touchdown spread. 

Appalachian State is the class of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. Troy is a .500 team. But the Trojans have outscored their opponents by 26 points and this is their biggest game of the season. It is huge revenge for them after the Mountaineers defeated them by 37 points last season. That was the most lopsided loss Troy had last year. 

The Trojans have picked up their scoring averaging 27.6 points in their last five games.  The Trojans rank 17th in defensive total yards and they have 36 sacks. The most points they've surrendered all season is 35. 

Appalachian State is down a tick at quarterback from previous seasons. Mountaineers QB Chase Brice has been picked off eight times.  The Trojans have 13 takeaways, 11th-most in the country. 

These two teams are far apart from what this point spread may indicate.
 
 San Diego State has a top-10 defense, a strong ground attack and a once-in-a-generation punter. 

UNLV has a horrible defense and can't pass the ball. The Rebels are highly reliant on running back Charles Williams. The Aztecs have the fourth-best run defense in the country.

The Aztecs are in must-win mode, too, needing to win this game and their regular-season finale to capture the West Division of the Mountain West Conference. 

San Diego State buried UNLV, 34-6, last season. The Aztecs won't be taking the Rebels lightly, however. That's because UNLV has won two in a row after opening the season with eight straight losses. Note, though, the Rebels' victories are against New Mexico and Hawaii. The combined record of those two teams is 2-10. 

Before beating New Mexico and Hawaii, UNLV lost, 51-20, to Nevada. San Diego State defeated Nevada, 23-21, last week. 

The Rebels have permitted at least 35 points in five of their games. They rank 105th in scoring defense. San Diego State has one of the best running backs in the conference, Greg Bell, and upgraded at quarterback with the switch to Lucas Johnson four games ago. Punter Matt Araiza is a huge weapon for the Aztecs. He's on pace to set the single-season college mark averaging 52.2 yards per punt. 

UNLV ranks 119th in total yards and 113th in scoring. The Rebels may not reach 10 points considering they aren't likely to ever have good field position. The Aztecs have held six of their 10 foes to 14 or fewer points. 

This is a big number for Montreal to lay. The Alouettes are 7-6. They are a playoff team, but not some dominant power.

The oddsmaker seems to believe the Alouettes will play hard against a bad Ottawa team because of home field incentive. The Alouettes would host Hamilton in the first round of the playoffs if the Tiger-Cats lose to Saskatchewan on Saturday provided Montreal defeats Ottawa. Hamilton is around a TD favorite against Saskatchewan.

What can be said for sure is Montreal and Hamilton are meeting next week in a playoff game. So this game is pretty much meaningless. The Alouettes aren't going to risk an injury just to have their starters play a full game. If Montreal were to jump out to a big lead, the backdoor would be left wide open as the Alouettes likely are going to play reserves a lot here.

Ottawa had a bye last week. So the Redblacks will be refreshed and loose this being their final game of the season. Ottawa played Toronto tough in its last game losing, 23-20, but covering as a 10 1/2-point 'dog.

Montreal has failed to cover eight of the last 11 times it has been favored. The Alouettes also are 0-6 ATS the past six times as home chalk. Ottawa has covered the past eight times when playing in Montreal.

Short price here to back the Hornets, who have won four in a row and been playing better defense. 

Charlotte is mixing in more zone defense than before. The result is the Hornets have held their last four foes to an average of 98.2 points. 

Consequently, Indiana is enduring its worst two-game scoring stretch of the season. The Pacers have produced just 89 and 84 points during their past two games. 
There's also a fatigue factor for the Pacers as this marks their sixth game in nine days. 

Indiana has failed to cover in 11 of its last 14 visits to Charlotte. 

Toronto is well coached under Nick Nurse and getting healthy with Pascal Siakam rounding into shape. That's why it's difficult for opponents to blow the Raptors out. Only twice in their last 14 games have the Raptors lost by more than eight points.

The Raptors should be rested and well motivated here having lost their last two games and having had two full days off.

Utah, on the other hand, is coming off a 120-86 home blowout of the undermanned 76ers from two days ago.

Then there's the history between these two teams. Toronto has owned Utah point spread-wise covering nine of the past 10. The Raptors are a perfect 8-0 ATS during their last eight visits to Salt Lake City.

The teams met just two days ago and there were 7 goals scored in the Jets' 5-2 win. The Oilers have short revenge. They also are the No. 1 goal scoring team in the NHL averaging 4.1 goals. 

The Falcons have much to prove after scoring just three points in a 40-point loss to the Cowboys last Sunday. Matt Ryan had a passer rating of 21.4 in that game, lowest of his career.

It's probably a given the Falcons are going to come out motivated for this Thursday night home game. It's far from a given, though, that they score far more points than last week.

New England has an elite defense. Dallas doesn't. The Patriots are giving up the second-fewest points per game in the NFL at 17.7. That number shrinks to 12.5 if you go by the last four games.

Atlanta's problems aren't fully on Ryan. Minus traded Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, who will be missing his fourth straight game to deal with mental health issues, the Falcons are down to just two explosive players, Cordarrelle Patterson and tight end Kyle Pitts. Patterson is dealing with an ankle injury. So he may be out, too.

Given Mike Davis' ineffectiveness this season, the Falcons' primary running back could be journeyman Wayne Gallman. That leaves Pitts as a lone force and Bill Belichick is a master at taking away his opponent's most potent weapon. The Falcons won't even have the luxury of playing a second good pass-catching tight end because Hayden Hurst is out with an ankle injury.

This isn't the decent Falcons' attack spearheaded by Ryan we're used to seeing. Way too many missing parts. Ryan is going to have to be conservative because of that. The Patriots have 14 interceptions. That's tied for the second-most in the league.

The Patriots are far from explosive themselves. Take away their two victories against the Jets and last week's blowout of the Browns and the Patriots are averaging 21.5 points in their seven other games.

New England is a run-oriented, ground-and-pound team. Rookie QB Mac Jones has proven accurate, but he's not a big downfield thrower and his wide receiving corps is below average.

It's tough for a road team to win when playing on a short week especially facing a non-conference opponent. The last time these teams met was 2017. The short week limits the Patriots' game-planning and chance to be creative on offense. They'll do what they do best - run the ball, play for field position and rely on their defense. That's a good formula for the Under.

UC Riverside is underrated and dangerous. Riverside already has an upset road victory against Arizona State. The Highlanders are 6-2-1 ATS as a road 'dog.

If you go by KenPom rankings, Riverside is better than San Diego. I have the Highlanders power rated above the Toreros, too.

Matchup-wise, the Highlanders' strength is hitting their 3-point shots and defending from beyond the arc. San Diego's weakness is defending the 3-pointer.

So I'm going to take the better team in an underdog role.

The Suns return home following a three-game, four-day road trip that concluded Monday night in Minnesota. The Suns are fat and happy, winners of nine in a row. Feeding into the Suns' relaxed mind is knowing they don't have to worry about Luka Doncic. He's out with knee and ankle sprains. 

Florida State fell out of the Top-25 rankings by losing, 71-55, to Florida this past Sunday.

Tulane is off a 73-70 loss to Southern this past Saturday.

Each team is capable of playing better - and scoring better. I believe that happens here.

The Seminoles are breaking in a bunch of new players. They've had a couple of games to get acquainted.

Jaylen Forbes, Tulane's top scorer from a year ago, is averaging fewer than 12 points a game. He's due for a big performance.

The Over is 15-7-1 in Florida State's last 23 home games.

Reinvigorated after a four-game West Coast trip, the Hawks are averaging 124.5 points during the first two games of their current homestand.

The Hawks are an explosive, high-energy team with youngsters Trae Young and John Collins to go with Clint Capela inside, long range sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic and instant offense off the bench from Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari, neither of whom play good defense.

Atlanta could catch a break if Boston center Robert Williams can't play due to knee soreness. That also would be a plus for the Over.

The Celtics are minus Jaylen Brown. However, the Hawks are giving up an average of 115.1 points in their last 10 games. The Celtics are off consecutive road games against the Cavaliers. This will be a welcomed change of pace, faster tempo game for Boston, which has played a number of half-court type opponents lately.

Considering the weather forecast for Muncie, Ind., the total on this game is too high. 

This is a rare CFL Tuesday game caused by the original date being postponed due to COVID-19. It just might be the worst CFL game of the season, too.
Edmonton is 2-10. So why such a short point spread then?

The reason is Toronto clinched its first playoff spot since 2017 by defeating Hamilton this past Friday. The Argos' reward is they will be resting many of their starters as this game is meaningless to them. 

The Elks have the second-worst scoring offense in the CFL. They are averaging 16.6 points in their past five games.

Edmonton is on even a shorter week having last played just four days ago. 

This certainly doesn't allow for much practice time.  

These teams have every reason to just mail this one in with simple schemes that keep the clock moving. 

Former Nebraska coach Tim Miles had a successful San Jose State debut as the Spartans opened its season with a 78-76 upset win at home against Cal State Fullerton. The Spartans were six-point underdogs. The Spartans built a 16-point lead and never trailed in that game. 

The Spartans are better than perceived, while Stanford isn't as good as some people think at least during this early going.

The Cardinal lost, 88-72, on the road to Santa Clara this past Friday. Through two games, Stanford ranks 311th in defensive two-point field goal percentage. The Cardinal rank 242nd in turnover ratio, too. 

Right now Stanford is mainly relying on a pair of freshmen. The Cardinal have failed to cover the past five times when laying points. 

I think the oddsmaker is putting too much emphasis on how Oregon State finished last season. The Beavers shocked a lot of people by winning the Pac-12 Conference Tournament and then reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. But it's not so easy to recapture that magic so early in the season. The Beavers lost Ethan Thompson and Zach Reichle from that team. They've begun this season 1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS with a 60-50 road loss to Iowa State in their last game.  Now Oregon State is laying points at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane are 21-6 the past 27 times as a home 'dog.  Tulsa has a number of key transfers, including Jeriah Horne. He played well at Colorado last season and has looked good for Tulsa so far this season. The Golden Hurricane were limited to just 23 games last season and had a disappointing year. They won't lack motivation here and have the talent to win straight-up. Oregon State is trying to find the right combinations so the Beavers are far from peak form. This is what Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said, ''Expectations can be a tricky thing for team that overperform in March.'' 

There's not much to say in defense of Orlando. The Magic are the youngest team in the league, rank second to last in scoring and have the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

So when you're playing on the Magic, like I am here, it's almost always a fade against the opponent. That's the case with the Hawks, who should not be favored by this many points.

Atlanta opened its homestand beating the Bucks, 120-100, on Sunday. That halted a six-game Hawks losing streak. Not to take away from that Atlanta win, but the Bucks were short-handed minus Kris Middleton.

Before that victory, Atlanta had failed to cover in any of its losses during its six-game losing skid with five of those defeats occurring by at least nine points.

The Hawks simply aren't that strong of a team to just blow out an opponent when the situation isn't right. The spot isn't right here for Atlanta.

This marks the Hawks' eight game in 13 days and second in two days. Atlanta is 0-3 SU and ATS when playing without rest this season, losing those games by an average of 13.6 points.

Orlando, on the other hand, will be playing for just the third time in eight days. The Magic will be battle tested. Their last five games have been against the Wizards, Nets, Jazz - who they beat by seven points - Spurs and Celtics.

Two bad teams get together here for a Sunday night game. I'm expecting a loose game with more scoring than the oddsmaker is projecting.

Seattle is giving up 76.3 points in its last 13 games going back to last season.

The Redhawks, though, have a good guard in Darrion Trammell.

I haven't been this excited about St. Bonaventure basketball since Bob Lanier played for the Bonnies. That was more than 50 years ago.

The Bonnies are ranked in the top 25 and the choice of many to capture the Atlantic 10 Conference. They displayed their tough defense in their opening game beating Siena, 75-47, this past Tuesday.

Next up for St. Bonaventure is long-time rival Canisius. This should be an intense matchup. The Golden Griffins are 0-2 with losses to Miami and East Carolina. The Under is 11-5-1 the past 17 times Canisius has been an underdog.

The teams last met two seasons ago and there were just 118 points scored in Canisius' 61-57 victory.

The oddsmaker opened with a wrong favorite. Florida State lost four players to the NBA, but is still loaded. The Seminoles have tremendous depth.

Florida needs Keyontae Johnson to beat Florida State. Unfortunately for the Gators, Johnson isn't playing yet.

The Gators never recovered against Florida State last year after Johnson unexpectedly collapsed during their game. The Seminoles went on to win, 83-71. It's the seventh straight time Florida State has defeated Florida.

Granted San Diego State is the best defense Nevada has seen all season.

But the Wolf Pack are going to get their share of points with QB Carson Strong and his strong group of receiving targets. Nevada is averaging 40 points in its last six games. The Wolf Pack lead the Mountain West Conference in scoring at 36.4 points. Strong is fourth in the nation in passing yards with 3,197 yards. He's completed 70.5 percent of his passes.

San Diego State is going to hold up its end of the bargain, too, in getting this total Over.

The Aztecs are a top-40 rushing team. Lucas Johnson is an upgrade for them at QB replacing Jordon Brookshire. The Wolf Pack rank 102nd in pass defense. So they can't stack the line to key on the run without being vulnerable in their already weak secondary.

San Diego earned some respect upsetting California on the road as a double-digit 'dog this past Tuesday. The Tritons have had ample time to rest and prepare for their opening home game.

George Washington, though, is making the long trip West. The Colonials are playing for the third time in five days so there is a fatigue factor.

The Colonials hung tough against 21st-ranked Maryland on Thursday, losing 71-64. They weren't so impressive in their opener, though, defeating St. Francis (PA), 75-72, as 6 1/2-point home favorites.

That dropped George Washington's point spread mark to 3-13 when favored. The Colonials also have failed to cover in seven of their last 10 road contests.

Just because Wake Forest and North Carolina scored a combined 113 points in the Tar Heels' 58-55 win last week, doesn't mean the Demon Deacons are going to produce a ton of points this week.

That was a deflating loss for them halting their unbeaten season and now they draw a tough defensive foe in North Carolina State.

North Carolina managed just 23 points against Pittsburgh Thursday night. I expect Wake Forest's scoring will be down, too, from last week. North Carolina State ranks seventh in scoring defense giving up only 16 points a game. Only 17 teams give up fewer yards per game than the Wolfpack.

North Carolina State hasn't topped 28 points in its last two games against Louisville and Florida State. Those are both below defenses.

Both teams played Friday night and lost. The Grizzlies are the more talented and deeper team. I like them to bounce back and cover this spread.

Memphis has proven it can beat much better teams than New Orleans on the road owning victories against the Clippers and Warriors.

The Pelicans have dropped nine in a row going 3-6 ATS during this span. Their last six losses all have come by at least eight points. The Pelicans gave a strong effort last night in falling to the Nets, 120-112, but that's not always a given with this team.

New Orleans might get Brandon Ingram back today, but clearly miss Zion Williamson.

South Alabama is without its starting QB Jake Bentley, who is out with a knee injury. That puts more pressure on the Jaguars' ground attack, which hasn't been good. The Jaguars rank 96th in rushing.

I don't expect South Alabama to score many points here. But the Jaguars do have a good defense. Only 16 teams give up fewer yards per game than South Alabama. The Jaguars are 21st in run defense. Appalachian State runs nearly 60 percent of the time.

The Mountaineers will be content to run clock not taking chances against this weak foe, especially considering the weather forecast. Heavy winds in the 16-28 mph range are being forecast. This is a huge plus for the Under.

Montreal covered against Winnipeg last week and I expect the same this week as this game means nothing to the Blue Bombers and everything to the Alouettes.

Winnipeg has already clinched home field for the playoffs. The Blue Bombers are resting starters. Backup QB Sean McGuire likely is going to play a lot as Zach Collaros rests.

Montreal can rely on William Stanback, the leading rusher in the CFL. He rushed for 106 yards against the Blue Bombers last week.

The point spread may not reflect it, but Penn State is the better team. The Nittany Lions are home, too, and don't have the injuries Michigan does. 

Penn State's losses occurred to Illinois in overtime, to Iowa by three on the road when they were leading by two touchdowns before QB Sean Clifford was injured and a tough nine-point road loss to Ohio State. 

The Nittany Lions have played a far more difficult schedule than the Wolverines. Penn State has covered 10 of its last 13 games, while Michigan has failed to cover the past six times when going against above .500 opponents.  

Penn State got back on track smashing Maryland, 31-14, on the road last week. Clifford and his star wide receiver Jahan Dotson had big games. Michigan can't match that passing firepower. 

The Wolverines are dealing with a number of skill position injuries with running back Blake Corum, wide receivers A.J. Henning and Andrel Anthony all hurt along with tight end Erick All. Corum is their second leading rusher, while All is their second leading receiver. 

Oklahoma has defeated Baylor seven straight times. The unbeaten Sooners also have won 23 consecutive November games. I don't see the Bears putting a halt to that streak.

Baylor lost its momentum with a 30-28 loss to TCU last week. The Bears surrendered 570 of total offense to a Horned Frogs squad going with a backup QB and minus their best running back. 

It's scary how many points and yards the Sooners can put up on the Bears especially being idle last week giving offensive guru Lincoln Riley ample time to prepare and game plan. 

The Sooners' offense has taken off since Caleb Williams replaced disappointing Spencer Rattler at QB. The Sooners are averaging 46.2 points in their last five games. 

No LeBron James, no problem. The Lakers have some momentum for really the first time this season following consecutive overtime wins against the Hornets and Heat.

Now LA is stepping down in class. The Timberwolves opened 3-1, but are showing signs of reverting back to their bottom-feeding ways. They have lost six in a row, including a 123-110 road loss to the Warriors in their last game two days ago. The Timberwolves' defense remains bad, ranking 23rd in scoring defense. 

This marks Minnesota's third road game in five days. 

Calgary is 4-2 in its last six games while BC has lost six in a row. 

The Stampeders have dominated this series winning nine of the last 11. 

The teams met at BC on Oct. 16 and Calgary stomped the Lions, 39-10. 

The Lions have been money-burners in November going 3-12-1 ATS. 

Calgary recently bolstered its wide receiving group adding Reggie Begelton. He's a former CFL All-Star. 

The Wildcats are a high scoring team that is showing signs under new coach Tommy Lloyd of playing even faster than last season. 

Rio Grande has a new coach, too, Matt Figgers. He's an offensive guru. Rio Grande doesn't play good defense. Rio Grande is going to play at Arizona's pace and try to match the Wildcats' scoring.

Fast tempo and two strong offensive teams make this total an overreaction to Arizona going Under in its first game against pathetic Northern Arizona after the total was steamed up. This is an overreaction by the oddsmaker opening this total too low. 

This is my CFL Game of the Month. It's a big game here and I'm going to ride the hot hand of Hamilton QB Jeremiah Masoli, who in his past four starts has thrown for 1,296 yards with nine TD's and no interceptions. Masoli is 6-2 lifetime against Toronto.

Toronto has allowed the second-most touchdowns in the CFL. Only Ottawa has given up more TD's and the Argonauts barely beat the 2-11 Redblacks, 23-20, last week.

The Argos lost their best running back, John White, to injury against Ottawa.

Hamilton has the second-best defense in the league giving up 17.5 points per game. That's seven points less per game than Toronto permits.

Rallying from an 18-point second-half deficit, North Carolina came back to defeat ninth-ranked Wake Forest, 58-55, this past Saturday. It was a great home win for the Tar Heels.

However, now the Tar Heels have to travel on a short week to face another ranked team, Pittsburgh. 

The Panthers match up better against the Tar Heels than the Demon Deacons did. Plus the Panthers are home and in a great situational spot catching the Tar Heels on short rest following a great victory.

North Carolina has lost and failed to cover the three times it has played away from home this season, losing those games by an average of 13.3 points.

Kenny Pickett could be the most improved quarterback in college football. Sparked by Pickett, a trio of good running backs and excellent wideouts, the Panthers are averaging a nation-best 45 points a game. They are No. 2 in the country in yards averaging 543.3. 

Sam Howell is one of the top QB's in the country. The Tar Heels can't match Pitt's numbers, though, especially when on the road and going against a good defense. North Carolina averages 22 points in its non-home games. 

North Carolina gives up 33.4 points per game. Pittsburgh holds foes to 22.7 points per game and ranks 15th in run defense. The Panthers give up just 3.2 yards per carry, bad news for Tar Heels' running back Ty Chandler.

Howell is less effective if he's one-dimensional without Chandler producing on the ground. Pittsburgh has the second most sacks in the ACC. Expect Pickett to get the better of Howell backed by the superior defense and for Pittsburgh to win this one by double-digits. 

The two teams have opened their respective seasons each of the past two years playing each other. Arizona scored 96 and 91 points in those games. The combined totals were 149 and 143. I don't see why this matchup doesn't fall into that range either especially with Tommy Lloyd taking over from Sean Miller at Arizona.

The Wildcats are loaded again and Lloyd wants to play fast. Lloyd is used to high-scoring efforts having been a long-time assistant to Mark Few at Gonzaga.

Northern Arizona has no choice, but to push tempo. It has the players to do that. The Lumberjacks won't be afraid to take 3-pointers either.

New coaches, new players. That's the situation with these two teams.

Utah's new coach Craig Smith built strong defensive programs at South Dakota and Utah State. He brought in eight new players along with a new coaching staff. The Utes lost four of their top five scorers. He wants to establish a strong defensive mindset right from the beginning.

Abilene Christian is tough defensively, too, and plays at a slow pace. The Wildcats held their last six foes to an average of 59.3 points.

I'm looking for Nebraska to be better than its 7-20 record last season. The Cornhuskers struggled in the rugged Big Ten going 3-16 in league play. But they've added several important players, including former Arizona State guard Alonzo Verge Jr.

Nebraska looked good in its preseason games, including beating Colorado, 82-67, at home this past Sunday.

Western Illinois last beat a Power 5 conference opponent back during the 2015-16 season. The Leathernecks finished seventh in the nine-team Summit League with a 5-9 conference mark last season.

I have Nebraska power-rated to win this game by more than 20 points.

Miami holds a huge backcourt edge here led by Isaiah Wong, who was named a first-team All-ACC player in the preseason poll. The Hurricanes are deep at guard. They have had problems in the ACC, but are stepping way down in class here.

Canisius only was able to play 13 games last season because of the pandemic going 7-6.

The Hurricanes have looked good in their preseason games. I have them power rated by more than 20 points in this matchup.

I see Providence dominating this matchup against a middling Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team.

The Friars could have the top center in the Big East, Nate Watson. The Friars tuned up for this matchup burying Stonehill, 95-71, in an exhibition game.

Playing Fairfield means a little something extra to Providence coach Ed Cooley. He coached the Stags for six years before coming to Providence.

The Bears hosted the 49ers last week. The total was less than 41. There were 55 points scored. 

The Rams are a top-five offense averaging more than 30 points and 400 total yards. Matthew Stafford is putting up MVP numbers and Cooper Kupp has been the best wide receiver in the NFL. Tennessee has a below average defense. 

Tyrod Taylor is back under center. That makes a huge difference for Houston. Taylor is a professional. Rookie Davis Mills was a rank amateur in way above his head as a starting NFL quarterback.

Taylor played six quarters before he was injured. The Texans outscored their two opponents, 51-35, during that span. 

No Taylor isn't some savior. He's a veteran journeyman. The Texans are one of the worst teams in the NFL. But their 1-7 record is the same as Miami's. 

The Dolphins give up even more yards than the Texans. Miami ranks 31st in defensive total yards and 29th in scoring defense permitting 29.1 points. 
The Dolphins on offense are just as bad ranking in the bottom-four in yards gained, points, rushing yards and turnovers. 

Houston has a bye next week. So the Texans should be putting forth a strong effort. 

Miami isn't nearly the playoff team it was last season. So you have to wonder about the Dolphins' morale.